I Will Touch the Skies - A Pokemon Fanfiction (OC)

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 104

"So you're saying you're actually interested in battling?" I asked smugly.

"I wouldn't go that far," he said, scratching his cheek. "I don't think I'm good enough to get as good as everyone else is, so why not try it this way? I mean, maybe Pherzen's reputation will take a hit, but…"

"If you can make it work and show the world that there's more to the strategy than meets the eye, then Pherzen's image could be left unscathed," Cece said.

"Right, but could I even do that? I'd need to basically start from scratch and train my Pokemon in a completely different manner," he said.

"Would you?" I frowned. "I mean, Sandile can burrow and trap his opponents in Sand Tombs, right? Now, I will say, it definitely won't be enough for your third badge—"

"Especially against Fantina," Cece added. "She's considered the most skilled gym leader, you know?"

"Right, I remember hearing rumors that her true team is as good as an Elite Four member's and that she still holds back against trainers that have gone through the entire Circuit multiple times," I explained. I could tell that he was getting cold feet from all of this, so I decided to continue quickly. "What I wanted to say is that you already have something there. A base to build up from with Sandile."

"Arcanine are one of the fastest Pokemon on land, since they can learn Extreme Speed," Cece said. "And they can also learn Teleport… so perhaps you could work out something with that in the future."

"They can?" he asked with wide eyes. "Growlithe was the one I was struggling the most to come up with something with. I've— I've never felt this fired up before."

I smiled at him. "Now you know how it feels, man," I chuckled. "What about your Lotad?"

"Um… he's actually a Lombre now."

"Excuse me?!" I exclaimed, almost falling over. "Since when?"

"I started up training again after your gym battles, and he evolved while fighting Growlithe," Justin said. "I just never found an appropriate time to reveal it."

"You idiot, there's never a bad time to reveal an evolution!"

"Sorry," he awkwardly smiled. "I was thinking about using Rain Dance and Swift Swim, but it's still all in the theory stage. Growlithe isn't ready to evolve, although I'll try to buy myself a Fire Stone in Hearthome, and Lombre can't use Rain Dance."

"Still, that's excellent progress," Cece said. "Any idea for future team members?"

"Well, I definitely want something more defensively minded to round out my team… I was thinking about buying an Audino. They're rather common, since a lot of Nurse Joys seem to covet them over the usual Chansey. Plus, I figured it'd be nice to have a Pokemon that can help the others if they ever get injured beyond what a potion can do."

"Oh, right," I said, slamming my fist into my palm. "What's the move… Heal Pulse. I know about that."

"There's also Wish, Life Dew, Heal Bell, Healing Wish—"

"Sheesh, you've read up on this!" I said. "I think you've got a real shot at this stalling thing, and if you're as passionate as you look—"

"Passionate? This is just… me trying something new."

Cecilia laughed. "Come on, Justin, you look more excited than I've ever seen you. I bet Pauline would say the same, and she's known you for years."

"It does feel different this time," he admitted with a sigh. "Thank you for this, and sorry for interrupting… whatever it is you were going to do. I just felt like venting and putting it all in the open. I feel more sure about this now, but it's still not a guarantee. I'm just thinking about it," he said as he got out of the tent.

"Well, would you look at that," Cecilia said with a slight smirk. "Justin Gardner himself, enamored with Pokemon battling, even though he's pretending not to be."

"Did you know I was like that once?" I said.

"Really?!" She gasped. "H—how? I can't even imagine you like that, it's antithetical to your whole being."

"Right?" I laughed. "It was before I started this entire journey. I just stayed holed up in my room all day and watched battles on television or browsed the forums or whatever."

"Wait, are you saying that's all you did? That seems like you were still… passionate?"

"I mean, in retrospect, yeah," I shrugged. "But back then, I was in denial, I think. I was too scared of the risks of being a trainer to take the plunge, but my dad gave me a slight push, and I've never looked back. It was the best decision of my life."

"I'm thankful for your father, then," she said.

"For getting me to realize that sometimes, you've got to get out of your comfort zone to get what you truly want?" I said. "Yeah, he was the one that did that."

"And you know… without him, I never would have met you."

I felt her hand on mine and turned toward her. I sneaked another look toward the tent's exit, confirming that Justin or Pauline weren't coming in, and then leaned in for the kiss. She quickly took the lead and gently pushed me down, slowly lowering herself to my ear.

"I love you," she whispered.

——

"Again, so sorry," Pauline apologized. "I should have known something was happening when Justin asked me to hang out by the fire."

"I tried to keep her as long as possible—"

"Then say something obvious, you idiot!" she groaned. "Not that they, and I quote, might be busy. Life's too short to skirt around some words you find scary. Just say they were making out, Arceus!"

We were on the road again, and Mount Coronet stood tall in the distance. It was starting to feel a bit unsettling, how wherever you were in Sinnoh, it seemed to always just be there. An oppressive reminder of how small we were. On a lighter, or stranger note, Pauline had walked in on Cece and I last night, but she was understanding and madder at Justin than anything.

"Come on, Justin, you'll get used to it in no time," Denzel said. "They can barely keep their hands off of each other, it's actually surprising that they managed to do it this long—"

"Denzel, I'm going to end you," I hissed.

He raised his hands innocently. "Come on, don't shoot the messenger."

"Let's just forget it happened, alright," Cece muttered embarrassingly. "Anyway, how close do we need to be to catch that Rufflet?"

"Oh, we should be getting into their habitat right about now," Pauline said. "They live all along this part of the route, up to Mount Coronet's entrance. I was going to ask if you could get your Fletchinder to help me look?"

Cecilia agreed, releasing the flying type, and had Pauline describe Rufflet's appearance to her. Catching a flying type was deceptively hard, even the more common ones like Starly or Pidgey because if they felt threatened, they just flew away. The best way to go about catching a flying type was to hit it hard enough by surprise with your first attack so that they'd be too weak to fly again, so I was thankful I wouldn't need to catch one since I already had Togetic. Catching a Pokemon by surprise like that just wasn't how I did things.

"How are you planning on getting it low enough to throw a Pokeball at it?" Justin asked, enunciating my thoughts.

"It's a Rufflet," Pauline smiled. "It'll want to fight anything that moves. Just get Fletchinder to lure it back to us and it'll be fine."

"Do you know something about Rufflet that I don't?" I asked. "I thought they were just aggressive, not suicidal."

"Not suicidal, Grace. They have balls. Balls. I told you it'd fit me," Pauline grinned.

Justin practically shivered. "How uncouth…"

"Don't get smart with me, Justin."

We kept up a good pace, and even though we were meeting fewer and fewer trainers, they were still in relatively good numbers. I had Larvitar battle a lot more, and she won every single battle. She fought a Geodude, a Helioptile, and even a Bulbasaur, although that one had mostly been because I was too good at strategizing for my opponent to keep up, even with the type advantage. She was progressing incredibly fast, and I almost wanted to move on to trainers with one badge because this felt too easy. Larvitar needed to be challenged to grow quicker, and trainers without badges weren't cutting it. Maybe I'd have Electabuzz train her tonight. Angel would have been the better pick, but I needed to redouble our efforts to learn Ancient Power. He was getting close. His eyes even shone whenever he tried to use the move, but he just needed that final little push, and he'd get there. Hopefully, Togetic would be able to help.

I was starting to miss Savika's lake. He would have learned the move for sure if we were still there, but alas, we weren't, so I had to make do with my current situation. One thing was for sure, he would evolve before my gym battle with Fantina, so that would be fine.

Fantina excited me. I knew that she was a pain in the ass to fight because of her ghost types, especially with my previous... terrifying experiences with those, and I knew that she was an incredibly strong trainer, but I was excited to dive deep into the nook and crannies of how exactly she battled. I would dissect it and solve it like a puzzle, and we'd have an incredible battle. Four badges. Four badges would be a dream for any first year trainer, but I would go further still.

Around three hours later, Fletchinder screeched in the sky and dove down back to us.

"Find something?" Cecilia asked.

The fire type nodded and pointed toward one of the humongous, mountainous cliffs to our left. I squinted and managed to barely see a speck of white and blue, way high up and nestled against one of the thousands of small ledges that covered it.

"That's your Rufflet," Denzel said, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Darling, could you somehow get it down here?" Cece asked.

Pauline excitedly released her Charmeleon and Gothorita. The fire type yelled as soon as she was told a fight was coming. She seemed to be like Louis' Gible in that regard, always wanting to battle powerful opponents and triumph over them. Fletchinder bolted upward, using Agility to make sure she was faster than Rufflet's top speed as she flew up toward the cliff. At the height they were flying at, I couldn't hear anything, and I could barely see any better, especially with the sun shining in my eyes, but I managed to make out Fletchinder flying so close to the Rufflet she might as well have been grazing it. The wild Pokemon took no time to take the bait, and it flew down after her. The closer it got to us, the more I realized it was way too loud for its size.

The flying type landed in front of us, and it reached slightly above my knees. It beat its wings threateningly, clearly wanting to get us to either back off or fight.

"Rufflet, I challenge you to a battle," Pauline declared, stepping forward with her Charmeleon. The fire type slammed her tail against the ground threateningly, and Rufflet just screeched even louder, causing all of us to cover our ears. "If I win, you're coming with me."

Rufflet's eye twitched, and in a burst of speed, it flew toward Pauline, its beak elongating, and streaks of air formed around it. Charmeleon wasted no time and sent an Ember that at this point, looked more like a Flamethrower at Rufflet. Surprisingly, it just ignored the fact that its body was on fire and just kept going toward Pauline.

"Gothorita," Pauline inhaled sharply as she took a step back.

The psychic type raised a hand and restrained Rufflet in the air, throwing it back— not at the ground, however. She gently placed it back on the ground.

"If you keep attacking me, I'll gang up on you and fight two-on-one," Pauline said. "But—"

With a wild screech, Rufflet took flight again, and this time its wing shone instead of its beak. It was still aiming for Pauline.

"—you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Pauline smirked. "Win the fight."

Gothorita gave her a slight nod and restrained Rufflet while Charmeleon screamed out a Dragon Rage that engulfed it completely. She rummaged through her bag, grabbed a Great Ball, and sent it toward Rufflet. The ball shook thrice and then let out a small 'ding'. Pauline had finally caught her third Pokemon.

We all congratulated her, and even though she was trying to hide it, I could tell she was happy. I knew how much she hated the fact that she had fallen behind us, and this was a way for her to finally feel like she was making progress again. Pauline immediately released the wounded Rufflet and grabbed a potion. I decided to scan it with my Pokedex.

Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokemon. With its powerful legs and sturdy claws, they can crack even the hard shells of Shellder and pluck out their insides—

"Ew. Not cool, Pokedex," I groaned.

—They will challenge anything, even strong opponents, not out of courage, but out of recklessness in a relentless quest for strength.

"Arceus, that does sound like you," I muttered. "You did pick a fight with Harvey and Clarence."

"And I won," Pauline shrugged before turning to her new Pokemon. "Listen up. I'm going to put you through so many hard fights that you could only dream of on this shitty route. I'm the best trainer you could hope for."

The flying type's neck feathers puffed up, making it look bigger than it was.

"Tough girl, aren't you," Pauline smiled. "Let me heal you, and we can start training tonight. Charmeleon and Gothorita pack a punch, don't they?"

Rufflet nodded immediately, eliciting a few chuckles from the group, and Pauline healed her up with potions.

"So since you seem to be going for Pokemon that fit you," I started, holding back a laugh. "Are you going for an Exploud next or—"

"Grace, you little shit!"

——

It was nighttime now, and we had gone through another day of travel. The terrain here was miserable, as Denzel had warned. It was rocky, uneven, and we were going constantly uphill. Luckily we had found a flat spot to set up camp at, but there would be five more days of this until we reached the outpost that separated Mount Coronet from route 207. At least, other than how terrible my legs felt, the rest of the route was easy, easier than route 216 or 217, even. If there was one thing I was glad about, it was that when we were past this section of Mount Coronet, it would be a while until wild Pokemon could threaten us ever again.

"One more time, sweetheart," I told Larvitar.

With ragged breaths, the rock type stomped on the ground, and it shook slightly. Right now, the best way I had found to start working on the move Stomping Tantrum was for her to manipulate the rocks underground enough to make the floor shake, but it wasn't strong enough to even hurt me yet, so there was still a lot to work on.

"Good job," I said, crouching to pet her hard scales. She huffed and smiled at me. "Of course, I knew you'd be able to do it. Let's call it a day for now, alright?"

Larvitar hesitantly nodded and followed me back to the rest of the team. Electabuzz was practicing his Discharge to improve its range, so he was far away from the rest of us in order not to accidentally hurt anyone. Discharge would be my counter against Cecilia's Fletchinder, so I'd need him to be just as good with the move as he was with Thunderbolt. Frillish was taking it easy tonight, but he had practiced the speed of his Shadow Balls.

What I was focused on, however, was Togetic and Tangela, who were practicing Ancient Power. At this point, princess was getting so good with the move that I was starting to wonder if I could have her alter the forms of the rocks somehow. Maybe if I could have her mold it into spikes or something, they'd be better at penetrating Pokemon with heavy armor, but then again, maybe blunt force was more effective. It was something I'd have to work on soon, but tonight was Tangela's night.

"Toge. Togetic," Togetic whispered to me and Larvitar.

"Already?!" I exclaimed. "That's— that's awesome!"

The grass type turned toward me and gently led me forward with a vine.

"Angel," I said. "How's it going?"

He extended a few vines and pointed toward Electabuzz and Frillish.

"You want me to call them?" I asked. He answered with two blinks. "Honey, buddy! Come here!" I yelled.

Electabuzz sprinted toward me so quickly that he appeared in a flash, and Frillish was there soon after.

"I think— I think angel's ready," I declared, trembling in excitement. "Go ahead. Whenever you're ready."

Tangela stared up at me and gave me a firm nod. He closed his eyes and his vines started to wriggle, all independently from each other. When he opened his eyes again, they were blue, illuminating us in a cold glow. A lone pebble started to bounce on the ground, and then there was a rumble. When I thought that he was finally about to use Ancient Power, the shaking slowed and his eyes returned to normal.

I crouched. "Don't stress, you've got this, angel," I told him. "We're all here for you."

Togetic gave a hearty, reassuring cry and clapped her hands. Frillish nodded and patted the grass type on the head. Electabuzz crossed his arms and encouraged him, and Larvitar wriggled her arms excitedly, as if she was on the edge of her seat.

Tangela smiled with his eyes and they shone once more. A huge rock emerged from the ground and soared into the sky, hitting the cliff in the distance and breaking into a dozen pieces.

"Angel— you— you did it!" I squealed. "You did—"

Light enveloped Tangela's body and he grew. Up, and up, until he was way taller than me. Two arms sprouted from his sides, tipped in red, and his vines grew more numerous and thicker. His shoe-like feet turned into short, stubby legs. His eyes had stayed the same size, but they were on the upper side of his head instead of at its center.

"You're so… you're so tall," I exhaled as I stared up at him. He was a foot taller than me now, and he was taller than any of us in the group, including Denzel.

Suddenly, a dozen vines extended toward us and he wrapped the entire family into a tight hug.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 105

"Angel— that tickles!" I said, barely managing to get out the sentence with how much I was laughing.

The grass type finally loosened his hold on all of us, but he kept Larvitar wrapped in his vine and placed her on his head. She giggled, seemingly happy to be so high up when she was usually the smallest out of all of us. Togetic seemingly wanted the same, and she flew up before plopping herself down on his soft head. Electabuzz wanted to get on his head too, but he was too big, so he jealously grumbled. Still, he was happy for Tangrowth, who extended a hand and pat him on the head, while Frillish just sighed as the grass type held onto his tentacle like a balloon string.

The first thing I noticed was that even though Tangrowth's appendages looked like hands, they were actually bundles of vines tightly wrapped together into a coherent shape. He could extend or retract them like any other vine in his body, and that meant that he could also attack with them.

I grabbed my Pokedex and decided to give him a scan.

Tangrowth, the Vine Pokemon. It tends to ensnare prey by extending its vine-like arms, but it also uses them as bait to escape predators since a lost arm will regrow in a few minutes. Its vines grow so profusely that during warm seasons, you cannot see its eyes.

Well, this was Sinnoh, so I probably wouldn't have to worry about him not being able to see properly and having to shave his vines, and that regeneration speed was an incredible boon that meant that Tangrowth basically had an almost infinite supply of vines in battle unless we were facing a particularly powerful fire type or a Pokemon with a strong fire type move. What caught my eye, though, was that mention of prey. If Tangrowth caught prey, then that meant that not only could they sustain themselves with sunlight, but also with food. I hurriedly unstrapped my bag and rummaged through Togetic's Oran Berries, grabbed a tiny piece of cut-up food, and held it out in front of him. For so long, I had promised him that he would be able to enjoy food one day.

"Angel," I said, my voice slightly shaking. "Can you— can you eat this?"

His eyes honed in on the slice of Oran, and he gently wrapped a vine around it, pulling it deep into his body. We all watched in anticipation, waiting to see if he'd be successful or not. After a few seconds, Tangrowth shivered and bounced around, dropping Togetic and Larvitar. The former caught herself with a laugh by simply floating, while Tangrowth saved the latter with a vine. He had always been capable of lifting her, but he was now doing that like it was nothing, and she hadn't even been at her full weight before.

"Did it taste good?!" I asked with a grin.

The grass type shivered and shook his arms excitedly.

"Do you want more? I'm sure Togetic wouldn't mind sharing, plus I have plenty of other food too. Let's find out your favorite!"

Around thirty minutes of taste testing later, I found out that Tangrowth didn't really have a favorite food. Everything he ate was seemingly the best thing he had ever eaten, and he reacted appropriately, jumping around and shaking every time he ate. I didn't know how exactly it was that he actually swallowed anything, if he had a mouth under all those vines, or if he somehow dissolved the food in there, but at least I had fulfilled my promise to him now.

"You're fully capable of using Ancient Power now," I smiled at him. Sure, the control wouldn't be as good as Togetic's, but she was more of an exception to the rule. "That was the bottleneck that kept me from working on new moves with you, since you needed it to evolve. You know what that means, right?"

Tangrowth blinked twice.

"That's right, we're going to teach you as many new moves as possible before the fight with Fantina," I nodded. "But first, let's see what you can do with what you already have."

To be honest, it was a wonder that we'd gotten this far with Tangela— or Tangrowth now— having so few moves, but his versatility and utility made all the difference. I asked Togetic to raise a few boulders in front of us, which she did, and they were all perfectly spherical. First, I had Tangrowth strike them with Vine Whip. Whereas before, it would have taken a few seconds after an attack for the boulder to be cut in two, now that he had evolved, Tangrowth could immediately make one crumble with very little difficulty. I could tell that he was holding back in order to protect us from any fragments flying our way, even though I had full trust in Togetic's abilities to stop them with Extrasensory. His maximum range as a Tangela seemed to have been fifty feet, but he could easily keep them responsive at eighty now.

Bind was next, and angel could easily squeeze a rock until it crumbled into a hundred pieces. I couldn't exactly test Mega Drain on anything that wasn't alive, but I was sure the move had improved a whole lot as well. For his powder moves, they didn't seem to have particularly improved, but they weren't exactly a big part of our fighting style, so it was understandable.

"Okay, you're extremely strong," I said as I clapped my hands. He was very physically inclined for a Tangrowth, even more so than he had been as a Tangela. Usually, his species were slightly more focused on special attacks. "Now we need to work on new moves."

I scanned him with my Pokedex once more and came up with a list he should prioritize.

"We're going to be fighting Fantina's ghost types, so I want you to work on Knock Off first," I explained. "Gym leaders don't use held items, nor do any official battles in the Circuit, but the move is still dark type, and combined with how far you can extend your vines, it'll be very useful. It'll probably be hard to get started on, but… I have an idea of how to jumpstart the learning process."

Items weren't really used in the Circuit because the League wanted to give every trainer an equal footing, but they were allowed in the Conference. Tangrowth responded with a series of fierce blinks.

"Next one's a doozy," I smiled. "We need to work on Sunny Day, but that's more of a long-term project."

I had said that I wanted to get better at using my Pokemon's abilities, and I was putting money where my mouth was. Unfortunately though, weather moves were notable for how difficult they were to learn and master. There was a long way to go until I reached Gardenia's level with Sunny Day, but the earlier we started working on the move, the better. Plus, if I was going to catch a fire type, then it would synergize pretty well with my future member.

"Last but not least," I said, crossing my arms. "Power Whip."

I grinned when I saw his vines wriggle in excitement at the move's name.

"Believe it or not, despite it being the most powerful move on the list, it should be the easiest to learn. It's a pretty natural progression to Vine Whip, just a bajillion times more powerful. Let's get the others working on their moves too!"

The entire team let out cries of encouragement and got to work— even Larvitar, who I had previously told that she could stop. I called Togetic over and beckoned her to join me with Tangrowth. Double Edge would be lower priority, since Fantina was a ghost type gym leader, but I still wanted her to work on something else, along with helping Tangrowth with Knock Off.

"Princess, you're going to be learning Wish," I told her. "It's a restorative move that's delayed, so I could switch out and heal someone else if I needed it, but you also need to help Tangrowth with his Knock Off."

There were a few reasons I had chosen Togetic to help Tangrowth. First, after working together on Ancient Power for so long, Togetic had become a masterful teacher, and they meshed well together. The other reason was that since princess was a fairy type, any successful Knock Offs wouldn't deal that much damage to her. I looked through my bag, grabbed my knife, and handed it over to Togetic, who clumsily held it with both of her hands and playfully acted like she was about to stab me. It was a sturdy one, so I wasn't worried about it breaking. After all, I had owned it for my entire journey, and it showed no signs of disrepair.

Like I had stated before, Knock Off was a move that rid a Pokemon of their held items, not just by knocking it off of their body or wherever they were wearing it, but by infusing the attack with dark energy to make sure that even if the Pokemon picked that item back up, or it didn't actually get off the Pokemon's body, they wouldn't be able to use it for several minutes. Something about dark type energy screwed with the properties of items, but I wasn't smart enough to explain it in detail or know how it worked, and it wasn't like any of these two doofuses would understand anyway.

Obviously, giving your Pokemon a knife in battle was… not allowed, but the point was that having Togetic hold anything would be a good starting point for Tangrowth. I wasn't sure how a knife was going to be rendered unusable, but it sure was better than anything else I had, and I wasn't about to waste food, and it being a weapon would probably help. After explaining the process a few times, I let them start training and began working on Larvitar again.

The group came looking for me two hours later with looks of relief on their face when they found me. I had forgotten that I hadn't told them that I was going to stay this long.

——

The next day, while we were taking a short break due to how tiresome walking up this Arceus damned hill was, I decided to take Justin to a secluded part of the route. If he was going to beat Fantina, he was going to need my help. Even if he was actually training hard now, I thought that a small push wouldn't hurt anyone. I had to stop myself from asking him for a list of all of his Pokemon's moves and abilities so that I could build a training plan. Micromanaging every part of his training would no doubt suck out the newfound fun he was feeling in the process.

Plus, it was probably somewhat toxic behavior that I was glad I was able to stop. I couldn't micromanage every little thing, especially when it didn't have to do with me or my team. I would speak with Justin about broad concepts and hope that it would help him enough.

"So, Justin," I said, crossing my arms. "Have you found joy in your way of battling yet?"

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Every trainer enjoys battling for different reasons," I explained. "To me, it's all about the planning process and watching that plan succeed, or scrambling to find something else if it doesn't. To Cece, it's making her attacks as powerful as possible and taking down her opponents in the shortest amount of time possible. To Denzel, it's about improvising and keeping his mind going at a steady pace throughout the battle until he wins."

"Ah, I understand," Justin nodded. "Well, I haven't really done much stalling yet, but I do daydream about it sometimes—" he stopped and blushed when he saw me smile. He cleared his throat. "Anyway! My Pokemon and I lack in experience and the moves to implement that type of strategy, so I'd say it's too early to know if I truly enjoy it or not. For all I know, it could be a dud."

"Nah, it's too late," I shrugged. "You caught the bug."

"The what?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "The training bug— but anyway, why don't we have our Pokemon spar a little? Larvitar's been making good progress, and I'd say she's at your level, or maybe slightly stronger, so it'd be good practice for her too."

"Well, it's embarrassing that you've had a baby catch up to me so fast, but I don't see why not," the boy said. "What should I use?"

"Anything works," I shrugged. "But probably not Growlithe."

"Will you be fine if I have the type advantage?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," I said.

I released Larvitar, who stomped a foot angrily at the ground.

"Did I interrupt your nap? Sorry sweetheart, but we're battling," I said. She immediately perked up and forgave me.

Justin released his Sandile, who liquefied the ground under him and sunk halfway into the floor. The terrain was ideal for both of our Pokemon, but I had one strategy I had hurriedly come up with that I believed would pull me and Larvitar over the top.

"Sand Tomb, then sink into the ground!" Justin ordered.

The ground under Larvitar turned to mud, leaving Sandile enough time to bury himself underground, away from any attacks. Or at least that's what Justin thought.

"Stomping Tantrum," I said.

Last night's intense training bore fruit, and Larvitar cried out angrily as she started stomping the ground, causing it to shake. More precisely, however, she was focusing on the spot Sandile had just been in, meaning that it was taking the brunt of the attack and that he would be forced to unbury and make a move soon enough. I was countering Justin's Dig strategy by pressuring him into making a move. I was the one in control.

After thinking for around ten seconds, Justin clicked his tongue and ordered Sandile to attack Larvitar directly. The ground type hit her with Dig and sent her sliding across the rocky ground.

"Smack Down," I quickly said. A rock quickly flew out of the ground and rammed Sandile's face. "Again."

"Sandile, bury again—"

"Rock Throw under him."

Larvitar raised a rock from under where Sandile was standing, preventing the ground type from hiding away, but even if he did, the outcome of the battle wouldn't have changed. Stomping Tantrum would counter any attempts to hide with Dig. I was just speeding up the process.

Sandile was thrown into the air, and I ordered Larvitar to hit him with one last Smack Down. This time, the rock went over Sandile, and then sharply switched directions, hitting the ground type from above and causing him to be rammed into the ground.

"I think that's enough," I said. "We don't want to go too far. Good job, sweetheart."

"Larvi!"

"Already?" Justin sighed. "Alright, then. That certainly was eye-opening."

"Well, you're not the one that was thrown into Mount Coronet," I told him. "My circumstances made me improve faster than the average trainer. Anyway, let's see if you can spot your mistakes."

Justin placed a hand on his chin and mulled it over for a few seconds. "Not anticipating the Stomping Tantrum, perhaps?"

"No, no, that was fine," I shook my head. "The problem was when you tried to make Sandile bury again when you already knew it wouldn't work. Why?"

"I suppose I just panicked. It's my go-to strategy to escape from tough situations. I always use it to catch my breath during battles, so I just automatically used it."

"Okay, that's the problem," I said. "You never want to be on autopilot during battles, alright? Every action has to have thought behind it. If something didn't work the first time, don't do it again. Now, what was another mistake?"

"I… I don't know?"

"You took too much time to make a decision during the first Stomping Tantrum. Ten seconds. I counted. That was ten seconds where you weren't doing anything and Sandile was just getting hurt for free. Never let your Pokemon get hurt without at least trying to dish out something in response. Every action your opponent takes should have a cost. Sometimes, that cost isn't as high as what you paid, but at least it's something. Next mistake?"

"Arceus…"

——

"So, do you think you've learned a lot today?" I asked Justin.

"Well, I certainly learned a lot more than what I usually do on my own," he smiled. "It honestly feels refreshing."

"Ideally, you want to have these reflective moments after every battle— or at least every difficult battle," I explained. "Spotting your mistakes makes you unlikely to ever repeat them. Anyway, it's not over just yet."

"More training?"

"No, no, just more advice," I said. "You saw my battle against Candice, right?"

He nodded.

"I don't exactly run a full-on stalling strategy, but I do try to scout out my opponent's moves during a battle if I can. I think that's something you might want to try doing, especially when you get better at lasting longer in battles."

"Right, I actually wanted to do that with your Larvitar, but I panicked."

"It takes a lot of discipline," I said. "You've got to keep your finger on the trigger but not squeeze until the exact right time. Finding out what that exact timing is is hard, and I'm not that great at it yet."

"It seemed to have worked rather well against that Glalie, though."

"Nah, I could have gone for it earlier," I said, shaking my head. "If you make it to the Conference this year, stalling won't be enough either, or at least not in the way you're doing it now. Sure, stalling is a defensive battling style, but you need to be more aggressive, I think. You've got to have a plan to actually get a win, not just wait for time to run out."

"Why?"

"Well, first, that's the goal of battles, right? To win. You saw how it affected the way you and Sandile fought, too. You were only focusing on buying time, not actually beating me, but that's not the only reason. It's also about building the habit for the future. Conference battles are thirty minutes instead of twenty like gym battles— or at least at the group stages. When people reach the knock-out rounds, that gets extended to one hour."

His eyes bulged. "One hour of stalling? I don't think that's feasible."

"Right? Even thirty minutes is pushing it, so in the future, at least, you'll need to figure out how to take down Pokemon and stall, but there are a lot of moves that can help you do that. I know it's kind of difficult right now with your limited options, though."

"Hm," he hummed. "What happens if I do stall for thirty minutes or one hour? Hypothetically, of course."

"Well, according to Denzel, the trainer with the most Pokemon remaining automatically wins. If you're tied, it goes into a sudden death battle where the one who takes down the other's current Pokemon first wins the entire battle, and all switching becomes prohibited— if you had any left in the first place."

"So it's like you said, I'd be better off trying to figure out another way," Justin sighed. "Well, it's not like I'll make it in this year regardless."

"Come on, Justin, have some confidence," I said. "You can—"

"Guys, we're leaving!" Denzel yelled out at us.

"Okay!" I answered. "You can make it, you've just got to work hard. This is a rare form of battling, so finding people to emulate will be hard, but the internet exists! You can just look up good trainers that are stallers and start doing the same things they do little by little, and implement my advice too. I try to emulate Gardenia, for example, although I guess that was kind of obvious. I think Cece's doing Cynthia, and I don't know if Denzel is copying anyone yet."

Justin stood and helped me up. "Thank you, Grace. My mind feels clearer after today."

"No prob," I smiled. "Just pay me back in french fries."

——

After six days of grueling travel, we were close to the foot of Mount Coronet, and a huge ranger outpost stood in the distance— bigger than the ones that had been at Eterna Forest's entrance and exit.

Hearthome was getting ever closer.

---

A/N: So items... Pokemon fics use held items in very different ways. Some ignore them completely, while others keep their same in-game effects. I'm not going to lie, when I started writing this, I didn't want to touch items at all. Some are fine and straightforward, like the Life Orb, but what about the Choice Specs, for example? This might be a personal taste thing, but Pokemon being locked into using one move seems too gamey to me. So I've been slowly trying to rework items to change their effects slightly to make them more 'realistic', if we can even call it that, while some are just too egregious and won't be used at all, it'll be on a case-to-case basis. Either way, with the way I've set up items (with the rules about not being allowed to use them in Circuit matches), you won't be seeing them used for a long time, so this won't come into play for a while.

Edit: Just a heads up, mega evolution is still allowed, I forgot to clarify that.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 106

"Whew," Denzel groaned as we entered the small, gated community. "We finally made it."

"We made it one day earlier, may I add," Cece said with a slight, pleased smile.

"Despite all of Pauline's complaints and breaks," I said.

"I haven't traveled in a while, so I'm not used to being this active," she hurriedly said.

"Justin looks fine," I noticed.

He perked up. "I might not look the part, but I'm pretty endurant."

There were a lot of trainers here, and from the whispers and conversations I was picking up, a lot of them were simply waiting for the price of potions to fall so that they could make it through Mount Coronet without risking their and their Pokemons' lives. We immediately went for the Pokemon Center and decided to give our Pokemon to Nurse Joy for a small check-up despite them not being that hurt from their travels. After all, it was free, so why not? I practically had to dash to my room to avoid questions from other trainers. Some asked for battles too, which I felt better about, but I'd have to see if people were still interested when I got my team back.

I hurriedly opened my phone to check for messages in our group chat. I hadn't seen Chase or Louis anywhere, but maybe they were here. There were a lot of people, so I easily could have missed them.

I sighed in relief when I saw a message from Chase telling us that he had made it to the outpost, but frowned when I read that it had been sent two days ago. Knowing him, he had wasted no time and entered Mount Coronet already, so it looked like we weren't going to meet him again until we got to Hearthome. I chuckled a bit when I saw that Emilia had tried to converse with him, but he simply told her that he was busy and stopped answering her messages. To me, it was funny, but it had probably vexed Emilia since she wasn't used to how Chase behaved.

Speaking of Emilia, she had safely landed in Hearthome days ago, which was good news. After sending a message, I learned that she hadn't started setting up her coordinator career just yet, but she had bought a few TMs for her team, like Shadow Ball for both Beldum and Aipom, or Trailblaze for Rockruff. Obviously, it would take weeks for them to perfect the moves enough to use in contests, but it was good to see that she was making progress just like us. She was thinking of getting herself a fourth teammate as well, although she was still thinking about which. Now that she had given up traveling in the wild, she was going to buy the rest of her team one by one— which was what coordinators usually did anyway. The most successful ones tended to be swimming in money.

There were still no signs from Louis, and the fact that I didn't know if it was because he hadn't made it to the outpost yet or just didn't feel like speaking to us worried me, but he needed his space, so I'd give it to him. It wasn't like there was anything I'd be able to do from here anyway.

Plus, I had things to think about as well. My quest for a fire type wasn't going very well. I had seen a lone Rolycoly wandering route 207, but I opted not to catch it at the time, since I had hoped that I'd come across something better.

Well, now we were about to enter Mount Coronet, and there were still no signs of Numel or Torkoal. I knew they were rare, but even with Fletchinder's help, we couldn't find any. Hopefully, the other side of Mount Coronet would prove more favorable, although with all the water that flowed through there, that was probably unlikely.

Maybe I'd have to make do with a Rolycoly…?

That'd be so unsatisfying.

After resting for around an hour, I took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and decided to go see what the others were up to. I'd have to brave the packed Center's corridors, but I had to start somewhere.

"Can I get an autograph?" A trainer asked.

"No, sorry…" I mumbled. I didn't even know how to give an autograph. Would I just need to write my name? That was how I signed everything anyway, but wouldn't that be unsatisfying to get? Denzel's autograph was stylized and looked extremely nice. "Maybe another time."

"Hey, can we battle? I have two badges!"

"I'd love to, but my Pokemon are getting looked at right now," I said, instantly more open to dialogue. "Come see me in an hour or two, and I'll probably say yes."

It'd be good practice for Larvitar, who was desperate to catch up with the rest of the team. I wanted to give Tangrowth his first battle too. Although maybe using Tangrowth against a trainer with two badges was unfair? There were no rules about Pokemon battles needing to be fair, but just walking over an opponent wouldn't be what I called fun.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw Cecilia walking down the hall with Pauline.

"Hey guys," I smiled. "Whatcha doing? Can I join?"

"No, you've already got Justin," Pauline huffed.

"Hm?" I let out, raising an eyebrow.

"What she means is that we've obviously noticed how you've taken Justin under your wing," Cece specified. "So Pauline's asked me to help her."

"You didn't even ask to help me out, Grace," she complained.

"What? I just wanted to help Justin because you've never had a problem with getting motivated by battling," I said. "Sorry."

"Whatever," she sighed. "I won't give you shit for it, since Cece stepped up."

"Well, you guys have fun then," I said. "Where are Denzel and Justin?"

"In his room," Pauline rolled her eyes. "He's doing 'a few things' before going out to do his usual information gathering. Justin must be out there somewhere. I haven't seen him in a bit."

"Well, guess I'll go see Denzel, then," I shrugged. "Do you want to meet up later—"

We were interrupted by a group of trainers that had followed me there, and Pauline started berating them to no end. I gave Cece a quick nod, which she returned and kept walking to Denzel's room, which was a floor above everyone else's for some reason. I remembered to knock this time in case he was streaming, but he quickly opened the door and let me in, meaning that he wasn't.

"Hiya," he said. "Need something?"

"Sheesh, you're stingy," I grumbled.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, I'm just playing," I said. "Wanted to know what you were up to."

"I was linking my Trainer ID to my video channel so that people can start donating," he explained. "Gotta strike when the iron's hot."

I gasped when I saw the first donation coming in. "Holy crap, you just got fifty Pokedollars from someone!"

Denzel almost squealed in joy and scrambled back to his Poketch. "Holy fuck, already? Look, there's another ten Pokedollar one!"

The donations were relatively small, but together, they'd add up really quickly. Obviously, they'd slow when our popularity faded, but right now, he'd be rolling in money soon enough.

I smiled, feeling happy for him. "If you can keep building off of this momentum, then—"

"Then I might be able to ride this wave for a long time," he breathed out in excitement. "I can't believe I'm making money by doing… effectively nothing. All I've done is one livestream, which Emilia and Pauline obviously found shitty."

"We've been through a lot, you deserve it."

"Yeah… I need to— I need to get myself a laptop or something, like Craig. If I'm going to be spending a lot of time online, this little Poketch screen is going to make my eyes tired all the time."

"You can just get a cheap one," I said. "I might get one too, honestly. I need an application that makes spreadsheets."

"S—spreadsheets?"

"Yeah, so I can measure my Pokemons' improvement over time," I explained. "I've wanted to do it since Floaroma, but I guess the opportunity never came up, and doing it on paper seems like a pain."

"You're such a nerd," he laughed.

"Does it matter if it brings results?"

"I guess not," he shrugged. "Anyway, it's been… an hour and a half. I'm gonna try to see if my Pokemon are good to go so I can try to stream a training session for my channel. Wanna come with?"

"To your recording? Absolutely, as long as I'm not in it!"

"Obviously not! I'd get embarrassed with someone there, I meant to pick up your Pokemon too!"

"Ah, bummer," I said playfully. "But fine. And yeah, our Pokemon are probably good, since I saw Cece and Pauline go get theirs. Plus, I've got some stuff to try out with my team too."

Namely, experimenting with new moves and as I said previously, maybe a battle or two. Entering the lobby, I winced when I saw two trainers get carried on a stretcher. Their bodies were covered in burns, and their skin was practically melted off.

A reality check, if there ever was one. Just like in Eterna Forest, people died here. Even if we had been through Mount Coronet once, we needed to take this seriously.

We went to pick up our two teams and went our separate ways, looking to find an isolated part of the outpost to train at. It was harder than for the Eterna Forest's outposts, since this one just had so many more people, but after around ten minutes of searching, I finally found a relatively good area. On the way there, I walked across one of the few stores, which was depressingly almost devoid of first year trainers, since stuff was still so expensive, but I also walked past the mountain's entrance, and apparently, trainers needed a ticket to be allowed in Mount Coronet just like for Eterna Forest. After asking one of the rangers standing guard there. He explained that the Eterna outpost system had been implemented throughout every outpost in the region for two reasons. First, there was the fact that trainers actually sitting through a class to learn about threats was great at reducing the casualty rate, so the Ranger Organization petitioned to the League to make the system permanent and region-wide, which they accepted without a fuss. The second reason was that surprisingly, trainers themselves had pushed for the system while we had been away from civilization, especially the first years. As the years progressed on, trainers dying was still common place, but it was becoming less and less normalized in society, and routes were becoming safer and safer. Statistics about trainer deaths from Cynthia's time would appear ludicrous to us today, for example.

Either way, it looked like another class for us. Even though we had already gone through Mount Coronet once, I would pay attention. Who knew if there were some crazy Pokemon here that we hadn't encountered up north and didn't know how to deal with?

I released my entire team, who all gave me their respective greetings, and set them to work. Electabuzz still needed to work on Discharge, not because he was struggling with the move, but because how fast he needed to get the electricity out of his body if he was going to deal with Cecilia's Fletchinder. He was also going to babysit Larvitar at the same time, and he would start gently battling her.

"Make sure to take it easy on her, okay?" I whispered in his ear so that Larvitar couldn't hear. She was very easy to upset, and I didn't want her to start stomping all over. "Let her win and stuff."

"Ele," he nodded after a few protests.

Now that Larvitar had mastered Stomping Tantrum and Smack Down, I was going to have her work on Bite, which meant that she could take it easy today. Frillish still needed to perfect Shadow Ball, so that would be more of the same. Who I really wanted to work with today were Tangrowth and Togetic.

The grass type was still struggling with Knock Off, mostly because he didn't know how to infuse the dark type energy that came with the move, and I couldn't blame him. He wasn't a dark type, so it wouldn't come naturally to him. Sunny Day was the same, but that was an incredibly difficult move, so I hadn't expected to make much progress on it at all. Power Whip, though, he had learned ridiculously easily. When it came to hitting and grabbing stuff, angel couldn't be beaten, and he already could use the move consistently, although it was extremely fast, so he still struggled to aim it at his targets. By the time we got to Hearthome, I expected that to be fixed.

The most important thing I wanted to do, though, was tinker with the move Wish.

"Angel," I said, nodding toward him.

He immediately detached his arm, which wriggled and withered on the ground like a dying worm, and then prevented it from growing back.

"Princess, try using Wish," I said.

Togetic nodded fiercely and shut her eyes tightly, and after twenty seconds, a bright light shot up into the sky from her head. Tangrowth then waddled to where Togetic had just been to wait. To a certain extent, she had mastered Wish already, but there was a big problem. Wish was the form a Pokemon's ultimate desire took, and it healed the user or someone around the attack, albeit with a delay. For Togetic, we had found that Wish could be used relatively easily, but it was always weaker than it should have been because she could only use it effectively under severe amounts of emotional stress— when a member of the family was in actual danger. Two days ago, a boulder collapsed on Larvitar after she used Stomping Tantrum too close to one of the mountain's cliffs. Unbeknownst to Togetic, the rock type's scales had protected her from most of the damage, but she seriously thought that her sister had been mortally wounded for at least twenty seconds and had burst into tears. That was the first time she had used a proper Wish, and Larvitar's superficial wounds were healed perfectly. The light had been brighter, and instead of five minutes, it had only taken one minute to come back down from the sky.

That meant that there was a mental block that we needed to work past. A five minute delay meant that the move was practically useless in battle. Sure, it didn't take that much out of her, although it was slow to charge up, but Wish needed to be used with intent. Predicting how a battle would look one minute in the future was incredibly difficult, but five? That was impossible at my current skill level. I didn't want to just randomly have Togetic use the move and hope it was useful when it landed. That wasn't how I rolled. I wanted my plans to be iron tight. Plus, the strategy would be easily exploitable by any smart opponents, especially since using the move left Togetic open to any attacks.

After five minutes, Wish illuminated the sky and came back down, healing around half of Tangrowth's arm.

"You can grow it back," I nodded toward angel. "Good try, princess."

Togetic gave me a disappointed nod, and I petted her to try to cheer her up. Within a minute, the rest of Tangrowth's arm was back. I had him practice a few Power Whips against boulders Togetic raised with Ancient Power until his arm-vines were almost completely shaved off.

Right, that was another drawback of the move. It was so powerful that it destroyed his vines too, although it didn't actually hurt him, and as he grew stronger, I expected that side effect to wane.

"Give me another Wish," I told Togetic. She sent the bright light into the sky again. "Okay, would you be fine if angel hit you a little?" I asked her.

"Toge," she nodded, and Tangrowth hit her with a weakened Vine Whip, dealing barely any damage.

"Now, angel, take a few steps to the right… a little more— there you go. Togetic, you float a little to the left— stop there, that's perfect!"

I had them spaced at the exact same distance away from the Wish. I wanted to see who exactly would receive the move if both Pokemon were at a similar distance, and then if one was further away, or if one was more hurt than the other, and it was all because I wanted to know exactly how to use the move in a double battle. Five minutes later, the Wish came down and immediately entered Togetic's body, healing her slight bruise.

"Seems like it prioritizes the move's user if you're at a similar distance," I pondered. "Let's try again with the same setup, but this time, Togetic isn't wounded, but Tangrowth is."

Due to the move's delay, all of the experiments took around an hour, and what I found out was very interesting. The move was actually extremely predictable, which was good news. It being random would be the worst-case scenario.

First, it seemed that regardless of how wounded both Pokemon were, Wish would always prioritize healing the move's user unless Togetic stood comically far away. The limit I found was that after one hundred feet, it would go to Tangrowth and heal him instead. Now, if Togetic was completely fine and Tangrowth was wounded, the move would always go and heal Tangrowth even as long as he was within the one-hundred feet radius. If I swapped out Togetic for someone else, then the Pokemon the closest to Wish would get healed, unless they were also unwounded, in which case it would go to the wounded Pokemon.

It sounded hard, but it was actually pretty easy to remember. Togetic was exhausted by now, so I rewarded her with some Oran Berries and gave her some well deserved rest in her Pokeball. Tangrowth was still raring to go, since the sun was still out, but I opted to recall him anyway, since I wasn't about to walk around with him and attract even more attention unless I was going to use him in battle. I was amused to see that Larvitar was laughing heartily and celebrating when she saw me arrive.

"Larvitar! Tar! Tar!" She screamed, pointing at Electabuzz, who was rolling around the ground and crying out in pain. He had bruises all over his body, but I knew they were only surface-level wounds. He was pretending.

"You won against honey?" I gasped, feigning surprise. "Aw, good job! You're the best!" I said, crouching and caressing her cheek. I discreetly winked at Electabuzz, who smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

He was such a good big brother to her.

I recalled the rest of the team and walked back toward the Center, but I was surprised when I caught a glimpse of Justin battling another trainer.

"What are you doing? Stop playing around and fight an actual battle!" His opponent angrily screamed. He had a Dwebble that was just standing around and waiting.

Must be using Sandile, I mused. But had he succeeded in perfecting the strategy we had worked on?

I smiled when I saw the ground liquefy under the bug type and spin around like a whirlpool. Sandile was still nowhere to be seen, but he had gotten good enough with his Sand Tomb to hurt his opponents without coming even close to the surface. Dwebble's trainer ordered it to Withdraw, but it was only delaying the inevitable. He fainted soon after, and the trainer angrily recalled his Pokemon and stomped off my way after hurling a few insults at Justin.

"Hey," I said, stepping in front of him. "If you keep that mentality, you'll never improve."

"What the hell do you even know— oh, Grace Pastel… um, yeah, whatever. Stalling is just annoying."

"There's always an answer to everything," I shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to go. Just don't trash talk after losing, it makes you look real petty."

The boy said nothing and just left, and then I walked toward Justin with a big smile.

"Grace! You were watching?" He said embarrassingly.

"Only caught the tail end," I said. "But good job."

He nodded, scratching his cheek. "Now I've just got to find a way to do the same thing with Growlithe and Lombre."

"I thought you were waiting for TMs?"

"I want to try to see if I can figure out something before that," he said.

"Seems like a fun challenge," I smiled. "Anyway, let's find the others and discuss when we're leaving. Plus, there's that class we have to sit through."

"Wait, again?"

We found Denzel first, who looked half-dead and was practically shambling through the Pokemon Center.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothin'. Just some issue with my viewers."

"You can't say that and not tell us what the issue in question is," I said.

"They seem a lot more interested in my team's… romance drama than in my actual training. There are shippers, Grace. Fucking shippers that root for different members of my team to start dating Sylveon."

I burst out laughing, and even Justin was shifting in place and chuckling.

"It's not funny! That's not what I want!"

"You might get more viewers that way," I laughed.

"I agree," Justin nodded. "Why not make the best of a… strange situation?"

"Seriously? I hate you both."

We quickly found Cece and Pauline after that, who were both very amused at Denzel's predicament. After telling the group that we needed to take another three hour class, we decided to just hurry up and get it over with right away, even though we hadn't decided when to go through the mountain yet. The ranger teaching us looked a lot more meek and unassuming than the one that had been in the Eterna Forest outpost, but that wasn't a reason to underestimate him. Rangers were people who were exposed to wild Pokemon more than anyone else— even trainers— so the older they got, the more they tended to scar, and that was if they lived long enough.

This ranger looked to be in his early fifties, and his face was spotless.

"My name is Malcolm Brockhouse, veteran ranger of thirty-five years," he sighed. "I'll be your instructor for this class. Even if this isn't your first time going through Mount Coronet, I recommend paying attention."

He paused, gauging our reactions, and I grabbed my pencil to write anything of note.

"On average, it will take you six days to go through the mountain, but fret not. Rangers heavily patrol the caves, and we've been trying to make it as safe as possible. Unfortunately, however, there is a short lapse of approximately two days in the middle of the path that is less patrolled, and therefore, extremely dangerous. If you do not have at least two badges, I recommend turning back and coming later. There is no point in rushing. If you don't have two badges at this point of the year, you won't be making it to the Conference anyway."

I heard grumbles echo throughout the room, but deep down, everyone knew he was telling the truth.

"I can't force you to do anything, though, so without further ado, let us get started."

Instructor Brockhouse went over what he believed were the biggest threats first, and I sighed in relief when they were Pokemon we had already faced. Of course, an Onix or a Rhydon would still be a big threat, but at least we had some idea of how to fight them. He then continued, going over the smaller threats like Geodude and Machop, but that was mostly it. Obviously, he also gave a first-aid class refresher to the class, along with recommending certain crucial caving supplies that we had somehow missed, like helmet lights. It was true that having a hand free and protecting our heads from any falling rocks would be a great advantage, and I eyed the rest of the group, letting them know that we should buy them immediately after class.

"One more thing before I let you go," instructor Brockhouse said. "There's been reports of a dangerous Pokemon lurking in the mountain. It isn't native to Sinnoh, nor does it actually live here, but it somehow got into Mount Coronet, and all descriptions we've gotten from trainers returning with burns point to it being one thing."

He paused to draw a Pokemon on the blackboard, and I stood at the edge of my seat. Trainers coming back with burns. Fire type. A bipedal, turtle-like Pokemon with a spiny shell and a snout-like nose.

"A Turtonator."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 107

Turtonator. The word echoed in my head, and my ears started to ring. I squinted at the blackboard to get a better look. I had heard of the Pokemon before, but it was my first time actually seeing what it looked like. Cecilia seemingly noticed that something was wrong with me and tapped on my shoulder. I blinked a few times and frowned. Why did just hearing the name have such an effect on me?

"It's native to Alola's many volcanoes, and again, we can't be one hundred percent sure of how it got there, but we have a pretty good idea," instructor Brockhouse said before humming. "It'll take a few weeks to verify this through the Pokeball ID database, but we believe that this Turtonator belonged to a trainer who died trying to cross Mount Coronet. The first witnesses— so around a week and a half ago— reported first seeing it being in a state of complete rage and standing next to a broken Pokeball, which we're attempting to recover."

I felt my heart drop. Trained Pokemon tended to be docile or less aggressive to humans, but a Pokemon that had lost its trainer recently would obviously go beserk unless they had a terrible or abusive relationship. Hell, Craig's Salamence had killed a slew of people after he was just injured by their Pokemon. Brockhouse's theory made sense. It explained why a Turtonator would suddenly show up out of nowhere and why it'd be attacking trainers.

"Since I talked to you about burns, you can obviously guess that it's a fire type, but I urge you to remember that it's a dragon type as well," the instructor warned. "No matter how good you think you are, if you decide to cross now instead of waiting for us to deal with the problem, do not engage. It was last spotted near…"

The ranger trailed off, and I retreated into my thoughts. It wasn't like me to ignore things like this, but Denzel would catch me up on anything I asked. If Turtonator had belonged to a trainer that died, what about the trainer's other Pokemon? Were they still in there somewhere, trapped in their Pokeballs? The rangers would no doubt free them if they came across them, but it was a morbid thing to think about. Still… something was tugging at me.

"...we've retrieved a few lost Pokeballs with other Pokemon from Alola, lending further proof that our theory is correct, but Turtonator has somehow avoided capture until now, and it has shown to be highly intelligent, so again, beware. I went over treating burns in the first-aid section of the class, but if you didn't pay attention—" he paused, staring at a few people in the back of the class. "I cannot force you to retake this course, but I highly encourage it. With that, you're free to go."

I shot up and practically jogged out of the classroom. So much so in fact, that Brockhouse had to call out to me because I was about to forget to get my ticket. I hurriedly grabbed it and anxiously bit the inside of my mouth while I waited for my friends to get out.

"Denzel," I said immediately when I saw him.

"Woah," he exclaimed with a surprised expression. "Something's lit a fire in you."

"I'm going back to my room," I continued, ignoring him. "Can we postpone the meeting we were supposed to have?"

"Uh, yeah, no problem," he frowned.

"Call us if you need anything," Cece said. "We can decide when to leave later. Plus, I'm sure we ought to have at least one day of rest."

"Thanks guys," I said. "Sorry Justin, I'll help you with training later!"

I was running by the time I finished that sentence. Forget trying out Tangrowth in battle, I needed to get to my room now. I entered the Pokemon Center, called the elevator, but opted to take the stairs when it was taking too long. I pushed through the annoying group that liked to stay camped by my door with half-promises of battling or signing autographs later and sat on my desk with my Poketch in hand.

Turtonator.

I entered the Pokemon's name online and looked at what came up. It specialized in defense, and its shell was nigh unpenetrable by physical attacks, but its defense against special moves wasn't anything to scoff at either. Not only that, but it could make its shell explode at any kind of contact, which made attacking it from up close extremely difficult. And of course, it was a good attacker. A really good one, never mind that it was a dragon type. That was just the cherry on top.

I swallowed. The tug was still there. Chase described it when we had still been stranded up north, and now I knew exactly what he meant.

I wanted to catch this thing.

But… a part of me hesitated, still. The ranger had explicitly warned us. This Pokemon was dangerous and aggressive. I'd potentially be risking my life if I even tried to get near this thing. It was smart. It knew about Pokemon trainers, so it would probably go after me right away instead of fighting my Pokemon.

Plus, there wasn't only me to worry about. Could I allow myself to risk the others in such a way? There was no way that they'd just let me try to convince Turtonator to join me on my own—

Convincing Turtonator to join me…

I let out a heavy sigh as I sunk into my chair. The ethics of trying to capture a Pokemon that had just recently belonged to someone were iffy, to say the least, and it made me feel dirty. Not only that, but it meant that actually getting Turtonator to become a part of my team would be extremely difficult, and it'd be attacking me at the same time.

And that was if I could even find it in the mountain. We had its last location, but it probably had moved to someplace else by now.

Did even thinking about this make me a bad person in the first place? Could I allow myself to do this?

I stared at my ceiling and groaned. "I can allow myself to be selfish just this once, can't I? I can at least give it a try, and if it doesn't work out, well… that'll be that."

I pressed the home button on my Poketch and texted Denzel.

Me

Hey. You going to be doing your info gathering?

Denzel W.

Yeah, obv. Why? Need something?

Me

I know this is a lot to ask, but if you could try to find a trainer that ran into Turtonator and ask them about it, I'd really appreciate it.

Denzel W.

I knew it. You want to catch it, don't you?

Me

Yeah, I'm sorry. I know it'll be dangerous, but I can handle it on my own. You're better at getting information from people, so I figured I'd ask you to do that while I keep looking up stuff about Turtonator online in my room.

Denzel W.

Alright, I gotcha. But you absolutely aren't fighting that thing on your own.

Me

We'll talk about that later. Thank you, though. Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without you.

Denzel W.

You'd manage. TTYL.

I stared at my screen with a satisfied smile. Denzel was seriously the best friend someone could ask for, and I'm glad he was with me. I went back to browsing the internet. Even though I wanted to speak to Turtonator, I knew this would be a battle, so I would go at it like I did with any tough fight.

I would come prepared.

——

Denzel whistled a song as he calmly but purposely walked into the Pokemon Center. Grace had asked him a favor, and he'd gladly do it. Cece was off having her daily spat with her Scyther, while Pauline and Justin were battling as many trainers as they could. From what he understood, Grace was mostly teaching Justin how to strategize because stalling obviously needed a huge amount of planning, while Cecilia was teaching Pauline how to use power to break through her enemies. Two distinct styles of battling and two students. Denzel wondered who'd end up on top by the time they ended up battling Fantina. It had almost turned into a competition of some kind to see who was the better teacher.

He kind of wished he had a student of his own, though.

His eyes scanned the packed Pokemon Center lobby, settling on each wounded person he saw for a few seconds before moving on to the next. He was looking for information about a Turtonator, so he needed someone with burns.

His whistling sharply stopped when he noticed a trainer with a bandage over her right arm. She was a short girl with dark hair and a bob cut. Of course, bandages weren't an obvious sign of a burn victim, but what convinced him this girl was one was that her neck was red and covered in blisters, meaning that the burns covered the entire right side of her body, and the edges of her hair were singed. Looking closer, he noticed a bandage right under her jeans too.

Well, there was no point in beating around the bush. Denzel strode up to her and struck up a friendly wave and smile.

"Hey. Can I bother you for a sec?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him angrily, but her expression switched to surprise when she noticed him. "Um— Y—yeah, of course. You're Denzel Williams, right? I'm not crazy?"

"You're probably saner than I am," he laughed. "What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Oh! I'm Caitlyn Spencer. I guess you can call me Cait. Sorry that you have to see me in such a pitiful state, it's like, super embarrassing."

"What?" Denzel scoffed. "Come on, don't apologize for being hurt, it happens to all of us, even top-level trainers," he said, thinking of Craig. "I'm glad you survived, but do you have a group you travel with? And your Pokemon? Did they all make it out okay?"

Caitlyn stared at the ground and fiddled with her hands under the table. "Yeah, I'm okay, I guess, but one of my friends is on oxygen because of smoke inhalation," she said with a grimace. "The rest of them are actually grabbing food for all of us right now," she continued embarrassingly. "Since I have two badges, I got cocky and thought I could fight a Turtonator. I only lived by the skin of my teeth by hiding behind a boulder before a Flamethrower could get to me. Still burned like a motherfucker, though."

Ah, the conversation had naturally progressed toward what he wanted. Denzel liked to break the ice and converse with his fellow trainers, even if they would probably never meet again. There were so many stories to be heard and told, so much information to be exchanged that he couldn't just stay in his little corner like his friends liked to do.

"I wanted to talk to you about that Turtonator, actually," Denzel said. "If you don't mind?"

"No! It's fine," Caitlyn exclaimed. "Ask away."

"Can you tell me how it fought?"

The girl stared at the ceiling, like she was desperately trying to recall what had happened.

"It's fine if you don't remember," Denzel said with a warm smile. "Thanks for trying anyway."

"No, I remember, it's just difficult. It's all kind of a blur, with all the screaming, and the adrenaline… it takes a bit to actually recall what happened," Caitlyn mumbled. "I tried using my Poliwhirl to fight it from a distance, but its flames were strong enough to just evaporate our water type attacks, so then I tried to make it fight from up close and…" she winced. "The shell just exploded. If I hadn't recalled Poliwhirl right after, then… then…"

"It's okay," he said. "Hey, let's just stop this, I can just go and ask someone else."

Denzel didn't want to make someone recall their traumatic memories. It reminded him of Grace and Cecilia too much.

"Yeah… sorry. I don't even know if I'll be able to make it through now," she sighed. "Every time I look at the cave's entrance, my legs just start to shake, and I can't move."

Behind every trainer, there was a story. Laughs, pain, loss, trauma, victories. They weren't just colleagues, they were people.

Denzel leaned forward and clapped her non-injured shoulder. "You take care of yourself, Cait."

"Yeah. Thanks for talking to me. I kind of feel better now."

"Feel free to book an appointment for therapy with the nurses in here. They're really good at their job," he said before leaving.

"Wait! Could I get your number, maybe? I feel like it'd help if I talked to you."

Denzel raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but don't use me as a substitute for a therapist."

He had already been one multiple times, and he had no idea what he had been doing. It was honestly a miracle it had worked out. After that whole debacle, he started scanning the lobby again but stopped in his tracks when he saw that Pauline was staring at him at the Center's entrance with her arms crossed as she tapped her foot on the ground and a frustrated look on her face. Denzel thought nothing of it and walked up to her.

"'Sup?" He asked. "You're staring daggers at me, I'm kind of feeling self-conscious," he said playfully.

"Why were you talking with that girl for so long?" she asked.

Yikes. She was using her accusatory tone and not her playful, ironic one.

"I was helping Grace out with something. Gathering info," he answered plainly.

"Well, she sure seemed to be having the time of her life," Pauline huffed. "She was basically coming onto you."

"Quit it," Denzel said. He had hung out enough times with Pauline to know that whenever she stepped out of line, you needed to put your foot down immediately. "There's nothing there. And even if there was, it shouldn't bother you because… well, you know why."

Pauline clicked her tongue. "Whatever."

"Come on, stop acting so possessive. We're friends. You're being a kid."

"Maybe you shouldn't trust the first girl that shows up," Pauline said. "Justin's and Emilia's parents might be off our backs, but Harvey and Clarence still have skin in the game. She could be a spy."

"I think you should cool off for a bit," Denzel said. "You're better than this, Pauline."

He walked off and ignored her complaints. Why would she be jealous now? After he laid everything on the line back during her birthday?

Just recalling the moment made Denzel cringe, but it had been handled well and maturely by both of them, or at least he thought so. Late at night, during Pauline's birthday, he had asked her out. He had believed the moment to be right, with all of the emotion of their awaited reunion, the party winding down, and people going back to their rooms, but Pauline rebuked him immediately for one reason.

She was dating Emilia. Well, they were de facto dating. Emi supposedly didn't like labels.

The part that made Denzel cringe wasn't that he had been rejected. No, that was fine. He shot his shot and failed. Sure, it hurt— hell, it still kind of did, but the two had agreed to stay friends, and Denzel had been quick to give up and move on, especially with the Louis incident. They had gone back to normal the next day as if nothing had happened. Denzel had never thought about going off on his own. Everyone dealt with heartbreak in their own way, and Denzel never felt the need to get some time to himself. He and Pauline were friends, and nothing more, and he genuinely felt fine with this development. There were plenty of fishes in the sea, although it'd probably be a while until he found someone else that he liked.

The part that made him cringe was that he hadn't noticed that Pauline and Emilia were dating. The signs had all been there. In hindsight, they were just like Grace and Cecilia, but just way better at hiding it. There had always been that vibe between them, but since they never said anything to the group, he felt like he had a chance with Pauline. According to her, Emilia was adamant about keeping the relationship secret, mostly because her parents were deeply set in their old ways and would never approve, but also because she felt uncomfortable with being open with her sexuality, which Denzel felt terrible about. No one should have had to hide who they were. Pauline had even said that Grace and Cece revealing their relationship had almost convinced her to come out, but she chickened out at the last moment— the morning when they left— and opted to say nothing, using Louis' condition as an excuse.

Anyway, the point was, he was fine with the way things were now, but Pauline was seemingly kicking up a fuss and acting jealous at him? And he hadn't even been flirting at all! Sure, Caitlyn had been somewhat shy and flustered, but even if she had a crush, so what? Pauline was dating someone else.

Denzel sighed and returned to his information gathering. His team already almost drowned him in relationship drama, and he had had enough of that daily. Why couldn't life just be simple? If people were more straightforward with each other instead of playing these little games, then society would probably be better off.

The trainer perked up when he saw another person with burns. He stepped toward the boy, who was talking to two other people in his group with a smile, and waved.

"Hey guys, can I borrow a moment of your time?"

——

"Are we ready?" Denzel asked the group. We all nodded and started walking toward Mount Coronet with our tickets in hand.

A day had passed since I had resolved to catching Turtonator, and I had a strategy in place. Not to beat it, but to buy time while I talked things through, and I had also convinced my friends to stay in the back unless things looked really bad after hours of begging, although their psychic types would help to protect me from attacks. Still, I trusted that my Pokemon would be able to protect me, and I knew enough about Turtonator as a species not to fall into its traps.

Meanwhile, Denzel had expertly gathered information for me. I knew the way Turtonator personally fought as an individual, and I knew a bunch of its moves that I'd need to watch out for. Now all I needed to do was find it.

We handed our tickets to the rangers standing guard, and I took a deep breath before stepping forward. We had everything, including a trove of potions. Having rich friends would always come in handy. We also had burn heals and better caving equipment than before.

"Let's go," I breathed out.

We all looked at each other and stepped into Mount Coronet once more.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 108

It was strange how relaxed I could be in Mount Coronet. Back when I had first started my journey and entered my first cave to get to Oreburgh, I had been restless when the biggest threats there were Zubat and Geodude. Of course, the fact that it was my second time in the mountain helped, but it was also because the rangers had actually lit up this section of the cave. There was no oppressive darkness here. Gas lamps were attached all along Mount Coronet's walls, making it easy for us to actually see where we were going, and most wild Pokemon avoided this section of the cave because of how heavily the rangers patrolled it, and those that were let here were all weak. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw a Cleffa bounce away from us in fear. The Pokemon floated in the air longer than what was normal as if it was less affected by gravity than we were.

Frillish floated by my side, ever vigilant, while Charmeleon, Sandile, Roselia, and Zweilous accompanied the rest of my friends. The fire type, for her part, looked absolutely bored out of her mind, and she often sent Embers at unsuspecting wild Pokemon to distract herself. She blew flames toward Cleffa, who narrowly dodged and escaped with a small squeak.

"Can you tell her to stop harassing the wildlife?" I asked with a sigh. "That Clefa didn't attack us."

"I can't stop her from being who she is," Pauline shrugged. "But try to limit your attacks, Charmeleon."

The fire type grunted in annoyance.

Sandile, meanwhile, was lazily swimming across the ground. I had always struggled to place his personality, especially with how little we interacted, but since training Justin, I had recently gained an appreciation for the ground type. He was quiet, and despite disliking training, he was a hard worker. Roselia walked next to Denzel, occasionally hitting his leg with her flower to get him to walk faster. She wanted out of the cave, and fast.

"Stop hitting me, you little devil," my friend complained. "We're already at a good pace, and we don't want to tire ourselves out."

The grass type's permanent scowl worsened, and she let out a small sound, almost as if she was clicking her tongue.

"Yeah, I don't see you ever doing this with Sylveon. Maybe I should tell him how you were behaving."

"R—Rose!"

Denzel let out a small gasp. He wasn't used to seeing Roselia this flustered. "Okay, I might have been pushing that too far. He's already mad at you, so I won't tell him anything."

"How sweet of you," Cecilia smiled before staring at her own Pokemon.

Zerst and Sol still didn't get along these days, but the latter seemed to have taken the lead in the heads' relationship, and he kept Zerst in line, albeit in difficulty. Zerst's head jerked to the left, and his jaw snapped in anger toward an unsuspecting trainer who was resting with his group. Sol roared and pelted him with a small, weakened Dragon Breath, but the trainers were already scrambling and ready to run.

"My apologies!" Cece said with a grimace. "Thank you for keeping him under control, Sol."

Sol bowed his head, and Zerst imitated him. It seemed like they were both loyal to Cecilia now, but Zerst was still highly aggressive toward anything that moved that he didn't recognize.

Speaking of trainers, there were plenty of them to be seen, especially this close to the cave's entrance. Thanks to the rangers, the first few days would essentially be like walking through a route, although it was already getting colder and colder the deeper we got. We walked past another group, who were walking toward the exit this time.

"Hey, hold on," Denzel called out. "Can I ask you guys a few questions?"

It was a smaller group— three guys whose Pokemon looked to have been through the wringer. A Wartortle was covered in burns, and his shell was practically split. A Bibarel whose fur had been burned off and only had skin exposed and a Sawk's arm was bent the wrong way.

"Make it quick," the boy with the Sawk said. "We're almost out of this hellhole."

"You guys look like you fought the Turtonator that's here, right?"

"What does it look like?" He answered dryly. "Obviously we did, and we got creamed. Luckily, we got out unscathed, but we can't say the same for our Pokemon over here."

"Shouldn't you recall them…?" I asked hesitatingly. That Sawk in particular looked to be in horrible pain.

"The rest of our teams are in worse shape. These are the only Pokemon we have left that can still stand. We've already applied potions, so we did everything we could. Anyway, what do you want?"

The Pokemon here are weak, and there are enough people around to keep you safe, I thought with a frown. Not every trainer was as considerate as we were with our Pokemon.

"Where was it when you saw it?"

"With all the scorch marks it left around, it's pretty hard to miss," another trainer answered. "I wouldn't recommend fighting it, but if you really want to…"

The trainer gave us a general idea of where Turtonator was, and we were back on our way. The further along we went, the more deserted the cave was getting, but we occasionally met more trainers that had fought Turtonator. Personally, I found it strange that the rangers warning people about it seemingly had the opposite effect of what they wanted, and groups of trainers— or at least groups of trainers with multiple badges— were attempting to take it down as some sort of challenge. Some of them were wounded and burned so critically that I feared that they wouldn't be able to make it.

No one ever thought something bad would happen to them. Until it did.

Was I the same?

I saw Justin fidget with his fingers.

"You nervous?" I asked him.

"How could I not be? I think this is a terrible idea."

"I… I didn't want to say it, but I think so too, Grace," Cece said. "At least let us assist you. It's taken down so many trainers already."

I shook my head. "Your psychics will be enough," I said. "I can't say I'll come out of it unscathed, but I have a plan."

"But—"

"Cece," I interrupted. "I'll be okay."

She looked at me with a pained expression. Her face was full of worry.

"We did the same when you caught your Scyther," I told her. "I saw how determined you were to catch him. No words were going to change your mind, right? It's the same for me."

"But we did help with her Scyther," Denzel added.

"We did. But I don't want to gang up on Turtonator if I can avoid it, or it'll hate me after I catch it. If I catch it."

"But with how aggressive it is, wouldn't it just kill you?" Justin asked worriedly. "This isn't like Scyther, who could be stopped with Confusion or Psychic. Even if you can stop a Flamethrower, the heat can still kill you."

"I know," I nodded. "But think about it this way. Turtonator lost its trainer in the middle of a cave, and now a bunch of trainers are trying to attack it. Of course, it's aggressive. Who wouldn't be in that situation?"

"That's… that's true," Denzel said. "Plus, it can't even get out. The rangers would never let it get close enough to the exit. The only reason it hasn't been caught or driven off yet is because it's too deep inside the cave."

"What would they even do with it if they caught it?" I asked.

"Well, they'd probably try to rehabilitate it, and maybe give it to a ranger who'd care for it, but that would take a lot of time and paperwork to get through. Or alternatively, they could give up on that altogether and try to drive it toward a section of the cave that isn't frequented by trainers," Denzel explained.

"I'd be fine with the first option," I said. "But try to drive it off? After it experienced what traveling with a trainer was like? I can't accept that."

"Well, you better hope your plan works, then," Pauline said.

"I already explained it, and you all seemed to think it was fine."

"I know, it's just… some of these trainers looked tough, and they were in groups. Doubt's starting to creep up," she said.

"Aw, are you worried about me?"

"Ugh. Don't get full of yourself."

"She is, and she's embarrassed about it," Cecilia teased.

"So what?! So what if I am?!"

That seemed to have taken the ease off for now. The truth was, I was feeling nervous as well. How couldn't I be, after witnessing all those injured trainers? Sure, I was a good Pokemon trainer for how new I was at it, but from the stories I was hearing, this Turtonator had belonged to an experienced trainer. They had to be, with how strong the fire type was. Most wild Pokemon tended to not employ strategy much, but the information Denzel had gathered… pointed to a different story entirely. Turtonator employed aggressive tactics, had moves that could only be taught to its species via TMs, and most of all, it was intelligent. That was what worried me the most.

Could I convince an old dragon to join me?

Frillish placed a tentacle on my shoulder and murmured a reassuring cry. That was right. All of my Pokemon except Larvitar would be instrumental in this. They were here for me, and they'd have my back. Now all I could hope for was that I'd find the words to get Turtonator to join me.

That was the hole in my plan. Sure, I had potentially figured out a way to buy myself time, but what would I even say? Planning a speech felt disingenuous, and I had no doubt that Turtonator would be able to tell. It must have met plenty of other humans while traveling with its old trainer. The words would have to come from my heart.

Another group of trainers turned a corner with their Pokemon covered in burns, and Denzel called out.

You could never have enough information.

——

"Dragon Pulse," Cece coolly said.

"Keep it trapped!" Justin anxiously yelled.

A Rhydon struggled to get out of Sandile's Sand Tomb as two huge streams of blue energy flew toward the rock type, hitting it in the chest and the head. Its tough armor cracked slightly, worsening its already broken-down state.

"Spore attack," Denzel ordered.

Roselia screeched in annoyance, angling her two flowers forward and sending a bundle of Stun Spore and Poison Powder toward Rhydon. The Paralysis didn't seem to take hold, but the poison did. Rhydon let out an angered roar, and the cave's ceiling collapsed, but Gothorita, Togetic and Slowpoke were enough to stop the Rock Slide from crushing us.

"Water Pulse," I told Frillish.

We were systematically taking down this Rhydon, although it was taking a long time. It had been twenty minute since the fight had started, in fact, and the rock type was still raring to go, despite being severely hurt. It shielded its face from the Water Pulse with its thick arm, but the damage had already been done.

"Roselia, Bullet Seed. Aim for the crack in its armor."

The grass type clicked her tongue, but she obliged him. Ten seeds flew from each flower toward the Rhydon's chest, and the rock type screamed again. It stumbled and fell onto its back, causing the floor to shake.

"You can let him go," Cecilia said.

"Are you sure?" Justin asked.

"Yes. It doesn't want to fight anymore."

Justin quickly ordered Sandile to stop his Sand Tomb, and the rock type begrudgingly walked off, each of its steps making the cave shake. It was only my second time fighting a Rhydon, and I was starting to realize they were all ridiculously tough for some reason. It was no wonder a Rhyperior had managed to take down Larvitar's parent. No one knew how they evolved— even Roark didn't own one, although I remembered hearing about some Frontier Brain somehow managed to get one. His name was Palmer… Palmer something. His kid was participating in the Circuit too, although I hadn't exactly looked him up.

Palmer had caught it as a Rhyperior directly, however, so the evolution was still unknown.

"I'm surprised you aren't going for one of those, Cece," Denzel said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "They seem to fit your schtick."

"I considered it, but I decided against it," she shrugged. "I'd hate not being able to evolve it, and I found two better choices."

We had been traveling for days, and we were now in the dangerous section of the cave. There had been a few close calls with our Pokemon, but our high amount of psychics meant that we were always safe. It was understated how crucial Confusion, Psychic and Extrasensory were to a trainer's survival in the wild. Without them, I would have died at least twenty times. Of course, there was also Protect or Barrier, but they weren't as versatile. They had their uses, though. Protect, for example, would protect a trainer from a Flamethrower's heat.

I adjusted my collar and aired out my coat. It felt somewhat humid.

"Still, this is easier than I thought it would be," Justin said. "I couldn't help but be scared about having to go through here."

"Come on, don't jinx us," Pauline said. "Plus, we still have to find that Turtonator."

"Now who's jinxing us?" Denzel smiled.

This section of Mount Coronet was dark, and devoid of many trainers. We hadn't walked across a group in eight hours, so there was a severe lack of information on Turtonator's most recent location. I knew we were close, however, because some of the rocks here had been charred black.

Cecilia unzipped her coat and sighed. "Isn't it hot?"

"Now that you say it, yeah it is," I said. "It's been getting hotter—"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and the rest of my friends seemed to have figured it out as well. It must have been what, fifteen degrees celsius? In Mount Coronet? The coats we were wearing were made for heavy winters.

This could only mean one thing.

"Stick to the plan and let me talk to it," I quickly said as I released the rest of my Pokemon aside from Larvitar.

Gothoria and Slowpoke stepped forward, joining Togetic to defend me from any stray attacks.

I felt my palms moisten and my heart pound against my chest as I heard heavy steps reverberate through the cave and a low, guttural growl. Light shone erratically around the corner, illuminating the entire area. Turtonator walked across the rocky ground, each of its steps burning the floor. It turned away, pointing its shell at us, but still kept its face angled toward us to attack. It slammed its red, jagged tail against the ground, and it bubbled, turning into molten rock. Even with how far away we were and with the effects Mount Coronet had on the temperature, it was now as hot as a scalding summer day, and I was sweating buckets. It'd be worse the closer it got to us.

"Frillish," I exhaled, my voice trembling. I hoped I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew this time. "Drench me."

I felt cold water wash over me, causing my clothes to cling tightly to my skin. Upon closer inspection, Turtonator appeared to be severely wounded. It had bruises and dried blood covering the soft parts of its body, and its shell was practically split in two. At this point, it was running on pure rage and grief. That was the only reason I could find for it to be still standing.

"Turtonator!" I yelled. "My name is Grace. Grace Pastel! I've come to speak to you—"

The fire type growled, letting out a cloud of thick smoke from its snout. It was a Smokescreen, but it was also hot. Flames were dancing in the gaseous substance, and small bolts of lightning occasionally ran through it as well. It had a putrid odor, and the smell clung to my throat.

"Angel, princess," I said before coughing. "Here it comes."

The Smokescreen covered Turtonator's entire body, but I knew from the stories Denzel had found that it was just a bait. I was vindicated when a humongous Flamethrower parted the smoke and rushed directly toward me. Tangrowth and Togetic raised a thick barrier of earth using Ancient Power that slowly bubbled and melted to the ground. Turtonator wasted no time and sent another stream of flames forward, thinking it was catching us off guard, but we responded the same way.

The dragon type roared out in frustration and slapped its tail against its shell, creating a giant explosion that rocked me to my core and sent vibration rocking throughout my entire body. Togetic stopped a flaming piece of Turtonator's shell from landing on my face, and Electabuzz used the opportunity to step forward to step in front of me to protect me from any more stray projectiles, and I thanked him with a small nod.

Seeing that stray piece of shell made me realize that Turtonator's shell wasn't just split because of fighting trainers and wild Pokemon, it was also because it had made it explode too many times without leaving itself anytime to recover.

"Grace, this is too dangerous!" Cecilia yelled. My friends all started to say the same, but I raised a finger and stopped them from talking.

Not now.

"Please, just hear me out!" I yelled. "I don't want to fight, I know you're hurting already! I just have a proposition—"

This time, Turtonator stomped a foot against the floor, melting off the ground. The entire cave started to shake, and the floor heated up dramatically. I almost fell down, but Togetic caught me with Extrasensory. Tangrowth sneaked a few vines around me, and Electabuzz held me in place. Another enraged roar. Another incredibly powerful Flamethrower streamed toward me. The Bulldoze had made Togetic and Tangrowth focused on helping me, and they hadn't been ready for another attack so soon.

"Gothorita!" Pauline yelled.

"Slowpoke!" Cecilia cried out.

The flames stopped ten feet away from me and my Pokemon, but I could still feel its heat. I covered my face with my arms and felt the attack scorch my skin. I cried out in pain and instinctively clutched at my arm, and my face started to burn. It burned, it burned, it burned, it burned, IT BURNED—

Electabuzz grabbed me, shielding me with his body, and I felt a continuous, cold jet of cool water wash over me, easing the pain, and the Flamethrower slowly subsided. I held a hand at my face and winced when I realize that it had been burned. I didn't know how bad it was yet, but I knew that the pain would get worse as time went on.

"K—keep water on me," I groaned to Frillish. Everything was so hot, and my throat felt drier than it had ever been.

In front of me, Electabuzz punched his fist. His fur was sizzling, and part of his arm had burst into flames just from being so close to the Flamethrower, but he was so angry that he didn't even notice. Frillish quickly extinguished the fire, and I was about to call out to Turtonator again when I felt an arm grab my shoulder. It was Cecilia.

"Grace! Enough of this! You're going to die! At least let us help!"

"Cecilia. I have to do this alone."

Another Flamethrower flew out of Turtonator's snout, but two Ancient Powers blocked it far enough for us to be unaffected. If all of our Pokemon started attacking Turtonator all at once, then I was sure it would try to kill me every time it was out of the Pokeball. There was no point to that.

"Please. This is reckless. I don't want to lose you. We all think the same thing."

"Allow me to be reckless just this once," I smiled thinly. "Turtonator needs to be saved."

"The rangers will—"

"He might not even be caught," I interrupted. "I won't take that chance."

I took a deep breath and turned back toward the fire type.

"We can do this all day!" I yelled. "But I won't leave until you hear me out."

The dragon type was in no state to negotiate at the moment. In fact, I doubted that it was even understanding my words, so I'd have to tire it out until it was ready to listen—

A stream of flaming, turquoise draconic energy rushed toward both me and Cece at ridiculous speeds. Gothorita, Togetic, and Tangrowth were too slow, but Frillish and Slowpoke were enough. First, Frillish send out a Bubblebeam that slowly weakened the Dragon Pulse until Slowpoke could divert its path with Psychic. It hit the cave behind us, but Cece and I both felt the heat, and Frillish quickly drenched both of us in water.

How was a Dragon Pulse emitting this much heat? It wasn't even a fire type attack!

"Cece, let me do this," I said again. "Let me be selfish one time."

She stared at me like she was about to cry. "Fine. But if you die, I will never forgive you."

I smiled. "Now get back. It's dangerous here."

I turned toward Turtonator, and my mind began to work. There had been pieces of information missing from Denzel's story, but it wasn't his fault. Witnesses were notoriously bad at recounting things that had happened, even just a few hours after the fact. First of all, Turtonator employed some strategy, and it always aimed for me, but in its current rage-filled state of mind, it was nowhere near as smart as it probably normally was. Second of all, I didn't know if it was because of how powerful it was, but every single attack it used seemed to be embedded with some fire. Even Smokescreen.

So, in essence, every attack that so much got close to me could burn me beyond repair. I felt Frillish pour water on me again, but I still felt hot. It was starting to be like an oven in here, and the bottom of my shoes was starting to melt off. I feared that it would get worse the more attacks Turtonator used. Mount Coronet was probably terrible at diffusing heat. I couldn't wait things out. I needed to change my approach, or I'd be forced to leave.

"Angel, you think you're up for a fight?" I asked him as I wiped my hands on my jeans. His vines wriggled. "This is… this might backfire horribly. You can't use Bind from here—"

I flinched as another Dragon Pulse was averted by Slowpoke.

"You can't use Bind from this far," I continued, pointing at Turtonator. It was so hot around it that the air appeared to distort and twist. "We need you to restrain it long enough for Togetic to use Thunder Wave."

Frillish let out a worried noise, but I stopped him. "We need to slow it down," I said. "It won't be as— as clean as I hoped, but maybe if it's paralyzed, it'll come back to its senses. Get ready."

After we blocked another Dragon Pulse, Frillish drenched Tangrowth in water, and the grass type waddled forward as we looked on with worry. Turtonator roared, and its shell started to glow with a dangerous red hue. Shell Trap, I thought. Fuck.

"Tangrowth, don't get too close!" I yelled. "It's—"

With a mad grin, Turtonator slapped its tail against its shell, triggering its own Shell Trap. This was stronger than the explosion from before. The shockwave ran through my body and brought me to my knees. My jeans started to sizzle on the ground, and I hissed when my hands touched the floor, hurryingly taking them off. The skin was practically all burned off. Another burn. Electabuzz punched a piece of shell away from me, but it blew up on his hand, and he clutched at it. It was horribly broken. Even when separated from Turtonator's body, every part of its shell still counted as a Shell Trap. I called out to Tangrowth, who I couldn't even see in all of the flames and smoke, but my voice sounded distant. My ears were ringing, and my head was pounding. I stood up and blew air on my hands, trying to cool them, and I called out to Tangrowth again.

When the smoke cleared, the grass type's body was covered in flames and ash. Not even hearing the sound of my own voice, I shrieked, and Frillish flew over with Water Sport. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I realized that Tangrowth was fine, although horribly hurt. His body was protected by his thick bundle of vines, and it'd take a while for the flames to chew through them. Nevertheless, Frillish extinguished the flames with much more difficulty than earlier, and vapor was emanating from his body.

He was almost entirely made of water. The heat was so strong that it was evaporating his body.

How… how powerful was this Turtonator? This was while it was wounded.

"Frillish, get back!" I ordered, my voice still distant. I still could barely hear anything because of the explosions.

The water type listened, and Tangrowth wrapped vines around Turtonator, which all promptly caught on fire. The most important part, however, was that his tail and head were being locked in place. That meant that it couldn't create explosions, or aim at us with attacks.

"Princess," I said.

Burning air filled my lungs as Togetic sent a short burst of electricity at Turtonator. The attack surrounded the dragon type, then wrapped around him like a rope and entered its body, and it started to convulse slightly. Not as much as I would have hoped, but it was slowed. Tangrowth quickly used his vines to get back to where we were, and I swallowed when I saw that his body was smoking, still. He smelled like burned grass.

"I'm sorry, but I had to slow you down so that you could think," I called out. "I want to talk to you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Turtonator hesitated, then snorted, sending out small puffs of Smokescreen from its snout. Puffs this time, not a continuous stream. I knew what it was about to do. Denzel had warned me about it.

"Honey, get ready," I said. He nodded tightly and stepped forward, his hand still bloody and broken from the explosion he had protected me from.

I knew what was coming. A modified version of Smokescreen that was axed toward offense, and that was too wide to be stopped by our psychic type attacks. Electabuzz was my answer to that. Turtonator roared, and a plume of toxic, fiery smoke flew at high speeds toward us. Electabuzz brought both of his hands forward. He was so close to us, and yet he would use Discharge. All of his training with the move had led to this.

The smell of burning ozone filled my nostrils, combined with the nauseating smell from the Smokescreen, and my hair stood on end. Pebbles rose from the ground as Electabuzz sent a huge wave of electricity forward that grew the further it traveled. It pushed through the Smokescreen, causing it to vanish, and Electabuzz canceled the attack right before it would have hit Turtonator.

Discharge had originally been meant to strike all around its user like Shockwave, but we had practiced it and molded it enough to use it only in one direction. It wouldn't be guaranteed to hit its target, but since he was focusing it on one area, the damage dealt would be considerably higher. The possibilities of Pokemon moves were practically endless, so why not take advantage?

"You've seen the way I fought so far," I said. Each breath I took filled me with a sense of agony I could only try to hide. It was too hot. Frillish drenched me with water again, but that could only do so much in this heat. "I haven't hurt you. I saw you hesitate that last attack. You're starting to be sound of mind again, aren't you?"

My opponent was strong. Terrifyingly so, but it was also terribly wounded. I fully believed my entire team could have dealt the finishing blow if I had wanted to, and then I could have caught it while it was unconscious. Turtonator knew this. It threateningly slapped its tail against the ground, and the impact melted the rocks.

"Okay, that's better," I exhaled. "That's an improvement. Um— I'm— I'm Grace, like I said. You're sca—" I cut myself off. No, not scared. Dragon types wouldn't take well to that remark. "You're annoyed aren't you? You're all alone in this cave, and a bunch of trainers just walk up and started to attack you, and rangers came to try to capture you or drive you off. I'm… I'm kind of guilty of the same, but I want to get you out of this cave."

The dragon type's eyes widened, and it tilted its head in anticipation. I took it as a sign to keep talking. A single wrong word here, and the fight would start all over again. I wasn't foolish enough to think that Togetic's paralysis would actually restrain Turtonator.

"Could you start by lowering the temperature?" I asked more courageously than I actually felt. I couldn't look weak. "I'm getting lightheaded, and that'd be terrible for negotiating."

Turtonator gave me the faintest of nods, and the area finally stopped rising in temperature. At least I knew now that if I managed to get it to join me, then I wouldn't have to deal with an impossibly hot temperature the entire time. This was just an effect Turtonator could have around it if it was fighting.

"Thanks, I'm really grateful," I said. I opened my mouth, but I hesitated. Would starting this by bringing up Turtonator's previous trainer be tone-deaf? But not mentioning them could also seem disrespectful. I didn't know what to do, I didn't—

The fire type stomped the ground angrily, and rocks turned red under its feet. Even though I barely knew anything about it, I immediately knew what it meant.

Talk now, lest you anger me further.

I swallowed. Okay. Okay. "I know you've lost… someone important to you recently," I said. I saw the turtle-like Pokemon wince. "And I'm sorry. I don't know anything about you or the relationship you had with him, but I'm sorry. I heard about your story, and I thought that maybe I could help you get out, but for that, I'll have to catch you."

Emotions flashed on Turtonator's face. Disbelief, indignation, fury. How dare a little girl like me propose such an arrangement? How dare I think that I could replace his trainer?

I raised my hand, expecting the worst. "Wait! I'm not kidding, it's the only way! I could lead you to the exit, but even if I managed to get you through the horde of trainers on the other side, you'd have to get past the rangers, and then they'd keep you. I'm going to assume that since you had a previous trainer, you liked to travel the world, didn't you? You came from Alola all the way here."

I waited for a response, but Turtonator said nothing.

"Or alternatively, you could come with me. I'm also a trainer, as you saw," I said, pointing at my team. "And, uh, I plan on traveling to every region…" I muttered. "And becoming the best! So come with— give me a chance."

Turtonator snorted, shaking his head, and my heart sank.

But then it turned toward me, exposing its red, soft underbelly, and stared.

I grabbed a Pokeball. "May I?"

He gave me an annoyed nod, and I took a few steps forward. I threw the ball at Turtonator, and waited with bated breaths. It took fifteen seconds for it to shake the first time, as if it was still mulling on if it should come with me or not, but after that, it shook another two times and let out a small sound.

I had caught Turtonator.

But I was still a long way off from actually being able to use it in any way, shape, or form. Turtonator still clearly thought me to be some naive annoying child that it could blow off whenever it wanted. Hell, it probably had only let itself be caught to save itself from a worse fate. I'd have to be careful when releasing it outside of the cave.

Still, I smiled. I stepped toward the Pokeball and grabbed it, ignoring the pain I felt from the burns on my palms.

The Pokeball felt hot in my hands.

---

A/N: Every time I write an important fight scene, it becomes my new favorite. Is this recency bias at work? I hope you enjoyed that. It was a battle against Turtonator, but also the effect it has on the environment itself. Powerful fire types are no joke. You might also have noticed that it's also ridiculously powerful. Some people might dislike that, but there's a reason for it. I didn't just do it because it could make for a cool 'boss battle'. Don't expect Grace to be able to use it in battle or be friends with it any time soon. Think of it like Ash's Charizard in the anime, but worse. Grace is going to have to deal with her first unruly team member. And yes, Frillish doesn't really count, because he came around relatively quickly.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 109

I felt my legs wobble as my friends rushed toward me. My sixth team member. I had finally caught it.

"Grace, your face!" Denzel yelled. "Justin, get a compress."

Justin nodded and started looking through his bag.

"It's not just her face, her arms and palms are burned too," Pauline sighed. "You almost died."

"No, I had it under control most of the time," I sighed. The air was finally cooling, but I could still barely hear anything. My left ear in particular was hurting really badly. "Cece, can you heal Tangrowth and Electabuzz?"

"Of course," she said with a thin smile. "Never do that again, I was so scared for you."

"Now you know how we felt with Scyther," I said. "But I won't. Turtonator's my sixth, so I won't need to take risks like this for a while. Not until I get my eighth badge and I can get permission to catch more Pokemon anyway."

I groaned in pain as Justin placed the cold compress against my face. This was going to hurt like hell in a few hours. Actually, it already fucking sucked.

"Already thinking that far ahead? You should probably slow down," Pauline said.

"No, no, I was just saying it to calm Cece down," I said, waving my unwounded arm dismissively. "I have no idea who I'm going to catch, and no plans about it."

"You have no idea how many times I tried to stop you, by the way," Denzel said. "Pauline stopped us every time."

"Yeah, I did, but Cece managed to slip through, especially with that asshole of a Zweilous that growled at me for holding her by the arm."

"That was just Zerst…" Cecilia sighed.

"Anywhere else you're hurting, Grace?" Justin asked me. "Or is it just your burns?"

"I felt lightheaded earlier, but I think that it was because of the heat, and my ear's kind of fucked up. Other than that, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Fine is probably pushing it," Denzel said. "But okay. "We should probably move, though. It's a miracle that nothing came to interrupt that battle. Are you good to walk?"

"Wild Pokemon here probably avoided Turtonator like the plague," Cece guessed. "You saw how strong it was. Nothing here could stand up to it in a fight. Maybe Rhydon, but that's it."

"Well, Grace sure has powered up, then," Justin smiled. "As expected of my teacher."

I blushed. "Gee, you're embarrassing me. I won't be able to use Turtonator for a long time, I think. There's no way it's going to listen to me. I don't even think all of my Pokemon could stand up to it in a fight where it's at its full strength."

"That's probably true," Cece sighed. She knew more about dragons than anyone here. "It's going to take a long time for you to gain its respect, but if you can get on a 'doesn't try to kill you every time it's out of the ball' basis, then I'd say you're on the right path."

I chuckled at that. I didn't really think Turtonator would attack me from that short interaction we had had, but who knew how it would feel a few hours from now? At least I'd be able to recall it into its ball as soon as it started acting up. I didn't want to keep it trapped, but I needed to be safe. There was no telling what it was capable of after getting all of its wounds checked at a Pokemon Center.

"Well, let's move, then," I said. "Thank you for trusting me, Pauline."

The redhead's eyes widened. "Yeah, no problem. I knew you'd kick ass."

"What? No snarky remark?" I grinned.

"Don't push it, you little gremlin," she fumed.

"Grace, let me bandage your arm," Justin said.

"Don't forget her hands…" Cece said.

Once again, we started walking toward Mount Coronet's exit. Turtonator's fight marked the halfway point, but we were less than a day away from the dangerous zone. As soon as we left that, we were as good as free.

—

"Okay, here goes," I sighed, looking at my entire team. Even Larvitar was here. They had recovered from the fight relatively well, although Electabuzz's hand was still broken, and his fingers were all bent the wrong way, which was why I wanted to make this as quick as possible so that he could go back in his ball.

We were only a day away from exiting Mount Coronet, and we had made camp in an isolated part of the cave. My burns still hurt like hell, especially when we had to change the bandages. The friction was horrible, and the pain was getting worse. I could barely hear anything out of my left ear, and holding things with my hands was basically impossible, although I always pushed myself whenever I needed to use Pokeballs. Strangely though, a part of the burn on my arm was painless. Well, I actually couldn't even feel anything there, even touch, and the skin there had turned completely white.

If only I was a Pokemon… one burn heal, a potion, and I would have been as good as new. Turtonator had really done a number on me.

Speaking of Turtonator, I was going to release it again for the first time here for a few reasons. First, I wanted to figure out what was its gender, because referring to Turtonator as it felt dehumanizing— well, it wasn't human, but the point still stood. Second, I wanted to heal its injuries as best I could with potions and Togetic's Wish. Third, I wanted to just speak with it.

"Ready, guys?" I asked my Pokemon. They nodded.

I grabbed Turtonator's Pokeball, which felt hot in my hand, and released it. The fire type stared at us with indifference— or was it disdain? It was somehow still standing after all that fighting and acting like it was nothing.

"Hey again," I said. We were close. So close, in fact, that it probably could have burned me before I had time to recall it. "I wanted to help you with your wounds, and scan you with my Pokedex."

Turtonator snorted and turned away from me dismissively.

"No?" I asked. There was no response. Only the temperature rising by a few degrees. I swallowed, hurriedly and painstakingly grabbed a potion from my backpack, and sprayed its bruises with them. I also ordered Togetic to use Wish, which would help somewhat, but the shell was broken beyond what a potion could do, and we'd have to wait to get to the Pokemon Center for that, just like honey's hand.

"I'm going to scan you, okay?"

I grabbed my Pokedex and pointed it toward the fire type.

Turtonator, the Blast Turtle Pokemon. Turtonator's shell is made out of a thin layer of explosive material that ignites when struck, creating an explosion. It gushes poisonous gases from its nostril and will also strike at its own shell to kill its prey.

Moves: Smog, Ember, Smokescreen, Incinerate, Iron Defense, Flamethrower, Shell Trap, Dragon Pulse, Bulldoze, Scorching Sands, Rock Tomb, Body Slam, Flash Cannon, Solar Beam, Rapid Spin, Scale Shot, Iron Tail, Focus Blast (Click for more information)

Ability: Shell Armor (Click for more information)

Gender: Male

My eyes widened at the incredible array of moves Turtonator had at his disposal. Some of these could only be taught to the species through TMs, just like Denzel had told me! Iron Tail in particular intrigued me, because Turtonator's short tail and little mobility meant that he wasn't the best at using the move, but after thinking about how to apply it for a few seconds, I realized that it was how Turtonator had triggered his own Shell Trap. The move needed Turtonator to take actual damage, which meant that simply touching the shell wouldn't be enough. That was why he hurt himself with Iron Tail. His old trainer must have been incredibly skilled. He probably only used a few against us because those were what he was the best at, and he wasn't in the right state of mind to use the others he had less experience with.

Still… his trainer was powerful and experienced, and yet, they still died in a cave. The proof that one mistake was all it took. One mistake, and a life could be snuffed out.

"So you're a guy," I hesitantly said. "Erm, let me introduce you to the team. This over here is princess. She was my first Pokemon—"

Turtonator ignored me completely and walked off, lying down on the ground about twenty feet away from me. Togetic chirped sadly in protest, but I stopped her.

"Are you tired? Do you want to eat?" I asked. "I have food if you want."

The dragon type didn't answer, so I opted to keep introducing him to the team. I knew he could hear, even if he acted like he couldn't.

"This is buddy. He was my second, and he's kind of reserved, but he always means well. Sorry if he's glaring at you so much, he'll come around," I sighed before pointing to Electabuzz with my thumb out of habit and winced when I felt the skin rub against my bandage. "That's honey. He tends to be hyper, although he's mellowed out with age. Just a bit, though. I don't know if you enjoy battling, but if you do, honey's your guy—"

I took a step back when I saw Turtonator glare at me. Just one look, and I felt instinctual fear. The temperature rose around me, and I started to sweat. Larvitar protested and screamed at the dragon type, but he paid her no mind and kept staring right through me, as if he was judging my every action.

"Okay, I get it," I hurriedly said. "That's angel, and that's sweetheart. We're done."

Turtonator closed his eyes, and the temperature slowly went back to normal. So that was how he was going to do it, then. He recognized that I was the one getting him out of the cave, so he wouldn't try to kill me, but he also wanted nothing to do with me, so if I tried to do any kind of bonding, he'd threaten to burn me.

Well, maybe he needed some space. The loss of his trainer was probably still fresh in his mind, and me swooping in like this probably angered him. I had wanted to ask him if he used to have a nickname, and if he hadn't, then I wanted to give him one, but that was clearly off the table. Even just speaking was off the table.

"I'm recalling you," I sighed. He snorted, seemingly satisfied with himself, and I placed him back in the Pokeball before turning to the rest of my team. "This is going to take a long time, but I want you all to be as accommodating as possible. Obviously, don't let him walk all over you, but don't be aggressive, either."

"Fri…"

"Yeah, I know it's hard. I know he hurt me, but if I've forgiven him, you can at least try," I smiled thinly. "Let's get back to the others."

Today's interaction was a win in my book. Sure, he had threatened to squash me like a bug with a single look and by raising the temperature slightly, but he hadn't done it. Plus, he at least knew everyone on the team now. Things might change when I brought him out of the cave, however. He had only joined me because I promised to get him out, so who knew how he'd feel when I released him on the outside?

Well, he didn't seem to hate me, at least. That hadn't been the impression I got from him. Maybe he just found me annoying to deal with? Thinking back to what Craig had told me during my fight with Chase, it'd be important to give Turtonator his space.

I had recalled Turtonator at the perfect moment, because a pair of trainers walked past me a few seconds later. I had no idea how I was going to go about gaining Turtonator's respect. The last unruly Pokemon I had had was Frillish, but he had come around after a few days, even if he hadn't listened to every command. Turtonator would be a whole other beast. A small part of me hoped that there'd be a breakthrough in a few days and that we'd all become friends, but I knew better. This wouldn't take days. This wouldn't even take weeks. This would take months. I'd try to find out more about his old trainer online when we got to the outpost.

I was in for a long ride, but I had nothing but time. The hardest step, which had been catching him, was already over, and he didn't want to kill me either. I clenched a fist in determination and hissed when a jolt of pain shot up from my hand to my shoulder.

I was going to shower Turtonator with love until he finally yielded. No matter how long it took.

—

"We're finally out," Justin sighed. After six days of travel, we had reached the other side of Mount Coronet.

The view here was absolutely breathtaking. Pristine rivers ran through deep canyons lower on the mountain slopes, and the outpost could be seen around ten minutes away from here. In the distance, Hearthome stood in all of its glory, with its mix of new skyscrapers and older buildings that came together to create something beautiful. Still, even if the city of warmth and kindness looked close, it was actually five days away because we'd need to walk down the steep mountain, and then through a short flat path. Route 208 was relatively easy, as far as routes went, but the terrain was among the worse to get through.

"Let's get to the outpost and to a Center," Denzel said. "We deserve a break after all of that."

I nodded. "Even though we made it through without much difficulty this time, it was still fucking exhausting. I want to take a warm shower and sleep in a warm bed."

Although with my burns... showering would probably be an agonizing experience. And changing clothes. And sleeping. I sighed.

"The rangers seem to be getting better at keeping Mount Coronet safe," he said. "There weren't as many dangerous encounters as I was expecting. I almost thought I'd see another Gyarados coming out of that giant lake."

My eyes bulged. "Gyarados?"

"Oh… right, I never told you," he sighed. "Yeah, Cece and I saw a Gyarados when we were separated. Didn't fight it, though. It was too strong."

Pauline sprung up. "I'd like a Gyarados!"

"I thought we already agreed on Exploud," I laughed.

We walked to the outpost, but before going to the Center to get myself and my Pokemon checked out, I had one more thing to do. I entered the ranger building and patiently waited for my turn until the receptionist called me over. I strode up there with a slight smile— as much as I could, with how fucking painful these burns were. Hopefully I'd get some painkillers or something because this was quickly becoming unbearable.

"Welcome to route 208's ranger building. How can I help you today? If this is about orientation, we won't run another one of those for three weeks. You missed it by a few days."

"No, no, this isn't about orientation," I said. "You know that Turtonator that troubled you?"

"Of course. What of it—" The ranger stared at me for the first time and gasped in shock. "Um, you look really bad, you should probably get to a Center right now."

"I'll do it right after this. I caught Turtonator, and I'll be keeping him, too."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 110

"Um, this isn't some prank, is it?" The receptionist ranger asked me.

"No? I was just coming here to notify you because it's important."

"Okay, well— let me call my boss," she sighed. "Jeremy, come take over!"

Around thirty seconds later, a short man with a full, thick beard and long hair came over from the backroom and complained about his break not being over, but the woman just ignored his pleas and hurryingly left to get whoever this boss was. I looked at my shoes and groaned. The soles were still intact, but the bottom was half-melted by Turtonator, and it made it hard to walk. I'd need to buy new ones later today, especially since we were supposed to walk down the mountain. You needed good shoes for that. Still, I felt somewhat sentimentally attached to these white sneakers, although they were stained so much that they couldn't really be called white anymore. I had had them since the start of my journey, and now, I'd have to throw them in the trash soon.

"Is this her?"

I heard a familiar voice, and my eyes widened when I recognized Malcolm Brockhouse— the same ranger that had given us our class days ago before entering the mountain.

"That's her," the receptionist said.

"Well, she certainly looks like she fought a Turtonator," Brockhouse said after a short pause. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the Center first?"

I shook my head. What he had said about how I looked was true, though. The left side of my face and neck were still recovering from burns, and my left arm and both of my hands were covered in bandages. My shoes were half-melted, and my jeans were slightly burned at the knee level. Plus, he couldn't have known this, but I still heard practically nothing out of my left ear.

"Come with me," he continued. I just nodded and followed him. I wasn't exactly nervous, but I hadn't expected to see Brockhouse again at all. After taking me to what appeared to be his office— there was a huge picture of him and who I believed to be his family on the wall— he seemingly noticed my surprise. "You were in my class. Are you surprised to see me?"

"Um, yes," I blurted out.

"We have a League-issued Kadabra that lets us Teleport between both sides," he explained. "I'm in charge of both outposts, and I had some business to attend to here, but that can wait. Sit."

"Um, I don't want to dirty your fancy office chair," I said.

"That doesn't matter, no one uses the office anyway," he shrugged. "So, you've got the Turtonator. I believe you, but could you let us verify it?"

Well, he had certainly cut to the chase quickly.

"I told this to the other rangers, but I'm keeping him, so I'll only let you see if you agree. I don't want to hear anything about how it's too dangerous, or whatever," I said.

Brockhouse smirked. "Did you think I was going to say that?" He asked. "That isn't how we function. You're fifteen and a trainer. You're not an adult yet, but society certainly treats you like one, and we already trust you to make your own decisions. I think you're biting off more than you can chew, but you caught it, so if you want to, you get to keep it. If it ever goes out of control and causes death or injuries, though… then we or the League will be in contact."

I breathed out a sigh of relief and grabbed Turtonator's Pokeball on my belt, trying to hide the pain I still felt when I grabbed things. Brockhouse said something, but since it had been my left ear facing him, the voice was muffled and I couldn't hear what he said.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

He grabbed the Pokeball. "I said I wouldn't have expected a first-year like you to catch this thing. His old trainer was pretty experienced."

"His older trainer? Did you figure something out?" I exclaimed. Finding out about this could potentially help me understand Turtonator better, so I wouldn't let the opportunity pass.

"We did. He was a seventeen-year-old Alolan that had gone through the trials during his first year, and the Johto Circuit the next. He was trying out Sinnoh this year, but as you know, he was killed," Brockhouse said with a heavy breath. He got up, walked to the corner of the room, and placed the Pokeball into some kind of spherical container in a printer-like device with a screen. "He seemed to prioritize traveling over competing, though."

"So this was his third year…" I trailed off. Turtonator had lost his trainer who he had known for more than two years, and yet he hadn't shown any signs of grieving after our battle. "Um, what's that machine?"

"Pokeball scanner. Helps us identify what's in the damn thing without having to release whatever's inside," he said. The screen machine beeped, and a Turtonator image flashed across the screen. "Well, you were right. Since an official, League-sanctioned trade didn't take place, I'm going to need you to fill out a few documents to give you legal ownership of Turtonator," he continued as he grabbed a few papers and a pen. He placed them all on the table in front of me.

I brought my hand forward and hissed in pain when I grabbed the pen and tried to write.

"Um, I don't think I can hold a pen," I said embarrassingly. The friction between my hands, the bandages and the pen rubbing against it was just too much.

"Are you sure?" Brockhouse sighed. "Well, you can always come back before you leave. You're in no state to travel, and you should get yourself checked in at the Center, especially if you can't even write. Those burns look… bad."

"Yeah, I'll do that," I said as he handed me Turtonator's Pokeball. With a painful grunt, I clipped it on my belt. "Um, one last thing. Turtonator's trainer, what was his name?"

"Kamaile Nalanie," he said. The words felt heavy. Like they mattered.

"Thank you," I nodded. I would commit this name to memory and never forget it. I stood up and let Brockhouse show me out, and soon enough, I was at the Pokemon Center. I warned the nurses about Turtonator being potentially aggressive or uncooperative, and I walked to the human wing to get a check-up.

——

"Second-degree burns all along the face and neck, and a second and third-degree burn on your arm," the doctor said. "Another two second-degree burns on your palms, and two first-degree burns on your knees. You certainly went through it, Ms. Pastel."

"Third degree?" I gasped. "Isn't that really bad? I don't feel any pain there."

"Yes, it is really bad," he deadpanned. "Did you not pay attention in class? The reason you don't feel any pain is because the nerve endings have been destroyed. You'll need a skin graft. That implies surgery."

I froze. That… that was way worse than what I thought. A part of my arm was completely white— like a sheet of paper, and I thought that had been weird, but since there was no pain, I thought it was improving somewhat, but I had apparently been completely wrong. I had been in denial. It wasn't that there was just no pain, there was just no feeling there whatsoever.

"I can see you're anxious, but that isn't it," he said. "You said you struggled to hear out of your left ear, correct? Your left ear drum is ruptured, but it'll heal on its own in a few weeks. If it doesn't, or if it starts leaking, you'll need to get it checked again."

"Thank you," I sighed. Surgery terrified me, but if it was the only way… "When can we do this surgery thing? And what does a skin graft imply? Will I be put under?"

"The third-degree burn on your arm is relatively small, so it will be local anesthesia," the doctor said. "We'll take a thin layer of skin from another part of your body and place it on the burned area. After the procedure, you'll need to stay for a few days, since the new skin will need to sit very still— but after that, you'll be free to go, even if the graft won't have completely healed yet. I hope you don't mind scars."

"No, no, it's fine," I said. At least the ones on my face and neck wouldn't be too bad. "What about the area you take the… skin from?"

"Oh, that takes a week or two to heal back as well, but it'll be as good as new," he said. "If you want, we can have your surgery as soon as tomorrow. The rest of your burns will heal on their own with a cream we'll give you."

"Fine," I resolved. The sooner, the better. "Tomorrow it is."

The doctor nodded, wished me well, and left. A few minutes later, a Nurse Joy came into the room and explained the surgery in full detail, including the recovery process, in which I'd have to take care of the graft site by keeping it dry, clear of fluids, and I'd have to keep the stitches possibly for weeks, and that part of my arm wouldn't feel right for months. There were also risks, such as an infection on the graft site, and then she gave me some cream to put on my second and first-degree burns to quicken the healing process. After that, she made me sign a consent form, and then I was put into another room with a bed. They allowed me to wash myself, which had to be done with a soft shower glove because the pressure of the showerhead hurt too much to actually shower normally. Hell, even using the Arceus damned glove hurt my hands.

I had never felt as weak as I did now. The human body was so fickle.

Afterward, I was put in a hospital gown, and they placed an IV drip in my arm that would give me antibiotics and electrolytes, whatever that second thing was. I was given a slew of pills, including painkillers, and finally, I was alone.

Turtonator certainly had done a number on me, hadn't he? I was so used to walking off injuries and letting them heal on their own that I thought it'd be the same here. I'd have to text my dad about it when I could. I had told him I'd be in Hearthome soon, and he was supposed to fly out to see me. He had already booked his flight, so the delay would mean he'd need to extend his stay in the city.

"Kamaile Nalanie…" I trailed off. If my hands hadn't hurt like hell, I would have looked him up to learn more about him—

The door burst open, and all of my friends entered my room.

"Grace! You didn't tell us you'd need to stay at the hospital!" Cece said immediately. "You kept pretending to be fine! What's going on?"

"Well, I didn't know either, so you can't blame me," I said with a thin smile. I lifted my burned arm. "A part of my burn here is third-degree. I need a skin graft."

"Holy shit…" Denzel exhaled.

"You said it. I'm getting it tomorrow already, and we'll have to stay for a bit longer," I said. "It should be fine, though. With all the burned trainers coming through, they've had to do this a lot, and it's always gone well."

"If you say so," Cece sighed. "Do you want anything?"

"Yeah, actually," I said. "Could you grab my phone and text my dad about what happened? I'd do it but…"

I brought my hands up and showed my bandaged fingers. Cecilia let out a small chuckle and grabbed my bag, looking for my phone.

"Hmph. This Turtonator spells trouble," Pauline said. "You made a deal with him to get out of the cave, right? What if he attacks you now that he's out?"

"I'll deal. He's hurting, but hiding it," I said.

"You're too nice for your own good," Justin sighed. "If it were me, I would have given him to the rangers. A murderous dragon is dangerous."

"I can't act like I'm a saint either. A part of me is also doing this because of how powerful he is," I shrugged. "Denzel, can you look up a name for me?"

"Yeah?"

"Kamaile Nalanie," I said. "Turtonator's old trainer."

He whipped out his Poketch. "Gotcha."

"Grace, what should I text to your father?" Cece asked. She was holding the phone and trembling like a leaf. It was cute how embarrassed she was around meeting or speaking to him.

"Well, you can either say that it's you, or you can pretend to be me," I shrugged. I still hadn't told my dad that we were dating— I was planning on telling him in person— but he knew her and my friends' names. "Just start with the fact that I'm actually fine, and then ease into the surgery part."

"Ease into it?" Pauline said incredulously. "How do you ease into that?"

"Leave it to me," Cecilia said with a determined nod.

"What?!" The redhead scoffed.

"Grace, I've got a some results for your guy," Denzel said. "What do you want to know?"

"How he looked and what he was like, maybe?"

Denzel showed me his screen, and Kamaile looked like any teenager. He had tanned skin, his face was square-ish, and he looked to be well-built and tall like Denzel was. Most of the pictures were recent from the news of his death and the whole debacle with Turtonator blocking Mount Coronet that the media seemed to have run with, but some of it was older. Pictures of his younger self during his travels through Alola and Johto.

"He made it through four trials during his first year in Alola, which is more impressive when you realize that there are only seven," Denzel explained. "Then, instead of trying again the next year, he went to Johto and got six badges there. Most of his fights seem to have been won due to his Turtonator's power."

So Turtonator was strong enough to compete at six badges— no, probably seven now, because of how much time had passed since last year's Johto Conference. That was good to know, and it explained why he had been so tough when he had practically been knocked out. Now that he was being healed by the nurses, I was sure that my entire team wouldn't be able to win against him, especially when he could have such an incredible effect on the environment around him. I always knew fire types were capable of emitting heat, but Turtonator had been on another level entirely. Just having one of my Pokemon approaching him would hurt them. Tangrowth could maybe restrain him, but not for long enough, because his vines would just burn off, and Turtonator was probably strong enough to rip them apart now that he'd be at full capacity. Frillish's water type attacks were neutral due to his dragon typing, but they wouldn't deal that much damage either because of all the heat. Togetic lacked in raw power to even hope to hurt him, even with Fairy Wind, and dragons resisted electric type attacks, and Ice Punch wouldn't do much, so Electabuzz was off the table too. It wasn't like he'd be able to even approach him anyway with all the heat. Larvitar might be able to do something when she got stronger and evolved, though.

Well, I knew a fight wouldn't actually happen because I'd just recall Turtonator if he looked like he was about to attack me, but my brain couldn't help but theorize how I would win. Right now, though? There was just no way.

"There isn't that much else about him out there," Denzel said as he scrolled through his Poketch. "He seemed to keep to himself."

"Well, I know he liked to travel, so that lines up," I said. "Oh, did you guys send a message in the group chat too?"

"We did. Emi's worried about you," Pauline said with a slight smile. "She was beside herself. You know how she does that thing where she uses so many punctuation marks and emojis that you can tell exactly how she's feeling through the screen?"

We all laughed at that. "Yeah, I know," I smiled. "Anything about Chase or Louis?"

"Nothing from both of them," Pauline said.

"Not even Chase?" Denzel raised an eyebrow. "That's strange. He went through Mount Coronet before us, he should have been out by now."

"Have you considered the fact that he might just be an asshole?" Pauline shrugged.

"He's got a lot of redeeming qualities," Denzel said.

"I think Pauline and Chase could either get along amazingly well or hate each other completely," Cecilia said. "There's no in-between. Here, Grace."

She showed me my phone to read the message she had typed, which was… ridiculously long. Seriously, this was at least five hundred words long, and it somehow followed an essay-like structure with a short introduction where she introduced herself, a body where she described my condition, and a conclusion that said I'd be fine.

"Thanks," I smiled. "You can send it."

Chase not having sent a message worried me. He had sent one before going through the mountain, and he wasn't the type to forget things easily. Even if he had acted all nonchalant about the promise to keep us up to date, I knew that he knew how important it was to me. Louis… well, Louis probably still wanted his space, but I hoped that he was fine.

Denzel sprung up. "Hey Grace, did you know that Craig battled against Gardenia a few days ago? Do you want to watch the battle?"

"Holy shit! You could have told me earlier! Obviously I want to watch. Who won?"

"Craig."

"Ugh," I groaned. "I wanted Gardenia to win."

"Craig would be hurt if he heard that," Denzel laughed.

"Craig this, Craig that, Justin and I don't know him, so every time you bring him up, we feel left out. Just put the video on," Pauline said.

"Let it be known that I have nothing against you speaking about Craig," Justin sighed.

Denzel put the battle on, but something seemed off about the fight. Sure, high-level battles were incredibly impressive, and they made me wish I was that good. Craig and Gardenia were in a completely different world, and their Pokemons' attacks put even Turtonator to shame. Still, Gardenia's head seemed to not be in the fight. She gave Craig a run for his money, but there were none of her usual battle-long traps that she usually set up. She hadn't even smiled once during the battle, when using her personal team was something that should have brought her incredible joy.

Had something happened to her recently?

Maybe I was just imagining things. None of my friends were saying anything about it anyway. Maybe it was just an off-day for her. Gardenia battled all day long, so I couldn't really expect her to always be flawless. That would be seriously unhealthy.

We spent the next few hours just fooling around and talking. Justin and Pauline left first, since they wanted to train and battle. Denzel and Cece stayed until visitor hours were over. The next morning, a few doctors and a Nurse Joy came into the room and started the surgery. After the initial pain from the local anesthesia injection, everything was smooth sailing. They took some skin from my thigh to put on my arm, although I had to look away. Seeing my skin get cut off? Ew, no thank you.

It went perfectly well, and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the consequences would be lasting. The scars would become a part of me forever, and the pain would stay for weeks or possibly months. A reminder that actions had consequences. I couldn't always be reckless and hope things would work out. Plans wouldn't be enough if the power disparity was as large as it had been between me and Turtonator.

At least I could scratch 'first surgery' off my non-existent trainer bucket list. It was bound to happen at some point anyway.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 111

"Speaking of your favorite song, did you know I've always wanted to play the piano?"

Cece let out a surprised hum and smiled at Grace.

"Really? That came out of nowhere, but I feel like it'd fit you," she said. "Why have you never tried?"

"Well, no time. You know how being a trainer is," Grace replied with a small shrug. "But my therapist Amanda had one in her office, and I never got to play it before leaving Floaroma."

"I'm sure you could find one in Hearthome somewhere…"

It had been two days since Grace's surgery, and like every time she was allowed to visit, Cecilia was keeping her girlfriend company. The others were all busy— especially Pauline and Justin, who were trying to implement their teachers' respective strategies into battle. Grace was recovering well, although patches of skin on the entire left side of her body were discolored going up to her neck and cheek, and the skin graft still needed to heal for another two days before they'd be able to travel. The recovery process would be painful. Cece relaxed in her chair, and Grace sneakily grabbed her hand.

"Worried about something?" She asked.

"You, mostly," Cecilia answered, eliciting a small laugh. "Don't laugh, I'm serious! You're the most reckless girl I've ever known!"

"I said I wouldn't do it again. Come on, forgive me already," she pouted.

"Well, I can't stay mad at you for too long anyway," Cecilia said. "But now, we're even, I suppose."

"That we are," Grace smiled, tightening her hand around hers. "But come on, I know you're worried about something else."

Cecilia inhaled sharply and stared into Grace's green eyes. It was terrifying sometimes, how perceptive she was at catching the littlest things, and the way she applied that in her battle strategies was even more so. She had a gift for finding out how people worked after observing them for just a few days or hours.

"Even if you don't tell me," Grace said as she stood up straight on her hospital bed. "I think I can figure it out."

Cecilia let out a defeated sigh. "You can read me like an open book, can't you?"

"If you want to go train, you can go," she said. "I can be alone for a few hours. I told Denzel the same thing."

"But you're in pain… you're hiding it too."

"I am, but it's not too bad, and it's been getting better," Grace said. "If it hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to hold your hand."

"Fair enough," Cecilia sighed. "Then I'll be leaving?"

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it! Now go before I change my mind and I make you stay the whole day."

"I wouldn't be against that."

Grace laughed heartily. It was like music to Cecilia's ears. How was she keeping her spirits up after what had happened to her? Was she just pretending? Even if she was, Cecilia would be there to talk when she was ready to. "Come on Cece, I'll just watch something on TV. The Nurses will help with everything, and they're only one call away."

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll be back this afternoon."

The blonde girl grinned. "Thanks! I love you!"

Cecilia's heart spun and danced in her chest. "I love you too."

She kissed her forehead and quickly strode out of the Pokemon Center with her Pokeballs on her hip, and wondered on what to do. Cecilia could either go off and train on her own or find Pauline. Denzel was also training out there somewhere, but for some reason, finding him while his Sylveon was out had been difficult recently. Cecilia would ask him where he had been, and he would answer with someplace she had walked through to look for him and hadn't seen him anywhere.

In the end, Cecilia resolved to find Pauline, but before that, she went to a generalist store that sold everything a trainer might have needed and bought Grace some new shoes. She had sneakily found out her size the day before by grabbing one of her half-melted shoes, and she knew that she needed new ones before they left. Cecilia tried grabbing the closest design to what Grace currently had— some white sneakers. Satisfied with her purchase, she quickly dropped them in her Center room and went back out to find Pauline, which she did in about fifteen minutes.

Finding her hadn't exactly been difficult. She seemed to have garnered a lot of attention due to how much she battled lately, and there was always a small crowd that watched her. Justin, meanwhile, was more discreet with his battles, opting to do that in isolated corners of the outpost. Grace was rubbing off on him.

Pauline stood proudly with her hands on her hips as Rufflet triumphantly squawked with a talon over a Furret's neck. Cecilia had worked with the bird a whole lot, and she was extremely loud and reckless, but the move Brave Bird hadn't been named after Braviary for nothing, or at least that's what the stories said. It wasn't really possible to verify. Pauline's opponent recalled his Furret and transferred prize money to her trainer ID, although loudly remarking that it was scummy for her to take his money because she was rich. Pauline replied by telling him to go fuck himself and giving him the finger.

"Ah, Cece! Did you see me wipe the floor with this guy?" Pauline asked with a confident smirk. "It was like you said, I overwhelmed him, and he could barely respond to my attacks."

"I didn't see it, but it certainly looked like it. Rufflet seems unharmed. How about your other Pokemon?" Cecilia asked.

"Charmeleon took a few hits earlier, but other than that, nothing."

"Good. Let's find a quieter corner to train," she said.

"I thought you'd stay with Grace for a while," Pauline said as they began walking.

"That was the plan, but she practically ordered me to go train. She could tell I wanted to, and Grace would hate it if I started holding my progress back because I was staying with her."

"The little gremlin's freaky like that," Pauline grinned.

"Is that going to be a thing?"

"What? The gremlin thing? I think it's cute and it fits her. You should try calling her that."

"Absolutely not," Cecilia scoffed. "Anyway, right now, it's about you, not her."

They found the spot they were looking for— a fenced area that kept trainers from falling down into one of Mount Coronet's many canyons. A huge river system flowed through them, and some trainers could even be seen down there riding on their water Pokemon, no doubt having figured out that getting off the mountain was quicker like this than just scaling down the proper path.

"Did you do what I asked of you?" Cecilia asked.

"Yes, yes," she sighed, waving a hand. "Ten battles in a row with no trips to the Center. I honestly think I can go up to fifteen now. You saw how my Pokemon barely took any hits."

Cece clicked her tongue dismissively. "Don't get overconfident now. The reason you can go up to ten is because you've been fighting all kinds of trainers— including those without badges. If you want to be able to go up a level, you need to fight ten in a row with at least one badge."

"Fine," Pauline grumbled, flicking her hair back. "What do you have in store for me today, my dear teacher?"

Cecilia grabbed Slowpoke and Zweilous' Pokeballs and released them. Slowpoke wasn't exactly here to do anything, he was mostly here to observe.

And practice speaking to her.

Good… Cecilia… well…

Cecilia's eye twitched at the slight headache. It would have been much more painful if he could speak to her properly, but Cecilia feared that he wouldn't be able to until she finally bought him a King's Rock in Hearthome. Still, from the three words she had heard, she could tell what Slowpoke had meant.

"I am well, Slowpoke," she smiled. "Keep practicing, I'll keep your voice at the back of my mind."

"Wait, he speaks to you?" Pauline asked, her eyes widening. "I thought Slowpoke couldn't do that!"

"He can, although the words aren't clear," she smiled. Slowpoke's psychic abilities were special, after all. When he evolved… Cecilia shuddered in anticipation. "And I've already told you that you should let your Gothorita do the same."

Pauline groaned. "I tried, but the pain… it's like self-inflicted torture."

"It's like training a muscle, it gets better the more you do it," she sighed. "But anyway, release your Charmeleon."

"Easy for you to say. Gothorita's words are smooth and clear, and it's like someone's putting a jackhammer in my head. Are we having her and Zweilous fight?"

"No, not yet. We're having a lesson first," Cecilia said. "What do you think is the biggest weakness our way of battling has?"

Pauline placed her hands on her hips, thinking for a few seconds while Zweilous and Charmeleon growled threateningly at each other.

"I don't know. If using power to blow past our enemies doesn't work, we're fucked, maybe?"

Cecilia's eyes widened in surprised. "Wow, you actually figured it out."

"Fuck off. That sounded like a backhanded compliment."

She cleared her throat. "But yes, using power— shock, and awe to win in a battle is well and good when it works, but what if it doesn't? How would you counter that?"

Hearthome was fast approaching, and they had all already agreed to a double battle— although Chase still was nowhere to be found, so they'd have to wait for him. Cecilia already knew that Grace and she would be on opposite sides, and her girlfriend wouldn't just let Cecilia overwhelm her with power. She was too good for that. Of course, she was doing the best she could to come in a position of strength, such as hiding herself whenever she trained, teaching her Pokemon new moves in secret, and planning to buy TMs behind Grace's back to catch her by surprise, and slowly but surely amassing strength. She had been thinking about this since Snowpoint, and she had recently come up with an answer.

"Argh, I can't come up with anything!" Pauline groaned. "Gimmie the answer."

Cecilia placed a hand on Sol's head and smiled. "Deceit."

"That was an extremely broad answer that doesn't help whatsoever. I promise you that didn't sound as good as it did in your head."

Cece rolled her eyes. Only Grace understood how satisfying answering long-winded questions with one word was.

"They say that you should know thy enemy. As we progress further and further into the Circuit, the number of trainers you will have to watch out for will thin out. At the top, most trainers know each other and their teams, so they fight by withholding information."

"Right, Grace told us something about that."

"Craig explained it to her when we were with him," Cece nodded. "So you must deceive your enemy. Keep your moves hidden until you are sure they will destroy the opposition. For example, your Charmeleon recently learned Flamethrower, did she not?"

The fire type screamed proudly, and her trainer nodded.

"Grace does not know that yet, so take her, for example. When a battle starts, she will usually scout out an opponent's moves. What if you tricked her by only using Ember, Dragon Rage, and Metal Claw? Then she would think that you do not have Flamethrower. What happens when she switches into her Tangrowth because she thinks that Ember is too weak to hurt him?"

"I don't know why we picked Grace as an example," Pauline started. "But I suppose I would catch her off-guard and use Flamethrower, then."

"Right. That was a simple example, but it still applies. Even when prioritizing power, battling is, first and foremost, informational warfare, and you cannot ignore that side of it. I have been doing so for too long."

"Okay, so with Justin, for example," Pauline said, tapping her chin. "If he tries that annoying burying trick with his Sandile against me, then I could try to act helpless and use that technique you helped me and Gothorita develop—"

"No, no, acting helpless is going too far, Pauline," Cecilia shook her head. "We are simply deceiving while still being strong, not acting weak."

"Hm, alright," Pauline said. "Deceiving while still kicking ass. This would work a lot better if I had more moves."

"Well, you'll be able to get TMs in Hearthome, although you shouldn't go overboard. Organic growth will always be superior to artificial progress."

"Sure, I only want a few for Charmeleon anyway," she smiled. "This deceit stuff sounds nice and all, but doesn't it only work once? You can only reveal that your Pokemon has a move once."

"Against recurring and thorough opponents like Grace would be? Yes, but the vast majority of people aren't like her. Plus, there is more to it, but I'll tell you in a later lesson."

"Why not now?" The redhead grumbled.

"Because you aren't ready. But here's a hint. A small slice of the cake, if you will. Deceiving doesn't only apply to moves," Cecilia explained. "Recall your battle against Gardenia. You were outnumbered and fighting two versus three. What was it that cemented your victory?"

"Ahhh," she exclaimed. "Blaze."

Cecilia smiled. "You are in a unique position, Pauline. Did you know that despite abilities like Torrent, Blaze, and Overgrow being so common, a lot of trainers don't bring those to their full potential? It requires walking a very small tightrope, and a lot of Pokemon go out of control when they are affected by the ability. Charmeleon has already blown past that second issue."

"That's fine by me, I like living on the edge," Pauline grinned.

"Perfect," she clapped her hands. "The lesson is over. Throw everything you have at Zweilous, and we will do the same to you. When Charmeleon enters Blaze, the real training will begin."

Blaze, Torrent and Overgrow brought out a Pokemon's hidden potential, so what happened when one trained under its strain?

They would progress and grow ever faster.

Cecilia took her job as a teacher very seriously.

——

"Roselia," Denzel sighed. "For the last time, we are not getting a Grimer."

"Rose!"

"No, we aren't! I know why you want me to get one, you think they're ugly and that Sylveon will hate it. Less competition for you."

"Snoooooooooo," Snorunt laughed.

Roselia clicked her tongue and kicked his leg, which was obviously painless. For as much as Roselia acted like she hated him, Denzel knew that she cared, although depressingly, she liked Sylveon more than him. They had come a long way since she relentlessly tried to kill him with Bullet Seed early in their journey, or just didn't listen to anything he said. Roselia stomped off toward her recently acquired best friend Buneary, and Snorunt sniggered while she sat on Sylveon's head.

"Sylv…" the fairy type sighed.

"Not your fault," Denzel said. "She's gotten better recently. Maybe you guys can come to an agreement soon or something, like she gets you on Mondays, Buneary on Tuesdays…"

"Sylveon!"

"I know you're not a thing. I was mostly joking," he smiled.

"Snooooooo."

Denzel raised an eyebrow. Snorunt loved using extremely long vocalizations for some reason, but he found that kind of endearing.

"Okay, you get him on Wednesdays, then," he said. "We've got to work on your moves soon, by the way."

The ice type's creepy grin widened, and Denzel continued browsing through his Poketch. He was currently looking for a sixth team member, but he was struggling to find one so quickly. It had taken him years to plan his first team, after all, so picking a new Pokemon in a few weeks felt inadequate.

And yet he knew it had to be done.

"Sylvi, what do you think about one of the Oricorio? They seem pretty versatile," Denzel asked as he showed his phone's screen the fairy type.

Sylveon tilted his head, but then shook it.

"Yeah, I'm not really feeling it either," he sighed. "Plus, I'd have to wait until we get back down south. That'd take too long."

He was involving his Pokemon in the decision-making this time. Even Feebas had taken part a little earlier, although he had to recall him a few minutes ago due to the lack of water. Roselia and Buneary kept picking the ugliest Pokemon they could find, while Snorunt just kept picking ghost types, so Sylveon was basically the only one taking this seriously. His Pokemon were training lightly today in preparation for everything that was going to happen in Hearthome. Due to Fantina's ghost types, Buneary was busy learning Foresight in between conversing with Roselia about love or whatever it was that they spoke about these days, but he was also thinking about buying a reusable Shadow Ball TM for both her and Snorunt. Ghosts were the best at taking down ghosts, after all, and the same principle applied to ghost type attacks.

Maybe he could ask Emilia to lend him her Shadow Ball TM… had she bought a reusable one? He quickly shot her a message, and she answered immediately.

Emilia L.

Obviously, I'll lend you Shadow Ball! You didn't even have to feel bad about asking! Does anyone else want it?

Denzel W.

Emi, were you procrastinating by looking at your phone again?

Emilia L.

Absolutely not.

Denzel W.

Yeah… sure… just make sure to work on your contest stuff, alright? Pauline's worried about you, I think. She won't tell me anything, but I can tell. I don't think anyone else wants the move, but I'll ask around.

Emilia sent him a series of emojis that he struggled to decode. What the hell was a man walking supposed to mean? Anyway, he knew Grace was never going to accept someone else's TM, even if it was reusable and had already been bought. It didn't seem like it until you got to really know her, but Grace was too prideful, almost to a fault. Seeing her take down that Turtonator alone and getting burned all over had terrified him more than he thought it would. He had felt just like he did when Cecilia had gone alone into Mount Coronet. Losing any of his friends would damage him beyond repair, and being so dependent on people scared Denzel, especially in a line of work as dangerous as being a trainer was.

"How about a… Dratini."

"Sylveon…"

"Snooo."

"Eh, they do fit every criteria, but they don't really live in the wild in Sinnoh," Denzel nodded. "I've heard you could win one in Veilstone, and they'd be less expensive than getting one from a professional breeder, but the cost would still be in the millions, so I'll probably have to pass. Plus, I'm no gambler."

Dragons were rare in general, but he certainly wouldn't say no to one, especially after seeing how powerful that Turtonator was. Denzel didn't know how long it would take for Grace to be able to use him, but he had no doubt she'd succeed. It was impossible not to like her dorky self, old grumpy dragon or not.

"Dragons seem fun," he muttered. "What else would fit… Swablu?"

Swablu… Swablu fit, and Altaria were big enough to fly on, which was something Denzel considered a must. If he was going to become a content creator, then he'd need to be able to zip across the region fast enough to get to different tournaments or film different stuff. But where could he even find a Swablu? A quick search revealed that they lived in the foggy route 210, which he could swing by on the way to Veilstone.

"You like it?"

"Syl!" The fairy type nodded.

Snorunt grumbled at the fact that it wasn't a ghost type, but Denzel was just happy he had settled on something. He'd need to let it simmer in his head to see if he still felt the same as they got closer to route 210, but that would take a while.

"Okay, Snorunt, are you ready to train?"

"Sno!" She said excitedly.

Denzel was excited about her prospects. The price of Dawn Stones was currently lower than usual, and he was almost sure he'd be able to nab one in Hearthome depending on which sponsor he got. He could have sorted through them here already, but he had decided to wait until Grace was ready so that they could do it together, or she would procrastinate about it until the year was almost over. He'd need to watch out, however. Evolving ghost types too early was a recipe for disaster, and he knew it would be a while until Snorunt was ready to become a Froslass.

Froslass weren't like Frillish, who only had the ghost typing due to having some amount of ghost energy in his body. They were true ghosts, like Ghastly, Duskull, or Misdreavus. That meant that they shared their malevolent nature, which was why there were so many myths and legends about Froslass in the first place. Freezing men and kidnapping them, never melting ice, haunting small villages up north during the old Hisuan period. And ghosts tended to… injure or murder.

Or worse.

"Blizzard," Denzel whispered.

Snorunt shivered, and the temperature started to drop drastically. The wind quickened around them, picking up the materializing snowflakes into a frenzy. Roselia and Buneary shrieked and ran away, and the entire area where they had just been standing was covered in frozen ice.

"Snorunt, Don't aim for them!" Denzel groaned as he facepalmed. They'd retaliate for the next week. Roselia was annoying, but Buneary especially held her grudges for a long time.

Snorunt jumped and laughed wildly. There was one thing only Denzel knew about his Snorunt. Despite being in such a tiny body, she was a fucking genius. He had only tried learning Blizzard to see how close they could get to using the move a few weeks ago, but he was surprised to see that Snorunt easily learned to use it in two days, and she was still figuring out ways to improve the move, and she shared the rest of the team's endurance, meaning that she could use it multiple times in a row.

That was the other reason Denzel didn't want to evolve her yet. An out-of-control Froslass that knew Blizzard? There was no way that he was going to have that on his hands, at least not until the rest of his team was strong enough to fight back. Still, he reckoned that it'd be very useful during the battle against Fantina and his friends. Denzel wasn't as flashy as Grace or Cecilia, but as Craig had said at Candice's party, he was consistent.

He might have been behind right now, but he knew he would catch up.

——

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," I tiredly said as I grabbed my Pokeballs.

Five days in total had passed since my surgery, and I was finally being discharged.

My burns were healing wrong.

I'd be keeping the scars. Forever. Even the ones on the left side of my face. What was this feeling? Was it dread? Disappointment? A mix of the two, maybe? A sinking feeling now that I understood that the situation was finally real.

I shook my head and thought about something else.

I wiggled my toes in the new shoes Cece had gotten me and smiled. I had just gotten legal ownership of Turtonator, and we were finally leaving today. It'd take another five days to reach Hearthome— four if we were quick. I still had to wear so many bandages I felt like a mummy, I couldn't move my arm around too much, and the entire left side of my body still hurt, but it was getting better. My hearing in my left ear was still screwed, but it was also better than it had been. My friends greeted me in the Pokemon Center's lobby, and Cecilia kissed me softly, turning a few heads. We hadn't really made an official announcement or anything like that, but it was pretty obvious that we were dating now. Justin had also told me that there were some rumors about me having caught Turtonator, but that couldn't be confirmed just yet. I'd keep that fact hidden for a bit longer.

"Are you sure you want to leave this early?" Denzel asked. "We can wait another few days."

"Nah, I've held you guys back long enough," I said. "Pauline and Justin need to hurry if they're going to make it to the Conference."

"Not if," Pauline complained.

"Stop it with the semantics," Justin sighed. "I'm glad you're back on your feet, Grace."

"So am I. Now I have to wrangle with Turtonator some more."

"At least wait until we're at Hearthome," Cecilia said. "What if you're burned again in the middle of the route?"

I was about to protest, but I had already told myself many times that I didn't know what Turtonator's reaction would be now that he was out of the cave, so I conceded and agreed. After making sure everything was in order again, we were back on the road. Scaling down Mount Coronet was hell, and we went at it slowly so that I could take it easy. In the end, Tangrowth didn't battle any trainers, which I felt sad about, but I probably would have won against anyone at the outpost anyway. Most trainers worth their while didn't stick around that long. Togetic still tried to work past her mental block with Wish, and she was getting incrementally better at the move, and still helping angel with his Knock Off, which he was finally getting the hang of. Sunny Day still eluded us, however. Electabuzz was still taking it easy because he needed his hand to rest, and Frillish had mastered Shadow Ball to such an extent that he could basically send one out instantly and mold it however he wanted. There was something off about him that I couldn't place, like he was anticipating something.

The new year came and went. In the end, due to how slow I was, it took us seven more days, and we finally made it to Hearthome— the city of warmth and kindness, and the city at the center of Sinnoh.

---

A/N: There'll be a vote about which chapter comes next on my discord, so make sure to join if you want to participate. Link is in my signature.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - MEND

Eighteen days earlier

Louis Bianchi quietly dragged his feet across the dirt in the dead of night before sitting down against one of the giant concrete legs that kept the cycling road standing above route 206. He didn't exactly know why he came down there— well, that was a lie, he knew exactly why he did; it was just that actually staying here was irrational and meant that he was just wasting time. He shoved his hands down his jacket's pockets for warmth and settled by the fire he had lit. Prinplup stood next to him, loyal as always. He occasionally stole worried glances at his trainer, but did not actually speak up. Vulpix was curled up next to the flames and watched as they danced in the air, occasionally manipulating them to create moving shapes to distract herself.

Gible, meanwhile, was gorging himself on a wild Starly he had somehow caught. Louis' eye twitched when he heard one of its bone shatter under the dragon's incredible jaw. He had always been like this. No matter how many times Louis had tried to feed him processed Pokemon food in the past, the dragon wanted to kill things. To hunt. Prinplup opened his beak as if he was going to say something, but after a few seconds, he just shook his head and sighed with a strange honk.

The reason Louis had made his way under the cycling road was simple. Trainers were spreading rumors about his friends further up ahead in the route, and he just couldn't bear it. Now that he had left, even just hearing Cecilia's name hurt. The boy groaned in frustration, shoving his head backward and accidentally hitting it on the concrete wall, hurting himself. Louis let out a short scream and rubbed the back of his head while Vulpix and Prinplup looked on with worry. Gible, meanwhile, stared at him like he was just an annoyance.

An annoyance. That was what Louis was to his Gible, and that was actually an improvement to how bad things had been right after the battle with Gardenia. It had taken Louis a while to figure out why Gible had acted out the way he did, but when he finally managed to, it had all clicked into place.

Gible were a prideful and aggressive species, especially when they were young, but his was even more so than usual. Before getting through Eterna Forest, part of that aggressiveness would get weaned off every day or two by having him battle Cece— Cecilia's Deino, but they had completely stopped that arrangement after getting through the forest. That meant that Gible hadn't actually been fighting anything. Sure, he trained by himself, since Louis had been incapable of even getting him to practice with his other Pokemon back then, but training was nothing like the battles that Gible had fought before against Deino, and then in Eterna Forest, and it angered him. There had been no challenge or thrill to it.

That anger built, built, and built until he was finally put in a hard battle again. Against Gardenia. And he went completely rogue.

So how had Louis managed to get Gible back under a modicum of control? Well, he had Prinplup and Vulpix fight him every day. It was good training for them, and it helped him sharpen his skills as a trainer, although Gible wasn't exactly the smartest opponent to face… anything helped, so long as he could catch up to Cecilia—

Louis' fists clenched in his pockets.

He was being so foolish.

"Catch up for what, you damned idiot," he muttered to himself.

When Louis read Cecilia's letter that had set everything in motion, he had been too worried about her well-being to actually let the words sink in. He had, however, been filled with an overwhelming desire to break off their engagement so that she could be happy again. He understood the letter's contents, but the words themselves… took a while to actually get through his head, but Louis had had a lot of time to think in the harrowing weeks when he believed Cecilia, Grace, and Denzel to be dead.

The fact that Cecilia never actually loved him hurt more than anything he had ever felt, but there had been other things to worry about, especially their fathers swooping in and locking them up in that hotel, so he put it off. And plus, who had he been to feel hurt about it? Cecilia had been suffering for months and bottling it all up, so he should have been able to deal with a simple rejection. And yet, when his friends finally called from Snowpoint to reveal themselves to be alive, the tiniest, smallest part of him still hoped for a chance. An utterly irrational thought, but that was what love did to a man's brain. So for some reason, Louis got the idea in his head that if he somehow caught up to her skill and gave her enough space, maybe Cecilia would take him back, so he redoubled his training, and so had the others who had been left behind in Eterna. They had all been motivated to catch up.

And then, Cecilia came back, and Louis practically fell in love again.

Irrational. Stupid. Foolish. Yet, Louis didn't show it. He stayed quiet during the party and didn't celebrate as hard as he had wanted to. He had wanted to let her breathe. To give her space.

But then, she revealed that she was dating Grace, and his world came crashing down. A dash of hope, crushed so thoroughly just as quickly as it had come. Louis hadn't even had a chance from the start. He had just been building these scenarios in his head. These fantasies where Cecilia would somehow see that he had changed for the better and give him another chance.

He had just been daydreaming.

Meaningless delusions that were better fit for a thirteen-year-old boy than him, the heir to the Bianchi—

Louis exhaled sharply. His family name and business were nothing to be proud of. His father, who he had loved dearly, was a monster that he couldn't recognize. He had never been particularly close to his mother either. He had separated from his friends so that he could finally attempt to move on. He had nothing. Nobody—

"Pix!"

He stared dejectedly at Vulpix, who rubbed her head against his leg. Prinplup joined in and tapped his shoulder with his flippers.

"Thank you," he sighed. "I mean it. I've been quiet, hm?"

Prinplup honked softly and nodded.

"Well, there isn't anywhere to go from here but up, I suppose," Louis said with a pained look.

That was right. He still had Prinplup and Vulpix. He had even grown attached to Gible, as awful as the dragon was to raise and control. With his Pokemon to support him, maybe a few weeks alone would be enough to stop his heart from feeling like it was being pulled apart every time he looked in Cecilia's general direction.

"Ah! I finally found you!"

Louis' head darted toward the female voice, and Gible roared angrily at her with blue flames dancing in his mouth.

"Gible!" Louis exclaimed. "No."

The dragon looked at him for a few seconds as the Dragon Rage gathered in his maw. Louis was being tested. Would he show his fear?

He did not, and he continued staring right into Gible's eyes until he stopped and went back to eating.

"Holy shit, I thought I was going to get killed by that dragon. I knew you couldn't control it from your gym battle with Gardenia, but still."

Louis stared at the teenager standing before him and frowned. A Monferno stood by her side, and his flame was almost brighter than his own fire. "Who… who are you?"

"W—what? You don't remember me?"

"No," he simply said. He was in no mood to converse with anyone at the moment.

"I'm Maeve! Maeve Chang! You beat me at the Floaroma tournament!" She yelled angrily.

Louis frowned. No matter how much he racked his brain, the name didn't ring a bell, but he opted to go for the path of least resistance and lied.

"Right. Maeve," he said. "Can I help you?"

"I was following your trail, and it took me the entire day to find you," she sighed. "You beat me last time, so I want a rematch right here and now," she declared, pointing her thumb toward the ground.

"No."

"W—what?"

"No," Louis repeated, turning away from her. "I don't want to battle you. Go find someone else."

"Arceus… what happened to you?" She said, staring at the scar on his cheek, which he instinctively covered. "You were so boastful and loud when we fought in Floaroma, and now you're like this deflated balloon," she frowned. "I guess the stuff with your dad affected you worse than I thought. I heard on the news. Um, I'm sorry I kind of judged you quickly during our battle. I'm kind of bad with people."

"You're forgiven," Louis answered while his thoughts were screaming at her to leave. "Is that it? It's late, and I'm feeling quite tired."

Maeve deflated. "Man, this is disappointing. I built up this whole… idea of you in my head off of our single battle and spent so long dreaming about the day I'd surpass you, and now you just refuse?"

"Yes."

"That's… no, I can't accept that. I'm going to follow you until you battle me."

Louis scratched his head frustratingly. "You'll be disappointed. I want nothing to do with this, I have enough on my mind."

Maeve sat down next to the fire, although she kept her distance from Gible, who was done with his food by now. "Finally. I hate the cold, and Monferno's heat wasn't cutting it."

The fire type bowed his head apologetically at its trainer.

"No, don't worry, it's probably something wrong with me," she smiled. "I mean, what kind of Sinnohan can't handle a little bit of cold? Just me, apparently."

Louis recalled Gible into his Pokeball and looked on in horror as this stranger just inserted herself into his group. This was meant to be a period of self-reflection, and he wanted to be alone for that. He stayed there quietly with her, although she occasionally spoke to her Monferno, but when she fell asleep, Louis recalled his Pokemon and discreetly sneaked away deeper into route 206 and toward the Wayward Cave.

——

"You asshole! You ditched me!" Maeve screamed.

"How did you even find me?!" Louis hissed.

Hours later, Louis had settled down and built another camp so that he could sleep, but Maeve somehow found him again. He understood when a huge Staravia landed next to her and squawked.

"I should have slept under the cycling road…" Louis grumbled.

"No, Star still would have found you," she shrugged. "I told you I'm not giving up until you battle me. I spent weeks preparing for this. We can either do this the hard way, or the easy way."

Louis had somehow gotten himself a stalker, and the most sensible move would be to give in to Maeve and give her want she wanted. Yet a part of him simply refused to be forced to do something he didn't want to do. Louis had hoped to grow into his own man during his time alone. There was no way he'd give in to this girl.

"Well, feel free to follow me until the ends of the earth then!" he yelled angrily.

"Ah, there's that tone I thought I'd get," Maeve said. "And I will. Don't act like I didn't warn you. This is the hard way."

And so, Louis had gained a traveling companion, much to his chagrin.

——

"So this is the Wayward Cave, huh?" Maeve said as she stared at the entrance. "It's been abandoned years ago since they just went ahead and built the cycling road over it, but there are rumors that you can find Gible there. I want one."

"So you mean to say that you weren't just following me to be annoying, then?" Louis complained. Suddenly, an idea sprung in his mind. "Fine. How about you go look for your Gible, and I will wait for you here?"

"Nice try," she said. "But no. I can tell you wanted to go in here too. Why else would you go this way? You'd just be wasting time."

The blond man clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair. She was frustratingly perceptive. The truth was that Louis had also heard of the rumors about the Gible of Wayward Cave, and he thought that he could maybe have his own fight one. Gible was getting bored of fighting Prinplup and Vulpix all the time, so Louis wanted to switch things up so that his aggressiveness wouldn't just accumulate like it had last time.

"Fine," he sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "Let's go in, then."

"Finally, you're starting to cooperate."

Maybe he'd get lost in the cave and lose her. As they stepped into the cave, they realized that it was ridiculously dark. Louis grabbed a flashlight, and Maeve released her Monferno, and soon enough, they were on their way to find that Gible. The floor was flat and even, which meant that it was easy to navigate, at least compared to Mount Coronet, but it was a real labyrinth down there. Corridors led to other corridors that twisted and turned, and they would have no doubt gotten lost if Maeve hadn't had the smart idea to mark their path by having her Monferno Mach Punch the walls. Pokemon down here were stronger than on the routes, especially since rangers weren't there to keep the stronger ones away, but they were still manageable. Prinplup and Monferno were enough to deal with any threats, but the toughest ones they had to face were just Rhyhorn or Graveler.

"I'm starting to think this Gible rumor was just a load of crap," Maeve sighed hours later. "I guess it makes sense, since most of Sinnoh's dragons live around Celestic."

"Well, feel free to turn away, I think I'll keep going."

"You can't escape me, Louis," Maeve chuckled dryly. "I mean, come on. Do you really want to be alone?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed, but then stopped when he realized how loud he was being. "I've told you over and over that I need time to myself!"

He shone his flashlight on her, and she paused. "Look," she breathed. "I'm bad at reading people. I've told you this already, but I don't think you realize how terrible you looked when I walked up on you."

"What?" He asked.

"You looked tired and depressed," she shrugged. "A far cry from how you were at the tournament, so I guessed something must have happened to you. At first, I thought it was just the issues with your dad, but there's clearly something else. The biggest sign is that you're traveling alone when you used to travel with your group of friends. Anyway, I figured I'd try to stick around, I guess. Before, I would never have done this, but a nice guy called Scott taught me about helping my fellow trainer and all of that. He helped me cross through Eterna Forest."

Louis' words were stuck in his throat.

"If I'm wrong, it is what it is," she shrugged. "The part about wanting to battle you wasn't a lie, but you aren't who I thought you were. I thought you were a disingenuous asshole all this time, even when the news about your father broke. I didn't want to believe that you were actually nuanced as a person, but when I took one look at you when we met again, I could tell that something was killing you inside. You aren't as good at hiding it as you think. I guess what I want to say is I'm sorry."

"I—"

Louis heard sharp shink, like knives being sharpened on a whetstone, and he pointed his flashlight toward the sound. A group of eight Pawniard stood menacingly and immediately attacked. Louis watched, almost in a daze as one of them jumped at his gut, ready to run him through with their sharp blades, but Prinplup shot it out of the sky with an Ice Beam.

"Monferno, Flame Wheel!" Maeve yelled as she released a Staryu. "Brine!"

Staryu rotated, and water droplets materialized above the group of Pawniard and fell down, littering the ground in small craters. The steel types cried out in pain, but quickly rushed out of Brine's area of effect and ran toward them. Monferno yelled, and his body was engulfed in flames until he looked like a wheel, and he burst through the densely packed group of Pawniard. The fire type move was devastating, but Louis was finally out of his stupor.

"Prinplup, Scald!"

Louis had bought the TM when they had just arrived in Eterna, but it was his first time actually using it against wild Pokemon. Prinplup spat out a stream of superheated, steaming water toward the Pawniard and slowly moved the jet of water to hit each and every one of them while Monferno blurred and Mach Punched another one, cracking its helmet-like head. Now that they had the initiative, they made quick work of the rest of the wild Pawniard.

"Thank you, Prinplup," Louis said. "I don't know what came over me, but… you saved me."

The water type nodded as if he was just doing his job, but another sharp sound caught Louis' attention. Upon shining his light toward the sound once again, a ninth Pawniard revealed itself, but it did not attack. It simply stared at the group of its fainted comrades with a pleased look.

"Pawniard travel in groups led by Bisharp, but apparently, this one didn't like his squad," Maeve shrugged. "And apparently, there was no Bisharp to lead here. No need to take it down if it doesn't attack. Let's go."

"Wait," Louis frowned. He squinted, and this Pawniard's blades appeared duller than the others, which would be a mark of extreme shame for the species. "Why are its blades like that?"

"I don't know, I'm no Pawniard expert," she said. "They usually sharpen them on stones, though."

Louis pondered to himself for a second. His last three Pokemon had been bought. Bought with his father's money. Despite the hatred that bubbled inside of him, he could never take back that fact, but he could certainly do something to rectify it. Louis grabbed a Pokeball and stared at the steel type.

Yes, a Pokeball would do just fine. He was sick and tired of Luxury Balls.

"If I had to guess what happened," Louis said as he stepped closer to the Pawniard. "You were bullied by your group, and they prevented you from sharpening your blades. I don't know why, but I know there's certainly no correct reason to bully someone. Pawniard live in groups, but yours wronged you. Why don't you come with me?"

"Niard," the steel type said with a nod. When Louis was about to throw the Pokeball, however, it stopped him, and continued speaking.

"I don't understand you," he frowned.

Pawniard started jabbing the air with his blades.

"You want to grow stronger?" Louis asked hesitantly. It nodded. "Of course. I'm a trainer. That means that I travel throughout the region and battle tough opponents. You'll see your fair share of battles."

Even though Louis knew that catching up to Cecilia wouldn't get her back, he still wanted to do it. The goal had utterly consumed him more than his need to gather badges and get to the Conference, and it felt like it would give him the closure he needed.

Finally, Pawniard let itself be caught.

——

Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokemon. Blades comprise this Pokemon's entire body, but they are dulled by battling. Pawniard will sharpen them again on stones, and it strives to become stronger by fearlessly challenging any foe and training diligently.

Moves: Scratch, Metal Claw, Fury Cutter, Slash, Headbutt, Metal Sound, Quick Guard (Click for more information)

Ability: Inner Focus (Click for more information)

Gender: Male

Pawniard was a male, and Louis noticed that he immediately got along with his Prinplup, which was a welcome change after his troubles with Gible. The fact that he could have the steel type out and about right after catching him meant that he'd quickly accommodate himself to the team and adapt to his new situation, but it also meant that Louis could probably use him in battles already. His moves were certainly impressive for a Pokemon that had been living in the wild and been bullied by his pack, but from the Pokedex entry, Pawniard seemed to be diligent Pokemon that trained day and night, so it made sense.

"Aren't you glad we came?" Maeve smiled as they stepped toward the cave's exit. They were still hours away, but they decided to turn back, since that Gible rumor had apparently been a fabrication. "Now you've got yourself a new Pokemon."

"I suppose so," Louis said, staring at his feet.

"Still depressed, huh?"

Obviously, he was still hurt. This wasn't the kind of situation that someone could simply get over in a few days, but he at least felt like he was making some progress toward his ultimate goal of besting Cecilia. Louis didn't bother answering Maeve's question. Most of their time together was spent in silence anyway, and they had both grown used to it. There were scant conversation topics. In fact, he didn't know the first thing about Maeve.

Should he ask?

"Erm, speaking of new Pokemon, what Pokemon do you have, Maeve?"

The words were dry and forced, but if there was one thing trainers could bond over, it was Pokemon.

"Well, you know about Monferno, Staravia, and Staryu," she said. "But I also have a Skorupi."

That was a lot of S's. Louis simply grunted and gave a curt nod. "That's an impressive team."

"Arceus, let's just not talk, this is super awkward. We're both so stiff."

Louis nodded and sighed in relief. He had tried, at least—

Suddenly, a scream rang out throughout the cave.

"That was a person!" Maeve immediately said. "Hello?!" She yelled. "Call out, we can come and help!"

"help… a… need…"

"I can't make it out," Louis said, clenching a fist.

"Let's just go toward the sound!"

Louis recalled his Pokemon, since they couldn't run as fast as he could, but Maeve kept Monferno out. It took around five minutes for them to realize that they had been going in the wrong direction and that the voice was actually getting lower before finally picking the right direction and getting close enough to make out words.

"I hate this cave! I need help! Anyone?!"

Another two minutes, and this time, they reached the source of the voice. A short girl with pink hair and two long pigtails that went down to her legs. A Kadabra stood next to her, clearly attempting to calm her down.

"You suck, Kadabra! I don't care if you know the way out, this place is too dark, I hate it!" The girl yelled. She paused for a few seconds and winced. Telepathy. "What do you mean, you warned me not to come? Kirlia said it'd be good training, and you didn't even push back— oh. People."

Kadabra's soft look immediately turned sharp and cold as it stared at Louis and Maeve, its spoon bending and twisting threateningly with an uncomfortable shrill sound that was like nails on a chalkboard.

"Um, little girl," Maeve started. "I— we heard you call for help."

The girl angrily stomped the ground. "Little girl?! I'm fifteen, you prick!"

Louis' eyes widened. Fifteen? This girl didn't look a day over twelve. Even Grace, who was short and looked younger than she was, didn't look twelve.

"Well, do you need help or not?" Maeve asked. "I thought you'd be getting attacked by something. This is kind of anticlimactic."

"I mean, I wouldn't say no—" she stopped and winced again as Kadabra spoke to her. "You're too suspicious. These people look fine."

There was another pause. Another wince.

"No buts! I'm putting you on Haunter watching duty, since you're so responsible, ugh," she groaned. "Anyway, sorry about that. My Kadabra hates anyone that isn't me. My name's Mira."

"Louis," he simply said.

"I'm Maeve."

"So cool," Mira said, her eyes shining. "I wish I had traveling companions, but no one wants to stick with me."

"She's not my companion," Louis specified. "She's my stalker—"

"We were just traveling in the same direction," Maeve said before turning toward him and whispering. "Don't ruin our first impression! Are you crazy?"

"What?" Louis whispered back.

"Can't you tell? This girl is fucking insanely powerful," she hissed.

"Why? How can you tell?"

"Her Pokemon, you idiot! Haunter, Kadabra, Kirlia? Those are incredibly hard to raise and train. Here, let me ask her—"

What are you whispering about, children? Do not cross Mira, or I will kill you.

Kadabra spoke to him, and Louis buckled over as searing pain engraved itself in his mind. It was like someone was hammering long nails all over his skull, and the pain kept throbbing long after the psychic type was done talking. The boy painstakingly looked at Maeve, who looked to be in the same predicament.

It was Louis' first time being spoken to by a psychic type, and the first time was always the worst. He wanted to throw up, but he held back the bile building up at the back of his throat. There were no shortcuts. No avoiding the pain. The human mind wasn't built to endure the mechanisms of telepathy. You needed a psychic type to speak to you and endure the pain over and over, and it would slowly lower in intensity throughout the years as you built a tolerance. So for Mira to only have to wince after a few months of the Circuit? She must have gone through hell.

"Kadabra, what the hell?! I told you, no speaking to trainers other than me! That's it, you're getting back in the ball. This is why no one wants to travel with me!" Mira yelled as she recalled her psychic type. She released a Magneton instead. "There you go, at least you can be cool."

Magneton answered by letting out strange pulses that made Louis' ears ring, which certainly wasn't helping with the headache. Were the heads frowning at him?

"Thank you for recalling your Kadabra," Louis groaned as he wiped his mouth.

"That was the worst headache I've ever had, and I never want to go through it again," Maeve said before coughing.

"I'm so sorry," Mira said. "Um, is there any way I can make it up to you? My team makes it really hard for me to make friends."

"That Kadabra certainly was something," Louis sighed. The pain was getting better now, but he was still panting. He wiped drool dripping down his chin and straightened his back.

"He's way too overprotective," Mira grumbled. "But there's also Kirlia, who's too violent, Magneton, who hates people, and Haunter, who's… well, a Haunter. I can't even have him out with other people, or he'll try to kill them."

Louis swallowed. She was being very nonchalant about that, and it creeped him out.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't release him here," she quickly said. "I was hoping to ask Fantina for advice about him in Hearthome if I can impress her in a battle, or one of her gym trainers if I can't. There isn't much info online about raising a Haunter, since no one's suicidal enough to train one. Well, except me."

That certainly was true. Gastly were already almost impossible to control, but Haunter were murderous. There were many stories about them killing their own trainers and escaping, or simply killing other trainers during a friendly battle. Its species was one of the most aggressive ghost types in the world, and that wasn't even counting Gengar. Only a few trainers in the world had one, including Fantina. The evolution method was still unknown by the masses. The stories, though.

The stories made Louis shiver.

"Well, let's get out of this cave then," Louis sighed.

Mira joined them, and they started walking toward the exit, following Monferno's marks.

"What were you even doing here?" Maeve asked.

"I was trying to train, but everything's too weak," Mira shrugged. "My secondary goal was finding Pokemon with high potential in special attack."

Maeve raised an eyebrow. "Special attack? That's your criteria?"

"That's right," she said, proudly placing her hands on her hips. "I'm a special attack specialist, and one day, everyone in Sinnoh will know my name!"

"Woah, that's kind of cool," Maeve smiled. "How many badges do you have?"

"I have three! I beat Roark, Byron, and Gardenia. Did you hear about those guys that beat Candice already? I'm so jealous!"

Louis' throat tightened, and he stared at Maeve to silently tell her no. Mira had somehow not recognized him, and he'd like to keep it that way. The less the conversation steered toward his friends, the better he'd feel.

"Yeah, I heard of them alright," Maeve said with a stiff, bitter smile. "They're all anyone can speak about these days. I'm sick of it."

"Come on, don't be rude. I heard they were going to Hearthome, I hope I meet them! We can travel together on the way there, right? Hey, what Pokemon do you guys have?"

Wait. Louis froze in his tracks. Travel together on the way there?

"What do you mean by travel together—"

"Oh, so you do speak," Mira said half-jokingly.

"He's got a lot on his plate," Maeve interrupted.

"You seem to know a lot about him, for someone who's traveling with him because you're going 'in the same direction'. Anyway, I do mean travel together. I promise I'll get Kadabra in line, and you won't have to see Haunter. I'll go far away when I release him."

"Well, if you can do that, then I'm fine with it," Maeve nodded. "Louis?"

Why was she asking him? It wasn't like she had listened when he told her no.

"Do what you want," he said in a defeated tone. He felt like he had just aged thirty years in the last two days.

——

A few days had passed since they got out of the cave, and the three trainers had settled into a nice rhythm. Louis stayed in his corner with his team most of the time until Mira or occasionally, Maeve dragged him back. Pawniard had taken remarkably well to being his Pokemon, and he had quickly become a force to be reckoned with in battle. Gible was pleased with this added challenge, and he now fought one-on-three battles with his team. Vulpix didn't seem to care much for their new member, opting to stick closer to Louis than his other Pokemon, while Prinplup was glad to have another straight man in the group that took things seriously. Pawniard was also trying to find a rock he liked that he'd keep, but he hadn't found anything so far.

Mira certainly was an impressive trainer. Maeve had redirected her thirst for battle onto her, which Louis welcomed with open arms, but she was certainly as good as Grace, Cecilia and Denzel were, although her lack of type coverage probably meant that she would lose in a battle. She did prioritize special attack over having a diverse team. Maeve struggled to fight back most of the time, but she was certainly getting better at fighting Mira.

Her Kirlia was ruthless, and she fought in close quarters, using her psychic powers to restrain her enemies while she fought with vicious kicks powered up with psychic energy. Was her violence inherent to her fairy typing? Louis didn't really know, since he hadn't seen a Kirlia before. If she hadn't been a female, he would have thought that she would evolve into a Gallade. Kadabra's mastery of Psychic meant that he was a terrifying threat on any battlefield, but he also could Teleport to easily dodge attacks. Magneton, meanwhile, could use Lock-on to ensure that his next attack would never miss. Still, like she had promised, the pink-haired girl hadn't even used her Haunter, but Louis wasn't crazy enough to actually want to see it.

Well, so long as he was left to do his own thing, Louis would be satisfied. They were only a two days away from the outpost, and hopefully, they would let him go and keep going together. He was tired of people.

"Louis," Maeve said, making him jump.

"Maeve, how can I help you?"

"Mira convinced me to come ask you to stop staying in your little corner all the time."

Louis turned toward Mira, who waved at him with a huge smile.

"Later," he shrugged.

"What are you even doing? Brooding?"

"I'm enjoying myself."

"Enjoying yourself by brooding," she said. "Got it."

The trainer clicked his tongue. "Why are you so insistent? You both already inserted yourselves into my travels, and now you're asking me to socialize? Just let me be."

"Because I want to try being friends, Louis!" She hissed. "Because you're hurting, and isolating yourself won't help."

"You don't know anything about me," he said, turning away.

"I know a little bit. I know there must have been a problem with your group, and I know I was also obsessed with traveling alone until Scott beat it into my thick skull that just because I'd rather be on my own doesn't mean it's always the best choice! I would have died if I went through Eterna Forest alone, and I didn't even know any better."

"So?" He said. The words felt hollow.

"So?! What do you mean so? Mount Coronet is coming up, and you're going to try to run away again," Maeve sighed. "You'll die in there. We aren't good enough to get through alone. Mira will help us get through."

Louis brought his palms to his hands and preemptively tried to stop the tears that were coming. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to get away from people, because being close to others reminded him of what he had lost.

No, not lost. What he had to throw away for the survival of their friendship.

"Are you— shit, I'm sorry. I told you I was bad with people. Mira should have been the one to do this."

"I'm so tired, Maeve."

"I— I'm sorry," she apologized again. "Look, just come with us. Hang out by the fire. You don't have to say anything. I don't even say anything half the time, and I just let Mira speak her socks off about anything."

Louis gave her a weak nod before standing. His legs were shaking, and they felt weak.

"Louis," Mira said worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Louis wiped his tears with his palms and sniffled. "I'm alright. I just felt nostalgic."

"Is it about your friends? Cecilia Obel and such?" Mira asked.

Louis felt his heart sink. "You… I thought you didn't know."

"What, didn't know who you were? Come on, I'm a loner, I don't live under a rock."

"But you asked about them beating the Snowpoint gym—"

"I asked about them. That doesn't mean I didn't know them. Or you, as a matter of fact," she shrugged. "It just never felt relevant to bring up until you started literally crying."

"A bit of tact?" Maeve winced.

"I mean, I've put two and two together," she continued. "You were engaged to Cecilia Obel, and now there are rumors about her and Grace Pastel dating. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. Kadabra ran the numbers, and this is the most likely scenario."

Louis couldn't find the words. He just sat there, speechless.

"Mira! You— you can't just say that."

"I consider it equivalent exchange," she said. "Sorry. I told you a lot about my problems and how I haven't found a single friend or person to talk to other than my Pokemon, and how my megathread is filled with toxicity and preconceptions because I own a Haunter. They're spreading rumors about how I'm a crazy trainer killer because there was an accident when Haunter evolved during a battle, and he sent the trainer I was battling to the hospital. Haunter can drain your life force, so he couldn't walk for weeks. The League tried to take him away, and I had to fight tooth and nail to keep him, but my reputation never recovered. And honestly? I can't blame anyone but myself. That's why I don't let Haunter out next to people anymore," she said with a heavy sigh. After a pause, she continued. "Maeve, you've hinted at your inferiority complex and how you worry about how you're falling behind and how being a successful trainer is harder than you could have ever imagined, and you hate the fact that others are getting more attention than you are, including me."

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Louis finally asked.

"So we can all air out our dirty laundry and finally be honest with each other," Mira smiled. "Doesn't it feel good? Do put it all on the table? To not have to hide anything?"

"I… I'm sorry, Mira," Maeve sighed. "You're right. I was— am jealous of you. I mean, three badges?!" She said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Why can't I be as good as the others? I work so hard, and yet I… I…"

"From now on, let's just tell each other everything," Mira said. "We're friends, or at least I think we are. We won't judge each other because of it. If you think I'm being annoying, tell me. If you think I'm boasting too hard about my accomplishments, tell me. If you want me to leave, tell me, and I'll pack. I know I'm forceful, but I was just so excited about finally meeting people… I let it get to my head."

"You don't have to leave," Maeve said. "I like you, there's just that side of me that's envious."

"Envy is a human emotion," she said. "So long as you don't let it consume you, you can let it run its course."

"Mira…" Louis muttered. "I'm still hesitant about traveling with people so soon, but I think after all of that, I can certainly give it a try."

The two girls both smiled at him. The truth was, before Maeve had come into the picture, Louis' thoughts had been filled with self-deprecation, anger at himself and how stupid he had been, and most of all, sadness. Now that she and Mira were there… sure, they were annoying, but at least he thought about other things. His mind was healthier.

"Well, that's that, then," Mira said. "We're going to Hearthome together! And maybe further?"

"Don't push it," he sighed. "Maeve, are you still up for that battle?"

It would be long and arduous— far longer than he wanted it to be, but the road to recovery had begun. He needed closure to mend his heart. He needed to surpass her.

---

A/N: Mira is actually a canon in-game character that's found in Wayward Cave in the games that's lost, and you can help her get out of the cave. In her double battles, she owns a Kadabra. She also does specialize in special attack Pokemon. I did age her up slightly so that she could be a recurring character in the Circuit, though. And before you ask me, yes, Kingambit does exist in this fic, so look forward to that.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - COORDINATORS

Fifteen days earlier.

Emilia picked up her suitcase from the baggage carousel and made her way toward the Pokeball counter. She was carrying a bunch of her friends' things that they didn't have enough space for in their backpacks, like party clothes… okay, it was mostly clothes for the girls, but there were some books and cosmetics too.

Air travel was the crutch that kept Sinnoh's cities connected together. Most supplies to non-coastal cities were sent by air, and travel between cities for non-trainers was also done via plane. Before the invention of the airplane, a person would be expected to live and die in the same place they were born, unless they were a trainer that could brave the wilderness. It was why the League had managed to hold an iron grip over the region back in the day. Communications between cities had been scarce for anyone who couldn't fly or teleport, a region-wide, organized resistance had been impossible.

Emilia's eyes scanned a counter filled with dozens of Pokeballs, and she smiled when she found two labeled with Beldum and Aipom. Rockruff's was an entire dilemma, though. There were three Rockruff Pokeballs on the counter, so Emilia had to call an employee over to scan them with a small, portable device, get their ID, and finally verify which one was hers.

Traveling with Pokemon was always a hassle. People weren't allowed to keep them, or their Pokeballs on themselves in the plane because of the damage they could possibly cause during a flight if there was someone with nefarious intentions or even just an accident, so every Pokeball was placed in a different compartment of the plane, just like luggage. The problem was after the flight, when it could sometimes take ages to get your Pokemon back because people owned the same species of Pokemon sometimes. When that happened, airport employees would have to verify who owned what using the Pokeball ID database like what they had just done for Emilia. Even if trainers never traveled by plane, they weren't the only ones that owned Pokemon. Retired trainers, coordinators, civilians that wanted a companion… they weren't the majority, but they certainly were in high numbers, which was why the rules existed in the first place.

After getting an employee to verify that the Pokeball she had picked up were hers using the same scanner, Emilia walked out of arrivals and grabbed some lunch before leaving. Hearthome was a breathtaking city. At first glance, it looked similar to Eterna due to their shared color scheme, but the two cities were actually fundamentally different. Hearthome was a bustling metropolis that was the third largest city in all of Sinnoh, behind Jubilife and Sunyshore. Whereas Eterna city was stuck in its old ways and architecture, Hearthome was a mix of young and old, with massive skyscrapers mixing with older stone buildings. Furthermore, unlike Eterna, where you could go from one end to another using their well-developed trams, Hearthome had chosen a different path and had opted to develop around car travel. Of course, there were buses and subways, but the public transport industry was nowhere as well developed as Jubilife's. Emilia hailed a taxi and hurriedly got on while he placed her luggage in his trunk. The driver stepped into his car.

"Good afternoon. Where to?"

"The nearest Pokemon Center will do for now, thank you," she quickly answered.

Even though her family lived in Jubilife, Emilia had stayed in Hearthome multiple times during holidays. Her family dealt in real estate all over the region, which meant that they often traveled all over the place. That also meant that they were often involved in politics to lobby Directorate members or mayors to approve of city expansions so that they could just buy up all the land. Stellar Properties— the name of her parents' company— was well known throughout Sinnoh, but they were nowhere as rich and powerful as the Bianchi were.

Of course, that didn't mean much. Emilia would never have to work a day of her life if she so wished. She had been born in privilege, and it had taken a long time for her to realize it.

The taxi driver passed by the Hearthome Contest Hall— the most prestigious contest hall in all of Sinnoh, and where the Grand Festival was held every time. Emilia turned and practically stuck her forehead against the glass to get a better look. Despite all of her times in Hearthome, she had never been inside of there. Only stared at it from a distance. It was one of the biggest buildings in the city, after all— bigger than Fantina's gym, even, and it could fit more than one hundred thousand spectators. Just imagining standing there, being seen by all those people while giving a performance made Emilia shiver in excitement.

But right now, those were all dreams. She still had a long way to go before even hoping to get there.

She paid the taxi, giving him an enormous tip in the process, and quickly checked into the Pokemon Center. She got to her room, showered, and sent a message to the group chat to let them know that she had made it to Hearthome safely. She raised an eyebrow when she caught Chase Karlson sending a message at the same time as she was.

"Well, he saw me type," Emilia told herself. "I might as well introduce myself properly."

Well, they had technically met a few times already, but they never actually spoke. She sent him a short message, saying that she looked forward to befriending him and that Grace, Denzel, and Cecilia had told her a lot of good things about him.

He just told her that he didn't have time and then never responded to her subsequent messages. Emilia clenched at her phone tightly and groaned. If Chase was going to be rude, then she wouldn't try to extend an olive branch either.

"What to do now…" Emilia trailed off.

It was her first time being alone. Truly alone. Even when she had traveled with the group, Emilia had almost never taken any decisions, so now that she was being given this much freedom, everything felt overwhelming. She could stay in the Center and just lounge for the rest of the day with her Pokemon, or she could go train to actually figure out how to be a coordinator. She had been making steady progress in Eterna, but her lack of moves was killing her creativity, so Emilia figured that the best move right now was to buy some TMs.

Or she could take the plunge, go to the Hearthome Contest Hall, and get a coordinator card.

No, no, she could always do that another day. She had time.

First, she would buy the TMs, and then, she'd try to practice with them on route 208. Yes, that sounded like a good plan.

——

"Try a Double Team, Rockruff," Emilia asked. "Then get in a circle."

The rock type nodded, and he split into two, then four, then eight. They got into a circle and turned to face each other.

"Good enough. Now Trailblaze!"

The eight Rockruff barked in unison and blurred forward, leaving a trail of shining, burning grass at their feet and surrounding Rockruff's true body in the center. Emilia squealed and clapped, taking the rock type into her arms and hugging him, ignoring the painful hard stones on his neck. He was already working with the move so well, and it had only been two hours since she had taught it to him. Aipom laughed and jumped on Emilia's head, while Beldum observed with a curious eye.

"What do you think?" She asked, turning toward the steel type. He let out a short metallic clang.

Good…

The girl winced slightly, but she was getting used to the pain— or at least she would be until he evolved into a Metang and managed to fully communicate with her without struggling. Right now, it was like trying to discern words through static. Beldum had also easily mastered Shadow Ball, although Aipom was still struggling with the move, and he could only use it twice before getting tired out, but she was still making good progress. This was like a small performance for herself, and when compared to the ones actual coordinators got up to, it was pathetic, but it was still hers.


"I'd say we deserve a break," Emilia smiled. "Let's head back to the Center."

Emilia was back in her room in twenty minutes, thank Arceus for taxis. She spent the rest of the day resting with her team, with Rockruff and Aipom sleeping on her bed and barely giving her any space for herself.

Go… night.

"Good night, Beldum," Emilia softly said.

——

"Here are the top ten things you must know before becoming a Pokemon coordinator! But before that, a word from my sponsor, Radiant Cosmetics! Radiant Co. is the number one cosmetic company when it comes to both Pokemon and humans, so if you want to look your best during a performance…"

Emilia rolled around in her bed as she watched her twentieth coordinator guide video today. She considered skipping the sponsor, but what if she needed it one day? No, she would sit through and watch it all.

"...use my code, YAPI, and get twenty percent off all of your purchases! Now, without further ado, let's get to the video!"

Her brain felt fried. Every single video said the same, rehashed tips. 'Fake it until you make it', 'only perform when x and y judges are going to be there because they're more lenient', 'take inspiration from the top coordinators'... blergh. Emilia had expected this from smaller channels, but YapiX had six hundred thousand subscribers. She had never been a fan, but she occasionally watched a video or two of hers. YapiX was supposed to know what she was doing.

"Maybe people were copying her," Emilia sighed as she clicked onto the next video, this time from a channel she had never heard about called Ms. Dreamer. "My morning routine… every coordinator should do this? What's with the red arrows? What are you even pointing to, a vase? Ugh."

No, videos wouldn't do it. No guide would help as much as the real thing. What Emilia should have done from the start was just get a coordinator card.

Coordinator cards functioned exactly the same as trainer IDs, although they didn't display your amount of ribbons, since there were simply too many in Sinnoh for them to ever fit in a small card. Emilia stood up and…

Maybe just one more video? It couldn't hurt. Temperance should have uploaded her weekly vlog by now, and she actually had useful information and helped with training routines…

"Hi. It's Temperance. This week, I traveled to Sunyshore for a series of photoshoots, and I opted to use the opportunity to stay and work on this new combination I've been working on for my next grand contest. Unfortunately, since it'll be a grand one, that means a ribbon is on the table, so it'll stay a secret for a while longer. Let's get started on the training routine, and then I'll go in-depth on what I did during my stay in the city. Make sure to check in the description and go to my website for early uploads and donate…"

Emilia settled into her bed once more and smiled. Yes, one more video would do. Just one. She had time.

——

Emilia was over the moon when she got the news that her friends had made it to the outpost on route 207, although Louis still not saying anything worried her. She had spent today working on her training routine and trying to emulate Temperance, but it was hard when she had access to every move under the sun. Temperance being so rich meant that she had access to almost every TM out there, but Emi could have theoretically done that as well. The problem was that her Pokemon had a surprising mastery over every single one, which she could never dream of doing.

There still wasn't much progress on getting a coordinator card. Emilia had tried to get out this morning to get one, but her legs just turned to lead the closer she got to the building. The girl didn't understand. This was her dream. She wanted to do this, but she just… couldn't. A word rang out in her mind.

Worried…

Emilia sighed. "Don't worry, I'll be alright," she told Beldum. "I'm just not ready yet. I'm a complete newbie. I just need to get a few techniques and combinations down and watch a few more videos—"

Emilia jumped as she heard her phone ring. Pauline was calling.

"Evening babe," Pauline cheerfully said.

"Pauline! Are you alone?" Emilia hissed.

"Obviously."

Emilia finally relaxed. If she was on her own, then she could call her whatever she wanted. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"You could tell?"

"I can always tell. You have that tone you use when you do it," she said with a slight laugh. "Anything new on your end?"

"Nothing much. Just travels, you know how that is, I'm not the biggest fan," Pauline said. "But Cece's been teaching me a bunch! I feel like I'm starting to catch up. I even caught a Rufflet! I'll send you a picture of her later."

"Oh, that's great! So you're a student now, huh?" She teased.

Pauline scoffed. "No, Cece's just helping me. Grace is teaching Justin. He's been really annoying, and he's obsessing over this Audino thing. He says he wants to become a staller."

Emilia's head was spinning. Her friends were making so much progress already, and what was she doing? Nothing!

"Emi?"

"Um, sorry, I was just upping the volume. I always want to hear your beautiful voice."

"I call bullshit, but I'll let you off for now," Pauline said. Emilia could tell she was smiling.

"How's Denzel?"

"He seems to be having fun flirting with girls," she said. There was some bitterness in her tone that Emilia caught. "But he's fine, I guess. But enough about him, tell me about your contest stuff! I've been dying to hear about it!"

Emilia smiled and recalled the progress she had made with her Pokemon, and how she had come up with a combination with Double Team and Trailblaze. She was even starting to figure out how to work with Shadow Ball, although that was more in the experimental stage.

"I'll send you a video of the Trailblaze trick so that you can watch it when you get to the other side of Mount Coronet. Stay safe, by the way. All of you."

"We'll be fine. Grace's been fixating on catching some Turtonator, so it's her I'm worried about."

"Arceus…"

"You said it. She's going to get herself killed one day, but our psychics will be with her, so I think she'll manage," Pauline said before sighing. "At least, I hope. By the way, you met any coordinators yet? I hope you're standing up for yourself while I'm not there."

Emilia almost considered lying for a split second, but she knew Pauline would be able to tell. They'd known each other since they were toddlers.

"Erm, I've been taking it slowly for now," she said. "So nothing yet."

"Emi…"

"I know, I know! I'll get to it."

"Promise me."

"I'll do it—"

"Promise me."

"I… I promise."

"I know exactly what you're thinking. Now that you're finally about to start realizing your dream, you're scared of taking that first step, because you're scared of failing. But you've got to take the first step. If you haven't made at least one coordinator acquaintance by the time I'm in Hearthome, and you don't have your card, I'm going to scold you."

"I'll do it! Arceus, don't threaten me with a verbal lashing."

"I've got to go, okay? It's an early night for me since we have to wake up early, but I'll call you as soon as we get through Mount Coronet."

"Okay," Emilia sighed.

"Good night."

"Good night."

Emilia hung up. There were no sweet farewells such as 'I love you.' That'd make the entire thing feel cemented, and that was an entire another can of worms she wasn't ready to deal with at all, especially if she had to deal with starting her coordinator career.

She took a deep breath and resolved herself. Tomorrow, she would go get her card and speak to people. Tomorrow for sure.

——

Six days later, Emilia had still gotten nothing done, and she thought today would be no different. She had resigned herself to waiting until Pauline came back to go to the contest hall with her. She would never be courageous enough to do so alone. Plus, Grace was in the hospital, and her burns were apparently really bad, and Emilia was worried sick. And yet a single text from Denzel had made her change her mind.

Pauline is worried about you.

Of course, she was. It had been obvious from the start, and yet Emilia had been too blind to see it. No, it would be more accurate to say that she hadn't wanted to see it. Pauline was worried about her being left behind, and she wasn't the kind of person to say that out loud unless it was forced out of her. Denzel had managed to bridge the gap between them through a single text message that he probably had no idea had been so important to her.

"Okay! Today's the day," Emilia exclaimed. She cracked her fingers and grabbed her phone. "First thing's first, making my channel."

Being a coordinator was a much more public affair than being a trainer. Connections, both with other coordinators, the business world, and even judges or the Contest Committee were worth gold. Being a content creator was just one of the many ways coordinators kept their name in the public eye, especially with the younger generation, and Emilia knew she couldn't skirt around that fact. In fact, she had wanted to be one, and seeing Denzel's budding success had only inspired her more… until she actually got to the foot of the metaphorical mountain she'd have to climb to get to the top.

The view from down there was so daunting.

But it was time to take the first step. She quickly created her channel, naming it Emilia Lussier. It was simple for now, and she'd be able to rename it later if she so wished, but it was done. Emilia chuckled to herself like a madwoman. It was scary, how the simplest of steps could feel like such large progress.

Next, it was time to finally get her coordinator card. The girl took a taxi to the Hearthome Contest Hall, and stepped into the humongous building. The floor was covered in a clean, pink carpet, with coordinators and their managers selling their merchandise all throughout the lobby. Hell, some of them even had dedicated stores. There was also a restaurant, two cafes, and rooms people could rent, although they were extremely expensive. Of course, Emilia could have afforded one if she really wanted to, but it was unneeded, at least for now.

The girl wondered if she'd be good enough to have managers one day. Having someone run things for you sure seemed convenient, especially with how bad she was at taking the initiative without her friends there to push her. Sure, she was rich enough to skip ahead and hire one right now, but that'd feel dirty. Unearned. TMs were one thing, but managers would make it feel like she was cheating. After a short wait in a queue, she walked up to the receptionist, who greeted her with a radiant smile.

"Hello! Welcome to the Hearthome Contest Hall, what can I do for you today?"

Here it goes, Emilia thought as she braced herself. "Hi, I'd like to register as a coordinator?"

"Nervous, aren't you?" The man chuckled. She held back an embarrassed squeal and just nodded. "Don't worry about it, everyone usually is, despite how hard they try to hide it. Please hold for a second while I get this form ready for you."

He grabbed a document from a drawer behind his desk and gave it to her. This was different from when she'd signed up as a trainer. Emilia needed to read through a bunch of rules that the Contest Committee had set up, such as having to respect the judge's decisions without complaint or having to pay the committee a monthly fee. Money ran the world of Pokemon contests, and that could easily be seen in the terms and services. The amount wasn't too high, but it'd certainly put a dent in a new coordinator's finances if they were starting from nothing.

Emilia signed the document, had a picture of herself taken— which she had dressed up and put on make-up for, and finally, she was given a transparent, thin card.

So much progress had been made today already, but it was time for the real challenge.

Meeting one fellow coordinator.

——

The huge road leading up to the Hearthome Contest Hall was somewhat of a famous area for both civilians, coordinators, and trainers alike, and it was also an area that attracted an incredible amount of tourists. There was a place there called 'The Coordinator's Walk,' which was a dark sidewalk with the name of famous coordinators that had won the Grand Festival written on stars embedded in the dark slabs. Emilia mulled over her options until she found a girl that seemed to be just as confused and nervous as she was. She took a deep breath and strode up to her with a smile.

"H—hello. Are you a coordinator?"

"Yes! Are you?"

"I am, although I'm a new one. I was wondering if we could maybe connect in some way? Help each other?" Emilia asked.

"Oh… erm, do you have a channel?"

"Y—yes. It's rather new, and I have no videos on there yet, but—"

"Oh," she deflated. "I have to go."

Emilia almost fell over. "What?"

The girl just left her there in the middle of the conversation. Had she said something wrong? Emilia tried again a few times, but every time she talked to a coordinator, they either asked her how much subscribers or ribbons she had, or if she knew important people. Emilia gripped the sides of her skirt. She was standing there, way too underdressed for this cold because of some stupid picture, and she was just getting blown off by people. Should she have tried somewhere else? Maybe Amity Square—

"Legendaries, are you Emilia Lussier?" A girl called out to her.

"What? Y—yes, that's me," Emilia stammered. "Can I help you?"

"I saw you poking around, and I was wondering what the problem was? You seem to be, like, depressed over there."

"I've been trying to make connections. What's your name?"

"I'm Jasmine! Nice to meet you!"

Emilia felt a surge of hope. "Are you a new coordinator?"

"Well, you could say that. I signed up for it this summer, and we're all new until we get at least a ribbon under our belts," she shrugged. "I have a few friends that are staying at an apartment we're all renting. Do you want to come and meet them? Get you started on all this coordinator stuff? I know it seems daunting at first."

Emilia smiled. Finally, things were turning around for her! "Of course! Lead the way."

They started walking. "So, are you staying at, like, a hotel or something? Could we maybe go there and film a video, maybe?"

"A video?"

"Yeah, one where my friends and I pretend that we rented the place," Jasmine said with a smile. "I bet that'd blow up. It'd be a one out of ten!"

"What's a one out of ten?" Emilia asked with a slight frown.

"Arceus, you're really a newbie, aren't you?" She laughed. "On the creator dashboard, it ranks views on your latest video against your last ten videos, so one out of ten is amazing, and ten out of ten is terrible."

"Oh… well, I was just staying at a Center for now."

Emilia hated hotels these days. It reminded her too much of being put on lockdown by Harvey and Clarence. It was impossible for her to relax there. Jasmine stopped in her tracks and turned.

"Really? Like, really? You're a billionaire, and you're staying at a crummy Center? That's where all the trainers are!"

Emilia froze.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot you were a trainer too. Yuck," Jasmine said. "Well, that was a waste of time. Keep trying to make friends, and see where that gets you. Look at you! Are you tearing up? You're a naive little girl that'll go nowhere." she continued. "Well, bye. That was a waste of my time."

She tried finding a good retort, but by the time she came up with something, Jasmine was already gone. If Pauline had been there…

No. Pauline wasn't there. She had to stand up for herself, and she had failed. Emilia wiped a few tears and took deep breaths. She had always been bad at getting bad-mouthed or yelled at. It made her spontaneously tear up, even if she didn't feel that bad about it. That certainly didn't help her as a child when she had gotten bullied. Until Pauline saved her.

"I see you've gotten a good introduction to coordinator culture," a boy laughed behind her.

Emilia frowned and turned toward him. He was a short teen with long, brown wavy hair. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know," he smiled. "We're all clout-chasing, money-hungry assholes. That was Jasmine. She and her posse are well known around here. She'd do anything to get a leg up on the competition."

"And you? Are you a clout-chasing, money-hungry asshole too?"

The boy smirked at her. "Sure, but I'm not that bad. The name's Vincent. Vincent Campbell. You?"

"You don't know who I am?"

"Genuinely, no," he shrugged. "I did hear Jasmine call you Emilia, and say that you were a billionaire though, so you must be someone famous."

"I wouldn't call myself famous, my friends are all more popular than I am," she clarified. "They're all trainers."

"Oh, is that why Jasmine called you a trainer earlier?"

"I was one, but then I gave up after one badge because it wasn't for me," she said. "And how long were you even following us for?"

"The entire time. I was waiting for a good time to jump in and save you from her clutches, but she just left on her own."

"Well, Vincent," Emilia exhaled. "That's a little weird, but I'll overlook it. Can you help me find my footing? Right now, I'm a nobody. I have no videos, no ribbons, no subscribers, I don't know anyone important in the industry, and I'm probably terrible at performances. And even though I have a lot, I will not give you any money."

The young coordinator held her breath. She was laying it all on the line.

"Well, Emilia, I've got some time to kill, so I don't see why not."

——

The two teenagers sat in a cafe far away from the Hearthome Contest Hall, and Emilia sipped on her iced coffee. She was still trying to pretend to like the Arceus damned drink, but nothing was working. People said that it was an acquired taste, but the only thing she was acquiring was a deeper hatred of coffee.

"The first mistake you made was trying to meet people at the Coordinator's Walk," Vincent explained as he munched on a croissant. He pointed a finger at her. "That's a real asshole magnet. You would have been better off just asking people around the city."

"But it would have taken ages to find coordinators."

"Yes, but they wouldn't have been an asshole."

Emilia was starting to wonder why Vincent was attached to the term asshole so much. "Okay, what else?"

He frowned, suddenly taking on a serious tone. "The world of coordinators is ruthless. I don't know how it was when you were a trainer, but I know y'all have this helpful, power of friendship shit going on, so this is going to be a complete culture shock for you. Helping other people? Forget it. Out here, it's the law of the jungle. Everyone's for themselves unless there's a benefit to cooperation. Jasmine and her pals, for example, they're only living together because they can't afford rent otherwise. Coordinators can't stay at Centers for free like trainers, and you'll have to stop doing it if you've given up on being one unless you want to be busted— actually, never mind, you can probably just pay the fine. Just try not to get caught abusing all the free stuff trainers get."

Emilia nodded. Worst-case scenario, she'd just be able to sleep in Pauline's Pokemon Center room. The bed was large enough for them both, and she technically wouldn't be breaking the rules.

"Anyway, I'd bet good money that Jasmine and her friends all secretly hate each other and wouldn't hesitate to backstab one another at the first opportunity to get an advantage."

"But you're helping me," Emilia said. "What are you getting out of this?"

Vincent leaned back against his chair. "Can I be frank?"

"I'd hope so."

"You're supposedly famous, and you were apparently in the news. You're rich. If I help you and you're successful down the line, you might help me," he simply said.

Emilia clicked her tongue. "I told you I wasn't giving you any money."

"I know. This isn't about money, it's about favors. Favors go a long way here. That's another thing you'll figure out. Nothing you do should be left unpaid. Doing things out of the goodness of your heart? Forget that. People will abuse you and leave you out to dry when you've outlived your usefulness."

"Arceus, this sounds miserable."

"It is miserable. There are obviously good people too in the industry too, it's just that…" he trailed off and sighed, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. "It's a path made for sociopaths. The bigger the asshole you are, the better your odds will be. Everyone wants to get to the top. Fame, money, success, being a good coordinator… we all want that. We want it so much that we forget to be nice to each other," Vincent said with a twinge of sadness. "It gets exhausting sometimes. But when you're on stage, performing? When the audience is captivated by a move combination you've been working on for weeks, and you fucking nail it? That's the best feeling in the Arceus damned world, and we all keep coming back to chase that high," he smiled, his eyes shining.

"Well, I'm not sure I want to be mean to everyone to get ahead," Emilia started. "But I sure as hell won't give up. I'm going to become a coordinator. I'm going to surpass Temperance."

"The Temperance? That's a high goal, but I respect that," he said. "This is my first year as a coordinator, but it's also yours. What do you say we help each other?"

"No funny business?" She asked.

"No funny business. In fact, I'll help you stay out of funny business. I benefit from you succeeding, remember?"

"Okay," she smiled. Emilia held out her hand, and Vincent shook it firmly. "Let's start immediately. Can you give me ideas for my channel? I still need to buy a laptop to edit any videos, but do I need a better camera? Can you just show me your channel so I can get ideas, or is that taboo? What Pokemon do you have? Can we train together? How long should I wait to sign up for my first contest?"

"That's the passion I like to see in a fellow coordinator," he grinned. "Let's take it one question at a time, or I'll choke on my food."

---

A/N: The Interludes are over! I hoped you enjoyed getting a slice of what being a coordinator is like. The culture is fundamentally different from the trainer culture I've built up, and I took a lot of ideas from the movie/influencer industry, which I'm sure that can be felt all over the chapter (I mean, there's literally a one-for-one hollywood Walk Of Fame copy, so I was kind of shameless about it.) I'm actually genuinely excited to write about coordinators, which is something I never would have believed when I started this entire thing. I find performances a lot harder to write than battles, so hopefully I'll manage. Next chapter is back to Grace's PoV.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 112

I stared back into the taxi as my friends groaned and complained about being squeezed together so much. I had suggested taking the bus, but Pauline had been adamant about being driven to where Emilia was staying because it'd take less time, and she missed her a lot. It was true that they hadn't been apart in a long while, so now that they were so close, she was probably incapable of waiting any longer. Due to my burns, they let me sit in the front seat so that I could have ample space and no one would rub on my bandages. The entire left side of my body still felt like a pain factory, but it was slowly improving. According to my doctors, though, the burns were healing wrong, so they'd leave marks. So much for hoping that those second-degree burns would just fade away.

I didn't care too much. I didn't. I didn't…

Damn it, I hated it. I had kept my spirits up and focused on healing, but every time I changed my bandages, and I stared at myself? At those rough, red blotches on my skin all along my side, neck, and face?

I fucking hated it. I felt tainted. But every action had a price, and even though I considered the hefty price I had paid for Turtonator worth it, the decision still weighed on me.

And Legendaries, it felt heavy.

"That's the Center," Pauline told the driver as she pointed toward our right.

I hadn't been in Hearthome long, but I already felt more comfortable here than I had in any other city since leaving Jubilife. The skyscrapers, the bustling streets and the dense, tightly packed blocks reminded me of home, but there were some older buildings sprinkled in as well. Dad had come here a few times in his youth, but it was my first time there. Every time he had taken me on vacation somewhere, it had been Sunyshore or Pastoria for the beaches. He was worried sick about me, and Cecilia had expertly skirted along the fact that everything had happened because of a decision I alone took. Recovering enough to travel hadn't taken as long as I thought, so he was supposed to arrive in two days. He'd probably end up extending his stay for as long as I was here, though. He had saved up a lot of paid leave.

I sighed when I heard someone behind me say something, but I didn't manage to hear. I turned to ask what had been said, but everyone was already out of the car.

It'd be weird to bring it back up now, wouldn't it? I made sure to turn my head slightly to the left so that I could hear properly.

"Thank you, keep the change," Justin told the driver. He looked up at Denzel. "So what now? Should we surprise Emi like you did to us?"

"Wouldn't work, she already knows we're here because someone has a big mouth," he said in an accusatory tone as he stared daggers at Pauline.

"Did you call her?" Cecilia asked.

"I texted her in the car. Now let's go," she said excitedly.

Cece turned toward me. "Are you alright? You seem shaken."

I nodded, but pulled her to the side when everyone walked toward the Center's entrance.

"I'll tell you later tonight. I don't want to ruin things."

"Okay."

I sighed. I'd probably call Amanda again too, which was a shame. Sure, I'd be happy to talk to her again, but it was discouraging to think that I might need therapy again after freeing myself from Mars' hold on me. And for what? Because I thought some scars were ugly on me?

How immature could I be?

But there was another reason. Something that was hidden deep within me that I didn't want to acknowledge or confront.

"Emi!" Pauline squealed. The chestnut-haired girl had already been waiting for us in the lobby. Pauline dropped her backpack, dashed through the room, and hugged her best friend so hard that I thought she'd suffocate her. "Oh, Arceus, I missed you so much!"

"We talked on the phone…" Emilia said, but she couldn't help but smile and hug her back. She went through all of us and embraced us one by one, although she was noticeably softer on me in order not to hurt me. "Grace, how are you?"

"It hurts really badly, but I'm better than I was yesterday and the day before that, so I'll call that a win," I said. "I missed you."

"We all did!" Denzel laughed.

"You guys are the ones to talk! I never felt as alone as I did during those weeks on my own in the city," she said.

"I hope you kept your promise," Pauline said in a threatening tone.

"I did! I made a coordinator friend. His name's Vincent. He's a little straightforward, but he's got a good heart, I think."

"You think?" Cecilia asked.

"Well, yes, but that's beside the point. You can meet him another day. Go book your rooms, and then we can celebrate. I bought a whole bunch of snacks… low quality, just for you," she told Pauline.

"Grace enjoys those too," Pauline shrugged.

"I'll pass, I need to go do something first."

Denzel stared at me. "Are you alright?"

"What? Can't I pass on food for once?" I groaned.

"No, no, you can, it's just… you just never do."

"Today's a bit special. Anyway, let's get this over with."

We booked our rooms, and my friends gave their Pokemon to Nurse Joy. I didn't give mine. I'd need them for later, and they hadn't fought on the route because I hadn't been able to focus on training. I bid the group goodbye as I walked out of the Pokemon Center and hopped onto a bus. I would have taken a taxi, but I couldn't really waste money on those, especially when public transport was free for trainers. Plus, feeding a Pokemon as large as Turtonator was going to cost an arm and a leg. The cost of just traveling and maintaining my team was starting to add up, and I was going to start losing money faster than I was making it. Right now, I had nine-thousand Pokedollars on me, and most of that came from Candice's prize money.

Food was the most expensive thing on my list. Oran berries went for ten Pokedollars a piece, so they were relatively cheap, and they were the only thing Togetic ate anyway, since she was a picky eater. Mago berries, meanwhile, cost forty each, but Frillish didn't really need to eat, so I only bought them occasionally. Tangrowth could feed himself through photosynthesis, so even though he loved every single food, he didn't eat every day. The real money sinks were Larvitar and Electabuzz. Electabuzz ate Pokemon kibble. Pellets of food with all the nutrients an omnivore like him would need, but he was big— almost as tall as I was— and he certainly ate more than me. A single pack could cost hundreds of pokedollars depending on the brand, which I hadn't settled on yet, but at least they lasted a while. Then there was Larvitar, who ate the most out of all my Pokemon, despite her small size. She ate a mix of berries and kibble every day, and sometimes, she'd snack on some dirt she'd find on the routes too.

Still, I managed to keep my money carefully balanced, which obviously meant I couldn't exactly save up for anything. That was until Turtonator came into the picture. Now that I'd need to start feeding him too, I was going to end up broke soon. Of course, my friends would no doubt help me out if I asked, but I wanted to solve this myself. I relied on them too much as is.

And there was a very easy way to solve it now that I was in Hearthome. But later.

Obviously, there was the human cost to add to the equation as well. Food, supplies, medicine, new blankets… things could add up really quickly.

I had to switch buses five times to get to the edge of Hearthome. Their public transport lines were nowhere as efficient as Jubilife's, but I'd deal. Next time, I'd try to take the subway.

I walked back onto route 208 and released all my Pokemon aside from Turtonator. I had considered going to Amity Square for this, since it was a well-known spot for trainers and coordinators alike to hang out with their teams, but there would have been too many people around. Brockhouse's warning was still clear in my mind. One mistake, and Turtonator would be taken away from me.

That meant that the price I had paid would be meaningless. I looked at my Pokemon one by one. Electabuzz crossed his arm and looked into my eyes attentively while Larvitar stood at his feet, imitating him. Tangrowth caressed the right side of my face gently with a vine, carefully avoiding my burns, and Frillish offered me a short nod. I could tell that he was nervous, as he had been recently. I believed he was blaming himself for what had happened to me even though I had told him it wasn't his fault. No water type of our level was ever standing up to Turtonator, and I alone had taken the decision to engage him. It was on me, and not anyone else.

"Prrrrri…"

"Hey princess," I smiled. "I know you like cities, but we've got to do something first."

"Ele."

"Right. Turtonator," I said, nodding firmly. "You know I'm usually good at predicting things, and I've had a week to think about this, so I have… I have a good idea of how he'll react, but I could be wrong. If he attacks, I'll just recall him, so you aren't there to fight. We'd lose anyway."

I heard Larvitar protest and chuckled. "Yes, even you sweetheart. You're here to see if you can figure out what he's thinking. The goal today is just making sure we can at least converse, so don't do anything rash. Frillish?"

The water type's eyes dimmed.

"Tone down some of your hatred, bud. I can feel it, and it's not even directed at me," I sighed. "Can you forgive him or not?"

He thought for a few seconds, and then didn't answer.

"You don't know yet. That's fine, that's better than a no," I said with a slight smile. "You know how I feel about my scars, don't you?"

"Fri…"

"I hate them. I wish they'd disappear, and I hoped that they would, but they won't. And yet, I can't bring myself to hate Turtonator. So please, try your hardest."

He gave me a reluctant nod, and Tangrowth patted him on the head.

I took a deep breath and grabbed Turtonator's Pokeball. "Here goes nothing."

I released the dragon type far away enough from us so that he wouldn't be able to kill me immediately, but not far enough for him to feel isolated. He lifted his head and stared at the sky and then at us. He took a step forward, and grass started to burn under his feet.

"Hi," I said, standing my ground. I hadn't interacted with him that much, but I knew that every interaction with the dragon type this early in the relationship was a test. I could not appear afraid, but I couldn't hurt his pride too badly, either. "I kept my promise. Got you out of the cave."

Turtonator growled and took another step toward me.

"It's been a few days since you were out," I continued. "But if you show me that you aren't dangerous to people, I'll be able to keep you out more often. I'd like that."

He kept walking, raising the temperature to an uncomfortable degree. My Pokemon stepped in front of me and got ready to attack, but I stopped them with a word. Turtonator loomed over me, staring down at me like a bug. There was no respect behind that gaze. Just contempt. I was nothing to him.

And he wanted me to know it. I looked up at Turtonator and gave him a tired smile. His eye twitched.

"What's wrong? Not the reaction you were expecting?" I asked. "What did you think I'd do? Run away in fear? Collapse and cry, maybe? Order my team to attack? Badmouth you?"

The dragon snorted, blowing a few plumes of smoke into my face.

"See? You could have made that burn me or poison me, but you didn't," I said. "It just smells bad—"

Frillish couldn't take it anymore, and he spat out a Water Pulse at him, but Turtonator just snorted and brushed off the attack like it was nothing. Seemingly satisfied with himself, as if he had just proven something, the dragon type turned around and left.

He hadn't expected me to recall Frillish and follow him.

"Sorry about buddy, he can't stand you for what you've done to me," I said, pointing at my face. "I've personally forgiven you, but that's beside the point. I know what you're trying to do, Turtonator."

The turtle stopped in his tracks and snorted spitefully. The temperature started to rise even faster. I needed to be quick.

"You're trying to be unbearable so that I release you. You could kill me, I suppose, but you're too honorable for that. I brought you out of the cave. I saved you. So you won't hurt or kill me. You'll just act like a child and hope that I grow tired of you. I will not."

Turtonator roared in protest, dismissing my words, and the heat was starting to get unbearable now. I grabbed his Pokeball.

"I was right on the money, wasn't I? I tend to be. I will learn to love you, Turtonator, and you will as well, whether you like it or not. I will not berate you. I will treat you with kindness, and when you are ready to talk to someone about how awful you feel about your Kamaile's passing, I will be there."

I recalled him and almost collapsed on my knees. Tangrowth quickly stopped me from falling, and Togetic flew at me. Her eyes were wrought with worry, and so were everyone else's.

"Whew, that was close," I exhaled before smiling. "He was holding back like I thought he'd be, but the heat still almost made me pass out."

Turtonator had made it as hot as it would be in a scorching desert, not hot enough to burn me, and I appreciated that greatly.

"Think you can convince your big brother to calm down, princess?" I asked. "He's always had a soft spot for you."

"Toge!" She smiled.

"Thanks. I'll release him now. He must be worried sick."

And worried sick, he was. He placed his tentacles on my shoulders and started scolding me. This was the most vocal I'd ever seen him. Togetic tried cheering him up, but even that wasn't working.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I know you meant well, but the situation could have gone to shit if you gave Turtonator an excuse to attack. He won't kill me, but he could certainly attack any of you if he was angered enough. I couldn't take that risk."

"Fri…! Frillish!"

"Look at you," I smiled. "You're usually all calm and collected, and now you're acting all scared."

Frillish's eyes glinted, and he frowned at me.

"I… I know this isn't a joke, buddy. I know there are consequences if things go wrong. I know. Just… trust me on this. If we come at Turtonator from an aggressive angle, no one will benefit. Look at honey. He hates Turtonator's guts."

Electabuzz jumped in surprise, and then he awkwardly scratched his head.

"Don't think I can't tell," I said. "I've got eyes at the back of my head! But yeah, he hates him, I mean, he had to travel with a broken hand for days because of him, but he's trying. So please try. For me."

He huffed, nodding reluctantly, and I wrapped an arm around him, bringing his face against mine.

"Thank you. I know you're doing it because you love me. I love you too," I said softly. "Now, let's head back."

——

I knocked on Emilia's door and was let in. Everyone was partying and having a good time, but I personally found loud spaces to be annoying now that the hearing disparity in my ears was so large. It got distracting very quickly.

"Grace, where were you?" Emilia asked. "I can't believe you'd miss your welcome party. Do you want anything?"

"I was busy. Team meeting," I said. "I promise I'll stay longer next time! Forgive me?"

"Hmph. Fine. I want to spend as long as I can with you guys now that we're… almost all back together," she said.

I walked up to Cece, who led me to sit on her lap. "We'll be staying here for a while. It's only the first day," she said as she wrapped her hands around me, carefully avoiding pressing too hard on my burns.

"Good!" She beamed. "Plus, I want you all to be there for my first performance."

We all gasped. Pauline sprung up with a huge smile. "Emi, did you—"

"Yes, I signed up! It's in a week and a half, and it's not a grand contests, so there's no ribbon to be won, but Vincent convinced me to join with him. It's only his third contest."

"Okay, now I've got to meet this Vincent guy and give him my thanks," Pauline smugly said. "He's been doing my job for me!"

"Don't get too full of yourself," Denzel chimed in. "Emilia's the one who took the final decision. Give her some credit."

"Right?" She said, angrily putting her hands on her hips. "Thank you, Denzel. Anyway, I'm super nervous, but I'm also so excited I can barely sit still."

"I'm sure you'll do well," Justin smiled. "I'm excited to see another contest after so long."

"So am I," I said. "But aren't experienced coordinators going to join?"

"Probably," Emilia deflated. "But that's the luck of the draw."

"Now that, right there? That's bullshit," Denzel scoffed. "There should be rules for that. Like different leagues for coordinators at different skill levels so that the most experienced ones don't just roll over the competition."

"That would make sense," Cecilia nodded. "Ever since you explained how contests worked to us, I've found the fact that there wasn't such a system in place strange."

"You aren't the first ones to ask for one," Emilia quickly responded. "I mean, it feels like a common sense reform, right? But the Contest Committee's already shut down the idea multiple times."

"Sounds like bullshit to me," Pauline hissed. "The Contest Committee's probably run by a bunch of out-of-touch old men anyway."

"Well, they make the decisions, so I can't do anything about it."

"What if you become super good?" I asked. "Won't you have influence with the big shots?"

"I would, but obviously coordinators at the top would rather keep the status quo. It benefits them, after all," Emilia said.

"Right, I should have thought of that."

"Well, Emilia isn't like that," Justin said.

"Right. Maybe if she gets to the top, she can bring change to the system. Makes for a good goal, don't you think?" Denzel asked.

"I'm not a big dreamer like you lot," she shrugged. "Right now, I'm focused on my performance coming up."

"Fine…" he grumbled. "But do know that goals make you improve faster."

"Goals can be small," Cecilia said.

"Okay, you win."

We kept partying for a few hours, and Cece kept me company most of the time, and we spoke about everything, but the conversation of course often steered back toward Pokemon battling and training, as it often did when two trainers interacted. We decided that we'd wait for Chase to arrive before battling Fantina so that we could do our big double battle without revealing anything that we had been working on. We were giving him a week to at least give us any signs of life.

I sure hoped he was alright.

Pauline and Justin were going to sign up tomorrow, however, so they'd battle far before we did.

"Denzel," I called out. He was browsing his phone— probably the forums. "You busy?"

"Nah, just messaging some girl," he whispered.

"Ohhhh," I teased. "Do I know her? What's her name?"

"You don't know her, and her name's Caitlyn. I met her while I was gathering information about Turtonator. And it's not like that, she was just telling me she made it through the mountain alright."

"Fine. Killjoy," I pouted. "Come with."

He raised an eyebrow, but followed me anyway, and after telling our friends we were leaving, I led him to my room.

"What are we doing?" He asked. "Please don't ask me to watch some shit movie again, I beg of you."

"They're good because they're shit," I laughed. "But no. We need money, don't we?"

"Yeah, obviously. What's your point?"

"Well, let's start looking at sponsors then."

Denzel grinned. "Finally. I thought you'd never ask."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 113

I sat to Denzel's left as I grabbed my phone and opened my email. "Didn't you start looking already?"

"I was waiting for you," he shrugged.

"Laptop would come in real handy right about now," I said. "Y'know what'd be a good policy change for the League? A computer lab room where trainers would be able to use them for whatever they wanted in Centers."

"Well look at you, already finding ways to improve our lives," Denzel smiled. "Anyway, this is going to take a while."

"Tell me about it," I sighed as I opened my email.

There were hundreds of messages from different companies that dated back weeks. Some were even from before I had beaten Candice, and a few businesses had contacted me multiple times. Of course, I had ghosted all of them, because having to look at this stuff gave me crippling anxiety. The idea of having to go through it all was worse than actually doing so, however. It was kind of when people were anxious about answering the phone, but when they actually picked up, they were relatively okay.

"Okay, let's sort through the shitty offers first," Denzel explained. "Here, for example. Look."

He showed me an email from a company that had been asking for a meeting.

"This is from Surf Solutions… I don't know what it is they do exactly, and that's a problem, right?" He continued. "If they don't respect us enough to at least tell us that, then it doesn't pass the smell test. I'm not going to look up every company out there, that'd take days."

"Right," I nodded. "Retani Industries didn't tell us what they were about in their email. Emi and Pauline had to explain it to us."

"And look how that turned out. We almost signed away years of our lives. So… scroll down to right after your battle against Gardenia and start sorting through the shit offers."

"You seem prepared," I said, my eyes widening slightly.

"Pauline helped me improve my financial literacy a little. We should probably still ask them if we aren't sure about anything, though."

And so, we began writing off any company that seemed suspicious. Some of them, because they didn't tell us what they were about, like Denzel had said, but others because they had offered us hilariously bad terms in the email, not even as a contract. Twenty potions per month? Come on! They were obviously trying to take advantage of the price hike, and I feared some trainers might have taken the bait. There were also the usual monthly salaries offered, but some of them were bad too. I might have gawked at fifty thousand Pokedollars per month a few months ago, but today?

I knew we were worth more than that.

"Annnnd, done," I said before stretching.

"How many offers you got left?" He asked.

"I don't know, I didn't count. Probably thirty or so."

"I've got twenty-four, and they're all pretty recent," he explained. "Now, I guess we should try to meet as many of these as possible during our time in Hearthome and sign the best deal before we leave."

I nonchalantly agreed, but then froze when my eyes glazed over one of the messages. I had been in such a trance when deleting these emails that I didn't actually read that one of the companies offering to sponsor me was the Poketch Company.

"Holy shit," I breathed out. "I—I think the Poketch Company wants a deal with me."

"Huh? They usually only sponsor high-level trainers! Craig is sponsored by them."

"I… I know. There must be a catch to this," I frowned, carefully reading over the email.

It was a short but concise message that got straight to the point that they had sent a week and a half ago. A first paragraph describing what they did— not that I needed it, they held an effective monopoly over the smartphone industry— then a second one saying that they'd be interested in a meeting and that I should contact them back as soon as possible.

"They don't explicitly say it, but I don't see why the Poketch company would want to meet you unless they wanted to sponsor you," he said. "Damn, I'm jealous."

"My dad works there. Maybe it has something to do with that?"

"How high up is he in the food chain?"

"He's an engineer for their products," I said. "He gets paid a lot, but he wouldn't be able to influence who they sponsor."

"Well, think about it like this," Denzel pondered. "You were almost poached by Retani Industries, who are trying to break into the smartphone market and rival the Poketch Company. Back when we had just beaten Gardenia, I don't think it would have mattered very much, but if you keep gaining traction like you have… it could maybe become a major blow to them."

"Ah, you might be right. Then they'd be preemptively securing me. Plus, since my dad works there, if I did get into the Conference, for example… then wouldn't it be embarrassing?"

"Embarrassing?"

"Yeah, imagine the headlines. My dad works in the Poketch Company, but I'm sponsored by someone else or even a rival. It'd be embarrassing, and my dad could maybe get in trouble if it generated too much negative press. I can't believe I didn't think of this before."

I sighed in relief, and there was a brief pause in the conversation.

"Still," I continued. "There's always a catch with these. I can't rest on my laurels."

"I don't think they'll shaft you like Retani Industries tried to do. The Poketch Company's well known for their sweet deals. I mean, if Craig's working with them, they're doing something right."

"I'm not expecting to be screwed that hard, but I don't know…" I muttered. "Companies value profit over everything. I'm a high-profile trainer, but our novelty's starting to die down—"

"Until you reveal that Turtonator of yours," he interrupted with a grin. "There are only rumors right now. People aren't sure if you caught it or not."

I rolled my eyes. "He's a piece of work, let me tell you. My point still stands, though. We're starting to disappear from the news cycle. We burned bright, but we're burning out quick. Older, high-leveled trainers like Craig… they're like candles. They stay lit for a long time. They're household names. A constant, reliable presence. Which is why they get the deals they do."

"Well, you don't even know the deal they're offering yet. Could be good."

"You and your positive outlook and everything," I groaned.

"Just write them already! You only get offers like these once in a lifetime, and you don't know when they'll rescind it!"

"Fine!"

I rolled my eyes and started typing a short response, saying that I had just arrived in Hearthome and I was available to meet any time. I wrote back to three other companies as well in case the Poketch meeting didn't work out: Bloom & Breeze, which was a well-known clothing brand that delved both into luxury and everyday clothing. Fitstride, which was a footwear company that focused on making durable shoes for trainers. The new sneakers Cece had bought me were from there. Finally, there was RefreshCo, a beverage company that made all kinds of soft drinks, including my favorite grape and orange sodas. Denzel, meanwhile, wrote to ten in total, so he was being a lot more generous with his standards than I was. Now all we had to do was wait for them to write back.

"We won't be together for our meetings this time," Denzel told me. "Will you be alright?"

"I'll have to try," I sighed. "I wish I could bring Cece."

"Closed-door negotiations are a bitch," he nodded. "But don't sign anything right away."

"Obviously. You know me. I don't make the same mistake twice."

He smiled, gently wrapping an arm around me and giving me a short hug. "Alrighty. Let's get back to the party!"

"It's been five hours, I don't think the party's still going."

"If I'd been there, it would have been," he chuckled.

——

We knocked on Emilia's room, and she opened the door after thirty seconds or so. I turned toward Denzel and gave him a smug smile when he saw that everyone aside from Pauline was gone, although she was lounging on the bed under the covers, and she was glaring at me specifically and not Denzel, who looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Oh, shit! Sorry. Party's over, I'm guessing?" Denzel awkwardly asked.

"Yes. Justin's resting in his room, and Cecilia decided to go out on an item shopping spree," Emilia said. She seemed to be worried. Her breaths were tired and short, and her eyes were darting between me and Denzel.

My shoulders slumped. I had wanted to speak to Cecilia, but she was probably going to be gone for a while. It was my fault too. I had told her that I was going to speak to her tonight, and it was still the afternoon. Maybe I was being too clingy.

I took a step inside. "Well, can we hang out—"

"Uh, wait," Denzel said as he pulled my shirt. "Let's go hang out with Justin, Grace."

"What? Justin needs his alone time—"

"No, I'm pretty sure he'll be fine," he interrupted. "In fact, he'll be glad his teacher's spending some time with him."

"But—"

"Bye guys!" Denzel ignored me and closed the door right in my face.

I turned toward him angrily. "What the hell was that for?!"

For some reason, he stared at me like I was a lost cause.

"What's with the look?!"

He sighed and shook his head. "Let's go hang out with Justin."

I clicked my tongue and attempted to get an explanation for his strange behavior, but he wouldn't budge. After going up a floor, we knocked on Justin's door, and he opened in instantly. There was an open book on his desk.

"Grace. Denzel," he smiled. "Come in."

"Sorry, Justin," I grumbled. "I didn't want to disturb your reading, but Denzel was adamant about visiting you."

"Ah, it's not an issue, I was going to take a break anyway."

"Whatcha reading about?" I asked as I sat on his bed.

"Oh, just a book about recent innovations in human medicine," he sighed.

"You're the only one that'd read a book about that stuff. You could have looked it up for free," Denzel smiled.

"I tend to prefer holding a hardcover in my hands," he shrugged. "I'm terrible at focusing with a screen."

"So, what's new in the world of human medicine?" I asked.

"Well, there's a depressing lack of progress, that's what's new," he grumbled. "I don't get how it doesn't anger more people that we can effectively save a Pokemon from anything as long as we get them to a Center, but humans still die from the smallest things."

One didn't have to be smart to see that Pokemon medicine had blown past human medicine in the last century, but Justin was the only one I had seen so angry at that fact. To me, it was just a part of life.

"Ditto in particular are so fascinating," Justin continued as his eyes sparkled. "Their cells can transform into anything they touch after they've come into contact with it once, although they can only store enough memory to hold one transformation at a time," he explained.

"So Grace's scars, for example…" Denzel hesitantly asked. I elbowed him. "What? You won't tell me anything, but I can tell that you hate them!"

"Yes, even your scars. We could potentially place a single colony of ditto cells on your skin, and they'd replace the scarred tissue."

I didn't even bother listening to the small spark of hope that appeared in my heart. "But there's a catch, isn't it?" I asked.

Justin winced. "Human trials have all… failed drastically. The results weren't pretty."

"What happened?" I asked, my fists tightening.

"Pherzen tried starting small. At first, we regenerated lost toes or fingers. For the first few days, everything seemed fine. The new body parts were responsive, and they genuinely felt like a part of the participants' bodies. But after a while… the ditto cells would grow out of control like cancer and overtake the hosts' bodies, killing them in the process. We tried everything. Surgery to remove the cells… it didn't work. There was always at least one left over in the body, and that's all they needed to replicate. They all died in terrible pain, and there's nothing left of them in the end. Just a… purple blob."

I swallowed as I felt a bead of sweat roll down my chin.

"So it works for Pokemon, but not humans?" Denzel shuddered. "Are we just too different?"

"I wished that we could have studied the phenomenon more, but my father shut down the trials immediately," Justin sighed. "I wanted to move the testing to animals like cows and pigs so that we wouldn't have to endanger lives, but the press had already heard of our previous failures, and he wouldn't hear any of it. The victim's families sued and were thankfully paid damages in full."

Moving the testing to animals would have made sense… so why not do it? Maybe Justin's dad just wanted to sweep the whole thing under the rug to avoid negative press, but if the potential was as great as Justin thought it to be, then they could have turned it around quickly enough. Who would care about some dead animals if their grandpa or grandma were getting their cancers cured or regenerating limbs? Justin went on further, theorizing that by using Ditto cells, rejuvenating the human body was even theoretically possible, although that had never been tested.

I was still focused on the previous incident. I felt like something had been hidden from Justin. Something far worse than his already tragic story let on. Companies were driven by profits, and the potential here was so massive if they got it right…

Or maybe I was in and over my head.

After an hour, I left Justin and Denzel alone to speak while I finally entered my room for the first time to shower and change. Showering was still painful, and I was forced to use less water pressure than usual, but at least I could actually do it now. After so long, it was the little things like showering or holding a pen without being in horrible pain that made me truly appreciate what I already had.

I hated looking at myself. I hated it. I avoided the mirror like the plague. Then at least, I could pretend that it wasn't actually me.

Eventually, when night had fallen, I heard a soft knock on my door.

That was Cecilia's knock. Gentle, yet purposeful.

I got up from my bed and let her in.

"Hi," I said. "Buy anything interesting?"

She gave me a teasing, half-smile as she sat down. "Fishing for information, I see."

"Well, I was also genuinely interested," I chuckled.

"I never doubted that," she said. "Are you ready to talk?"

I drew a sharp breath. "Y—yeah. Right to the point, huh?"

What did I even want to say? Complain and whine about consequences for a decision I had taken? Now that the moment had come, the words were stuck in my throat.

"Sit," Cece said, patting my bed next to her

I nodded and obliged her.

"From the moment you were told that you'd be keeping the burn marks, I could tell that you were feeling awful," she said. "More awful than you did when you only had to deal with the pain."

"I…" I exhaled. "I can't bear to look at myself, Cece."

Her eye twitched. "Why?"

It was a simple, stupid question, but the answer was actually quite complicated. I sat there in silence for a good five minutes, trying to come up with what to say. The correct words that would express the feelings I had bottled up all this time.

"Well, it being ugly is a part of it," I sighed. "I look terrible next to you now, Cece. People are gonna talk."

"I don't care. Let them talk."

"I know you don't care, but I do," I said, raising my tone slightly. Cecilia flinched. "I'm sorry. I care. I don't have your thick skin, Cecilia. That's why I keep away from the public and the forums in general. There could be a sea of positivity, but one bad comment is all it takes to ruin my day, and it hurts me more when they talk shit about you than when they do about me."

"What can I do, then?" She asked. "Do you want me to fight back? Pauline and Chase do it."

"No, no, it's my problem. Don't change the way you are," I sighed. "It's just… I already felt lacking compared to you— not in Pokemon battling, but in looks. And now I have this," I exclaimed, pointing at myself. "But that's not it."

"There's another reason," she nodded. "A bigger one."

I nodded tightly. "This… scarring. It's a cost. That's fine," I said. "But it's a mark of my failure. A mark that'll stay there forever, reminding me every day that I fucking failed."

"You… didn't fail, Grace. Everything might not have gone according to your plan, but you still caught Turtonator. He's strong enough to compete at seven badges."

"It's not enough," I sniffled. "I want everything to be iron tight. This plan wasn't. I thought it was, but it wasn't, and I'll have to remember every time I stare at myself. I'm not as good as I thought I was, Cece."

Warm tears streamed down my face, and Cecilia wrapped an arm around me.

"Not as good as you thought you were? You're holding yourself to impossibly high standards."

"Think about it. Think. I hadn't lost anything since… since… I can't even remember when— oh, the fight against you at the Floaroma tournament. I hadn't lost anything I made a plan for since then. Just losing would have been okay. One of the first lessons dad taught me before I left was to not be afraid of failure, so even though it would have stung, I would have gotten over it."

"But not when there's a permanent mark," Cece said, finally understanding.

I nodded and wiped my eyes. "It'll always be there. Fresh in my fucking mind," I cursed. "And there's nothing I can do about it. I was in over my head. I was high on the damn string of victories, and I thought I was invincible. I wasn't."

"That second part is not something I can help you with, although I'll try," Cecilia gently said. "But I'll be the first to tell you that I am in no way embarrassed to stand by your side. You are as beautiful as the day I met you, Grace."

"Come on, you're just saying that to make me feel better. That's objectively untrue," I said.

"It isn't. Look at me. Look into my eyes," she said. I turned toward her. "I am not lying. You can tell."

And I could. Cece had an easy tell when she gave a really obvious lie: she used her confident, smooth tone, and her face defaulted into a neutral expression, just like when she had battled Roark. Right now, she was emotional. Her voice was shaking, and she was tearing up.

"Okay, I believe you," I conceded, falling onto the bed.

"Did you think I was going to leave you because of some scars?"

"I didn't think so, but a small part of me couldn't help but be paranoid and scream what if, you know?"

"Please, I'd never be that shallow," Cecilia said, lying beside me.

We let the silence settle in as we stared at the ceiling.

"Hey," I asked. "When'd you fall in love with me?"

I sensed her freeze next to me. "Where did that come from?"

"Nowhere, I'm just curious," I said, still sniffling from earlier. "Spill."

"Well…" she hesitated. "I think it was after you beat Chase in battle for me, but I didn't realize it until you told me you liked girls. What about you?"

"I don't really know," I admitted. "But I knew in Floaroma."

"That early?" Cecilia screamed.

"You'll destroy my other eardrum if you screech that loud," I said sarcastically. "Surprised?"

"I… yes? I thought I was the one that fell for you first."

"Well, I didn't even know you liked me until you kissed me," I said. "Denzel thought that we were both terribly dense."

We both laughed at that.

"Are you ready to meet my dad in two days?" I asked. "I'm going to make you two pamper me so hard. We're going to the Poffin house, and you're going to make me food. They make human variants, you know?"

"I already want to pamper you without any special occasions," she shrugged. "But I am nervous. I want to make a perfect first impression."

"You'll be fine. He has a heart of gold, just ask Denzel! Although he did scream at him the first time they met…"

"Grace! Not. Helping."

——

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing. After yawning, I lazily grabbed it and opened the group chat, making sure not to wake Cecilia up.

Chase was finally out of Mount Coronet, and he'd be in Hearthome in five days.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 114

"So Chase has finally shown himself," Cecilia said.

"Yup. Gotta hand it to him, he did have me worried for a bit," Denzel smiled thinly.

The three of us were eating breakfast in my room while Pauline and Emilia were hanging out in the city together. Justin, meanwhile, had left a few minutes earlier to finally go order his Audino from a reputable Pokemon breeding company that supplied most of the region with its medical Pokemon, which meant that they worked closely with the League to supply Nurse Joys with their partners.

"He won't even tell us what he was doing in there so long, too," I sighed. "I bet he was doing some really crazy training."

"Sounds like him," Denzel nodded. "So he'll be here in five days. Does that mean we battle in six?"

"If his Pokemon are in shape to do so, I would assume yes," Cecilia agreed. "We can decide on the teams when he gets there."

"Come on, we know you're fighting each other," Denzel grinned as he stared at us. "The question is, who are Chase and I joining?"

"Oh, man, I'm so excited," I squealed, tapping my feet against the ground. "I've never had a double battle before! There's going to be so much to keep track of, oh this is just the best!"

Strategizing against a single powerful opponent was hard enough, but two? Both multiple Pokemon, and with different approaches to battling? And then there was how my teammate would synergize with me, and how we could work together! I was already quivering with excitement, and we were still a few days away.

"We have very different definitions of fun," my friend chuckled.

Cecilia laughed as well. "Don't stop her. She's cute when she's like this."

"Then there's the battle against Fantina to plan, too," I cheered. "I think I'll start doing that today, actually."

"Okay, so you won't be doing anything today. Got it," Denzel deadpanned.

"No, I've got to go train my team and talk with my grumpy turtle," I said. "This is just going to be some light scanning. I need to figure out Fantina's general strategy and stuff."

"Don't forget that we have to meet Vincent later," Cecilia said.

"Right. Emi's new friend."

"She doesn't want to call him a friend," she clarified. "She says that he's more of a business partner."

"Sounds like a girl in denial to me," I said before finishing my plate. "By the way, the food in Snowpoint was definitely better. Don't look at me like that, Cece! I will die on this hill."

"Whatever you say…"

After they finished eating, Denzel and Cece went their separate ways, both opting to train. I released my entire team, aside from Turtonator, of course. I'd speak with him again later. I would have really liked it if he could just be less aggressive so that he could actually spend time outside of his Pokeball, but alas, that looked impossible right now. Tangrowth was a lot bigger than before, so he could barely move around in the room, but I had found another application for his new form.

"Angel. Can I sit?"

The grass type's entire body wriggled, which would have been a creepy sight if I hadn't been so used to it. These days, I just found it adorable. His vines extended at his feet, stacking up and up until they were thick enough to be a mattress. I sat down on them and leaned against angel, who shook excitedly. His vines were surprisingly more comfortable than they looked, and I enjoyed how much he liked me sitting on them. Larvitar hopped on them as well, and the floor shook slightly.

"Nu-huh," I warned. "No jumping inside, young lady."

"Tar…"

"As long as you understand," I smiled, petting her. "Come," I continued, patting on the vines.

Larvitar waddled through the bed of vines and settled in between my legs. Togetic let out a lazy chirp and laid down on Tangrowth's head, and Electabuzz leaned against his body, almost sinking into it.

"Stop brooding in your corner and being so edgy," I told Frillish, who was keeping his distance. I beckoned him. "C'mere."

He huffed and floated away, practically hugging the door.

"I already forgave you for what happened yesterday, bud. Come sit with the kids."

He shot us a glance, and Electabuzz called out to him with a smug smile. Togetic laughed at the joke that must have been said. Frillish shot him an angry glance, and he suddenly stopped smiling and sunk deeper into Tangrowth's vines.

"Angel, drag him over, will you?" I smiled. He happily obliged me, extending a vine toward Frillish and wrapping it around one of his tentacles before dragging him over. He let his complaints be known, but he didn't actually leave. I wrapped an arm around his body and pulled him in closer. "I'm gonna look up Fantina today. She might have a Frillish, you know? Wouldn't it be interesting to fight one?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Only I like that sort of thing, huh?" I said. "Either way, stick around, you goof, or I'll get sad. I'm burned, remember? You're supposed to pamper me."

Togetic and Larvitar loudly agreed, and Frillish resigned to his fate. I grabbed my Poketch, turned it on, and opened the Hearthome city gym website. Larvitar clamored at me to see the screen, which I lowered, but then Togetic complained that she couldn't see.

"Why don't you just come down here, princess?" I asked, looking up at her. Her head was hanging off Tangrowth's massive body.

"Prrrri!"

"You like angel's head? Well, I can't accommodate both of you, and holding the phone up makes my arms tired, so you should probably come down here anyway."

With a disappointed 'prrrrri,' Togetic floated down into angel's vine-bed, and after applying the three-badge filter, I started looking at Fantina's battles.

The battle for the fourth gym badge is where what Denzel had occasionally called the 'mid-game' began. That weird length of time in the Circuit where your Pokemon all started to evolve, and your growth started to get faster and faster until it started slowing down around the sixth or seven badge. The gyms, however, didn't actually get a huge jump in difficulty like in between the first and second badge, so some trainers found this stretch of the Circuit relatively easy.

Relatively was important. It was still difficult. The curve just wasn't as steep. At least until the eighth gym battle forced you into a six versus six and kicked your ass. Either way, evolutions were expected around this time, like Tangrowth's own. Larvitar was still too young to evolve into a Pupitar. However, this was probably around where Electabuzz would have evolved if we hadn't been in a life-or-death fight against those Sneasel, and Togetic needed a Shiny Stone, which I was hopefully going to start saving for whenever the Poketch Company and the other businesses contacted me back.

Would Frillish evolve soon? I stared at him, and he avoided my eyes.

The most knowledge I had about Fantina before perusing her gym's website was that she was a ridiculously good trainer when using her personal team— on par with the Elite Four— and that she used illusions to battle. Now, I hadn't known what those illusions actually implied.

But before going in-depth with the illusions, I noticed something else. The higher level she battled at, the fewer Pokemon she used. She had around forty Pokemon at the first badge level that I could see, but at mine? She only had twenty— including a Frillish— and after giving it some thought, I believed that I managed to figure out why.

All Pokemon were dangerous, but ghost types were especially so, along with fairies and dragons. That knowledge had been ingrained into my mind since I was a child. The ghost-fairy-dragon triad were the most difficult Pokemon to train and raise, although Togetic hadn't given me any trouble, aside from her usual glee when committing acts of violence. Last night, Cece had already told me about how she struggled to find Denzel when he was off doing his own thing, and we had theorized that there was some… wrongness at play. Not reality warping— he wasn't strong enough to do that, but maybe Sylveon had affected what we saw because he had wanted Denzel to be alone for a while.

And he liked us. What would have happened if he hadn't?

The point about the three types was this. The general rule of thumb was: dragon types were prideful to a fault. Fairy types had a wrongness about them that shook me to my core the longer I thought about it. Ghost types were hateful— so hateful in fact, that some of them sustained themselves purely off of that hatred, like Banette. All three types shared a common love for violence that was nearly impossible to contain.

And for ghosts, that hate meant that they did not like holding back in battles. Pokemon battles were a sport. Pokemon instinctively held back during them in order not to kill, which was something wild Pokemon or criminals' Pokemon just didn't do. Ghosts were wild. You could own one, but it would never truly be under your control. There was a reason so few trainers had true ghosts as Pokemon besides their rarity. Fairy types grew attached to their trainers exceptionally quickly, and even dragons eventually relented. Ghosts rarely put their own trainers' wants and orders over their own urges.

Ghosts were also immortal as if they weren't threatening enough. They could be killed, but they'd always rematerialize a few days or weeks later. The fact that there were a significant number of very powerful, old ghost types roaming the world was a terrifying prospect— Mismagius in Eterna Forest had probably been one, with how incredibly powerful that illusion we had been put under had been. Either way, the more powerful a ghost got, the harder it was to control, so what if even Fantina couldn't handle dozens of them at my level and beyond?

It made sense too. If she had too many, then she wouldn't be able to keep them controlled. Without a connection to their trainer, they'd probably go rogue during battles, and a challenger's Pokemon dying would be the biggest scandal a gym leader could face. It hadn't even happened in my lifetime. I wasn't sure if they were capable of passing through Kadabra's barriers to get to the spectators, but I didn't want to find out. The good about all of this was that since she didn't use as many Pokemon as Gardenia or Candice, the strategizing would probably take less time.

Or at least that's what I thought, until I saw how versatile ghosts could be— and I meant actual ghosts. Attacks would hurt them, so long as they weren't normal type, but they'd just pass through their bodies, which meant that knocking one away was impossible unless they solidified their bodies themselves to use physical attacks, or like… Dusknoir had done to protect Mars.

I took a breath.

I wasn't seeing a lot of that in the videos, though, and for a good reason. It would just make them more vulnerable. I couldn't exactly place a style on Fantina's battling, however. She seemed bored in every single one, especially when juxtaposed with Candice and Gardenia. Studying her Pokemons' moves would be relatively easy, but studying the illusions? That was going to be difficult.

Larvitar screamed excitedly as a Seadra spat out a huge Scald toward a flame dancing in the middle of the arena while its trainer kept yelling at it to listen, but it wasn't. It kept attacking what was clearly a bait while a Lampent lazily appeared behind it and hit it with a Shadow Ball, causing it to faint. I thought all of the illusions would be caught on camera, but most of them actually were not, and they were invisible to a trainer's eyes.

That meant that my Pokemon and I wouldn't even be seeing the same thing— a death sentence in a Pokemon battle. It wasn't even a move, or at least it didn't look like it. I had expected a variant of Confuse Ray, Hypnosis, or Substitute, but it was just something ghosts could do. But that wasn't it.

There was also the fact that ghosts could appear and reappear anywhere at will. They could be on the opposite side of the battlefield and then reappear behind your Pokemon seconds later with a Shadow Ball ready to go. Yes, seconds. Ghosts moved quickly when they weren't in their solid state.

"Well, I like a challenge," I smiled.

There was your share of Pokemon that weren't true ghosts that Fantina also used, and they were easier to handle. She probably used them to give her challengers a little break in between the actual threats she had. The Pokemon I identified as the biggest problems were Haunter, Banette, Misdreavus, Shedinja, Dhelmise, and that Lampent, but there were others that weren't true ghosts that looked like hell to fight, too, like Gourgeist or Drakloak.

But the biggest problem was Palossand.

That last one was actually the biggest threat I could possibly face in a potential battle. The tactics it employed were ruthless. Fantina's Frillish was disappointingly ordinary. It was a Pokemon she used against the less powerful three-badge holders, and it showed. Their Water Sport was nowhere as versatile as ours, so most of that extra mobility was gone, which was crippling for a Pokemon as slow as Frillish. Its ghost type moves were impressive and on par with ours, but the water side of things was lacking, and it didn't know Recover or Acid Armor for survivability. Buddy would easily wipe the floor with it in a battle.

"Doesn't look like she going to use it against me, unless she sends it out first to test us," I muttered. Frillish let out a satisfied huff. "Happy? I bet it's weird fighting one of your own. I sure as hell wouldn't want to fight a human."

Actually, I wouldn't want to fight anything, but that was beside the point.

"We're going to have to fight a four against five, too," I continued, and all of my Pokemon responded with their respective cries.

Now that Turtonator had been added to the picture and Larvitar was capable of battling, I was going to have to fight at a numerical disadvantage, although it wouldn't actually be a six-on-six, since those tended to only happen at the seventh gym badge barring exceptional circumstances. Obviously though, I had no plan on using Larvitar for this gym, and even if Turtonator didn't actually attack me, he wasn't going to listen to anything I said.

Seeing if he'd let himself lose to spite me, or try to win to salvage his pride would be an interesting experiment, however, but I wasn't mean enough to try that, especially when I needed to gain his trust and respect. If Electabuzz, Togetic, Tangrowth, and Frillish fainted, I'd give up the battle.

"Well, I think your moves are all good enough to win at the moment," I told my team. "So we should work on perfecting what we've got."

I hadn't constructed a plan yet, but I already knew a combination of Togetic's Wish, along with switching to Tangrowth and Electabuzz— which were my heavy hitters— would be crucial to winning. Frillish's Recover meant that he'd be fine as an independent crutch in the battle.

So Togetic would put everything she had into using Wish. Tangrowth would perfect Knock Off, and Electabuzz would work on his endurance. With all of Fantina's tricks, I knew the battle was going to last a long time. I would have liked for princess to learn Air Slash, but I already knew Wish was going to take too much time to work on two moves at the same time.

Plus, Wish would be crucial in the battle against my friends as well.

"Okay," I said as I stretched. "Everyone satisfied with what we learned so far?"

It had been a few hours, and I was done learning about Fantina for now. I'd come back later and start taking notes, but I hadn't even signed up yet, so I had time. I laughed when I noticed that angel was asleep. Everyone else had been so focused on my Poketch, but he had just dozed off. I carefully recalled him so that he'd stay asleep in his Pokeball, along with the rest of my team.

"Okay," I smiled. It was time to speak to Turtonator once again.

——

I was back on route 208, and I released Turtonator. He stared at me angrily and let out a threatening growl.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're a big, scary dragon," I said dismissively, closing my eyes to show that I wasn't scared— even though I was. I opened an eye when I heard that he wasn't growling anymore, and I understood after a few seconds. "What? Surprised my team isn't here this time?"

He didn't respond. In fact, he almost looked disappointed, like he wanted a confrontation. Now that he wasn't getting it, Turtonator turned and left, lying down a few feet away.

"I brought some food for you," I said, grabbing a pack of kibble from my backpack. "Want some?"

I approached him, but he turned toward me, and flames started to gather in his snout. I froze and fell to the ground, and he let out a satisfied snort.

"Asshole," I groaned. I realized that I had instinctively dropped the food and grabbed Frillish's Pokeball instead, probably because I thought I was about to be lit on fire. Even though I knew Turtonator wouldn't kill me, seeing him gather a Flamethrower and aim it at me had been so terrifying that I had forgotten about it.

Turtonator swiped the food, angled his head upward, and ripped the package open over his mouth, eating all of the kibble in one go.

Two hundred and forty Pokedollars down the drain. And he didn't even look the slightest bit happy. I sighed.

"Wanna know something?"

He immediately shook his head and walked off. When I tried to follow him, he raised the temperature to unbearable levels and forced me to back off. He was daring me to either recall him or screw off.

"Okay then," I shrugged. "I'll tell you when you feel like it."

I sat a ways away from him. It was uncomfortable but bearable, and I had plenty of water. I couldn't really tell if there was progress being made or not, but it was nice sometimes, staying on my own in silence. I could tell why Justin wanted his alone time so often. I'd rather be with my friends, but once in a while, I wouldn't be against this. Plus, even though I was on the edge of the route, no wild Pokemon would be crazy enough to attack a Turtonator.

I jumped when I saw the fire type get up. He was… angry. Furious, like he had been in Mount Coronet. I grabbed his Pokeball, ready to recall him before an attack came, but I soon realized that he wasn't looking at me.

He was looking behind me. I heard someone fall over and turned. A trainer that had just been walking through the route scrambled backward, but before Turtonator could do anything, I put him back in his Pokeball.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, helping the teenager up. He gave me a shaky nod and left— well, it was more accurate to say he ran away. I thought that this part of the route was isolated enough to avoid others, but I had apparently been wrong.

In my hubris standing up to Turtonator, I had almost forgotten what he was. I needed to be more alert every time I had him out, or an accident was bound to happen. I clipped his ball back on my belt and ran a hand through my hair.

Dragons were a prideful bunch, and they held grudges. Turtonator still hated trainers for what they had done to him in Mount Coronet. I doubted that kid had actually been one of the people that battled him. There were no signs of burns, and he looked rather new. If I had to guess, I would have said that he had come from Hearthome to train and not from Mount Coronet.

And yet, it did not matter to him. They were all the same.

When I got closer to the city, my phone went off with a flurry of notifications. I opened it and checked the group chat.

Emilia was calling us over to meet her new coordinator friend.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 115

I entered a quaint cafe and immediately found my friends. It wasn't difficult, since they were the biggest group in the place, and two tables had to be stuck together for them. I smiled and strode up to their table.

"Grace, over here," Denzel beckoned. "Saved you a seat."

"Thanks," I said as I sat between him and Cecilia. "The new guy isn't here yet?" I asked, looking at Emilia.

She was looking at her phone. "No, but he should be here any minute."

Denzel called over a waiter for me, and I ordered an egg and cheese bagel with some water. They had apparently all ordered before me, since I had been running late and not answering the phone because I'd been on a route.

"I want to warn you guys," Emilia said. "Please don't be mean to him."

"What? Why would I be rude?" Pauline smiled. "He can't be too bad, since he got you out of your shell. I'll just ask him a few questions."

"Please, let's not be rude to a potential new friend. I'm sure the meeting will go well," Justin said.

"Thank you, Justin," she smiled softly.

"Look, I'm just tired, so I'll be chill," I shrugged. "I almost had an accident with Turtonator."

They all turned toward me.

"Oh shit," Denzel gasped.

"Are you okay?!" Cece asked worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine," I hurriedly clarified. "I meant that he almost attacked another trainer that was just passing by. Sorry for not being clear."

"Arceus, do not scare us like that," my girlfriend exhaled as she gripped my arm. I hurriedly apologized again.

"They'll probably complain about it online," Pauline laughed. Now that she knew I hadn't been in danger, she had immediately loosened up.

"I don't think it's a laughing matter," I sighed. "He could be traumatized."

"He'll go through a lot worse if he wants this job," she simply stated. "Comes with the territory."

I wanted to retort, but Emilia interrupted us and pointed toward the entrance. Vincent was a short teen with long, wavy brown hair, thin lips, and large eyes. I observed as he confidently walked toward us with a smile.

"He sure seems happy," I muttered quietly enough so no one would hear.

He scanned the table as he walked, but his stare lingered on me longer, probably because of how I looked. Trainer scars were common, but most weren't as pronounced as mine, especially with how young I was.

"Hey everyone, sorry I'm late, I lost track of time when I was editing a video. My name's Vincent Campbell," he introduced himself with a smile.

"Oh shit, you have a channel? No way, man!" Denzel exclaimed. "You're gonna have to give me the name later."

"Most coordinators have them, remember?" Emilia clarified. "Take a seat, Vincent."

The boy sat, and we all introduced ourselves one by one. I noticed immediately that Vincent was a very extroverted individual— even more so than Denzel was. In fact, he and my best friend broke the ice immediately and seemed to get along very well after interacting for just a few minutes. I introduced myself last.

"I'm Grace Pastel," I smiled. "Nice to meet the one that got Emi started on her coordinator stuff."

"Grace, hm?" He said. "Can I just comment on your scars? You look really cool with them. It makes you stand out…"

Vincent didn't finish his sentence, as the entire table froze.

"Excuse me?" Cecilia asked, her tone icy.

"Vincent…" Emilia winced.

"Erm, did I say something—"

Pauline slammed a palm against the table, causing the customers around us to look on with worried gazes. "The fuck did you just say?"

"I— I—"

"Oh, so now we stutter, huh? You sure seemed content to run your mouth—"

"Pauline," I interrupted.

"No, Grace, this guy's—"

"It's fine," I said, discreetly nodding toward Emilia. She was staring down at her hands. "Hey, Vincent," I called out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't— I mean, I still don't know what was wrong, but if you tell me, I'll apologize properly."


I stared at Vincent, and noticed that he did appear to be apologetic. He was beginning to sweat nervously, his tone was nowhere near as smooth and confident as it had been seconds earlier, and I could hear the faint tap of his shoe bouncing against the floor. I had considered that he had been faking it for a second, but he did appear genuine. It looked like Emi had picked a good friend, at the very least. He wasn't tricking her here.

I exhaled as I calmly drummed my fingers against the table. I needed to approach this carefully. This was Emilia's new friend. I needed to be nice.

Even though that comment had infuriated me.

"Look, Vincent," I started. "I'm not going to tell you how I got these. I don't want you to treat me differently, or to feel bad for me— I mean, we barely know each other. But you need to realize that this isn't a game."

"I… I knew it wasn't a game," he said.

"You might have known, but I don't think you truly incorporated that fact," I continued. "To you, they're just something I have. But consider this, Vincent. These had to get on me. My skin was seared until it was irreparably scarred."

Vincent's eyes widened, and he grimaced. The words might have seemed simple, but after seeing his reaction, I knew I had been right. Vincent hadn't even considered the simple fact that a burn like this didn't get on you for no reason. It was painful and traumatic. I had been the victim of this thought process before becoming a trainer too. Plenty of people had scars in the battles I used to watch on television, and I did think some of them were cool. That had been before.

Behind every single one was a painful memory.

"Ah, shit," he swore. "I was being an asshole, wasn't I?"

"Yes," Denzel nodded. "But we can call it water under the bridge if that's alright with you, Grace?"

"Yeah, that's fine," I said.

"I guess I was thinking from a coordinator's point of view," Vincent said. "The distinguishing yourself thing… it's a thing that every coordinator tries to do to separate themselves from the herd, so I meant it as a compliment. I'm sorry. I swear, I wasn't discriminating against trainers or anything."

"Think before you speak," Pauline hissed. "I'll let it go for Emilia, but you're on thin ice. No one fucks with my friends."

"It wasn't intentional, Pauline," Justin tried.

She clicked her tongue. "Whatever."

"What do you mean by discriminating against trainers?" I asked.

Emilia spoke up, seemingly having recovered from the group's little spat. "Some coordinators see trainers with disdain," she explained. "Mostly because we— you get a lot of things for free."

"They also say that you guys act like you're better than them," Vincent added. "Which you'll easily know is a load of bullshit if you spent five minutes with the first coordinator you find on the Walk."

"The Walk?" Denzel asked.

"The Coordinator's Walk," Vincent said. "The street leading up to the Hearthome Contest Hall."

Vincent went on to explain a lot of the city to us and the main attractions, which I appreciated because my dad would be here tomorrow, and I wanted to do a lot of things with him. The conversation then moved on to another topic.

"So, how'd you two meet?" Cecilia asked Vincent and Emilia.

"Oh, it was actually on the Walk, funnily enough. Some girl called Jasmine was—"

"Vincent," Emilia said.

"What?"

"You can skip over the details."

Pauline frowned. "No, go ahead. Tell me about this Jasmine girl."

"Uh…" Vincent hesitated, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Pauline's murderous glare seemingly won out, though, and he continued. "She was trying to trick Emilia. Asked her if she was staying at a hotel so that she and her friends could film a video there, and when she said no, she…"

He didn't finish his sentence.

"I think I can get the picture," Pauline said, looking at Emi's pained expression. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to handle it myself," Emilia sighed. "I can do it. I know you want to help, but I've got to learn to do this stuff myself. You won't always be there."

Pauline chewed on her words for a few seconds. "Okay."

"Really?!" Emilia beamed, hugging the other girl's arm. "Thank you so much."

"S'nothing," she grumbled. "If we walk up on her when I'm with you, though…"

"You won't have to hold back," Emi nodded.

"I think I want to go see what the Coordinator's Walk looks like later," Pauline said nonchalantly. "Hey, what does this Jasmine gal look like?"

"Now you're purposefully looking for trouble," Justin sighed with a slight smile.

"Look, if it's worth anything, I think you guys are way nicer than your average coordinator," Vincent said, probably trying to change the subject.

"Don't kiss my ass," Pauline grumbled. "Makes you look and sound fake. I know you don't like me."

"He just can't win with you, can't he," I smiled.

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed. "Y'all seem pretty nice. People normally wouldn't have given me another chance after my fuck up earlier."

"They are nice," Emilia said. "Even Pauline. You just have to get to know her."

"So you mentioned that coordinators hate trainers earlier," Denzel mused. "I honestly don't see the same dislike toward you guys in our line of work."

"Some coordinators," he specified. "Like Jasmine, for example. But the majority won't really care. They're too busy competing with each other."

Cecilia let out a tired sigh. "What a cutthroat world. It seems exhausting."

"Trainers and coordinators do seem fundamentally different," I contemplated with a nod.

"True," Denzel agreed. "Trainers can be toxic to each other, but at the end of the day, we have each other's backs."

"Probably because we don't actually compete with each other— at least not in an official manner— until we get to the Conference," I said. "Imagine if people had to battle each other to get a badge."

"Okay, yeah, I can see how that'd degenerate very quickly," Denzel said.

"Plus, we travel together in the routes," Cecilia added. "Harsh experiences create bonds. Coordinators have none of that."

"Doesn't mean they have to be fake pieces of shit," Pauline said.

"The performances make it worth it," Vincent said.

"You ever been in a performance?" She asked aggressively.

"Emi told us about—" Denzel spoke up until Pauline interrupted him with a single stare.

"Twice, and none of them were for a ribbon," he quickly answered. "The first one, I lost horribly. The second one, I lost. Also horribly."

We all chuckled lightly. I was glad I gave Vincent another chance. Emilia seemed overjoyed that we were getting along. She had probably been worried she would have had to lose her only coordinator friend. Plus, he didn't seem to know much about us because he was largely disconnected from trainer news, which was a positive in my book. We continued talking for an hour, although most of the conversation had turned toward content creation. Denzel and Emilia wanted to do a 'collab,' and he also wanted to shout out her channel to give her a head start. He had fifty-thousand subscribers now, and his channel was still growing exceptionally quickly. I wondered if it was going to get him unwanted attention from other coordinators, especially with what Vincent had told us about how a good number of them hated trainers. There could be some jealousy issues there.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Vincent," I told him as we exited the cafe.

"Likewise. Sorry again about earlier. And Denzel, don't forget to contact me! We've got to get that video filmed before y'all leave Hearthome!" Vincent yelled as he left.

"Sure!" he grinned.

"What is the video even going to be about? I spaced out," Pauline asked.

"They're going to make me try to come up with a performance with no prep time and act as the judges. I'll most likely fail horribly, which could be good content. Emilia will upload the video, and Vincent will help her edit it. It'll be a good base to build up from."

Emilia's smile was so bright I almost felt the need to cover my eyes. "This is going to be so good!" She squealed, sneaking in between Denzel and Pauline as she wrapped her arms around theirs. "Now I've just got to keep working hard for my performance. I'm close to a breakthrough with Shadow Ball."

"Oh right, that reminds me!" Denzel exclaimed. "I still need to borrow your Shadow Ball TM!"

"Borrowing TMs, huh?" I teased.

"What? It's the smart thing to do! I've got to save for two evolutionary stones!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I chortled. "Anyway, are you guys ready?"

Pauline and Justin looked at me with fired-up expressions. Justin's Audino was set to arrive tomorrow, and they were going to sign up for Fantina's gym. There'd probably be a decently long wait time, so he hoped that since it was a bred Pokemon, it'd be easy to train so that he could use it in battle. I considered it a very interesting tactic, considering ghosts and normal type attacks couldn't hit each other for any amount of significant damage. Something about the two type energies canceled each other out. Apparently, the Audino he had ordered would have the Regenerator ability too, which was incredibly busted, since it meant that the Pokemon would continuously heal its injuries when it got a chance to relax, and the process was further sped up when it was recalled. The longer they stuck in their Pokeballs, the more damage they repaired, which meant that you couldn't just recall your Pokemon and instantly rerelease them, but it still had a lot of powerful applications. Tangrowth could have had it too, if I had gotten lucky, but Chlorophyll would come into its own as soon as we managed to learn Sunny Day.

Cecilia paid for a taxi, and we were driven to Fantina's gym, which was the usual stadium-like building, and we waited for Justin and Pauline to go through the queue to sign up. The lobby was unusually active, but it was probably because Hearthome was a big city. People were squeezing past each other to get to the spectating area.

"What'd you find out about Fantina earlier?" Denzel asked me.

"That she's going to be tough," I shrugged. "Ghosts are a bitch to fight. Expect the battle to be long and exhausting."

"Just how I like 'em," he said confidently.

"Please, at least do some surface-level research," I told both Cecilia and Denzel. "There actually aren't that many Pokemon to learn about."

"How many?" Cece asked.

"Twenty."

"We have different definitions of 'not many,'" Denzel shook his head.

I sighed. They were both lost causes. "Well, at least we get to watch Justin's and Pauline's battle before our own this time."

"They're a badge below us. I don't expect it to help that much," Cecilia shrugged.

"If it was any other type, I would have agreed," Denzel said. "But Grace is right here. It'll help to see how ghosts operate. I mean, the only one I've ever seen was that Mismagius."

"And Dusknoir," my girlfriend somberly added. "It's true that they are decently rare, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Suddenly, I heard huge cheers emanate from the battlefield.

"Must be a good battle going on," I smiled. "Should we go see?"

Denzel stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck. "Looks packed to the brim, I don't think we'll get through."

After fifteen minutes, Justin and Pauline came back.

"We're on in five days, in the afternoon," Justin proudly declared. "Pauline's first, since she so desperately wanted to go—"

"You should be happy I'm going first," she huffed. "I'm letting you get some intel."

"That's when Chase is coming back," Cecilia pondered.

"Chase won't come watch," I said.

"He'd probably say something like— I don't have time to waste on watching these low leveled battles," Cece recalled fondly.

"Seems like a real angel," Pauline said. "Anyway, what now?"

"Well, a few companies answered me, and I've got my first meeting in…" Denzel trailed off as he grabbed his Poketch. "Three hours. I was wondering if any of you could help me out? Rehearse a little? Figure out what they'd do to fuck me over?"

"Say no more," Pauline said. "Emi, Cece, come with."

"Actually, I'm going to train," Cece declared.

"So am I," Justin nodded.

"Any answers on your side, Grace?" My best friend asked.

"I checked on the bus. One answer from that shoe company I talked to you about, and the meeting's next week. But nothing from the Poketch Company."

Cecilia crossed her arms. "If I had to guess, they've probably read your message, but they're deliberately taking their time to answer."

"Why would they do that?"

"Well, you made them wait, right? It might be their way of letting you know that they didn't appreciate it."

I sighed. "They did send their first email when we were in Snowpoint. I could have answered…"


"And now that they've seen you've answered back, they know you want to work with them. That means the balance of power's back in their favor," Emilia nodded. "Be careful."

"I will, don't worry," I reassured her. "I thought they were supposed to be nice. You guys go do your stuff, I'm gonna hang out here and decide what to do."

We all bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. I considered my options before deciding to go off and train too. Maybe I could find one of the arenas and battle some trainers there with Tangrowth, or I could go back on Route 208 or visit Amity Square to work on Togetic's Wish. Well, the closest option was Amity Square, so I'd go there—

A girl with glasses and jet black hair paced through the lobby, followed by a group of… fans? One of them carried a banner with the word 'LET'S GO LAUREN' written on it in a fancy, almost unreadable font, but the girl seemed to pay them no mind. In fact, she wasn't even listening to what they were saying since she was wearing ear pods and her head was nodding to the rhythm of what I assume was music.

The name Lauren…

Wait, was this Craig's sister? They certainly shared the same hair color, and their eyes and noses were the same shape. I discreetly followed the small but dedicated group, who were asking for Lauren's autograph. I remembered from my research online that her fans weren't as numerous as other trainers in the Circuit, but they were devoted to finding out every crumb of information about her. They reminded me of some of the fans coordinators had. They could get very rabid, even driving some to quit the industry after they were found to be dating someone. I was surprised to see that she was even out and about in broad daylight, however. She usually battled as early or late as possible to attract the least attention. What was she doing here in the middle of the afternoon?

Lauren released a Duosion, who hovered above her, and the people following her clenched their heads and backed off. Was that even allowed…? The psychic type seemed unharmed, which meant that she hadn't used it in her battle. I couldn't be one hundred percent sure it had actually been her battling, but the fact that some of her fans carried banners to encourage her certainly made me lean that way.

Well, I had promised Craig that I'd tell his sister to call him if I met her.

I took a deep breath and quickly approached her, tapping her shoulder. Duosion moved around in its goo-like substance, and Lauren stopped in her tracks. She turned toward me.

"Hello?" I hesitantly said.

She just stared at me, and then at Duosion. And then at me again. After what seemed like an eternity, she took off her ear pods.

"You… seem alright. Can I help you?"

Her voice was so quiet it was practically inaudible, especially with my busted ear drum.


"Erm, I'm Grace. I know your brother Craig. I know this is sudden, but he asked me to call him if I ever met you."

Her meek expression changed to an exasperated one for a split second. "Oh… what do you think, Duosion?" She asked. After a few seconds, she talked again. She didn't seem to be in any pain from the telepathy, but I doubted that it was because she was used to it enough. No matter how many times you spoke to your psychic types, you would at least feel some pain if you had only owned it for a few months. Lauren either had a very high pain tolerance, or was simply good at hiding the fact that she was suffering a massive headache. "Trustworthy? You're right, she doesn't seem like a stalker…"

"You've been stalked?" I asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"During my stay in the city…" she whispered. "They keep following me, but they're harmless."

"Oh. Well, I won't follow you," I said. "Just let me do this favor for your brother? I owe him a whole lot."

"Fine," she sighed.

I dialed his number, and he thankfully answered. For all I knew, he could have been flying off somewhere.

"Grace! Long time no see. What's up?" He asked cheerfully.

"No… um, I've got your sister in front of me. I'll hand her the phone."

I ignored his freak-out and gave Lauren my Poketch. As soon as she brought the phone to her ear, her whole demeanor changed.

"I thought I told you to stop trying to contact me!" She yelled angrily into the phone. Duosion worriedly jumped around in its goo. "Shut your mouth! I want nothing to do with you!"

I felt like I shouldn't have been hearing this.

"If I'm seen with you, people will think I'm getting help from you, you shitter!" She screamed. "No! No— don't you dare fly here. No! I don't want to see you!"

There was another pause.

"I'm not sticking around. I got my badge, and I'm leaving," she said. "All the bullshit messages you sent me about being more public only got me some creepy fans. I hate you."

I awkwardly stared at the floor, hoping this conversation would be over. This wasn't what I had expected at all.

Lauren sighed. "Her? Fine… if you say so," she said, in a surprising change of heart. "As long as you don't actually come here."

Then, she stared at me and seemingly remembered that I was hearing everything being said, since Craig had probably mentioned me by name. "Okay… yeah… I'll stick around for a little bit," she muttered. "Nothing happened. Just… bye."

Lauren handed me my Poketch back. "Sorry you had to see me that way," she continued with her meek voice. It was like she had done a complete one-eighty, but maybe that was how close she was with her brother. "Craig just gets on my nerves."

"Hey, I won't tell," I shrugged. "So I guess that's it."

She nodded. "Craig told me that you and your friends were good…" Lauren quietly said. Her eyes suddenly lit ablaze with a passion I knew too well. "I'm sticking around until I see all of you battle Fantina."

I smiled. "Are you sure? You seemed like you wanted to leave badly."

"There's a tournament in Solaceon I want to sign up for," she muttered. I perked up at the mention of a tournament, and she continued. "It's in a bit, so I should still be able to make it. And so should you, if you don't lose against Fantina. You losing would be disappointing, though..."

"I won't lose," I declared. "None of us will. I should probably tell my friends about all of this. Um, it was nice to meet you?"

"No. Don't tell more people about me," she shook her head.

"Oh. Um, okay?"

My friends were cool, though…

Lauren nodded, giving me her number to tell her when our gym battles would take place. Afterward, she put her ear pods back in, and walked off with her Duosion as she bobbed her head to music.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 116

"Wish."

Togetic shut her eyes as tightly as she could and started to glow, forcing me to shield my eyes. After five seconds, a light shot up from her body and high into the sky.

Five seconds. That was a lifetime during a battle, and yet it appeared to be princess' bottleneck unless anyone she cared about was in mortal danger. It took slightly less than two minutes to fall back from the sky, like a bright star falling down to earth. I congratulated her, gently petting her head, which she nuzzled against my hand, and Electabuzz put his arms up and flexed, screaming to celebrate. The move wasn't as good as it could potentially be, but at least it was usable in battle now.

I couldn't sleep, so I had decided to go out training instead. My dad's arrival in… approximately eight hours excited me too much, and I kept tossing and turning in my bed. I was currently on the shores of Amity Square's enormous lake, and because it was so late at night, it was completely empty. I was honestly surprised the place never closed. I had almost expected to get turned back at the entrance, but some poor man half asleep on his night shift had let me through.

What I had learned, however, was that battling wasn't allowed in Amity Square, nor was using any kind of offensive moves, so all we had managed to do was get Wish as close to perfect as we can— which wasn't close whatsoever.

At least the team was having fun. Frillish was off somewhere swimming in the lake, while Larvitar was dipping her tiny feet in the water. I had told Tangrowth to watch over her, and he had a vine wrapped around her like a life buoy in case she went too far. Electabuzz was keeping Togetic company and encouraging her.

"You've done enough for today," I told her. "The next time we train, we gotta work on that Ancient Power variant idea."

"Prrrri!" She chirped.

The goal would be to shape the earth and rocks into drills to penetrate Zweilous' armor. From all the times I had seen it battle, the dragon was impressively good at resisting blunt trauma, or super effective attacks in general. Even as a Deino, he had shrugged off multiple Mach Punches from Gardenia's Breloom. However, his hard scales had been penetrated by Icicle Crash in the fight against Candice. I only had one example, but it was still empirical evidence.

Piercing his armor would be more important than hitting it with Fairy Wind. Although at this point, Togetic could probably keep a constant, low-powered Fairy Wind going throughout the battle. Still, she had come a long way since not being able to even create spheres with Ancient Power back when I had first trained angel. Now, she could create whatever shape she wanted without a second thought.

I was excited to see what she'd be able to do with Psychic.

Arceus, Chase couldn't get there soon enough. There was only so much planning I could do without knowing the other person I'd face. I had considered just starting now and creating a strategy to fight them both, but I realized that if I wanted to strategize, I'd need to do it with my teammate.

"Well, let's head back home. Angel, call buddy over!" I yelled.

Larvitar protested, wanting to stay to play in the water longer— which was very surprising for a rock type— but Tangrowth dragged her away and started gently tapping the surface with his vines. Around twenty seconds later, Frillish emerged from below the surface, his red eyes appearing like spotlights in the darkness.

"It'd been a while since you got to enjoy a lake, huh?" I told him as he approached. "I'll bring you back when I have time."

Unfortunately, I hadn't released Turtonator here because I feared that he'd burn the grass here to annoy me, and this was a public park, not a route. It'd be rude to the people that worked to maintain it every day and the others that visited it. I recalled my team aside from honey, who walked me back to the Center, and I finally managed to fall asleep.

——

I anxiously waited in the airport, standing at arrivals to see when my dad would pop up. His flight had been delayed, so he was arriving an hour late. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen his text warning me about it until I had already gotten there, so I had just been at the airport for more than an hour, letting the excitement and anticipation build up. My friends had asked to come, but I had told them that I wanted to be alone with my dad, at least for now. Introductions could come later. Plus, even though I was sure my dad would like to meet my group, interacting with teenagers for too long would probably annoy him somewhat.

And even though I didn't want to admit it, I wanted some alone time with my dad too.

Togetic let out a longing chirp as she lazily floated and placed her head on my shoulder.

"Sorry, princess," I said. "It's my fault you're tired. I should have let you sleep—"

"Toge!"

She let out an ear-piercing yell, turning a few heads around us, and dashed toward arrivals. My head swerved toward the massive, automatic doors, and I gasped.

Dad was here!

Before I even realized it, I was running, weaving and dodging in between people to get to dad faster. Togetic got there first and tackled him, practically making him fall to the ground. I was right behind her, embracing him as tightly as I could.

"Grace!" He said as he softly caressed my hair. "I've missed you, kiddo."


"Toge!"

"You too, princess," he added.

"Dad…" I sobbed into his shirt. I was so happy.

"I know, I know," he said. He gently pushed me back and smiled. "Look at you! You've grown so much. That's at least an inch."

"You're such an idiot," I chuckled before sniffling and wiping my tears. "Should we get out?"

"I'll go and book my hotel room and rent a car," dad nodded. "Then, we can do whatever we want."

"Sweet!"

——

"So you even watched my battle against Candice? You didn't say anything!" I grumbled as we exited dad's hotel room. He had just dropped all his luggage there, and now, we were free.

"I did, and you were wonderful in it. You know, people in my department are all rooting for you now. You're like a little celebrity there."

I hid a smile. Dad wasn't really well versed with the trainer-internet space, so he didn't really know I was still somewhat of a celebrity, even now that the Mount Coronet story had died down.

"That's embarrassing. What about their own kids?" I asked.

"None of them are as far along as you are in the Circuit," he said. "They're still rooting for them too, obviously, but you too."

"Well, you're enough for me," I shrugged. "Will you be there for my battle against Fantina? It might be in a while… more than a week for sure."

I asked him the question with the biggest Lillipup eyes I could muster, but I surprisingly didn't even have to convince him.

"Is that even a question? I'll be out there yelling your name, and when you're down there, I'll tell everyone you're my daughter."

I blushed. "Please don't. Anyway, where do you want to go?"

"Are you sure you don't want to pick?"

"No, no, today's your day!" I exclaimed. "Choose already!"

"Well, I heard the Poffin House might be fun," he said.

"Oh… yeah, save that for another day. I want us to go with my… girlfriend."

Well, that had been as subtle as a brick through a window, but it'd be better to get it out there as soon as I could. Plus, dad already knew I was gay. I had come out to him immediately after figuring it out two years ago, and he had the best reaction possible: he kept acting normal and treated me no differently than he had before.

"Oh," He said, raising an eyebrow. "Which one is she?"

"Cecilia," I said. "I can already tell what you're thinking. Don't be hard on her."

"I wasn't going to be hard on her. I was just thinking we could have a little talk when I meet her," he explained, pausing when he saw me glare. "Nothing bad, kiddo. Don't worry about it."

"Well, I can't not worry about it now," I sighed. "I'll have to warn her. She's already anxious about meeting you."

"Come on, I'm not that bad, am I?"

"You look intimidating. Just because you're being mean, I'm picking where we're going. The new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon movie came out recently, and I've been wanting to go see it."

"Mystery Dungeon? Didn't you use to watch those when you were younger? I thought those were for kids."

"No! People keep saying that because it looks like a cartoon, but that's just a stylistic choice! The movies have a lot of depth. A lot more than most of the garbage coming out these days."

"Still got your passion for movies, I see," he said. "Alright then, I'll trust you on this. Where's the nearest theater?"

"I… don't know."

Dad chuckled. "Let's ask around."

"We can just look it up, dummy..."

——

Dad wiped the tears from his cheeks and sniffled as we walked out of the cinema. He'd bawled like a baby at the movie's ending. The two main characters were separated forever. One became the most famous adventurer, and the other returned to his world— a world without Pokemon.

A world without Pokemon? How depressing. I had teared up a little as well, but I knew the movie would get dad. He'd always been a softie.

"I can't believe you made me watch this," he complained.

"But it was good, right?"

"Yeah… you win, it was good," he sniffled. "I can't believe Riolu and Vulpix are never going to see each other again."

"Yeah, that sucks," I nodded. "Their movies are usually sad, but this was definitely the saddest ending yet."

"Whew, that was something," he exclaimed. "Hungry?"

"I ate a large popcorn, so no," I said. "But you can go eat something if you want. I'll just drink some water."

We quickly stopped by a drive-through at Arlyle's— my favorite fast-food chain, and dad ordered a burger with two fries, which I proceeded to steal as soon as he parked to eat.

"Thank Arceus I bought two sides," he said.

"Well, if you put fries in my face, I'm gonna eat 'em," I retorted, leaning back against the seat and placing my feet on my dashboard.

"So much for not being hungry," he laughed. "Arlyle's still as good as ever."

"You haven't eaten any since I left?"

"No, I only ate some when I was with you," he answered. "I've got to watch my cholesterol, remember?"

"Right," I said. "Oh, by the way, the Poketch Company's offered to meet me."

Dad started to cough and almost choked on his food. He drank half of his water to wash it down.

"We're— we're sponsoring you? That's great!"

"They might," I nodded. "I wanted to hear what you thought about it."

Dad paused for a few seconds to calm down. "Uh, I think you should go for it, but there are things to watch out for," he said. "I'm getting it's going to be a closed-door meeting, but never sign anything without being sure—"

"Oh, I know all of that already. I have business-savvy friends, remember?"

"They grow up so fast…"

"Dad!"

"So you were asking what I thought the company was like as a whole, then?" He asked, ignoring my outburst.

"Yeah. I mean, you've worked there since before I was born, so you must know a lot."

"I honestly think they're a decent company, but I suppose I'm biased," he said. "The benefits I get are excellent, the pay is good, even if you get an entry-level job, and even though the work is hard and my boss can be a real hard ass… I couldn't imagine working anywhere else."

I nodded, chewing on a fry. "I was thinking it was too good to be true. I got suspicious."

"I mean, feel free to make your own decisions, Grace, but you have to remember that sometimes, good things just happen."

"You're… you're right. I should give it a try, at least."

"Gotta hand it to the Poketch Company, though, they know where to pick the best trainers out there," he said, looking at me.

"Ugh, you're so embarrassinguh," I groaned, hitting his shoulder. "Stop it!"

"So I can't even compliment my daughter?"

"No!"

"Arceus… just tell me where to next."


"Amity Square," I said. "I'd like for you to meet my Pokemon."

——

"They're all nice, no need to be scared," I said, looking at my dad, who was trembling like a leaf. "Well, one of them isn't, but you won't be meeting him."

"That Frillish of yours was a problem when he stayed at my house."

"Oh, that's right, I remember!" I smiled. "He scared you a little bit."

"Not just a little," dad sighed. "Just go ahead."

"Come on, he was just smiling at you," I said, grabbing my Pokeballs. "We'll go one by one, okay? Princess is first."

Togetic flew out of her Pokeball and started pulling on dad's hair.

"Hey, no! Don't do that, I have very few of those remaining!"

Togetic laughed, clapping her hands after pulling a few strands.

"Come on, dad, you aren't that bald. Just balding. There's a difference."

"You saying that hurts more than you would know," he said.

I ignored him and released Frillish next.

"Hey bud," I greeted him, pointing toward dad. "Remember my father? I said he'd visit soon, right?"

Frillish's eyes lit up brightly as he stared at dad, causing him to shrink back.

"Stop scaring him!" I laughed. "What's with you? You're never like this with anyone else. Be cute like you usually are."

The water type huffed but flew toward dad and gave him a curt nod before flying off into the lake. That was probably the best I was going to get.

"Well, he's a bit anti-social, but he's a lot of help."

"Sure… I think he just hates me."

"Well, this one won't," I smiled, sending out Tangrowth. "This is angel. Angel, this is my dad who I told you about."

The grass type's vines wriggled, and he wrapped six vines around my father, who let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched screech.

"What is he doing?!"

"Calm down, this is just how angel says hello. He's non-verbal."

"Why's he going under my shirt?!"

"He just likes feeling skin instead of clothes, so he can differentiate you from other people with touch. Look, he has one around my ankle."

After around ten seconds, Tangrowth finished his inspection, and dad looked like he was already ready to leave even though we weren't close to done.

"Don't be a baby," I teased.

"That was terrifying."

Tangrowth petted him on the head, and his eyes saddened.

"He's apologizing."

"Oh… I forgive you," dad sighed.

I released Electabuzz next. "This is honey."

Electabuzz confidently strode up to my dad and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Oh, this one's normal enough," dad hesitantly said.

"Wait, don't! He's pranking you."

"What?"

"Your hair."

Dad realized that the hair on his head was standing up, and he retracted his hand quicker than I thought was even humanly possible. Electabuzz had just tried to give him a small jolt.

"Honey… don't prank my dad. He's not into stuff like that."

"Buzz…"

"Prank Frillish when he comes back, okay?" I said, releasing Larvitar. I introduced her to dad, and she didn't seem to be exactly impressed, but she certainly had the most normal reaction of the bunch, and since she was a baby, she reminded him of Togetic as a Togepi.

Which meant he was head over heels for her.

"Isn't she cute?" He said, trying to approach Larvitar. She turned away from him and hid behind my leg.

"She's a little shy, but I guess that's better than being jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Yeah, she gets jealous sometimes when people get too much of my attention," I explained. "She might be tolerating you because you're my dad, though."

The rock type huffed, clearly denying my accusations and waddled toward Electabuzz, who started playing tag with her. Dad ended up spending the most time with Tangrowth and Togetic after all, and the grass type was growing on him. It was impossible not to like angel, as odd as he was. After around thirty minutes, dad took on a more serious expression that I knew all too well. He was going to bring something important up, and I already had a suspicion of what it was.

He cleared his throat. "Grace. I was waiting to see if you were going to bring it up yourself, but I know that you won't," he said before exhaling loudly. "How are you dealing with your burns?"

I froze and averted my gaze.

"You told me your last Pokemon gave them to you," he continued. "I'm wondering if you're… let me think about how to say this," he sighed before continuing. "Look, I'll support you no matter what. I'm the one that gave you the first push to go on this journey, and I've already told you I'd cheer you on for your battles, but I'm starting to think you're taking too many risks, kiddo."

"I… I know that. I've already told myself that I'd stop, and now that I have six Pokemon, I won't have to risk myself stupidly like that again."

"Okay, that's good," he nodded. "I don't want you to do something like that ever again, Grace. First, you throw yourself into an unpatrolled part of Mount Coronet—"

"It was to save Cece!" I snapped.

"I don't want you to throw your life away."

"Being a trainer's dangerous. You know this already."

"I do, but there are things that you shouldn't do. Slow down a little, Grace. You don't need to throw caution to the wind like you only have a year to work with. You'll be doing this for possibly a decade. You have time. Stop acting so recklessly."

"You're only right about me taking needless risks to catch Turtonator. If I had to go into Mount Coronet to save any of my friends, I'd do it again."

Dad looked at me with a pained expression and sighed. "It's hard, Grace. It's hard to think that when you leave the city, you might make a mistake."

"I said I would stop," I exclaimed.

"You're telling me that because you want the discussion to stop," he said. "Not because you're actually agreeing with me."

I flinched.

"What? I'm your dad, kid. I know you. You just want the argument to be done with. Your actions could have endangered your friends and your Pokemon too, couldn't they? It's you I care about the most, but it's not just you that you have to watch out for."

I said nothing, but I knew he was right. Cecilia had tried to get me to back out of the battle against Turtonator, and she could have gotten burned just as badly as I did. To be honest, it was a miracle she hadn't.

"I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that next time you want to do something incredibly dangerous, you'll remember this conversation, and you'll back out."

"Unless my friends are in danger."

"Can't you call the rangers or the League?"

"Sometimes, they're not enough. They won't prioritize my friends. There are tens of thousands of trainers out there."

"Just… be safe."

"I will, I swear," I promised. "I didn't know you were that worried."

"How could I not be? That'd make me a horrible dad. But you still haven't answered my original questions. How are you dealing with your burns?"

"I'll have to learn to deal," I breathed. I explained to him how ugly I found my face and body now that they was scarred and how looking at my burns reminded me that I had failed.

"You're holding yourself to impossible standards."

I let out a sad laugh. "Cece said the same thing."

"Well, she's getting that right," he said before pausing. "You'll get used to the scars, Grace. Humans can get used to anything. But at least for now, can't you reframe the entire thing? Instead of the scars reminding you of the mistakes you made, can't they remind you that you managed to survive a near-death situation—"

"I didn't almost die—"

"You did, Grace," he interrupted. "And pretending otherwise won't help. Use the scars to remind you to cherish what you have. Life is short. Before you know it, you'll blink, and the majority of it will be behind you."

"Yikes… are you having a midlife crisis?"

"I know you like to joke around when a conversation gets uncomfortable for you, but this isn't a joke," dad scolded. "When you look at your burns, tell yourself that you'll keep yourself, your team, and your friends safe instead. Be optimistic about the future— because you know you'll have one."

I nodded, and we sat in the grass, completely silent as we looked at the lake. People from all walks of life were visiting Amity Square. Coordinators, trainers, tourists, Hearthome residents… it was soothing, in a way.

"I don't think I'll be able to do what you said easily," I told dad. "I think that failure will always haunt me. But I can certainly try my best."

Dad smiled and ruffled my hair. "Doing your best's all I've ever asked of you. If you do that, I'll be happy."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"By the way," he continued. "I wanted to be gentle about this, but you need a haircut."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 117

"Grace!" Cecilia called out. "What do you think about this?"

Cecilia exited the bathroom in a beautiful cable-knit knee-length skirt, tights, and a fancy wool sweater that slightly covered her wrists. She was wearing make-up, too, including lip gloss, and her hair was styled into a chignon updo. Needless to say, she'd been getting ready for multiple hours at this point.

"You look gorgeous as always, but I told you that he won't care," I said. "Plus, we're going to bake. Even with an apron, our clothes are going to get dirty."

"I consider that a small price to pay if I can have a good first impression," she said, stepping back into the bathroom.

"Dad said he's coming around with the car soon," I yelled. "His hotel is like fifteen minutes away, we should probably start going downstairs."

"Five— two minutes! I've got to get everything right!"

As for myself, I still felt sad about dad making me cut my hair, but I did have to admit that hair that long was a hassle when I traveled. It got caught on everything, and it had reached down to my lower back. Now, it was a more appropriate shoulder length.

I liked my hair long, though.

I was just wearing normal day clothes, because we were going baking. I didn't have that many fancy clothes to begin with, but I wasn't about to get them stained. After dragging Cecilia out of the bathroom, we finally left and got on the elevator. It was cute to see her this nervous, but I couldn't help but feel responsible. It had been one day since dad had arrived, and I had warned her that he wanted to talk one-on-one about something. That had sent her anxiety into overdrive, and no matter what I said to quench her worries, nothing worked. Meanwhile, my only goal today was to keep dad from embarrassing me or pulling any stupid tests with Cecilia. He was definitely the type to say something stupid, like, 'prove that you're good enough for my daughter' or something.

At least I could be happy that I was sure he wouldn't act like a greedy man. Some parents definitely would have tried sucking up because Cecilia was rich, even with the problems with her parents that he obviously knew about.

"There he is," I declared, pointing toward the white car dad had rented. I turned to Cece. "Will you be alri— oh."

She was her cool, calm, and collected self. Of course, that meant that she was incredibly nervous, but dad wouldn't know that. Probably.

"Relax," I smiled. "It'll be fine."

"I am perfectly fine," she lied smoothly.

Dad honked, and we hurried into the back of the car.

"Good afternoon, ladies," dad said as he looked into the rearview mirror. "Cecilia, it's nice to finally meet you. Grace's talked a lot about you."

"It is my pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Pastel," she smoothly said. "I hope my baking today will be to your standards."

"She's a bit nervous," I added. Of course, the hidden message behind those words was be easy on her.

"Call me Arthur," dad said. "Mr. Pastel makes me feel old."

"You are old," I snarked.

"You wound me, daughter," he laughed. "But I'll let this one slide."

After doing some small talk that I expertly steered toward topics Cecilia would be comfortable with, dad hit her with one I couldn't possibly help with.

"So, Cecilia. Tell me a bit about yourself."

"What is this, a job interview?" I sighed, looking out the window longingly. We were still only halfway to the Poffin House.

"Well, I…"

I frowned. "Cece?"

I knew it was a difficult, open-ended question, but I hadn't expected her to not be able to answer.

"Why don't you start small? A hobby you like besides Pokemon battling?"

"Oh. I enjoy… staying and traveling with my friends. But if I had to pick a hobby besides battling, I suppose it would be dancing."

"Dancing? You never told me that!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"I haven't done it since the Circuit started," she explained. "My mother usually signed me up for these lessons. Dancing was the only one I enjoyed from all the ones I had."

"Grace here is a terrible dancer," dad said. I immediately turned red. "She has two left feet, and she can be clumsy as all hell. She had this phase where she blasted music in the entire apartment. You should have seen how many complaints I got from the neighbors. I used to catch her dancing alone in her room when I got home from work—"

"You are lucky you're driving. I'm going to poison your poffins."

I continued berating dad, but I stopped after noticing that Cece was smiling.

She was having fun! Her mask was slipping.

——

They… they were the same.

They were the same!

They were the same!!!!!

Arthur and Grace had the same mannerisms, the same humor, the same way of speaking. Cecilia watched in awe as the two bounced banter off of each other like they were friends, not father and daughter. She had never even thought this type of relationship was possible. She had always been so distant with her parents that they might as well have been three strangers living in the same property— and even that wasn't always the case. The only times her and her father usually met were when he needed to scold her for messing up, when he needed to order her around, or the rare times when they ate dinner together as a family, although that had mostly been done in complete silence.

"Did you finish grounding the Pecha berries?" Grace asked. "I'm done beating this… sugar paste thing."

"Just a second. This takes a lot more energy than I thought," Arthur panted.

"What? That's nothing! Just give it to Cece, she's done with mixing the flour and baking powder."

"Easy for you to say. You're a kid full of energy. I'm forty-seven and I work in an office most of the time."

"Berries are actually surprisingly tough," Cecilia said. "I think you'd struggle, Grace."

"What a complete betrayal. Just finish it up already, I want to eat!"

They were in an enormous room with around thirty cooking stations that anyone could use as long as they were booked ahead of time. The Poffin House was originally the first establishment to have invented the world-famous poffins, and they were still famous for making the best ones, but they had diversified their business by giving people the option to come to bake some too, so long as they paid an exorbitant price. She couldn't really blame them, though. They had to make a profit somehow, and every single ingredient was already provided to them ahead of time. Cecilia stared at the recipe the Poffin House had issued them and nodded. They were doing all the steps right so far. There had also been an option to get into a poffin baking class, but Grace and Arthur had opted to do it alone, because the feeling of adventure would apparently be more fun.

How would it be more fun if the end result was bad? They were supposed to eat it afterward! Their mysterious ways of thinking still eluded Cecilia, but she was having a lot of fun.

"Grace, you forgot to pre-heat the oven!" Arthur panicked.

"That was your job! I told you I didn't know how to do it, I've never used an oven before! All you ever taught me was using an Arceus damned microwave."

"Come on, kiddo, it's intuitive. Just twist the dial to one hundred and eighty."

"Oh. Wait, really?"

Cecilia laughed, not caring about the flour that was getting on her clothes. It looked like Grace's father didn't share her terrible obliviousness about the most obvious things, but that was a very charming side of her that she was glad she had.

"Grace can be very blind," Cecilia smiled.

"Tell me about it. One time, when she was eight, she—"

"Dad."

"—followed another man around a store for at least ten minutes. Gave me a real scare, let me tell you, but we weren't even wearing the same colored clothes, or anything. When I got her back, did you know what she told me?"

"Dad, don't you dare!"

"She told me that she didn't even think about that. That's it. There's no punch line, or anything. She just started following another man around because she was spacing out. Luckily, he brought her to an employee, and we were reunited soon after, but—"

Arthur weaved to avoid a hit to the gut. He was surprisingly more agile than he looked, and Cecilia held her girlfriend back while she cackled in her ear.

"I bet you were dumb when you were a kid too!" Grace yelled.

"That's the beauty of it, kiddo, you'll never know because you weren't there. Now let's get these poffins done."

"The next step is… in a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder— wait, I did that already. Um, Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until the batter is smooth…" Cecilia muttered. "Then we can add the ground berries to the mix and put the whole thing into molds."

"This is going to be horrible for my sugar intake," Arthur groaned.

——

"These taste so good!" Cecilia squealed as she chewed on the pink poffins.

"I told you we didn't need any instructor!" Grace grinned. "Dad, eat another one."

"Two are enough for me. When they said human poffins, I didn't know the main difference was that they just added a boat-load of sugar."

"You're no fun," she pouted. "I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in two minutes. Don't be weird!"

"I'm not weird," her dad said.

The blond girl ran off, leaving only Cecilia and Arthur. Cecilia felt a surge of nervousness as she finished up another poffin, but she decided not to hide it this time, despite how unnatural that felt. She felt vulnerable. Too vulnerable.

"So, Cecilia, I wanted to talk to you a little bit," Arthur started. "If you don't mind, of course."

She definitely minded, but how could she even refuse? "Of course, go ahead."

"It won't be anything bad, don't worry. I just have a favor to ask of you. This might seem selfish of me, but take care of Grace. She went and saved you in Mount Coronet, so I want you to make it so she never has to be in that much danger ever again. She'll probably have other dangerous ideas during her career, and when she does, I want you to stop her. Please."

That hadn't been what Cecilia had expected at all. She thought that Arthur would attempt to trip her up with questions about Grace, or test her to see if she deserved his daughter.

"My daughter's ambitious, perfectionist, and even though she likes to pretend she doesn't have one, she does have an ego," he continued. "She's already promised me that she wouldn't take any more needless risks, but I know it'll be hard for her. I want you to be there to keep her from… relapsing."

"I'll do it," Cecilia said, feeling more resolute than she ever had. "I'll make sure she stays safe."

Arthur smiled. "Thanks. I can tell you're a good kid, and that you love her. Just make sure to find joy in other things too."

"What do you mean?"

"When I asked you to tell me about yourself," he specified. "You couldn't say anything, like there was a lack of identity there. That dancing answer felt like a cop-out too, although I'm sure there was some truth to it. I'm rather straightforward, so I'll tell you that overdependence on one person is never a good thing, dating or not."

Cecilia stopped breathing for a few seconds. How astute.

Right now, the only person that made life worth living to her was Grace. Even if acknowledging that could be considered mean to her friends, she couldn't deny the truth. Without her, Cecilia would be completely and utterly lost.

"I'll… think about it."

"Good, at least you didn't brush me off," he said. "Ah, she's back."

Grace ran back toward their cooking station, and she panted, leaning against her knees.

"You didn't have to run back here," Arthur said.

"Cece… did he tell you anything weird?" Grace huffed.

"No, he was very nice about everything," she hurriedly replied. "We should take some of these back to the group."

——

All things considered, Cece's first meeting with dad had gone very well, and they seemed familiar enough with each other. He also greeted all of my friends when he drove us back to the Center. Denzel seemed very happy to see him, and he thanked him again for letting him stay at our apartment all those months ago. Even Pauline was polite, funnily enough. I almost expected her not to be, but maybe I had underestimated her. I didn't stay long, though, and after giving away most of our poffins, Justin and I hopped on a bus to route 208. His gym battle was fast approaching, and I could tell he was getting nervous again. This was the first time he'd try out his new style of battling in a high-stakes battle, so I couldn't blame him.

Plus, there was also his new rivalry with Pauline. The two had battled a few times before arriving at Hearthome, and the score was currently 3-2 in Pauline's favor, but funnily enough, the coming gym battle would probably count as a battle too, and the winner would be the one who dealt with Fantina the easiest.

"So you've got the whole plan down, right?" I asked him. "No holes?"

"None that I can see," he nodded.

"Okay, but things will go sideways, so don't get too comfortable," I warned him.

It was a plan he had made himself, and I had been very impressed. Plus, he had taken to my method of studying a gym leader's Pokemon in-depth before the battle after I helped him transcribe it all on paper since he found it easier to focus and learn that way. It wouldn't be as good as watching the videos themselves, but at least he'd know the moves she'd use, and I had spoken to him about some of the different tactics ghosts could employ.

"Rain Dance still needs a lot of work since I taught it to Lombre via TM, but it's enough for Swift Swim to activate," Justin remarked. "Growlithe managed to learn Agility and Crunch, and I've perfected the trick with Sandile to hit flying opponents."

"Great! Can you show me Audino?"

He nodded and immediately released the normal type, which greeted us with a happy cry. The Pokemon was shorter than I thought it to be, but from my few interactions with him, he was an absolute sweetheart.

"We couldn't get Wish down, but that's fine."

"Right, because he's a pivot," I nodded.

Audino was a pivot. A Pokemon that could be used to switch up the tempo of the battle and buy precious time while Justin could think of something on the fly if anything went wrong. The fact that he had the Regenerator ability and that he was a normal type meant that he was perfect for the role in this battle. Audino smiled and did a little twirl to celebrate, something that seemed to be his signature move.

"At least we've got Life Dew, although he came with the move. That means we can buy even more time if needed."

"Don't forget to win, though," I grinned.

"Of course. I've got a plan. A path to victory."

The words gave me goosebumps. Seeing Justin like this when I knew what he had been like before the battle against Gardenia was astonishing, but I was proud of how far he had come. All he needed to do was prove himself out there, and I was sure he'd succeed. I watched as he trained his team, and I used the occasion to train mine too, although I mostly spent the time perfecting the moves we had instead of teaching new ones. Only Larvitar was attempting to learn new ones, which were Rock Slide and Crunch, a natural progression from Smack Down and Bite. I was hoping that I'd be able to use her at the Solaceon tournament, which meant I needed to be a little harder on her than usual.

When Justin and I reached the Center again, Pauline had summoned us all to her room, which she was now sharing with Emilia since she wasn't a trainer anymore.

"So what's going on?" Denzel asked. He'd been the last one to arrive. "Another party?"

"No. Mommy's coming to Hearthome to visit next week."

"Another parent?" I said. "Your mom's cool, right?"

"Of course she's cool, she's the coolest mom in the Arceus damned world," she affirmed loudly. "She had promised to come see me, but something else must be going on. She wouldn't say what it was over the phone, but I could tell."

Cecilia's expression turned somber. "Harvey and Clarence."

"Yes," Pauline nodded. "I think she's coming to warn us about them."

"Should we stay hidden, then?" Emilia asked, her face wrought with panic. "Something terrible could happen again!"

"We have Candice's number… maybe we can ask for help?" I asked. "It's probably a long shot, though."

"No, don't worry," Pauline said, grabbing Emi's hand. "If it was really that bad, mommy would have said something right away. I think there are just a lot of moving parts right now that we'll have to deal with soon."

"Plus, it's me they'll be after," Cecilia said. "Potentially Grace."

"But they might target your friends to make you do what they want," Denzel added, causing her to wince. "What about Abel?"

"Still no signs of him anywhere, it's like he disappeared from the region," Cecilia said. "Could he be working with them again?"

"This is mostly a vibe-based thing, so it could be wrong," Pauline started. "But from the short interaction I had with Abel, it seemed that he was the type that prioritized money over everything. He said that it was just business. Harvey and Clarence won't be paying him anytime soon, that's for sure."

"So we won't have to deal with him, at least," Justin sighed in relief.

"Look, I know it sucks that she wouldn't say anything on the phone, but the best thing we can do for now is wait for her to come and explain," Pauline said. "And it's not like they can come after us publicly. They're under a lot more scrutiny than before. If they're too blatant about it, they'll be arrested, important CEO or not."

I sighed. It would have been too easy if they had just given up. I clenched a fist and stared out the window.

Something was brewing.

That night, the Poketch Company contacted me, and our meeting would take place three days after Justin and Pauline's gym battle. A few days later, the day was finally there. Not only would they be battling Fantina, but Chase would also be back. Unfortunately, we had gotten no signs from Louis, and we were getting very worried, but there was nothing we could do. I could only look forward.

My own battle would be very soon.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 118

"Feeling nervous?"

Pauline flicked her hair back and looked at her teacher with a smug smile. "Of course not. I've trained for this, why would I feel nervous? I'll win."

Her other friends had already gone to the stands to watch her battle. Cecilia, however, had stayed back to offer her words of encouragement and last-minute advice. Time was running out, though, and Pauline was just about to go into the waiting room.

"I was just making sure," her teacher shrugged. "Nervousness isn't always bad. Grace says it can sharpen your wits and keep you attentive."

"Nervousness isn't the way I roll," Pauline answered.

"Well, good luck then," Cecilia smiled.

"I don't deal in luck, Cece, I deal in violence."

Pauline grinned, and they hugged each other. Cecilia waved as she left toward the stands. Hopefully the others would have saved a seat for her. She gave her ticket to the gym trainer that stood at the waiting room's door at all times to let trainers pass through, and she was finally let in. In minutes, she would be fighting a gym battle, and by Arceus, it had been too long since her last. She had missed it terribly, and the anticipation was keeping her from standing still. The trainer that had just battled barrelled through the waiting room with tears in her eyes, but she shrugged and kept fiddling with her Pokeball.

"Pauline King?" A gym trainer called out. She nodded, and he outfitted her with the usual microphone. "Fantina's break is over, so you're up. Good luck."

"Don't wish me luck, I find that insulting."

The gym trainer frowned, but paid her no mind. He probably dealt with much stranger characters than she. Before going, Pauline made sure that her clothes were all in order. There couldn't even be a wrinkle out of place. She represented her mother's fashion brand, after all, and she was wearing a dress that the company had created.

Pauline's fingers trembled in excitement as she stepped into the platform. Fantina did the same, and it was the girl's first time seeing her purple theme and strange haircut in all of its glory. Her arena was dim and gloomy— so much so, in fact that Pauline had to squint to properly see some areas. The most disturbing thing about it, though, was that it was completely barren. There were no spots to hide in, no trees, no hills, no rocks. It was just a smooth, flat, earthen surface. There was just a singular lake for challengers to dump their water types into if needed.

"Welcome, challenger. This will be a three-on-three battle with one switch-in allowed. I reserve the right to use any Pokemon in battle, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill my ghosts. Now, send out your Pokemon," the gym leader said with a thick Kalosian accent.

Pauline smiled at the fact that Fantina would just appreciate it if she didn't kill her ghosts, and she grabbed her first Pokeball. She had followed Cecilia's path, but the two had started to diverge, and that split was widening the more Pauline discovered how she wanted to battle. Emulating was well and good, but finding what differentiated her from her teacher as a trainer had been wonderful for her growth.

Cecilia dealt in power. She wanted to blow past her enemies so easily that they wouldn't have a chance to even fight back, and she wanted her battles to be perfect— just like Grace, although they obviously had different views on what constituted a perfect battle. Pauline didn't need any of that. She now knew why she hadn't really enjoyed the gauntlets Cecilia had made her go through, which consisted of beating as many trainers as possible without getting hit. Pauline dealt in violence, and she would let her Pokemon get in the thick of it, clawing and tearing their opponents apart. So what if her Pokemon took damage in the process? At the end of the day, they'd be the ones left standing.

Pauline released her Rufflet, who announced her presence with a defiant, loud squawk that permeated throughout the arena. Fantina sent out a Sableye, and at the behest of the referee, the battle finally began.

"Hone Claws!" Pauline yelled.

"Fake out."

Before Rufflet even had a chance to sharpen her claws, Sableye sunk into the floor with a loud, gurgling laugh, reappearing behind her in barely a second and clapping its hands around her face. The flying type looked on, completely stunned as Sableye wreathed its hand in a dark aura and slammed her away toward Fantina's side of the field. There was a surprising amount of power behind the dark type's tiny body.

"Hone Claws," Pauline repeated as soon as Rufflet composed herself. The bird's claws shone as they grew to a vicious size. "Now, Crush Claw!"

Sableye was not a true ghost, and therefore, normal type attacks would work against it. Pauline smirked as Rufflet flew toward the dark type. She wasn't the fastest flier, but she certainly packed a punch when her attacks connected.

"Dodge with Shadow Sneak," Fantina said.

Sableye sunk into the shadows, narrowly avoiding Rufflet's attack, and reappeared a few feet away.

"Keep going!"

"Sucker Punch."

The ghost type grinned, exposing its sharp, yellow teeth that shone like gold, and instantly blurred next to Rufflet. Pauline smirked.

"Crush Claw."

The order had come just as Sableye hurled another darkened fist toward. Rufflet took the hit but anchored herself to the ground by hooking her claws into the hardened earth. Even Sableye looked on in surprise, and that was all Rufflet needed. She wrapped a claw around Sableye's neck, digging deep, and she squeezed. Sableye cried out in pain and flailed, which sounded more like a nasty, mocking laugh than a scream of distress.

"Knock Off, then escape with Shadow Sneak," Fantina ordered.

A dark aura covered Sableye's hand, and Pauline recognized it as the move it had used at the start of the battle.

"Stand strong," she told her Rufflet.

With one foot wrapped around Sableye's neck, and another anchoring her to the ground, Rufflet stood there, taking hit after hit as she kept crushing the ghost type under her claws.

Ah, there it is, Pauline thought to herself as she practically shivered in satisfaction. Violence.

The referee looked on at Rufflet with a disturbed stare. "Sableye is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your second Pokemon."

After thirty seconds of this complete beatdown, Sableye had gone limp, and Fantina recalled it. It had taken even less time than Pauline had thought, and that was probably thanks to Rufflet's Sheer Force, which boosted Crush Claws' power even further. The flying type cried triumphantly and beat her wings, ignoring her bloodied bruises and wounds.

Fantina's expression didn't change as she sent out a Golett. At first, it just stood there like a statue, but then the golem-like Pokemon's eyes and rune on its chest came alive with a pale yellow light, and it let out a low rumbling sound that reminded Pauline of an engine starting up, and strangely enough, rubbing stones together. Or maybe clay?

Another trainer probably would have switched, believing that Golett's strong armor would prove too much for Rufflet to overcome. Pauline wasn't that trainer.

"Aerial Ace!" She yelled.

Rufflet jumped into the sky, taking flight. Her beak elongated, and streaks of air surrounded her as she flew toward the Golett.

"Iron Defense," Fantina said, then she muttered something else that Pauline didn't catch even with the microphone. She wouldn't hesitate. It was too late to back down now.

The ground type's body shimmered like armor, but Rufflet wasn't intimidated. She spun around, turning into a drill as she approached Golett, and the Aerial Ace staggered her opponent. The golem wasted no time, though, and as if it wasn't affected by the pain, Golett simply grabbed Rufflet with both of its hands, keeping her completely still.

"Thunder Punch," the gym leader coolly said.

Pauline clicked her tongue, but it wasn't over yet. Golett slowly and methodically lifted a first, opting to hold onto Rufflet by holding her under its armpit instead, and that was what they needed. Rufflet wasn't in a position to hit the ghost type with Crush Claw or Aerial Ace, but they still had Wing Attack.

"Fight your way out!" She yelled.

Rufflet squirmed, and her wings turned completely white, but she struggled to actually get them to hit anything. Golett was holding onto her too tightly, so the attacks only dealt superficial damage.

It had taken ten seconds for Golett to gather the electricity on its fist, but they had all the time in the world. The ground type slammed it against Rufflet's face multiple times, shocking her, and its face or body wasn't even moving. The Pokemon's movements were mechanical, as if Golett wasn't actually alive, but a robot going through the motions.

There was nothing they could do. Rufflet fainted in Golett's arm.

"Rufflet is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon."

"That was great," Pauline whispered as she recalled Rufflet. "You showed everyone how tough you were."

She grabbed Charmeleon's Pokeball and released her. The fire type roared, spitting out a stream of flames into the sky that illuminated the entire arena.

A fire type against a ground type might have seemed foolish. Pauline could have used Gothorita to whittle Golett down as much as possible before doing so, but Pauline enjoyed the thrill that she felt throughout her body. Living on the edge was what she chased, and her strategy was the definition of living on the edge.

"Flamethrower!"

"Get close," Fantina said.

Charmeleon screamed out her attack, and a spear of flames completely engulfed Golett's body. The ground type didn't seem to care whatsoever, and it slowly and methodically advanced toward Charmeleon. After ten seconds, the fire type had to take a break, and her opponent's body was charred, but seemingly unaffected by the flames, and it kept walking forward.

Ghost typing aside, was this thing even alive?

Probably not.

"Again," Pauline said.

The whole process repeated itself four times until Golett was close enough to pose a threat. Even Fantina seemed somewhat confused by the fact that Pauline was just letting her Charmeleon stand there when it was bound to get hit by an attack.

"Stomping Tantrum," Fantina said.

Golett stopped in its tracks, ignoring the fifth Flamethrower as it methodically lifted a foot and slammed it against the floor. This wasn't like the previous Stomping Tantrums Pauline had ever seen. Shockwaves traveled below the floor, lifting rocks and earth high into the sky and fracturing the entire arena. The smoke, dirt, and debris prevented Pauline from seeing if her Pokemon was fine or not, and Golett was still going.

She chuckled slightly when the entire arena lit up, forcing her to cover her eyes. Charmeleon was releasing a continuous stream of white-hot flames that was so powerful it cleared enough dust for Pauline to see what was happening. Golett's body had somehow caught on fire, and the light in its rune and eyes was flickering. Its movement turned from deliberate and methodical to sudden and jittery, like it was glitching out. The wooden straps wrapping around its body had been charred completely black.

One Stomping Tantrum had been enough to trigger Blaze. Pauline breathed out a sigh of relief as Golett's eyes turned off while the rune on its chest continued to flicker and Charmeleon continued using Flamethrower all around the arena.

"Calm down," she told her Pokemon.

The fire type's head whirred toward her trainer, showing her bloodshot eyes. Constant, hot smoke was coming out of her mouth with every breath. Charmeleon nodded tightly, but Pauline could tell she was itching to fight. Pauline could only dream of what she would be capable of when she reached Turtonator's level. She had gambled, and it had almost not worked out. That Stomping Tantrum had probably been a few seconds from taking Charmeleon out.

But life was about results, not what could have happened. Who cared if it had been completely reckless? Golett's rune at the center of its chest finally turned off, and even though it still stood, that meant it had fainted.

"Golett is unable to battle," the referee said. "Leader Fantina, send out your final Pokemon."

Fantina let out a relieved sigh as she released a Misdreavus. The dim lights above the gyms flickered as the ghost rose high into the sky. Its form was loose, and it was barely kept together. Its hair looked like wispy blue flames, and its red necklace shone in the darkness. The ghost grinned at its opponent creepily and spoke, letting out a voice that bordered on their language, yet was disturbingly indiscernible.

It was exactly like her encounter with Mismagius. Pauline felt her throat tighten and felt a sudden chill.

Pauline inhaled and swept her arm. She was no girl. "Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"

"Disappear."

A stream of blue flames flew toward Misdreavus, who simply dissolved into thin air. Charmeleon lashed out, slammed its tail against the floor, which was still uneven and fractured from the Stomping Tantrum. Her mobility would be restricted, but so long as they got more hits in than their opponent, Pauline would be satisfied.

"Watch out! It's going to appear—"

Charmeleon's eyes flickered, and she shot out a Flamethrower toward the sky where Misdreavus had just been. Cecilia had warned her about this. This was an illusion. Misdreavus rematerialized right above the fire type's head, and smoke began to emanate from Charmeleon body as she convulsed. Pauline recognized a Hex when she saw it, especially with how much Grace used the move.

Charmeleon was at the end of her rope.

"Above you!"

Somehow, Charmeleon managed to make out her words. The fire type's head snapped up, and she jumped as dark energy gathered in her mouth. She had bought the Crunch TM for her, and it was time to put the move to work. Misdreavus screamed as a part of her body was snatched away and dissolved in Charmeleon's mouth, and it started to leak ghostly energy.

"Flamethrower!"

The closer Charmeleon got to fainting, the more powerful her fire type attacks would get. The Flamethrower came out faster this time, and it consumed Misdreavus' entire body before the ghost had a chance to slip out and disappear again. Its shape was outlined with flames as it fled, still burning from the attack.

Pauline grinned. "You can see it! Flamethrower!"

Her smile disappeared when Charmeleon collapsed on the floor.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your last Pokemon."

She had been pushed far, but Charmeleon had done a wonderful job. As long as they could extend how long she could be under Blaze's power, then Pauline knew she'd become nigh impossible to beat when under its influence. She recalled her Pokemon and congratulated her.

It was Gothorita's turn now. Pauline released the psychic type, who looked exasperated— probably at the fact that they hadn't won yet. Pauline had started letting Gothorita speak to her in small doses, and she had a very fun, yet exigent outlook on things.

"Disappear and Shadow Ball," Fantina calmly ordered.

"Get ready," Pauline exhaled.

Gothoria had the type disadvantage, but it was nothing a little bit of elbow grease couldn't fix. Stopping the attack with Confusion wasn't feasible either— Ghost type attacks didn't work like that. Their path couldn't be altered by psychic powers.

This time, Misdreavus appeared to her Pokemon's left, having already gathered a huge Shadow Ball.

"Psyshock!"

Balls of psychic energy gathered around Misdreavus, who released her Shadow Ball. The ghost type attack hit, but the Psyshock also did, and the balls all converged onto Misdreavus' body.

"Pain Split," Fantina continued.

Both Gothorita and Misdreavus glowed with a pale, gray light, and some of the damage the ghost type had suffered throughout the battle was transferred onto Gothorita. Pauline clicked her tongue. Dirty tactics like that were annoying, but she had a trick up her sleeve as well.

"Payback!"

Payback was the other TM she had bought before the battle, and Gothorita had just been hit. Dark energy surrounded both of her hands, allowing her to hold onto Misdreavus' ghostly form, and she gripped it by the neck.

"Beat the shit out of it," Pauline said. There was a nice finality to those words.

She smirked as her Pokemon executed her order to a tee, completely bludgeoning Misdreavus until there was only a speck left. Fantina recalled it, giving up on the battle. Gothorita stared at her trainer with an annoyed expression.

How weak. You should have been able to deal with that ghostly thing without me, Pauline.

Pauline bit her lip and barely managed not to pass out. Before Gothorita could even say anything else, she recalled her and made her way toward Fantina to pick up her money, TM, but most importantly, her third badge.

Yes, Pauline mused as her head still pounded. Violence would do just fine.

——

"Don't forget, Justin. You're a good trainer. You've trained for this, now go and win."

Those were the last words Grace in the stands had spoken to Justin before sending him off. Pauline had just won her battle, showcasing what she and her Pokemon had learned these past few weeks under Cecilia's tutelage, and now it was his turn to do the same. His teacher had full faith in him, which did more for Justin's confidence than any strategizing or training he had done to prepare for this battle. Just knowing that someone believed in his skills as a trainer made his heart swell with pride that he never thought he would have felt regarding anything Pokemon-battling related.

And yet, here he was. Excited but also incredibly nervous about the battle that was to come.

He came across Pauline when stepped into the waiting room. The girl grinned at him and held out her fist.

"A fistbump?" Justin muttered. "How simple."

Still, he couldn't help but smile and return the favor. He was even more surprised when Pauline pulled him into a hug.

"Kick ass out there, Justin. I won't tolerate anything else," she said.

"I'll certainly try," he answered her. "You should have seen Grace and Cecilia up in the stands."

"Really? What'd they say?"

"Cecilia was proud of you, although she disapproved of your… unsophisticated methods, she called it. She was giddy when she saw how far you had come with Blaze, though."

"I knew that'd win her over," she smirked smugly. "What about the gremlin?"

"Grace was completely beside herself," Justin explained. "She could barely look at the battle. She asked me to tell you that if Fantina hadn't held back and used more illusionary tactics, then you possibly would have lost, and that you should stop taking so many risks."

"Ugh, she's such a killjoy," the girl rolled her eyes. "At the end of the day, I won. I know I have things to iron out, but I won't be following her path like you are."

Justin shrugged. "You've already diverged quite far from Cece."

"I wonder what you have in store," she said. "Remember this, Justin. We're rivals, you and I. We'll push each other forward until we no longer have to stand in our teachers' shadows."

Justin felt goosebumps all along his skin.

"Now go and win this," Pauline said as she left.

"Our teachers' shadow, huh?" Justin whispered to himself as he sat down to wait for Fantina's break to finish.

He had the pieces all assembled in his head. A path to victory, he called it. Unlike Grace, who attempted to plan everything down to every, meticulous detail, Justin wasn't good enough to do it, and it wasn't for a lack of trying. Sometimes, he still wondered how she managed to pack so much information in her brain so quickly. Then, there was also the fact that she continuously tracked a trainer's body language during the battle, which she had tried to get him to do. Justin was an introvert. He wasn't good enough to figure out what people were thinking just by looking at them, and even if he could, it would be way too much to keep track of. Grace was simply on another level, but that did not mean that the situation was lost.

And it did not mean that he would have to be weak forever.

A gym trainer readied Justin for his battle, and the boy stepped onto the platform, rolling his shoulders to loosen his nerves. Justin could not know every single quirk of every possible Pokemon Fantina would use against him. Grace looked at every powerful opponent with a microscope, and Justin had decided to broaden the scale. A microscope would overwhelm him with details, so why not use a magnifying glass instead?

He had a set of conditions to follow. Conditions that would lead him to victory, if everything worked out as he had hoped.

Fantina took a deep breath before starting her speech. The battle would be a four-on-four with two switch-ins allowed. Two switches were suitable. That meant that Audino could be used as a pivot twice. Justin grabbed Lombre's Pokeball and sent him out. The grass type let out a small, gentle croak. Even after having evolved, he was still a soft-spoken, aloof Pokemon that Justin struggled to understand sometimes, but they had come far since his battle in Gardenia's gym battle.

Fantina released a Drifloon, who took to the skies. It sounded like a man's voice, but strange, distorted, and having inhaled a boatload of helium.

"Rain Dance," Justin ordered.

Lombre clapped his hands, and thin, transparent clouds gathered high up on the battlefield. Small droplets of rain began to fall down. A pitiful Rain Dance, all things considered, especially when compared to what Gardenia's Lombre were capable of, but so long as it was capable of triggering Swift Swim, Justin's first condition would have been fulfilled.

"Use Gust," Fantina said.

Drifloon's strings shook wildly in the air, and a small tornado appeared below the flying type. With an echoing, high-pitched scream, it sent the wind toward Lombre.

"Dodge and Bubblebeam!" Justin yelled.

Lombre rammed a foot against the floor and then pushed. The water type ran faster than Justin had ever seen him in training, using his knuckles and feet to propel himself. He skirted left, easily avoiding the bulk of the Gust, and angled his head upward, aiming directly at Drifloon.

"Stockpile," Fantina calmly said.

Drifloon sharply inhaled, growing slightly in size as the first half of the Bubblebeam hit. Justin had already known about Stockpile, just like he knew all of Drifloon's moves, courtesy of Grace's help. What he also knew was that the ghost type employed one main strategy against opponents more powerful than itself, which Lombre clearly was.

"Keep attacking!" Justin yelled again.

Fantina said nothing, but even without her orders, Drifloon gathered a Shadow Ball in front of its mouth, quickly sending it forward. The bubbles caused it to explode mid-air, creating a plume of ghostly, purple smoke. Justin was holding back. He was waiting for his second condition to appear, and then he would—

The trainer gasped as Drifloon flew forward, emerging from the smoke and rushing toward Lombre.

"Run away!" He stammered. Even though he had expected it, it had still caught him off-guard.

To compensate for its mediocre attack, that Drifloon knew Explosion, and its goal was to suicide charge into opponents stronger than itself to take them down with it. Even if he somehow managed to take it down before it could use it, its ability Aftermath meant that it would almost always trade one for one.

"Knock it away! Bubblebeam!"

"Minimize," Fantina ordered.

Drifloon shrunk, narrowly avoiding the next stream of bubbles that certainly would have hit just seconds prior.

Lombre was faster in the rain, but Drifloon was slowly catching up. The boy's leg began to bounce, and he chewed on his thumb nail. The condition had been met, but doubt was starting to creep in. What if it didn't work?

What should I do?

The question rung out in his mind dozens of times in seconds, overwhelming his entire thought process. Stalling was well and good— and he was currently wasting time by running and forcing Drifloon to avoid Bubblebeams and Leech Seeds, but he needed to win. He wanted to win.

"You took too long to make a decision."

Justin heard Grace's voice as if she was standing behind him, and his leg stood still. Enough with the indecisiveness! That was Justin's biggest weakness, and he had always struggled to stimmy it. He was tired of pausing before every decision, wondering if it was the correct or wrong one. He just needed to act.

"Lombre, stop!"

The grass type was on the opposite side of the arena now, and he stopped, sliding across the wet earth.

"Drifloon, Explode."

For every action the enemy took, a cost should be inflicted. Grace had etched the lesson into his mind time and time again. He might have wasted too much time, but his winning condition was still open. He just needed to put his foot in the door before it closed.

"Two Knock Offs! Use both of your hands!"

Justin held his breath. He hadn't even known if the order he had just issued was possible. Lombre had never used two Knock Offs as once, and yet it was his only path. Drifloon's body started to swell and expand as darkness surrounded Lombre's hands. The water type clapped its hands against the exploding Drifloon, and Justin shut his eyes when he heard the detonation that made his ears ring.

After a few seconds, he half-opened one eye and saw that he still couldn't discern any shapes in the smoke. There were two possibilities. Either the Explosion had gone off, and Lombre would be down for the count.

Or the Knock Offs had been enough, and only Aftermath had gone into effect, meaning that Lombre would have made it.

Justin squinted, desperately trying to figure out if he was having to deal with the former, or the latter, and he exhaled as he felt the weight of a mountain drop off his shoulders.

Lombre was bruised, burned, battered.

But he was standing.

"Drifloon is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your second Pokemon."

Fantina returned the popped balloon and sent out a golden mask that dropped to the ground with a loud thud. A thin shadow grew from the mask, forming into a head and two small fists, along with two red beady eyes that appeared to be crying. The Pokemon was constantly screaming with a voice of a child. As if it was in constant agony.

It was a Yamask.

And it sounded like a child being tortured.

Justin snapped out of his stupor. It was only the third time in his life seeing a real ghost, and the second time had been right before this, during Pauline's battle.

Ghosts couldn't cry. Disturbing as it may have been, it wasn't real.

"Lombre, keep it up," he praised. He considered switching to pivot, but that would mean that he would only be able to do it once. No, Lombre would need to finish his work here. "Razor Leaf!"

"Dodge, then Will-O-Wisp."

Yamask phased out of existence, reappearing a few feet to the left as he dodged Lombre's Razor Leaf. The ghost type summoned a series of small purple flaming orbs, each screeching as loud as Pauline's Rufflet, and they rushed toward Lombre.

"Hit and run!"

The floor was now so wet that Lombre could skid across it, and he was getting faster as the rain kept accumulating. The grass type skated across the ground, sending out Razor Leaves and Bubblebeams to hit Yamask, but only a fraction of them did. Ghosts were simply too good at dodging attacks. Yamask retaliated with the occasional Night Shade or Shadow Ball, but Lombre was too quick now. Stalling was working exactly like Justin had envisioned it. It wasn't just about having bulky Pokemon that could take hits and survive. Speed could work as well.

Unfortunately, Justin's joy was short-lived. The Will-O-Wisps followed him like they had a mind of their own, and they even tried to cooperate to trap him.

Lombre was getting cornered.

"Water Gun! Extinguish them!"

Water Gun was weaker than Bubblebeam, but it'd be better at stopping fires. Lombre drifted across the ground, clawing the floor to reposition himself, and shot out a high-pressure jet of water toward the purple flames—

It didn't work. The Will-O-Wisps giggled at him, and they all entered Lombre's body, creating a cold, purple flame that would permanently burn him and lower his attack power.

That was one of Justin's weaknesses. What good was it to know the Pokemons' moves if he didn't know how if a particular attack would counter them or not as Grace could? Justin clicked his tongue, lifting his arm.

"Start picking up speed again and attack!"

The path was narrowing, but it was still there. Lombre croaked, started to run, and then skate. Yamask disappeared like he knew it would, and then it reappeared on the floor, anchored to its golden mask.

"Now, Lombre!"

The bubbles rammed past the ghost, exploding inside of its body and scattering its form. Justin awaited its reappearance again with bated breath and—

A Shadow Ball buried itself into Lombre's side, and the water type fell to the ground. Justin inhaled sharply. Where had it even come from?

"Lombre is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon."

Justin recalled his Lombre. It was time to go through the first pivot, and he needed to buy him time so he could figure out how Yamask had just used Shadow Ball while being invisible. "Audino."

The beige and pink Pokemon squealed and twirled in place, blinking and striking a pose when he was done. This was a perfect situation for Justin. Other than Will-O-Wisp, Yamask only knew ghost type moves, meaning that Audino would be invulnerable. Plus, her being burned wouldn't matter. She wasn't a damage dealer, she was a pivot, and Regenerator and Life Dew would keep her healthy.

"Disarming Voice!" Justin said after swallowing nervously.

The normal type inhaled and let out a harrowing scream. Normally, it would affect a Pokemon and stop them from attacking, but Yamask seemingly didn't care. Another thing Justin could have picked up on if his researching skills had been up to par.

"Will-O-Wisp," Fantina smoothly ordered.

At least he had dealt a minimal amount of damage. Yamask released the screaming flames once more, and they rushed toward Audino.

"Don't bother dodging."

The flames entered Audino's body, and he was lit ablaze with purple fire. What would Fantina do now? Justin couldn't think as quickly as Grace did, which was why he had sent Audino out in the first place. Audino was a pivot, but he was also his main counter against true ghosts that usually lacked any move variety at his level. He had studied every single one, and their movesets. Yamask could do nothing to him, leaving Justin enough time to try to figure out what had happened to Lombre.

But he knew that the gym leader would eventually switch out, and she did, sending out a Honedge instead. Justin sighed. A Honedge wasn't someone Audino could stall against, and Disarming Voice would deal pitiful damage. Even if it wasn't a true ghost, and normal type attacks would land, its steel typing meant that those would be useless as well.

She had truly countered him with one switch. Buying time to figure out how to counter Yamask was no longer an option.

"Get in there and Slash," the gym leader said.

"Disarming Voice!" Justin screamed out. He wanted to test out one more effect, and Audino's Regenerator meant that he could afford to be reckless. The normal type yelled again, and just as Justin expected, Honedge was affected by the attack. It Slashed across Audino's belly, drawing blood, but didn't go as deep as it otherwise would have.

True ghosts and ghost types were fundamentally different, it seemed. That meant that he could do this.

"Play Nice!"

Audino smiled as his eyes glittered slightly, entrancing Honedge and making it lose its will to fight for a few short seconds. The effect Justin was after, though, was that it would lower its attack for the foreseeable future. The boy recalled his Audino and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go, Sandile!" He yelled out. The ground type immediately sunk into the ground with Dig.

The conditions had been met for Sandile to take down Honedge. Justin was sure of it. Now all he needed to do was implement their new strategy against levitating or flying Pokemon.

"Fly up," Fantina said.

"Sand Tomb."

Far below Honedge, the earth began to turn and twist like a whirlpool. Fantina stared at Justin as she awaited his next move. It wasn't like Honedge could do anything until Sandile was out of the ground. Grace had, however warned him that true ghosts could slip underground and attack. The trainer waited for the Sand Tomb to reach its maximum size and velocity…

"Now!"

Sandile's head popped out in the middle of the Sand Tomb, and the crocodile screamed, lifting the sand into the air like a tornado and toward Honedge.

"Autotomize and dodge."

Honedge's body became sleek, and the sword sped up drastically. It narrowly avoided the flying Sand Tomb and flew toward the center of the arena.

"Slash it."

Justin's eyes widened. He had believed that Fantina would just escape, but it seemed that she wanted to take advantage of the fact that Sandile needed to unbury to manipulate the earth above ground. He had no choice, then. It would cancel out Audino's Play Nice, but if he could get Honedge to land in the Sand Tomb and get stuck in the sand…

"Swagger!"

With a provoking cry, Sandile confused Honedge, but also infuriated the steel type. The sword blurred, rushing toward the Sand Tomb, but Fantina stayed silent, not bothering to call out in hope of snapping it out of its confusion.

Unfortunately, the Slash hit before Sandile could retreat back into the ground. Honedge had flown past the flying Sand Tomb without a care about the damage it was taking. Sandile screamed as Honedge continued to attack, forcefully dragging the ground type back up with its attacks every time it tried to sink deeper into the ground, but it also had no regards for its own health, not caring about hitting itself or being hit by the Sand Tomb. Justin grabbed his Pokeball. Without Sandile, his path to victory would collapse. Even if he was creating a cost like Grace had taught him, he wasn't willing to take a risk that large.

But he did not recall his Sandile. Instead, light covered the dark type's body, and he grew, turning into a bipedal Pokemon. Krokorok grabbed Honedge with its newly formed hands and Crunched without Justin's command.

Honedge collapsed into the Sand Tomb.

"Honedge is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your third Pokemon."

Justin could barely contain his excitement. An evolution, right when he had needed one? That was incredibly lucky. His path remained open.

Fantina released a Bramblin next. It was a jagged, thorny tumbleweed with two ghastly eyes floating at its hollow center. Justin averted his gaze away from them. Looking into those hateful eyes sent shivers down his spine. Fantina wasted no time issuing her next command.

"Leech Seed."

"Burrow!"

What Justin had failed to realize, however, was that due to Krokorok's new form and height, the ground type was slow to get underground. The seeds hit Krokorok in the neck before he managed to slip underground.

"Sand Tomb again!"

No matter what Justin did, Krokorok would slowly weaken until he fainted, so he could only deal as much damage as possible. The ground below Bramblin liquefied and spun, trapping it—

"Rollout out of there," Fantina said.

With the sound of crackling branches, Bramblin acquiesced and started rolling out of the Sand Tomb as it slowly but surely gained speed. Justin clenched a fist. He could either have Krokorok keep harassing from underground or—

No! He couldn't think as fast as Grace, so he had to act now.

"Crunch!" He bellowed.

Krokorok burst from his Sand Tomb, sending sand high into the sky, and bit into one of Bramblin's branches. Fantina ordered the ghost type to use Bullet Seed, and they all hit, but Krokorok wouldn't let go. He slammed the tumbleweed-like Pokemon into the Sand Tomb, burying it into the liquid sand until it fainted.

"Bramblin is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your last Pokemon."

It was back to Yamask, and Justin still hadn't figured anything out. His path was still wide open, and he had three—

Two Pokemon left.

"Krokorok is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your third Pokemon."

The abuse from Honedge, the Leech Seed, and the Bullet Seed had been too much for Krokorok to handle, even with his evolution. Justin recalled him and sighed. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, but he knew that the battle was won.

He sent out Audino again, whose wound from Slash and the burn had almost completely recovered. Of course, he was still on fire, but that was fine.

Justin smiled.

In the end, it didn't matter if he hadn't figured out how Yamask's illusion worked, didn't it? It couldn't hit Audino.

It almost took the entire length of the match, but Justin took down Yamask by continuously using Disarming Voice, while healing any damage from the burns with Life Dew. There were complaints and grumbles in the audience. This was the boring way to finish the battle, but it was the safe way. The way he had deemed his path would take him.

And just like that, Justin had won his third badge.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 119

We all clapped and cheered as Justin walked over to get his badge from Fantina, drowning out the few complaints about the 'boring' ending to his battle. He had improved so much in these last few weeks that I barely recognized him. And winning without even using Growlithe?! Not many people could boast of beating Fantina with a Pokemon up, third badge or not. When he left, we all hurried down to the gym's lobby.

In a way, it was surprising how simple I had found both Pauline and Justin's battles. I hadn't been a three-badge holder for that long, and yet I often found myself widening my eyes in surprise at how easy the battle looked, but that was entirely because Fantina was holding back, and her heart just wasn't in it. Now that I had seen her battle in person, I was sure of it. I didn't think that Fantina was having any fun during her challenges.

And yet, she was still a formidable gym leader. I knew especially that she had held back her ghosts' true potential during both battles, only giving Justin and Pauline a taste of what they were capable of to give them a challenge to overcome. And overcome it, they did.

But it would be worse against me. Seeing another ghost, even from afar made me clam up, but I believed I'd be capable of focusing when I got into my groove. Fantina would use stronger ghosts, and she would definitely use better illusions, or at least she wouldn't just stop using them as soon as she had against the others.

"Justin! My boy!" Denzel yelled, splaying out his arms and his voice spreading throughout the lobby.

Our friend scratched his cheek and gave us an awkward smile.

"I knew you'd win," I said. "You were ready."

"I was," he nodded.

"Justin," Pauline said, wrapping his neck with her arm hard enough to choke him. "I'll forfeit this one, it was your win."

"Forfeit?" Emilia raised an eyebrow.

After struggling to free himself, Justin cleared his throat. "We were competing to see who'd have the better battle."

"And Pauline gave up?" Cecilia asked incredulously. "Incredible."

"What? I can see the obvious! If I had won without using Gothorita, then we could have maybe called it a tie."

"We should go somewhere to celebrate!" Emilia smiled.

"We can go drink something," I agreed. "But then, we need to find Chase. He was supposed to arrive today."

I checked my phone to see if he'd sent a message, but there was nothing. We exited the gym and went to the cafe that Emilia had shown us when introducing the group to Vincent. Pauline spoke to Cecilia about her gym battle, while Justin consulted me for advice. I thought that he had done exceptionally well, but there were still a lot of areas to iron out. If his Krokorok hadn't evolved, then the battle might have gone in another direction, and while getting bailed out by an evolution did feel nice, it was still something I considered a failure— even my battle against Roark stuck out like a sore thumb in that regard. Togetic certainly would have lost without evolving. I also told him what my current theory was for Yamask's illusion. I believed that the ghost was proficient enough with Shadow Ball to create it while still invisible, and the one Lombre had attacked before getting hit had just been a fake.

But I couldn't be too hard on him. It was hard to focus on things like that when you were in the thick of it, and I knew that fact all too well.

"Ah," Emilia said, looking at her phone. "Chase sent a message."

Immediately, Denzel, Cece, and I grabbed our Poketches. We were antsy to get started on organizing our battle. Even more so now that we had seen Justin and Pauline's own fights. Chase was finally in Hearthome, although it looked like he was staying in a different Center than we were— the one the closest to the gym.

"Ask him to meet," I told Denzel. He hurriedly typed his message and sent it.

Chase responded with his usual gusto that could somehow be heard and felt through text, asking us to come to his Center instead of him coming to us. Well, I could somewhat understand. He'd been traveling for days, and he had probably gone through a lot in Mount Coronet, since he stayed inside for so long. If I had to guess, he was just tired, but he didn't want to admit it.

"I'll pay the tab," Pauline smiled. "You guys go see him."

"Don't you want to meet him too?" I asked.

"Not particularly," she shrugged. "But we can do it later."

I nodded, and after saying our goodbyes, we were on our way to Chase's Center. The taxi ride was annoyingly long due to all the traffic, taking thirty minutes.

"What room's he in?" Denzel asked.

"218," Cece replied.

We took the stairs instead of the elevator. Since this was the Center the closest to the gym, it was packed, unlike ours. I knocked on Chase's door, and I was confused when I saw it open, but didn't see anyone there. I looked down and smiled when I saw a furry little blue Pokemon. Riolu had opened the door for us. To be honest, I had almost expected him to have evolved, but he was still the good old Riolu I knew.

"Hey Ri," I greeted him. The others did the same, and he led us into the room.

Chase was crashed onto the bed with all of his dirty, traveling clothes and even his shoes. He shot up when he noticed that we were here. He seemed to have gained muscle, but he had huge bags under his eyes and looked paler than usual.

"What the hell? Already? You guys were fast," he complained, looking half-asleep.

"Such wonderful first words for our reunion," Cecilia smiled, crossing her arms. "How are you?"

"Eh, been better," he sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm mentally hugging you right now," I said, resisting the urge to tackle him.

"And I'm mentally dodging your hug, Pastel."

"Ow," Denzel said. "What happened to you, man? You look dead."

"My team and I went through some special training in the mountain," he shrugged. "It was tough, but we handled it."

"I told you he'd say that," I boasted.

"Don't bet on what I say," Chase complained. "I assume you're here for our battle?"

"We were hoping to do it tomorrow?" Denzel asked.

Cecilia frowned. "He looks very tired, I don't think—"

"I can do tomorrow, but it'll have to be in the evening so the Nurses can finish looking after my Pokemon. Riolu here got out unscathed, but the rest got beaten up pretty good, especially since I didn't have potions."

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. "Excuse me?"

"What? I'm completely broke, and no one wants to battle me. They're scared they'll lose. I had a few, but I ran out quick," he shrugged. "There's this new substitute going around that people are selling made out of energy roots or something, but it didn't work very well."

"What if—"

I was about to berate him for taking risks, but I realize I shouldn't be the one to talk.

"Well, if you think you can handle it," I sighed. "You better be at one hundred percent."

"Please, Pastel," he scoffed. "I'm at one hundred and twenty percent one hundred percent of the time."

"Not how numbers work, but it sounds cool," Denzel said, sitting down at Chase's desk.

"By the way…" Cecilia hesitated. "I know this is a long shot, but have you seen Louis anywhere? He isn't traveling with us at the moment, and we've been worried."

"Bianchi? Yeah, I saw him at the outpost, although we didn't talk. He was traveling with two other chicks too. He'll probably make it soon. I left before he did."

We all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Louis was okay. I wished he had sent us any signs of life, but he probably still needed space. I was curious to learn about who he was traveling with, though. He would have had to meet them somewhere along the route, or maybe he had grouped up with people to make it past Mount Coronet.

"Let's get started then. First things first, the teams. It's kind of unofficial, but it's basically been decided that Cece and Grace will be on opposite sides, so it's all about which teams Chase and I are joining."

"Obel, I'm on your team."

"What? I wanted Denzel."

"I want revenge on Pastel for that time she beat me at the Eterna Forest outpost," he explained. "I don't care who I'm with, I want to be against her."

Cecilia brought a hand to her forehead and exhaled. "Fine."

I couldn't blame her for worrying. Cooperating with Chase would probably be a bit of a hassle.

Okay, it would actually be a huge pain in the ass, and I was happy I wouldn't have to do it.

"Well, that took a lot less time than I thought it would," Denzel chortled. "Next up, the format."

"We agreed on a double battle, right?" Cecilia said.

"But how many Pokemon per trainer?"

"I'm okay with anything other than six," Chase said, meaning that he hadn't caught his sixth yet.

I raised a hand. "Well, Cece can't use Scyther, so—"

"Not so fast," she interrupted. "Four-on-four is fine."

"W—wait. You and Scyther are fine now?!" I exclaimed.

"Not fine, no," she shook her head. "But there are a few agreements in place. A deal, if you will."

"Arceus, why didn't you tell me?" I pouted. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Because I thought I could have hidden it for the battle," she explained. "It would have tripped you up pretty good."

"Yeah… it would have," I said.

"Well, four Pokemon per person is fine," Denzel said. "Next up, the picking order. I actually have a suggestion for that."

We all stared at him curiously.

"We should do it like they do it in the Conference. You give the organizers— well, in this case, it'll have to be a referee, but you give them the order and the Pokemon you want to use, meaning that you're locked into sending that first Pokemon no matter what happens."

"I like that," I nodded. "Better than that Arceus damned coinflip system in Floaroma…"

"The Floaroma thing is just their gimmick. The element of randomness is how they differentiate themselves from all the other tournaments out there," Denzel said.

"Where do we battle?" I asked.

"Just pick some random arena," Chase said.

"There might be an audience…" Denzel said, looking at me.

"I'm fine with an audience," I shrugged. "As long as they don't heckle."

Not like I could notice anything around me when I was in the zone anyway. If anything, I'd probably have to remind myself to breathe so I didn't pass out again, because doing so a second time would be seriously embarrassing. After ironing out a few other terms, organizing the battle was done. We would each be allowed one switch, and there would be no time limit, meaning that we'd fight until the last Pokemon. Justin had agreed via text to be the referee, and we'd have to send him our teams at least an hour before the battle, which would take place tomorrow night at eight-thirty.

Finally.

Finally, it was time to strategize.

"Denzel! Come with me!" I exclaimed, dragging my friend by the arm.

"Already? I wanted to—"

"No buts! The clock's ticking!"

We left Cece in Chase's room. I wondered what strategy they'd employ, but I could only focus on myself.

No, it wasn't just me. It was me and Denzel. We quickly rode the bus back to our Center, entered my room, and took our respective seats.

"Okay, so we're deciding what Pokemon to use, and stuff?" He asked.

"Well, it's pretty obvious what I and Cece are going to use, and they know that," I explained, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen. "Chase is the wildcard since he has five, and you can't use Feebas."

"Well, Riolu is in for sure, I don't think Chase will ever fight a battle without him. But let's think about the rest from a strategic standpoint."

"Everything we're talking about is from a strategic standpoint," I said.

"You know what I meant," he rolled his eyes. "Cece has Zweilous, Fletchinder, Slowpoke and… Scyther. Chase has Riolu, Houndoom, Snover, Zangoose and Charjabug."

Right, I thought as I wrote down all of the Pokemon's typings. Denzel thought by keeping a conversation flowing, while I was more of a visual learner.

"In my opinion," he continued. "Snover's probably the one he's the most unlikely to use."

"I was thinking either Snover or Charjabug," I nodded.

"Charjabug has that trick to take down fliers, whereas Snover… well, we don't know what he's capable of. That means Togetic could be in danger."

"Princess will be able to stop his String Shots."

"But Chase doesn't know— wait, nevermind, he will know. Cece's probably spilling the beans about everything. Okay, never mind, I think Charjabug will be the one that isn't used."

I nodded. "Now we have a rough idea of who will use what, but what do we think that they'll lead with? We should pick our leads based on their choices."

"There's a pattern to Cece's battle. Have you noticed?" He asked. After racking my brain for twenty seconds, I shook my head. "She always leads with Slowpoke. She did against Roark, Gardenia, and Candice. Now, she could trip us up and lead with something else, but I don't think she's even noticed the pattern herself."

I slammed my fist into my palm. Even I had had a pattern I didn't notice. I always led with Frillish! "Shit, you're right! Okay, so we have Slowpoke. What about Chase?"

"No pattern there," Denzel shook his head.

"So he'll probably pick based on what he thinks we'll pick."

"Chase likes prioritizing the type advantage. If you were Cece and Chase right now, who what would you think we'd be picking to lead?"

I closed my eyes. "Um… Cece probably thinks I'm going to lead with Frillish, since that's what she might be used to. For Chase… I don't know. I'd say Frillish too, since that's what Cece's going to tell him, but I can't be sure."

"What's a Pokemon they'd never think you'd lead with? We need to strike a balance of surprise and utility here."

"I could lead with Togetic, but I want to keep her in the back for Wish…" I muttered. "I'll lead with Tangrowth. It'll help against Slowpoke, he has power, and he can lock down opponents with his vines."

"Okay. Like you said, Cece will probably convince Chase that you're leading with Frillish, which means if I had to guess, he'll lead with Snover."

I scribbled down on my notebook. "Okay, we have Slowpoke and Snover as leads… against Tangrowth and…?

"Roselia. There's a synergy there, isn't there? You lock people down, she sprays them with spores and poison."

I nodded. "Synergies are important here. They'll be the difference between a win and a loss."

"Now that we have our leads, we should probably work out what Pokemon we'd want out at the same time."

"Togetic can work with anyone. She's my most versatile Pokemon."

"I was thinking we save the fairies for Zweilous? He's going to be a problem. The problem."

"That works. Electabuzz can fight both close-up and from afar, and you've seen what he can do. What do you think?"

"Can he keep threats away from Snorunt?" Denzel asked with a determined look.

"If they try to go for her? Yes," I nodded. "He's also my Counter against Fletchinder with Discharge, and Cecilia'll probably use her against Snorunt. You saw me use it against Turtonator."

"Okay, that works. By the way, I've been hiding this, but she's actually my most powerful attacker. She knows Blizzard, which can easily knock out both opponents at once if you let her charge it up."

"What?!"

"I didn't know if I'd be on your team or not," he shrugged. "I'll give you a list of all of my moves later, and you can do the same for me. Let's stick to broad strategy for now."

"We have Frillish and Buneary left. Not the best combination, but we shouldn't get in each other's way either."

"That's fine. Most of these probably won't happen anyway, plans always go haywire, which is why you shouldn't rely on them too much."

"You can make backup plans…" I grumbled.

"Aw, did I offend you?" He laughed. "Don't take it too hard."

"Whatever," I huffed. "Moving on! I actually had this plan… what if we focus on one person's Pokemon?"

"Focus on them? Like only attack their Pokemon until they run out?"

"Yeah, I was thinking we could do Chase's so that we can beat Cecilia's Zweilous. I think she'll save it for last."

"Are you sure?"

"That's just how she is," I nodded. "This power stuff is kind of an art for her, and she likes saving the best for last. If we can get a one versus two against Zweilous, our odds improve massively."

"I mean, there are two heads, so technically, it'd be a two versus two," Denzel said. "But I get what you mean. I think I agree. That dragon's going to be a problem… didn't she say she was going to buy TMs when we got there?"

I gasped. "Holy shit! Thank the Legendaries you reminded me of that. What were they again?"

"I remember hearing about the elemental fang moves… Stomping Tantrum too."

"Okay," I said. "I'm gonna write down every known move for all of their Pokemon so that we have an easier time visualizing 'em. Chase probably taught his Pokemon a bunch of new moves, but there isn't really a way of figuring it out."

"I mean, I can take a gander. Houndoom probably learned Flamethrower by now."

I agreed and changed Incinerate to Flamethrower, and we came up with a few other moves his Pokemon might have learned by now too. I then proceeded to explain the strategy I wanted to use with Wish. One switch would make it only usable once, but Togetic could use the move on herself too. It took me a few tries to get the mechanics of the move through Denzel, but after ten minutes, he understood it completely.

"I don't think Togetic staying unhurt is doable," he said. "So you'll only be able to use it on her when she's on the field."

I nodded. "And I'll only be able to use it on your Pokemon, since we have one switch."

"Sylveon would be ideal. He'll be in the thick of things, and he'll get hit a lot."

"Well, we were planning on using them together anyway for a bit, so that works out. I'll just switch before the Wish comes back down."

"Let's get back to the start of the battle. I know you said that we should focus on taking down Chase's Pokemon, but I think that taking down Slowpoke first would be ideal."

"Is it because of Psychic?" I asked. It was the only way his suggestion made sense.

"Yep. It's going to be annoying as hell to deal with offensively, but it'll also mean he can keep our Pokemon off of Chase's."

"Ahh, yeah, probably. We should overwhelm him right when the fight starts, then. He won't be able to defend against all of Tangrowth's vines and Roselia's attacks."

"Okay, great. For Zangoose, I was actually thinking…"

We must have spent hours in that room, going over every single possibility we could foresee in the battle. For example, I told him about unorthodox ways to use Tangrowth's vines, like pulling one of his Pokemon to safety or Togetic's Extrasensory throwing a Pokemon into the fray, so long as it wasn't too heavy. He told me that his Snorunt had already mastered Shadow Ball and that Sylveon had combined Disarming Voice and his ribbons to make a Pokemon lose its will to fight for seconds if he touched them long enough, and since he was a physical fighter, I knew that was certainly doable.

Seconds were everything in a battle.

There was much to think about and to keep track of. So many moving parts.

This was so much fun.

—

Night had fallen in Hearthome City, and Cecilia was standing on route 209. Fletchinder landed on her shoulder and cooed affectionately. She pet the bird's hot feathers and smiled.

"Are you done preparing for tomorrow, darling?"

Fletchinder squawked, and Cecilia responded with a smirk. Strategizing with Chase certainly had been a headache, especially with how headstrong he was about doing things his way, but she was satisfied with what they had come up with. Zweilous stood a few feet away from her.

"Incinerate," she said.

Flames gathered in Sol's mouth, and he spat out a huge stream of flames, illuminating the night sky. Zerst, meanwhile, used the same move, igniting an isolated tree in the distance.

Cecilia gently clicked her tongue. "No, Zerst. Remember this. When I give out orders, they're for Sol. You don't have to listen. Do whatever you want, so long as you take down your opponents flawlessly."

Sol bowed his head, and Zerst snarled. Cecilia cupped both of their chins with her hands.

Deceit, she had called it to Pauline, although she had only told her one facet of how she planned to deceive Grace. Cecilia knew she was no longer far ahead enough to blow past Grace with power alone. Misdirection would be needed to win. She would not go as far as calling out a move to mean another— no, that was dishonorable of a trainer to do, and not how she wanted to do things. But since she had a Zweilous, and there were two heads… well, why not give an order to one and leave the other to be an unpredictable factor in the battlefield? They were a little slow, so she would have to work on her tactics until the time of the battle came.

Scyther hissed, menacingly showing off his claws as he emerged from behind the burning tree.

"My apologies," Cece bowed her head slightly. "You know Zerst. He can be trigger-happy."

Zerst roared at Scyther, drooling all over the floor.

It had taken a long time to come to an agreement with Scyther. Weeks of slow, incremental progress. The bug type still hadn't forgiven her— far from it. She would probably have to atone for her brutality for years. Nor had he gained any respect for her either. Even though it was less pronounced, Scyther still stared at her with hatred in his eyes.

At least he didn't try to kill her anymore.

Scyther hunted whenever he wanted, and he didn't listen to anything she said, but she had managed to convince him to be used in battles. Of course, that meant that she wouldn't actually command him, which in this case would work out, since it was another foil to Grace's planning. Unpredictability was her biggest weakness. As it turned out, Cecilia had not been wrong in her initial assessment all those months ago that Scyther wanted to grow stronger, but she certainly had come at it the wrong way. Seeing all of her Pokemon grow so strong convinced the bug type to reluctantly follow her, and now he had started sparring with Zweilous and Fletchinder, although he was still the weakest member of her team. There was a lot of catching up to do.

Scyther fanned his wings and flew off somewhere. Initially, Cecilia had been worried that he would run away, but she had promised the flying type to release him in two months if she couldn't convince him to stay anyway. Those two months were almost up, now, so if he ran away, it would only be her fault. She would have tried everything she could, and she would have paid the price for her sins.

But he hadn't run away. He came back every single time.

Cecilia heard steps behind her, and she turned toward the last member of her team.

"Is everything to your liking, darling?"

Yes, lady Cecilia. Everything is working as intended.

A splitting headache hit Cecilia, but she stood proud and tall.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 120 - Hanging Off the Edge

Frillish saw the world in faded colors. It was a symptom of the ghostly energy that lingered in his body, giving him his secondary typing. Oh, Grace had often told him all about colors. He was supposedly blue, while Togetic was white with specks of blue and red that remained from her old shell, Tangrowth was also blue, Electabuzz was yellow, and Larvitar was more of a dull green. He did not know what those colors looked like. All he had known his entire life was a faded world of different shades of gray.

Frillish shot a Water Sport from below his body, propelling himself out of Amity Square's enormous lake. It was night time and surprisingly, his trainer had brought the family here to relax for their battle tomorrow. He had expected last-minute, arduous training, but instead, the children got to play and enjoy themselves, which pleased him greatly.

Even Turtonator was out, watching their every movement with a sneer in the distance while she sat and tried to converse with him. This was the reason why Frillish could not do the usual and sink into the depths of the lake like he liked to do. What if something happened? He would need to be there, or Grace would suffer more burns or worse.

Suddenly, he saw the first of the children approach. Togetic floated up to him and let out a singular chirp. It was a simple cry, but it was spoken with intent, and Frillish understood what it meant immediately.

Brother, she had called out.

Child. You appear troubled tonight, the water type replied.

Togetic lowered her head as she side-eyed the new reluctant member of the family.

Ah, so it is him, Frillish huffed. Your feelings still have not been sorted?

To Frillish, the fae worked in mysterious ways. Pokemon in the wild rarely spoke to each other outside of their own small groups, but he had been a part of one when he had just been born centuries ago, in the depths of the ocean. There, he had heard stories recounting how dangerous they truly were when they grew in power. Togetic was still relatively weak, but she was extremely attached to Grace. She was also the best of all of them at hiding her true feelings from her. She looked at Turtonator with a blank expression, but behind that was a subtle hatred so intense that it made Frillish hesitate with his following words.

Still, he spoke. Do you want to talk about it, child?

Even he disliked Turtonator. After all, he had attacked him when Grace had explicitly told him not to. A betrayal of her trust that he still wished had not occurred, but alas. It had already happened, and no one could turn back time.

The wyrm looks at our mother with disgust, even after what she has done for him, Togetic said, her voice cheery but her tone murderous. I look forward to the day that I grow powerful enough to have my revenge. I will tear him from limb to limb, destroy all the bones in his body until they turn to dust, pin him against the ground with Ancient Power and flatten him, but I will keep him alive—

Frillish's eyes flickered, and he attempted to interrupt her tirade. Child.

—until his pride is broken, and I will revel in his screams of agony. He sickens me to my very core. He deserves worse than death. I live solely for my family, and I failed to protect my mother. If the wyrm ever strikes at her again, he will die in the most excruciating way I can find.

The words echoed in Frillish's earholes and etched themselves into fate. Togetic had not rewritten reality, nor had she made a vow that she would be forced to pursue, but the words had been spoken with overwhelming emotion, and to the fae, that meant something. Had she been older and a lot more powerful, they might have had an effect that would be ever so slight, but could affect the course of a battle where fate itself would push for her victory, turning the odds in her favor. Turtonator stood up, much to Grace's surprise, and began glaring at the fairy type. Had he sensed those words somehow?

Frillish certainly had, and they felt different.

Child. Your mother would be saddened if you went through with this plan, Frillish shook his head. You are not thinking clearly. It is the influence of the fae that clouds your judgment.

Togetic's expression did not change, but Frillish certainly felt a change.

Brother… I apologize.

Think nothing of it, child. You are still young, and you must resist these urges, lest you end up like that Sylveon, Frillish warned.

We are old friends, him and I. He has a good heart.

And yet, he grows ever so attached to his trainer to the point of isolating him from his friends with tricks of the mind. It will have to be dealt with, Frillish rebuked. Go clear your head. I must speak with the others.

Togetic grabbed one of his tentacles. Wait, big brother! Tell me you love me before you go, or I'll tell mother you were being callous again!

I love you, little one.

Togetic left, seemingly satisfied. Frillish huffed, but his eyes dimmed. At last, she was back to her cheerful, mischievous self. No matter what, he could not resist this child, nor any of the others. He had grown soft, but he was perfectly content with that. From the day he had started living alone and preying on those weak Pokemon in Sandgem's shallow waters, to the afternoon Grace had caught him, his life had been so dull. A mindless cycle of staying perfectly still, waiting for an unsuspecting Magikarp or school of Remoraid to swim by until he could trap and drain them with Absorb. Grace had called it draining 'energy,' but that was not exactly true. He had been stealing away their lifespans.

Frillish was not a true ghost, and therefore, he was not truly immortal. Of course, he was so hard to kill he might as well have been. If there was even a speck of his body left, he would eventually regenerate, and he had stolen so many years of life that he would not meet his maker for centuries more.

Of course, he had stopped doing so now. Grace disliked it when he killed things— something he did not understand. Why care about wild Pokemon he or she barely knew? But he did not want to see her sad, so he listened.

Plus, he also had to wrangle with the fact that he would live long past everyone here, which the water type did not like to think about. These intrusive thoughts always struck him at the worst of times. He needed a distraction.

Frillish noticed Larvitar screaming obscenities at Tangrowth below him, and he floated down to see what all the ruckus was about. The grass type's vines were wriggling about erratically, which clearly meant that he was in severe distress.

Larvitar shook her arms and began stomping on the ground, forcing Tangrowth to pick her up. Let me get deeper into the water, you sack of vines! Let me in, let me in, let me in, let me in—

Now, now, child. What is going on here?

The rock type let out a half-gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. Frillish! Nothing… nothing is going on. We're playing games.

Tangrowth shot the ghost type a series of blinks and shook his entire body.

Tangrowth here is telling me you were misbehaving, he said.

Well, Tangrowth's a big, smelly liar! I'm gonna tell mo— Grace!

The grass type's vines drooped sadly along the floor.

You hurt him. You must apologize, Larvitar.

She was about to protest, but Frillish intensified his stare until she relented and issued a short apology. Tangrowth forgave her immediately, and quickly returned to his usual, joyous self. Larvitar was still a baby, and so she tended to be very irritated when she did not get her way. Togetic had shown a little bit of this when she had been younger, but that was mostly gone now. However, something told Frillish that Larvitar would never lose this immature side of her. She was placed on the ground again, and Tangrowth gently guided for to the lake's shores, where she enjoyed spending her time.

The rock type was itching to grow stronger. She disliked Turtonator, but she also looked at him with awe because she admired his great strength.

And that was because her ultimate goal was to get revenge on the Pokemon that murdered her first mother. First was important, because despite her reluctance to actually enunciate the words, Larvitar did think of Grace as her second parent. She was just not ready to take that final leap. Frillish did not have the heart to tell her that even Turtonator would be no match for that Rhyperior in his current state.

The water type held back a huff. Even that dragon was weak compared to the true horrors of the world.

Frillish looked at Tangrowth with suspicion. Not because he did not trust him— he loved him just as much as the others— but because he believed he was on the brink of a discovery. Tangrowth never spoke, even with fellow Pokemon, opting to communicate with his vines and eyes instead, which meant that he was hard to understand at times.

And yet, Frillish had figured out that he was not a child as Grace and he had believed.

Frillish was old, and so he could differentiate the behavior of children and adult Pokemon. Tangrowth did not behave as a child should. He was a caretaker, often opting to play with the rest of children, or Grace's friend's teams even when he did not particularly want to. No child would display such a level of maturity and gentleness.

And yet sometimes, he behaved like a child anyway. The grass type was truly an enigma that Frillish struggled with on a daily basis, and it appeared he would not completely solve it tonight either. The water type heard Electabuzz call out to him, and he bid Tangrowth and Larvitar goodbye after telling the rock type to behave and Tangrowth not to let himself be walked over.

Electabuzz grinned and waved at him.

Hey Frillish, pal! Looking gloomier than usual today! He exclaimed. Check this out!

The electric type let loose a series of punches in the air, which were quicker and more powerful than they used to be.

I can quickly alternate between Ice and Fire Punch now. Ain't that grand? Electabuzz smiled.

Your mother said no training tonight, Frillish said.

This ain't training, I'm not using any moves! Grace is okay with it, I asked her. I'm supposed to keep my opponents off of that little Snorunt tomorrow.

The water type sighed. Well, if she said so. Is anything troubling you, perhaps?

Well, nothing you can do anything about, he shrugged as he continued punching the air. The turtle's worrying me. Grace is being too chummy with him.

On that, we agree, Frillish nodded. But I came to an understanding when I struck him with that Water Pulse. There is simply no point in fighting.

Electabuzz hit the water type's back as he laughed, causing him to groan in annoyance.

Bahaha! You only say that because it didn't actually deal any damage!

No, child. I say it because Turtonator is in pain, and his way of dealing with it is lashing out. Did you not see? He wanted a fight. He still wants one.

Electabuzz lost his playful demeanor, and his arms slumped.

Grace said as much.

Do you not trust your mother? I believe her words. She is surprisingly good at understanding us, for a human.

Even if she still had work to do.

I trust her, but I need to get stronger. I wasn't enough. I'm never enough to protect her. Until a few nights ago, she was still crying herself to sleep. I know you heard, but you never did anything. I… I didn't either.

I was too ashamed of myself, the water type admitted. You say you did not protect her, yet it was you who saved her from the heat and an explosion. Without you, the burns would have been much worse. Meanwhile, my water… my water could not win against Turtonator's flames.

Come on, pal! You're being too hard on yourself. Honestly, I think we all share some of the blame. Grace made a decision, and we… we weren't good enough to ensure that it went well. At the end of the day, it's all our fault.

Including hers? Frillish asked.

The electric type looked at him and shrugged again. Dunno. Hurts to think about, so I'd rather not.

Fair enough, he nodded. Instead of punching the air and doing other nonsensical things, why don't you go and keep your sister company? She has a lot on her mind.

Which one? He asked worriedly.

Togetic.

Is she still in her murder mode?

Only if you bring up the 'wyrm.'

Electabuzz chuckled. Always loved her strange way of talking. Fairies are funny like that!


He quickly left and jogged toward Togetic, who sat on the ground and watched the bright moon in the sky that often captivated her. Frillish smiled when he saw them start to talk. Electabuzz was a much-needed ray of sunshine that kept the family going in their darkest days. After the attack at Valley Windworks, in Eterna Forest, Mount Coronet, or the far north, he had always been there. A reassuring presence that they could always fall back on, even though he did not think of himself as one.

He did a lot more for all of them than he knew.

"Hey bud. Deep in thought?"

Frillish slowly turned toward Grace. She smiled at him and gently grabbed his tentacle, somehow causing him an uncomfortable amount of comfort.

On all of our minds, he responded, looking at every member of the family. Grace was good at understanding Pokemon, but she still needed a lot of expressive body language to truly understand what they meant.

"I've been worrying you all, huh?" She sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess I've been too headstrong about forcing this Turtonator thing onto you."

The water type's eyes flickered. She already knew?

"I think he'll slowly come around, but I can't force you to like him. Even Tangrowth keeps his distance, and he's the nicest Pokemon around."

Larvitar seems to admire Turtonator, he said, pointing at the rock type.

"Sweetheart? Yeah, I suppose she could change her mind. She doesn't mind him, but it's got to do with strength or something. I don't fully understand yet."

Frillish nodded, indicating that she was on the right track. Grace did not need to know about this plan for revenge any time soon, and he doubted that she would even accept it.

"Regardless, I won't force you to talk to him or anything. You can all keep your distance, and I'll work with Turtonator by myself."

I appreciate that decision, but don't overwork yourself, child, Frillish said with a worried look.

"I'll be alright. Let's all do our best and look forward to tomorrow. Though I guess you don't particularly care, do you?" She teased him.

The water type huffed. It was true that while all the others cared about Grace's dream of becoming the best trainer and gathering badges, he did not particularly do so. The act of battling for sport had even confused him at first. After all, why fight someone if you aren't going to kill them? It had taken him weeks to understand, but he was still not enamored with battling like everyone else was.

He did, however, want to grow stronger to protect what he currently had. He would not lose another family again. It had been comfortable, to live in the wild and chase prey for centuries. He could turn everything off and run on auto-pilot, not being consciously aware for years at a time. It wasn't like anything in Sandgem's waters was powerful enough to kill him. So he had almost forgotten. Forgotten what it was like to have a family until Grace had caught him.

Frillish reckoned that if he hadn't experienced it before, it would have taken him months for him to even give her a chance. He very well could have been doing what Turtonator was doing now or worse. He had even attacked her at first.

"I'm gonna let you think and go hang out with princess and honey, alright? Something's been off about her lately, but I can't place what it is."

Frillish smiled slightly. She had even noticed that? He had underestimated her.

"Aw, look at you with the cute smile!" She said, hugging him. Frillish's body was cold, and yet he still felt warm. "See you later, bud!"

What an impressive child she is, he mused to himself. Grace was warmth personified, and there was not a single being she could not reach if given enough time. Frillish was sure of it.

Perhaps even…

He stared at Turtonator, who had laid lazily back down in the grass.

What, ghost? The dragon mocked. Have you come to strike me again? It would be my pleasure to indulge you.

Frillish sighed. He could at least give talking a try.

I realize that I did not apologize for my outburst a few days ago. I am sorry about attacking you.

Turtonator mockingly snorted. Hah! Apologizing? You think like a human, ghost! Has a few months under that annoying child's company softened you that much?

I am not a ghost! Frillish said a little louder than he wanted. And it has, he admitted. Is there anything wrong with that? Does it matter if I am soft if it makes me happy?

The fire type closed his eyes. You're the only one I have a modicum of respect for, ghost, he said, ignoring his protest and question. You got angry and attacked me. That takes courage. But the others? They pretend, pretend, pretend. They will speak to you about me, but not spew their hatred to my face. That fairy is the worst of all. You seem to care for her, but you know the sinister desires that lie within the fae. Bah! The thought alone disgusts me! He hatefully spat. Even that human acts as if she likes me. She'll drone on and on about anything that comes up in her empty little head.

I will keep the others under control, he said. They will not strike you. Larvitar admires your power, and Grace's desire to get closer to you is genuine.

Bah! He snorted, letting out a puff of hot smoke. Maybe the little one is fine, but the rest are not. Eventually, even that petulant human will give up. They are all the same. Good-for-nothing little weasels worth less than the most common Rattata. Betrayal is second nature to them.

Even Kamaile?

The temperature rose, and Turtonator's shell lit up as he stared at Frillish with a look of pure rage.

Do not speak of him, ghost. I will not ask you twice.

Frillish's eyes dimmed, and he bowed his head to apologize. He had gone too far, but he couldn't help but be curious. Where had this hatred of humans come from? Why did Turtonator, who traveled the lands with his trainer suddenly start to hate humans? Frillish refused to believe that a Pokemon with this much hate could have been used by a trainer in any way, shape, or form. Grace had told him about the fact that he had attacked a human just for walking next to him. The hatred was fresh. Recent.

Perhaps there was more to his trainer's death than met the eye.

You are lucky I am in a good mood today, ghost. Otherwise, I would have killed you right then and there, he said.

Many have tried. It is harder than it seems, the water type answered.

You are a weakling, ghost. One well-placed Dragon Pulse would erase you beyond your regenerative capabilities.

Frillish froze. You know?

How old do you think I am? I have seen my fair share of ghosts. Annoying little rats, the lot of them, but still better and easier to kill than a powerful fairy.

Why are you so insistent on calling me a ghost? Frillish huffed. That is not even half of what I am.

Ghost, half-ghost, it is all the same to me. And it is also because I know you hate it, ghost. Turtonator smirked, closing his eyes. You are the worst weakling of all. Purposefully holding yourself back, and for what? How disappointing.

What do you know? Frillish said, narrowing his eyes.

Pokemon as old as we can sense things, ghost. I know you have been holding back your evolution. In fact, you could have evolved when you fought me in the mountain. Maybe then, your trainer wouldn't have had to be scarred for life.

Frillish's eyes flared, and it took everything he had not to attack. His tentacles shivered and ghostly energy started to leak out of his body. He wanted to rip him apart for what he had just said. To make him pay. To hate—

Ah, yes, ghost, let the hate flow through you. That might make you slip from the edge and unlock your potential.

You are worse than scum for what you just said, Frillish fumed. And yet, maybe Turtonator was correct. Maybe he could have saved Grace from the anguish she was going through.

You are weak, and I am strong. I can say whatever I want, and there is nothing you will ever be able to do about it.

Damned dragons and their pride! Frillish floated away, opting to distract himself by going back to the others, but Turtonator called out to him again.

Why is it that you fear more power, Frillish?

The water type stopped mid-air and slowly turned back. That was the first time Turtonator had ever addressed him by his name.

Does it matter if you will just mock me?

Turtonator continued, ignoring his question. I struggle to understand. Some Pokemon like Vulpix are often scared to evolve because they will long outlive their trainers as Ninetales, but you will already live for centuries more.

But why do you even care? Frillish asked again.

Why should I not strive to obtain something? If it is within my reach, it should be mine.

So it is just greed, then?

Greed for knowledge? He snorted. I suppose so. Now humor me.

And if I don't? Frillish asked.

Do not play games with me, ghost. Say that you will or that you will not. Do not ask about consequences. Only weaklings do so.

You called me weak earlier, so that would fit what you think of me.

The temperature rose ever so slightly.

If you do not speak, then you will be stuck in this powerless form forever, ghost. Eventually, you will become too weak and fall behind the 'family' that you seem to care so much about. You have done everything you can in this body. Your growth has flatlined.

Frillish sighed.

You said that our ages were comparable earlier. How old are you? The water type asked.

Seventy-four, the dragon answered.

You are a child to me, then—

Do not call me a child, Turtonator interrupted him with a growl. Continue.

I have lived so long I have forgotten how old I was, but it is certainly more than three hundred. When I was just born, I lived in a pod of five Frillish, including me, but I will skip past the details. When a Frillish evolves, it does not keep a balance between water and ghost. They become more of a ghost instead. My mother evolved and lost herself to hatred.

A nice little story, Turtonator said dissmisively. And why does that matter?

Do you not understand? I could lose myself! I could never be the same again! What will become of Grace then? She will be heartbroken, as I was!

Again, you think like a human. Disappointing.

Your input is highly unappreciated and unwanted.

If you have so little trust in yourself, then I retract the small ounce of respect I had for you, the dragon said, lazily turning away. A pity.

It is not even about trust, it is about uncertainty.

You are uncertain about your own willpower. If you think that is not a matter of trust in your own capabilities, then you are lying to yourself. Another human habit.

I don't need your help. I've been thinking about it regardless, and I will come to a decision when the time suits me.

Run away, ghost. Run away from power because something could go wrong. That annoying little runt might be insufferable, but her love for you is genuine, at least. Do you honestly think she would not try to bring you back to normal if hate consumed you? Do you think she would fail? No trust in yourself, no trust in your trainer, well, well, ghost, you sure are a pathetic little worm. Worth less than the most abhorrent of the fae.

She could fail. My mother never went back to normal.

Oh, please, Turtonator scoffed with a half-snort. How long did you even try to save her? You were simply not resolute enough.

We tried for months. Eventually, the others left. I tried to stick around, but I gave up too, and then I was left on my own. I drifted across the ocean for years until I reached the shallow waters of Sandgem.

Months?! Hah! You are a ghost! Months are but a speck of time to you lot.

It was centuries ago! Staying with her was too painful after knowing what she had been like. I can't change the past.

Turtonator stood up and stared down the water type with a flaming intensity.

Centuries ago, you were a weakling with no determination. Today, you are the same. How pathetic is it that you have made absolutely no progress? You are teetering on the edge, barely holding on by a single strand. You are so close that you wouldn't even need to be in a stressful situation to evolve. You could do it right now. Just let go.

Frillish tensed as he closed his eyes.

And let himself fall off the edge.

Ha! Perhaps there is hope for you yet, ghost, Turtonator laughed as light engulfed Frillish's body.

---

A/N: So I delayed this as much as I could, but I finally made the Pokemon talk. It's been a long time coming, and there's only so much characterization you can do for them without them speaking, although I do think I was doing a good job. The fact that there are no quotation marks for Pokemon dialogue is a stylistic choice that I hope isn't too confusing. Anyway, this ended up being my favorite chapter ever, overtaking chapter 108 and 62 by a mile. Let me know what you think about it.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 121

"I'm serious, princess. You can talk to me, I'll listen," I said.

"To. Ge," she shook her head. Electabuzz worriedly tapped her back to convince her, but she didn't relent.

"Arceus, are you having your teenage crisis early?" I teased. "Well, I'll figure you out eventually. No secret is safe from me—"

Both of my Pokemon turned and stared behind me, and so did angel and sweetheart, who were together in the distance. I did the same, and I saw a bright light surround Frillish's body as he floated next to Turtonator, who was looking at him with a gleeful look.

"What… what happened?" I muttered in disbelief. I was too shocked to even move.

Frillish was… Jellicent now towered over Turtonator, being at least seven feet tall, if not more. His head had grown to enormous proportions, and he glowed slightly in the night. His eyes were now at least twice as bright, and staring at them too long unsettled me.

I shook my head. How could I be unsettled by my own Pokemon?

I snapped out of my stupor and ran toward Turtonator and Jellicent, closely followed by Electabuzz and Togetic. Tangrowth quickly came as well, propelling himself with vines while carrying Larvitar in the air.

"What happened here?" I asked, looking at Turtonator, then Jellicent. "You evolved! You weren't even fighting or anything! How do you feel?"

Jellicent slowly turned toward me and then stared down. He appeared a lot more slimy than usual, as if he was under a permanent Acid Armor, meaning that he'd be able to slip through any cracks easily. Did that mean hugs were now off the table? That sucked!

"Buddy? Talk to us," I smiled.

The water type let out a deep, booming sound from under his foamy mustache as he continued staring down at me.

"Hm, something isn't right," I frowned. Electabuzz nodded next to me while Turtonator just snorted and laid back down on the ground.

Tangrowth extended a vine forward, and it went inside of Jellicent's body, who just stood still and stared. Togetic and Larvitar both attempted to say something, but there was no reaction either. I felt my throat tighten.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, clenching a fist. "Do you want to go back in your Pokeball? Or maybe move around in your new body for a bit?"

Why was he just staring through me? Electabuzz grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me back, stepping in front of me.

"What are you doing? I've got this—"

Tangrowth wrapped a vine around my waist, restraining me. Electabuzz continued yelling at Jellicent. Togetic and Larvitar begged for him to go back to normal, and Turtonator just watched with a curious, half-opened eye.

Jellicent's eye glinted, and in a split second, a Shadow Ball had finished gathering in front of his mouth. Electabuzz roared, and electricity sparked on both of his fists. He punched Jellicent, ramming through the Shadow Ball and creating an explosion. Tangrowth pulled me away and Togetic raised an earthen barrier to protect me. Electabuzz's hands sunk inside of the water type, shocking him from the inside. The water type's body shook and rippled, as if it was made entirely out of water, but his eyes cleared immediately after that.

His stare no longer disturbed me.

Electabuzz stopped his attack, shaking his hand where the Shadow Ball had hit.

Jellicent's stare turned to pure panic as he profusely bowed his head and apologized profusely. I breathed again for what felt like the first time in minutes and gave him a tired smile.

"You scared me there, buddy," I sighed. "What happened? That was like…"

Ghosts were known to grow out of control when they evolved, but Jellicent wasn't a true ghost. Unless something had changed…?

"Well, we'll figure it out at some point," I said. "Thank you for snapping him out of it, hon."

Electabuzz scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. If he hadn't taken the initiative and attacked, then this could have gone to complete shit really fast. Even if it'd only take me seconds to grab Jellicent's Pokeball to recall him, an actual fight, however short it was, would damage all of their relationships. Plus, Jellicent wouldn't have been back to normal as quickly.

"At least I can figure out pretty quickly if you're normal or not," I told him. He stared at me and asked how. "Your eyes, you big goof. You were looking at me like I was a thing, not family. Anyway, Togetic, can you fix up the ground a little bit? I don't want to give the employees here extra work."

The flying type shakily nodded and began flattening the ground.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked Turtonator with a suspicious look. "I know you had something to do with this. I'm recalling you for now," I said, grabbing his Pokeball. After retrieving him, I turned to Jellicent again. "Important question. Can you solidify your body like ghosts? There's no point in you being this big if I can't hug ya."

Electabuzz cackled at that, agreeing with me. Larvitar stepped below Jellicent, waving her arms and looking at him with admiration as Tangrowth watched with his vines drooping. It looked like she had a new favorite now, much to his chagrin, but the novelty would probably wear off, and then she'd be back to begging to play with him.

Jellicent hesitated, but then his body slightly trembled, and he nodded at me.

I tackled him. It did not have the effect I wanted.

I thought I'd be able to bring him to the ground to hug him, and then everyone else would join in for a collective group hug. Instead, I bounced back and almost fell down, but Tangrowth stopped me by quickly wrapping a vine around me.

"Arceus, that was embarrassing," I exhaled as I stood back up. "Thanks Angel."

He waved at me and blinked twice. Jellicent apologized again, but I stopped him before he could finish.

"Stop it, it was just me being stupid," I said, slowly approaching him. I gently wrapped my arms around his face— or as far as I could, given how big he was. "You smell like the ocean."

"Licent," he nodded.

"I love you," I teared up. "Don't do that again, okay? I can't lose you."

We must have stayed there for at least ten minutes. At some point, the others joined in too, although Larvitar was only hugging my ankle. There was no point in my Pokemon being strong if they lost themselves in the process.

"Oh man, this changes everything for tomorrow!" I gasped. "I need to text Denzel— we need to change our strategy around. Oh, we also need to try out your new body and strength and stuff! Oh man, this is gonna be so much fun. You guys mind if we extend our little jaunt and go to route 208?"

Togetic sighed, but everyone else agreed.

"Sorry princess, I'll make it up to you," I said before recalling them. I grabbed my Poketch, checked the time and winced. "Oh man, my sleep schedule is going to be fucked."

—

On the opposite side of Amity Square, Denzel sat at the edge of the lake. He had come here multiple times already thanks to Grace's recommendation, and he liked the place to bits. He found it easy to relax here, especially with how fidgety he felt about tomorrow's battle.

"Bas…!"

Feebas jumped across the lake, creating a beautiful arc. He was getting better at that. Sylveon, meanwhile, was lying down at the lake's shore, happily watching the fish perform for him. He had wanted to release the rest of his team too, but there'd be a high risk of a fight happening, and that was a no-no before tomorrow's battle. He needed them focused on that, not a lover's quarrel.

Well, at least Feebas could get some quality alone time with his crush while Denzel got into his battling headspace. Even though it would only be tomorrow, he was still thinking about it, talking and muttering to himself about different possible scenarios and creating a broad strategy to counter them. Sylveon called out to Feebas, who shyly approached the fairy type, and he hugged him with his ribbons.

Denzel raised an eyebrow. Sylveon usually didn't display that much affection with Buneary or Roselia. He was sure now that Snorunt wasn't in love with the fairy type, but she liked to hog his attention to annoy those two anyway.

The trainer grabbed Buneary's Pokeball and held it firmly in his hand. Lopunny was an evolution that required Buneary to feel highly attached to its trainer, and he was sure they were close enough now— even though she liked Sylveon more than him. If it had been enough for Budew, then she was ready. The problem was that she was so used to being in tough battles that nothing seemed to be enough to let her evolve.

It was a strange quirk of his team. Even though, again, Budew technically didn't require to be in a battle to evolve, she had done so during his gym battle against Candice. Denzel was sure Buneary would be the same. The question was, would she evolve tomorrow or during the battle with Fantina?

And could he trigger it at a specific moment?

Denzel snapped out of his thoughts as Sylveon tightly wrapped a ribbon around his arm. A soothing feeling permeated within him, and he smiled at his Pokemon. He liked to help him work past his worries with his powers, which he assumed worked like Togetic's.

"Thanks, Sylvi," he said, petting his head. "Can't get too reliant on that, though,"

The fairy type protested and shook his head.

"I know you mean well, but Cynthia warned Grace about it. I could get addicted to it, it's dangerous."

Sylveon grumbled and plopped himself on the ground, turning away from him.

"Can you at least try the new armor-like thing we've been working on?" He sighed.

Sylveon grumbled.

"Not armor. Got it. How about glamour or something?"

The fairy type nodded, and his body blurred for a single second, then tensed. Denzel brought a hand to his back and smiled when he couldn't manage to touch him directly— it was fundamentally impossible, at least until he got hit enough times. That would undoubtedly throw Chase and Cecilia for a loop tomorrow. They had developed this 'armor' during their training, and it wasn't actually a move. Fairies tended to be the most adept at creating things that weren't moves, and from what Denzel knew, each fairy was different with what they could achieve. He didn't really understand how Sylveon had come up with the concept, but he knew that it meant that he'd be able to fight in a melee for longer, which was his specialty.

Denzel let Feebas play around for another thirty minutes before he went back to the Center to sleep.

—

"You look so goofy!" I giggled at Jellicent. Togetic could barely float straight as the water type used Water Sport to propel himself upward. "Seriously, how does it still work with the size of your head?!"

Somehow, Jellicent had not lost any mobility from his evolution, although his larger size did mean he was a lot easier to hit. In his solid form, he was as slow as a Torkoal, and extremely heavy, but in his default, goo form? He was actually lighter than he had been before evolving, and his body could easily bend in unnatural ways, meaning that sharp turns weren't a problem either.

"Your attacks are a lot stronger than before, too," I continued. "No time to learn any new moves in a day, but what we have is already good. I will try to get you to learn Brine before the battle against Fantina, though. The large area of effect means that it'd be excellent to take down ghosts."

The water type nodded slowly.

"By the way, there'll be people tomorrow at our battle. Will you be okay to be out?" I asked.

Jellicent hesitated, but then nodded.

"Okay. Don't beat yourself up, okay? The fact that you're back to normal so quickly's already a lot of progress. Arceus knows that taking care of two unruly Pokemon would have exhausted me."

I checked my Poketch, and there was no answer from Denzel.

"I guess he's probably sleeping," I said. "Well, we've got all day tomorrow to work something out, so there's no rush. We should head back."

—

"And remember," I told Denzel. "I know it'll look stupid, but don't—"

"I won't intervene in your plan, I know," he smiled. "Did you remember to submit your order to Justin?"

I scoffed. "Obviously!"

"I don't know, you forget a lot of stuff."

"Maybe I'll forget that we're on the same team, too," I snarked.

"No you won't, because you hate losing."

I lifted a finger, but paused. "Yeah… fair enough."

Jellicent's evolution had completely changed our strategy from top to bottom, and we had stayed at the Center until the last minute to refine it. The beginning would look roughly the same, but the deeper into the battle we would get, the more different everything would be. The surprised look on Justin's face when I revealed that Jellicent had evolved had been very entertaining, but I had expected a bigger reaction. Denzel and I entered the arena where our battle would take place, and a small crowd of trainers was already there somehow. Pauline and Emilia were also sitting on the side, and I had asked for Emi to record the battle so I could watch it later.

"Arceus, how'd they find out so quick?" I asked exasperatedly.

"All it takes is for one person to see that Cece and Chase were there," Denzel said, pointing at our two friends. They were speaking with each other, probably doing some last-minute strategizing.

"And then it spreads like wildfire. I'm honestly surprised there aren't more people."

"Don't jinx us," I groaned.

Cece smiled and waved at us, while Chase just nodded. After ironing out our plan and implementing a few, last-minute changes, it was time for the battle to begin.

Justin stepped to the side of the arena and cleared his throat. He was clearly nervous, and he adjusted his collar before starting his speech.

"Erm, this will be a double battle, and each trainer will be allowed to use four Pokemon! You can only… wait I messed up. Uh, you can… there's only one switch per trainer allowed, and a Pokemon order was given to me, so you have to send out the first one you picked no matter what…"

How awkward, I thought. Still, I couldn't fault him. Speaking in front of this many people for the first time was no doubt nerve-wracking.

"Trainers, send out your Pokemon!" He exclaimed, a little firmer this time.

Immediately, I sent out Tangrowth, and Denzel released Roselia, who glared at him and screeched when she realized how many people were there.

I bit the inside of my lip when I saw a Slowking and a Vikavolt appear on the other side of the field.

It looked like I wasn't the only one that had hidden an evolution. We had been completely wrong about which Pokemon Chase would choose. All of the time he had spent in Mount Coronet made sense now. He had traveled up the mountain to reach a level where the mountain's magnetic field was powerful enough so that Charjabug could evolve. Meanwhile, Cecilia had an Arceus damned Slowking, which, needless to say, was a disaster for our plan to take him down quickly before moving on to Chase's Pokemon.

"Well, fuck," Denzel exhaled.

Yeah, I thought. Fuck.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 122 - Rivals

There were no two ways about it.

This was bad. Really bad. Denzel swore, glancing at me, but we didn't have time to talk. Justin raised his arm, signaling that he was about to start the battle.

Slowking stood there with a blank expression and his hands sagely behind his back. Vikavolt fanned out his wings and slowly took flight, emitting a loud buzzing sound. Our entire plan was void now, but I could still salvage this. By how much had Slowking's psychic abilities improved? What was his range? How good was Vikavolt at maneuvering in the sky? How fast was he? Could Tangrowth catch him and knock him down?

So many questions, with no way to answer them until the battle started. I bit my lip and sighed as Justin brought his arm down.

"Begin!"

Immediately, without any orders, Slowking brought a hand forward, and psychic energy surrounded Vikavolt. The electric type shot forward at incredible speeds, opening his massive pincers as he flew toward Roselia. Right after that, Slowking spat out a massive Water Pulse that he sped up further with Psychic, also aiming toward the poison type.

"Grab her!" I yelled to Tangrowth. "Catch Vikavolt!"

"String shot," Chase ordered.

Tangrowth wrapped a vine around Roselia and dragged her to his side. She narrowly avoided both String Shot and Water Pulse.

"Venoshock!" Denzel said.

Tangrowth sent ten vines forward, all aiming to catch the approaching Vikavolt, but the bug type was surprisingly agile in the air, twisting and turning to dodge any vines that got even close. Still, it couldn't take too many risks and get too close to Roselia. The grass type angled her flowers toward Slowking, who was slowly trudging forward, and sprayed vasts amount of poison in his direction, but the psychic type simply waved an arm, deviating its path.

"Fuck it! Thunderbolt!" Chase yelled.

Ah. It was subtle, but I caught Cecilia's wince. Vikavolt screeched, vibrating his wings as a massive Thunderbolt rivaling Electabuzz's exploded from his body. Once again, Tangrowth protected Roselia, and he shrugged off the attack as he wriggled his body.

"They're focusing you down. Stick to the original plan. Get Slowking," I whispered. "Tangrowth, Leech Seed!"

Denzel nodded before shouting out a command. "Seed Bomb and Spore attack the Slowking!"

More than a dozen seeds flew off both Roselia's flowers and Tangrowth's body, and they were all destined for Slowking. The psychic type continued on its slow walk and simply diverted every single one. The spores simply washed over what seemed to be an invisible bubble of protection. Vikavolt slowly flew back toward Slowking.

"Obel, another one!" Chase yelled.

"Darling," she simply said.

Slowking lazily waved his hand, and Vikavolt shot out of the sky toward Tangrowth.

"Grace," Denzel exhaled. "Vikavolt's quick, but he's got a slow acceleration. Slowking's boosting his start speed with Confusion."

"Not Psychic?"

"Psychic would deal direct damage. Hurts the brain, remember?"

Chase swept his arm. "X-Scissor!"

Without my command, Tangrowth raised an earth barrier at the very last second, but Vikavolt somehow turned unnaturally fast toward the right. Denzel yelled, and Roselia sprayed it with a Venoshock before it left.

"Good catch," I breathed out. "We need a more aggressive approach."

"They're slowly choking us. Sic your Tangrowth on Slowking," Denzel said. "Roselia can handle herself."

There wasn't any time to ask him if he was sure. I ordered Tangrowth forward, and a dozen vines extended under him, quickening his pace. Slowking kept walking, and he did not even spare one look of uncertainty toward his trainer.

"Psychic!" Cecilia ordered.

The water type's eyes shone, and Tangrowth's body stopped as if it had rammed against a wall. Slowking hurriedly waved his arm, but angel was too big and heavy to just be sent away. On the other side of the arena, Vikavolt had picked up Roselia with its sharp pincers, and he was continuously biting with X-Scissor. Denzel grinned.

"Toxic!"

Poison started to emanate from every inch of Roselia's body, and Vikavolt dropped her to the ground with a screech. The grass type immediately stood up with a defiant scream of her own and started sniping him with Bullet Seeds. Tangrowth was still struggling under Slowking's Psychic, and not even Power Whip was breaking through. Psychic types were one of the most defensively powerful Pokemon, but his evolution had brought him to a completely different level.

Wait. Psychic types…

"Tangrowth, Knock Off!" I yelled.

Darkness surrounded one of Tangrowth's vines, and it simply broke through Slowking's Psychic, hitting the shell on the water type's head. Slowking's attack faltered for a few precious moment, and Cecilia flinched, meaning that she hadn't expected that.

"Power Whip!" I screamed.

The same vine that had hit Slowking suddenly tensed, and hit the psychic type again, sending him flying toward his trainer.

"Grace, Vikavolt's slowed!" Denzel yelled.

My eyes snapped back to his side of the battle, and I saw that the poison had made the electric type lose all of his built-up acceleration. Even for me, keeping track of two individual fights at once was too much. Vikavolt hurriedly fanned his wings and tried to run back toward Slowking, who was still attempting to get up from that Power Whip. Another seed exploded against his hard shell as Roselia kept pestering him with Seed Bombs and Bullet Seeds.

"Bind it, Tangrowth!"

The grass type hurried back to our side of the field as his vines shot forward. Vikavolt narrowly avoided the first few, but a well-placed Seed Bomb by Roselia managed to slow the bug type enough to restrain Vikavolt.

"Fight him off," Chase said.

That was unusually calm of him. And fight him off? How? That was a half-baked order if I'd ever seen one. Something Pauline might have said, but not Chase.

"Wait," I told Denzel and Tangrowth. "He's got a trick."

Cecilia whispered something at Chase, who did his usual dismissing handwave before giving the slightest nod. I sucked in air through my teeth. They were trying to fucking trick me! Cecilia was trying to be discreet. Her lips were barely moving, and Chase was outwardly disagreeing but secretly going along with her plan.

They weren't good enough yet. I could tell that they were planning on doing something.

If only I'd been better at lip reading.

Denzel stared at Slowking, who had gotten up and was starting to make his way to the action again. We were wasting time here.

"Fuck it," he exhaled. "Attack anyway, we can figure out how to deal with it on the fly."

I didn't like it, but we couldn't let an opportunity like this slip past us. With my signal, Tangrowth smashed Vikavolt against the floor and squeezed the life out of him with Bind and Mega Drain. Roselia stepped forward and began spraying her poison on the bug type.

"Rising Voltage!" Chase yelled.

The floor shook slightly, and a massive amount of electricity shot out of the crackling floor, hitting both Roselia and Tangrowth. However, they were grass types, so they didn't take that much damage. Tangrowth hadn't even loosened his grip on Vikavolt, so why—

Through the smoke, ash, and electricity, Slowking was running.

He was slow, but he was fucking running. Denzel swore and ordered Roselia to stop him with a Seed Bomb, but he easily diverted their path, and the explosions barely grazed him.

"I'll buy you time!" Denzel whispered. "Finish Vikavolt off!"

"Okay," I breathed. "Tangrowth, smash."

The grass type happily wriggled as he kept ramming Vikavolt against the ground over and over. I glanced at Denzel, who was simply waiting, but one look at his face told me that he was waiting for a reason. A few seconds later, he smiled.

"Giga Drain!"

"Psychic!" Cece countered.

With an enraged screech, Roselia extended her arms forward and started to drain Slowking's energy. The psychic type winced, stopping in his tracks as he lifted a hand. Roselia cried out in pain as energy surrounded her. Slowking raised her from the floor, assaulting her mind and senses. She crumpled like a piece of paper and went limp.

Tangrowth smashed Vikavolt against the floor one last time. He was down for the count too, and he had crucially fainted first.

"Vikavolt and Roselia are unable to battle. Trainers, send out your second Pokemon!" Justin yelled.

I wasted no time, and immediately ordered Tangrowth to Knock Off Slowking now that I knew that was Psychic's weakness, but Cecilia knew as much, and ordered Slowking back as he stopped Tangrowth from following with Psychic, finally buying us a lull in the battle. As it stood, only a single one of Tangrowth's vines could use Knock Off, meaning that his body as a whole could still be blocked.

"Slack Off," Cecilia smiled. Slowking sat down on the floor, closed his eyes, and all of the wounds on his body regenerated.

Fuck.

Since Chase's Pokemon went down first, the rules dictated that he'd release his Pokemon first, too. The boy sent out his Snover, who proudly smashed his chest, and hail began to fall on the battlefield. It would slowly whittle all of our Pokemon down except him. I almost scoffed in disbelief when I saw that there was still that psychic bubble around Slowking that just blocked the hail from hurting him.

"Buneary should be good against that," Denzel said as he grabbed her Pokeball. "Slowking's annoying, but have Tangrowth rush him again to lock him down."

I nodded. "I'll get your Buneary her one-on-one."

The small rabbit punched the air with both her ears and her hands as her trainer released her.

"Water Pulse, speed it up," Cecilia said, snapping a finger.

"Tangrowth, grab Buneary," I simply said. "Then get Slowking."

Tangrowth propelled himself with his vines and his legs as he tightly wrapped one against Buneary, carrying her like a rag.

"Wait for it… wait for it… throw her!" Denzel yelled.

I relayed his command to Tangrowth, who threw Buneary at Snover. The normal type shot out like an arrow, but Slowking was there to stop her, ever vigilant. The rabbit started to scream out in pain as the water type worked his Psychic on her.

But Tangrowth's arrival forced him to forgo any attacks in order to restrain the massive Pokemon from ramming into him.

"Knock Off," I said.

"Icy Wind," Chase snapped.

Snover shivered as he blew a frigid wind toward Tangrowth, but a Power-Up Punch from Buneary forced him to change course.

"Wood Hammer!" He yelled.

Both Denzel and my eyes bulged as Snover's fist elongated and shimmered with a bright, neon green. Denzel narrowly ordered Buneary to dodge with Quick Attack, but the Wood Hammer still clipped her side, and it had dealt a considerable amount of damage. In fact, the attack was so powerful that there was some blowback on Snover too. I hurriedly ordered Tangrowth to Knock Off again, hoping that the previous strategy would work. I smiled when the darkened vine slammed into Slowking's cheek, and I quickly followed up with a Power Whip, but Cecilia recalled her Pokemon in the nick of time, using her only switch of the battle.

It was something I had expected, but not been sure of now that I knew Slowking had Slack Off. She could have kept him going for a long time, but maybe she didn't want to tire him out too quickly? Without a dark type move, his defenses were nearly impenetrable. I considered switching too, but I decided to at least wait until I saw what she would use next.

As Buneary and Snover dueled each other with Power-Up Punches, Fire Punches and Wood Hammers, Cecilia released her Fletchinder.

"Agility, Tailwind," she said in quick succession.

"Don't let them! Grab her!" I yelled at Tangrowth.

Multiple vines shot out from his body, but the bird was already too quick. Her body loosened, and a continuous wind began to blow against us as she easily weaved in between Tangrowth's vines.

"Grace, I'm going to do something that might be stupid," Denzel whispered to me.

"Are you fucking kidding?" I hissed. "Now's not the time to experiment."

"I have to do it. We're in a deadlock, but your Tangrowth's getting tired. Buneary's slowly losing to Snover."

I bit my lip. I didn't know what kind of training Chase had put his Snover under, but he was shrugging off fire type attacks like they were nothing, and the Hail would slowly whittle us down.

"Fire Spin," Cecilia said.

Damn it, another new move. Fletchinder beat her wings, heating up the air around Tangrowth until flames surrounded him on all sides.

"Ancient Power, angel!" I countered, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants.

A massive rock flew toward Fletchinder, interrupting her attack, and Tangrowth just walked out of the Fire Spin. His body was still on fire, though, and he was quickly losing his energy. He wasn't as strong or fast as he had been before.

"Icy Wind, then Wood Hammer!" Chase said.

"Yeah, I'm going for it," Denzel whispered. "Buneary, take the hit!"

Snover blew another Icy Wind at Buneary, and I clicked my tongue. She could have dodged that. Now I could only hope that Denzel's strategy would work out, whatever it was. Wood Hammer was next, and Snover grunted as the full blow connected against Buneary's chest, sending her flying toward Denzel. I used the opportunity to switch targets and ordered Tangrowth to Ancient Power the Snover. A huge rock shattered against his body and he fell backwards, but another Fire Spin from Fletchinder stopped Tangrowth from continuing his onslaught.

I was slowly realizing something.

Angel was a fucking force of nature.

Buneary struggled to get back up, and just as I was about to berate Denzel, the rabbit started to glow and evolve.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" I said, almost in disbelief.

"Call it a hunch," he smiled. "Eyes on the battle."

"Well, let's fucking take that Snover down," I grinned. "Tangrowth, grab him!"

The grass type wrapped a vine around the battered ice type and threw him back toward the still-evolving Buneary. Snover landed at her feet with a loud thud.

"Quick Attack, Flame Charge!" Cecilia yelled.

"Ancient Power!"

Immediately, a wall was raised in front of Tangrowth, but the flying type had been too quick. She simply rammed into Tangrowth before he had even raised the barrier. Tangrowth caught on fire again, and Fletchinder escaped, continuing on her path to save her teammate. Snover struggled to his feet, but flames combusted on Lopunny's hands as she punched the Pokemon in the mouth. With another order, Fletchinder blurred forward with a speed impossible to track and rammed against Lopunny.

The battle had switched around now. Snover was still not down, and even though he was still on the ground, he blew an Icy Wind toward angel, freezing his vines before he could grab him. Lopunny jumped into the air, creating a small crater and almost caught Cecilia off-guard, but Fletchinder was too quick. Nothing could hit her.

"Ice Punch!" Chase yelled at his Snover.

Tangrowth was slowed, weakened, and hurt from the battle and the hail. The Ice Punch connected, freezing a part of his body, and angel fell to the ground as he fainted. As much as it pained me to see him fall, I needed to save my switch for Togetic.

"Tangrowth is unable to battle! Grace, send out your second Pokemon!" Justin said.

Well, honey was trained for this. I grabbed his Pokeball and released Electabuzz with a flash of red. He whirled his arms around excitedly and awaited my command. Snover was way off in the distance now, and we needed to use that to our advantage.

First, I needed the setup.

"Eyes on Fletchinder. Electric Swift!" I ordered.

Stars appeared above Electabuzz's head, and he infused them with electricity before sending them off to hunt Fletchinder, who screeched as Lopunny managed to land a Power-Up Punch on her wing.

"Fly away, darling!" Cecilia said. "Keep dodging and attack with Fire Spin!"

The stars homed in on the flying type as if they had a mind of their own, but we weren't done. I waited for Fletchinder to start flying toward us again, and then I struck.

"Discharge!"

Honey extended his arms, and all of my and Denzel's hair stood on end as electricity surged from his body. Just like we had practiced, Lopunny was spared from any damage. Fletchinder squawked as she quickly dove to the ground and turned back, and I silently swore as she narrowly outran the Discharge. It still wasn't enough?

Luckily, that meant that the Electric Swift managed to hit her, and Fletchinder was a frail Pokemon. A few of those, and she'd be down for the count.

"E-Swift again," I said.

Meanwhile, I began to observe Chase. He wasn't as angry as I thought he would be, but he still looked pissed. Snover had made it back to our side of the arena, and his trainer extended his arm.

"Keep your distance, Ice Shard."

Sharp, shards of ice materialized around Snover's body and flew at high speeds toward Lopunny, who jumped up to dodge. For some reason, Denzel audibly winced, but he kept issuing orders to her anyway.

"Honey, Thunderbolt!" I said, pointing at Snover. Now that Lopunny was in front of us, Discharge wasn't an option, so I opted to focus on Snover instead. If we could take all of Chase's Pokemon down like we had planned…

I understood why Denzel had winced when I saw Fletchinder's flaming body ram against Lopunny mid-air. The sky was hers, and anyone who entered it would be vulnerable to her attacks. The rabbit crashed on the ground, and one Ice Punch from Snover knocked her out. The grass type shrieked as the Thunderbolt hit him, but it still wasn't enough.

"Lopunny is unable to battle! Denzel, send out your third Pokemon!"

"Electabuzz! Get in there!" I yelled. Now that Denzel's next Pokemon wasn't on the field, it was time to act. The stars were still chasing Fletchinder, who was being forced to move around in order not to get hit. Electabuzz broke into a sprint and blurred as electricity hummed around his body. "Discharge, full power!"

The electric type clapped his hands with a gleeful smile as thunder exploded around him quicker than last time. For Electabuzz, it was easier not to hold back and to just let everything loose. Fletchinder screeched as electricity surrounded her, and Snover was caught in it as well. The fire type fell down to the ground, her body a smoking husk, but Snover still stood, proudly hitting its fist against its chest.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle. Cecilia, send out your second Pokemon."

Denzel released his Snorunt, and Cecilia followed by releasing her Slowking once again, who was still protected from the hail.

"I'll Blizzard," Denzel whispered. "You buy Snorunt some time."

"Gotcha," I nodded. Cecilia and Chase were talking too, as they had been throughout the battle.

Now, what to do? I didn't want to needlessly waste Electabuzz's energy with Thunderbolt, since I was sure that Slowking would defend himself or Snover with Psychic. We didn't have Tangrowth's vines to isolate Cece and Chase's Pokemon any longer, so the situation was getting tricky.

"Blizzard," Denzel ordered, causing both of our opponents to flinch.

"Snover, Ice Shard!"

"Water Pulse, speed it up!" Cecilia yelled.

Electabuzz blurred toward Snorunt and slid across the ground as he stood tall in front of her.

"Discharge," I smoothly said.

As cold air began to pick up next to our opponents, Electabuzz screamed, and electricity surged forward, just like what we had done against Turtonator. The Water Pulse simply evaporated, but a few of the Ice Shards made it through and buried themselves inside of Electabuzz's flesh. Slowking started to run toward our two Pokemon, and Snover was now keeping his distance, just sending out Ice Shards like an Arceus damned machine gun.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Thirty—no, twenty seconds," Denzel quickly answered.

Another Discharge stopped a Water Pulse, and another set of Ice Shards pierced through honey's hide. I clicked my tongue. I couldn't just take hits for free. At least I had to try to strike back.

"Thunderbolt the Snover," I hurriedly said.

With a nod, honey whirled his arm, charging himself up, and sent out a massive, crackling Thunderbolt at Snover. Slowking waved his arm, altering the attack's path. I ordered another Thunderbolt, and the same thing happened again. This was another, more tiresome way of buying time for Electabuzz, but Slowking had now slowed into a walk to focus, and at least he was no longer attacking with Water Pulse.

The cold wind was slowly picking up. I could see my breath, even inside of the building.

I grinned. "Switch it up."

Electabuzz understood immediately and sent his next Thunderbolt toward Slowking instead, catching him off guard. The water type convulsed as the electricity ransacked through his body, but the attack was interrupted by another set of Ice Shards.

Slowking's permanent shield was good enough to stop the hail, but not actual attacks. Noted.

"Snorunt, send it!" Denzel said wildly.

A thick Blizzard suddenly overtook half of the battlefield, obscuring our view of both Snover and Slowking. I used the opportunity to allow Electabuzz to rest up and sit, and Snorunt kept the Blizzard going for at least a minute, laughing wildly with a splitting grin until she was done.

The hail slowed, and then stopped, signaling that Snover had fainted. The Blizzard slowly subsided, and Snover was lying face-down against the ground, while Slowking's entire body was simply frozen.

"Snover is unable to battle. Chase, send out your third Pokemon!"

"Fuck off," he spat, before realizing what he had said. "Wait, you're Pastel's pal. My bad."

He sighed as he sent out his Houndoom, and I immediately realized the dog-like Pokemon had changed. Darkness writhed where he walked, and there was an intensity about him that hadn't been there. It was as if the color of his fur wasn't black, but an absence of light.

"Grace, this guy means business," Denzel warned. "I'm switching."

I simply nodded, and ordered Electabuzz to use Thunderbolt on the frozen Slowking. With a cold, tired breath, he obliged me and shot out his attack.

"Melt the ice off," Chase said, his tone suddenly cocky. "Quick."

Houndoom turned toward his partner and used a huge fire type attack that could only be Flamethrower. Slowking slowly came to, and altered Thunderbolt's path again, causing me to swear in frustration. Denzel sent out his Sylveon, who silently landed on the battlefield. For some reason, just staring at him was difficult. The edges of his body flickered and blurred. Cecilia and Chase appeared to both be thinking the same thing, but Denzel seemingly had no problem with it.

Were we seeing Sylveon differently?

No! Now wasn't the time for that. We all seemingly went back to strategizing, whispering among ourselves, creating this very weird break in the battle. Like a truce of some kind.

"This Slowking's getting on my nerves," I said.

"You and me both, man," he sighed as he stretched with a smile. This was the most fun I've ever had since the battle against Candice, but I was exhausted already. Meanwhile, he could seemingly keep going.

"Swift will work," I said.

"No, not Swift. That'll take too long. Let's get in close and beat it up."

"But Psychic—"

"He can't stop us both. Sylveon's tougher than you remember. Just trust me on this."

Well, his gut had been correct regarding Lopunny's evolution, so I nodded. Chase and Cecilia seemingly finished strategizing at the same time, and the battle started once more. We ordered our Pokemon forward, and they both began to run, but Electabuzz matched his pace with Sylveon's. He couldn't be too quick.

"Feint Attack the Electabuzz!" Chase ordered.

Instead of disappearing as he had done against Candice, shadows wreathed around Houndoom, and he sunk into the floor, immediately reappearing behind Electabuzz as he brutally pawed him in the back.

"Discharge!" I yelled.

We would fall behind Sylveon, but there was no choice. Electricity expanded all around honey, wrapping around Houndoom, and the dark type whined as he convulsed from the shock. Still, it wasn't him we were focused on.

"Keep going!" I yelled.

The electric type continued on his path as Houndoom recovered. Cecilia commanded Slowking to use another Psychic, and Sylveon's entire body froze. In a disturbing fashion, the fairy type struggled against the psychic as he tilted his head and smiled, even as the attack assaulted his brain. Slowking brought his arm forward, but Sylveon did not get thrown away like I had expected him to. Instead, the blur around his body was slowly scattering into the wind like pink dust with each attempt. When Electabuzz made it close enough, a single spark appeared on his fist, and then it was covered in electricity. Slowking moved his hand and pointed toward him, opting to get hit by a non-super-effective move instead, meaning that Electabuzz was restrained and taking damage instead of Sylveon. The electric type grinned as ice formed around his feet, anchoring him to the ground right before Slowking tried to swat him away like a bug.

"Chase," Cecilia said after clicking her tongue.

"I know, damn it! Houndoom, Feint Attack again!"

"Play Rough," Denzel said.

With a joyful scream, and his body still blurry, Sylveon's head twisted toward the ground at incredible speeds. He kicked a shadow on the floor, his paws overflowing with fairy energy. Houndoom cried out as he was forcefully expunged from the shadows, and Sylveon hit him away. Next, the fairy type turned to Slowking, and before the water type could try to restrain him again, Sylveon's ribbons wrapped gently around him as he let out a harrowing cry.

That had been Disarming Voice. Electabuzz was finally freed, but he had a nosebleed from all the abuse he had taken from the Psychic, and he could barely stand up straight. Houndoom screamed out a Flamethrower, burning Electabuzz until he fell to the ground.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle! Grace, send out your third Pokemon!'

"You're up, princess," I said, releasing her. It looked like we weren't going to be able to save her for Zweilous after all. "Fairy Wind. Keep it going."

Togetic was good enough to keep a constant Fairy Wind going in battle without any difficulty now, and it would work akin to Hail. Continuous damage that was almost impossible to dodge. Sylveon wouldn't take as much damage, since he was tough and another fairy type, so I figured that it'd be worth it. He started relentlessly hitting Slowking with Play Rough as he laughed. The water type had lost the will to fight for a few seconds, and that was all Sylveon needed. He wasn't giving him any rest for him to use Psychic again.

"Ancient Power. Drills," I simply ordered.

Princess lifted a massive chunk of earth from the floor, and separated it into ten drill-like objects. She giggled as she sent them flying toward Slowking. Her control was so perfect that none of them even grazed Denzel's Sylveon.

I smiled. "Again—"

"Flamethrower!" Chase ordered.

Instead of forming more drills, I ordered Togetic to alter the attack's path with Extrasensory. I felt my throat clog up when it didn't work, and the flames just burst through the psychic type attack, hitting her.

"What the fuck?" I swore. "Ancient Power to protect yourself instead! Get close to the ground!"

Togetic lifted another massive rock and rushed toward the floor, narrowly blocking another Flamethrower from Houndoom. Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Sylveon stood with blood on his fur and paws as he stood over the defeated Slowking.

He turned back toward Denzel with a huge smile and a blank stare that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Good job, Sylvi," he called out.

"Slowking is unable to battle. Cecilia, send out your third Pokemon!"

"You were wonderful," Cecilia smiled. She immediately sent out her Scyther, and I instinctively held my breath. The bug type hissed as he sharpened his sickles against themselves.

I knew nothing about him. He was an unknown element that could throw this entire battle sideways, and I didn't like it one bit. I waited for Cece's order to come with bated breath.

It never came. Scyther rushed toward Sylveon, his speed only second to Fletchinder and slashed across the fairy type's flank, but strangely, he did not bleed.

"Togetic, Air Cutter," I ordered.

Princess peaked from behind her hurriedly erected barrier and fluttered her wings, sending air as sharp as knives toward Houndoom.

"Get close!" Chase said.

The fire type whined as the Air Cutter cut through his thick, dark hide, but he pushed through the pain and ran toward Togetic. I noticed that the Fairy Wind was having more effect on him than anyone else thanks to his dark type, but it still wouldn't take him down quickly enough. I bit my lip as I waited for Houndoom to get close as Scyther and Sylveon dueled each other in a surprisingly even match. Sylveon was too powerful for Scyther to hurt substantially, and he didn't bleed, while the bug type was quick enough to dodge most attacks.

Cecilia still hadn't said anything. I didn't even know what half of these attacks Scyther was using were.

Houndoom was close enough now. I swept an arm. "Thunder Wave!"

"Fuck that! Dodge!"

Houndoom slid across the ground and rolled behind Togetic's Ancient Power, narrowly avoiding her Thunder Wave.

"Fly away!" I yelled.

"Flamethrower!"

Houndoom's jaw opened, and a stream of white-hot flames would have hit Togetic if she hadn't raised another barrier. Houndoom was keeping us locked to the ground, but it wasn't for no reason. Chase had a plan. Every time Houndoom got anywhere close to Togetic, he tensed his body in anticipation.

Knowing there was intent behind his action was good, but I would have liked to actually know what it was that he wanted to do.

Denzel glanced at me. "Grace—"

"I know. Wish is coming, just hold on a sec. I need you to get Houndoom off her back."

"But Scyther…?"

"I can deal with Scyther. Trust me."

My best friend nodded and called out to Sylveon, who stopped fighting and ran back toward us right away. Scyther gave an enraged screech and started to chase him, but the fairy type ignored his attacks and kept running. Obviously, Chase noticed this development, and after swearing, he ordered his Houndoom to Flamethrower Sylveon. The two Pokemon began to fight— well, it wasn't really a fight. Houndoom slipped into the shadows and attempted to escape while Sylveon gave chase, somehow knowing where he was at all times. He looked at the ground with a disturbing, hollow stare and smashed his paw against the floor, causing Houndoom to cry out and run away faster.

Scyther landed on the ground and glared at Togetic, who responded by clapping her hands and giggling. That sent him over the edge, and he blurred toward her.

"Extrasenso—"

Before I even finished the sentence, Scyther was restrained in the air. Togetic curiously tilted her head, as if she was studying the bug type as she crushed his body ever so slightly. Her bait had worked masterfully. Cecilia was apparently letting him run loose, but that meant that he'd easily fall into traps like this.

"Ram him," I continued.

With a disappointed chirp, Togetic sent Scyther flying toward the floor, cracking his hardened plates. She'd wanted to keep hurting him, I suppose. We'd have to get that under control.

"Wish!"

Finally, she had enough time to use the move. Princess tightly shut her eyes, and after five seconds, a light shot up into the sky and through the arena's roof. On the other side of the battlefield, Chase finally recalled his Houndoom, opting to use his switch before he could be ultimately defeated. I almost thought that he wouldn't, but he was wise to do so. A dark type was not going to win against Sylveon.

I gasped when he sent out his Zangoose and not his Riolu.

That was his last choice. He wasn't going to use the fighting type at all for this battle.

The normal type hissed as she stood up on her rear legs, meaning that she was ready to fight. Upon closer inspection, she looked poisoned too. There was a slight purple tint to her usually red eyes, and her breaths were ragged.

"Keep using Play Rough, Sylveon!" Denzel yelled.

"Wait, you should play it safe," I said, holding his shirt. "The Wish—"

"Won't come back down for two minutes," he interrupted. "We can't be on the defensive, or we'll eventually lose."

It was true that Togetic couldn't stop both Zangoose and Scyther at the same time. While her psychic abilities were good, she was no psychic type. The bug type slashed, sending out a streak of air toward Togetic, who easily dodged and retaliated with Ancient Power. Two sharp drills lodged themselves in between Scyther's plates. Zangoose countered the first part of Play Rough with her claws, and then quickly Slashed Sylveon. The fairy type's blur finally disappeared, and he bled, wincing as Zangoose overwhelmed him with attacks.

"Togetic, help him out! Get in there and restrain Zangoose!"

I clicked my tongue as Scyther blurred in front of her, blocking her path. The flying type was relatively weak, but he was a constant thorn in Togetic's side. He adeptly flew backward as Togetic approached to stand out of Extrasensory's range, but he kept sending out that slashing attack.

Wait, was it Air Slash?

I'd call it Air Slash anyway.

Togetic was too high in the sky to protect herself with Ancient Power, and altering the wind's path proved beyond our capabilities as the attack slashed across her body, causing blood to splay out on her chest.

"Fuck. Sylveon can't keep this up," Denzel groaned. Zangoose was completely dominating him, using a combination of Slash, Crush Claw, and X-Scissor to gain an advantage. "How long until your Wish? I spaced out."

"Twenty-five seconds or so," I answered.

"Prepare to switch, then—"

Suddenly, Cecilia spoke. "Scyther. If I could offer a word of advice? I'd target that Sylveon if I were you."

It was a mere suggestion, not an order, and yet, Scyther listened, blurring toward the fairy type. Denzel and I both cursed, but Togetic wasn't quick enough to help. Scyther and Zangoose ganged up on Sylveon, and he fainted soon after.

"Sylveon is unable to battle! Denzel, send out your last Pokemon!" Justin said.

Just as he finished his sentence, Wish entered Togetic's body instead, healing her completely.

"Fuck."

"You said it. Fuck," I replied.

Up until now, the battle had been somewhat equal, but I had believed that we were about to take the upper hand.

That was no longer the case. We were losing.

Denzel sighed as he sent out his Snorunt.

"Can you buy me enough time for another Blizzard?" He asked.

"I can, I think. But princess will have to push herself beyond her limits. She won't be able to do much afterward."

"It'll be worth it. Snorunt can take both of them down in one attack, or at least get close to that."

I ordered Togetic to stop her constant Fairy Wind to let Snorunt focus just as Zangoose and Scyther rushed toward us.

Scyther was an annoyance, but Zangoose was a problem, especially when she was powered up by her ability Toxic Boost. I was surprised to see that she didn't even seem close to fainting, even after duking it out with Sylveon for so long. Snorunt shivered, her eyes shone with a pale blue, and a cold wind started to gather.

"Keep 'em away from us," Denzel said. "She can't control the area of effect that well yet, so Togetic might get hurt if they get too close."

Arceus, he was asking me for the impossible here. I grinned as I leaned against my knees.

"Ancient Power across the entire field!" I screamed.

Togetic cried out, raising the earth and separating our half from theirs with a tall wall that would take Zangoose time to scale or breakthrough. Scyther just flew over it, and Togetic used the move again, this time sending out sharp spikes to try to pin him down. At the same time, she kept raising the sections that Zangoose attempted to climb even higher. She was panting loudly. Using Ancient Power on such a massive scale was tiring her out, and she wouldn't be able to do it for long.

Togetic stopped Scyther a few inches away from her throat with Extrasensory. She could use both moves at the same time, but not when she was exerting herself so much. Zangoose finally climbed over the massive wall and blurred toward Snorunt.

"Trip her up!" I yelled.

Princess raised small chunks of earth below Zangoose's feet, slowing her down somewhat, but it wasn't enough.

"Fuck it, hit her with Scyther," I said.

The fairy type offered me a tired laugh as she propelled Scyther toward his teammate. Zangoose hissed in annoyance as the bug type hit her in the chest, and Togetic raised another, smaller barrier in front of them.

"How much—"

"Now!" Denzel said.

Snorunt screamed, and the air became thick with snow and shards of ice, surrounding both of our opponents. I breathed out a sigh of relief, and ordered Togetic to use another Wish. The Blizzard kept going for a long while, buying me precious time to think. Not only was Snorunt Denzel's last Pokemon, but she was also our key to defeating Zweilous. I needed to keep her protected at all costs. Without her, this dire situation would quickly turn from bad to awful. When the Blizzard subsided, Scyther was crumpled on the ground, still having all of the Ancient Powers Togetic had lodged inside of him. Zangoose still stood, although her fur was frozen, and she appeared to be on her last legs.

If only she could have completely frozen over like Slowking had…

"Scyther is unable to battle! Cecilia, send out your final Pokemon."

"With pleasure," she answered as she released Zweilous, who I couldn't see due to Togetic's Ancient Power. Zerst snarled as he probably found the wall in between him and our Pokemon annoying, while Sol was quiet.

"Charge another one," I told Denzel.

"Yep. Snorunt, Blizzard again."

With a cold, heavy breath, Snorunt only nodded.

"Blow the wall apart," Cecilia calmly said.

Two Dragon Pulses completely destroyed the wall Togetic had worked so hard to raise, while Zangoose continued on her warpath toward Snorunt. Chase knew that her time was running out, and they couldn't afford to wait for an opening.

Unfortunately for him, this was simply a lose-lose dilemma.

"Togetic, finish her off with Extrasensory," I said.

The fairy type flew toward Zangoose, who jumped with surprising vigor, aiming to claw her apart, but she stopped her and slammed her against the ground while she stared at her like she was nothing.

"Zangoose is unable to battle! Chase, send out your last Pokemon."

Just as Chase released his Houndoom, Cecilia raised a hand. I was wondering why she had waited to issue her order, but when I saw what came next, I immediately understood.

"Incinerate. Both of you."

Both of Zweilous' heads belched, releasing a few small flames from his mouth.

And then released the biggest Incinerate I had ever seen toward Snorunt. Houndoom quickly used Flamethrower as well, and the two fire type attacks combined into one unstoppable force. If Zangoose had still been in front of that attack, there would have been no way for her to dodge.

"Togetic," I exhaled, biting the inside of my mouth so hard I tasted metal. "Ancient Power, multiple layers."

The fairy type exhaled, raising barrier after barrier. There were ten in total, and each stopped the attack for a precious few seconds before becoming molten rock. And both of their Pokemon were still attacking.

It wasn't enough. We were running out of time.

"New plan, I switch, you get Wish while burning, might work," I said. There was so little time I wasn't even speaking properly. Denzel didn't have time to even protest, and I switched Togetic out, replacing her with Jellicent.

Chase and Cecilia looked on with surprise.

"Fly up," I hurriedly said. "Water Pulse."

Jellicent silently followed my command, propelling himself up with Water Sport, and he got out of range of the enormous flame that was now only two Ancient Powers away from hitting Snorunt.

If the timing was right… this could work out. Jellicent's goal here was to hurt the two dark types enough to interrupt their fire type attacks, and the Wish would go to Snorunt, since she'd be hurt by the flames. Hopefully, it would keep her standing. With a cry that was more sinister than I remembered, Jellicent sent out a Water Pulse that was twice as big as it had been before his Evolution straight toward Houndoom.

"Houndoom, dodge!"

The fire type sunk into the shadows, stopping his Flamethrower attack, and Jellicent used another Water Pulse, this time aiming toward Zweilous. I frowned when Sol kept his Incinerate going, but Zerst stopped without Cecilia's command.

And in a single moment in the battle, everything happened all at once.

Blizzard went into effect just as the fire broke through the last barrier and hit Snorunt. The ice type's screams were drowned out by the roar of the flames.

Wish bore down from the heavens, flickering as it sank into the sea of fire.

Zerst screamed, sending out a loud, shock-wave-like sound-based attack that tore through Jellicent's body, disintegrating half of his head, and Water Pulse hit his body for barely any damage.

Houndoom reappeared from the shadows below Jellicent, reared his head back and blew flames toward the water type.

Sol continued roaring out his flames, not stopping for even one second.

Until the Blizzard forced him to. This may have been Snorunt's third, but it was just as powerful and long-lasting as the previous ones. She had lasted through the flames, although she looked half-dead. Jellicent hurriedly escaped from Blizzard's range with Water Sport as the edges of his tentacles froze.

A Dragon Pulse tore through the snow and clipped the right side of his body, causing it to evaporate completely. Zweilous couldn't see, and they located their enemies with a rough echolocation, so Blizzard hampering their visibility didn't matter.

"Recover," I breathed out.

Like cells multiplying, Jellicent's body regenerated, becoming as good as new. Dragon Pulses, Incinerates and what looked to be like Hyper Voice continued to tear through the arena, some hitting Jellicent, but most missing by a mile. Every time, I ordered him to Recover.

"She got another one in her?" I panted as I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"No. The fire was too much, but she's got other ice type moves. Wait for the Blizzard to finish, and focus everything you have on Houndoom."

"Agreed. If we can get a two versus one against Zweilous, then we're favored, I think."

When the Blizzard dissipated, Zweilous looked slightly tired, and Houndoom reappeared from below the floor. He had used Feint Attack to dodge.

Damn it, he hadn't even been hit for that much, then. Even if Blizzard wasn't super effective, it was so powerful and lasted for so long that it would have dealt substantial damage.

"Get close, and Dragon Pulse," Cecilia said.

Zweilous broke into an awkward run, and Zerst screamed out an Incinerate toward Snorunt.

"Jellicent, get in front of her and Water Pulse."

The water type turned upside down, propelled himself with the powerful jet of water, and weakened the Incinerate enough to block it with his body. Sol, meanwhile, was content to listen to Cecilia's orders, and a stream of blue draconic energy flew toward Jellicent.

I was starting to understand her plan now. She was letting Zerst run loose in an effort to counter me. Since Sol was following her orders, he'd be more of a pain to deal with, but I still had to dedicate some attention to Zerst.

"Feint Attack, then Thunder Fang!" Chase said.

Thunder Fang, now?! I swore as I ordered Jellicent to dodge the Dragon Pulse, and Snorunt barely managed to do the same. That was the move that he had tried to have Houndoom use on princess. The dark type sunk into the floor once again and then jumped unnaturally high toward Jellicent, ignoring the fact that he was being sprayed with water.

Electricity sparked in Houndoom's mouth, and the dark type bit down hard on Jellicent's tentacle, electrocuting him.

"Let it loose!" I yelled.

The water type shook wildly, struggling to implement my order, but after five seconds, he managed to detach his tentacle from his body, and Houndoom crashed to the floor. Snorunt used the opportunity to pester him with an Icy Wind, slowing him down.

Fucking perfect! I celebrated internally.

"Water Pulse! Finish him off!" I said excitedly.

"Stomping Tantrum,"

I gasped sharply as Zweilous slammed their feet against the floor, dealing damage both to Snorunt and Houndoom. Was Cecilia cutting him loose? Chase looked pissed, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, but he wasn't swearing at her or anything, so he had expected this. At the same time, Jellicent's Water Pulse slammed into Houndoom, and the fire type fainted.

"Houndoom is unable to battle. Chase is out of the battle!" Justin said.

Snorunt was still standing.

Barely.

And then she fell.

"Snorunt is also unable to battle. Denzel is out of the battle."

I took a deep breath as Jellicent glared at his opponent, who growled at the ghost type. Two Pokemon against one.

This was it. Denzel offered me words of encouragement, but they sounded far away. I exhaled and licked my lips. Jellicent wouldn't be able to do much against Zweilous, but I was confident he could last a lot longer than Togetic could. He'd be the foundation upon which Togetic could build her victory.

"Two Dragon Pulses," Cecilia said. "Keep them going for as long as possible!"

"Dodge and Poison Sting," I ordered.

The water type narrowly dodged Zerst's Dragon Pulse, but half of his face was disintegrated by Sol's. Unaffected by any kind of pain, Jellicent spat out thin, purple needles that oozed with poison, and they buried themselves against Zweilous' tough hide. If I could poison him, then—

"Hyper Voice!"

While Zerst continued on his rampage with Dragon Pulse, forcing Jellicent to weave as he Recovered the damage done to his face, Sol screamed, and Jellicent's form completely disintegrated, flying off like glowing droplets of water. I inhaled sharply, not knowing what would happen, but they started to gather into a coherent form.

Unfortunately, that meant that Zerst's Dragon Pulse had enough time to connect, slowing his regeneration down further. I bit my lip. Every time he was just about to finish, they blew him apart again with Hyper Voice. They weren't giving him enough time to regenerate. If I had known that Hyper Voice would have had such an effect, then I would have ordered Jellicent to solidify his body—

I laughed when the water type silently regenerated behind Zweilous from a single speck.

Had the previous attempts just been bait? No, he had still taken damage and expended energy to regenerate. This new form was new for him too. He was improvising.

"Behind you!" Cecilia yelled

Both heads angrily roared as they turned and opened their mouths as two Dragon Pulses started to gather.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me.

How could I ensure that Zweilous would be poisoned?

Like this.

"Poison Sting inside of Zerst's mouth!"

Jellicent seemingly loved the idea, and his eyes shone with a sinister light. Zerst cried out in pain. Real pain, as poisoned sharp needles lodged themselves inside of his mouth to secrete their poison. Why Zerst? While Sol might have been more annoying to deal with, since he followed Cecilia's orders, meaning that they employed strategy, his attacks were actually still weaker than Zerst's. If I could put him out of commission for a bit, then…

Jellicent's entire head disappeared as Sol delivered a point-blank Dragon Pulse, and what remained of his body flew back toward me. Zerst coughed up blood and poison as Sol continued to attack with a rage I had never expected.

I sighed. That could be annoying. Cecilia had stopped issuing commands now, and was letting his enraged self run completely loose.

"Recover—" I cut myself off before realizing that Jellicent couldn't even hear me in his current state. I waited until he regenerated the first half of his head, noticing he had considerably slowed, and ordered him to solidify his body and use Bubblebeam immediately.

Bubblebeam was weaker than Water Pulse in a vacuum, but he could keep the attack going for a long time, and the damage would add up. Zerst had recovered now, and began using a Dragon Pulse of his own. Jellicent's body no longer appeared transparent, and the attacks that landed took out chunks of it instead of the entire head. The Bubblebeam continuously hit Zweilous as the water type kept engaging in this dance to dodge the dragon's attacks.

Unfortunately, when he was solid, he was heavier, and therefore, a lot slower, meaning that more attacks landed. I considered that a worthy trade, given that I didn't know how many times he'd be capable of fully coming back together like he had before. Just doing it a few times had noticeably slowed how fast he could Recover.

This song and dance must have lasted for five minutes. Or maybe it was less. It was hard to tell how much time passed when I was so focused.

Jellicent's body was just a speck of his former self, and he crashed into the floor. He was too tired to Recover any longer.

Zweilous still stood, albeit a lot more tired than he had been. Zerst appeared a lot closer to fainting than Sol was. It was like I had theorized. The dragon specialized against blunt trauma, while attacks that penetrated their armor would deal more damage.

"Jellicent is unable to battle! Grace, send out your last Pokemon."

"It's you and me, princess," I whispered as I stared at her Pokeball.

I released her and immediately ordered her to whip up a constant Fairy Wind. Whittling Zweilous down would be good, and there was no time to charge up a powerful one anyway. Hell, there wasn't even enough time to use Wish, and that only took five seconds.

"Thunder Wave," I said right after. I knew for a fact that Zweilous was too slow to dodge.

"Hyper Voice, Sol," she hurriedly said.

The dragon's voice was so powerful that the electricity dispersed into nothing. This fucking dragon could go fuck himself with how powerful he was. Of course, that meant that Sweet Kiss was probably a no-go too.

"Bring her down with Incinerate and move forward," Cecilia said.

Damn it, the elemental fangs were probably going to come into play. If Togetic ever got close enough to be caught, the battle was over. The two heads combined their Incinerates into one, and the attack became as strong as Houndoom's Flamethrower.

Extrasensory would work this time, but Togetic would still take damage from the heat.

"Ancient Power!" I yelled. Her eyes shone as she erected multiple barriers of protection, each gradually stretching higher and higher up to stop the Incinerate from hitting.

There were fewer layers than last time, but they did the job. Without Houndoom's flames to pack that extra oomph, no Incinerate would break past Togetic's barriers.

"Again, drills this time!" I screamed.

The fairy type crumbled half of the last barrier, turning it into sharp drills, and with a happy chirp, she sent them flying toward Zweilous, giving them a vicious spin so that they could penetrate his scales. The dragon type cried out as every single one of them buried deep into his flank, drawing blood.

"Incinerate again," Cecilia said. Damn it, she was masking herself so well that it was hard to tell what she was truly thinking from afar.

"Okay, princess," I said as my fingers trembled. "Keep it going."

Togetic raised another set of barriers, and again, they stopped the Incinerate—

"Now, Stomping Tantrum!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"Keep them steady!" I yelled. "Attack him at the same time!"

Already-formed drills burst through the floor and flew toward Zweilous, who began angrily stomping the ground as they kept their Incinerate going. The barriers cracked and started to crumble, but I just needed to interrupt his attack—

The first two barriers collapsed, and Incinerate just burned through the rest. Togetic caught on fire and fell to the ground as another set of drills stabbed Zerst in the neck. The dragon shambled toward her with an exhausted, irregular jog.

"Princess!" I yelled, hoping she'd push through the pain. "Ram him with Ancient Power!"

The fairy type gathered the rest of the fallen barricades and pushed them toward Zweilous. I couldn't expect her to do any kind of sophisticated manipulation— not when she was literally burning. I clenched at my jeans as Zweilous burst through the earth and rocks like a truck.

There was one last hope. One last trick up my sleeve.

"Fairy Wind," I simply said.

I didn't need to elaborate. Togetic understood immediately, and the constant wind paused, being replaced by thick, pink mist instead.

If I could get one powerful Fairy Wind off, combined with the poison and the bleeding from Ancient Power… it could work, and I knew it could work because Cecilia's mask was beginning to slip.

"Don't let her! Incinerate—"

"Raise a barricade!" I cut her off.

"—Stomping Tantrum!"

The wind picked up around Togetic, surrounding her until I could only see the flames burning her body.

Incinerate was weaker now, but combined with Stomping Tantrum, it made quick work of Togetic's hastily formed barrier, burning her further and hurting her with the ground type move.

It did not matter. Togetic was an Arceus damned fairy. She laughed in the face of pain and sent her Fairy Wind forward Just as Zweilous reached her. Cece ordered something, but the wind was too strong to hear. The dragon type's teeth were clad in electricity as one head bit down on Togetic's neck and the other on her chest. Flames, wind, and electricity danced around both Pokemon, creating a cacophony of sounds that made my head pound.

The wind seized, and Togetic laid still on the ground.

Both of Zweilous's heads screamed as he stumbled. After screaming their hearts out, Zerst's head fell limp, but Sol was still conscious.

"Togetic is unable to battle! Victory goes to Cecilia and Chase!"

I groaned in frustration and placed my face in my hands. Arceus damn it, it fucking stung. I had done everything I could, and yet I still lost. I recalled Togetic, and Cecilia did the same for her Zweilous. I hadn't even known that one head could keep going if the other fainted, and Sol was no doubt a few attacks away from collapsing as well.

That didn't matter. A loss was still a loss, even if it had been by a few attacks.

"You did great," I told her. Maybe using Wish would have been better… no, there wasn't enough time. The entire battle between her and Zweilous didn't last two minutes. If I had know about Hyper Voice, maybe—

"Grace," Denzel called out.

"Huh?"

"Did you have fun?"

I exhaled and answered with a smile. "I did. How long did that even last? I want to crash on my bed and sleep for an entire day."

I stared around the arena, and I was surprised to see that it was now packed to the brim. The small crowd had grown to an incredible amount as people no doubt heard about our battle as it was going on online.

He grabbed his Poketch. "Forty-something minutes," he answered with a stretch. He clapped me back. "Come on, keep your chin up. That was close as hell. Chase and I improved a whole lot, but you two were on another level."

"Don't sell yourself short," I laughed. "That Snorunt of yours especially. I don't know what you feed her, but she's a monster."

"Well, thanks. Let's go meet the others."

---

A/N: Writing this took a lot out of me, and it's by far the longest chapter I've ever written, meaning that it took two days instead of one. There will probably be more typos than usual, but I'll try to fix them as soon as I can. I apologize, but there won't be a chapter tomorrow so I can beef up my backlog a little bit more and relax a bit in general. Anyway, Grace lost, and some people might be pissed about it, but just because she's the MC doesn't mean that she never loses. I'll at least ask you not to bring up anything stat/game related if there are any complaints, because this is a Pokemon story first and foremost, not a game. For example, Vikavolt has a pitiful 43 speed, and I translated that by making it have bad acceleration. I hope you enjoyed the battle. I'm a broken record at this point, but it's my favorite one yet. See you on Sunday.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 123

"The forums are going to go crazy about this," Denzel smiled. I just answered with a tired nod. A lot of people had been recording the battle and were no doubt rushing to be the first ones to upload it online— both on the forums and every video hosting platform in general.

As we walked to meet the others, the adrenaline was quickly leaving my body, and I was growing more tired by the minute. My body felt like it had gone through an hour of cardio, and I was surprised that I was even still standing. I was also surprised to see that trainers weren't swarming around us like I had expected them to. Oh sure, there were some exceptions— people asking for pictures, or just asking us to stay and talk for a while— but the majority just stood there. A deafening silence hung in the air as they watched Denzel and I walk up to Cecilia and Chase. My girlfriend was flat on the ground, breathing harshly and staring at the bright lights on the ceiling, while Chase annoyingly tapped his foot against the floor. Denzel, meanwhile, looked completely fine physically.

"Congratulations," he said as we reached the two others. "That was one hell of a battle."

"Didn't do as well as I wanted," Chase complained. "I felt like a sidekick, and that shit pisses me off."

I offered Cece a hand and helped her up, but she was barely able to stand up straight.

"I've… I've… never had to… push myself this much," she panted. "Tired…"

I smiled slightly. "Let's get you in a bed, okay? Denzel, go get the others so we can leave."

"Gotcha."

Arceus, the result of the battle was disappointing, still. Cece leaned against me with her eyes half-closed, and I watched as trainers finally began to trickle out or ask questions to Denzel instead of us. That was something I could appreciate about trainer culture that people just didn't get. You couldn't overwhelm someone right after a battle this intense. Denzel was fine, so he'd be a legit target, but Cece and I were exhausted while Chase just looked pissed.

"Nice surprise with that Vikavolt," I told him. "You caught us both completely off-guard."

"Obel told me you'd lead with Frillish, so we figured it might have been a good idea," he shrugged. "Obviously, she was wrong. And we didn't know he evolved. That regeneration thing is bullshit, by the way."

"I thought… I…"

"Just close your eyes, okay? We'll be in a car soon," I told her before turning to Chase. "Hey, I won't compliment you too much because you'll think I'm pitying you and get pissed off even though you won, but your Pokemon were each excellent. Zangoose especially…" I grumbled.

"She's fierce," he agreed with a slight smile. "But at the end of the day, we didn't do as well as I wanted, which means we lost."

I was genuinely surprised at his lack of outbursts or complaints. I sighed, sitting against the wall, and Cecilia fell asleep on my shoulder immediately. I was too tired to even think back to the battle properly, which was frustrating. I wanted to go over my mistakes and fix them now. I had been prepared to lose, but it hurt more than I expected. I was almost there. I had almost caught up, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

"Guys! That was incredible," Pauline beamed. "It's almost unfair how good you all are! Except you," she said, looking at Chase.

I frowned, wondering why she was targeting him specifically before remembering that he'd been rude to Justin.

"Your shit-talking means nothing to me," he responded. "But if you're so sure about yourself, why don't we battle when my Pokemon—"

"No fighting," Emilia said, tugging on the redhead's arm. "Can Cece walk? Justin and Denzel are already out looking for a taxi, so we should leave."

"Um, Cece?" I asked. I had to shake her a little bit for her to wake up, and we were finally on our way.

No matter how bitter I felt about my loss, I couldn't hold it against her, or Chase. We had promised no hard feelings for the Conference, but it also applied here, and with every single battle we would fight. The frustration was more focused on myself. We stepped into the taxi, but Chase opted to go back on his own because he didn't want to owe us anything. We'd meet again eventually. Plus, he wanted to go sign up for Fantina's gym immediately tomorrow morning to knock it out of the way.

After reaching the Pokemon Center, we all gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy. I brought Cece to her bed, and then left for my room. Emilia, but especially Pauline, wanted to hang out with Denzel and I, but he wanted to do a short livestream for his viewers about the battle, and wanted to be alone for a bit. Emi surely wouldn't have minded being in the livestream, though. Exposure was everything to a content creator, after all, and they still had to film their video with Vincent soon. I closed my door, crashed into my bed and shrieked into my pillow.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

That Zweilous was ridiculously, stupidly, insanely, unfairly strong! I fucking had them! I had them, damn it! Sure, I was sure that when I thought back to the battle tomorrow and looked at the footage Emilia had recorded, I'd cringe and find a bunch of mistakes, imperfections, and moments of hesitation in time where I could have done better. Those would slowly but surely have stacked up and tipped the course of the battle in my favor, and we might have won because of them, but right now?

Arceus damn it, it felt unfair. I hadn't known that I had to defeat the two heads! I repeatedly kicked my bed as I kept screaming into my pillow until I was completely spent. I groaned as turned and stared at the ceiling. A dragon's pride made them ridiculously stubborn when it came to fainting. Turtonator had been the same, although obviously on a completely different level, being covered in wounds for a week in Mount Coronet and still being capable of wiping the floor with me.

"Fucking hell," I breathed. "Was I always this immature?"

At least I was done coping now… somewhat. Everyone else seemed fine about their loss. I counted Chase's battle as a loss, since he did so himself, even though I found that strange. If Denzel had been the last one standing and he beat Cece, then I would have celebrated because I would have ultimately contributed to the win, but I supposed that we were fundamentally different. Anyway, what I meant was, I doubt he was screaming in his damn pillow due to anger. He maybe might have been just the type to do so, once, but he seemed so mature now.

Denzel too. He'd been trying to hide his disappointment to cheer me up, but I could easily see through him without an issue. He had immediately moved on and capitalized on the battle to bring himself more success by livestreaming. He'd grown a lot from when he needed that pep talk before Gardenia's battle.

And now I was the only one being a baby. If the loss didn't sting, it would have meant that I didn't really care about battling— or at least winning. Then that meant that there'd be no drive for me to improve. However, all my motivation had been sapped away like I'd been hit with Absorb. I thought I was bigger than this.

My meeting with the Poketch Company was soon. If I got enough money from a sponsor, then I'd be able to start feeding my Pokemon supplements and buy TMs… but I had been so, so close to winning without them, and for some reason, that frustrated me further.

"Well, I've got to start planning more in-depth for Fantina soon," I sighed. "I also need to start preparing for that damned meeting."

Electabuzz would be the star of that battle. I was kind of noticing a pattern there. He'd been supposed to be the ace against Gardenia— although that ended up being princess due to the ever-changing circumstances of battles, but he'd been my strongest against Candice, and now he'd do the same against Fantina.

And this time, it was solely thanks to his ability to sense ghosts, which I still didn't understand why he even had. It wasn't as good as we needed it to be right now, but with a some practice, I was sure he'd be able to perfect it. Now that Jellicent had evolved, and he was more of a ghost than before, I was confident that honey would be able to use him to practice.

Could Jellicent sense other ghosts too? If I had two Pokemon that could, then the odds would certainly be in my favor.

I closed my eyes, daydreaming of my battle against Fantina, and drifted off to sleep.

——

Chase sat at the window of his Pokemon Center and sighed. Riolu leaned against his wall and stared apologetically at him. For all that stupid strategizing that Obel had tried to rack into his brain, they sure went off the rails immediately. In the beginning, she had wanted to create an intricate plan, but in the end, they just ended with a few strategies and figured that the best they could hope for was to not get in each other's way. Slowking speeding up Vikavolt had been one, but they mainly ran on instincts throughout the battle, netting them a narrow victory.

"Ri," Riolu said with his arms crossed.

Chase smirked at his partner. "Proud that I didn't use you, huh?" He asked. The fighting type responded with a nod. "Well, you're the one who ragged on me to stop depending on you so much, so we busted our asses in Mount Coronet to catch up."

And yet, after all of that training, Chase still felt like he was ever so slightly lagging behind. Oh, he wouldn't beat himself over it whatsoever. The cure to struggling was to simply work harder— a natural mindset in the Iron Islands. That jaunt through Mount Coronet had undoubtedly brought him up to speed, but there was something he was lacking.

Fairies, ghosts, and dragons were all bullshit. That was a part of his problem. Pastel's Jellicent could take hits like a sponge and regenerate like it was nothing. Williams' Sylveon was an Arceus damned battle maniac that had some sort of bullshit fairy armor, and he could barely recognize it from that time Ri had easily dealt with it as an Eevee. Togetic's mastery of the field was as good, or perhaps even better than Slowking's. Hell, even that little Snorunt could completely turn the tide of a battle with Blizzard. The two fairies in general unnerved even him greatly. Sylveon, and to a lesser extent, Togetic, looked at their opponents like someone would stare at a lesser lifeform. Chase didn't understand how Williams and Pastel were just fine with having them on their teams, especially since they appeared to be getting worse the stronger they got.

The boy sighed.

Yes, Chase would not complain about his loss, but he was realizing that being a good Pokemon trainer was more than having your Pokemon be at their top physical condition. He needed to control the field as a whole, or he would not improve as quickly as he wanted. Pastel had Ancient Power, Cecilia had her damned psychic, and to a lesser extent, Williams had Blizzard.

But Chase did not need a dragon, a ghost, or a fairy. He had come from nothing, and had reached this point through hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Most important of all, he needed to branch out of just trying to hit things harder. He needed to find a way to control the field and change it to his advantage.

And he would start immediately.

"Well, I'm teaching Vikavolt Electric Terrain starting tomorrow," he declared to Riolu. Then, he'd need to figure out a way to get the electric type to his top speed without another Pokemon's help. He still wasn't exactly used to his body yet. Going from crawling on the ground to flying had been a shock, and Vikavolt was still slowly getting better at it.

And maybe Houndoom's darkness could also be worked with.

Chase Karlson would not be left in the dust.

The trainer sighed again, his face turning grim. "We're getting pretty close to Celestic, huh?"

"Rio," the fighting type nodded.

——

Cecilia groaned as she woke up, and she wiped a trail of drool from her mouth. She groggily picked up her phone and sighed when she saw that it was only two in the morning. Her entire body felt sore, but her mind still vividly remembered that battle. The stakes, the highs and the lows, the individual stories and rivalries that played themselves out in front of her eyes for nearly an hour.

She had never had to push herself this hard for a battle. Never. And yet, it was the most fun she had ever had. Zweilous had nearly fallen by the end, and by the Legendaries, it wouldn't have mattered to her if they had. Win or lose, she would have been satisfied with the results, but she couldn't lie. It was a relief to her that Chase and she had won. He had gone off the rails a few times to do his own thing, but they had agreed on no overarching plan or strategy, which meant that they had to talk mid-battle a whole lot to adjust for errors. Arceus, just thinking about the fight still made her feel giddy inside. Grace and Denzel were the best rivals that she could have asked for. Even Chase, as painful as it was to admit it, was one of them. The girl couldn't wait to see the carnage they would all unleash during their battles when their teams grew in power. As Cecilia poured herself a glass of water, she couldn't help but daydream about a future where one of them— hopefully her— was the Champion and they were all a part of the Elite Four. Maybe Pauline could be the last one, since Justin would be preoccupied with Pherzen. Alas, dreams were often not reality, and Cecilia recognized that it'd be easier said than done.

She did want to stay with her friends forever, though, and that was the main way that she could envision such a future. She was no longer miles ahead of her friends. Grace was breathing down her neck with none of the resources Cecilia had. If she slowed down for even a second, it would mean that she would fall behind. No. Even that wasn't enough. She needed to go above and beyond. Grace had her meeting with the Poketch Company and a bunch of other businesses, so she'd soon get a lot more money to work with if everything went well, and hopefully, it would.

And Cecilia knew her girlfriend too well to think that the same tricks would work on her twice. She would need to come up with new tactics for their next battle, whenever that would come, and the best path forward that she could see now was getting better at faking her body language, somehow. As the battle had progressed and panic had overtaken her thoughts, she had completely stopped even trying to, but it hadn't even worked that well in the first place. Grace had somehow seen through her almost right away, and Denzel had been there to stay focused on the small details, constantly whispering to her to micromanage the fight and catch the things she didn't.

Now that the battle was over, Cecilia was mostly preoccupied with what Pauline's mother would tell them about Harvey and Clarence. Cecilia had been worried about Louis, but now that she at least knew that he was safe and that he had people to keep his spirits up, a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She hoped that they would at least talk once in the city. She also wasn't worried about the fight against Fantina at all, and she doubted that the gym leader would give her as much trouble as Grace and Denzel had. She would have to work hard to bring Scyther up to speed with the others, though. Sure, he was fast, but his lack of power was disappointing. A shame, when he had seemed so unstoppable when they had traveled through Eterna Forest, but she supposed that his stagnation had been her fault. Slowking, Zweilous, and Fletchinder had done everything she could have hoped of them as well.

Despite the dangers that lurked, there was a lot to look forward to in the future. Her fifth team member was near, and she'd be able to catch it as soon as they reached the Lost Tower on route 209. Cecilia shivered in excitement. It had been so long since she caught a new Pokemon, but now that she had seen what Fantina had done with it in the battle against her friend?

She was sure that she had made the right choice.

——

That settled it, Denzel thought as he finally ended his livestream after thanking every donor. He was definitely getting a dragon as his last team member. He'd been on the fence about it, still wondering if he should get an Altaria or not, but seeing Zweilous fight had changed his mind. Maybe he was being a bit childish about wanting the big, new shiny thing that beat his and Grace's ass. Most trainers that competed at the top didn't even have one, nor did they have fairies or ghosts. A 'good' type couldn't exactly overcome hard work, talent, and experience. Denzel knew that even though Cece's Zweilous was special, with the vitamins and being an offspring of a Champion's Pokemon and all, he'd eventually catch up due to the diminishing returns that the vitamins had the more you fed them to your team. Still, the type was undoubtebly strong, along with ghosts and fairy types. He would already have the latter two when Snorunt evolved, so why not complete the trio?

Altaria shared, or even surpassed Zweilous' attacking power, but it was a frail Pokemon that would go down a lot quicker than he would if it got hit, and it wouldn't exactly fit what he was looking for. If he could get a Dratini somehow… Arceus, he'd have to save up millions. He was making a lot of cash from his streams and donations, and his channel was growing at a quick pace, but that was pennies compared to the money he'd need if he wanted to buy it from a breeder or the Veilstone Game Corner.

Which was basically just a casino. They called it a Game Corner to prevent underage people from getting banned. Trainers were their primary source of income, after all.

Sponsors were the name of the game, but his first meeting had gone terribly. The company kept wanting to lock him into an exclusive contract, and Denzel wasn't going to take that deal. He wanted to be fluid— not locked into working with a single company. Plus, although the benefits were good, they'd be locked for the next two years. Pauline kept hammering at him that he was worth more or whatever, and she was better at business than he ever was, so he walked out. He had nine more, and the next one would be tomorrow. His time at Hearthome was keeping him extremely busy, but he was okay with that. This was how he wanted to live.

"Dratini it is," he breathed out. This time, the words felt correct. There was a certainty to it that he had felt when choosing his other team members that hadn't been there with Swablu.

Dragonite were just as tough as Hydreigon, but also beautiful— or maybe the word was majestic? And they were quick. If there was one thing Denzel also lacked in his team, it was speed. Cecilia had Fletchinder, and Scyther, Grace had Electabuzz. Chase's Zangoose was about as fast as Lopunny was, and his Vikavolt was faster if given enough time to reach his top speed. If he could combine his team's usual toughness with a dragon's, along with a Dragonite's speed…

Well, it was still a long-term goal. He was generally happy with how his Pokemon had done, even though he wished he could have performed better. Lopunny especially had been an unfortunate loss. She hadn't been used to her newfound power and jumped too high, meaning that Fletchinder easily hit her with Flame Charge. Denzel knew she could have done a lot more if she had been used to her new form. If he could have gotten a do-over, he probably wouldn't have triggered her evolution during that battle.

Suddenly, he heard his phone ring. He picked it up, expecting it to be Caitlyn. She was supposed to be arriving in Hearthome tomorrow, and they were going to hang out after his meeting, but she could have made it early. Hopefully, Pauline wouldn't burst a blood vessel about that. Denzel almost dropped his phone when he saw a message from Louis asking to meet in secret.

Right now. In the middle of the night.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 124

"Arceus, it's cold tonight," Denzel shivered as he waited in front of the Pokemon Center.

It was three in the morning now, and Denzel was starting to get tired. If Louis hadn't asked him for an impromptu meeting, he'd be snuggled up in his bed right now. He probably shouldn't have streamed as long as he had, but hey, he had to strike while the iron was hot. Their battle had been the talk of the forums the entire night among the first years, and he got a lot more viewers than usual. Denzel sniffled as he watched a pink-haired girl with long pigtails approach him and… Denzel squinted. Was that Maeve Chang? He hadn't really talked to her in months, but they used to chat on the forums at the start of their journeys, and she'd been at the Floaroma tournament.

What were the odds?

Well, he was glad she appeared to be traveling with someone now. That pink-haired girl was short, but she did carry Pokeballs with her, meaning that she was probably a trainer despite her child-like appearance. He crossed his arms and waited for them to walk across him.

"Denzel?" Maeve said. "It is you! Long time no see! Wait, I guess it should be more like long time no talk, haha…"

"Awkward," the other teen said before staring up at him. "He's tall as hell,"

Denzel frowned. "Yeah? You were looking for me?"

"Louis sent us," the nameless girl explained. "My name's Mira, by the way. You didn't ask, which is kind of rude."

"I was going to… but wait, Louis sent you?" He asked. Were these the two girls Chase had told him about? That had to be it. "Why didn't he come?"

Maeve shuffled in place. "He wanted to make sure you wouldn't ambush him with the rest of your group. Especially Cecilia."

"I wasn't going to do that," Denzel sighed. The thought that Louis even suspected that it was a possibility kind of hurt, but maybe he was still that scared about the prospects seeing Cece. "Where is he, then?"

"Brooding in some dark alley," Mira laughed. "C'mon, follow us."

Denzel held back a groan as Mira dragged him by the arm, and Maeve followed behind them at a distance as she breathed in her palms to warm them up.

"Keep up, Maeve! You don't want to be a girl walking alone at night," Mira said.

"I've got my Pokemon," she said. "You're embarrassing us and making a terrible first impression."

"Come on, he doesn't care. Do you care?"

Denzel sighed. If he hadn't been so tired, then maybe he wouldn't have, but getting dragged along in this weather was a bit annoying. Oh well, so long as he met with Louis, then it would be worth it. After a short walk, Mira pointed into an alley and pushed him in.

"This looks like I'm about to get jumped," Denzel said, half-jokingly.

"Denzel?" He heard Louis' voice from deeper into the alley. The blond man slowly walked into view. He had a very thin, patchy beard that looked… pretty bad, all things considered, and he had deep bags under his eyes.

"Holy shit," Denzel gasped. He jogged to his friend and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay, man."

Louis slowly returned his hug. "I'm alright, all things considered."

"You don't look alright. You look exhausted as hell."

"He was so anxious about meeting you that he couldn't sleep three nights in a row," Mira explained. "This is the result."

That was probably why he had wanted to meet in the middle of the night. There were fewer chances of him getting caught.

"And the beard?" Denzel smirked.

"Since I'm a new man, I was trying a new look," he awkwardly said. "It hasn't worked out."

"Told you to shave it," Mira shrugged.

"Mira…" Maeve sighed.

"Why didn't you want to meet the others?" Denzel asked. "Cece and Grace I understand, but… not even Justin?"

"I want to stay hidden for the time being," he explained. "Justin would be terrible at keeping our meeting hidden. Pauline would see it on his face, and she can easily get it out of him in two minutes, and if you had brought her, she probably would have been rude about me not wanting to meet Cecilia and Grace. Emilia is terrible at keeping secrets. She wants to talk about anything, and it would have been bound to slip out."

"That's an… accurate depiction of everyone," Denzel smiled slightly. "Can we go somewhere to catch up? I'm freezing my ass off here."

"Yes! Yes, thank you!" Maeve exclaimed in relief.

"My Center room?" Denzel asked.

"No, no," Louis immediately shook his head. "That would be too risky."

"How about this?" Mira said as she pulled out her Poketch and showed them an address.

——

Denzel shielded his eyes as he stared at the bright, neon sign depicting a Machamp typing on a computer with its four arms. NetChamp was supposedly a really good internet cafe, according to Mira, and it had the benefit of being open at all times. Even in the middle of the night. The four trainers entered the building, and Denzel was surprised to see that there were a decent amount of people still frequenting the establishment. A few people were trainers browsing the forums, and some were asleep in their seats, but the majority were just people normally going about their business. Some were even quietly playing video games. Denzel hadn't even thought about video games since he became a trainer. He wasn't the biggest gamer out there, but he had enjoyed a few. He supposed that it made sense for some trainers to come here to enjoy a few games, since there was no way for them to do so on the road, unless they played on their phones.

He could have downloaded some on his Poketch, but… no, there wasn't enough time anyway.

The group sat at a table and ordered some hot drinks to warm themselves up, and Denzel looked at the towering Machamp that brought them their drink with an amused stare. There was no doubt that Machamp could make excellent waiters, especially with their four hands, but it was the first time he'd seen it in action.

"He's the owner's Pokemon," Mira explained. "I read online that he was a trainer that made it to the Conference a few times, but he retired and opened this place up. The legends say that he lost to Cynthia, even."

"The legends?" Maeve said, rolling her eyes.

"What? Not much was recorded back then, so it's all from word of mouth."

"You could just look for an old newspaper or something. Don't make it sound like it was a hundred years ago," she said.

"Okay, but that would kill the vibe."

Denzel sipped on his drink. On the surface, Mira sort of reminded him of Candice, but there was a subtle difference that he couldn't precisely place yet. Grace would probably have figured it out right away. The two girls continued with their conversation, and Louis spoke up.

"How is… how is everyone doing?"

Denzel smiled. "They're all doing great. Pauline and Justin won their third badge against Fantina, Emi's started on her coordinator career. Grace and I are looking at sponsors to make money, and my channel's taking off," he explained. "Cecilia's well too. She's been worried about you."

"Third badge already, huh?" He smiled. "And I'm happy about you and Grace. Money is certainly a bottleneck when it comes to Pokemon training."

"Yeah, they were being trained by Cece and Grace," Denzel said, hoping to bring the topic back to his ex. He knew that Louis was purposefully ignoring it, and he wanted to at least try to talk about it, but if he pushed back too hard, then he'd stop. "They've improved a whole lot. But more importantly, how are you doing?"

Louis nodded. "Mira and Maeve have been my training and traveling companions, and I caught a Pawniard in the Wayward Cave."

"You went to the Wayward Cave?" Denzel asked with surprise. "No wonder you took so long to reach us. Why'd you go there?"

"It's a long story—"

"He went there to brood, but Maeve wouldn't let him," Mira interjected.

"That's the gist of it," he sighed. "I was hoping to sign up for the gym as soon as possible to see how I fare."

Denzel scratched his cheek. "Hey, I can help you out if you want. In secret, of course. It'll be a bit tight with my schedule, but—"

"You don't have to push yourself for me—"

"No, no, I asked because I wanted to. Plus, we can hang out easier than way," he smiled. "And look, about Cecilia…"

Louis discreetly winced.

"Erm, you don't have to meet her or anything, but I just wanted to ask how you were doing on that front," Denzel said, leaning in to whisper.

"I thought I was improving," Louis sighed. "But the closer we got to the city, the more I realized I still couldn't face her. At least not until I become worthy."

"Worthy of what?" Denzel asked. Was he thinking of trying to date her again—

"It's not what you think," Louis interrupted his train of thought. "It does not have anything to do with dating her. I feel too inadequate to even be her friend. I'm a weak trainer, I'm still terribly oblivious, and despite what I want to think, I'm still dependent on my father's money. It honestly makes me mad that he hasn't even cut me off. It's like he doesn't even register me as a possible threat. I'm worthless."

"Okay, well, let's stop with the self-deprecation because that helps absolutely no one," Denzel said.

"That's what I've been telling him, but he won't budge," Mira sighed.

"Mira, let them speak, please…" Maeve said.

"It's alright, she can speak up," Denzel waved a hand. "I mean, you've been traveling together, right? I'd say you should be allowed to give your input."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "You're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be," she said, her tone more serious.

"Really? Well, glad to hear it."

"What? Not even a clap back? Louis, if all of your friends are like this, then you should probably at least meet them once while we're all here—"

Maeve put a hand over Mira's mouth, and the small girl struggled. "Sorry about her, she says whatever is on her mind at all times. We both kept telling her you were a nice guy but— ow! Did you bite me?"

"Don't put your hand over my mouth. You're lucky Kadabra wasn't there to see that."

Denzel leaned back against his chair, and observed as Maeve paled slightly at the mention of Kadabra. Mira must have been a skilled trainer, to own one so early in her career. They certainly were among the most demanding psychic types, since they held incredible amounts of knowledge, but every Pokemon was a different individual. Anyway, these two girls certainly were something, and Louis did not seem amused. The three had a weird dynamic about them. Maeve was the straight woman that kept Mira in line. Mira was the blunt, extroverted girl, and Louis was… well, it was hard to say, but it kind of looked like he was just being dragged along everywhere and coming along for the ride.

"What I meant to say," Mira continued. "Was that I had my doubts about all of you, since Louis seemed so depressed and none of you stuck with him—"

"I asked for them to leave me," the blond man groaned.

"One of them could have forced their way in. Look at how Maeve started to travel with you—"

Once again, Maeve placed a hand over the girl's mouth. "We just met on the way to Wayward Cave," she said, laughing awkwardly.

Yeah, that was a lie, but Denzel let it slide.

"Sorry about them," Louis sighed. "I wanted us to be alone for this, but they insisted on coming."

"It's alright, I understand," Denzel said as he sipped on his drink. "Anyway, I understand that you won't meet Cecilia, but my offer to help you still stands. Plus, I'm pretty sure I can help you with your heartbreak problems."

"Help me how?"

Denzel couldn't believe he was about to throw himself under the car like this, especially when Maeve and Mira were here, but at least maybe Louis would be able to relate.

"I asked Pauline out during the party in Eterna, and she rejected me."

Obviously, he omitted that she was dating Emilia, because it wasn't his place to reveal that information. Maeve bowed her head apologetically, and Mira let out an obnoxious 'oooooooh.'

Louis' eyes widened. "And you stayed? How did you even— did it not hurt?"

"Oh yeah, it hurt," Denzel laughed. "Still kind of does, but I'm almost over it. Everyone deals with rejection differently, but I might have some good advice. It's worth a try, I think."

"I'll… I'll take your offer, including the training. Actually, can we start tomorrow? I want to get as good as I can as fast as possible."

"Uh, I was supposed to hang out with a girl tomorrow after a meeting," Denzel said, thinking of Caitlyn. He'd be a bad person if he didn't help a friend in need. And Louis seemed to need his help very much. "But I guess I can help you out instead. I'll reschedule."

"Already moving on from your old crush, I see," Mira said, again with that serious tone of hers. "Is she your rebound?"

"No, not at all," Denzel said.

"Whatever you say…"

"Erm, I'd also like some training if possible?" Maeve asked hesitantly.

"Sure! The more the merrier."

"Maeve, you traitor!" Mira yelled, much to the annoyance of customers everywhere in the store. Machamp glanced at her with disappointment, causing her to shrink. It looked like even she had shame. "Sorry."

"I can train with both you and Denzel," Maeve sighed.

"It still sucks… I'm coming too then!"

Denzel took a long, deep breath, and Louis offered him an apologetic look.

"This is how you got roped in with them, huh?" Denzel said.

Louis smiled thinly. "Yes. Yes, it is."

——

"Here are your Pokemon, Ms. Pastel," Nurse Joy said with a warm smile. "Togetic will have to stay for another day."

"Oh… alright," I said disappointingly. I had pushed her too much, after all. "It's not too bad?"

"Of course not," she reassured her. "Oh, and about your Jellicent. There's no need to bring him in anymore. He'll regenerate any damage done to him over time and be as good as new."

"So I'll never need to get him checked out again?"

"That's right."

"Okay, well, have a nice day," I said.

She nodded, and I left the Pokemon Center. I supposed that Jellicent being more of a ghost came with its advantages. Cecilia was still asleep in her room, and Denzel was nowhere to be seen, much to Pauline's annoyance. Justin was getting his Krokorok used to his new body, and Emilia was hanging out with Vincent somewhere.

That meant that I was all on my own. I considered just staying at the Center to watch over the footage of our battle, but I figured it'd be best to let it sit for a few days so I could approach the entire thing from an unbiased, neutral perspective. I still felt salty about losing, but a lot less than yesterday. Instead, I had decided that it was time to go out and train Electabuzz with Jellicent's help for our battle against Fantina, and then I'd probably hang out with Dad in the afternoon. I took the subway to route 208 and released the entire team, including Turtonator, who as usual, just went to lie down in the distance.

"Hey guys," I smiled. "We lost the battle. Princess is still getting her injuries healed by the nurses."

Electabuzz's shoulder slumped in disappointment, and he hung his head, while Tangrowth patted him on the back to cheer him up. Him and Jellicent didn't appear to be disappointed, at the very least. Larvitar kicked the ground in frustration and cried out, saying something to the effect of 'we would have won if I was there.' I laughed at her, much to her annoyance.

"It's alright, hon. We'll battle again eventually," I told him. "Hey, look at me. Look at me."

The electric type stared into my eyes, and I hugged him.

"I'm very proud of you."

I told him this every time, and he was always surprised by it. I heard him sniffle, and he returned my hug.

"Now come on, you big softie. I've got a lot planned for you this morning."

"Buzz?"

I searched through my bag and grabbed a towel that I had taken from my Center's bathroom and showed it to him.

"Jellicent's evolved now, so you can sense him, right?" I asked.

Electabuzz gave me a hesitant nod.

"It's faint? Fainter than that Mismagius in the mansion?"

"Ele," he said, nodding again.

That was actually perfect. Practicing with a fainter signal would mean that he'd be even better at it when my battle against Fantina came.

"Here's the goal for today," I said. "You're going to try to find Jellicent without seeing him so that you can find Fantina's ghosts when they're invisible. We'll slowly increase the distance until your range reaches the size of her battlefield."

The electric type flexed and let out an excited cry, his sadness from earlier all but forgotten.

"Calm down," I giggled. "You'll just point at him for now, so no attacking yet. We don't want you to hit Turtonator on accident…"

The dragon let out a threatening growl, confirming what I had just said.

"It's not like it'd hurt you anyway," I told him. He ignored me. "Buddy, we'll finally start working on Brine, but you're a genius, so you should figure it out pretty easily."

The water type nodded, and I couldn't help but smirk. His mustache made him look like a sage old man.

Wait, that was literally what he was.

"Angel, you keep working on Sunny Day. You've been making small incremental progress, but if we can trigger your Chlorophyll ability, you'll be even more of a monster in battle."

The grass type blinked twice and silently nodded.

"Sweetheart, you'll be with me again today," I said, crouching to face her. "There's going to be a tournament the next town over, and I want to start seriously using you there."

The rock type stared at me with a wide smile and stomped all over the floor.

"Your offensive capabilities are actually pretty decent, and you can take a lot of hits, but I want to start controlling the field," I continued. "Togetic's got a pretty good grasp of it, and Turtonator can do it too by making it ridiculously hot, but I feel like you can be another key."

The rock type stared into my eyes as she shivered in anticipation.

"We're going to work on Sandstorm."

There was a lot I wanted to get better at during the tournament, but I wanted to be focused on two things. Getting better at reading body language on the fly, without having to observe my subject for multiple hours like I had done with Candice, or knowing them beforehand like I could do with my friends.

And next, I finally needed to start working on improvising. When planning worked, it worked. But I'd be foolish to think that I'd always be able to predict my opponents for the entire battle, and I wouldn't always be able to buy enough time to strategize. When planning failed, I needed to be better at coming up with stuff on the fly like the others were. I wasn't going to take a risk with my battle against Fantina, but the Solaceon tournament presented me with an excellent opportunity to improve.

I wouldn't look up any of my opponents during the early matches.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 125

Pauline angrily paced around her room. "Where is he, damn it?!"

My training session had been very productive, and I was more confident than ever about my battle against Fantina, as if the drain from losing yesterday's battle had completely disappeared. Dad had just dropped me off after lunch, and we were all hanging out in Pauline's room, which Emilia now shared. Justin groaned as he placed his hand on his ears.

"Maybe he's busy," I shrugged. "He said his business meeting went well, so what's the problem? He could be training."

"Don't be so naive, Grace," Pauline said. "We all like training, but not everyone's as crazy about it as you are."

"Denzel's pretty crazy about it, though," I muttered.

"You're making a fuss about this for no reason," Cecilia said. "He doesn't have to tell you where he is at all times."

"I know… but I thought he'd come back to tell us about his meeting," she said in a defeated tone. "All he sent was a text. A message is kind of lousy, don't you think?!" She screamed.

"I'm going," Justin said, standing up.

"What? Where?" Pauline asked.

"Somewhere where I can get some peace and quiet."

The boy hurriedly left Pauline's room, causing us to laugh. Well, all of us except her. He was getting more assertive now that he had proved that he was a good trainer against Fantina, and I personally was all for it.

"Whatever," Pauline sighed as she fell onto her bed. "Emi, comfort me."

"Comfort…?" She awkwardly said. "Uh, maybe he's with that girl that he told us about. What was her name?"

"Caitlyn?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah, that was her name," I said, remembering that Denzel had occasionally texted her. "He said she was coming here at some point. Wouldn't surprise me if they met."

Pauline froze. "I didn't know about any girl. And what do you mean, here?"

"In Hearthome?" I frowned. "Where else could I mean?"

The redhead got up and grabbed her phone.

"You're being weird right now," I said.

She just ignored me and called someone who I assumed was Denzel. There was no answer.

"Pauline?" Emilia said worriedly. "Erm, is something wrong?"

She had to call her name two more times for her to answer. "No, I'm just worried," she finally said. "Mommy's coming soon, and I'm worried about spies and the like."

"That sounds like a half-truth to me," Emilia said.

It did. I didn't know if it was because she hated 'fake' people, or if was because she was just blunt, but Pauline was a terrible liar. She was terrible in a different manner than Cece, because she just took a long time to come up with lies.

"I'll… I'll tell you more later," she sighed. "But seriously, we need to find him— I mean, what if he's getting tracked or something? Don't you think it's weird that he's not answering his phone?"

"He doesn't answer his phone half the time," I said. "Send him a text, and he'll answer soon."

"I'd… I'd like to think everything is fine, but I've been worried about Harvey and Clarence," Cecilia said. "It's been too quiet."

"At least one of you's agreeing with me," she said. "Grace, where would Denzel take a girl?"

"I don't know, Amity Square? Wait, no, that's mostly for Pokemon stuff. Maybe a restaurant somewhere? If I had to guess, he'd take a girl to a familiar place for a date, so maybe that cafe Emilia showed us when we met Vincent."

"It's not a date if she's tricking him," she hurriedly said. "We're going— oh. My phone— it's Denzel."

Pauline answered immediately.

"Put it on speaker," Cecilia asked.

"Denzel, where are you? We've been calling you for a while," she said.

"I was… training. Is something wrong?"

"Training, when half of your team's still at the Center?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

I heard him sigh. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. "Grace is here? Yeah, Sylveon and Lopunny needed some extra training. Plus, you trained with Togetic still at the Center! Do you— do you need me for something? I'm on my way back right now, so—"

"Pauline wants to know if you were with that Caitlyn girl or not," Emilia said. Pauline stared daggers at her, but the girl didn't budge. In fact, she looked kind of mad. "What? Might as well tell him everything, because you apparently didn't tell me a whole lot."

I was beginning to feel like I was missing a lot of context here.

Denzel groaned through the phone. "Emi's here too? No, I wasn't meeting her. I was genuinely training. Look, let's talk when I get back, alright? We should probably have an adult conversation about things like boundaries."

"Fine. I'm hanging up," Pauline huffed.

"Grace and I are going to hang out together," Cecilia said before Pauline even finished hanging up the call.

I wanted to protest, but I knew that there was an argument about to start, and it probably wasn't my place to hear it, especially when I felt so confused about everything. Cecilia dragged me by the arm, and we left the room. She was practically running through the Center's hall.

"Grace," she breathed out as she closed her door. "I figured it out."

"Okay, because they were acting really weird."

She looked at me with disappointment. "Do you… do you not even have a clue?"

"Why are you looking at me like that? Denzel looked at me like that too."

"Listen, Grace. Pauline was jealous about Denzel potentially being on a date with another girl," she started.

"I mean, I guessed that much. I'm not that dense… what? Don't look at me like that! You're dense too!"

"Less dense than you, apparently. Emilia was jealous that Pauline was jealous. It was so obvious."

I gasped. "Wait… so it's like a big, like, love triangle? Emilia likes Pauline, and Pauline likes Denzel? No… for it to be a love triangle, Denzel would have to like Emilia, it doesn't work. A love line? Is that a thing?"

"I don't know," Cece sighed as she crossed her arms. "Emilia seemed quite possessive of Pauline."

"So you think they're dating already? Pauline was possessive of Denzel too, we shouldn't jump the gun."

"That's just how Pauline functions," Cece said, sitting down on the bed. "With how blind you are in matters of love, I'm glad I made the first move, or we probably would have never started dating."

"I'm not blind," I rolled my eyes. "And if I am, you were just as blind as me not even five minutes ago. But it's true that Emilia seemed really angry, which is unusual for her. I've… I've actually only seen her angry once. Back on route 206."

"This is looking like a mess," Cece complained, pinching her nose.

"Drama is never good," I nodded, sitting next to her. "I hope they don't have a big fight… I wish I could be a Cutiefly on the wall right now and listen in."

"Well, what do you say we distract ourselves and go out?" She smiled.

"Sure! You can help me prepare for my meeting with the Poketch Company too, 'cause I'm really nervous."

——

Denzel exhaled in exasperation as he stepped inside of Pauline's room. How had this even happened? All he had done was train Louis and his friends in secret— although Mira was actually as good as he was— and now he was getting sucked into this unnecessary drama. Today had started off so well, too. He had negotiated a contract, and he was now sponsored by a water brand called Ovean for a pretty decent amount of cash, and his obligations were relatively relaxed. But now, he had to deal with two irritated girls.

"So, what's up?" He said. Obviously, he knew what was up. Pauline had been possessive of him again in front of Emilia this time, and that had made her angry. Still, he figured that it'd be better to start the conversation like this. No one could go wrong with a classic 'what's up?'

Pauline looked angry as always, but what scared Denzel was that Emilia also looked mad. She was never mad. Sad, yes, but angry? The boy leaned against a wall.

"Look," Emilia said. "Something's going on between you two, but Pauline won't budge! Denzel, tell me what it is."

Denzel felt like folding up a thousand times and hiding in a corner somewhere. Arceus, this was awkward. Mira's annoying antics were a blessing compared to this, and she had kept pestering him with questions.

"Nothing's going on," he said, discreetly looking at Pauline, who was unusually silent. At this point, he figured that coming clean was the best option, so he decided to go for it. "You know what, never mind. Look, I can tell you guys had a fight or something. Here's what happened. I asked Pauline out at the party in Eterna and got rejected after she told me you two were kind of not, but totally dating."

"Denzel—" Pauline protested.

"Pauline! You told him?!" Emilia said, her face wrought with panic. "Oh, no, oh no—"

"Calm down, alright? I haven't told anybody. Look, the point is, nothing is going on, okay? Your relationship's safe."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Emilia lurched as she ran to the bathroom.

Denzel winced. Did she have that much internalized homophobia? Her parents must have been horrible to her. Pauline followed her girlfriend to the bathroom, and he considered slipping out, but that probably would have been rude.

"Damn it," he said, scratching his head.

This was getting complicated.

"Do you need water?" He asked as he made his way to the bathroom's entrance. "Medicine?"

Emilia heaved as Pauline held her hair back. "No medicine… water's fine."

He hurriedly grabbed a glass and poured her some cold, refrigerated water.

"It's… it's my fault," Pauline said. "I shouldn't have told him. I broke your trust, Emilia, I'm sorry."

Emilia drank the whole glass in a single second. "No, I don't… I mean, I do mind, but I know it shouldn't— it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I don't understand why I'm so anxious about hiding when we literally have two gay friends that are dating."

"Look, we can forget everything that happened today," Denzel said. "Again, I'm not going to tell anyone—"

"No," she said. "Fuck it."

Had… had Emilia just sworn?

"We're telling them tomorrow. I'm… I'm scared, but I'm done with hiding. I feel like I'm being choked out. If I can at least keep the relationship to our circle, then my parents don't have to find out," she continued. "By the way, I'm not done. All of this still doesn't explain why Pauline was acting like a jealous, possessive girlfriend toward you earlier."

Denzel disappointedly stared at Pauline, who averted her eyes. She was acting very subdued, which wasn't like her at all.

"Look, I'm… I'm not even sure myself, okay? I don't know what's wrong with me. Can we just forget it?"

Emi's face softened. "Okay… okay. It's not like I thought you were actually cheating on me. I trust you."

Well, they might not have known, but Denzel was pretty sure that he had already figured it out by now, and it opened a whole can of worms that he didn't particularly want to have to deal with.

Alas, he did not exactly have a choice.

——

A day had passed since the revelation about Pauline and Emilia's relationship. Well, it wasn't exactly a revelation, more like a theory, but Cecilia was sure of herself. She warned me not to tell anyone until they told us themselves, though, which I agreed with. If they hadn't told us yet, there must have been a reason, especially when I and Cece had been out for so long. I stepped in front of the building my father had dropped me off at and opened my Poketch, triple checking that this was the right address.

"Well, I can't exactly be wrong," I chuckled nervously.

In front of me stood the massive Poketch Company Headquarters in all of its glory. They were based in Jubilife, but they had one in every major city in Sinnoh, and Hearthome was no exception. Since it had been renovated relatively recently in downtown Hearthome, the building was blocky and modern, made out of sleek, silver-colored metal and glass, and it stood at least fifteen stories tall. The entrance was marked by a bright, 'Poketch Company' sign in bold letters, along with their logo, which was a simple, stylized drawing of the phone they were the most known for.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside of the busy building. The lobby was filled with white walls and tiles, and was built with a minimalist design in mind. This was nothing like the small, shoddy apartment that I had met the Retani Industries representatives in. This felt official. I walked up to the receptionist, who I hoped would be able to point me in the right direction, because as it stood, I had no idea of where to go.

"Welcome to the Poketch Company, how may I help you?" The woman said with a bright smile.

"I'm Grace Pastel," I quietly said. "I have a meeting for a sponsorship at nine-thirty?"

"Sponsorships are up the elevator on the fifth floor, Ms. Pastel," she explained. "Someone should be there to meet you."

"Oh, really?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Thank you."

I stepped inside of the elevator along with a dozen people and noticed that the last two floors needed some kind of keycard to be accessed. It was probably some employee-only area that was permanently closed to the public. I squeezed past the full elevator and noticed that a woman that looked to be in her forties was waiting for me with a sign with my name on it.

"Ah, Ms. Pastel! You sure are early," she smiled.

I hesitantly stepped toward her. "Thirty minutes early seemed appropriate for a meeting with the Poketch Company," I awkwardly said. "Um, what's your name?"

"Call me Melody," she said. "Your handlers will be pleased with your punctuality."

"Handlers?" I frowned.

"Oh, I've been hoping that they'd change the term for years now," she chuckled. "It scares some people off. It's just how they call the people that'll be in the meeting room with you."

"Oh, okay," I said, hiding my suspicion. Maybe it was just a name, but I sure didn't like the sound of it.

"Follow me," she said.

Melody led me to a small, empty waiting room, which I supposed I'd have to wait in until they were ready to meet me. She offered me drinks and snacks, but I only took a bottle of water. I felt too nervous to eat anything at the moment, and I was starting to sweat. If only I could have gotten stomachaches like Denzel instead of this stupid constant sweating, Arceus. I closed my eyes and carefully went over everything Cecilia had told me yesterday. I needed to stand my ground if anything was too egregious. They contacted me, which meant that they wanted me, so they'd probably be willing to be flexible with whatever they were going to try to make me sign. If they didn't, that meant that they were trying to trap me into some scummy deal. Melody tried to get me to open up and make small talk, but I wasn't really in the mood. I appreciated that they were at least a lot more accommodating than Retani Industries had been, although this was probably their way of buttering me up.

"They'll be with you now," Melody said. I almost jumped. It was now or never.

I shot up like an arrow and stepped into the room. I was surprised to see that there were a lot fewer people than I expected. My meeting with Retani Industries had been with twelve people, but there were only five here, and the room looked less like a business meeting room and more like a break room. There were couches, a televisions, a minifridge… but obviously, they were all seated at a table.

"Ms. Pastel," A woman said, standing up to greet me. She offered me a handshake, which I obliged. "I'm Ms. Greene, the lead negotiator here. Feel free to sit anywhere you like."

"The couches are fine?" I asked.

"Yes, of course," she smiled. "We're a part of the Poketch Company's sponsorship department, and we're the ones who scouted you. Here, from the left, you have Mr. Chambers, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Wilkerson, and Ms. Reilly— Ms. Reilly's a lawyer. She won't be talking, but she'll be taking notes and recording the meeting's audio, okay?"

I nodded, studying each of them as Ms. Greene told me their names, and the expressions on their faces seemed warm enough. None of them exhibited any nervousness, malice or impatience. Their bodies were perfectly behaving like people who had no nefarious intent, but people like this were probably good at masking their true intentions.

You could never be too paranoid.

"Well, gentlemen, let's begin," she said. "Mr. Vaughn?"

The older man flipped through a small booklet for a few seconds. "Ms. Pastel, we've seen you make incredible strides in your Pokemon training career. We started looking at you after your… let's just say, unfortunate meeting with Retani Industries, but it wasn't until your battle with Candice that we decided to work with you."

So they wanted to work with me after I almost died, made it through Mount Coronet, and became a first-year celebrity. It kind of felt objectifying, but for a company, that was normal enough. It wasn't like I expected anything else anyway, but to hear it spoken to my face was an… experience, to say the least.

"You've shown your skill as a trainer, especially with that battle yesterday with your colleagues. And there are recent rumors that you've caught a Turtonator?" He continued.

"I did," I nodded. They asked me to verify my ownership with the same device that the rangers used— only a portable version. I placed the Pokeball inside of it, and an image of Turtonator came up.

"Simply incredible," he continued.

"So you want to sponsor me because I show promise?" I said, asking the obvious.

"That is a part of it," Ms. Greene nodded. I noticed a subtle look to her colleagues. It was too early to say if something was afoot yet, but they clearly had something cooked up. "But we'll get to that later. Oh, by the way, do you want anything to eat? Any water? Our research team has heard that you're quite fond of milkshakes. We can provide one for you if you'd like. Any flavor."

"I've got my bottle right there," I said, patting my backpack. "I'm okay."

"Well, let's start going over the contract, then," Mr. Chambers said as he adjusted his glasses. "Ms. Greene?"

The woman handed me the same booklet that Mr. Vaughn had in his hands, and Mr. Chamber continued.

"Feel free to read along," he said. "We're trying to be as transparent as possible. First, you'll obviously be forced into using Poketch products. We know you currently have a phone, but you don't have the Poketch Watch, which is a device we've been trying to promote in recent years. Call it a return to our roots. You'll have to wear it during any gym battle or tournament you participate in."

I knew the Poketch Company had gotten its start by creating digital watches, but I wasn't exactly interested in them trying to bring them back. I didn't even know what I'd use it for, but it certainly wasn't a deal breaker. Ms. Greene unlatched her own watch, and showed it to me.

"That's our latest model, the Poketch Watch Plus," she declared. She explained the new features to me, but I wasn't exactly interested and mostly tuned out until she was done.

"Okay, that's fine with me," I said, and my eyes returned to the contract.

Mr. Chambers continued. "In your case, Ms. Pastel, we've noticed a severe lack of… social media use, which is a problem. Now, we want to be flexible, so you have two choices. You can start promoting our products online through the… forums, you call it, since we've been trying to better our younger outreach. Or, you can participate in television interviews and other media appearances instead, like advertisements."

My throat tightened. "Uh, is that necessary?"

"I'm afraid it is," Ms. Greene said softly. She was so obvious about trying to manipulate me it was kind of funny, but I wasn't going to leave. I needed money, so I needed to at least try to work with these people. "The latter would benefit us a lot more, since our target audience tends not to use the Circuit Forums, but we figured we'd let you stay inside of your comfort zone."

"I'll take the online promotion instead," I sighed. I should have paid attention to those Arceus damned new features, then.

No, wait. It was actually fine. They'd probably give me pointers on what to say. There was no way they'd let some teenager decide on how to promote their brand. I took a deep breath. Somehow, I already felt tired.

"Thank you for being malleable," Mr. Chambers said. "There is a caveat to this, though. A lot of journalists often stand around tournaments to interview trainers participating in them—"

"These are a lot more low-key than what you'd have to deal with on television," Ms. Greene stepped in. "But it'll go on television and reach our core customer base, so that part is non-negotiable, I'm afraid."

"Something's been bothering me. Target audience? Core customers? Everyone owns a Poketch," I said, holding back a scoff. "You basically have a monopoly. That doesn't really add up."

"You're correct, but adults with steady jobs tend to buy more of our products, whereas most trainers struggle with money, so they're content with a single Poketch. They don't buy the new models when they come out either. But non-trainer teenagers are targetable, and they put a lot of stock in what trainers say. Especially young rising stars such as yourself."

I nodded, relaxing slightly. That made sense.

Mr. Chambers tapped his finger against the table, possibly angry that she had cut him off. "And you'll have to participate in a minimum of five tournaments for the remainder of this year. Five tournaments means a minimum of five interviews, but we'd appreciate if you went above and beyond. We'll renegotiate the number during the summer if you sign, since by then, your Togetic will probably have evolved and you'll be able to fly around the region."

Five tournaments? How was I even going to join that many? I knew about the Solaceon one, but what else was there? I remembered that Craig had told me that he often participated in tournaments he was way too good for just to fulfill his contract, so I knew they had asked him the same thing. At least I knew that it seemed to be a standard demand from them, so I agreed. I didn't mind the tournament part. In fact, I welcomed it, but the interviews annoyed me.

"We recognize that these terms might scare you off, so we've thrown in a bonus. Depending on how you do in those tournaments, you'll get an extra payment for that month. Of course, the amount of money will be determined by the company, and it'll depend on a lot of factors, like how many people participated, how many eyes were on the tournament, how tough the competition was, how far you placed…" Ms. Greene specified.

Okay, that made the whole thing a lot more palatable. More money was good. I'd be willing to agree with that.

"There's a conference in Jubilife during the summer where we present the progress the Poketch Company's done throughout the year. Attendance will be mandatory if you sign, but there'll be plenty of other trainers with you there, so you shouldn't be out of your depth," Mr. Chambers said.

"That seems fine," I nodded. Trainers were always free during the summer, after all. "What do I do there?"

"Just smile and shake some hands," Mr. Wilkerson spoke up for the first time. "It's more about showing that we have connections in the Pokemon training industry and less about what you have to do. So long as you show up and you behave normally, the Poketch Company will be fine with that."

"Okay. Next?"

Mr. Chambers nodded, seemingly pleased with how the meeting was going so far. He continued explaining the ins and outs of the contract to me, but there was nothing as demanding as he had stated previously. It was mostly small-scale stuff like not being caught with another phone, not bad-mouthing their products or more discreet clauses like asking trainers what features they thought should be added to Poketches.

"Now, let's get to the benefits," Mr. Wilkerson said. "First, what you're here for, I presume, your monthly salary. Two hundred and fifty thousand Pokedollars, renegotiable every three months, depending on how you're doing."

My eyes bulged, and I swallowed my saliva the wrong way, causing me to go into a rough coughing fit. That was so much fucking money. More than I thought I'd ever get. I knew I was good, but that was a lot. Still, I couldn't get too excited. Renegotiable meant that the number could go down if I didn't progress as fast as they wanted, and even though that was more money than I thought they'd offer me, it wasn't enough to actually buy every TM under the sun, especially when I had vitamins to buy.

But it also meant that the number could go up. A lot.

"What's the catch?" I asked in between coughs. "Sorry."

"That isn't it. All of your travels during the summer will be paid in full," he continued. "You will obviously get new models of every Poketch product as soon as it comes out."

Right. Since there was a lapse in the Circuit during the summer months, traveling by plane wasn't frowned upon during the break. That'd be useful, since I'd been planning on going back home for a bit. Even when I became the Champion, there'd be a transitional period that would take months to sort through, so I'd have a bit of time to go see dad.

Plus, I wasn't about to fly across the region on my future Togekiss' back. That would take weeks, and the summer months were fleeting. I'd rather take a plane and be where I needed to be in a few hours if that meant I could spend more time with dad.

"Can I get a laptop?" I asked.

"Of course. That was one of the products we wanted you to promote, after all. We can have one ready for you in… thirty minutes, maybe? Ms. Greene will make the call if you sign."

Awesome, I thought.

"What if I break it? What if I break any of your products?"

"You'll get another one free of charge," Ms. Greene clarified.

"Next, we'll be offering you a free stay at a hotel in each city you visit. Everything will be paid for, including the food, if you decide to eat there."

Why were they giving me so much? There had to be a catch here.

"I don't think I'll stay at hotels that much," I said.

"Well, feel free to take advantage of the perk anyway," Mr. Wilkerson smiled. We finally reached the end of the booklet. "Your current contract would be locked for the remainder of the year, along with the next— except your salary, of course, as we clarified earlier."

I nodded and retreated into my thoughts. This was an Arceus damned treasure trove, but there was still a lot more under the surface. I'd be associated with the brand, which was positively seen across Sinnoh, meaning that my reputation would improve even further, which, even though I didn't bother that much with public appearances, would be a nice boost. I'd get networking opportunities with other trainers— powerful trainers like Craig that the Poketch Company sponsored, and there was the opportunity of getting an even better deal down the line.

"So? Now's the time where you pull the rug from under me," I told the negotiators.

Ms. Greene's lips twitched upward. "You're very perceptive, Ms. Pastel. We've taken notice that a few other companies have contacted you for a meeting, and that you've accepted to meet a few. Fitstride, Bloom & Breeze, and RefreshCo," she listed. I chose to ignore the fact that they had somehow figured that out. "In exchange for these very generous terms, the Poketch Company would like to make this partnership exclusive."

There it was. They didn't want me to get sponsored by anybody else. They wanted me for themselves, because they knew I'd grow even stronger in the future and that a lot of companies would try to get a slice of me.

"You're a rising star, Ms. Pastel," the woman continued. "One of the few this year. The Poketch Company has always been hesitant to sponsor first-year trainers because they tend to be a bigger brand risk, and we never know if they're just a fad that'll burn out quickly, but with you, we chose to change our approach. We want to make you the brand new face of our company."

I froze. I couldn't believe the words I was hearing. Me? The face of this whole multi-billion dollar company?

"Isn't that Craig?" I asked, keeping my voice from shaking. "When people think of the Poketch Company, they think of him."

"Mr. Goodwill's in his last year," Mr. Chambers said. "Win or lose at the Conference, he'll be taking a job with the League, either as the Champion or as a League trainer. That means his contract is void as soon as the year finishes and we're parting ways. Needless to say, there'll be a transitional period where we ease you in and ease him out of the position, but by the summer, you'll have replaced his role."

"But why me and not some other big shot?" I asked.

"We're choosing to take a risk," Ms. Greene said. "And we believe that people will like it if we change it up for once and pick a young, fresh face instead of the usual older trainers. And let's just say that Mr. Goodwill put in a good word for you after his sister brushed us off. He's been helping us with finding a replacement for him, but she's even more reclusive than you are."

The people around the table nodded. So Craig had recommended me? It was after his sister, of course, but Arceus, I owed him so much. If he hadn't, I doubted that they'd be offering me all of this. Still, I didn't believe I could ever fill his shoes. He was a damn legend that everyone knew in the region. He talked to the media all the time and he sold fucking merchandise. I saw people walking in the streets with his shirts all the time!

"O—okay," I said.

"Plus, you'd be the first girl that'd be filling the role. Not only that, but you're a lesbian. Or bisexual— pardon me for assuming. Either way, that's good for representation," she continued.

"L—lesbian," I breathed out.

Representation was nice and all— genuinely nice, even though the tone of the words themselves was kind of shallow— but right now, I was still trying to wrap my head around this whole situation.

"Wait," I frowned. There was one thing wrong with all of this. "Craig's contract isn't exclusive. He works with a lot of companies. I know he's a lot better than me, so you were willing to let him spread his wings. I'm not there yet, but I'll get there eventually. When the time comes, I want you to let me negotiate with other companies too."

I saw Mr. Vaughn wince. That had been the trap. I knew it was too good to be true, but I had caught them. They had wanted to keep me under them for my entire career.

After a brief pause, Mr. Chambers nodded. "Very well. The Poketch Company can work with that. Ms. Reilly will draft a new contract. It'll only take a few minutes to add that clause. You'll be exclusive with us until you at least reach the top sixteen in the Conference. Is that enough for you?"

Top sixteen… that was a lot, especially for a first year, but hell, if I wanted to be the best trainer in the world, I couldn't doubt myself about at least reaching that high. I bit my lip and looked around the room. Had I caught everything? I flipped through the booklet and I didn't notice anything else out of line.

"You don't have to make a decision now," the woman added. "We're willing to negotiate until you leave the city."

Me. The face of the Poketch Company. Two hundred and fifty thousand Pokedollars per month, and a free laptop. Not only that, but the salary was renegotiable every three months. Arceus, this was good. I read over the entire contract again to make sure I wasn't getting tricked somehow. I triple, quadruple, and quintuple checked, but everything appeared legit.

"If I sign, when do I get paid?" I asked.

"Well, normally, it'd be on the last Friday of every month, but we might be willing to make an exception and get you the money for this month transferred today since we're redrafting the contract either way," Mr. Vaughn said.

Damn it, they had me, and they knew it. They were treating me like an Arceus damned queen. I exhaled and closed the booklet.

"Well, I'm in," I said.

Ms. Greene smiled, and Ms. Reilly exited the room. Thirty minutes later, she re-entered with a fresh new booklet and my brand new laptop. After reading through the entire thing again for good measure, I finally agreed, and Ms. Greene handed me a pen.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 126

Damn it, the Poketch Company got me good.

Not because they had tricked me with the contract. In fact, I was very happy with what we had negotiated. I stepped out of the changing room I had been practically forced into with cargo pants, a simple gray t-shirt, and fingerless gloves. I was being dressed-up.

"You look great! I would have liked to get you in a dress, but the execs want you to have that authentic trainer look. A shame," my stylist said.

I should have known that they would have made me do a photoshoot when they said they wanted to make me the face of their company. They'd probably plaster me all over their website and the news— I already knew Craig was on there. They were apparently planning on revealing this entire thing right after my battle with Fantina— which we all assumed I would win— and creating a whole advertising blitz to slowly make the transition for the change between me and Craig.

"Thank you, I guess," I sighed. "What's with the bag?"

There was a green, camo backpack next to mine, and I was wondering if it was something they were going to give me as a gift or something. It certainly was bigger than the one I owned, although I was sort of attached to it by now.

"It's for the photoshoot," she smiled. "Goes well with your clothes, and every trainer has a backpack, don't they? Sit."

My stylist motioned me to a chair in front of a mirror with a bunch of lights, and then started to wash my face with some kind of smooth moisturizer. Afterward, she applied primer to my skin.

"We don't want to go too overboard here," she whispered as her hand ran under my eyes. "I'll keep the makeup at a minimum. Hiding every imperfection would make you lose all of your appeal as a trainer. They make you look authentic," she said as her eyes glazed over my burns.

I held back an annoyed sigh, but continued closing my eyes as I waited for her to finish. It was for the money, I told myself. In fact, the first two hundred and fifty thousand pokedollars had already been transferred to my account, and I even had that laptop I had always wanted. The stylist proceeded to brush my hair, and then she finally sent me off. I carried both backpacks in my hands, but Melody— the woman who had greeted me on the fifth floor— came and took them from me. Apparently, she wasn't just a greeter. She was supposed to be my sponsorship liaison. She wouldn't be as overbearing as a coordinator's manager, and I'd barely see her once I left this building, but she'd be the one who called me if I ever acted out of line and damaged the company's image. Alternatively, she'd also be the one I'd need to contact if I ever wanted something from them. I thanked her with a short nod.

A short, male photographer called me over, and I was surprised to see that the background and the floor of my pictures would just be completely white. They were being so extra with things that I almost thought they'd green-screen me on a route or something. A few people also stood behind him and whispered among themselves.

"'Afternoon young lady," he smiled. "I'm Joshua Nance, your photographer. I hope you appreciate that the company's kept things on the down-low for you. Ordinarily, they'd be a whole lot of people in this room. Anyway, if you ever have to take any more pictures after today, I'm probably the one you'll have to work with."

"I sure hope I won't have to, but thanks," I simply said. "Can we get started right away, or…?"

I just wanted this whole thing to be done with, go home and start budgeting. He motioned me to step onto the large, white background, which I obliged.

"They wanted me to tell you that these won't be published until your battle with Fantina. They want to time the marketing blitz with your victory." he explained as he fiddled with his camera.

Melody spoke up. "And you'll be promoted much more than with our usual sponsorship terms until they gently push Mr. Goodwill out of the limelight, replacing him with you by the summer, after the end of the Conference,"

"There we go. We'll start with simple pictures that show who you are as a person. Stand there and just give me any pose you want, just make it feel natural."

After telling me at least ten times to loosen up because I apparently looked nervous, Mr. Nance snapped a few pictures, making sure the Pokeballs on my belt were visible. He explained to me that the background was white so that they'd pop in a picture and draw and captivate the public's eyes, which I guess was the point.

"Do you want to take a picture with one of your Pokemon next?" He asked. "It'd help the people get to know you on a more personal level."

I didn't understand how that made any sense, but why not—

Wait.

Jellicent was a no-go until I figured out how this new evolution affected him around people when he wasn't focusing on a battle.

Turtornator… well, he'd kill everyone in this room.

Tangrowth would touch everything with his vines. He'd probably break the camera out of curiosity too.

Larvitar might get too excited, and she could damage the building with her stomping. Plus, she didn't really like strangers either.

Well, Electabuzz and Togetic were doable— although princess was starting to get a little too aggressive for my liking, but that was mostly when she fought things.

"Can I use two?" I asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

I released princess and honey and hurriedly explained the situation to them. Togetic seemed happy enough but still looked at Mr. Nance with some amount of suspicion. Electabuzz, goofy as he was, was acting all shy about getting his picture taken. I carried Togetic in my arms and placed her head against my chest while Electabuzz wrapped an arm around me and smiled, flashing his sharp teeth.

"Excellent, excellent!" He smiled as he snapped more pictures. "This'll show the world how close you are with your team."

Finally, after twenty minutes of making us strike different poses, it was over. I changed, and Melody led me out of the building and gave me her number and email so I could contact her whenever I wanted. I called dad over, who surprisingly immediately drove up with his car after barely two minutes.

"You're here early," I said after letting out a tired exhale as I sat into his car.

"I was waiting around the block, I was too nervous. How'd it go? You look great." He said.

"Yeah, they put makeup on me for some shoot. And Dad, that was like, three hours you were waiting for me?" I chuckled. "I signed. I work with the Poketch Company now. Wait, does that mean we're co-workers?!"

"Slow down there, kiddo," he said as he started driving. "You shouldn't have signed right away. What were the terms?"

"It's fine. I read it over a ton of times, and I caught how they were trying to screw me by making the contract exclusive forever. Plus, they have to preserve their rep. It'd be a bad look if they fu— screwed me over too hard while trying to make me the face of their company at the same time."

"Hold on, the face of the company? Isn't that Craig Goodwill?"

I explained the big elements of the contract to him— which, to me, was mostly the pay, but I also told him that it was an exclusive sponsorship. I'd have to cancel all of my meetings with the other companies I had written back to. It was a shame, but I knew they'd never offer me better terms. Plus, a part of me was glad I wouldn't have to keep sitting in meetings with a bunch of business people. Just one had been tiresome enough. I didn't know how Denzel planned on doing it. He still had eight meetings to get to.

"There's a bunch of other stuff too. I've got a copy of the contract with me if you want to read it. It's in a nice little leather booklet."

"I'll give it a read later," he nodded before ruffling my hair. "I'm proud of you, kid. Do you want me to drop you off at the Center?"

I smiled. "How about lunch first?"

Dad took me to Arlyle's to eat, although he didn't eat anything himself because it was too unhealthy, or whatever. I sent a text to the group chat saying that the meeting went well, and they all congratulated me in their own way. Justin and Cecilia sent me private messages, the former sending a long, essay-like message about the economic power of the Poketch Company and how I had made the correct choice, while Cecilia berated me, saying she would have liked to give me advice first. She came around when I explained the terms, although she said I should have asked what constituted how 'well I was doing' for renegotiation purposes. I'd shoot Melody a message about it later, but she was right that I should have asked. Still, she was excited for me and glad that they had recognized how much I was worth.

Along with hearts.

A lot of hearts.

Arceus, she was cute. I sent her a GIF of two Teddiursa hugging with a caption that said 'us'. I almost heard her squeal through the screen. She apparently hadn't known that was possible, and she spent the next twenty minutes sending me romantic GIFs in return. I ended up asking her for vitamin advice.

Denzel congratulated me in a teasing manner, telling me to leave some fame for the rest of them. Pauline called me a gremlin, but also said that 'a girl like me' deserved to be rich, so she was hoping I'd renegotiate to get more money as soon as possible. Emilia called for a celebration and used a bunch of emojis I couldn't decipher. The atmosphere between the three was still awkward, but I was glad they were at least not fighting. Or maybe they were, and they were hiding it from us.

Eh, I'd probably be able to figure it out the next time I saw them. Now that Cecilia had revealed the fact that there was some relationship drama afoot, I felt like I'd be able to read all of them like open books. I thanked dad for the food and driving me back to the Center and entered my Pokemon Center room right away. I'd join my friends later. I released my entire team aside from Turtonator, although at this point, Jellicent was so big he could barely move around the room. Still, he clumsily floated behind me— where he always liked to be when I was about to work.

I opened my new laptop and quickly set it up. Apparently, I could link my phone and my Poketch Watch, and the computer to each other, which sure as hell was convenient. I supposed that this was the main benefit of being loyal to the brand. I smiled when I saw that the laptop came with a pre-installed spreadsheet app. This would be good for Pokemon training, but right now, I'd need it for one thing.

Budgeting.

I knew this wouldn't be that complicated, but I'd always been bad with math. Back in school, I had gotten sixty to sixty-five percent on every subject, which meant I had barely graduated, but I hadn't tried or studied.

Except in math, where I had to work my ass off to barely pass. So even though I knew the program would do all the calculations for me, I still felt a twinge of dread well up inside of me. Yes. Dread. That was how much I hated numbers.

"Okay…" I exhaled. "Two hundred and fifty thousand pokedollars per month."

The date was currently January 10th, but I had already gotten my money for this month, so I'd get paid for five more months. That added up to… 1.25 million Pokedollars by the Conference.

And that was just the bare minimum. Bar any catastrophic circumstances where I completely fumbled the bag and they brought my salary down, there was nowhere to go but up when I renegotiated in three months. Plus, there were the bonuses for the tournaments, although they hadn't given me a solid number for those, so I'd get even more money down the line.

All of the money I spent on a monthly basis was pennies compared to this, but I couldn't go overboard. I needed to save for very specific things.

"It's mid-January, but let's just stick with that five month number for the sake of simplicity. Let's say that currently, I spend around… five thousand Pokedollars per month for everything I need," I whispered. "That adds up to twenty-five grand by the Conference, so I'm left with 1,225,000 pokedollars. Not bad."

I opened up my browser and looked up the price of a Shiny Stone. I already knew the average price was 745,000 pokedollars, but it tended to fluctuate a lot with supply. I blew a raspberry when I saw that the price had jumped to almost 800,000, which tended to be the upper limit of its price range. Well, it wasn't like I had enough to buy one right now. Hopefully, the price would go down by the time I did, though. The Shiny Stone was the main reason I couldn't just go and spend everything I currently had on TMs, even though looking at the money on my trainer card did fill me with a giddy feeling.

Is this how dad felt every time he got paid?

So basically, I needed to have 800,000 Pokedollars by the time the Conference came around— preferably a little earlier than that so that Togetic could get used to her new body. She was a slow flier right now, but Togekiss were known to be quick, since they used both their wings and fairy type energy to fly, whereas she currently only used the energy to float instead. That meant that I had to control my spending.

Vitamins and TMs were the only things I currently wanted. According to Cece, a single bottle for every vitamin— Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Carbos, and Magnesium— cost 50,000 pokedollars. Nothing to billionaires, but a fuck ton of money to me. If I spread it out, though, it'd last me the whole month, but my Pokemon would take a bit longer to see the effects. I was fine with it, though, since vitamins tended to have diminishing returns the longer you fed them to your Pokemon, so catching up there was definitely on the table if I got better terms with the Poketch Company. According to Cece and some reputable breeders I found online, the best way to go about this was to feed your Pokemon a baseline of every vitamin in the first few months, and then specialize in different kinds for what you wanted each Pokemon to do. For example, Carbos was known to improve a Pokemon's speed, so I'd give them to Electabuzz, whereas Jellicent now had excellent survivability, so I'd give him Magnesium instead. They were meant to improve on their strengths.

"So 50,000 pokedollars times five months…" I quietly spoke, typing on my laptop. "That's 250,000 pokedollars. Added with the cost for everything else, I'd be left with 975,000 pokedollars by June."

That left me 175,000 to play with— no, I'd keep a 10,000 pokedollar buffer on top of the 800,000 I might have needed just to be safe. Although again, I'd have more depending on how I did in those five tournaments I was supposed to join, and my salary would probably increase for those last two months before the Conference. Hell, if I had time and I was short on cash, then maybe I could join more tournaments. Still, I'd play it safe until I got my first bonus after the Solaceon tournament. From then on, I'd be able to get an idea of the money range, at least.

165,000 pokedollars. That was the final number I was free to spend on TMs for the rest of the year until shown otherwise, and bar any exceptional circumstances where I'd have to spend money for an emergency. I probably needed to keep another buffer for that, like emergency savings, so I lowered that number further to 145,000. It might have seemed like a lot now, but TMs for the moves I wanted were actually expensive. They wouldn't cost a mere 15,000 like Thunder Wave had. For example, I wanted Psychic for Togetic, and that alone cost 80,000, which was fair, since it was one of the most versatile moves a Pokemon could learn. The reusable one would be more expensive, but right now, I was only looking at prices for single-use TMs.

That left me with 65,000. I turned back toward my team and wondered who I could buy a TM for. Jellicent was fine for now, and he had a lot of moves to learn naturally, still. I didn't exactly want to overwhelm Larvitar with TMs when she was learning new moves at an already incredible pace. There were actually a lot of affordable TMs Tangrowth could learn, so he could be an option. Electabuzz was interesting. I didn't have the money for it, but they could learn Teleport, which was one of the most expensive TMs in the world. Non-psychic types unfortunately couldn't teleport other people with them, though, and the range would be rather pitiful, but it'd mean that he could dodge a lot easier in battles.

The learning process was dangerous, and could be lethal without a Pokemon acting as his teacher, so I wasn't even sure if I wanted to teach it to him in the long term unless I suddenly became friends with a person that had a Pokemon that knew the move. There were a lot of horror stories about Pokemon accidentally teleporting underground and being buried alive. A better option I was looking at was Protect. Honey was my most vulnerable Pokemon. Even though Togetic could take fewer hits, she was adept at not getting hit thanks to Ancient Power and Extrasensory. I figured that Electabuzz needed something like that to protect himself from attacks that he couldn't dodge, especially since he'd be my ace against Fantina.

The single-use protect TM cost 78,000 pokedollars, though… that was beyond my emergency fund.

I leaned back into my chair and sighed as I stared at Jellicent, who looked down at me with a worried gaze.

"Well, I might as well live a little," I said. "I'll be able to pad my savings a bit after the Solaceon tournament. Let's get those Vitamins and TMs."

——

Why did no one ever tell me that spending so much money at once hurt? I felt like I was doing something fundamentally wrong, and yet I had done the math. It all was economically sound! I walked out of the mart and immediately used my Pokedex to teach princess and honey their respective moves. If I could have bought the reusable version of Protect, I could have taught it to Togetic too, but this store actually didn't even sell reusable TMs, surprisingly enough. Emilia wanted me to get back to the Center quickly, since she was already organizing a party.

"She sure works fast," I smiled.

I messaged her that I'd be back in thirty minutes or so, and that I just needed to try out my new moves. Not wanting to bother my dad too much, I took a bus to route 208 and released my two Pokemon.

"Feel any different?" I asked them. "I taught a new move to both of you. Princess, you have Psychic now, which is offensively better than Extrasensory in every way. If you ever want to pick someone up, though, use Extrasensory, because Psychic hurts up here," I explained, pointing to my head.

She nodded with a determined look and chirped.

"Why don't you try it on, uh… here, why don't you rip a branch from this tree for me. Use Extrasensory to do it."

Her eyes shimmered, and she separated a small branch from the tree I had motioned at. In the meantime, I grabbed my computer, in which I had opened a new spreadsheet and a stopwatch application.

"Okay, now try to lift it into the sky with the same move as quickly as you can," I continued. "Stop when you reach the top of your head."

The air around the twig distorted, and she lifted it up, stopping as soon as it reached her crown.

"That was almost three seconds. 2.94. Not bad," I smiled, typing the number on my laptop. "Now put it down and do the same with Psychic. You might have to try a little harder, but you have the knowledge to use it."

Princess squinted, then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The branch shook, and I almost pressed go on the stopwatch too early. When she opened her eyes, the twig shot up so quickly that I pressed it too late instead, and she didn't manage to stop it at her head. In fact, it flew off far into the distance. She bowed her head at me and let out an apologetic cry.

"Togeprri…"

"That's okay, princess," I comforted her, rubbing her chin. "You did awesome for your first time. We'll track it later, along with how much your progress with the move through the rest of the year. Then we'll be able to look back at the number and smile when we see how far you'll have come."

Togetic slowly smiled and clapped her hands.

"Aw, you're so cute," I laughed. "Now it's your turn, hon. Your new move is Protect. It makes a big, transparent barrier around you that protects you from attacks, although it's tiring to use. Try it out."

The electric type stepped forward and confidently punched his palm, making me smirk. He brought both of his hands forward, yelled out his name, and a thin barrier that barely covered his entire torso appeared in front of him.

Togetic laughed so hard she fell on the ground, and I had to ask her to not make fun of her brother. If Electabuzz didn't have any fur, he would have been blushing for sure. Luckily for him, the rest of the family hadn't been there to see him fail, but Togetic would probably spill the beans anyway.

"Don't look so down. Come on," I told him. "TMs just give you the rudimentary knowledge. You still have to put a lot of work in to actually master the move. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Buzz…" he said, nodding toward Togetic.

"She failed too. She can barely control the direction of what she uses Psychic on."

That seemed to have stopped her laughing fit.

"Okay, we have like fifteen minutes until I have to leave. We can be fashionably late to the party and no one will bat an eye."

Tomorrow, I would sign up for my battle against Fantina.

---

A/N: Magnesium replaces HP Up here, because the term is obviously too gamey. Every other Vitamin is the same as the game, although with the advice Grace got, you can see that EVs work a little differently, and PP Ups/Max are retconned out.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 127

"Grace! Why are you always late to parties I organize for you?" Emilia groaned as I entered her room.

I ended up being one hour late instead of fifteen minutes due to training for too long. Half-finished boxes of pizzas sat on the desk, along with different kinds of sodas. I instinctively felt my mouth salivate. I hadn't had pizza in so long.

"Uh, sorry," I responded, slightly bowing my head. "I got too engrossed in training."

"Training after that battle?" she said in disbelief. "First it was Denzel, now you. Trainers are crazy…"

"You've got to work for it if you want it," Denzel shrugged.

Cece walked up to us and led me deeper into the room. "You look great, love," she smiled.

"Oh… thanks," I meekly answered. She noticed my make-up! I felt all fuzzy inside. "The Poketch Company put make-up on me for a photo shoot."

"And you stayed?" Denzel said sarcastically. "Thought you'd leave running."

"Ugh, shut it," I groaned. "It was worth it for the money. I bought a bunch of stuff already."

"You made a good choice. Plus, the Poketch Company knows what they're doing. They won't use your face for a while. They'll need to wait until everything is ready they can push a marketing blitz," Justin said.

I nodded. "They did tell me that they'd wait a few days until they contacted me again. They're supposed to tell me what to post online, too."

My eyes settled on Pauline, who was being uncharacteristically silent. She was sitting in a corner and quietly staring at nothing in particular as she ate a slice of pizza, but she must have noticed that I was staring at her too long, because she quickly returned to normal.

"Watcha looking at, Grace?" She said snarkily. "I'm not giving you this. It's the last pepperoni slice, but it's mine."

"Nothing," I lied. The fight with Emi and the situation with Denzel must have still been weighing on her.

"Now that everyone's here," Emilia said, clapping her hands to garner our attention. "I want to announce… err, Pauline wants to announce something!"

"Don't flake out at the last second," Pauline said. "Tell them."

Emilia stammered out a few words before getting to her point. "Pauline and I… are da— together."

She looked around the room, expecting a massive reaction, but apart from me and Cecilia, no one did much of anything. I personally was just happy that she just trusted us enough to reveal this when she'd been keeping it hidden for so long.

"Yes, I suspected that to be the case after Grace and Cecilia said the same," Justin shrugged. "I was just waiting for you to say it to be sure."

"I figured it out earlier," Cece said.

"It's complicated, but I already knew," Denzel told us.

"See? I told you," Pauline smiled. She stood up and hugged Emilia. "No one cares! Does this mean that we can ki—"

"Not in front of them. And your hands are full of grease…"

"So why'd you keep it hidden so long, if I could ask?" Cecilia said.

Emilia sighed. "I don't know, I think was mostly scared of it getting out, especially to my parents. Which is why I need to ask you all to keep it a secret, at least for now."

Well, I was glad that this was finally fixed, at least. I heard a phone quietly vibrate on the nightstand.

"Pauline. Your phone," I said.

"Grab it and hang up for me, will you?" She said after groaning. "Don't want to interrupt Emi's party with any nonsense."

"If you say so…" I sighed, grabbing her phone. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that 'Mommy' was calling. "It's your mom. Should I still—"

The redhead shot up, stomped toward me, and snatched away her phone.

"Fucking finally, you called. You promised to keep me informed. What's happening?"

I couldn't believe that Pauline's mother just let her swear at her like that. My dad would never.

"Can't you put it on speaker?" Justin asked before being brutally shut down by a single glare.

"Okay… yeah…" Pauline muttered. "Sounds good."

She hung up the phone.

"Mommy's finally here to tell us what the fuck is going on with Harvey and Clarence," she continued. "She wants to meet us."

Denzel's eye twitched.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. Um, when she says meet us, does that include Louis? Shouldn't we wait until he… arrives here? He's as much involved in this as we are."

"Mommy hates Louis and the Bianchis, so even if he were here, it wouldn't be happening. There's a reason she tried to get me to fuck up his engagement with Cece."

"I thought that was because a union between them and the Obels would be too powerful," Justin hesitatingly said.

"Yeah, but she hates them because they're already too powerful," she explained. "A union would have just made it worse, so she desperately wanted me to meddle. I'll send him a message when the meeting's done to bring him up to speed… even though he won't answer. Anyway, she wants to meet us at our villa."

Denzel coughed. "Excuse me? Villa?"

"Yeah. Villa. One of her driver's coming to pick us up. Is there a problem?"

Rich people, I scoffed.

—

Pauline's villa was stunning.

We stepped out of the car that had parked in a huge driveway leading up to the tall front doors that put Arlyle's parking lot to shame. The driver gracefully bowed and pointed us toward the entrance, whose beauty caused me to gasp in awe. The villa's exterior was made out of white stone and accented with tall columns and large glass windows that didn't even have a single smudge, no doubt thanks to the maid that was currently finishing up her cleaning. The building didn't fit at all with Hearthome's architecture, but that was probably why it had been built on the city's outskirts.

Denzel and I gaped like Magikarp as we stepped inside the building while Justin, Pauline, and Emilia told us to keep up. The foyer was bigger than dad's entire apartment and sported gleaming, black and white marbled floors. A crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. Maids and butlers greeted Pauline with a bow as she walked, but she just ignored them, which I found a bit rude. Maybe that was just how things worked around here, though. What I did notice, however, was that the butlers all carried Pokeballs with them. Maybe they also acted as bodyguards?

"How do they even reach that?" I asked, pointing to the chandelier. "It's so high. Do they get a Pokemon to turn it on?"

Emilia chuckled. "No, Grace, it's just for decorations. They don't actually use the Chandelier here."

"You've been here before?" Denzel asked.

"A whole lot. I'd spend entire summers with Pauline at Josephine's mansions when I was younger."

Right. Josephine was Pauline's mother's name, I had almost forgotten. It would have been embarrassing to get there without knowing. Or not? Maybe she'd ask us to call her Ms. King.

"Mommy's a real saint compared to Emi's parents, let me tell you," Pauline said as we walked up an arched stairway. "They're stuck in the last century. Even Justin's dad isn't that bad, although he's a bit sexist. If I hadn't been there, both of them would have ended up like their parents. Old minds."

On the second floor, the entire wall was made of glass. I stared down and noticed an indoor swimming pool with its own lazy river. How big was this place?! If the coming topic hadn't been serious, I might have asked to go in after meeting Josephine. I greeted a pair of maids as we walked through the wide corridor, and a butler was waiting at huge double doors.

"Hey old man," Pauline said. "She told me she'd be in her office."

"Ms. King is indeed in the office, Pauline," the butler said.

"Thanks, Pete," she said before opening the door.

Pauline was fierce, but if I had to describe Pauline's mother in one word, it would be intense. She appeared in her sixties, which was older than I thought she'd be, meaning that she had Pauline later in her life. Her vivid red hair had almost completely turned white, but the parts that still remained were brighter than Pauline's. Josephine looked at us, and I had to stop myself from recoiling. It felt like she was judging me and my flaws.

Pauline crossed her arm, practically glaring at her mother.

And then smiled and ran up to hug her.

"I missed you so much!" She yelled jubilantly. "How long are you staying?"

"Not too long, my dear," Josephine smiled. "Emilia, Justin, it's nice to see you again. Cecilia."

They both smiled and started making small talk with her, asking about business or life in general. The way Josephine had uttered Cece's name was a lot less affectionate, however, but I couldn't exactly call it disdainful either. It was more neutral than anything.

"We've largely avoided any hit from public outrage, and I'm planning on opening a branch in Hoenn. The constant warm temperatures would do wonders for our summer clothing that we never manage to sell here," Josephine explained. "But we aren't here to talk about that— at least not right now."

Her eyes settled on me and Denzel.

"Good afternoon, Ms. King," Denzel said with a strained voice. It seemed like this whole situation had gotten on his nerves. "I'm Denzel Williams. Your daughter's friend."

"And I'm Grace Pastel! Also your daughter's friend."

The woman snorted. "I know who you are. In fact, I know a lot more than you would think."

"Mommy, I hope you're not spying on us again," Pauline frowned.

Oh. She'd been spying on us too? I thought it had just been Harvey and Clarence. I stopped myself from having any outward reaction, though.

"Oh, I've stopped those games," she dismissed. "But there are obviously other ways to gather information. Let's get to the topic at hand. Harvey and Clarence."

She paused for a few seconds, letting the weight of those two names sink in.

"Clarence is still wrangling with Unova's government, but the Bianchis have started to recover. For some reason, the Directorate changed their tune unnaturally quickly and passed a massive bailout, and the bill's gone to Cynthia's desk. She is going to sign it within the week. Delaying it any further would hamper her popularity, especially with trainers. Of course, a few companies tried to worm their way into their monopoly, but they all failed miserably. Potions are the products that showed the most promise, but none of their bootleg tonics worked as well as theirs. How unfortunate," she sighed. "Still, at least they showed the world that the conglomerate was not untouchable, which was music to my ears."

I nodded, remembering that Chase had bought a cheaper alternative to potions to get himself through Mount Coronet, which he had also complained about it. That must have been only one of the alternatives.

"So the Bianchis have stemmed the bleeding, but the Obels have not— partly because there are actually other options for energy in Unova. I am sure you will enjoy your father squirming for a while longer," Josephine said as she looked at Cecilia. She responded with a smirk. "But bleeding does not mean that they are toothless. My little birds have told me that they are still determined to merge despite their setbacks."

"Here's what I don't get," Justin said. "I am sure Cecilia and Louis marrying would have made things easier, but why can't they just merge without that?"

Josephine smiled. "A common question. You see, you are correct. A merger between two companies is a complex process that involves a range of headaches, like negotiations of terms, financial valuation, regulatory approval, integrating both operations… especially since the two have very little overlap. Energy and trainer supplies don't mix. Therein lies the problem. The Bianchi Conglomerate and the Obel Energy Company operate on such a different level that there are actually factions within both that oppose a merger."

"I remember back in Unova, Clarence had a lot of fits about… he called them holdouts," Cecilia said. "That might have been what he meant."

"Yes. Companies are not a monolith. There are factions within factions within factions, all with different interests. Personally, I believe that a merger, if successful, would be catastrophic. A company of that size would be able to ignore government regulations, which are already extremely loose in Unova. Imagine the Bianchis expanding in that region, free from Sinnoh's rules and regulations. That thought kept me up for multiple nights."

"But the merger could also fail," I said.

"It could, but I did not want to take the risk. A choice I would have learned how to live with if it bit me in the ass," she shrugged. I could see where Pauline had gotten her way of speaking from. "Continuing on my point, Harvey and Clarence knew that forcing through a merger would scare off investors and start a civil war within their own companies, so they opted to take a slower route. Making advantageous business deals with themselves, and slowly intertwining their companies together, but that wasn't going quickly enough, and they knew that they would die one day. You see, there is nothing those two sorry pieces of shit want more than leave a lasting legacy."

"That is why the engagement came in," Emilia said. "It was obviously nothing more than a political marriage."

"Yes. A simple cog in the merging machine, mind you, but one that could blow the entire process up if it failed in a spectacular, humiliating, and public fashion, which was originally the plan," she smiled, looking at her daughter. "Either way, they have not given up. They will try to bring you back into the fold. It is my understanding that Louis is currently traveling alone?"

"He has two friends with him," Denzel said. "Uh— at least that's what Chase said!" He quickly added.

"Ah, my knowledge was out of date. Good for nothing informants," she annoyingly sighed. "It is good that he isn't isolated, but we'll have to make sure that these two friends aren't subtly using his isolation to bring him back into his father's camp."

"They aren't," Denzel firmly said.

"You know something," both me and Josephine sprung up at the same time. I looked at her and awkwardly shuffled before apologizing. The woman continued. "You know something, otherwise you wouldn't be so sure."

"Damn it," he said, scratching his head. "I… I met Louis and his new friends. The other night. Remember when I said I was training? I was training with them."

I knew he had looked off! Louis being here made sense, since he had been right behind Chase, but I felt a hole in my heart at the fact that he didn't want to see us yet. Cece stared at the floor dejectedly, and I grabbed her hand to comfort her.

"You ass! Why didn't you tell us anything?!" Pauline yelled.

"Because he wants to be alone, still," he said. "Don't try to meet him. I fucked up and broke his trust. I promised I wouldn't say anything."

"Well, this is good," Josephine said, ignoring their little scuffle. "Keep training with them and observing them. If they have no sinister intentions, then we will clear them of any suspicion. I feared that Louis was the most susceptible to betrayal, dumb as that child is."

Cece clenched a fist. "Don't badmouth him."

Josephine rolled her eyes. "Next, I believe that they'll also come after you again."

"That would be economic suicide," Justin shook his head. "They won't be able to come back from another scandal of that scale."

"Oh, they might not need to," she said dismissively. "Let me tell you a story, children. When I was but an infant, the Great War was just teetering out and taking in its last gasps. A war so great that every region saw some of the fighting, and Orre's land was so irreplaceably altered that it still has not recovered. A war so great that avatars of the great Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno rampaged across the skies to snap humans out of their folly, bringing death and destruction wherever they appeared. I do not remember anything about it, and the generation that fought in it is all but gone, but I do remember the ramifications."

My throat suddenly went dry at the mention of the Great War— a war that caused so much death and trauma that there hadn't been another one since. It had originally started between Kanto and Johto due to a border dispute, as wars often used to do, but it quickly spiraled out of control, and two alliances formed, with each region picking a side to support. Sinnoh had been on Johto's side, but we had been spared from most of the fighting.

No one had won. The war ended in a status quo. It was started by humans and was ended by Legendaries. According to my history class, at the height of the conflict, there were as many as ten avatars for each Legendary bird flying around and ending battles left and right. Tens of millions of deaths— both human and Pokemon— for nothing.

"People say that there hasn't been another war since, but that isn't exactly true," Josephine continued. "Do you really think Kanto and Johto would ever stop being at each other's throats? They're like oil and water, and the hatred they share for each other runs deep. Some might call it generational," she cackled. "No, lower-scale conflicts are still taking place, but it is all about plausible deniability. Unmarked trainers doing covert operations and sabotage. You sometimes hear about it on the news, but they're always labeled as terrorists with no allegiances."

"What if they're caught?" Emilia whimpered. "It could spiral into another war, couldn't it?"

"Oh, it could," she said. "But it hasn't yet. No region wants to be the one to press the trigger first. Sometimes, they are caught, and I have no doubt that despite what the governments say, their memories are all extracted whenever whatever mental protection they have run out. Regions know that they are doing this, but they don't want another war. Cooler heads have prevailed until now, at the very least. They know their choice would have consequences."

It was the second time that Josephine talked about choices, and it reminded me of myself. I took a deep breath, calming myself down from the mention of wars.

"Did I scare you?" She asked. "I don't tend to mince my words."

I could see where Pauline had gotten her behavior from.

"The point is, so long as there is plausible deniability, then it will be to Harvey's and Clarence's advantage. I don't know exactly how they'll come at you, but don't expect it to be as obvious as before. I would think that they would still at least wait until you get out of Hearthome, though. You've garnered too much publicity again. A little bird told me the Poketch Company was going to make an announcement soon," she said, looking at me.

I stopped myself from reacting, but she probably caught me, since her lip twitched upward. She really had informants everywhere. It was true that I was becoming the face of the Poketch Company, so that publicity wouldn't fade any time soon. Still, what she was saying made sense. They could hire a random thug to kidnap Cecilia, and there was no way he would ever talk if they got caught. Hell, even if they got caught and confessed, it'd be their word against Harvey and Clarence, who would undoubtedly deny everything. It wasn't like the League would extract memories from every criminal out there.

"I could try to protect you covertly, but they will always outpace me and hire more people. There is a bit of good news, though," Josephine said. "Or I suppose it could be considered bad news."

I inhaled and braced myself for what she was about to say.

"Abel contacted me."

"Excuse me?" Cecilia asked.

Immediately, my mind went to the worst possibilities. Was she being mind controlled? Was being here even safe? My hands instinctively hovered over my Pokeballs— a learned fight or flight response that any trainer knew all too well.

"Mommy… are you okay?" Pauline asked.

"Oh please," she laughed. "I did not actually see him. Did you notice the added security, Pauline?"

"I did. There are way more butlers than usual. Did he breach—"

"He did, back in the mansion in Jubilife. Walked all over the place, uncaring about any cameras, and somehow avoided every single butler. They were all checked for mind control, don't worry. And it was weeks ago, though, so he could be anywhere."

"Did you at least warn the authorities?!" I exclaimed.

"Calm yourself, girl," she sighed exasperatedly. "I did, but nothing came of it. I kept the message he left me for myself, though. He seems very mad about the fact that your and Louis' father fleeced him without a care in the world. He wanted to contact them through me, but I didn't bother trying to respond."

"Obviously…" Pauline muttered.

"Can I check?" Cecilia asked.

Josephine raised an eyebrow. "Check?"

"I own a Slowking… he's recently evolved, but I think he should be at least able to sense if your mind's been messed with."

Pauline shook her head. "Don't! What if there's an accident—"

"I told you I hadn't met him in person, but do what you must," she shrugged.

Cecilia released her Slowking and hurriedly asked him to scan Josephine's mind. The psychic type raised an arm, grunting slightly. After a few seconds, he stared at her. I saw her wince and bite her lip to suppress the pain from telepathy, but she recalled him right after.

"Nothing. You're safe."

"Now, let me continue," Josephine said. "Abel does not care about you any longer, Cecilia, although I believe you knew that already. If you didn't, then you're horribly out of your depth. He wants to be paid in full, and he wants a ride out of Sinnoh, but they don't want anything to do with him any longer. Aiding a criminal of his stature would be too much if it got out again, even for them."

"Can't he fly home? I know he can't exactly walk up to an airport, but a trainer of his level must have a flier," Denzel said.

"Why ask questions we don't have the answer to, young man?"

"That's how he thinks—" I sprung up.

Josephine spoke over me. "Maybe he doesn't have one. Or maybe he wants his money before he leaves. Either way, we don't know. Personally, I'd be content to let him run around the region if Harvey and Clarence get what's coming to them. They're almost walking around with private armies these days, and I hear the latter wants to fly back to Unova soon."

"If Clarence flies back to Unova, then Abel will go after Harvey," I said. "He also worked with him, and I don't think he'd care who paid him, so long as he got his money."

"Correct. Well, you've been completely filled in now, but it'd be a shame to see you leave so early. Feel free to enjoy the villa for the rest of the day, if you wish. Pauline, come talk to me before you leave."

"Alright," Emilia sighed. "Why don't we just… relax and take our minds off of this for the time being."

—

"Grace," Pauline called out. "We're going to the pool, do you want to come?"

Arceus, this whole ordeal made it impossible for me to have any fun, and I was in a mansion with butlers meeting my every need. Or villa. Whatever the difference was, I didn't know. Josephine had said that they wouldn't strike right now, but I couldn't be sure. Plus, the fact that they'd be more discreet about it made it all the more dangerous, since they probably wouldn't hold back anymore about trying to hurt us, although Cece would probably be kept unharmed. Before, I felt like they would at least not hurt children, but now? No holds were barred.

At least I didn't have to worry about mind control any longer. I still hated Abel, but it did feel somewhat comforting that he was after our enemies instead of us.

But there was another possibility that worried me. He wanted to contact Cece's father, so—

"Grace… hello?" Pauline said again, waving a hand in front of me.

"My bad. What'd you say?"

"Pool time! I saw you looking at it. I've lent Emi and Cece some of my swimsuits— although you'd probably need some of my older ones."

I groaned and kicked her leg. "Shut it!"

"Ow! You little shit! At least I snapped you out of your depressing self-induced downward spiral. Come on, let's take your mind off of things."

I sighed as I stood up. "Fine, go get me a swim… a…"

Swimsuit. Of course, I needed a swimsuit if I wanted to swim. I was such an idiot.

I gripped the left side of my waist and felt my scars tingle. I didn't want it to be exposed.

"Nevermind," I said. "I think I'll stay here for a bit. I might swing around later."

Pauline smiled sadly at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I get it. Just know you've got nothing to be ashamed of, yeah? And you're not staying here alone, by the way. At least come dip your feet into the water. Cece will kill me if I leave you here."

"'Kay," I quietly said.

My mood immediately turned up again when I saw Denzel push Justin into the water completely clothed, and then jumped in himself.

Also completely clothed.

Luckily for them, this was an indoor pool, so they'd suffer when we had to leave out in the cold, but right now, they were having fun. Cecilia ended up sticking by the edge with me the entire time.

Seeing her in a swimsuit was flustering as hell.

—

Later that day, we barely made it to the gym before closing time. It was time for Cece, Denzel, and I to sign up. Our battle would actually be sooner than I thought— one day after Emilia's performance. Chase would be battling on the day of her contest instead, so unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to see his battle. I had no doubt in my mind that he'd win, though.

I had wanted to go first to slowly ease myself into improvising before the Solaceon tournament, but I needed an impressive win for the Poketch Company. I was confident I'd pull out a win no matter the order we went in, but I needed it to be as impressive as possible. That meant I was going third again. Denzel was going first, and Cecilia was going second.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 128

"Hahaha!" I laughed until I could barely breathe. "What the hell was even that?! Were you even trying?"

"Yeah, I'd like to see you do better," Denzel said. "Why don't we have you put on a performance right now?" Emilia groaned and kicked Denzel in the leg. "What the hell? Why me?!"

"Let the video finish, Arceus! I want to make sure the voice-over's recorded properly," she complained.

"Grace started it, though."

"I didn't want to hit a girl. Now quiet."

Emilia, Denzel, and Vincent's video was being played in Pauline's room, which at this point was everyone's room, with how much we were staying in it. They had recorded it yesterday after they had gotten a good night's sleep after Josephine's revelations, but Emilia hadn't uploaded it yet, since they were waiting for the contest to take place. Pauline had sent a text to Louis to warn him about it, and he surprisingly answered, which meant they talked for the first time in weeks. There were talks about a meeting, but he seemed squeamish about the possibility and nothing had been set up quite yet.

I laughed again at the video as Denzel miserably tried to make his Snorunt make Powder Snow spin like a tornado. Emilia and Vincent, who'd been acting as the judges for the concept, gave him a one and a three. If I remembered correctly, the scores were out of ten— although during the battle stages, the points worked completely differently. Instead of there being a score, points would be deducted until one contestant reached zero.

"At least Vincent gave me a three…" Denzel sighed.

"I think he just felt bad for you," Pauline shrugged. "I do have to admit, that was some excellent editing, and he only had a day to do it."

Justin's eyes widened slightly. "Did you… compliment him?"

"It's a long story, but Pauline's being on her best behavior," Emi explained.

"Does that mean she'll finally be respectful to me too or…" Justin asked, but trailed off when she just glared. "I figured. When are you uploading it?"

"After my performance today," the girl sighed as nervousness began to creep in. "Win or lose, I'll get my name out there, and if I upload the video right after the contest, it might trend and jumpstart my channel."

"Good idea," I nodded. "The Poketch Company basically wants to do the same thing with me. Anyway, your performance is in four hours, isn't it? Shouldn't you start getting ready? Cece took that long just to get ready to meet my dad."

"It was important…" she grumbled.

"I know, I know," I smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose I can't exactly avoid it any longer. I feel ready, but… I can't help but imagine the worst, you know? I hope the judges are lenient… some of them really pick your performance apart if they don't like it."

"Like you did with me?" Denzel asked.

This time, Pauline kicked him in the leg, and he groaned, opting to just get away from people to stop getting hit.

"That was rude, Denzel, but I'll let it slide," Emilia said, hiding her smirk. "Pauline, come help me get ready."

"Sure thing, babe," the redhead immediately said as she shot up.

"Babe?!" I yelled in surprise. "What the hell…"

I still hadn't thought of a nickname for Cece.

Well, I'd go and train while the others were getting ready. My strategy still needed a few finishing touches, meaning that I still needed to watch more videos. My Pokemon could battle each other and practice their moves in the meanwhile.

——

The Hearthome Contest Hall was huge, and even in the lobby, the ceiling hung so high that it didn't even feel real. The pink, patterned carpet seemed way too clean for a place that was frequented this much. According to Emilia, this was the number one attraction in the city, and it showed. Since there was a performance soon, the hall was packed so full that even I felt nervous, and I wasn't even the one performing.

"I keep forgetting we have to buy these. Ugh," Denzel said as the receptionist handed us our tickets.

"Come on, you both finally have money to spend," Pauline rolled her eyes. "Don't be stingy with it already."

"It's not as much as you'd think—" Denzel and I both said at the same time. "Jinx!" I yelled.

"I'll buy you something at Arlyle's later," he smiled.

"Yes!!" I jumped.

It wasn't like I could expect Pauline to understand the concept of saving money. She'd been raised in a completely different world, after all. Once we all had our tickets, we brought Emilia to the contestant's entrance, where there was an obvious divide. The nervous coordinators that were obviously new, fidgeting, pale, staring around the room, or trying to distract themselves by looking at their phones. Then, there were the experienced ones that carried themselves with confidence. They walked with their backs straight and with purpose. Some were even getting pointers from their manager— or sometimes managers. Plural. Emilia anxiously patted her long, white, flowery dress down and then opened her compact mirror to check her makeup.

I wondered why she hadn't hired a manager yet. She certainly had the money for one, but maybe she wanted to work independently for a bit.

"We all told you, you look amazing, Emi," Pauline said. "Come on, you've got this!"

"Oh, Arceus," she nervously said. "I'm going to pass out. Then throw up. No, wait, the opposite."

"You're going to be fine," Cece gently said. "Just remember your training, and smile."

"Right," she nodded. "I need to smile. To smile…"

"Entrance is closing in two minutes," Justin said, looking at his phone. "You should go. We'll be rooting for you from the stands."

"Okay. I can do this. I can," she said, finishing that sentence more firmly than usual. "I'm going."

"We all believe in you!" I yelled as she left.

"Just remember to have fun!" Denzel said.

"Our seats are complete shit, by the way. I guess we should have bought them beforehand instead of doing it last minute," Pauline sighed.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, that would have been smart. It's not like I warned you or anything."

——

Contests were different than gyms in every sense, but the biggest one Emilia found was that the waiting room wasn't just for one person. It was for every single participant. Coordinators filled every corner of the room as she squeezed past them, looking for Vincent. He was participating too, and he had told her they'd meet in the waiting room. Of course, that was easier said than done, especially in these Arceus damned heels that were starting to hurt like hell. And yet, she'd have to wear them a lot longer, unless she was called immediately and got a terrible score. Unlike gyms, contests were hour-long experiences. Even though performances for the first round were short, with a maximum time limit of five minutes, every single coordinator here would have a turn, and it added up very quickly.

Ah! There he was. Vincent was sitting on one of the benches and putting on foundation to hide some of his pimples. Well, Emilia couldn't really blame him for that, since she had done the exact same a few hours earlier. His long, wavy hair was tied in a ponytail, and he was wearing a colorful purple suit and tie.

"Vincent!" Emilia screamed to get her voice heard. Her friend waved at her and smiled. He shuffled a bit to the right to leave her space to sit, and she sighed in relief, taking off her shoes. Finally, her feet could rest. "It's packed in here."

"Yep, it's the Hearthome Contest Hall," he smiled. "Doesn't get more packed than this, except when there's a ribbon to win. Then, they have to fit us in makeshift waiting rooms."

"I don't mind it, personally," Emilia said. "On one hand, I have less of a chance to stand out, but it's comforting to think that a lot of people are new at this like I am. Nice suit, by the way. You never told me you had it."

Vincent shrugged. "I rented it."

"O—oh."

The short boy laughed. "Don't get all sad on me! People have said a lot worse here, I really don't mind. A lot of the newer coordinators don't have enough money to buy actual outfits, so they'll rent them instead. I'll have to return this one later tonight, so I'm not charged for two days."

"Well, I'm sure you'll place high enough to make money out of it," Emilia cheered.

Vincent smirked. "You're a hell of an optimistic gal, ain't ya? We're usually a lot more doom and gloom about things."

"I'm actually a lot more negative than my friends," she responded. "Did you get your performance down?"

"Just in the nick of time," he said. "Beautifly and Roselia figured it out yesterday. I've always been a last-minute kind of guy."

Grace would have hated that. Vincent had three Pokemon, and his Roselia was the sweetest thing, and somewhat shy, so the opposite of Denzel's. His last Pokemon was a Girafarig— his starter— but he wasn't using him for this contest, and a coordinator was locked into using two Pokemon for the contest's entire length. Emilia was using Rockruff and Beldum. She had considered using Aipom instead of the steel type, but she had come up with a brilliant idea that had changed her mind. Plus, he was excellent at learning TMs quickly. In fact, he did so at ridiculous speeds. Emilia didn't know if it was because he was smart or something else, but it was a serious boon for her coordinator career. Emilia decided to try to listen in on what her fellow coordinators were saying, and it was a mishmash of panic, last-minute advice-giving, and theories. Apparently, a coordinator in high places had leaked who the judges would be, and it had caused a bit of alarm throughout the waiting room, because one of them liked out-of-the-box performances. Emilia shuffled around awkwardly.

"There's no point in changing your plan this late in the game," her friend assured. "Better stick to what you know and not mess up. You don't need tens, you just need to be consistent and get better grades than everyone else. Usually, that's at least a seven from each judge. Hell, even a six is fine if the other two grade you well."

But that wasn't enough to make it to the top sixteen, and they both already knew that. It was just enough to show people that you were competent enough to put on a good performance and barely enough to satisfy the judges so that they'd compliment you instead of putting you down. Most of the time.

"I know, it's just that when I see everyone scrambling around like this, it makes me want to do it too. I keep asking myself if I missed something," Emilia sighed.

"Just stick to what you showed me, and you'll do great. The first contestant's being called," Vincent said, nodding toward a screen hanging above the door to the performance stage. A person's face and name were continuously flashing. "If you want to watch what they do, you can just watch the screen here or do it on your phone since they're broadcasting this live. Hard to hear anything in this room, though."

A few minutes later, the coordinator came back with a satisfied look on his face. He must have done well, from the way the audience had been cheering. Emilia had been too nervous to look. A few people swarmed around him just to speak, and he seemed to enjoy the attention quite a bit. Soon enough, people started filtering in and out to perform. Sometimes, they came back proud, and other times, they came back distraught. Judges were ruthless and wouldn't hesitate to dress you down if they wanted to. They'd have to wait for this phase of the contest to finish and for the top sixteen to be announced. Those would be the ones to move on to phase two— the battle stage. Vincent winced when the twentieth coordinator was called up.

"Ava Belle," he grimaced. "One of Jasmine's."

"Jasmine is here?" Emilia said, suddenly feeling more nervous.

"Yeah, everyone wants a chance to win big," he nodded. "She must be around here somewhere. Hopefully, she'll keep away. I'm not exactly in the mood to fight her posse."

By her posse, Vincent meant her roommates, Ava and Olivia, which he always complained about. Emilia suspected that there was more history there than met the eye.

"How good is she, actually?" Emilia asked.

"She acts like she's the best coordinator in the world, but she ain't much in the grand scheme of things. Jasmine's just like us, she doesn't have a ribbon. I have to admit, she's probably better than you and I, though, but don't tell anyone I said that. She's been in more contests than me, so she has more experience. That helps with the nerves, and when you're not nervous, you're performing at your best."

"Grace would disagree," Emilia said. "She says that it keeps you sharp."

"A difference in philosophy, I suppose," he smiled. "Now let's watch and hopefully see Ava fumble her performance."

Ava did not fumble her performance. It was a fairly straightforward, but masterful one that involved her Minccino using Helping Hand in a satisfying rythm to continuously power up her Seel's ice type attacks, which in this context, meant that they were brighter and more beautiful. She finished the entire thing off with an Aurora Beam that diffused high in the stadium, and a series of colors danced above the spectators.

Like the northern lights.

The judges gave her a seven, a seven, and an eight. A performance that good, and she was barely scraping by the judges, if Vincent's baseline was accurate. The more experienced coordinators kept getting higher grades than even that. It was starting to dawn on Emilia that there were too many experienced coordinators here for the newer ones to even have a chance. Only the top sixteen would advance, so there was just no space for them.

She was starting to understand how unfair the whole system was, and it had taken until she had been a victim of it to realize it. But she wouldn't give up now. She had come this far, and she would give it her all.

But what if her all wasn't enough?

"Shit, my turn already?" Vincent sighed. He was being called up. "Well, fuck, let's do this."

"Break a leg!" Emilia said.

"Thanks."

"Oh, lookie here!" Someone yelled. "I didn't know Vince was participating. Think he'll crash and burn like last time?"

"I sure hope so," another girl yelled.

Emilia couldn't exactly see who was talking, but she recognized Jasmine's shrill voice. Vincent scanned the room, trying to find her, and he seemingly did, because he raised a middle finger in her general direction before leaving to perform. In a way, it was incredible how Jasmine and her two friends embodied the mean girl cliche so obnoxiously well. Emilia inhaled as she stared at the screen, waiting for Vincent's turn to start.

——

"Wait, wait, that's Vincent!" Denzel yelled, snapping Cecilia out of her daze. Everyone else had been at least somewhat involved in the different performances, but she was bored out of her mind— or at least she had been. Now that someone we knew was about to perform, she appeared to be paying attention.

Vincent strode up in a horrid purple suit, and he released a Roselia and a Beautifly. Denzel stared on with a grin, happy that his new friend had the same Pokemon he did. Come to think of it, I had never asked Vincent what his Pokemon were, which was probably rude. Since he wasn't a trainer, my mind hadn't even registered that he'd have any, which was conceited of me.

"And now we have Vincent Campbell, performing with his Roselia and Beautifly!" The commentator said. "Take it away!"

"My pleasure," he smiled. "Roselia, Magical Leaf!"

The grass type cried out in a smooth voice that was so alien to what I was used to with Denzel's Roselia that I almost had to do a double-take. It brought its flowers up, and shining leaves flew into the sky.

"Beautifly!"

The bug type waited for a few seconds, and then beat its wings, creating an Air Cutter that sliced up almost every Magical Leaf into a thousand pieces that all floated down slowly like snow that kept changing color.

"What a wonderful display of teamwork between the two Pokemon! The Magical Leaf has turned into multicolored glitter!"

Or glitter. Thank you, commentator.

"Keep them floating," Vincent told his Beautifly. The bug type beat its wings again, and this time, a weak Gust kept the glittery Magical Leaf suspended in the air. "Roselia, Stun Spore!"

With another gentle cry, Roselia shook her flowers, emitting a bright, purple powder and began to float in the air, joining in with the Magical Leaf.

"Now, power up your Gust!"

The wind picked up and spun around, mixing the leaves and the spores together until they were joined in a single, beautiful union. Beautifly screeched as it finished off its gust, sending the two attacks as high as it could. The Magical Leaf now slowly fell again, almost drifting in the air, this time accompanied by the Stun Spore. Some parts had a bigger concentration of spores that acted as bright 'lights' that gave the entire combination a lot of depth. Vincent bowed as he finished his performance, and after the commentator gave her last piece of commentary, we all clapped for him.

The first judge raised his sign, giving him a seven.

"A good performance, although there are a lot of quirks to fix up and work on. That Air Cutter was not precise enough, and as far as uniqueness goes, we've seen a lot of similar performances. Still a solid job."

The second judge gave him a six.

"Look at that, another multicolored attack falling slowly. What an absolute bore! The only reason I didn't give you a five is because you're still a beginner, and you look like you've at least put in some effort. I'd like to see some more unique performances from you."

The final judge slowly raised his sign for dramatic effect. They were probably playing it up for the audience. He gave him a seven.

"My two colleagues have said a lot of good points, but I do want to add that adding that Stun Spore to the mix meant that he went beyond what we're used to. Keeping both attacks suspended with Gust was a nice display of control from Beautifly, even though the Air Cutter could use some work."

Vincent bowed and thanked the judges before returning to the waiting room, and soon enough, the next face came through.

——

Vincent groaned as he sat next to Emilia. Jasmine had heckled him on the way there, but he just ignored them.

"You were great," Emilia said, trying to comfort him. "That second judge was a bit harsh."

"Nah, I bombed," he exhaled. "I'm slowly improving, though. Last time, I got two fives and one six."

"Well, just don't beat yourself up over it," Emilia said.

"Yeah, not like any of the fresh blood have any chance to make it through anyway, unless someone really pulls all the stops. That's the only way you can make it in the industry. Ram your head against the wall until you eventually make it to the top sixteen and get some attention, and use that as a springboard."

Was the system really that broken? Emilia tapped her foot against the floor and bit her lip. If it was, then it meant that the coordinators at the top… weren't they evil for not pushing for reform? She had already explained to her friends that they benefitted from the system, so there was no incentive for them to try to change it, but…

Emilia was starting to realize that her idols— even Temperance was not as pure as she seemed. Another fifteen minutes passed, and this time, it was Olivia's turn. Jasmine's other friend. In her humble opinion, her performance wasn't that impressive, but it was certainly something she hadn't seen before. Her Helioptile had used Rising Voltage, and her Furret had used Agility to start gliding in the air by using the electricity, almost as if it was swimming like a Huntail. It was still too heavy to stay afloat for long, though, but when it was, it did multiple acrobatics and flips.

She got a six, an eight, and another six for that performance. The second judge apparently did prefer uniqueness over flashiness.

Maybe she could alter her planned performance to account for that, however slightly? Vincent had told her to stick to what she knew, but to have a chance at the top sixteen now, she had to take risks. If she could somehow add a bit of strangeness to her performance while keeping the flashier elements, then she'd maybe have a chance. To make it to the next round, she'd at least need three nines. That was the baseline.

A seemingly impossible task, but her friends would tell her not to give up.


She froze when Vincent tapped her shoulder. It was her turn. For some reason, she had believed that she'd have more time. Emilia hurriedly put her heels back on and tried to keep her legs from wobbling. She saw Jasmine give her a nasty smirk, and her friends giggled like idiots.

"Fuck you," Emilia spat, not even turning to see their reaction.

Ah, that was satisfying. She could see why Pauline behaved as she did now.

Did she really need to change her performance? Was taking this risk okay? A young girl placed a small microphone on her neck, and she walked forward, acting as confidently as she could. She foolishly tried to spot her friends in the crowd, but that only served to make her more nervous.

Screw it, Emilia thought. We ball.

It wasn't like she had anything to lose, and since it was her first performance, people would give her a pass if she failed horribly. The performance she had worked on wasn't good enough to make it. At this rate, she wouldn't make it to the top sixteen. There was no more plan. It was time to improvise the entire damn performance. The coordinator released her Beldum and Rockruff, and the commentator announced her name.

She took a deep breath.

"Beldum, Shadow Ball! Keep it in the air!" Emilia yelled.

Shadowy energy quickly gathered in front of Beldum's eye, and the steel type kept it in place.

"Rockruff, Rock Throw and get a rock inside of the Shadow Ball. Slowly."

After a quick confused look at the fact that what she was doing was nothing like what they practiced, Rockruff slowly raised a solid chunk from the floor and carefully levitated it upward. When the rock reached the Shadow Ball, Emilia winced, expecting an ugly explosion at the worse, but to her relief, the rock simply was absorbed by the ball before imbuing it with ghostly energy. Both Rockruff and Beldum had to work to keep it afloat, now.

What now? Emilia thought to herself. After two seconds of thinking, she pointed at the rock and yelled.

"Flash Cannon!"

With a series of metallic, mechanical clicks, a bright light appeared in front of Beldum, and he sent it hurtling toward the rock, creating a powerful explosion that he discreetly cleared with Confusion. What remained was a mix of metallic white and purple dust slowly falling down like snow.

"What a beautiful way to mix colors you don't often see together and a masterful control over Shadow Ball from Beldum! Keeping the move from exploding on contact is notoriously hard!" The commentator enthusiastically yelled.

It was? Emilia swallowed. That could have been a disaster, but she wasn't done. This alone would have been disappointing, and she needed to do something to finish off her performance while the white and purple dust was still falling.

"Beldum, Confusion and throw Rockruff upward as high as you can! Rockruff, Trailblaze!"

The steel type's eye shone as psychic energy surrounded Rockruff. Normally, Confusion kept a Pokemon's muscles completely locked, but Beldum wisely had powered down the attack to let Rockruff move around, meaning that he was free to use Trailblaze.

He left a green trail of fire as Beldum catapulted him in the air, and the dust was still falling.

"And flames rise into the sky like a towering inferno! I'm at the edge of my seat, ladies and gentlemen! Your guess for what happens next is as good as mine!"

And so was Rockruff now that he was out of Confusion's range.

"Create a platform with Rock Throw and Confusion," she ordered, hoping that they'd understand.

Another rock was raised, but they needed both attacks to make it as fast as she needed it to be, and Confusion would work to keep it in the air. Rockruff awkwardly landed on the rock, since he hadn't expected any of this, and Emilia quickly asked for them to create a circle of levitating rocks.

"Double Team!" She said. "This is the finisher!"

Rockruff split into eight, each one of his copies taking their spot on a floating rock before bowing. Since the spectating ring was set up in a circle here, unlike gyms, it looked like every Rockruff was personally thanking the audience. That had been a part of their previous plan, which is why he had figured out what Emilia had meant by finisher. The audience clapped as Beldum slowly lowered the rocks to the ground, and Rockruff's clones vanished. Emilia bowed and turned toward the ones who would decide her faith.

The judges.

Captivating the audience was a wonderful feeling that made her feel giddy, but they were the ones who had the final word.

The first one of the three raised an eight.

"What a wonderful performance! I found the start to be bit jarring, like you were still finding your footing, so I had to take a point away from you, but the rest was great. Combining Confusion and Rock Throw like that was certainly ingenious!"

The second judge raised a nine.

"I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I truly didn't know what would happen, and for someone who's been in the industry as long as I have, that doesn't happen often. You have potential, young lady."

Emilia braced herself. At the very least, she needed another nine.

She restrained a grimace when she saw a seven.

"The performance was good, but I don't appreciate the fact that there were multiple instances where you were obviously going at it haphazardly. The fact that you had to order your Pokemon what to do to the letter meant that your performance lacked elegance. I want coordinators to be prepared, and you weren't. Luckily, it seemed that you had enough talent to salvage the entire thing."

"Oh, please," the second judge shook his head. "You're too harsh! Give her a chance!"

"I'm afraid not, Thomas."

Not enough.

Emilia recalled her Pokemon, bowed, and shuffled back toward the waiting room. She felt like tearing up.

"You were awesome up there!" Vincent beamed once she reached him. "That wasn't at all what you practiced, but you still made it work! Even Jasmine begrudgingly admitted that you were good."

"She did? I don't really care," Emilia said, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, she didn't exactly, but I know how she functions. The way she looked at the screen? She knew you were a threat."

"Whatever."

"Come on, don't get all depressed on me. This is your first contest, and you already got a nine and an eight. That's crazy!"

In the end, Jasmine got a seven from the first, and two eights from the last two judges, meaning that Emilia had barely beaten her. She used her Nincada to turn the ground to mud, and her Flareon to burn it, turning the floor into makeshift lava with a sinister red glow that accentuated her Flareon's color. She probably would have cared if she wasn't so depressed.

According to Vincent, she had run away from home with a bunch of her dad's money. Enough to buy a low-quality Fire Stone for her Eevee. Emilia was too down in the dumps to finally ask what their connection was, but if she had to guess, it'd probably be old friends that had a falling out.

None of them made it to the top sixteen. As much as it pained Emilia to admit it, even Jasmine had deserved a chance.

The system was unfair. New coordinators shouldn't have had to compete with people that had years of experience under their belt. Emilia clenched at the side of her dress.

She had told her friends that she didn't dream big. That all she worried about were the little things.

Screw all of that. Emilia would climb to the top, come hell or high water, and she would gain enough influence to reform the contest industry from the top down.

---

A/N: I'm sorry, I had to put 'fuck it we ball' in there, I couldn't supress the urge. Also, writing performances is hard and surprisingly takes a lot of time despite them only being a few lines long, but I'll get better at it like I did with battles. Hopefully.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 129

We watched as Emilia exited the waiting room. She was tightly gripping the sides of her dress and looked to be on the brink of tears. Vincent closely followed behind her, and even though he did look disappointed, he appeared nowhere as distraught as she was. Maybe it was because this was Emilia's first loss, and this was his third? The first one was often the toughest to swallow.

"Emi, you were fucking awesome out there!" Pauline exclaimed. "You should have made it to the top sixteen, that third judge just had a stick up his ass."

"You were a lot better than most people we saw," Justin agreed. "You were great too, Vincent. You certainly look to be near the top of the newer coordinators."

"Cheer up, there's always the next one, right?" Denzel said. "If this is how you did in your first contest, then you're going places. Cecilia was bored out of her mind until she saw your performance."

Emilia sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Emi…" Pauline muttered.

"I'm fine," she sobbed. "These are angry tears, not sad tears. I'm pissed. I should have made it through, but the whole industry favors people at the top. They dangle hope in front of you only to keep it just out of reach. It needs to change."

Vincent whistled. "That'll take a lot of… a lot of everything. You can't just change how things work, you have to change people's mindsets too. Powerful coordinators will go against you, and there are a whole lot of judges stuck in their old ways, like you already saw."

"I know," she nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'll start slow. First, I need to re-double my training. No more lounging around for hours at a time. I need to work just as hard as you guys do," she said, staring at us. "I need to improve as fast as I can and get to the top sixteen once. According to Vincent, that's when you start getting a lot more eyes on you. I'll need to change the entire industry from the top down."

"So you do dream big after all," I smiled.

"The next contest is a grand one, and it's next week, so you might be a little out of luck. No matter how determined you are, you aren't beating the big shots that are going to be there. Even Temperance will be there."

"I wasn't planning on it," she said, having finally finished crying. "I'll stick to the low-stakes ones for now, and it's probably full by now anyway. Do you know about any grand contests going on in Veilstone?"

"Well, there are contests every week or two in every city," Vincent muttered. "But if I remember correctly, the next grand contest in Veilstone should be in a little over a month."

"That works out perfectly for us, doesn't it?" I asked.

"It does!" Pauline happily said. "You'll be able to fly out for our stay during the city."

"I won't be going to Solaceon," she declared. "I'm sorry, but I need to stick around here to participate in as many contests as I can. Solaceon doesn't have a contest hall, so…"

"We get it," Denzel nodded. "It won't be for long. There was that tournament that Grace talked to us about, but apart from that, we shouldn't stick around Solaceon for long anyway."

Emilia took a deep breath. "Now that I have a clear objective, I feel like a whole new person. Let's go home. I want to crash into my bed and sleep."

"Wait, you're forgetting something!" Denzel said. "Your video! We still need to upload it!"

She groaned. "Right… right, we should do that now while the contest is still fresh in people's minds. Vincent, come with us."

"Err… I need to go give this suit back first."

——

"Cece was right," I panted. "This is harder than I thought it'd be."

I had gone back into my room, and I was currently crushing Oran berries into a paste. I was about to feed my Pokemon vitamins for the first time, and I figured that this would be an easier way to trick Togetic into eating the damn thing. She was a horribly picky eater and only ate Oran berries. The vitamins came in powdered form, but they were tasteless, so as long as she couldn't see it, I was confident that she'd end up eating it as normal, although she might wonder why her food was crushed today instead of sliced like normal.

Vincent, Emilia and Denzel were currently getting ready to upload Emilia's video. There was surprisingly a lot more that went into the process than I thought. The title, the tags, the thumbnail, the time you uploaded at… being a content creator sure seemed exhausting. Meanwhile, Chase had comfortably won his fight against Fantina with Houndoom and Vikavolt carrying most of the fight. I'd look at it in detail tomorrow, but apparently, his Snover had evolved into an Abomasnow during the battle.

"Finally," I groaned. I had finally finished crushing enough berries for Jellicent, Togetic, and Tangrowth. I separated the entire thing into five bowls— Togetic would get one, and the others would get two larger ones— and carefully fanned the powder over the berries before mixing it again to hide it.

Electabuzz and Larvitar would get kibble, since they seemed to favor that type of food. Although to her, nothing could beat fresh dirt or small rocks that she snacked on when we traveled. I released my entire team aside from Turtonator, who I'd need to talk to later.

"It's dinner time," I smiled, clapping my hands.

Electabuzz yelled loudly to celebrate, grabbed his bowl and quickly scarfed everything down. Larvitar enviously stared at her brother, then picked up her bowl to try to imitate him before I could even tell her no. Due to her small size, and the largeness of her bowl, she dropped half of her food on the ground.

"Sweetheart!" I said exasperatedly. That was some amount of money wasted. "You're too small to eat like that, okay? Do it slower."

Larvitar apologized while Togetic gathered the fallen kibble with Extrasensory and placed it back into her huge bowl. She levitated a single piece in front of her and then eyed me suspiciously. A little bit of powder could be seen on it.

Better ignore her for now.

Tangrowth just wrapped his vines around both of his bowls and brought them inside of his body. After barely three seconds, he spat them out, and they were wiped clean. For Jellicent, I poured his food over his mustache, since his mouth sat under all that foam. Surprisingly, I actually saw the food slowly dissolve inside of his body.

Togetic squinted at her food, and then at me.

"It's crushed today because I wanted to do something different," I lied. "They're still Oran berries."

"Toge…"

Suddenly, I felt a sudden chill. Jellicent began to loom behind her with an evil glint in his eyes, and she took a hesitant bite. After noticing that there was no difference in taste, she enthusiastically began to eat.

Yes, I smiled. Eat and grow strong.

Maybe I'd get buddy to force my future kids to eat their veggies. He seemed very effective.

I blushed and hurriedly shook my head at the vision that flashed in my mind. Cece and me raising kids? We were both teenagers, I needed to calm down.

"Arceus…" I sighed as I shook my head. "Anyway, when princess and sweetheart are done eating, I need to go out to speak to Turtonator."

Togetic stopped eating, and her expression turned angry, which was more of a cute thing, especially with the blue paste from the berries all over her mouth. Plus, Togetic couldn't exactly look angry. Sad? Distraught? Sure, but angry? It was like her face was incapable of showcasing the expression.

"I need to talk to him about his diet," I said. "Don't worry, you guys can come."

I wasn't about to talk to him alone this time, especially since I'd have to bring up his old trainer. Soon enough, Togetic and Larvitar finished their food, and we were on our way to route 208. It was late at night, so I doubted that we would come across any trainers, especially at the edge of the route. People tended to have settled down by now and would hunker down for the night. I released my entire team, and then Turtonator. As usual, he snorted haughtily at me, causing Togetic to protest. Her wings anxiously fluttered, and she glared at the fire type.

"It's okay, princess," I smiled as I grabbed her. I placed her head against my chest and gently stroked her crown so that she would hear the sound of my heartbeat and calm down. I used to do it a lot when she'd been in her egg, and I'd sleep with it in my bed. She slowly began to calm, but a condescending, snorty laugh from Turtonator snapped her out of her daze.

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine," I frowned. "Stop antagonizing her. Angel, take care of her for me."

Tangrowth nodded, grabbing Togetic and carefully placing her on his head, where she stared daggers at Turtonator. The dragon type just shrugged, and as usual, he walked off and lazily lay down on the grass. He seemed to enjoy sleeping a whole lot. In fact, he had fallen asleep the majority of the times I attempted to talk to him one-on-one. I was in the process of telling him all of my adventures, since I thought that maybe it'd make him respect me more if he knew everything I had gone through. I was currently around the Floaroma tournament, and I hadn't told him about the whole ordeal at the power plant yet.

One thing was for sure, Turtonator was slowly mellowing out. He hadn't raised the temperature when I annoyed him at all lately, but I was still a way off from actually using him. He still held me in contempt. There was no respect behind his gaze, and as long as that was the case, he wouldn't listen to me in battle.

But at least he'd be manageable.

"I wanted to ask you a question about your old diet," I began, carefully skirting around mentioning Kamaile. "I've started feeding the others supplements, and—"

"Toge!" Princess said with a betrayed expression. I held back a groan and forced a smile so that she'd believe me.

"I didn't put it in yours," I lied before turning back to Turtonator. "Do you remember being given any kind of vitamins to eat? If you were, I don't want to disrupt the balance that you had."

The fire type nodded.

Turtonator was a bulky Pokemon that excelled in special attacks, so if I had to guess, he'd been fed Calcium to maximize his attack and Magnesium or Iron to maximize his bulk or his defensive capabilities. After asking him five times which one of the two it was, he ended up nodding at Iron. I supposed that made the most sense, with how tough his shell was.

"You hungry?" I asked. He snorted, not even bothering to answer.

That was an annoyed but agreeing snort, so I grabbed kibble from my backpack and mixed Iron and Calcium with the food. He quickly wolfed it all down and threw the huge bowl away from me. Togetic quickly caught it and prevented it from breaking, though. After that, I decided to stay here a little bit longer. Somehow, this was the most relaxed the team had been in weeks. Princess still had her guard up, and I was pretty sure she was messing with the floor under us and probably preparing a sudden Ancient Power, but she was beginning to doze off on Tangrowth's head. He was slowly swaying back and forth in a rhythm to put her to sleep. Turtonator had surprisingly let Larvitar approach him, and she was touching his scales with a look of pure awe. I could have sworn I caught his lips twitch a few times.

So you like her, huh? I thought to myself with a smile.

Jellicent was floating high up in the sky and observing Hearthome's pretty lights, and Electabuzz was lying down with his head on my lap while I scratched his head. It was only for a single night, but Turtonator truly felt like a part of the family.

I began telling Turtonator my story again, and he was doing that thing where he pretended to be asleep, but still listened. Larvitar carefully listened too, since she hadn't been there. I ended up stopping right before I was teleported into the power plant, though, since I figured it'd be too depressing a story to tell during such a calm night, and I didn't particularly feel like bringing up Team Galactic. I still hoped that one day, he'd let me talk about Kamaile and his old team, but right now, there was no way I was going to disrupt what we had going.

Ray of sunshine, huh? I mused as I stared at Turtonator.

Sunshine would be a nice nickname.

——

For the second time, Denzel quietly stood in a cold, dark alley a few minutes away from his Pokemon Center. If it hadn't been for his friend, then he definitely would have been irritated by his development. They could have met anywhere else, but Louis insisted on doing it here. Plus, he'd betrayed his trust this time. Denzel had revealed to the group that he'd met Louis and his friends in secret when he had promised to keep it hidden, and now the entire group had asked him to meet to catch up and discuss their next move regarding Harvey and Clarence. Louis still hadn't come to a decision, and he didn't want to be pushed out of his comfort zone, especially with how obsessed he was with not being 'worthy' of seeing them again.

Denzel perked up when Louis stepped into the alley, and wasting no time, he immediately apologized without even greeting him.

"Louis… listen, man, I'm sorry about telling the others about you. Did Pauline tell you about our meeting with her mom?"

Louis looked less tired than usual, but he certainly looked worried. He carried himself meekly— a far cry from how he had behaved when they had first met. Sometimes, Denzel couldn't believe they were the same person.

"She did, and she summed up the situation for me via text… and also berated me and asked to see me," he sighed. "Was telling them about me really necessary?"

"I tried to skirt around it, but Grace and Josephine figured me out right away. Josephine was talking about how Mira and Maeve could have been sent by your father to isolate you and keep you away from us, but I immediately shot the idea down."

"Josephine's always been perceptive," Louis said, leaning against a wall.

"I wouldn't lean against that, it's dirty as hell."

He groaned, turning around and trying to rub his back. "Is it stained?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

Louis sighed again. "I've truly become a magnet for misfortune, it seems. Anyway, I forgive you. I know how much pressure Josephine can apply when she wants. She could get anything she wanted out of me when I was a kid."

"You've met her before?" Denzel asked.

He knew that Justin, Emilia and Pauline had known each other since early in their childhoods, but Louis hadn't come into the picture until this year.

"Oh, you know how it is," he said dismissively.

"No. No, I literally don't."

"Oh, right. You don't," he awkwardly said. "Well, she's met my father a few times, and I was always dragged along with him. I'm pretty sure she dislikes me."

"She implied as much," Denzel said, scratching his head. "Anyway, you signed up for the gym yet?"

The blond trainer nodded. "I battle the day after you."

"Okay. I know we didn't get to train as much as we both would have wanted, but just remember your conditioning. Just get in the flow of things, and you'll win."

Denzel ran on instincts when he battled, but that was an oversimplification of things. His best asset was stamina. He could battle for nearly an hour and not feel tired by the end of it at all, which would no doubt help him by the time he made it to the Conference. The battles there— and high-leveled battles in general could be brutally long. For example, the battles at the Conference had a time limit of an hour. When Denzel really got into a battle, he entered what people called the flow state. Not exactly autopilot, but he certainly felt like something was there to help him make snap decisions. By the end of it, he always snapped out of his daze, and memories of the battle were a blur. He often watched back the footage and was baffled that it was him doing all of this.

Denzel had tried to instill this into Louis, and he had taken well to his teachings. He was getting more resilient, and he didn't falter when Denzel purposefully lengthened the duration of their mock battles.

He never used Sylveon, though. He was too brutal, especially with Mira and Maeve's Pokemon. Doubt was starting to creep into the back of Denzel's mind. Had he always been like this, or was this the fairy influence he had heard about during his lessons as a child? He seemed normal enough with the other members of his group, although he hadn't seen them in a while.

Something was wrong, and Denzel would get to the bottom of it after his gym battle. It was better not to rock the boat before such an important fight.

"By the way, even if you don't want to meet, you should come to see our battles the day after tomorrow. If you come a bit late, then you won't come across us."

"I don't know… I could always watch them online."

"We all know that's not as good as the real thing!" Mira screamed as she emerged from the shadows, causing Denzel to flinch. "Maeve! Stop hiding and come here!"

"Did you follow me?" Louis asked.

"Yeah."

"No shame, huh?" Denzel said as he saw Maeve shuffle into the alley.

"I tried to tell her this was a bad idea."

"But you followed me anyway," Mira shrugged.

——

The next day was the last before our gym battles with Fantina, so everyone was out training in their own different ways. I had sent a text to Lauren to let her know, and even though she hadn't answered, she had left me on read, so I knew that she had seen the message. My Pokemon already all knew what to do. Electabuzz was perfecting his ghost sense and working on Protect. He wouldn't be able to use the move that many times, but at least the barrier wrapped around his entire body now. Togetic was working on her control with Psychic, which still left a lot to be desired. She wasn't used to dealing with that much power at once.

As things stood though, it'd be enough to ram her enemies into things and deal psychic damage to their heads, so it was usable. When we needed to have more control over things, I'd go back to using Extrasensory. Tangrowth could now use Knock Off while keeping an opponent trapped in his vines, and he could use it with two if he really focused, but there was still little progress with Sunny Day. There was a little something we'd been working on to make sure he could use Bind on ghosts, though. Jellicent had easily mastered Brine and was slowly working on expanding the area over which he could use to move. Larvitar was off in the distance practicing Sandstorm, and Tangrowth was supervising her, but she could only create it over a tiny area, and at this point, it looked more like Gible's Sand Tomb rather than a proper Sandstorm attack.

I knew all of the moves Fantina had. All of the Pokemon she might use. Now all I had to do was execute my plan and stay calm whenever it inevitably went off the rails, and I had to improvise. I trusted Electabuzz and Jellicent to work through her illusions on their own, but I'd have to work in tandem with Togetic and Tangrowth if she used them against them. Fantina tended to only use one or two per battle at our level, so they'd be manageable, at least.

Since all my Pokemon knew what to do on their own, I figured I'd start analyzing what went wrong in the battle against Chase and Cecilia. I had downloaded the video on my computer just for this occasion. I sat against a tree and began to parse through the video.

In retrospect, the start had been pretty salvageable, and Denzel kept me from slipping into a panic. They still held the advantage due to Vikavolt's maneuverability in the air and Slowking's Psychic, but we adapted fast. Me figuring out that Knock Off would be capable of slipping past their defenses had been the kind of quick thinking I wanted to get better at. In the end, Denzel helped take down Vikavolt, although he had to sacrifice his Roselia for it. I forced her to switch out her Slowking after that.

But after that, we were back on equal footing or even an advantageous position. Togetic's Wish failing to heal Sylveon had been when I believed the battle turned to shit, but that wasn't how things worked. A battle didn't suddenly go from going really well to a catastrophe in one event. There was always a slow escalation toward disaster, which was usually when you figured out that something went wrong.

But it'd be too late to find out that something had gone wrong after the fact. I needed to spot it while it was happening, and I'd focus exclusively on what I could have done, not Denzel. Forcing Cece to switch out Slowking had been excellent. Watching the footage again, I understood now that he was actually the biggest problem in the battle, not Zweilous. His presence alone forced us to change the way we fought so radically that we needed to take free damage just to have a chance at hitting him. Luckily for me, he seemed to be a terrible fighter whenever he was overwhelmed, as was proved by Tangrowth, and later, Sylveon, who ended up taking him down, so there was at least a counter there.

Since Cecilia used her switch on him, there wasn't much I could have done to ensure Tangrowth took him down, but I could have minimized the damage he took. Cecilia had sent out her Fletchinder second, and on retrospect…

I should have switched Tangrowth out instead of making him stick around until he fell. Even if the plan with Wish had worked out, having angel in the back would have done wonders. Instead, he took too much damage from Fletchinder's fire type attacks and fainted too quickly. Plus, it might have meant I could have sent him out again against Slowking when Cece released him the second time.

Instead, Electabuzz had been forced to fight Slowking and Snover, soaking up a lot of damage from Ice Shard and Water Pulse in the process. That meant that the one Psychic he had gotten hit with had done a lot more to him than I thought, and it had scrambled his brain so much that he hadn't managed to dodge Houndoom's Flamethrower.

Snowball. The battle had slowly been snowballing out of control from the start because I had tunnel visioned on my plan. I should have given up on it when I saw that they had two new evolutions and weren't starting with the Pokemon we thought they would.





Togetic had pushed herself beyond her limits with Ancient Power, easily dealing with Cecilia's Scyther despite his speed and unpredictability. She had also masterfully bought Snorunt enough time to use Blizzard. I couldn't possibly have asked more of her, at least for this part of the battle. One thing was still bothering me about her performance though. Why had Extrasensory not worked on Houndoom's Flamethrower? In the heat of the battle, I hadn't figured it out, but I had adapted quickly. The only way it made any sense was if Houndoom had somehow injected some dark type energy into the attack, but the flames showed no signs of that. Hiding such a feat would require such control over the type energy and the Flamethrower… yet Chase had somehow done it, no doubt as one of his tactics to counter Togetic.

Which was what had given me the inspiration to work on Tangrowth's Bind and find a way to grab ghosts.

Then it happened. The moment where the battle had slipped beyond our control forever. Sylveon went down before Wish could heal him.

Beyond our control didn't mean that the battle was lost, though. When it had just been Cecilia and me on the field— Jellicent against Zweilous— there was still a way I could have won after poisoning him. If I had taken a risk and used Hex instead of keeping my distance with Bubblebeam and Water Pulse, then Zweilous would have possibly taken enough damage for Princess to finish him off.

But it also could have backfired terribly. Hex required Jellicent to be close to his opponent, and Zweilous having two heads fully capable of attacking meant that he probably would have gotten two attacks in retaliation, possibly disintegrating his body again. I hadn't known if buddy would be capable of keeping up that rhythm.

And I hated unknowns.

So at the end of the day, I should have swapped Tangrowth out right when Cecilia did the same for Slowking. If I had done that, then the battle wouldn't have snowballed out of my control, which was when I was at my weakest. I needed to be more adaptable. Foregoing a plan did not mean I was admitting defeat. I needed not to stick to a failing strategy if the chance of it succeeding was less than one hundred percent.

Okay, no plan ever had a one hundred percent success rate, but it had certainly stood on shaky legs right when the battle began, and I'd need to keep this mindset for my battle against Fantina because there was no way that fight would go according to plan.

"Let's go through it one more time," I muttered. Then after combing through the footage, I'd watch Chase's gym battle.

——

After buying a bottle of water, I quickly shuffled to my seat in the spectating ring. It was Denzel's turn to go first, and we were all waiting for his battle to start. I'd use his and Cecilia's fight to try to do some last minute studying on reading Fantina's body language. She was nowhere near as expressive as Candice, so I wouldn't be able to gauge what she was thinking on the fly during the battle. Hell, most of the time, the only expression on her face was boredom.

"There he is!" Pauline said excitedly.

Denzel sported a jersey I had never seen before with the logo of every company he had been sponsored by. Did that mean they were all cooperating with him? That looked custom-made.

Fantina enunciated the rules. The battle would be a four-on-four with one switch in. One thing I had noticed was that when Fantina was in an especially cranky mood due to her job, she gave her battles a minimal amount of switches so that they'd last less long and she'd be able to run on autopilot. It seemed like she was in one of these moods today.

Denzel sent out his Sylveon, which had the same, blurry armor around his fur, and Fantina sent out a Gourgeist. With a simple signal from the referee, the battle began.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 130

Denzel had figured it out a while ago.

He wanted to be like Craig Goodwill.

According to the man himself, in the many stories he told about the start of his journey whenever he went on interviews, he had never really been the best at anything. He wasn't great at improvising, planning, deceiving the opponent, training his Pokemon, and he hadn't been born rich. He certainly was no genius— plenty of people with less experience than him had won the Conference before, although none of them got far enough to even challenge Cynthia. Lucian's psychics proved to always be an impossible roadblock. Hell, it had taken Craig two runs through the League Circuit to get to the point where Denzel was, so it wasn't like he was lacking something. He was being called a prodigy by both the adults in the corporations sponsoring him and leagues of trainers in the forums. So how the hell had he arguably become one of Sinnoh's best trainers and the top contender to win this year's Conference?

Pure, unabashed hard work and dedication. It was the love of Pokemon battling that kept him going all these years, and today, Craig was the most well-known trainer in all of Sinnoh, and he was a jack of all trades. He could do anything because of how hard he had worked towards all facets of being a Pokemon trainer.

Denzel felt his lips twitch as he sent out his Sylveon, whose body blurred for a few seconds before returning to normal. Something about that amount of dedication made him want to follow in Craig's footsteps. When someone thought of a Pokemon trainer in Sinnoh, people thought of Craig.

Denzel wanted people to think of him instead.

His eyes snapped to Fantina's Gourgeist, who stood at around five feet tall. A lot taller than Sylveon, but his body shape looked awkward to move around. With two stubby legs like that? It was probably a long-distance fighter, as many ghosts were—

"Seed Bomb," Fantina ordered.

"Quick Attack toward him and Play Rough," Denzel calmly countered.

—but it was possible that he had mobility moves? Shadow Sneak, maybe? Damn it, now not studying was biting him in the ass, but between sponsorships, training Louis and helping Emilia, he'd been so busy. Sylveon blurred forward, leaving a trail of pink dust behind him as Gourgeist sent out huge seeds from the mouth on its torso. Denzel squinted and quickly noticed that these were a lot bigger than Roselia's.

"You need to dodge! Slide to the right!" He yelled.

Sylveon barked in agreement and took a sharp turn to the right as an explosion grazed his glamour shield, sending sharp rocks and a shockwave flying all the way toward him and Kadabra's barrier. That'd been powerful, but this was a ghost gym, so Denzel knew it wasn't the biggest threat.

Sylveon finally reached Gourgeist, who turned away to run with Shadow Sneak right as fairy energy surrounded his paw. The grass type reappeared twenty feet away, this time gathering a huge Shadow Ball in its mouth.

"Quickly, Swift!" Denzel yelled.

Denzel had borrowed the Shadow Ball TM from Emilia and listened to the commentator during her contest, so thanks to his quick thinking, he knew that the move was unstable. Not wasting any time, Sylveon summoned a single pink star above him and sent it flying toward Gourgeist, who hastily sent out a half-completed Shadow Ball that exploded in front of it.

"Now get in there!"

"Scary Face and Leech Seed," Fantina said.

Denzel clicked his tongue. "Detect!"

Sylveon ran, but a look from Gourgeist's lower face made even Denzel feel like his stomach was tying itself up into a knot. The face twisted, and widened, and somehow, a blood-like liquid leaked from both the eyes and the mouth. Sylveon stopped in his tracks, and his usual, neutral smile turned to an uncomfortable stare.

"Snap out of it, it's not real!" Denzel said. "Detect!"

Too late. A seed as large as his fist landed on Sylveon's shield, and thorny vines wrapped around him. They wouldn't deal direct damage, at the very least.

For now.

"Seed Bomb and keep your distance," Fantina ordered.

What was Sylveon the best at? The fairy type grunted, and more of his glamour evaporated as an series of explosions rocked the field. The answer was physical combat. What was Gourgeist weak to? Physical combat, which was why the ghost type kept his distance with Shadow Sneak. Scary Face was just another way the ghost type had to buy itself time and stay far away from threats.

Simple questions with simple answers, but he needed to keep thinking. A steady stream of thoughts would eventually lead him to the answer that he sought.

"Swift, just get some damage off!" He said.

Sylveon gathered a dozen pink stars that orbited above him, and then sent them toward Gourgeist, who this time, didn't bother dodging. He ordered Sylveon to use Disarming Voice, but it only slowed the grass type down. He couldn't get Sylveon to actually reach him.

Oh well, sometimes the answer was just the simplest option. He grabbed Sylveon's Pokeball and recalled him, immediately sending out Lopunny instead, using his one switch of the battle. He couldn't afford to slow down for even a second, or he'd fall out of his groove. All he needed was one breakthrough, and he'd break this battle wide open.

First, Lopunny was faster than Sylvi was. A lot faster.

"Get close," Denzel said. "It has Shadow Sneak to avoid fighting in close quarters, and you've got to watch out for Scary Face, Leech Seed, and Seed Bomb," he quickly continued as Lopunny's legs flexed, and she jumped.

"Bullet Seed," the gym leader said.

Denzel nodded. Bullet Seed was a lot better at hitting targets in the air, but they had created a rudimentary counter against Lopunny's vulnerability in the sky in the few days they had to train. Well, more like they had figured out the obvious.

"Defense Curl," he smoothly said.

Lopunny bunched up as tightly as she could, and her body shimmered. The seeds bounced off of her ears, and the normal type landed right next to Gourgeist with her fists already lit ablaze. Fantina ordered the grass type to run away with Shadow Sneak.

"Follow up!" Denzel yelled.

Shadow Sneak always left a trail of shadows on the ground, but Sylveon had been too slow to follow it.

Lopunny was not. She blurred, and each of her steps left a small hole on the floor as she closely followed Gourgeist. The grass type reappeared, only to screech as it took a Fire Punch to the face.

Denzel smiled. That was the breakthrough.

His Pokemon did not relent for even a second, and kept punching away at the grass type, not leaving it a single moment to escape or interrupt her with Scary Face. After a twenty-second beatdown, Gourgeist fell to the ground, and its lower face had completely turned off. There was only a dark, gaping grin now.

"Gourgeist is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your second Pokemon."

Lopunny sure was good with her legs. Maybe there was a way to transform the Fire Punch into a Fire Kick, somehow? That'd take a lot of work, but it would certainly deal a lot more damage. Maybe the other elemental punches would work that way too, and maybe even Power-Up Punch. Or would it be Power-Up Kick—

Denzel breathed a sigh of relief as Fantina sent out an Alolan Marowak. Arceus, keeping his brain thinking about anything was hard, but he couldn't break the flow of the battle, or he'd be completely out of his depth, which was a painful lesson he had learned in the double battle against Chase and Cecilia.

The extremities of Marowak's bone lit with pale, turquoise flames that Denzel couldn't stare at for too long without tearing up and being overwhelmed with a deep feeling of sadness that he couldn't explain. He rubbed his eyes and quickly sprung to action.

"Stay sharp and start building up Power-Up Punches!" He yelled.

Fantina still wasn't using real ghosts against them, so they could still use the situation to their advantage. Marowak spun its bone around as Lopunny approached with Quick Attack.

"Fight it off with Bone Club," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. So it was affecting her too? He would have thought that after so much time together, the effect would be lowered, but maybe it was only when Marowak fought, otherwise, he couldn't imagine ever owning one.

Marowak stopped spinning its bone, and hit Lopunny's waist right as she got in range. The rabbit would have been sent flying, but she latched on to the bone's extremities, burning her hands in the process, and punched the fire type's skull. Marowak roared in indignation, and flames enveloped its entire body before it rammed against Lopunny with all of its strength. The normal type flew off toward Denzel's side of the field, but Marowak was sprinting toward her with a glare that could kill.

"Wait for it…" Denzel muttered.

"Flame Wheel," Fantina commanded.

Fire enveloped Marowak once more as it kept running toward Lopunny. As it stood, she was physically weaker than he was, especially with that bone of his, and even though she was faster, she had not taken well to the Shadow Ball TM. She had no way to attack from a distance, so she had to fight it in close quarters. Still, they could use Marowak's momentum to their advantage.

"Circle Throw!" Denzel yelled.

Lopunny cried out as the flames spread to her, and she tightly gripped Marowak by the skull and the arm, using his momentum to throw it headfirst into the ground behind her. A loud crack was heard throughout the arena, but they couldn't stop now.

"Power-Up Punch!" He said.

Before Marowak could even get back to his feet, another Punch hit it in the back of the head. Marowak stumbled around, looking for his bone, and it screamed when it realized that it wasn't in its hands. Lopunny's ears twitched and she screeched from the pain. The fire type called out with desperation, and the bone flew back into its hand as if it had a mind of its own, and Marowak hit the normal type's head repeatedly until she had fallen, her face burned and bloody.

"L—Lopunny is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon."

Denzel's hands were still trembling as he sent out his Sylveon again. That scream would stick with him for a good while… maybe years. He had never heard such a harrowing sound in his entire life. Even the referee seemed to be affected, and the audience had gone completely silent.

"S—Sylvi, Quick Attack and Play Rough," Denzel said after sniffling. The damned tears were making it hard to see, too.

Arceus, fuck, it had taken him out of his groove. What kind of experience made a Pokemon scream like that? It felt too real to be fake, and even Fantina sported a pained expression. Sylveon ran forward in a blur of motion.

"Shadow Bone," Fantina said.

The pale flames spread throughout Marowak's entire bone, and the fire type readied itself for Sylveon's onslaught. The fairy type stopped in his tracks just as Marowak swung, and the bone only narrowly grazed his shield, then, he pounced, relentlessly beating Marowak, targeting the already-formed crack in his skull with pinpoint precision. The ghost type fought back as best he could, retaliating with Shadow Bone and burning away Sylveon's glamour, who occasionally dodged with Detect, but he couldn't use the move too many times.

He was taking too much damage, but Sylveon's ribbon or Disarming Voice didn't seem to be enough to stop Marowak. It was like it had turned into a completely different Pokemon ever since it had lost its bone. It was just ignoring all the pain from Sylveon's Play Rough while tearing through his armor more and more.

One thing was for sure, Denzel needed to take this thing down with Sylveon. Snorunt and Roselia would easily lose to its fire type attacks.

Wait. Denzel took a deep breath. All he needed to do was take a step back and calm down.

"Sylvi, run away with Quick Attack and keep hitting it with Swift!"

The fairy type protested, and he seemed like he was having the time of his life, but he quickly listened and created as much distance as he could from Marowak before creating Swift barrage after Swift barrage. Denzel nervously clenched his fist, hoping that Fantina wouldn't use her switch here. That would be a catastrophic development.

"Ancient Power," Fantina ordered.

Marowak flicked its bone up, and its eyes shone as it raised huge chunks of earth. The stars simply went around the barrier, but it wasn't meant to be one. Marowak screamed, sending all of the rocks barrelling toward Sylveon. As far as control went, it was nowhere near Togetic's level, and Marowak quickly lost his hold on the rocks. Sylveon narrowly dodged, but he was starting to get tired.

And he was bleeding.

Another set of Swift cut Marowak across the chest, and the Pokemon finally fell.

"Marowak is unable to battle. Fantina, send out your third Pokemon."

Fantina lazily and casually sent out a Cursola.

It started out as a simple, white pot made out of dead coral.

And then it grew, as white ectoplasm and coral intertwined with one another and formed into a plant-like structure with a dozen branches. The head was built like a skull, with fake hollow eyes that hid the Pokemon's true face in its mouth. Thin, red eyes opened, and the ghost type let out an eerie cry that reverberated through the arena as the legs on its pot started to move.

Pitifully slow movement. It might as well have been immobile.

"Keep using Swift," Denzel told his tired Sylveon.

The fairy type responded with a tight nod as another set of pink stars flew off toward Cursola.

"Mirror Coat," Fantina countered.

Denzel swore as the ghost type shone, and the stars bounced back toward them twice as quickly. There was no dodging that.

"Just push through and fight up close!" Denzel yelled.

Was this thing a true ghost or not? Denzel racked his brain for the answer as Sylveon ran toward his opponent.

"Power Gem."

Multiple balls of light appeared all around the ghost type, which then turned into rays that were too fast for Sylveon to dodge from this close. He grunted as six of them tore through his skin, leaving nasty burn marks. With his fur still smoking, Sylveon pounced onto Cursola as he readied himself to use Play Rough.

And simply jumped through his body.

Had they even dealt any damage? Denzel squinted and noticed that a small chunk of its body had disappeared, so the answer must have been yes. Cursola's face traveled to the back of its head through the ectoplasm and stared directly at Sylveon, who had fallen to the floor. His eyes glinted with a sinister glow as smoke emanated from Sylveon's body. Hex, Denzel thought.

The fairy type did not get up.

"Sylveon is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your third Pokemon."

So they had a slow-moving, long-distance fighter that looked to be a true ghost, or close to it. Power Gem meant that Snorunt wasn't an option. She wasn't quick enough to dodge those rays of light, and a few of those would easily take her down. Denzel grabbed Roselia's Pokeball and released her on his side of the field.

"Roselia, Toxic," he immediately said.

Cursola was so slow that even from this distance, it wouldn't be able to dodge—

"Protect yourself with Ancient Power," Fantina said.

Or not. Of course, Fantina would have some way to protect a Pokemon that slow. Cursola raised an earthen barrier, and the rocks hissed as the poison slowly disintegrated and melted through them. From this far, Roselia was safe enough, but so was their opponent.

"Seed Bomb!" Denzel yelled.

"Another barrier."

The ghost type raised another Ancient Power, but even though the explosions weren't as powerful as Gourgeist's had been, it was still enough to deal quite a bit of damage, from the way Cursola panicked inside of its protective ectoplasm. Long term, they'd win here, and it was Fantina who had to do something. Denzel unclenched his fist and straightened his back as he slowly regained some of his confidence. Cursola sent out another Power Gem, one of which grazed Roselia and burned her plant-like skin, but that meant that it was taking more damage from Seed Bomb due being unable to use Ancient Power at the same time.

Was she willing to gamble and play at who would fall first? Denzel was, and it's not like he had much of a choice anyway, he was out of switches. Fantina hummed, then grabbed her Pokeball, opting to switch.

Denzel whimpered when he saw what came next.

He had—

How—

What was—

Terror.

A shadowy figure lurked below the lichen-covered bark that acted like its armor. Six, bug-like legs all wriggled independently from each other as the tree-like Pokemon scuttled forward, leaving trails of shadow whenever it walked. Branches creaked, and leaves rustled as it moved. A single, red eye traveled through the shadow, sometimes appearing where the head should be, but sometimes on its arms, torso, or even legs. Denzel blinked, and he struggled to look at the Trevenant as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. His breaths were short and ragged, and his throat felt dry.

"Phantom Force," Fantina said.

Roselia screeched, snapping Denzel out of his terror-induced daze. He stopped clenching his fists, and his fingertips uncontrollably trembled as shadows washed over Trevenant like a wave, and it phased out of existence.

Right. He… he still had a battle to win. Denzel had never been the type to scare easily, but something about Trevenant just made him feel like he was about to fucking die, just like he had felt when fighting that Lunatone in Mount Coronet. He wasn't sure why Trevenant of all Pokemon reminded him of that day. He certainly wasn't getting visions, but maybe it was capable of them? He didn't know. Something was lurking at the back of his mind.

"I—it's going to appear somewhere close," Denzel said, his voice still shaky.

And it did. Denzel flinched when Trevenant appeared behind Roselia, and in front of him. His fingertips felt cold.

The grass type let out an annoyed screech as it turned and sprayed the Trevenant with a Venoshock, but the grass type disintegrated, and leaves and sticks fell to the ground as another Trevenant appeared next to Roselia and swiped her with its massive, clawed hands. The grass type flew off toward Fantina, and Trevenant disappeared again.

It seemed like Fantina had decided on her illusion.

This was bad. Now that Trevenant was gone again, Denzel realized that he was losing. A weakened Cursola, he assumed Snorunt could handle, but this? What the hell? Roselia got back on her feet.

Stay calm, stay optimistic, don't spiral, Denzel thought to himself. Trevenant reappeared again, and again, Roselia was ready. She sprayed the first one, who was just an illusion, but nimbly aimed her second flower behind her and used Venoshock again.

Denzel's face fell when he realized that it wasn't even the real one. How many could Trevenant make in a row? Arceus damn it, it was at times like these that he wished that he could just ask Grace for the answer. Trevenant's hand tore through the floor, and it clawed Roselia once more, tearing across her chest.

"Trevenant. It can reappear and disappear at will with Phantom force and create fake instances of itself," Denzel mumbled to himself so quickly that half the words didn't even make sense. The grass type sunk into the shadows once more. "I could possibly get lucky and hope to poison the real one, but I don't even know if the— if the— holy shit."

It all began with an idea. An idea so simple that Denzel couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Keep it simple, stupid," he whispered after exhaling. "Make spores all around you!"

Roselia nodded as both Stun Spore and Poison Powder emanated from her flowers. With all of the fear and the worries about losing, Denzel had almost tunnel visioned and lost Roselia the battle.

She probably never would have forgiven him.

With a distinct creak, Trevenant reappeared and stumbled behind Roselia as its true body absorbed the spores.

"Venoshock! Give it everything you've got!" Denzel yelled.

Roselia screeched, aiming both flowers toward the convulsing Trevenant and sprayed him with her poison. The attack was so powerful that half of Trevenant's bark just evaporated with an obnoxious hiss, but Roselia kept attacking, aiming toward the true, shadowy thing that was Trevenant's real body. The ghost type silently raged, and it finally managed to swipe Roselia away before it fell.

Roselia stumbled to her feet, but fainted after clicking her tongue.

"Trevenant and Roselia are unable to battle. Send out your last Pokemon."

That had been… close to unraveling very badly, but Denzel had managed to salvage the situation as best he could. He sent out his Snorunt, who smiled wildly at the audience, and Fantina sent out her Cursola, who angrily swam in its ectoplasm.

He could not rest on his laurels yet.

"Shadow Ball! It's slow!" Denzel yelled.

After Fantina's order, Cursola immediately raised another barrier with Ancient Power, but that was okay, because he had expected this. It was Cursola's pattern, and the only way it had of defending itself. The Shadow Ball crashed into the bulky wall.

And Snorunt was already silently gathering her Blizzard without his order. See, Denzel had figured that announcing Snorunt's trump card to his opponent wasn't exactly the smartest move. Sometimes, it was wiser to just let his Pokemon do their thing, as Fantina seemed to enjoy doing so much.

Or maybe she just couldn't be bothered. That possibility kind of stung Denzel's pride, but he struggled this much when she was barely even trying, so he wouldn't complain.

Thirty seconds was what they needed, but as the air grew colder and wind started to gather, Fantina seemingly picked up on what they were doing.

"Power Gem," she said.

Snorunt shut her eyes tightly as she took the hit, but it didn't break her concentration. All of the training he had her do with Louis had paid off. Her focus had improved leaps and bounds. Now, she would just need to work on using the move faster.

"Send it!" Denzel screamed.

A Blizzard covered the entire front half of the battlefield, drowning Cursola's angry screeches. Ideally, Denzel would have ordered Snorunt to start charging up another one, but she was too tired to do them back to back without at least a short break.

Denzel smiled when Cursola had returned to its plant pot-like state when the Blizzard dissolved. Ectoplasm trickled to the ground all around it, and Cursola's face was nowhere to be seen.

"Cursola is unable to battle. Victory goes to the challenger!" The referee said.

Denzel sighed as he recalled his Snorunt, congratulating her. He had won by the skin of his teeth.

He had a lot to work on before he could hope to be like Craig, but a part of him was just glad he was fucking done with the ghost gym.

It'd be even worse next year.

—

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as Denzel clutched his victory. That Trevenant had nearly cost him the entire fight, but he'd always been quick on his feet. With all the companies he represented now, a loss so early would have left a sour taste in their mouths. I bid Cecilia good luck as she made her way out of the stands. Pauline was celebrating like a madwoman even after the cheers had stopped, and Justin and Emi were trying to keep her voice down.

Fantina was an odd fighter. To me, it seemed like we were fighting her Pokemon, not her. She seemed content enough to just give them a general strategy and then let them do whatever they wanted. Still, they were so well trained that it didn't exactly matter. I supposed that when there were fewer Pokemon to worry about, it was easier to train them, so she could afford to fight this way.

But it also meant I'd need to improvise a lot more. I felt nervous, but I also felt ready. She wouldn't use any of the Pokemon she'd used here against me. Even ghosts needed time to heal, and Marowak certainly needed a trip to the Pokemon gym's Center.

"Well, one more battle," I smiled.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 131

As Cecilia walked into the gym's lobby, her mind was filled with an anticipation that made her entire body tingle. After watching Denzel's fight, she knew now that the battle would be harder than she had expected it to be, and yet she could only march forward and hope that she was ready. A loss here would be so disappointing for herself, but most importantly, she did not want to disappoint Cynthia.

A foolish thought, even though the Champion had challenged her all those months ago. Cecilia did not know if she would be watching, if she even remembered her name, or if she knew how important those words had been to her. Being the Champion was a busy job, and Cynthia had no doubt a lot on her plate.

But she couldn't help but hope that she sometimes kept an eye on her progress, despite how unlikely it was.

"Not going to congratulate me?" Denzel teased as he entered the waiting room.

"Oh. Sorry, I was just thinking," she responded. "Congratulations on your win."

"I was just fucking around, don't worry about it," he smiled before his expression turned serious. "But seriously, you need to watch out. This is going to be a hell of a fight, as I'm sure you'll know. I'd have advice, but—"

"I'll figure it out myself," Cecilia said.

"—Exactly. It'd probably feel lousy to win that way."

"Thank you," she said, hugging him. "Nevermind, you're all sweaty. Go calm Pauline down, will you?"

"Will do," he said. "And as she'd say, go kick ass."

Denzel left with a casual whistle, and Cecilia sat on the bench. Power would not be enough to win here. As it stood, her biggest problem was that there was a risk of an effective illusion angering Zweilous enough to the point that Zerst didn't listen to her. She had already come to a deal with Scyther, and again, he would fight on his own. Slowking's psychic abilities would be ineffective at stopping ghost type attacks, and Fletchinder, while she was quick and hit hard, would be too frail to carry most of the battle.

"Well, I am in quite a predicament," she declared.

A gym attendee came to outfit her with the usual microphone, and then led her to the battlefield. Fantina did the same and began listing the rules of the battle— another four-on-four with one switch in.

Well, if he wanted to fight alone, he would get his fight. Cecilia sent out Scyther, finally using him in a gym battle for the first time. The bug type hissed and fanned his wings, excitedly waiting for his opponent. He had not gained too much power since the fight against Grace and Denzel, but she hoped that Fantina would start with an easier opponent just like she had against Denzel.

The gym leader sent out a female Frillish that levitated up from the floor with a casual spin. That certainly wasn't what she had expected, but Scyther would be able to go toe to toe with her.

"Begin!" The referee yelled.

"It's easy to cut up and relatively slow. Try to go on the offensive," Cecilia suggested.

"Night Shades," Fantina ordered.

Four, ghostly replicas appeared in front of Frillish, and each individually rushed toward Scyther, who let out a defiant screech and blurred forward. Cecilia recognized his use of Agility, which was the only move she had managed to make him learn before the battle with her rivals.

"I wouldn't hit those if I were you, they explode," Cecilia said.

Instead of dodging, Scyther Slashed across the first Night Shade, and a loud explosion rocked the entire arena. That was a powerful Night Shade. Scyther flew out of the purple plume, leaving a trail of smoke, and now took her suggestion to heart, easily avoiding the remaining three Night Shades.

"Hex when it gets close," Fantina said.

"Try to keep your distance instead," she said.

Scyther cried out in protest and rushed toward Frillish, cutting her in half with a smooth Slash as smoke emanated from his body. The bug type crashed to the ground, but quickly got to his feet as Frillish used Water Sport to fly off with what remained of its body, while the remaining three Night Shades all crashed into Scyther, dealing massive amounts of damage. When the dust settled, cracks ran through his entire exoskeleton, and half of one of his wings was bent the wrong way.

Cecilia quickly noticed two things. That Water Sport was ridiculously slow when compared to Grace's, and Frillish did not appear to know Recover, which meant that she'd be stuck missing half of her body the entire battle. Her regeneration powers were nowhere strong enough for her to quickly recover her bottom half.

If Cecilia hadn't messed up her relationship with Scyther from the beginning, then this would have been such an easy victory.

"Night Shades, then Shadow Ball," Fantina said. "Hex when it gets close."

Another set of four ghostly clones appeared next to Frillish as it began to gather a Shadow Ball. They each flew toward the bug type, delaying themselves by a few seconds each. Scyther took flight, and although he was permanently slowed and bent toward the right due to his broken wing, Agility was still in effect, and he was faster than he needed to be to dodge.

"An Air Slash to explode one of them would be enough to trigger the others to explode all at once," she sighed.

Scyther ignored her, preferring to fight in melee whenever he could. He twisted his body as he narrowly dodged the first Night Shade, and then with a Quick Attack, he streaked across the air until he was just a few feet away from Frillish. The water type turned her head and sent out her Shadow Ball, causing Scyther to stop beating his wings and almost dropping to the floor.

"Bubblebeam. Force him up there," Fantina said.

"Why are you—" Cecilia started, but then shut her mouth. It was her fault that he was like this.

Scyther screeched as a barrage of bubbles exploded on his shell, and using the floor as a launch pad, he blurred toward his opponent as both of his claws shone with a pale green. X-Scissor. Frillish let out a panicked cry as she began using Hex again, but Scyther was too quick. He decapitated her, rending her unable to fight.

"Frillish is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

The Night Shades disintegrated into thin air, and Fantina grabbed her second Pokeball. Scyther could have won this with barely taking any damage if they could cooperate for once, but alas. Now, he was on his last legs. Barely able to fly properly, wounded, and letting out ragged breaths. As morbid as it was to treat him like this, Cecilia knew that the only time he'd be usable in a battle like this was to have him fight Fantina's first Pokemon, which would always prove the least challenging.

Still, he yelled to celebrate his victory.

Fantina sent out a small teapot, and a strange purple liquid inside of it soon came alive. It used a small broken piece of the teapot as a hat, and it was rather cute, for a ghost, all things considered.

"Shell Smash," Fantina said.

Oh.

"Go on the offensive! Try to keep your distance!" Cecilia yelled as panic slipped into her tone.

Polteageist turned from a dark purple to a vivid red as its body began to steam and its pot began to crack. Scyther sharpened his blades, and then broke into a run. Even though he hid it, Cecilia could tell that flying any further would hurt him badly.

And yet, fly he did. Scyther pushed against the floor as his wings fanned once more, becoming a blur of motion.

"Protect," Fantina said. "Then Hex."

Polteageist summoned a thin, green barrier, stopping Scyther's X-Scissor in its tracks, and then hit him with a Hex so powerful that the bug type couldn't help but fall to the ground and cry out in agony. He rolled on his back as the ghost type approached him, ready to hit him with another Hex.

And slashed across the air, sending an Air Slash that sliced through his opponent's body. Polteageist let out a high-pitch infuriated scream and finished him off with Hex.

"Scyther is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon."

In the end, Scyther had listened, even when it had been too late.

"You did well, darling," she said softly as she smiled at his Pokeball.

Fletchinder would not do very well against a Pokemon under Shell Smash's influence, so she was off the list. Slowking would take too much damage if he was hit, and again, he'd be unable to protect himself against Hex or other ghost type moves.

Cecilia grabbed Zweilous' Pokeball and released him. The two dragons roared, announcing their presence, and their heads locked onto their enemy at the same time.

"Dragon Pulse, both of you," she said.

"Protect," Fantina smoothly countered.

Zerst and Sol both inhaled as draconic energy danced in their mouths, and then screamed, sending out two huge Dragon Pulses that were bigger than Polteageist's Protect. And yet, the ghost got out of the situation unscathed, and it was quickly flying their way.

"Sweet Scent, then Giga Drain," the gym leader continued.

An enticing smell began to radiate from her Pokemon's body, and Zerst seemed very smitten.

"Quick, snap him out of it and Dragon Pulse again!" Cecilia said.

Sol nodded and quickly bashed his head against his fellow head. Zerst snarled before remembering that he was currently in a battle. The two dragons yelled out a Dragon Pulse once more, but Polteageist was so small and fast that the attack only grazed the side of its teapot. Zweilous threateningly growled as the ghost type began to drain the dragon's energy.

"Incinerate," she said. There was no choice. The attack was weaker, but it was also wider, meaning that at this range, it was guaranteed to hit. "Just Sol."

Zerst grumbled in annoyance as Sol breathed out a huge stream of flames toward the Polteageist, which Fantina ordered to Protect again.

"Now, Zerst."

A delayed attack meant that there was no way she was getting out of this one. Fire engulfed the ghost type's tiny body, and when the Incinerate settled, all that remained was an inanimate, purple liquid sitting in a steaming teapot.

"Polteageist is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your third Pokemon."

Without any hesitation, the gym leader sent out a Drakloak. The dragon had a hard head, but the rest of its body took on a trailing, wispy form. Cecilia took a deep breath.

This would be one of Zweilous' toughest fights, and she was not cruel enough to switch him out, even though her mind screamed at her to do so. The dragon was quite literally drooling in anticipation. It had been too long since they had fought another dragon type, and forcing them to hold back against Louis' Gible was something that they still hadn't forgiven her for.

She owed them this.

"Dragon Pulse," Fantina said.

The first thing Cecilia noticed was that Drakloak was fast. Only slightly slower than Fletchinder after she had used all of her setup moves.

The ghost type practically disappeared as a thin Dragon Pulse shot out of its mouth. Without her orders, Zweilous tried to counter with a Dragon Pulse of their own, but Drakloak's attack was too quick. Fantina had traded power for speed.

Zweilous shook their heads and screamed in anger, but Drakloak was still nowhere to be seen.

"Phantom Force, Dragon Tail," the gym leader said.

That was why it was literally impossible to see. Drakloak reappeared behind Zweilous with its tail solidifying and glowing with a dark blue, and it slammed it against their hide. Quick to anger, Zerst turned, and his mouth snapped with a vicious Crunch, biting some of Drakloak's body away, who screeched and blurred as it flew off.

From that point on, Fantina decided to keep her distance, and Drakloak kept pestering Zweilous with Dragon Pulse. Even though it was weaker than what they were used to, the damage would add up very quickly, and Zweilous' only way of defending themselves was their tough hide. Cecilia tried to have them lure Drakloak into a trap by cornering it with two Dragon Pulses, but it was just too quick.

Time was running out.

How could she deal with this?

Drakloak spat out another Dragon Pulse, and this time, Sol countered it with a quick Dragon Breath instead. Cecilia's eyes widened. That was right! Power was nice and all, but sometimes, reverting to older moves had its uses. Dragon Breath was weaker, but it was faster to use and would be perfect for intercepting Drakloak's attacks. The dragon always had to at least slow down to use Dragon Pulse, so the tactic was easily possible.

"From now on, Dragon Breath whenever you spot Drakloak," Cecilia explained. She clicked her tongue when another Dragon Pulse hit her Pokemon's back. "Get as close as you can to me, quick."

Zweilous turned and awkwardly trudged toward Cecilia before turning their back to Kadabra's barrier. Now that she was getting a better look, a lot of their scales had been peeled off, exposing their soft, pink flesh, and they were tiring quickly.

"Zerst, you take the left, Sol, the right. I'll keep my eyes right above you," Cecilia said.

Every single one of Drakloak's next Dragon Pulses were countered by Zweilous' Dragon Breaths, thank Arceus for their two heads. Now, Fantina needed to order it to get closer if she wanted to get any damage off.

But Cecilia wasn't getting any damage off either. Frustrating. This was far from the perfect battle she had wished for, but when push came to shove, she would employ tricks to win.

Fantina sighed and recalled her Drakloak, opting to keep it for the remainder of the fight. Zweilous celebrated with a roar, spitting all over the floor. It wasn't exactly a victory, but she would let them think they had won for now. The gym leader sent out her last Pokemon.

A huge anchor covered in seaweed crashed into the floor with a loud thud before activating its levitation. A single red eye flashed as it rotated its helm. Dhelmise was a lot bigger than Cecilia ever thought it to be, reaching at least twelve feet in height.

"Phantom Force. Be brutal," Fantina said.

The hulking piece of metal simple disappeared into thin air, and Cecilia braced herself for the worst. She considered switching here, but Fletchinder was too small to ever deal with a Pokemon this big, even with the type advantage. No. Zweilous would have to deal with it, come hell or high water.

"Get ready…" she whispered as a bead of sweat fell down her chin. Where would it appear next? Would there be a trick at play? Dhelmise was a true ghost, so illusions were on the table—

Wait. She had told it to be brutal—

Dhelmise crashed into Zweilous so hard that it sent the dragon flying into Kadabra's barrier. The steering wheel rotated, bringing its eye on top of the helm, and the seaweed on its anchor suddenly extended like it had a mind of its own, wrapping all around Zweilous and lifting them off the ground. The two heads snapped and roared as they squirmed to try to get out of the ghost's hold, but it was holding onto them too tightly.

"Don't panic! Dragon Pulse!" Cecilia screamed.

Still in the air, Zweilous' heads snapped, locking onto Dhelmise, and they screamed out a Dragon Pulse. The stream of draconic energy hit the grass type's steering wheel, causing it to spin out of control, but its hold on them didn't loosen.

"Throw it toward you, then Heavy Slam again," Fantina said.

Cecilia's eyes widened as Dhelmise's seaweed flexed, and it threw Zweilous like they were as light as a feather. The anchor spun around, and with a loud crack, it smashed into Zweilous' back, sending him crashing into the floor.

The dragon did not get up.

"Zweilous is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your third Pokemon."

Cecilia took a deep breath to stop herself from panicking.

And sent out her Slowking, which could have been considered a foolish choice, but there was no other option. She needed to weaken Dhelmise until Fletchinder was capable of taking it down, and since it could apparently control its seaweed like Tangrowth could control his vines, her speed wouldn't have protected her.

But at least, Slowking could protect himself from the weeds with Psychic.

"Seize him," Fantina said.

Case in point. Slowking's eyes shone as he easily deflected five pieces of seaweed that tried to grab him by the arms. Dhelmise's wheel rotated as it fumed in anger, and the grass type rushed toward Slowking.

It was too big and heavy for him to ever hope to stop him with Psychic, but it was still possible to hamper the coming damage.

"Heavy Slam," Fantina said.

"Psychic, give it your all!" Cecilia countered.

The anchor-like Pokemon creaked as it pushed through Slowking's powerful Psychic and slammed him toward the left side of the arena.

"Get up and Water Pulse. Speed it up."

Chip damage was damage nonetheless. Slowking hurriedly dusted his collar and spat out a series of Water Pulses that were quickened by Psychic. The advantage to Dhelmise being so large was that it was easy to hit.

"Phantom Force," Fantina said.

Cecilia frowned when a Water Pulse apparently hit the invisible Dhelmise. She had thought that maybe ghosts were invincible if they became invisible before getting hit, but that was apparently not the case. Still, she knew the move had been coming, and since Dhelmise was not a living being, Slowking was unable to sense it, so she only had one counter.

"Disable!"

Slowking's eyes gleamed with a pale blue as the ghost type slammed across his chest, sending him flying further.

"Slack Off immediately!" Cecilia continued. "Then keep using Water Pulse!"

The water type shook his head to regain his senses, then plopped himself on the floor on close his eyes, healing some of his injuries. The Phantom Force had almost knocked him out, but he was a lot bulkier than he used to be now that he had evolved. Several Water Pulses flew out of his mouth, all hitting Dhelmise for minimal amounts of damage.

"Disappear."

Damn it, Cecilia thought. Even without Phantom Force, it could just disappear at will! Slowking slowly got back on his feet and brought his arms forward, readying himself to slow down the coming attack with Psychic.

But then she recalled him, using her only switch in of the battle. Dhelmise crashed into the floor with another Heavy Slam where Slowking had just stood. Now that Phantom Force was disabled, Fletchinder would never get a better opportunity than this. The flying type screeched and took to the air.

"Fire Spin, keep your distance," Cecilia ordered.

There was no time for her to set up. Fletchinder squawked, hovering as she repeatedly beat her wings, surrounding Dhelmise with air so hot that it caught on fire. The ghost type creaked as it disappeared, leaving only the flames on its body as it rushed toward Fletchinder.

One thing Cecilia had noticed was that without Phantom Force, Dhelmise was slow, even when disappearing, and the flames still burning on its body further proved her right. She ordered Fletchinder to fly away and pester the grass type with Ember, and it just couldn't get close enough to hit her.

One Heavy Slam would have been enough to take her down, and yet, the attack never connected. Fletchinder spun in the air, spitting out one more Ember, and Dhelmise fell to the floor with its eye still open and raging.

"Dhelmise is unable to battle. Leader Fantina, send out your last Pokemon."

Immediately, Fantina sent out her Drakloak.

"Phantom Force. Hit it a few times and knock it out."

"Tailwind, Agility," Cecilia hurriedly said.

The fire type flapped her wings, creating a permanent current in her direction, and then her body loosened as it narrowly avoided a Dragon Tail from Drakloak. Fantina hadn't expected Fletchinder to be even faster. Drakloak was probably always faster than their opponents.

Not this time.

"Quick Attack, Flame Charge!" Cecilia screamed. Quick Attack wouldn't deal any damage, but it would help her speed up.

"Hex when it gets close."

Like a meteorite, Fletchinder shone across the sky. In a second, she slammed into Drakloak's head. The dragon let out a juvenile roar as it Hexed her body. Fletchinder cried out and dove directly toward the ground as the pain proved to be too much, but she caught herself in the nick of time, extending her wings to stop herself from crashing into the floor.

"Ember and get back into the sky," Cecilia continued. If she could get one Acrobatics off…

The bird screeched as it spat out small flames toward Drakloak, who easily dodged and disappeared with Phantom Force thanks to Fantina's order.

"Fire Spin around you!" Cecilia said.

Flames spun around Fletchinder's body as Drakloak slammed her toward Kadabra's barrier. The flying type cried out as her wing bent the wrong way, and she fell to the ground. She struggled to her feet, but when she tried to get back in the sky, she realized that she couldn't fly any longer.

Her wing was broken.

"Finish it off with Dragon Pulse," Fantina said.

"Ember!"

Cecilia could only watch as the dragon type attack enveloped Fletchinder, overtaking her Ember and causing her to faint.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your last Pokemon."

Cecilia released her Slowking with a smile. Nervousness made her legs and arms shake, but by the Legendaries, she was having fun, especially since the ghosts that Fantina was using didn't have awful effects on her psyche.

"Get one Phantom Force off," Fantina said.

"Disable when you see it again, then Psychic immediately afterward," Cecilia immediately ordered.

Drakloak phased out of existence, and after barely two seconds, it slammed into Slowking's back. The psychic type extended a hand backward, seizing the dragon with Psychic as his eyes shone, and then he metaphorically squeezed. Drakloak cried out in pain as the wispy parts of its body thrashed around erratically. Its head was locked in place, however.

"Hex."

Slowking shuddered as the ghost's Hex hit him, but he did not relent, opting to smash Drakloak against the floor to make it lose its focus and stop its attack.

"Psychic, Zen Headbutt."

The combination that had netted her a victory against Gardenia would do the same here. Slowking levitated Drakloak and threw him toward his head as psychic energy gathered right on his shell. He smashed his head against the dragon's own, and Drakloak finally fainted.

"Drakloak is unable to battle. Victory goes to the Challenger!"

—

"Hm… yeah, I think that'll work," I muttered as I held honey's Pokeball in my hand. I was currently already in the waiting room, having figured that Cece had won as soon as that Dhelmise had been taken care of. Fantina was surprisingly capable of just fighting power with power, and speed with speed too. She wasn't just about illusions.

I had gathered enough information to win, I reckoned. I was nervous, of course, but I felt like I was thinking a lot faster than I used to. A little bit of confidence went a long way, so long as I didn't get a big head, and for some reason, I felt a lot more confident than normal. Maybe it was like I'd never studied a gym leader so much. Even against Gardenia, I hadn't been as good at gathering information. This time, I felt like I knew the ins and outs of Fantina's gym.

I had figured that I was the worst kind of trainer Fantina could face, at least when compared to my friends. She liked to let her Pokemon fight independently, and normally, that would have been a problem for me, but I was pretty sure I had gotten a good idea of how each of the remaining Pokemon she might use against me fought, and I knew all of their moves. All I had to do now was keep the plan going for as long as possible until everything inevitably went off the rails, and I'd have to improvise.

"Grace," Cecilia called out, causing me to snap my head up.

"Good job out there," I said. "Did Fletchinder evolve?"

"Hm? No. Did you think she would?" She asked.

"Yeah, I kind of did, but I left after she took down Dhelmise so I could be alone with my thoughts, so I didn't finish the battle. I already knew you'd win, though. The audience was going kind of crazy, especially for that dragon versus dragon fight."

"Even though it wasn't as grand as I had wished, people don't see that every day," she nodded. "Are you disappointed?"

"In?"

"In my performance."

"Not at all. You won pretty handily, I mean, I don't exactly know how the battle finished, but I'll guess that Slowking managed to take down Drakloak," I said. "It's tough. That's one of Fantina's strongest at this level."

"There was something I was missing in that fight, but I can't put it into words," she pondered. "If I had that, then the battle would have been perfect."

I saw the gym trainer gesture me forward and stood up. "I'm beginning to learn to not let perfect be the enemy of good," I smiled before kissing her on the cheek. "Now go get your team to the nearest Center and come back to cheer for me."

"I'll take a taxi to get back as fast as I can," she nodded.

"Sounds good. Don't keep me waiting!" I teased. She nabbed a quick kiss before she ran to leave.

I took a deep breath and took comfort in how fast my heart was beating against my chest. The steady, fast rhythm kept me grounded and sharp. I felt my hand tingle as I clipped Electabuzz's Pokeball on my belt and walked up to the gym trainer, who placed the microphone on my collar. I twisted and cracked my neck, stretched, and I was ready.

"Okay! Let's do this."