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

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 53

"Ayoo!" Denzel greeted everyone happily with a wave. We were late because he dozed off in the shower, and we were the last two to arrive.

"Sorry we're late," I apologized before taking a seat. "Anything new?"

"Nothing much," Justin said. "I did call my father to give him an earful this morning," He said with an excited smile. "It was my first time ever speaking to him like that. How riveting!"

I grinned. I had also called dad, but I couldn't imagine living my entire life without having a fight with my parents at least once.

"I fight with mommy all the time," Pauline shrugged. "But anyway, Emi's doing great, although she's still confined to her bed. The doctors say it'll be safe for her to walk again in three days— although she'll have a limp for a while."

I nodded before meeting Cecilia's eyes. I swallowed before averting my gaze. "So, we were going to talk about the rest of route 205, right?" I asked.

"Correct," Louis said. "It'll take two days for us to get through."

"It's a pretty chill route, all things considered," Denzel said. "Easier to get through than the first half before Eterna forest. It's just a flat path, and we'll have to pass a huge lake too."

"Pass how?" Justin asked.

"It has a bunch of islands connected by bridges, so don't worry, we won't need to pay for a ferry, or waste time by going around," Denzel added.

"And then we're already at the city?" I asked, sinking slightly into my chair.

"Yes," Denzel said, looking at me apologetically. "At least we'll be able to relax, right? Gonna feel damn good not to be on edge while traveling."

"I concur," Pauline said. "Anyway, that should be it, right? Justin, come visit Emi with me later…"

The meeting quickly devolved into just normal conversations, which I honestly didn't mind. It felt like we were finally allowed to be kids again. Not worrying about anything, just hanging out and having fun. I spoke with Denzel about how Feebas was doing. He had finally released him again by going to the lake yesterday, and he was going to go there again today. Denzel felt terrible about neglecting the water type— even though he hadn't had a choice. The forest wasn't a place where Feebas would be able to thrive. Either way, he wanted to make up for lost time, and he would spend as much time as possible with him on the rest of route 205 since we'd be traveling next to a lake the entire time. Cece and Pauline were talking about activities that they could do in Eterna city, from shopping to the different five-star restaurants to spectating a Pokemon Contest. Justin and Louis spoke about needing to get a new member for their teams soon, because after the second badge, gym leaders expected us to have at least three Pokemon.

"Well, if worst comes to worst, I can have my father send me another Pokemon," Louis shrugged.

"I think that building your team organically will turn you into a better trainer," Cecilia said.

"Surely having the most powerful Pokemon possible is better than—"

Suddenly, I noticed that someone— wait, that was… Chase Karlson was coming right at us with a determined look in his eyes. He was wearing his signature dark blue cap. I was surprised to see that he had already made it through the forest like us, but my surprise was quickly replaced with dread when I saw that he was only looking at Cecilia.

I leaned toward Cecilia. "Cece, you remember that guy from the power plant that busted in? And that wanted to battle you in Oreburgh," I whispered.

She frowned. "Yes?"

"Well, he's coming right here," I said, nodding toward him. "And he's not looking too happy."

"Well, well, look who it is!" Chase said boastfully. "Obel and her ilk."

"Who are you?" Louis asked. "What do you want with her?"

"Typical," The boy spat. "Of course, the rich spoiled asshole wouldn't remember me," He continued before pointing at Cece. "You. Battle me right now. Let's settle our score once and for all."

"There is no score to settle," Cecilia said stoically. "I don't want to battle you."

"You heard her," Denzel glared. "She doesn't want to battle you. Now leave."

"Aren't you the guy I destroyed back in Jubilife?"

"Want a rematch, asshole?" Denzel quipped.

"Looks like you've got some additions to your group, Obel," Chase smiled maliciously. "And they're not even rich. Probably just bootlickers using you to get access to some of your fortune," Chase said. His smile grew wider when he saw her subdued reaction. He had hit her where it hurt— her trust issues. "What? You don't really think they like you, do you?"

I rose to my feet. "Back off."

"Watch your mouth, scumbag," Pauline threatened. "Get the fuck out, or I'll make your life a living hell."

"Do I need to call someone?" Louis said. "I will if you keep bothering us."

Chase crossed his arms. "So no battle, then? You're going to run away again? People are curious, you know? They want to figure out who's stronger, you or me. When I win, are you going to call your dad to get more dragon types—"

"Fuck you!" I hissed, feeling rage bubble inside of me. "Leave her alone. You don't know anything you're talking about."

"I think I have the gist of it," He said. "My point from Oreburgh still stands."

"No one cares about your little freak out in Oreburgh," Denzel said.

"The video went viral," Chase grinned. "You would know. I see you on the forums all the time."

"If… if I battle you, will you finally leave me alone?" Cecilia quietly asked.

I looked at her with worry before grasping her hand. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Trainers can't force you to battle."

"I really don't," Cece whispered in my ear. "I'm not allowed to lose publicly, Grace. Only to Louis."

"You think you'd lose?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm not sure," She answered. "And I don't want to take that risk."

"So?!" Chase asked. "I'm waiting!"

I ignored him as the group continued to defend Cece. Heads in the cafeteria were turning our way. "Then say no," I told her.

She clasped my hand tighter. "That reflects badly on me. That makes me look like a coward."

"And that would make your dad angry," I understood as I sighed. "That's okay, I think I've figured something out for you."

"I'm sorry. For always relying on you so much," Cece apologized.

"That's what friends do, Cece," I smiled nervously. "Chase. You say you want to battle her?"

"I've been saying it the whole time. Get your damn hearing checked."

"I lost to her in the Floaroma tournament. You know what that means, right? You've got to go through me first. If you can't beat me, there's no way you're beating her."

——

I stared at Chase as he grabbed his first Pokeball. We were on the outskirts of the outpost next to the lake, and a small crowd had assembled around us at a safe distance, including my friends. Some people were recording us, which made me fiddle nervously. I hated being the center of attention. I needed to focus.

In a way, I was surprised Chase was being like this. I thought he had changed after his experience at the powerplant, and he was much more mellow when I thanked him for stopping me from being tortured by Mars, but I supposed that had just been wishful thinking. He wouldn't stop harassing Cece until he was either put in the dirt or had proved his superiority. I was hoping today would be the former.

"How are we doing this?" I said, trying to stop my voice from shaking. "Coin flip? Switch-ins?"

"Nah, no swapping, three on three," He grinned. "You're weak, I'll just send out my Pokemon first. You're up Ri," He said, releasing his Riolu. The fighting type looked around before his eyes settled on me, and he got into a fighting stance.

Alrighty, I thought, taking a deep breath.

While we had been walking here, I had been thinking. I was going into this battle with a few advantages. One, this moron was underestimating me big time. Sure, I wasn't the best trainer around, but my time through Eterna forest had taught me that I sure as hell wasn't weak like he thought I was. And as that saying went, it was always good to appear weak when you were strong. Cocky opponents made mistakes.

And he had already made the first mistake when he disallowed switching Pokemon. I grabbed Togetic's Pokeball and held it tightly.

Second, I had information. I had seen Chase's battle with Roark. I knew his Pokemon— or at least three of them, and I knew some of their moves. But Chase? Chase didn't know a thing about me or my team. I was getting the best possible setup for this battle, and I had to make it count.

I released Togetic, who chirped happily. "Battle time, princess." Chase's confident grin immediately turned into a grimace. That's right, I thought. You fucked up.

Third? As corny as it was, I was fighting to help the girl I liked.

I exhaled as the sound of the crowd dissipated. "Up high!" I ordered. "Whip up a Fairy Wind!"

"Quick Attack and jump onto it before it gets too high!" Chase yelled.

Togetic floated up as Riolu shone brightly and blurred forward. When he got below Togetic, his legs bulged, and he jumped. My eyes bulged at the sheer height the fighting type was getting. His palms started to glow with a pale blue. He was going to reach Togetic—

"Stop him with Extrasensory," I said.

The Fairy Wind dissipated, and Togetic's eyes glowed as she restrained Riolu midair. The fighting type tried to struggle, but he wasn't going to break out. I grinned.

"Slam him on the ground," I ordered.

Togetic giggled, and Riolu plummeted into the floor, creating a small crater.

"Go lower to get in range and do it again," I said icily. "He can't get to you."

Riolu was lifted off the ground and slammed again. And again. Chase tried barking out orders, but fighting types were weak against psychic attacks. Riolu was never going to be able to stop Togetic's Extrasensory through brute force alone as Scyther had done with Confusion. Riolu's body was surprisingly durable. Princess had to keep slamming him on the ground for over five minutes until Chase finally recalled him. The first battle had been a complete slaughter, and even though Togetic was tiring, she would still be able to keep going.

And she would need to, because I already knew what Pokemon Chase was going to send next. Houndour would just be weak to her Fairy Wind, so the logical choice would be—

"Charjabug, don't disappoint me," Chase said as he released his electric type.

Togetic was probably going to lose this one, but I would have her deal as much damage as she could. Ideally, I would have released Tangela after she lost, but I had never used angel in battle yet, so that wasn't an option, meaning I'd have to use Elekid.

"Get low!" I yelled. "We're doing the same thing we did with Prinplup!"

"Thundershock!" Chase angrily said. "Charge it up!"

Charjabug started scuttling along the ground and gathering electricity before shooting out his attack.

"Ancient Power," I ordered.

Togetic nodded and raised a small chunk of earth, completely neutering the attack.

"Get around it!" Chase yelled out.

"Throw it forward!" I said.

The chunk of earth and rock was propelled forward and appeared to hit Charjabug, but he had simply dug a hole to avoid the attack. "Again!" I said.

"Enough!" Chase screamed. "String Shot!"

The next Ancient Power was stopped in its tracks by the bug type's powerful string. Togetic tried to push it forward, but it wouldn't budge.

"Keep getting closer, and String Shot every time it attacks!"

"Alright, princess, it's time to fly up again!" I said, biting my lip. If it was going to stop every Ancient Power, she had better odds dodging at a distance, and surrounding Togetic with a barrier was useless since it could just dig under her. "Start charging up a Fairy Wind."

Togetic chirped as pink mist started to swirl and twist around her. Chase ordered Charjabug to use Thundershock again, but she barely managed to dodge the electric energy. She was getting better at multitasking.

"String Shot! Restain her!"

"Release it!"

Strings flew out of Charjabug's mouth, but the Fairy Wind pushed them away and hammered the bug type against the ground.

"Keep it going as long as you can!" I said.

"Dig! Get to shelter!" Chase said.

Charjabug shook, creating a hole to protect himself from the wind, which quickly ran out. My eyes darted around the field, looking for any sign of disturbance on the ground. It wasn't coming out.

"Get another Fairy Wind going!" I quickly said. "Release it when it comes out—"

The electric type burst from under Togetic and shot strings at her. She quickly became entangled and fell to the ground. "Don't panic! Release it!" I bit my tongue. Even though she didn't need her wings to fly, it looked like the attack still had an effect on her ability to float.

The wind erratically went in all directions, but some of it hit Charjabug. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to even stop the Pokemon in its tracks, and it quickly scuttled closer to Togetic.

"Thundershock point blank," Chase said.

I winced as Togetic started to convulse and squirm in pain from the electric attack. I tried to get her to calm down and fly up again, but she was in too much pain. Too scared. I recalled her.

"You did great, princess," I whispered before releasing Elekid. The electric type grinned when he saw that we were in a battle, and he spun his arms in excitement, generating electricity in between his horns.

"Swift!" I quickly ordered as I extended my arms. The Electric variation was more powerful, but I was fighting against another electric type.

Stars materialized above Elekid's head and rushed toward the bug type.

"Dig," Chase lazily said, seemingly regaining his confidence. I frowned, not knowing how Swift would interact with the ground move.

I smiled as they turned at an outrageous ninety-degree angle into Charjabug's hole. I heard a muffled screech coming from the ground, but my smile quickly vanished when I realized that it wasn't coming out. It was going to hit Elekid directly with a ground type move.

"Shit!" I swore. "Run around! Don't stand still!"

Elekid cackled as he started zig-zagging around the battlefield. Worst case scenario, he was going to get hit, and I would have a counter. My mind whirred as I tried coming up with a strategy to beat Dig.

Charjabug jumped from below ground and bit Elekid with his sharp mouth. The electric type flew off toward Chase and struggled to get up.

That's it! I thought to myself. I had a plan.

"Swift again!" I quickly ordered. I had to use the move as much as possible while Charjabug was still in Elekid's line of sight.

His arms spun as he summoned another set of stars. And another. And another. Elekid was tiring quickly, but that was fine. Chase's eyes widened, no doubt surprised by the sheer amount of Swifts I was sending Charjabug's way. The bug type quickly dug again and was quickly followed by the stars.

"Elekid!" I called out. The electric type stared into my eyes. "Ready to go out with a bang?"

He grinned and yelled out, flexing his arms as he started to spin them.

"Thunder Punch as soon as he hits you from below," I ordered. Chase hearing this wasn't a problem whatsoever. It was a game of chicken. Either Charjabug finished his Dig and took at least two Thunder Punches to the face, or he didn't and had to tank a Swift.

"Hit it!" Chase ordered.

Charjabug burst from the ground below Elekid, who immediately punched the bug type back with everything he had. The attack crackled throughout the field with electricity, and both of our Pokemon went down. We both recalled them. Chase looked at his Pokeball with disappointment and anger before grabbing his last Pokemon. I did the same.

"Who's going first?" I asked, wiping the sweat off my brow.

"I'll… I'll do it," He answered shakily before releasing his Houndour.

"You're up, buddy," I said. Frillish's eyes glowed bright red as he floated upward.

The strategy here would be roughly the same as it had been with Togetic's. I nodded and clenched my fist in determination.

"Get higher up!" I yelled out. We both had the type advantage over each other, so the biggest priority was making sure the dark type couldn't hit Frillish. "Then Bubblebeam!"

"Damn it!" Chase yelled. "Roll left and Ember!"

The dog lay flat against the ground and tightly moved to the left with a roll, wasting no movement. Unfortunately for him though, Frillish could just keep going. Houndour yelped as the bubbles exploded on contact with his body. It tried running away, but Frillish's Bubblebeam just followed the fire type, and there was nowhere to hide on this battlefield. It didn't know dig, or any long-distance dark type attack, so Frillish made quick work of Houndour. He kept attacking with Bubblebeam, and sometimes switching it up with Water Pulse whenever it looked like Houndour was getting the hang of dodging. The only thing the dark type could do was strike back occasionally with Ember, but that only dealt minimal damage.

The dark type barked out one last time before going down. Chase's gaze fell to the ground as the reality of the situation sunk in. Chase was a good trainer. Riolu might have been able to beat Deino, and Charjabug Slowpoke. But raw strength wasn't everything. Through the power of knowing my enemy, I had won, humiliating him in front of dozens of trainers.

"Don't bother Cecilia ever again," I said.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 54

"I… I lost?" Chase mumbled with a look of disbelief. "How?"

I huffed as I returned Frillish. I was about to answer before remembering I was being filmed and looked at by a lot of people. The battle had brought in even more onlookers that hadn't been there at the start of the argument.

"Erm— just don't bother her again, alright?" I said, trying not to look at the crowd. "Your words can hurt more than you would think."

"How…?" The teen kept whispering. "How?"

Hoping that he had gotten the message, I dipped my head and decided to leave. Luckily, it seemed like most trainers were leaving as well now that the battle was over, and they weren't grouping around me to ask questions as I had feared. I made my way back to my friends, who were among the ones who had stayed.

Denzel flashed a smile. "You were amazing. I'm glad you put the guy down a notch, his ego's way too big."

Something was off about that—

He clapped my shoulder and kept praising me.

"I'm lucky he didn't know anything about my team and that he got overconfident," I sighed. "But it was a good battle nonetheless."

"He seems obsessed with us," Louis complained. "I'll definitely have to hire bodyguards when we get to Eterna city."

"Hmph. It wasn't bad, I suppose," Pauline said. "I think you could have done better."

"Don't be an ass," Denzel rolled his eyes.

"That's literally her default behavior," I joked, before clamming up and meeting Cece's eyes.

"Thank you again, Grace. I've… I've never had someone go so far for me," She said. "I feel like I owe you so much."

I eyed her friends nervously, but they didn't seem to mind what she had just said, which was strange. She had essentially put them down by complimenting me.

"I mean, it was nothing. Denzel wanted to battle him, too," I said, avoiding her gaze.

"I definitely did, but I felt like Grace would be able to handle him better," He said, winking at me. Arceus. "But that's enough doom and gloom. What's everyone doing now?"

——

The enormous lake next to the outpost didn't really have an official name, but people called it Eterna Lake due to it being in between the city and the forest. Denzel, Cece, and I walked along one of the flat bridges linking the many islands together that permitted trainers to cross as we watched Feebas swim along the surface. His blue fins seemed to have fewer holes in them now, and his beige scales seemed to be slightly shinier. Frillish was also hanging around underwater somewhere, but I wasn't going to hold him on a leash. He loved the lake, so I let him go wherever he wanted.

"Is Feebas faster than before?" I asked my friend. "He seems a little bit prettier too."

"That's probably because I'm feeding him actual healthy foods now. Feebas in the wild tend to eat a lot of trash and stuff, which is why they're always in terrible states when they're caught at first."

Feebas jumped out of the water and created a huge splash. I squealed, covering myself from the frigid water.

"What an interesting Pokemon," Cecilia said, seemingly not minding the cold water. She crouched and watched the water type approach her curiously. "Does it not bother you to not be able to use it?" She continued.

"Not at all," Denzel smiled. "I've wanted a Feebas since I started planning my team a few years ago. You guys don't know him very much, but he's a great Pokemon."

I was surprised at how much affection he had inflected in his tone. It was true that I hadn't seen Feebas at all, but I had forgotten how many times Denzel had gone out of his way to be with him as much as he could when we were in Floaroma.

"I've had a team planned as well, but it has gone through… many iterations," Cece said.

"Really?" Denzel raised his eyebrows. "I've always had one team in mind, y'know? Grace is more like you, I guess. She's kind of going at it randomly."

"Hey!" I protested. "I chose Tangela," I said, affectionately holding the grass type's vines.

The three of us had decided to go for a walk along the lake, and Denzel and I were using the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with our new team members some more. He carried Buneary tightly in his arms. The normal type was very attached to him, and liked being held all the time. I looked at her scarred ear with a pang of sadness. I was holding Tangela's vine, which was mimicking a hand. Eterna forest was truly a strange place. On one hand, there were Pokemon that were bloodthirsty and incredibly aggressive toward humans, like Cece's Scyther, and on the other, there were Pokemon like Tangela or Buneary, who didn't seem to mind them at all— although I supposed that applied to all Pokemon. Obviously, Cecilia hadn't released her Scyther for our walk. The bug type had to be tranquilized as soon as the Nurse Joys healed him. I was very curious as to how she was going to deal with Scyther. Hopefully, she wouldn't be reckless.

"You did decide to catch it when we were at the outpost," Cece smiled as she watched her newly evolved Fletchinder fly overhead. "But to be quite honest, there is no great disadvantage to not planning your team as long as you make it diverse enough."

"Unless you're trying to become a gym leader right away," Denzel added. "Did you know Gardenia already specialized in grass types before becoming the gym leader?" He said, petting Buneary's head. She closed her eyes and let out a blissful sound.

"I didn't know that," I said. "That's amazing. How did she even counter her weaknesses? I managed to barely win once against electric types with Frillish and Togetic, but still."

"There are many ways around that," Cecilia said, covering her eyes from a gust of wind. "But every trainer has their own ways of dealing with type weaknesses. I suppose we'll have to see hers when we study her teams before battling in her gym," She sighed nervously.

I wanted to grab her hand and tell her that everything was going to be okay. I hadn't known that her father had disallowed her from losing at all. I thought back to her battle with Roark, wondering how nervous she must have been. Cece was good at hiding herself when she needed to, but I was glad that she was being herself with us.

"I can't wait to get back into the city," Denzel smiled. "There's something about the atmosphere of thousands of trainers, each trying their best to train, studying the gyms, and asking for help or shit-talking on the forums that just can't be beaten. Can I call it trainer culture? I fucking love trainer culture."

I grinned. I did actually miss all those nights I spent studying for Roark's team, which would have no doubt surprised my past self. Back then, I hadn't really discovered the kind of trainer I wanted to be. Now, I knew that I thrived when I had information available to me, and if I didn't, I bought as much time for myself in the battle as I could, scouting out my opponent's moves and fighting style.

"This trainer culture you speak of," Cece started. "It is quite different in Sinnoh than in Unova."

"Really?" Denzel said, raising an eyebrow. "Couldn't imagine it differently."

"Well for one, trainers can be quite rude here. Our forums in Unova are heavily moderated, and that influences real-life behavior as well. There aren't as many deadly routes as well. I have to say, it was quite the culture shock for me to see that trainers with no badge were allowed through Eterna forest."

"I mean, I guess that kind of makes sense," He said. "But there's a reason Cynthia's the strongest Champion, you know? We make 'em tough in Sinnoh."

"That's debatable," I interjected. "Champions almost never battle, so there isn't really a ranking."

"No, I believe she is the strongest," Cece said with admiration. "In many ways."

"What about your brother?" Denzel asked. "Sorry for prying, I'm just curious. I don't know much about Unova."

I stared daggers at him, and he apologized with his eyes.

"Oh, Mark?" She said. "He's quite strong, but he's only been the Champion for two years after beating Iris. Cynthia would beat him handily."

I sighed in relief internally. It seemed that Cece didn't mind talking about her brother, or at least she didn't show it.

"I can't believe he beat a dragon master," Denzel said with wonder. "I hope I can stand on the top one day."

"No, because that'll be me," I said half-jokingly.

"Wanna go right now?" He playfully said.

"My entire team's at the Center, big guy," I said. "Of course, the only time you challenge me, my team is mysteriously missing. Coward."

"Maybe I meant after they were healed."

I grinned at him. "No, I think you just forgot, because you're stupid," I said. "Right, angel?"

Tangela blinked at him twice.

"What are you teaching this poor Tangela?" Denzel said dramatically. "You're a bad influence on him."

"He's going to be traveling with us, so he needs to know who's stupid and who isn't."

"You two really get along, don't you?" Cece interrupted our banter. "That seems nice."

I immediately deflated. "I mean, we're best friends, I guess. We banter sometimes."

"Do you think I could be like that someday?"

"With m— with us? Of course, you can," I quickly said. "Hell, you can already call Denzel an idiot if you want. There's no one here with us."

"Why me?! Why not you?" He groaned.

"Because I don't want Cece to lie," I deadpanned.

We reached a large island and decided to stop there. There was no point in going too far without the others anyway. I looked on at Mount Coronet on the horizon. Its height boggled the mind. One of the fun facts I always read online about the mountain is that it was almost taller than the height planes flew at. It stood at a whopping thirty thousand feet, and people that were crazy enough to climb to the summit needed oxygen not to die— and that wasn't counting the crazy wild Pokemon that made Eterna forest look like a kindergarten. Pokemon were tougher than humans and could live all over the mountain fine, even at its summit. Either way, I wasn't suicidal. I was never going to climb the damn thing, and only trainers with eight badges were allowed to get to the summit anyway. Of course, plenty of trainers climbed the side of the mountain. It had many overhangs and flatter areas to make camp on.

"So like I said, Cece," I started again. "You don't have to hold back with us. I'd love— like it if you were completely yourself when it's just us."

"Then… may I?" She tentatively said.

"You have my blessing."

She hesitated for a few seconds, but then let the truth out. "Denzel… you're an idiot."

"What? Why did Grace give you permission to call me an idiot? You people have this backwards," Denzel grumbled as he set Buneary on the ground. The rabbit took a few steps forward before Tangela started rubbing her with his vines. She cried out and ran behind her trainer's legs, pulling her cream-like fluff up to her eyes.

"Angel… don't touch people without their consent," I groaned. "One day, you'll touch someone who gets angry easily."

The grass type blinked once and wrapped its vines around my ankles.

"Yes, I'm fine with it, you can do it to me. But Cece, how did that feel?"

"That felt… that felt liberating! My heart is pounding so fast. May I say it again?"

"Don't hold back."

"So I'm the victim in all of this?" Denzel said with a half-smile.

Cece beamed as she looked at me, her dark skin glistening in the sun. Arceus, she was so beautiful. I wanted to get closer to her. I didn't want our time together to be over so soon. I wanted to keep traveling with her. To learn more about her.

To help her break free from her family.

To hold her.

"Stupid. Stupid idiot!" Cecilia yelled happily as Denzel bantered back. Eventually, she fell to the ground and laughed so hard she started to cough and tears streamed from her eyes. "Oh! Oh, Legendaries! What a wonderful way to be friends," She said.

Why was I ruining this moment? Why couldn't I be happy for her?

"It is, isn't it?" I said. "It really is."

Why was I like this?

Denzel's smile froze when he looked at me, and his face turned into a look of concern. It seemingly only took him a few seconds for him to realize what was going on with me. He mouthed to me, asking if I was okay, and I just nodded. He shook his head.

"I'm gonna feed Feebas," He said. "Why don't you two wait for me, and then we can start to head back?"

"Sure," Cece said, breathing heavily and wiping tears from her eyes.

We watched Denzel leave and grab some food pellets from his bag, closely followed by Buneary, who grabbed one of his pant legs. Why was he doing this to me? Did he really want me to ask her now? After everything I told him?

"Thank you for taking me in, Grace," She said, breaking the silence. "I feel like all you do these days is help me. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."

"Oh, it's no problem," I said, fiddling with one of Tangela's vines. "Um…"

"Yes?"

"What's your plan after… after we get to Eterna city?" I asked.

"Well, we'll probably be staying at a hotel, and getting more food and supplies that are going to be sent to us. Why?"

I felt my stomach sink. "Ah, I mean, I just wanted to know if we could still hang out or something?"

"Oh? I assumed that was a given?"

"What? But it reflects badly on you, and you said your… you know."

"My father wouldn't like it, I know," Cece said, her eyes suddenly turning icy and her face neutral. "Yes, that may be the case, but I'm willing to take that risk."

"I don't want to cause you any trouble—"

"You aren't. This is my decision. If he dislikes it, then so be it," Cece said, her voice almost faltering. "I want to be free. I can't be a scared little girl forever. I don't want to always rely on you to defend me. And it all starts with a step. One step of disobedience."

"One step at a time," Denzel said, coming behind us. "I like that saying."

"So do I," Cece smiled. "I don't mind him knowing," She said when she saw how worried I was. "If he is your best friend, then he is trustworthy."

"I mean, I kind of figured, but I wouldn't mind knowing more about it," He said.

Cecilia explained her situation to Denzel. The engagement, the pressure she felt from her father. She didn't go into the details, but it was easy to see that she had been emotionally abused. I hoped it wasn't physical as well.

"Well damn," My best friend said. "That's some serious baggage you're carrying. I'm sorry."

"I want to be free," Cece repeated. "But I can't do it on my own. Will you help me?" She pleaded, looking at us.

"Of course," I softly said.

"Fuck yeah, we will," Denzel said. "I thought my mom was controlling, but this is just on another level."

"Thank you," Cece softly said. "Eventually, they will send people after me, you know? Both my and Louis' father. It won't be easy."

"We'll help you out," I said. "And hey, by the time they do, we'll be strong enough to fight back anything he throws at us."

"Then it is decided," Cecilia said as she stood up. She stared into our eyes with fire and determination. "The first step. We will keep being friends, even in Eterna city. In fact, I think we should be as public as possible with our friendship."

"Well, that goes without saying," Denzel smiled. "Let's head back."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 55

I felt elation wash over me during our walk back. The conversation the three of us just had were just words, but deep inside of me, I knew it was the start of something else. I already knew Cece wanted to win her freedom, but beforehand, she was always alone. Always scared to take that first defiant step against her father. But with us by her side, I knew that real progress could be made. Even now, the resolve hadn't left her eyes, but it was also in the way she walked. The way her shoulders swayed, the firmness of her steps, her slight smile rising on the corner of her lips. It was as if Cecilia had just been reborn into a different person.

"I'll need to visit Emi in her hospital room," Cece said.

"Sure," I nodded. "I was planning on doing that anyway."

I still hadn't visited Emilia, mainly because it felt awkward with Pauline always being in the room. I didn't want to come in between the two, but I figured I'd need to do it at some point anyway, and it would feel less awkward if we went as a group.

"Knowing Pauline, she'll be there as well," Denzel said, speaking my thoughts out loud.

"That's good," Cece said. "I want both of them to be there."

"Why?" I asked.

"I need to borrow their psychics."

—

We opened Emilia's hospital door, and I was surprised to see that only Justin was there. The girl was watching television while dozing off, but she woke up once she saw us enter. I stared at her leg, which had been bandaged up much better than anything we could manage. I expected her to be a little out of it because of the painkillers, but she seemed fine enough. Justin smiled as he saw us.

"Hey, everyone," He said.

We greeted them both.

"How's your leg, Emilia?" Denzel asked.

"It's better," She said happily. "I'm just happy to be back to civilization."

We all related to that feeling. I was glad she was being more forceful with her tone now that we were out of Eterna forest. She was definitely the one that suffered the most in there, but she stayed strong and allowed us to make it through.

"Well, we won't have to go through such a harrowing experience for a long time," Denzel said before pausing. "What's on TV?"

"Oh, just some trivia gameshow about Pokemon I enjoy. Here, let me explain the rules…" Justin started.

We hung out for a while, talking about anything that came up while we waited for Pauline to show up. After ten minutes of waiting, Cece seemingly got impatient.

"Say, Emi," She said. "Could you lend me your Beldum? I'm going to be releasing Scyther soon, and I'd like to have his Confusion available, just in case," She asked.

Cece told us on the way back that she was planning on fighting Scyther with her team— on her own. Of course, we'd be there for backup, but she wanted to try taking it down alone to gain its respect. With Beldum, Gothita, and her Slowpoke, she estimated that all of their Confusions would be enough to restrain it permanently, or at least long enough for her to retrieve it if it attacked her. She would be fighting it with Fletchinder and Deino.

"Beldum… I don't know," Emi said quietly. "You know how I feel about him."

I raised an eyebrow. Back at the first half of route 205, Emilia also seemed to release her Beldum as little as she could, opting to use her Aipom or Rockruff instead. I initially thought I had been overthinking it, but now that she herself had said it, I was definitely curious.

"Why don't you like Beldum?" I said bluntly.

Emilia sighed, but Justin answered for her. "Emi's Beldum… well, it doesn't speak to her."

"It can speak?!" Denzel exclaimed.

"Well, it should," Emilia insisted, clenching her teeth. "Beldum can't really speak in complete sentences until they evolve into Metagross, but they should be able to say some words, or convey emotions to their trainers through their psychic powers," She said. "He's never spoken to me. Not even once."

"Oh…" I awkwardly said. "I'm sorry for asking."

"Yeah," She sighed. "But it's alright, I… I have to get over it eventually. Beldum just hates me."

"Are you kidding me?" Denzel asked. "It defended you so many times in the forest without you saying anything. It fought with us and listened to your orders. If it hated you, he'd be behaving like Cecilia's Scyther."

"Trying to kill everything that moves," I added. "Maybe it just can't?"

"Can't what?" Emi said.

"Can't talk. Maybe it's not good at it yet and it's been trying the whole time. Have you tried asking?"

"I don't know, that seems pretty far-fetched," Emilia sighed. "Either way, I'll lend it to you," She grabbed one of the Pokeballs on her bedside table and released Beldum. The hulking, marble-like metallic Pokemon floated upward and loomed over us, watching with its red eye. "Beldum, I'm lending you to Cece. She'll be fighting her Scyther and she needs you to protect her if he attacks her."

Beldum let out a sound, like metals shifting and grinding against each other, and it made its way next to Cece.

"Thank you," Cecilia said, dipping her head slightly. Emilia handed her Beldum's Pokeball and she recalled it. "Now I just need to go find Pauline, I suppose."

"You missed her by a hair. She left five minutes before you arrived," Justin said. "Something about a phone call."

"Was it Josephine?" Cece asked.

"No, she's having her fight with her mom for sending her through Eterna forest," Justin shook his head. "You should have heard the screaming match they had in here yesterday. The nurses had to come in here to ask her to stop yelling."

"Pauline and Josephine's relationship has always been special," Cece nodded.

"I guess we can go look for her," I said, eyeing Cecilia.

She frowned for a second before her eyes widened. "Yes, I suppose we could."

"Can't it wait?" Justin asked. "I wouldn't want for you to intrude, she said the call was very important."

We got up. "You coming, Denzel?"

One look into my eyes, and he knew something was wrong. He tilted his head slightly toward the others. "Nah, I'll stay here."

Running interference, I thought. Got it. "Alright, let's go then. We'll be back later."

As soon as we were out of Emi's room, I said what was on my mind.

"I'm glad you got what I was thinking so fast," I said. "That phone call sounds suspicious."

She nodded firmly. "Louis is missing as well, so he could be involved," She said. "It might be Amy again."

"She's trying to get info on you?"

"No. If it's her, she'll be trying to know more about you."

I swallowed. This was already moving fast, but I was resolute. I was going to help Cece no matter what. The first thing we tried was going inside of Pauline's room, but it would have been too obvious. She wasn't there. Luckily, we went to Louis' room next, and he was just reading some book about running a business.

"Oh! Cece, did you come to keep me company? We haven't been alone together a lot these days—"

"Louis," I said, speaking for Cece. "This is really important. Have you seen Pauline?"

"It is rude to interrupt people," He huffed. "But I have seen her. She came to ask me…" He trailed off before stopping.

"Ask what?" I asked. He didn't budge. "Spit it out!"

"Erm, before I say this, I want Cece to know I had nothing to do with anything. I haven't spoken to Amy since that day at the outpost, and it was the greatest mistake of my life. I can tell you still haven't forgiven me, but I swear to you, I have been a loyal fiance—"

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving my hand. He still thought that Cece believed he was cheating on her? I sighed internally. At least my hunch about that phone call had been correct. "Now tell us what she asked you and where she went."

"Pauline came into my room a bit ago— just a few minutes ago, actually, asking about Amy. She was calling her nonstop, and at first, she thought Amy wanted to talk to me, but I refused to do it out of love! Then she berated me with her foul mouth and stormed off, saying she was going out."

"So she's outside?" I asked. "Know where?"

"Unfortunately not," He asked. "Do you want me to help look for her?"

I stared at Cece, and she shook her head. "Uh, we'll be fine. We just wanted to ask her about lending Cece her Gothita," I said in half-truth.

We left immediately after that.

"Damn that Amy…" Cece cursed. "Trying to worm her way into my friendships."

"It'll be fine, we just need to catch Pauline and spy on her."

"We aren't confronting her?" Cecilia asked, quickening her pace. "I'm angry. I want to fight."

"It'll be better if we find out what Amy's asking Pauline," I said. "We can confront her after. Now quick!"

By the time we made it to the Pokemon Center lobby, we were practically running. Cece released her Fletchinder, and I released Togetic and Frillish to ask them to look for Pauline from the air. Not even a minute later, Fletchinder landed on her trainer's shoulder, making her wince. The flying type hadn't realized how powerful its talons were yet. I whistled and called for my Pokemon before recalling them, and Fletchinder led us to Pauline. She was in a secluded part of the outpost, near one of the electric fences that blocked off the forest to make sure trainers always entered and exited through the main entrance. Luckily for us, she was also next to a convenience store that we could hide behind, and she would still be within earshot.

Pauline looked angry— well, Pauline looked angrier than usual. I settled behind Cece as we tried to hear the conversation.

"...keep asking me that? What's wrong with you?"

Pauline waited a few seconds before continuing.

"You're pissing me off, Amy. If you want to know more about her new friends, just call her. You're best friends!"

I swallowed. We were right on the money. Amy was asking about Denzel and me.

"Oh, you're fighting? I don't remember asking. You know I hate this… this fucking backstabbing, backroom dealing shit. That's not how I roll. Talk to her directly. If you're fighting, there must be a good reason—"

Pauline stopped, seemingly having been interrupted.

"Arceus," She groaned. "No, I will not do that. I won't. Tell Harvey and Clarence that I don't give a fuck about what they think. Mommy will back me up on this," Pauline said. "You know what? I'm hanging up. I'm tired of you and this shady shit."

Pauline hung up and swore a few times before she started to leave.

"Are we confronting her?" I asked, tapping Cecilia's shoulder. "Cece?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "Sorry. When she mentioned my father, I… I froze up. Let's talk to her."

I nodded, wondering whether her dad's name was Harvey or Clarence, and we quickly ran up to the redhead. "Pauline!" I yelled out.

She turned and grimaced when she saw us. "What? Were you spying on me?"

"Was it that obvious?" I asked.

"Pauline," Cece said, crossing her arms. "I need to know everything that went on in that phone call down to the very last detail."

She clicked her tongue. "Fine. What about her," She asked, looking at me.

"Grace has every right to hear this, especially since it's about her," Cecilia said.

"Now spill," I added.

"Amy's been calling Louis and me ever since we got through Eterna forest," Pauline started. "At first, I just ignored the calls because I've always hated that Amy bitch. Seemed too fake to me, and I hate fake people. Eventually, it got on my nerves, so I answered, and she asked me to talk to Louis, but he refused, so I called her back and told her that, but then she started asking me these questions."

"Such as?" I asked.

"I was getting to it, Grace," Pauline retorted. "She wanted to know why we were traveling with you and Denzel," She said, nodding toward me. "And she also wanted me to tell her about the way you behaved and stuff. It was really fucking weird."

"What'd you tell her?" Cece asked.

"Nothing," She shrugged. "I'm not going to play informant for her, especially if it's about people I respect. Anyway, then she did that thing where she subtly but not so subtly threatens you—"

"Ah," Cece sighed.

"—and she said that your dad and Louis' dad wouldn't be happy about what I was doing. I don't take kindly to people that threaten me, so I decided to hang up after that."

Cece's face relaxed. "Thank you, Pauline. You're a great friend."

"I know. Anyway, she'll probably try to call Justin or Emilia next, but I'll tell them not to talk. Is that it?" Pauline asked, tapping her foot against the ground.

Cece grinned. I couldn't imagine how good it must have felt to finally be sure that someone she was doubting for so long was actually on her side. "Well, I was wondering if I could borrow your Gothita…"

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 56

Cece and I stood around twenty feet away from the electric fence we had found Pauline at. It had taken a few minutes to convince her to lend Cecilia her psychic type, but we managed after telling her that she would be owed a favor that she'd be able to call on at any point. I watched in awe as Cecilia released Beldum, Slowpoke, and Gothita. The trainer explained her plan to the three Pokemon, which was just to restrain Scyther if it ever attacked her or me. She quickly released Deino and Fletchinder afterward. The dragon roared out defiantly, but settled down when Cece told him to since we didn't want anyone to find us. I noticed that he was definitely growing more obedient than he usually was, which was a far cry from Louis' Gible. Fletchinder sang and flapped her wings, staying stationary in the air. Her voice had grown deeper than before, and all traces of the high-pitched cry she usually had was gone.

"So you're just going to fight it?" I asked. "No talking?"

I honestly thought she was going to try to reason with it first, like Denzel did with his Budew, but it looked like Cece was just going to go straight into attacking it.

"Strength is the simplest form of communication," She recited. "Before reasoning, I must teach it that it cannot go against me, and for that, I have to earn its respect by beating it."

"If you say so," I sighed, slightly disappointed. No matter what I thought about the matter, there was no avoiding the fact that different trainers had different philosophies that they abided by. Cece valued strength and commanding respect from her team, I valued bonding with them until they loved me. "Do you need me to do anything?" I asked.

"Thank you for asking," She smiled. "But no, I must defeat it alone, with only Deino and Fletchinder. Just… stay by my side and give me some confidence."

I nervously stared at the ground and kicked some rocks around. "Of course."

Cecilia unclipped Scyther's Pokeball and released the Pokemon far away from us, with its back facing the fence. Every time I saw it, I felt an instinctive fear creep up. Scyther rolled his shoulders, grinding its huge, green armored plates together, and observed his surroundings. His eyes settled on us, and the bug type screeched, sharpening its sickle-like blades together.

"Deino, get in close and bite it. When you do, never let it go," She started. "Fletchinder—"

Scyther rushed forward, surrounded by a shimmering white aura. I squinted, desperately trying to keep track of it, and it hurled its entire body at Deino, slamming the Pokemon back. The dark type roared as draconic energy gathered in his mouth. He reared his head back and then lurched it forward in one smooth motion. Scyther screeched and took flight, narrowly dodging the attack. I winced, expecting it to destroy the fence, but it dissipated before impacting it.

Scyther was aiming for Cece now, and I hoped the psychics would be enough to stop—

"Fletchinder, Flame Charge!" She commanded, using the flying type's brand-new move.

The bird cried out as flames appeared and wreathed around her body. Like a meteorite, she blurred forward, and she was just as fast as Scyther was. Fletchinder rammed into the Scyther, melting off some of its armor, and it crashed to the ground.

"Deino, now!" Cece yelled.

I could almost see Deino grin as he opened his maw. Darkness and shadows surrounded his sharp teeth, and the dragon bit down on Scyther's neck. Scyther screamed and thrashed around, sometimes hurting Deino with Slash or X-Scissor.

"Ember," Cecilia said with a breath.

The bird cried out, opening its mouth. Dozens of small flames flew toward Scyther, also hurting Deino in the process. I watched as the girl grinned, and I instantly knew what she was thinking. Scyther was a bug type, meaning that he was being hurt more than Deino was. The battle continued like this, with Scyther desperately trying to get out of Deino's tight grip while Fletchinder harassed him with Ember.

I whistled. I was honestly surprised at how well this was going. The psychics weren't even needed. Sure, we were out of the forest, which was Scyther's natural habitat and where he would be able to thrive the most, but this beatdown was unimaginable. What had been the difference? A more controlled setting and a battle on her terms, meaning there was less panic, and she clearly came at the battle with a strategy in mind this time. Plus, Fletchinder had evolved and was looking mighty powerful.

"I think that's enough," Cecilia told Deino. He let go of Scyther's neck with drool dripping all over the bug type, but he still loomed over him. Cece approached the bug type, and I hurried behind her with all three psychics. Scyther looked at her with his eyes bloodshot and ragged breathing. It looked like even with Swarm, he was too tired to do anything.

"I have proven my strength to you, Scyther," Cecilia started. Scyther just looked away from her, causing Deino to snarl. "I can see you're not convinced. Very well, I will bring you to a Center to heal, and then we will be doing the same thing tomorrow."

Scyther's eyes widened, and for a second, I thought I saw fear.

"Yes, darling," She smiled. "We will do this until you accept your new arrangement as my Pokemon. It is good training for all of us," Cecilia continued. "Eventually, you will give in."

Cecilia recalled him with ambition and satisfaction swimming in her eyes. Fletchinder landed on her shoulder and squawked, while Deino let out a triumphant yell. My eyes wandered to the psychic types. Gothita looked like she was furious that we had just wasted her time, but Beldum didn't seem to mind— not that I could understand its expression. Slowpoke was just… Slowpoke.

"That was… intense," I said as I exhaled.

"A great battle," Cece smiled. "I was sure I was going to win."

"Won't it just make Scyther hate you?" I asked, unable to resist. "I don't see how this holds up long term."

She nodded. "He will hate me at first, of course, but not forever. How do you think he feels right now?" She asked.

"Hmm…" I thought. "Angry, I guess? I'm kind of drawing a blank."

"Angry, and humiliated," Cece added. "In the forest, he was an apex predator. Now all of the sudden, he loses to me? I took his pride and destroyed it. That was the first step."

My mind flashed to my battle with Chase. "And now what?" I asked.

"He will convert that feeling into a desire to grow stronger," She said. "And to grow stronger, he will need to cooperate with me. Not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but eventually."

Cece recalled all of the Pokemon around her.

"So you're kind of doing what you did with Deino?" I asked. "Beating him to remind him that his best avenue to grow is through you."

"Exactly," Cece said with a glint in her eyes. "Well, I suppose it would be instilling that value instead of reminding him since it was the first time I was doing so. I have a good winning strategy, so I believe I'll be able to convince him quickly."

We started walking back to the Center. "Restraining him with Deino? That was vicious," I said.

She smirked. "It wouldn't have worked without Fletchinder. Her evolution made her grow leaps and bounds, so she's able to keep up with Scyther and hit him with Flame Charge. She's the key to all of this."

"She was great," I said. "And she'll be a great help against Gardenia."

"For sure. What are you planning now?" Cece asked.

"I was planning on picking up my Pokemon from the Center and using Tangela for the first time, why?"

"Well, I don't want our time together to end yet," Cece said quietly. "I'll go and hand Gothita and Beldum back, then why don't I come with you?"

I beamed. "Sure!"

——

Comically, we went back to that same area where Pauline had taken that phone call and Cece had defeated Scyther. Trainers apparently never came here, seemingly uncomfortable with staying near the huge electric fence, so we figured it was a good spot to hang out. I released Togetic and Tangela. The grass type stared up at me before wrapping a vine around my ankle.

"Prrri!" Princess yelled out happily.

"You were great in that battle with Chase," I smiled and pet her. "Now I need you to help me out. Can you use Ancient Power and raise some rocks or earth in front of us? Try to make 'em into spheres if you can."

Togetic chirped and raised three large… um… shapes from the ground. Those weren't spheres, but I supposed she tried her best.

"Needs some work, but good job," I told her. She rubbed her head against my cheek and flew around my head. I looked at Cece, who was holding her hand up to her heart. "What is it?" I asked.

She coughed. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was restraining myself all throughout our travels, but now that I decided to stop hiding my true self from you… that Togetic!"

"What?" I asked.

"It's— it's ridiculously cute!" Cece sputtered. "Seriously!"

"Toge!" Togetic said with a satisfied look.

"Right?!" I squealed. "She doesn't even try, but she's still the cutest. I love her," I said, rubbing her neck. "I've had her since she was born."

"You must have such a connection," Cece said.

"Yep. Since she hatched in my arms, she views me as her mom."

"Is that how it works?"

"Yeah, Togepi get attached to the first person they see," I explained before crouching. "But enough about that. Let's get to you, angel."

Tangela shook and loosened the hold on my ankle.

"Let's see…" I started. "Why don't you start with a simple Vine Whip on one of those rocks princess raised for us?"

Tangela looked at me and tilted his head.

"Vine Whip?" I tried again, pointing at the rock. He apparently didn't understand.

"How strange," Cece said. "Pokemon usually instinctively understand human speech."

"He's probably just a little confused," I said, smiling at him. "Let's take it slow, alright?"

I grabbed one of his vines and extended it before holding it like some kind of whip. I struck the ground with it. "See? That's Vine Whip," I said.

Tangela blinked twice before using the move against one of the rocks. "Great job!" I said, clapping. Togetic copied me and clapped as well.

"That Vine Whip is powerful," Cece observed. "Look at the damage to the rock. It's…"

There was a huge crack in the middle of the rock, and it slowly grew larger until the boulder split in two. My eyes widened at the sheer power Tangela seemingly held. There was a reason he managed to survive in Eterna forest, and it showed. Tangela excitedly tippy-tapped with his feet, his eyes squinting slightly.

"Aww," I said. "Look, he's happy!"

It was my first time seeing this kind of emotion from him, so that meant huge progress was being made.

"Uh, now let's get more technical," I said. "Can you try extending your vine for as long as you can? I'd like to check your range."

Tangela nodded, and I smiled, thinking he understood, but he just used Vine Whip again, splitting the next boulder in two.

"That's great, angel," I said. "But it's not what I asked."

I couldn't help but notice Cecilia holding herself back from laughing. This was going to be a long training session.

——

Angel was… how could I say this?

Angel was slow, which was incredibly cute, but also frustrating to deal with. Luckily, with Cece there to brainstorm with me, we managed to make it use all of its moves and experiment how I wanted. First, I had to extend his vines manually to make him understand what I wanted. His maximum range seemed to be around fifty feet depending on the vine, but he struggled to extend them that far on his own, and when he did, it was slow. The closer his target was, the quicker and the more powerful his Vine Whip or Bind would be. That was definitely something I wanted to work on, especially considering his next move.

Tangela's Mega Drain worked differently than Budew's Absorb. Whereas Budew could apparently drain energy from a distance, Tangela had to drain energy through his vines, meaning that if I could get him to improve the speed at which he could grab something with his vines, I'd be able to catch Pokemon off-guard with Mega Drain.

"Bad Deino! Bad! Stay still!" Cece yelled at her dragon. He snarled, biting at the vines wrapping around him, but more kept coming. Cece and Deino were helping me test out the move since he'd be very resistant to it.

"Okay, angel," I slowly said. "Mega Drain. M-e-g-a-d-r-a-i-n," I repeated extremely slowly.

His vines' extremities started glowing, and the energy slowly traveled through until it reached the grass type. Tangela shivered when he received the energy.

"Alright, great job," I said as he rubbed another vine on my hand. There were so many vines… everywhere. They were an extension of himself, and that meant he used them a lot. Right now, two vines were playing around with Togetic, another rubbing my hand, and six wrapping around Deino.

Angel was slow, but Arceus, he was a fantastic multitasker. There was so much potential all held up in this little ball of vines.

Bind was the simplest move to make him use. He understood that one surprisingly easily, with me mimicking crushing something with my hands. Then it was only a matter of associating the move with the verbal command. Tangela squeezed one of Togetic's rocks as tight as he could— not enough to shatter it, but enough to leave marks and dents.

Finally, we had Stun Spore and Poison Powder. Unfortunately, I was stumped. No matter how differently I tried to explain the two moves, I just couldn't get him to use them. Maybe I'd have to ask Denzel to help out since Budew knew those two moves. Surely Budew would be willing to help… maybe. Still, I ended up experimenting for two hours, and those were very productive. Soon, I'd be able to get Tangela involved in our mock battles. Ideas swam in my head on how to best use Tangela as we walked back to the Center. Could I use get him to use his vines as locomotion to move faster? Could I create a combination involving Vine Whip, Bind, and Mega Drain? Again, there was so much potential there, and if I could get his vines to grow longer, then dealing with flying types by slamming them on the ground was definitely possible. Hell, he could even learn Ancient Power!

Princess would be able to help with that, but not anytime soon. First, I needed to focus on what he knew. I did have new moves I wanted to teach Togetic, Elekid, and Frillish on our way to Eterna city and before the gym, but that'd have to wait. Cece and I split up, and I went back to my room to rest.

I sighed when I saw that Chase Karlson was waiting for me, leaning against my door.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 57

"You again?" I drawled. "What else would you possibly want from me? How did you even find my room?"

Chase took a breath and straightened himself before crossing his arms. His body was tense.

"I wanted to speak with you, obviously. And finding your room was just a matter of asking around," He said.

"Asking around? Are people watching me?" I asked, letting a little bit of panic slip into my tone. "Who was it?"

"Well, you're traveling with that band of crooks, and now you just beat me, one of the rising stars of the Circuit," Chase said, his face wincing. "So expect more people to watch you from now on."

I frowned. He wasn't as angry as I expected him to be. In fact, he was cordial.

"I'm tired, so talk," I ordered.

The boy smiled, adjusting his cap. "I underestimated you, and you beat me. That was my first loss since I left home, and that stung," He hissed out the word, his face contorting. "All the work I've done my entire life feels meaningless now, and my goal feels more out of reach than ever. But!" Chase said, pointing toward me. "The next time we fight— because there will be a next time— I will utterly crush you. No underestimating you next time."

Chase pushed himself off the door and started walking past me.

"And I also want to thank you for something," He said, stopping at my side, still looking straight ahead. "You know, that loss really fucked me up. I felt like I was about to lose myself for a few minutes, but it also made me think clearly. Finally, I can make Cynthia eat her Arceus damned words. I've finally found something worth fighting for. Have you?"

I frowned. He had spoken to Cynthia? "What goal? And Cynthia talked to you?"

"You'll see after I become the Champion," Chase said as he began to walk away. "None of you have even half the drive or dedication that I do. And of course, Cynthia talked to me. I'm Chase fucking Karlson. See you in Eterna city, shrimp. Look forward to that rematch."

Cynthia talked to me too! I screamed internally. Of course, it was probably in completely different circumstances, and he probably wouldn't even believe me. I would just appear to be a jealous kid trying to one-up him.

"What an asshole," I whispered.

Whatever, it wasn't like I hadn't gotten used to it with Pauline. Although to be fair to my friend, Pauline didn't think herself to be the best thing in the world, but the aggressiveness was similar, and she sometimes let go of her hard outer shell. Chase never let me see the good in him except when he had stormed into the Valley Windworks powerplant to try to save us.

I supposed that was why I couldn't bring myself to hate him.

I opened my door, and my hand rested on top of Togetic's Pokeball. This would only be a nap, but naps still brought nightmares. I had to be strong. Cynthia had warned me. One month maximum, and I had almost gone over that. I groaned, collapsed onto my bed, and sunk into a deep sleep.

——

Chase walked toward the stairs with his hands deep into his pockets. That conversation had gone relatively well, all things considered. It took everything he had not to assert his superiority over Pastel and her clique, but he knew better now. It would be foolish to behave the same way after being beaten and proven to be the weaker trainer— yes, he had underestimated her, but Chase had to admit that her Pokemon were good. Riolu would be proud if he were there to listen, but unfortunately, he was still being healed. That Extrasensory had done a number on him, and he'd still be there for a few hours.

Whispers made Chase's ears twinge.

"That's Chase Karlson…"

"Did you see his loss to that Pastel girl? Here, I have it on video…"

"I think I might be able to take him…"

The teenager scoffed. These motherfuckers were talking just loud enough so he could hear. The loss of his undefeated streak had done a number on his reputation. He glared at them as he passed, and they shut up real quick, eliciting a smile. The weakest trainers were always the ones that talked the most. Chase was obviously an exception to that rule.

But he already had a plan on how to rebuild. Chase would need a spectacular win against Gardenia. A win so dominant that no one would be able to question his skills ever again. It would hopefully come in due time, however. Right now, he was looking for someone else.

Oh, it wasn't that Obel girl. A deal was a deal, and he had lost, meaning that he wouldn't bother her again. Plus, he had misjudged the situation. She wasn't even the leader of the group.

Chase didn't know how Pastel had done it, but during their trip through Eterna forest, she had apparently taken control of the group and was now leading it. Why else would she stand up to defend someone who could buy her way into being a contender to win the Circuit? She was obviously using them for her own advantage. Pastel's only real connection in that group looked to be Williams, that tall kid he crushed in Jubilife.

Chase entered the Ranger building, basking in the bright fluorescent light. The only place he believed Scott Montante could be if he hadn't left yet was here.

The trainer confidently strode up to the front desk. "Hey. Did you see a Scott Montante that came here to make a report about some Pinsir?" He asked.

The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, tapped her chin and hummed for a few seconds. "Uh, I think Scott's still around here somewhere. Wanted some information about becoming a Ranger. Looking for him?"

"You know him?" He asked. "I want to speak to him," He ordered.

"Watch your tone, kid," The Ranger warned. "And yeah, I know him. Comes through here every year." She whistled and gestured for someone to come. "Elliot! Still have that Montante guy running around?"

"I'm a bit busy right now, Georgia!" The man answered. He was carrying a huge carton box with a bunch of files in it. "Ask someone else."

"You're using your hands right now, use your mouth!"

"I think he was sitting in that orientation thing we've been doing!" Elliot said before disappearing into a hallway.

"Orientation?" Chase asked. "I thought he wanted to finish this year's Circuit before signing up."

"Orientation doesn't mean he's signing up yet, it means he's getting information about signing up. We've been running it every few weeks, and he got lucky enough to catch this one, or maybe he planned the trip to get here in time. Anyway, nothing you can do about it. Wait for your friend in the lobby."

"He's not my friend," Chase grumbled before sitting down on one of the chairs that lined up the walls of the building. He didn't like that he was wasting time, but he wasn't about to work out or train without Riolu.

It took around twenty minutes for Scott to come out, and he had a huge grin on his face. Chase shot up and walked up to him.

"Yo," He said. "Can we talk?"

Scott stopped in his tracks, and his smile vanished. "What is it, kid? Thought you'd be gone like Maeve already."

"I thought so too, but shit happens," Chase shrugged. "So?"

Scott sighed. "Fine, we can talk."

"Not here."

Chase led Scott to a secluded part of the outpost, away from prying eyes and ears. This was going to be an important conversation, and he didn't want some random trainer to listen in.

"Isn't this far enough?" Scott complained.

"No."

"What, are you about to tell me your deepest, darkest secret? What is it? You're a part of team Galactic?" Scott asked.

"I beat the shit out of grunts, so that wouldn't make sense," Chase said.

"It was just a joke, sheesh," Scott said.

Chase turned abruptly and faced the man. "I think we're good," He said. "I wanted to talk to you about goals."

"Goals?"

"You heard me. Well, first I… uh, I wanted to apologize for shitting on your dream of becoming a ranger like that when we traveled together," He started.

Scott's eyes widened. "Never thought you'd be the type of guy to apologize for anything, but I accept. Go on."

"I didn't understand it at the time," Chase sighed. "Your need to help people. Well, to be honest, I still don't quite understand it, but that's beside the point. I've gone through an illuminating experience recently that's changed how I view the world a little bit."

"Oh, right," Scott said. "You lost to that girl."

"Ugh," Chase groaned. "You know about it already? I would have— might have won if I didn't fuck around. But still, when the battle ended, it was only me and my thoughts, and I started thinking. My goal… isn't achievable anymore."

How could he be perfect if he had lost? Cynthia had never lost a single battle during her entire career, even during her first year when she rose to become the Champion.

"But I can still do something for the next generation," Chase continued, licking his dry lips. "I can make the Circuit a more even playing field. No more outside money, no more sponsors, no more buying the best Pokemon."

"But the girl that beat you wasn't rich," Scott interjected.

"But she's using them to make her journey easier, so the principle still applies," Chase retorted. "I seriously considered quitting after that loss. Just hang my cap and go back home, but no," He said, clenching his fist. "I'm going to become the Champion, and I'm going to bring an end to big businesses involving themselves and their kids in the League Circuit. The winners will be the people that worked hard and deserve it. Cynthia has allowed the system to erode under her watch."

"I mean, that's great. I agree with some of this, but it's easier said than done," Scott said. "And why are you telling me this?"

Chase clammed up. "With our talk about dreams and goals in the forest, I thought it'd be good to let you know I've settled on something," He got out.

The truth was, he just wanted to let someone know, and Riolu wasn't there.

It was kind of lonely.

——

Five days had passed since they arrived at the outpost, and Emilia was finally alright enough to walk again, although her leg wasn't anywhere near one hundred percent. I thought about Chase as I stepped down the stairs to the Pokemon Center lobby to meet the others. He had kept his word and hadn't bothered Cece or any of the others. In fact, he had already left, but not before beating up a bunch of trainers in battles, which was probably to fix his wounded ego.

"Already here?" I smiled at Denzel.

"Bright and early. Surprised?" He asked.

"I thought you were the one who'd be late," I laughed. "Where's everyone else?"

"Louis is calling his dad about some new Pokemon he wants," Denzel grimaced.

"Yikes," I sighed. "I should talk to him about that."

"I mean, as long as it's not some Pokemon he can't control, he should be fine," Denzel said.

I stared at him, letting him know that that was most likely a pipe dream.

"I mean, Prinplup is fine!" Denzel tried. "But we'll see what he asks for. Pauline and Justin were helping Emilia pack, last I heard, and your crush—"

"Denzel! Not in public!" I hissed.

My friend grinned. He was trying to get a rise out of me and succeeding. "Cece's refilling our potion and food supplies. They ran low in Eterna forest."

I nodded and sat next to Denzel, sinking into the soft couch. Pokemon Center couches were seriously the best, especially with how tired I was getting again. I probably would have dozed off, but there was a sentence Chase had told me that had been stuck in my head since he confronted me in front of my room.

I've finally found something worth fighting for. Have you?

What had he meant by this?

Something worth fighting for… what did I want? To become the Champion and surpass Cynthia. To enjoy my journey through Sinnoh and to build a family with my team. That was enough, or that had been enough until now. Chase's words had infected me and spread doubt like a virus.

I stared at Denzel. What did he want? To become famous and build a brand for himself.

Cece? She wanted to free herself from her father's clutches, escape from her arranged marriage with Louis and build a life for herself.

Chase? Well, he hadn't told me, but he apparently found something.

That's when it clicked. The common denominator with all of these people. They were using the position of Champion as a launch pad to further their own goals, while I was still stuck at the first step.

What did I want?

"There she is," Denzel whispered and nodded toward Cece, who carried multiple bags full of supplies. She smiled when she saw us.

"Good morning."

I stood up. "Morning! Let me help you out," I said, before gently kicking Denzel's leg. "You too, you lazy bum."

"I was going to!" He protested.

Cece chuckled and handed us some of her bags. I needed something to strive toward. A goal beyond the finish line, or I would just crash and burn when I got there. In a way, I was glad Chase had accosted me that day, or I maybe would have never figured this out.

Now all I had to do was find it.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 58

I readjusted my bag, shifting the weight to my non-wounded shoulder as we stepped out of the Pokemon Center. We were finally ready to make progress and get to Eterna city. The trip would take two days, although since we were a large group, it would probably end up being slightly longer, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to get on the road. My need to get back to a city wasn't as bad as Emilia's, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that I missed living in one. I was a Jubilife girl through and through.

"Whew," I said. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Someone's excited," Denzel said.

"I think we all want to get to the city," Louis shrugged. "I can't wait to get to my hotel suite."

"I think we're excited about very different things," My friend added.

The first order of business was to pass through Eterna Lake. I had gone on it with Denzel and Cece before, but we hadn't really gone that far. The truth was, the lake was enormous, and it would take at least four hours to get through. Of course, there was also the possibility of going around, but that would take longer, and since there wasn't any danger, there was no reason to take the long road. Many trainers were fishing along the bridges, hoping to catch something good. Denzel theorized that most were probably hoping for a Tentacool for its poison typing to help against Gardenia. Even this far out, people were already preparing to face her.

"By the way," Denzel started. "Shouldn't Justin and Pauline be catching something? You guys only have two Pokemon."

Pauline huffed and crossed her arms. "Nothing on this route interests me. I'll see if there are any good Pokemon around the city itself."

"Fair enough, I guess. What about you, Justin?" Denzel asked.

"Well, the truth is that there is a Pokemon I'm looking for, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't find it. It's a Lotad."

It took a few seconds for me to recall what the Pokemon looked like. A grass and water type would work alright for Gardenia, and it would be wonderful for future battles. All in all, I would call it a smart choice.

"Come on, we'll help you find it. Do you know how it lives in the lake? Do you need a fishing rod? Denzel has one." I asked, wanting to repay his help with Tangela.

"No, Lotad live along the surface," Denzel said. "They float across the surface like lilypads, and they'll be at shallower parts of the lake, next to the shoreline."

"Well, there weren't any next to the outpost," Pauline shrugged.

"We'll keep an eye out," I said. "And, uh… Louis," I continued, hesitating slightly. "Have you figured out what third Pokemon you're getting?"

"Oh, it'll be wonderful," He replied, barely containing his smile. "Our breeders will be sending me a top-of-the-line Vulpix that hatched a few months ago. A perfect fit to win against Gardenia, wouldn't you say?"

I frowned. I didn't know enough about Vulpix to know if it would be uncontrollable, but I did know Ninetales were extremely rare. The usual Fire Stones that were found in stores and commonly mined weren't enough to get a Ninetales. Only the best quality Fire Stones were able to get Vulpix to evolve— although with his money, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. I just hoped Louis wouldn't rush into things and evolve it into a Ninetales too quickly. There were many bedtime stories read to kids that talked about the strong curses a vengeful Ninetales could inflict on a human.

"Well, I hope you know what you're doing," I just said. He seemed to have already arranged everything, and there was probably no way to change his mind. If he started talking about evolving it, I'd ask everybody to stage an intervention to stop him from getting himself killed.

"I actually wanted a Vulpix for a bit when I was first planning my team," Denzel said. "Changed my mind when I heard about the curses and their vengeful nature though. Plus, I'd probably never be able to afford its evolution."

Very smooth, dude, I thought with a slight smile. I looked at Eevee, who was perched on my friend's shoulder as always. Thinking about Fire Stones made me curious as to what evolution he had chosen for the normal type. I supposed I would ask him later tonight when we set up camp.

We made it to the other end of the lake with no troubles. Denzel battled a trainer that specialized in water types and had one badge, but he wiped the floor with him thanks to Budew. The grass type just battered the kid's Pokemon with Bullet Seed, even when they retreated under the surface of the water. The attack was powerful enough to pack a punch after being slowed by the lake.

"Let's look for that Lotad now, shall we?" Cecilia said.

"Should we split up?" Justin asked. "Cover more ground?"

"That's the sensible thing to do. I don't want to waste too much time," Emilia chimed in.

"You don't have to help Emi. In fact, why don't we both stay here and watch the others do all the work?" Pauline asked.

The girl smiled. "That seems like a great idea."

I couldn't help but be happy at how great Emi was doing again. The forest had for sure changed her, but at least she was having some degree of fun. Compared to how she was before, it was like night and day, and going through Eterna forest taught her to appreciate traveling in such a relatively low-risk area.

"If you didn't want to help, you could have just said so, Pauline," Justin sighed. "How are we splitting the groups?"

Denzel interjected immediately. "How about a girl group and a guy group?"

"How passé of you, Denzel," Pauline said.

"That seems appropriate," Justin nodded. "Louis?"

The blonde boy nodded, and the groups split. We agreed to catch the Pokemon for him if we found one, after which we'd hand it to him in Eterna city. There wasn't a need for another Pokemon to trade, but these kinds of transactions had to be tracked by the League. I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants as I walked with Cece along the lake. The water gently crashed over the slightly sandy shore. From this angle, it was hard to believe that this was a lake and not the ocean.

"Ahem," Cece coughed. "I… I have something to confess."

My throat clogged up. "W—what is it?"

"The truth is… I have no idea what a Lotad looks like," She said, staring at her feet. "I was too embarrassed to tell the others."

My nervousness evaporated as fast as water thrown at the surface of the sun, and I started choking on my own saliva while laughing at the same time. I doubled over as Cece worriedly clapped my back.

"It's not that hilarious, surely," She said after I recovered. "I've never even heard of the Pokemon. I bet that they don't live in Unova."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure they live everywhere," I said, still giggling. "Sorry, that just came out of nowhere. I'm pretty sure there was a Lotad at one of the Floaroma tournament battles too, if I remember correctly," I said, before describing the Pokemon to her.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "I probably wasn't paying attention. I was nervous, you know? I was terrified I'd lose."

"Well, now I know, but at the time, I didn't. You just looked like your usual self."

She stared at me intently. "What does my usual self look like?"

I fiddled my thumbs. "Um, I don't know. Confident? Like you're ready to take on the world, I guess."

Cece brought a hand to her heart. "That's good. That's what I want people to think."

I nodded sadly. I couldn't imagine what it was like, to constantly have to mask your true self. "Hey, one day you'll be able to look however you want," I said, trying to cheer her up.

"Thank you," She smiled gently. "You know, you and Denzel have been a great help to me. If I can repay you by whatever means, I'd like to give you—"

"No. No money," I interrupted.

"But anything you could ask for would cost me practically nothing! Plus, I'd be using my father's money on someone he disapproves of."

"Nuh-uh," I shook my head. "Just being friends is enough for me."

The conversation paused for a few seconds before Cece let out a sigh. "Fine. But if you need anything, just ask. And I'll still try to help in any way I can."

"I'll be fine. Now let's find this Lotad! Hey, did you know they evolve into really good dancers called Ludicolo?"

"Huh?!" She exclaimed. "Those are where Ludicolo come from?!"

"Well, yeah."

"Humilau city has this wonderful annual festival full of those, and they perform magnificent dances…"

In the end, we didn't find any Lotad, so we decided to get back to Emilia and Pauline, who were lying down on the grass next to each other and talking. We joined them and waited for the boys to come back, and they did.

An entire two hours later, that was.

They were in a sorry state, all shivering and completely wet from head to toe.

"What happened?" I asked, standing up. "You need to dry yourselves!"

"Ugh," Pauline groaned "I suppose we'll have to set up camp early then?"

"Unless they want hypothermia, I would suggest so," Cece said.

"Did you at least catch the damn thing?" Pauline asked.

Justin grinned and released a Lotad with a leaf on its head that looked larger than average. The Pokemon seemed quite friendly, at least. It struggled to walk as it approached us curiously. I grabbed my Pokedex and scanned it.

Lotad, the water weed Pokemon. Lotad is said to have dwelled on land before. However, this POKéMON is thought to have returned to water because the leaf on its head grew large and heavy. It now lives by floating atop the water. Its lilypad-like hat serves as a ferry to Pokémon that can't swim, but if it doesn't drink clean water for too long, its leaf withers and dies.

Type: Water, Grass

"I can certainly see the resemblance now," Cece whispered to me. I held back a laugh.

"It took us a while to catch because it kept escaping deeper into the lake whenever we got too close," Justin explained as he held his body. "I apologize for the delay.".

"I tried blocking it in with Prinplup, but he isn't the best swimmer," Louis said.

"How can a water type not be a good swimmer?" Pauline snarked.

"I've raised him on land. He only swims in our swimming pools!" He answered defensively.

"Let's just get a fire started and get these guys warmed up," I sighed.

It looked like day one was a bust, but honestly, I was having a lot of fun.

——

Denzel and I stood away from camp and that giant tent that the group had started to use again. He released his Budew, who announced her presence with her habitual screech. The grass type looked at me disdainfully and turned toward Denzel in protest.

"What's up with her today?" I asked, feeling slightly hurt.

"She's just being…" Denzel trailed off before looking at Budew. "She's doing great!"

"Did she just pressure you into lying?" I teased, grabbing my own Pokeball.

"Nah, Budew and I are always on the same page these days. Right Budew?"

"Bud!" The grass type yelled in protest.

I released angel from his Pokeball. Since we had set up camp already, I decided to ask Denzel for help to teach him to use Poison Powder and Stun Spore. Sure, these attacks would be useless against Gardenia's own grass types, but I just wanted to get angel up to speed on all of his moves as fast as I could before focusing on improving a particular move. Tangela greeted me with his habitual vine touching.

"So, how are we doing this?" I asked.

"What? I thought you'd have a strategy worked out," Denzel said.

"Huh? You're the one that said you could help me!" I groaned.

He waited a few seconds before a smile split his face. "I'm just fucking with you."

"You're the worst."

"So you said Tangela already knew the moves right?" My friend started, ignoring me. I nodded. "So all you need to do is get him to associate the verbal command with the move, so I figured I'd just have Budew use them next to him and hope he uses it too. When he does, you shout out the order."

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense. I think Tangela will figure that one out."

Tangela waded to Budew and touched her with some of his vines. She immediately pelted him with a weakened Bullet Seed, but he seemed not to mind. Budew screeched in annoyance, but she didn't attack— a true mark of all the progress she had made. After fifteen seconds or so, Tangela finished his inspection and was ready to get to work.

"Alright, let's stand back a bit. We don't want to breathe in the spores," My friend said. I nodded and followed him, and then he shouted out an order. "Alright, Budew, start with Stun Spore."

Budew shook her entire body, diffusing yellow spores. Tangela looked at her curiously and shook his body as well, successfully using Stun Spore, albeit it looked weaker than Budew's.

"That was Stun Spore, Tangela!" I yelled out. "S-t-u-n S-p-o-r-e!"

"Think he caught that?" Denzel asked.

"I hope so. Let's try."

I ordered Tangela to use the move, and he just looked at me before using Vine Whip on the ground.

"I think he's worse than you described," Denzel chuckled.

"Shut up. He's trying his best!" I said. "That wasn't it angel, but that was still a very good Vine Whip!"

Tangela squinted in a way that I had learned was a smile, and he used Vine Whip again. Even Budew looked puzzled, and she quietly stared at me while my Pokemon kept using Vine Whip over and over. I didn't speak Pokemon, but I instinctively knew what that look meant.

You're making me work with this?!

"Let's start over," I sighed. "He'll figure it out eventually."

"And then we have to do it with Poison Powder…" Denzel sighed.

——

An hour later, Tangela had made a lot of progress. He recognized Stun Spore and Poison Powder most of the time, and so he finally learned to respond to all of his moves. That meant I'd be able to work on my idea for a Vine Whip, Bind, and Mega Drain combo, although that would probably take weeks. The idea was to hit an enemy with Vine Whip and immediately have the vine wrap around it with Bind, after which angel could suck their energy with Mega Drain. Then, there was also the idea of getting him to dodge attacks with his vines, but that could come later. He'd be able to take a lot of hits in Eterna's gym, and I wanted to focus on the other members of my team as well.

For Togetic, I wanted her to learn Double Edge, one of the most powerful normal type moves. In fact, it was so powerful that it inflicted some damage on the user. It wasn't a priority for now, especially since I'd use her to fight long-distance against Gardenia, but it would be useful to counter quick, fragile flying types like Cece's Fletchinder. What I did want for the gym, however, was the Thunder Wave TM. She was surprisingly able to learn the move, and it was one of the more affordable TMs. If I remembered correctly, the price was around… fifteen thousand pokedollars. I had around nine thousand on my trainer card right now, so I'd need to participate in a lot of battles to get there, and then I'd be broke, but it would be worth it. The move would be useful forever, even against highly skilled opponents that I'd face at the Conference if I got there.

Frillish would probably be my last resort against Gardenia, but I still wanted him at his best, and I had a strategy in mind if I had to use the water type. Of course, I had Poison Sting and Hex, but I wanted him to learn Acid Armor and Mist. First, Acid Armor would liquefy his body and do wonders against any physical grass moves. Mist would just make him harder to hit along with that.

For Elekid, I wanted him to learn Ice and Fire Punch. These would be the hardest to teach, because we had no base to work from. Where would the fire or the ice come from? That was something I'd have to figure out, but if I managed to get him to master those in time, he would quickly become the heavy lifter for the Gardenia battle.

I'd need to start working on all of those in Eterna city.

I walked up to Denzel, who was watching Buneary and Eevee play around. I smiled at the two normal types. Eevee had a real gift with other Pokemon since he seemingly got along with anyone extremely quickly, although the Pokemon could also be grumpy when he wasn't in the mood.

"Hey," I told Denzel. "Had a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"I've been curious," I whispered, not wanting to disturb his Pokemon. "I wondered what evolution you were picking for Eevee?"

The boy's face froze before answering. He sighed. "I honestly don't know. I want him to pick, but… he's scared to pick, I think. Too many options."

"Oh," I said. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine," He quickly said. "I mean, I've got to think about it someday, right? It's not like he doesn't want to evolve either," He continued as he watched the normal type jump over Buneary. "I've asked him, and told him I would have been fine with that. He just doesn't know what he wants, which is unusual."

"Is it? Why?"

"Eevee's just not like that," Denzel sighed. "He always knows what he wants. He's steadfast."

We watched his Pokemon play in silence for a few seconds.

"But it's not like I have to decide now. I mean, I won't have the money to buy an evolutionary stone any time soon, and Eevee can hold himself back from evolving if he really doesn't want to yet. As long as he's giving it his all, I'll support any decision he makes."

"You're a great trainer," I softly said. "A lot of people would have just forced whatever they wanted onto their Pokemon."

"I'd never forgive myself if I did that. I'll give Eevee as much time as he needs."

"And I'm sure he loves you for that."

——

Later, I was forced to explain that I was going to sleep in my own tent to not wake the entire group up too early. I had forgotten that my friends had never actually known that I had nightmares because I had used Togetic's power our entire time together.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Justin asked me with concern. "Maybe sleeping in the company of people will help."

"I wish I'd known about this sooner," Cecilia said painfully.

"I'll be fine, guys," I said. "You guys just have a good night."

"Don't hesitate to call if you need someone," Denzel clapped my shoulder. "We're right there."

Pauline crossed her arms. "If I ever see any of these Galactic guys, I'll fuck them up. The fact that you can't sleep pisses me off. No one should have to go through that."

"Well, the right thing to do would be to call the League or the cops, but I appreciate that," I smiled. "Thanks, everyone. Good night."

I stepped into my tent and fell asleep. When I woke up screaming, Cece was there. I hurriedly climbed out of my sleeping bag.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, but I figured it would be nice to wake up to a familiar face. I wake up earlier than everyone else anyway."

"I— Thank you. It really does. If I was alone right now, I'd probably still be trying to calm myself down."

"I did say I would try to help in any way I could," The girl smiled. "Why don't we train while we wait for the others to wake up?"

"Gladly."

——

On the third day, we finally reached Eterna city. The city's aesthetic was completely different from Jubilife and Oreburgh. The roads were still paved with gray bricks instead of concrete, and there weren't any skyscrapers in sight. Two huge stadiums towered in the distance that I recognized as the gym and one of the contest halls that Emilia was crazy about. The buildings had a rustic feeling to them, and vegetation was everywhere, although there was less of it than in Floaroma. Loud screams could be heard as we turned the corner to the Pokemon Center, and I was outraged at what I saw. People were… protesting, yelling loudly, and carrying signs with different slogans written on them.

"Down with the League's tyranny!"

"Our memories are ours only!"

"Cynthia, step down!"

"What the hell?" I said, my voice trembling.

"They're protesting the National Security Emergency Act," Denzel grimaced. "This could spell trouble."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 59

"...third week of anti League government protests are underway with no signs of slowing down. Cities with the largest protests are Eterna, Hearthome, and Veilstone, but people in Jubilife and Sunnyshore have started organizing. There has still been no official response or acknowledgment from the League, but civilian governments are desperately trying to maintain order. Now with us, we have reporter Jensen here on the scene right in the heart of Eterna City. Jensen, what are you hearing on the ground?"

"Thank you, Mallory. As you can see behind me, people— both trainers and civilians alike— are angry. They want answers from the League, and they aren't getting any, which begs the question. What is Cynthia waiting for? Now, here is one of the protesters who was willing to run an interview with us. What's your name, sir?"

"I'm Willie, and I'm fucking pissed off—"

"Please refrain from swearing, sir."

"Fuck you! What kind of government takes back the people's freedom? Not my government! If they're extracting team Galactic's memories, it's only a matter of time until they extract yours! Fuck Cynthia—"

The screen cut away, returning to Mallory in her newsroom.

"Well, sorry about that. One thing is for sure about Champion Cynthia, she's going to have to come out of hiding eventually because she's facing rebellion from within. The coalition government in the Directorate has collapsed, and the new opposition party has been floating the idea of voting Prime Minister Vernon out of power. Of course, to do that, they'll have to get a majority vote, which they don't have yet, but a few members have already dissented and joined the opposition. And remind me, Patrick, what does that entail?"

Patrick, her co-host, spoke up.

"Well, a Prime Minister opposed to the Champion has never been seen before, since there's only been one PM, but if they are, then they'd have the power to start a vote with the intent of impeaching the Champion out of power. Granted, that would take two-thirds of the Directorate, so it seems like a long shot."

"Still something to keep an eye on. Cynthia might be safe for now, but Prime Minister Vernon—"

I switched channels and slammed the remote on my bed out of frustration. I was waiting in my Pokemon Center room with Denzel while the others went to the airport to pick up their special food mix for their teams, and I, unfortunately, couldn't help myself from listening to the news.

"This is bullshit," I spat. "Did you see their faces? They're enjoying every second of this."

Denzel sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, this is Cynthia's first big controversy, so they're going to be running this story for weeks or months. The ratings must be through the roof."

"Don't they understand the danger that team Galactic poses?! Cynthia just wants to help the region!" I exclaimed with my fists clenched. "And the media's just fanning the flames! Why don't they go speak with the victims instead of these protesters?"

"You're angry," He simply said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I yelled. "These people are going to distract Cynthia from investigating team Galactic with these stupid political games. That means more people might suffer. People might die."

"You've got to understand their point of view," Denzel said. "They're scared. Cynthia basically showed that she could just brute force their rights away."

"It's not their rights, she's only using it against team Galactic!" I said.

"But that's not how it looks from their point of view," My friend sighed. "It looks like a power grab from the League side of government, and civies aren't liking it. Hell, even some trainers are protesting. The forums are incredibly toxic, and that's saying something. Plus, the League certainly isn't helping by being radio silent."

"I just… I hate this. It's exhausting."

"Why don't we do something to clear your head? You haven't eaten fries in a while, want to go get some?" Denzel asked with a sad smile.

"I don't know. I just feel like doing nothing today."

"Come on, we at least have to go check out the gym!" He said. "The wait times are apparently crazy, so it'd be best to sign up as early as possible."

I groaned. "Fine, I guess."

We exited my room and made our way down using the elevators. I had gotten used to the smaller Centers of the outposts at both ends of Eterna forest, so I had almost forgotten how huge city Centers were. They were the tallest buildings in Eterna, bar a few exceptions. I breathed easy when I saw that the protestors had moved onto another street. I didn't think I'd be able to contain myself if they were still there.

Unlike in Oreburgh, the Eterna city gym was easy to spot. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the city. The stadium-like building looked modern and smooth compared to the old, rustic architecture that dominated the city, and it was also the largest building in Eterna by far, dwarfing anything else in sight. Still, even though it was visible from anywhere in the city, it was still relatively far away from the Center we had picked to stay at. We chose this Center mostly because it was close to the other's hotel, so it would be easy to meet up whenever we wanted.

Denzel and I stepped on one of the many trams that ran through the middle of Eterna's streets. Unlike Jubilife or Oreburgh, the city was much more axed toward pedestrian life, which was impressive for its size. But if someone had to get far from where they lived, they'd need to use the trams. I lazily stared at one of the tram line maps plastered on the walls of the vehicle. We were far, but at least we wouldn't need to do any line transfers. We rode in silence for twenty-five minutes, and then we got off.

I bit my tongue when I heard more protesters camped in front of the gym. It made sense, in a sick sort of way. Gardenia answered to the League, so protesting in front of her workplace was the best way to reach her.

"Keep your head down," Denzel said as we squeezed through the crowd.

"I'm not going to start a fight," I retorted. He probably didn't hear me. A few policemen were stationed in front of the entrance, blocking the protesters, and asked for our trainer ID cards before letting us through.

Needless to say, there weren't that many trainers inside of the gym lobby proper, but I could hear the chants and yells of the crowd sitting in the stand.

"Must be a good battle going on," Denzel said. "Here, why don't you sign up first."

I nodded and approached the receptionist, who looked to be a trainer just as young as I was, or maybe just slightly older. Unlike Oreburgh city, the gym trainers here wore a green and white uniform, with a Pokeball on the white side of her shirt, which was obviously because of the grass type specialization.

"Good morning, and welcome to the Eterna gym," The girl said with irritation. "Before you ask, no, I cannot go and tell Gardenia to do anything about the protests."

"Oh, I'm just here to sign up," I hesitantly said.

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh, Arceus, I'm so sorry! Um, here, trainer ID, please!" She stammered. I smiled. She was probably new here, and she reminded me of myself when I had first started out as a trainer.

"Sure, no problem," I said, handing her my ID.

"Again, so sorry," She professed as she typed something on her computer. "Oh, this isn't your first badge! Um… oh, right! Here, you'll only have to answer these, then," The girl continued, handing me a questionnaire. "And if you lie on any questions, you can get disqualified from the Circuit."

I stared at the paper intently. It was mostly a streamlined version of the questionnaire I had answered at Roark's gym, with the same kind of questions, such as the number of Pokemon I owned. I answered them all honestly and handed the receptionist the questionnaire.

"Thanks! I swear, we need to start making you answer these digitally right away, it's such a chore to input this manually…" She grumbled as she typed away on her keyboard. "And… there!" She exclaimed after a few minutes. "Your info's all updated. Your battle is in seven days, at 6:20 pm. If you lose, or you're late, you have to wait for two weeks to sign up again," She smiled as she handed me my ticket. "Any questions?"

"Wait," I said. "I don't have to battle a gym trainer this time?"

"Well, you already have a badge, so we assume you know what you're doing and won't waste Gardenia's time."

"Oh! Sounds good! Thank you for the help," I said as I left the counter.

I sat on one of the chairs as I waited for Denzel to sign up, glaring at the sliding glass doors that separated me and the protesters. One day, they'd all see that Cynthia was doing this for their own protection. I just wished that that day came sooner rather than later.

"There you go, I'm done," Denzel said.

"Oh, that was quick. When's your fight?"

"6:50 pm."

"Ah, you got the timeslot right after mine."

"Yup. Ready to head back?"

"Yeah, these people are giving me a headache," I said, pointing my thumb toward the crowd outside. "Let's get back to the Center."

"Sure you don't want something to eat? There's this really cool fast food place that I noticed on our way here."

"I'm not going to eat fast food in the morning," I groaned. "Let's just go tonight. If I'm hungry, I'll grab something from the Center cafeteria."

He nodded, and we quickly caught another tram before heading back to the Pokemon Center. I whipped out my Poketch and checked the time. The others were probably checking into their hotel by now, after which they'd go and sign up for the gym. I sat on the desk, setting the device against the wall, and grinned. I opened up the Eterna city gym website, where all of Gardenia's battles would be stored.

It was time to study.

——

"What in the world is this?" I sighed as I watched one of Gardenia's recent battles.

Luckily for me, there was a way to filter the battles by the number of badges the challenger had, so I didn't have to scour the site to find what the gym leader would use against people of my level. I groaned as Gardenia's Cherrim spat out a Leech Seed up in the sky at a trainer's Wingull. The flying type cried out and crashed to the ground, and Gardenia finished it off with Magical Leaf. The first thing I noticed from watching all of her fights was that all of her Pokemon had Leech Seed. All of them. And they could hit you from any distance with incredible accuracy— including all but the fastest flying types. If they did, you were on a timer. Your Pokemon would be slowly weakened, and its energy would be slowly sucked away.

Next, Gardenia didn't fight like Roark at all. Roark was a brutal trainer who'd keep attacking until either he or his challenger lost. He was always on the offense, and his Pokemon were trained to take as many hits as possible. Gardenia…

Gardenia fought like me. Well, that was insulting. It would be more accurate to say that I fought like a worse version of Gardenia.

She was methodical— no, she went a step forward. She was surgical. The start of her fights was always spent wasting time as she baited out her opponent's moves. When she did, she ruthlessly shut them down with a strategy she probably crafted on the fly. Roark's fights were often done brutally quickly, lasting just a few minutes. Gardenia's fights usually went over ten. I could already feel the stress mounting, and the battle was still seven days away.

But at the same time? Gardenia was the trainer I wanted to emulate the most. Win or lose, I'd learn a lot during the battle.

The Pokemon she used the most against trainers with one badge were Turtwig, Cherrim, Roselia, Pansage, and Foongus, but tougher trainers also had to face her Grotle, Leafeon, Sunflora or Gloom, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. She used way more Pokemon than Roark did, and that meant that studying against her would be incredibly difficult and time-consuming.

I grinned.

It would come down to a battle of endurance. All of her Pokemon used Leech Seed, but she was also an avid user of spore moves as well. Gardenia started off the battle slowly and fished out your weaknesses. Hell, you might even take down one of her Pokemon in the process, but then she would take that sense of security and obliterate it. The woman also liked using Grassy Terrain sometimes, which would boost the power of grass type moves, but also heal both of our Pokemon over the course of the battle.

Next up, I noticed something I hadn't seen before. Her stadium had no roof.

This was important because she was an avid Sunny Day user. The move made most grass types more powerful, but it was also a double-edged sword if one of her challengers had a fire type.

Or at least that's what I thought until I saw her completely shut down a trainer's Litleo with her Lombre's Rain Dance.

That's right, she had first used Sunny Day to boost her Gloom's speed to take down her opponent's first Pokemon, and then she changed the weather again— although it took a few minutes for her to be able to change the weather after having just done so. So not only did I have to contend with a surgical trainer that would take me down with a thousand cuts, I had to deal with her manipulating the weather to her advantage.

Oh, and her Sunflora also knew Solar Beam, one of the most powerful grass type moves that would probably take down Frillish in one hit.

Roark… Roark was an incredible trainer, but he was nowhere near this difficult. What was with the incredible jump in difficulty? I sighed and sunk deep into the armchair I sat on. How was I going to deal with this?

The trainers that won against her did so using two distinct strategies that I could find. Either they overwhelmed Gardenia with powerful Pokemon before she could get her footing and start counterattacking— which was something Cece was far better at doing than I was— or they tried using Pokemon fast enough to avoid her spores or Leech Seed. You could never go wrong with speed.

Well, for overwhelming power, I had… nothing, and for speed, I had Elekid. I'd have to beat Gardenia at her own game, which was something no one had figured out how to do yet. The one advantage I'd possibly have was that just like in my battle against Chase, I'd know almost everything about her, but she'd know nothing about me. The longer I used one of my Pokemon, the worse my position would get. And if I lost? Then the second battle would be at least twice as hard.

This fight was going to be a puzzle, and I'd have to use everything I had learned so far to win. I needed a plan against each Pokemon, and then a plan B, and probably a plan C for good measure, and that wasn't even counting all the training I'd have to do to teach my team their new moves.

"Holy fuck," I said with a slight chuckle. "This is insane."

But I loved it all the same. The crafting of a strategy that paid off and carried you to victory. The rush of adrenaline, the elation after winning.

Seeing how strong I could become if I emulated Gardenia had just made me fall in love with Pokemon battling even deeper, and this was only the second badge. What kind of strategies did all the other leaders employ? What heights would I reach if I absorbed Gardenia's fighting style to perfection? I licked my lips and started playing another video.

I probably was going to put off meeting with the others today. I was going to train and study all day instead. This was going to be the most intense seven days of training I was going to put myself and my team through. I wasn't going to sleep tonight, but on the bright side, there'd be no nightmares.

Speaking of nightmares, I had to call Amanda to set up new sessions soon.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 60

I flinched and almost tripped on a rock before being caught by Togetic's Extrasensory. Unlike Confusion, Extrasensory manipulated the area around the object or thing it wanted to manipulate instead of controlling it directly, but it still felt strange all the same. My hair levitated as if I was in space and the air I breathed struggled to get into my lungs. Togetic let go of me and let out a happy cry.

"Thank you, princess," I said, looking at her with a smile. "That was probably a sign anyway, I think we're far enough."

I set my bag on the rocky ground that this side of route 211 was best known for, and felt a sense of dread wash over me when I looked up at Mount Coronet in all of its glory. It was my first time being this close to the mountain in person, and it was nothing like seeing it on a screen. I felt small. Insignificant, in the face of such a colossal creation of nature, and I was still a day away from reaching the actual mountain.

Not that I'd actually be able to get in even if I was suicidal enough to go. The entrance to this side of the mountain was permanently closed, meaning that if someone wanted to go through to get to Snowpoint City, they'd have to go all the way around and go through Celestic.

I was starting to see why some trainers preferred to scale the Arceus damned thing instead.

I grabbed my Pokeballs and released the rest of the team. There was no wasting any time. I needed to be as ready as possible for the gym, and that meant that all social activities would have to be delayed to after my battle with Gardenia. They settled in a line in front of me, and I clapped my hands together to get their attention.

"Alright, guys," I started. "In one week, we're going to have our second gym battle."

At the mention of a gym battle, Frillish's eyes narrowed, and Togetic started paying more attention. Elekid stared at the two in confusion and then acted like he understood what I was talking about, while Tangela just stared blankly into my eyes.

"Been a while, right?" I grinned. "We've progressed immensely as a team since our battle with Roark. Honey, angel, let me explain what I'm talking about…"

I explained the concept of gym battles to them and Elekid's eyes immediately shone in anticipation. Tangela's vines wriggled slightly, which was what he did when he was excited.

"That means that we're going to train harder than ever before! C'mere buddy," I told Frillish. He lazily approached me, and I wrapped an arm around him. "Come on, don't be such a downer! This is going to be great! I need you to work on two new moves, and since you're awesome, I think you can manage."

Frillish turned his head toward me slightly and bobbed his head.

"Great! They're called Acid Armor and Mist, and they're mostly defensively minded. We already have Poison Sting and Hex to deal damage, so now I just need you to have a little more survivability for the battle. I'll be around to help you out soon."

The water type nodded, and I rubbed my head against his until he groaned in frustration and slipped out of my grasp.

"You wound me!" I joked. "You don't see me complaining about how slimy you are."

"Lish!" He yelled out in protest.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll keep hugging you anyway!" I exclaimed. "Ahem… now, princess, you're going to play a major part in the battle, so I'll need you to work hard, alright?"

"Prrri!" She answered with a twirl.

"Very cute. First, I need you to work on improving Extrasensory's range. What I'm thinking you can do is alter a ranged attack's path with the move, maybe? It won't work as well as Confusion, but it'll do the trick. And obviously, more range is always good, since you'll be able to use the move from a safer position."

Princess tweeted, and her eyes shone as she picked up angel with the psychic move. The grass type extended some of his vines toward her, but she giggled and stopped him from doing so.

"Hey, now's not the time to be playing," I said with my hands on my hips. "Use Ancient Power to get some targets to practice on. In fact, I'll need some for Tangela too."

Togetic let go of the grass type, who caught himself with his vines with surprising dexterity.

"That was good," I praised him. He wriggled and squinted at me. "Oh, and princess, I'll also have to save to get you a TM soon!" I yelled as she flew away. In retrospect, she probably didn't even know what that was. "Frillish, you're on older brother duty again. Keep an eye on her while you train."

He smiled and floated toward her.

"Thank bud! I know I always ask a lot of you, and I appreciate your help," I exclaimed. "Alright, now back to you, little one," I continued, crouching next to Tangela. "No new moves. We'll just practice what you already know and try to get you to become a little tougher so you can take more attacks, understand?" I spoke slowly, clearly enunciating every syllable. He blinked at me twice and pet me with a vine. "Good! We'll also work more on your understanding of verbal commands."

I looked at Elekid and grinned. "You're our ace in this battle, Elekid," I said. He flexed his arms and yelled out triumphantly. "There's no time to learn both Fire and Ice Punch, so we'll have to pick one…" I trailed off.

On one hand, Fire Punch could be a nasty surprise if Gardenia ever set up a Sunny Day, but on the other, it could be shut down easily by Rain Dance. I nodded. Ice Punch was the safer option to go with.

"We'll go with Ice Punch. Now you and angel are with me today since you'll probably need a bunch of help, but I'll also be with the others a bunch."

I heard the ground rumble as Togetic raised rocks and boulders from the ground one by one. She was getting better at making them circles this time around.

"Well then, let's get started!"

——

"How about you try feeling the ice?" I asked Elekid. The electric type screamed and punched the air, but there was no ice to be seen.

It was a dilemma I knew I was going to have to deal with, which was why I wanted to be with Elekid to train. How did a Pokemon create ice from nothing?

"So, for Thunder Punch," I started. "You just use Charge and spin your arms around, and then channel it to your fist. For ice… hm, why don't we go see how Frillish is doing?" I asked.

The electric type nodded.

"Alright, angel, keep the Vine Whips going! You're making good progress," I told him. He smashed another rock that Togetic had raised for him with terrifying speed and strength.

We walked up to Frillish, who was away from all the noise and hubbub and keeping an eye on Togetic, who was playing around and juggling some rocks with Extrasensory. Her childlike laughs immediately stopped when she saw me coming, and she started pretending to train seriously.

"I saw that, but I'll let it go," I said to her sternly. The truth was, I was trying to hold back a smirk, but a parent had to be the voice of reason in times like these. "How's it going, Frillish? I know you have a soft spot for her, but being the older siblings means you've got to lay down the law."

The water type huffed, ignoring me before he spun around a puff of mist started coming out of his mouth, slowly enveloping him. It wasn't anywhere near the amount we needed for the gym battle, but I was surprised he was already so far along.

"It's only been two hours," I told him. "Wait… Frillish… are you a genius?!"

He huffed and splashed me with a little bit of cold water.

"Hey! Don't do that in this cold weather… you're killing me here," I whined, wiping water off my face. "Anyway, Elekid and I are in need of help. I see you've already mastered how to use ice. How?"

Now, I wasn't expecting him to answer with an essay here, but I figured he'd be able to communicate the gist of it.

"Fri…" He said quietly as his eyes dimmed. He was thinking.

Frillish's eyes widened before he spat out a small jet of water. The water was so cold that mist started to form around it— albeit in small quantities. Frillish stared at me and nodded proudly.

"So… you use the water already in your body to create mist," I nodded. A few seconds passed before I slammed my fist against my palm. "Living Pokemon are always made of some water," I exclaimed. "For humans, I remember learning in school that the number's sixty percent," I said, before staring at Elekid. "I think you need to find a way to turn some of that water into ice, hon. Maybe you can even use, like, the moisture in the air, or something. Since the Dex says you can use the move, there should be a way for you to do one of these or both."

"Elekid!" He boasted.

"Nothing you can't handle, huh?" I smiled. "Well, that's getting somewhere. Let's get to work!"

——

Another two hours had passed, and we were getting somewhere. Elekid managed to make his fist colder and have fragments of ice form onto it whenever he attacked, but it tired him out fast, and it also made him thirsty. I handed him a bottle of water, which he awkwardly held with his clawed hands and downed in seconds.

"Why don't you take a break, honey?" I told him. He protested, but I insisted until he said yes. "You too, Tangela," I said. "Or… maybe not?"

The grass type had been using Vine Whip the entire time, and he wasn't tiring. At first, I had been impressed, but now I was kind of scared, although I theorized that it was because today was particularly sunny. Improvement by repetition was slow, but if he could do it for hours at a time without breaks? His improvement speed would be on par with the others, or maybe even faster.

"I'll go check out Frillish and Togetic again. Be back in ten minutes," I told the two.

I let out a satisfied sigh when I saw that Togetic was taking her training seriously, no doubt because Frillish kept scolding her. She silently moved a small boulder away from her with a look of pure concentration on her face. I stayed silent and winked at Frillish, who was watching intently. I could tell by the slight movements on his face that he was silently rooting for her. After around forty-five feet, her control over the rock weakened, and after sixty, it crashed onto the ground.

"You did great, princess!" I praised her. She turned to me in surprise and could only muster a tired nod. "Here, take a break. I have some water if you want."

I gave her some water and gently scratched her neck before turning to Frillish.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

He bobbed his head silently.

"Good, huh?" I smiled. "You've got the hang of Mist, and now it's all about practicing with it, but how about Acid Armor?"

The water type shook his head.

"Then let's get to it. Here, let me help you," I said, grabbing my Pokedex. "It says here that you're supposed to… alter your cellular structure to liquefy yourself. Uh… that sounds complicated, hold on," I said, reading it a few more times. "Okay, so in simple terms, you're supposed to turn into goo."

"Lish…"

"You're already pretty slimy," I started. "Can you make yourself slimier?" He looked at me with a disappointed stare. "Okay, sorry, that was a stupid question, but I'm just spitballing here. Uh, you're kind of like… entirely made out of liquid water, no? And you can alter water and weave it into moves. Why don't you try to alter yourself using the same methodology?" I asked.

The ghost type nodded before closing his eyes. I watched in anticipation with Togetic, waiting to see what would happen. His body trembled slightly for around two minutes until he finally opened his eyes again.

"Doesn't look like much has changed," I said before trying to touch him.

My hand went through his body.

"Holy shit, that felt so… so weird," I said. My hand felt wet when I passed it through him, but it was completely dry now. Suddenly I realized that he had used the move. "Wait, you did it! You did it, you did it!" I celebrated, jumping around wildly. "You are a genius!"

He nodded and let out a familiar huff, but the sound was completely different than his normal voice. It was distant and alien like I was listening to something underwater. He went through the same two-minute process again to turn back to his natural state.

"Now we just need to get you to use it in seconds instead of minutes," I said. "Although that's probably easier said than done."

But when he did? His defensive options against physical attacks would go through the roof.

"Take a break, bud," I said. "You deserve it."

——

"Feeling tired now, huh?" I told Tangela. "The sun's down."

He blinked twice and nodded. The grass type was sitting on the ground with a bunch of his vines all untangled, forming into some kind of cushion. It was very cute to look at, but also somewhat disturbing to see his form so… fluid was the word. I had been so engrossed in my training that before I realized it, night had come. I was hungry, tired, and sore, since I had gone on a run with Elekid. I figured it was time to start those back up again, especially with how useful my endurance was in Eterna forest. I gathered my team and stood in front of them with my back straight. They were all exhausted. Frillish was struggling to float, while Togetic was just lying down on the ground. Elekid was still standing, but I could tell he was only doing so because of his pride as a battler.

"You all did amazing today," I started. "I've never pushed you this far, but you did even better than I expected. If we do this every day, I have no doubt that we'll be ready to tackle the gym."

Another two days to get familiar enough to use the moves on a regular basis without tiring themselves, and then I'd use the other three to make them battle each other.

"But uh… this is kind of awkward," I started. "I'm kind of low on money, so I need one of you to go with me to one of the arenas to battle some trainers. Anybody up for that?" I tried.

Tangela lazily retracted all of his vines and walked up.

"Thanks, angel," I smiled. "I'll let the others rest. You can rest in your Pokeball too until we get to the arena."

I recalled them all and started walking back toward Eterna city. My feet and legs were terribly sore, and I was physically tired. It was important to remember that I wasn't a Pokemon. I couldn't keep working myself to the point of exhaustion, but I was just having so much fun.

Plus, it wasn't like I could sleep anyway, although I hoped the appointment with Amanda next week would help remedy that.

Oh well, at least when these seven days were over, I'd be able to take a well-deserved break. I wondered what the others were doing.

——

"Isn't she one of Obel's friends?"

"Did you see her destroy Chase Karlson the other day?"

"She's smaller than I thought."

Ugh. Whispers and gossip spread around me like a disease. All of this attention was making me nervous. I wanted to go back to being a no-name trainer like I had always been, but that was impossible now. I walked up to one of the battlefields before tightening my shoelaces, but before I was about to look for someone to battle, a few trainers had already made their way to me to challenge me.

Well, I supposed that was one way to make money. I accepted the first challenger to a one-on-one battle, and he won the coinflip, prompting me to release Tangela. I could tell that the boy was nervous, which surprised me.

How could someone be nervous to battle little old me?

He released a Timburr, who carried a large piece of lumber in its arm. I had seen the Pokemon a few times on television, and they were known to be excellent construction builders, but I never expected the piece of wood they carried to be brought into the Pokeball with them.

I took a deep breath, and the battle started.

"Timburr, Bulk Up, and then get close!" The teen yelled out.

The fighting type's muscles bulged out as it flexed its entire body. I watched as Timburr slowly ran up to Tangela, giving me ample time to think. The Pokemon was slow, especially with the load it carried, but a few good hits was probably all it would take to beat Tangela, especially since he was so tired. Now wasn't the time to underestimate our opponent.

"Bind him, angel!" I ordered.

Tangela shivered as five vines flew toward the fighting type. Timburr used his piece of Lumber to knock two away, but the other three grasped him tightly. It groaned in pain as angel tightened his grip— so much so that I was starting to worry.

"Not too hard, angel," I warned. "He's not a rock."

He was still a wild Pokemon in many ways, unused to battles. Tangela loosened his grip enough to let the Timburr breathe, but he was still unable to move.

"Come on, Timburr! You're stronger than this!"

My eyes widened as Timburr let out an enraged scream and tore out Tangela's vines.

"Bind him again," I said,

Three, five, ten vines confined the Timburr this time. There was no getting out of Tangela's grasp.

"Mega Drain."

Tangela's vines started to glow, and the energy made its way back to the grass type, who writhed in delight. When he was done, he retracted his vines, and Timburr fell to the ground.

"Good job, Tangela. That was some good range," I praised him. A vine extended behind him and affectionately wrapped around my ankle. "Good battle," I told the teenager.

"You're too good," He smiled thinly. "But I've always wanted to battle against a trainer with a badge."

I nodded, and he walked up to hand me my prize money, which wasn't much. There wasn't a set amount trainers were forced to give when they lost, which was something the League implemented to stop trainers from bankrupting themselves from a losing streak, but the minimum amount was one hundred pokedollars. I thanked him, and the next challenger was already ready for me.

At this rate, I'd be able to buy Thunder Wave before the gym battle.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - Preparations

Justin watched in awe as the weather above Gardenia's gym— far in the distance— became overcast. He couldn't see the individual raindrops, but he knew that it'd be raining, or at least that was what Louis' informant had told him. He felt bad about skirting around the learning process that so many trainers seemed to go through religiously, but his heart just wasn't in it. Louis' father always paid people who already knew the ins and outs of the gym leader's strategy and then tell them about it. It was a rather lucrative job that older, more experienced trainers tended to do. After all, the evolutionary stones, supplementary vitamins, and powerful TMs that were needed to thrive at the top wouldn't buy themselves.

The teen shrugged and walked off toward route 205. Alas, even with an informant, he still needed to train, even though he somewhat disliked doing it. Watching his Pokemon practice their moves over and over was dull, but he couldn't afford to lose. Plus, there was his Lotad to think about. The water type couldn't move very well due to the overgrown leaf it carried, and it seldom listened to his orders. It was Justin's first time having to train a Pokemon from scratch. Growlithe had been his family's, but his father allowed him to take the fire type with him for the journey. The old canine was loyal and was the Pokemon he tended to use the most. Sandile had already been trained and was used to humans thanks to the breeders his father had bought it from. It was a little lazy, and it hated Sinnoh's cold temperatures. His species was native to the hot deserts of Unova, so he couldn't exactly blame him.

Justin sighed and released his team. Growlithe immediately barked and sat obediently. Sandile let out a lazy growl and blinked a few times, and Lotad croaked as he stumbled through the grassy terrain.

"It's time to train," He started. "I'd like to use mostly you and Lotad for the gym battle, but Sandile might see some action as well," Justin finished, pointing at Growlithe.

He half-heartedly asked them to practice their moves. Growlithe would work on Fire Fang and Ember, and Sandile would need to improve the strength of his Bite. Justin scanned Lotad with his new Pokedex again, since he couldn't remember his moves.

"Mega Drain, Water Gun, Growl, Astonish, Absorb, and Bubblebeam," Justin recited. "You won't be able to dish out that much damage, but you should be able to resist at least some of her grass type moves."

A day had passed since the group reached Eterna city, and his gym battle was in eight days, as was everyone else's except Grace and Denzel, who rushed to sign up while they were at the airport and checking in at their hotel. The young trainer wondered if it would be enough to win. From what their informant had told them, Gardenia was a surprisingly tough gym leader. That was for two reasons. Now that they all had a badge, gym leaders tended to hold back less, and Gardenia was apparently among the strongest of the new generation of gym leaders along with Volkner.

Justin quite liked battling, but not to the extent that he'd need to work this hard to get a win. He preferred the more casual approach that the group had had back in Jubilife, before setting off on their journey through the Circuit, but now, it seemed that only he and Emilia just couldn't get their heart into being a trainer. The others were passionate, with their eyes full of life every time they spoke of the sport. He clasped at his coat.

Why couldn't he be like them?

Justin's passion lay in business. He dreamed of taking over Pherzen, his father's company. There were so many avenues that his dad could use to improve the company's profits, influence, and interregional reach, starting with getting involved in human medicine. Of course, the company sold some products intended for human use, but they could be doing so much more. Justin believed that Pherzen's scientists could push the limits of human medicine and make healing human wounds and diseases just as easy as healing Pokemon, but his father kept saying that it was too dangerous. He was stuck in the past.

Now all Justin needed was to go through the Circuit twice, and he would be primed to take over the company once his father retired. He would endeavor to usher humanity into a new golden age. Cancer, Alzheimer's, limb regeneration using Ditto cells. These weren't theories. They were already proven to work. All they needed to do was finetune the process and get through human trials. If Pherzen wasn't going to patent these technologies first, another company would, and they would become a major competitor.

But he was getting ahead of himself. There was no point in dreaming about the future if he couldn't make it through the present.

"Lotad, please," He groaned. "I asked for a Bubblebeam, not a Water Gun."

The boy placed his hands over his face and groaned again. Maybe this was a waste of time, and he would be better off counting on Growlithe for everything, which was what he had done with Roark by using Sandile. He wanted a Lotad, but this one seemed to be very uncooperative.

Justin was about to give up and call it a day when an idea popped into his head. Why not call someone for help? Surely one of his friends would be available, although he wouldn't call Emi, since she shared his same distaste for training Pokemon.

He dialed Pauline's number into his Poketch and was surprised when she picked up immediately.

"Justin, not now. I'm busy," Pauline said with her usual snark.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if—"

Ah. She hung up on him. Well, Pauline had always been like this, so he paid it no mind. Justin called Cecilia next. She took a while to answer, but after a few rings, she picked up.

"Cece! I was wondering if you could help me. I have issues with my Lotad, and I'm in need of some training guidance," Justin said.

"Have you tried beating it in a battle?" She asked.

"Wait, what?"

"You need to win until it respects you."

Justin stared at Lotad, who used Bubblebeam and was blown away by the force of the attack. He was stuck on his lilypad, with his six legs wriggling in the air.

"Tad!" He croaked in panic.

Justin sighed and helped the poor water type get back on his feet. "I don't think respect is the problem here," He said. "I think I need a softer approach."

"Well, that isn't how I do things, so I'm afraid I won't be of any help," She said with a saddened tone. "Maybe try someone else?"

"Don't worry about it," Justin smiled. "Thank you for your time."

So Cecilia wasn't going to work either. He wanted to call Louis, but the truth was that even if he liked him as a friend, Louis could get very irritating when explaining something. Plus, he still struggled with his Gible, so the boy probably wouldn't be the best to take advice from.

"Alright," Justin sighed. "Denzel it is."

The Poketch rang a few times, but no one answered. Justin called another two times, but he didn't want to bother his friend. For all he knew, Denzel could be deep in a training session after all. That left Grace.

"Justin?" She said in her familiar high-pitched voice.

"Grace, I hope I'm not bothering you. I might need some help to train my Lotad and get him up to speed."

Justin heard a small yell that he recognized as Elekid.

"What's up with you?" She told the Pokemon. "I'll be right there, just hold on a sec," She told Justin. He waited for a few seconds before Grace spoke up again. "I'm training on route 211 right now, but if you're willing to come, I'll help you out."

"Oh, truly?" Justin smiled. He originally had just wanted advice, but him being with her would probably make the process easier. "I'll be there. Where exactly on route 211?"

——

Justin watched as the small blonde girl waved at him from afar. It was his first time on this route, and he already hated it. The uneven, rocky ground made it a pain to walk through, and the wild Pokemon here weren't scared of walking up to him due to their curiosity and being used to humans, since they lived so close to a city. She was surrounded by her Pokemon. Justin swallowed as Frillish glared at him behind her with that usual sinister look the water type always had. Tangela had so many of his vines wrapped around her right leg and arm going under her sleeves that it made him shiver. Elekid was at her side, working on some kind of punching attack, and Togetic lazily had her neck over her shoulder as she pet her head.

It still surprised him, how close Grace was to her Pokemon. It was a connection he had rarely seen in most trainers. The only ones that came even close were Denzel's Eevee and Cece's Fletchinder, but Grace was intimate with her entire team. Even the Tangela she had caught relatively recently.

"So where's the little Lotad?" The blonde girl said, getting straight to the point. "My Pokemon are on a break right now, so I'll help you out."

Justin nodded and released the water type, who stared at Grace and her team before looking back at him.

"I've been trying to get him to use his moves correctly, but he won't listen," Justin said. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

Grace frowned. "Well, first of all, let's not be rude, alright? He's trying his best." She walked forward as Tangela unwrapped his vines around her before crouching next to Lotad. "Hey, little guy. Think we can work together today?"

Lotad let out a slight croak.

"Sounds good," She beamed, before looking at Justin. "What moves is he struggling with?"

"Mostly differentiating Bubblebeam and Water Gun," Justin sighed. "But there's also the fact that he can't walk very well."

"Well, he's an aquatic Pokemon, so that's a given. C'mere bud," Grace said, beckoning her Frillish. His eyes stayed on Justin the entire time. "Mind helping out Lotad here? You know Bubblebeam, and I'm sure you're good enough to make some bootleg version of Water Gun."

"Fri…"

"No? Not for me?" She said, pouting.

Justin watched in awe and confusion. This girl seemed to understand what her Pokemon was saying, and was having a full-blown conversation with it. It usually took months for a trainer to get that good at reading their Pokemon, and Justin still struggled with Growlithe, who he had owned for years. Eventually, she managed to convince the ghost type to help Lotad, and she sent him off with a pat on the back.

"Thanks, Frillish! You're the best!" The girl smiled. The water type turned and glared at her, and Justin flinched. "Aw, you're so cute when you're mad. Isn't he the cutest?" She asked him.

"I don't know about that…" Justin said, adjusting his collar.

"Eh, he grows on you," Grace shrugged. "Now for the walking part, you can probably fix some of that by your battle, but does Lotad even have to walk?"

"What do you mean?" Justin frowned.

"Did you forget? Every gym arena has a pond for water types to fight in. You can just release Lotad in there during your battle, and he's much more used to moving in water than on land."

Justin slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten such a crucial detail? Grace spent the rest of her break giving him advice on how to tackle the fight while Lotad was training with Frillish.

"Your Sandile, for example," She started. "They can travel underground really well, right?"

"Correct. It's like swimming through water for them."

"Then he's probably your strongest," Grace quickly continued. "There aren't many of Gardenia's Pokemon that can counter Dig, and some members of her team have the poison typing. That means you'll probably have to lead with Lotad to bait out one of her poison types to lock her into using at least one. That way, you'll be getting as much leverage as possible from your Sandile. You could also try to bait out two of her poison types by recalling Lotad mid-battle and keeping it at the back of her mind and saving Sandile for last, but that's a risker strategy, so that's honestly up to you. So you'll want Growlithe as your all-rounder to fall back on, Lotad as your bait and pivot, and Sandile as your ace…"

Justin's mind swam. She was giving him more information than the actual informant that Louis had paid tens of thousands of Pokedollars for free. Grace's green eyes were full of passion as she basically created a strategy for him to use. It was honestly scary.

"...and yeah, that should be it, but you'll have to alter the way you tackle the fight depending on what Pokemon she uses, but I'm still studying that," She said. "And hey, it looks like Lotad's already done. He's pretty smart."

The boy looked as Lotad alternated between Bubblebeam and Water Gun, closely following Frillish's example. He gave her a shaky nod and thanked her for the help.

Grace Pastel was overwhelming. Behind that small frame and unassuming voice was a monster that loved battling more than anything. Justin had no doubt now she was just as good of a trainer as Cecilia was, although she was probably still lacking in raw strength. Seeing her work this hard was inspiring, but it didn't suddenly ignite an innate passion for Pokemon battling. He was still committed to his ambitions with Pherzen.

It did make him want to try a little harder, though.

——

Pauline tapped her foot repeatedly against the floor of her hotel room as she browsed the internet for interesting Pokemon to catch on route 205 and route 211. Down south was the Cycling Road, and there were no Pokemon on it, so that only left two routes as options. None of these Pokemon were catching her eye.

"Machop, Starly, Ponyta, Teddiursa… Arceus, all of these are garbage!" She yelled out.

On one hand, she didn't want to admit defeat and get a Pokemon sent to her like Louis was. On the other, she wasn't confident enough to be sure that she could beat Gardenia in a two-on-three. Charmeleon had the firepower to beat most of what she would throw at her, and Gothita would hold her own, but that fucking informant had instilled doubt into her.

Not that she would admit that to anyone. The King family valued strength above all, and admitting her inner doubts would be a sign of weakness. Suddenly, her Poketch rang. She clicked her tongue and picked it up.

"Justin, not now. I'm busy," Pauline said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just wondering if—"

She hung up and threw the device on her bed. After looking for a few more minutes, the redhead groaned.

"Whatever, I give up. I'll try the fight with Charmeleon and Gothita," Pauline told herself.

She started dressing up to go and train, but her phone rang again. She swore, answering right away.

"Justin, I thought I told you not now," She yelled.

"What a rude way to greet your own mother."

Pauline's eyes widened. "Mommy? What do you want?"

"Can't a concerned mother check up on her beloved daughter once in a while?" She asked with a humorous tone.

Pauline huffed. Her mother and her had never bothered with these pretenses of love and affection. She raised her well, and they sometimes lived in the same mansion, but that was it.

"Come on, mommy," Pauline said, twirling her hair. "I know you fucking want something. Stop wasting my time and spill before I hang up."

Her mother laughed. "I want two things, actually. First, it has come to my attention that you have completely abandoned the mission I gave you at the start of your journey."

For the first time, Pauline's confidence faltered. "How do you know about that?"

"Spies, my dear," Her mother simply answered.

"You're spying on me?!" The teenager yelled. "Fuck you."

"We are all spying. Our pockets run deep, and trainers tend to be desperate for money. That informant Louis Bianchi paid? He was one of mine. Once again, you are outwitted. Take it as a valuable lesson."

"So all of our parents are paying trainers to spy on us?"

"Why did you abandon your mission?" The woman said, ignoring her question. "Answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

Pauline waited a few seconds, then sighed. "I just couldn't do it. I was on board at first, but Louis was too insufferable, and then much to my chagrin, I started to actually befriend him. I'm not that cruel."

"And now our only hope to stop the marriage from within has been blown to smithereens," Her mother said disappointingly. "You didn't have to date him. All you had to do was seduce him once and expose him. The boy is as naive and dumb as a bag of rocks. He thinks he is doing as he pleases, but his father controls him like a puppet."

"I couldn't do that to my friends," Pauline said, standing her ground.

"I respect that choice. It takes real strength to go against the current and to make your own decisions. Still, when the Obel Energy Company and the Bianchi Conglomerate merge, nothing will stand between them and unlimited riches, power, and influence. Are you saying your friendships are more important than that?" She asked.

"That's what I'm saying," Pauline said firmly. "Now answer my fucking question, mommy."

"Your question actually has to do with the second thing I called you for today," Her mother started. "Your two new commoner friends. I advise you to cease contact with them immediately."

"Grace and Denzel? Why, because it pisses Harvey and Clarence off? I don't care about that," Pauline said. "And I honestly thought you'd have my back on that," She continued, feeling a pang of sadness.

"I don't think you realize the power these two wield and the danger these two are in. I am not telling you to cease contact because I care who you befriend, I am saying it to protect them."

"They wouldn't go that far. You said it was just spying, not anything illegal," The trainer said with a twinge of nervousness. "Plus, the amount of negative press it would attract—"

"They won't go that far yet, but when they do, I will be powerless to stop it. And enough about the press," Her mother quipped. "I raised you better than a naive girl. The police's silence can be bought, and so can the way the press or the covers a story."

"So you're saying they'll murder them?" She asked.

"They might do something far worse than that," Her mother warned.

Pauline pressed her head against her hand worriedly. She had hated Grace at first. The way she had beaten her in that battle during Floaroma's tournament got on her nerves, and the way she wormed her way into their group through Cecilia had irritated her too. Pauline had been the only one to oppose her and Denzel's addition to the group. She had been more neutral on Denzel, but that neutrality had aired on the side of dislike.

That had been before.

Now? Pauline thought the two to be good friends, even though they disagreed on a lot, and Denzel was always someone they could rely upon, especially in difficult times. Plus, he was funny, although she would never admit it to his face.

Her answer was already set.

"Mommy?" She said.

"Yes?"

"Tell Harvey and Clarence to fuck off the next time you see them. Tell them it was from me," She grinned.

Her mother laughed. "Another hard choice made. Now I just hope you can live with the consequences," She said before sighing. "I'll do what I can to delay a response from them as long as possible, but be careful about the spying. Don't take any new trainers into your group."

"Obviously, I won't, I wouldn't just befriend anyone."

"Oh, and one more thing," Her mother said. "I love you, Pauline."

The redhead's eyes widened, and she felt a sudden rush of emotion. Her mother almost never said those words to her, which made her realize how serious the situation was. She would need to warn the others soon, but first, she wanted to let them rest without worry for a week or two. Especially Emi.

"I love you too, mommy," She sniffled, allowing herself a rare moment of weakness. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'll be busy for a few weeks, but why don't I visit you when you get to Hearthome…"

Pauline beamed. No matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, she was a mommy's girl at heart.

——

Louis fiddled in anticipation. His Vulpix was about to be hand delivered by one of his Breeder's employees. She was apparently a spectacular specimen, born to two Ninetales, which meant that her power would already be at incredible levels, and her potential for growth was sky-high. Any minute now, he would hear the knock on his hotel door—

There it was!

Louis rushed to the entrance, which took quite a while due to the size of the hotel room. They all rented a different penthouse to live in during their stay in Eterna city.

"Finally," He said before opening the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Bianchi," The junior breeder said before grabbing a Luxury ball from a fancy glass container. "There she is," He smiled.

"Thank you. Ah, let me write you a tip."

Louis hurriedly grabbed his checkbook from his bag and gave the breeder 130,000 Pokedollars. His eyes bulged before he thanked him profusely.

"Thank you so much! I don't know how to— how to repay this kindness."

"Just keep breeding fantastic Pokemon, and that'll be enough," Louis smiled.

The breeder left after thanking him again a few times. Louis excitedly released his Vulpix. The red fox stared at him with a curious intensity, but other than that, she was docile. She would at least be easier than Gible. No matter how hard Louis tried, he couldn't get the Dragon type to listen to him. It disappointed him to no end.

He grabbed his Pokedex and scanned Vulpix.

Vulpix, the fox Pokemon. At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokémon receives plenty of love from its Trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled. Inside Vulpix's body burns a flame that never goes out. During the daytime, when the temperatures rise, this Pokémon releases flames from its mouth to prevent its body from growing too hot.

Type: Fire

Moves: Ember, Tail Whip, Disable, Will-O-Wisp, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, Quick Attack, Incinerate, Hypnosis, Flame Charge (click for more information)

Ability: Drought (click for more information)

The trainer couldn't help but let out an excited yell when he saw all the moves that Vulpix had available already. Not only did she have incredibly powerful moves, she could also harass the enemy with status effects. Such wonderful versatility!

His eyes settled on the ability, which he clicked on since he had never seen it before.

Drought: The sunlight turns harsh when the Pokemon is in battle.

"Arceus!" He screamed in excitement.

"Pix!" The fire type yelled back.

That would be a crucial ability to tackle Gardenia's mastery of the weather. Without Rain Dance, it would be impossible for her to stop fire type attacks. He had stuck gold with this purchase.

Still, he wouldn't grow overconfident. Louis knew his Pokemon were the strongest, but his informant had greatly stymied that feeling. He needed to train to be sure to beat Gardenia.

"Let's see what you can do, Vulpix," He said, staring at her.

Hours later, Louis had never felt more elated. Vulpix was obedient and as powerful as he had hoped. She crushed any trainer or wild Pokemon that stood in her way. Maybe with her and Prinplup combined, he'd be able to finally get Gible under control as Cece had done with Deino.

Louis sighed when he thought about Cecilia. When his father had told him months ago that he was set to marry a fifteen-year-old girl, he had vehemently refused. It had been the first time Louis had opposed his father so strongly on anything. He had just turned eighteen. He didn't want his life to be controlled by his father any longer.

But then he saw her for the first time.

And he immediately fell in love. It consumed his entire being. Louis had never been this love-struck so strongly by anyone before. Sure, he dated some girls before, but the relationships never lasted more than a few months. And then what was worse, is that he actually enjoyed talking to her! She took a while to open up, but when she did, oh Arceus, it made his love for her grow past mere physical attraction.

And yet… these days, he didn't speak to Cece that much. Ever since that day at the outpost, when she caught him speaking to Amy. Since she was Cecilia's best friend, he hadn't thought she would react so negatively. She never explicitly stated it, but Louis was sure that Cece thought he was cheating on her. How else could he explain this sudden aversion to him?

And yet he never cheated! All Amy wanted from him was to know how Cece was doing, or who Grace and Denzel were. Louis thought it to be a mere background check from a worried friend. He too, had not trusted the two new members of the group when they first started traveling with them, but he had grown to like them.

"Hah…" He sighed. "I was in such a good mood earlier today, and now look at me."

He grabbed his Poketch, and his thumb hovered over Cece's number. His hand trembled for a bit before he resigned. There was no point in calling her. She was still angry with him. The trainer wallowed in self-pity for a bit until he got an idea. It was already nighttime, so surely Grace wouldn't be busy, and she would be open to giving him advice. She had grown remarkably close to Cece in little time, so surely she would know how to get Louis back in her good books.

"Hello?" He heard her say.

"Ah, Grace, I had something to ask you," Louis started, suddenly not knowing how to raise the question. He decided to be straightforward. "Has Cece talked about me at all recently?"

"Huh? A little, yeah," She replied absent-mindedly. Louis thought he could hear a faint video in the background.

"Great!" Louis exclaimed. "I was wondering if you were open to giving me advice to fix things with her. As I told you back in Eterna forest, I didn't cheat on her—"

"Uh, I'm actually studying right now, sorry," She apologized.

"Studying?"

"Gardenia's battles. But I'll give you this. Cece knows you didn't cheat on her. She's known all along, and she's mad at you for a different reason. Try to figure it out on your own and apologize to her when you do."

Louis breathed a sigh of relief. "So the relationship is at least fixable, you think?"

Grace sighed. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't know," She said. "Hey, I'm going to hang up. Sorry I couldn't help you, I really am."

"No! You've been a great help already. Um, good luck in your studies?"

"Thanks," Grace said before hanging up.

"That's one piece of the puzzle solved," Louis said before sighing. "Women."

——

"Buneary, Fire Punch!" Denzel ordered. "Eevee, Detect!"

"Bun!" The normal type acquiesced before lowering herself. She rubbed her ears together so fast they become a blur, and then one of them burst into flames. She launched the attack toward Eevee, but the fire quickly dissipated.

Eevee paid it no mind and waited until the last second before he moved impossibly fast to dodge the quick jab.

Denzel smiled. "Good attempt. Let's go again."

He'd been very delighted when he learned that Buneary could learn Fire Punch. It had been a headache to get started on the move, but he figured out that if she rubbed the fluffy part of her ears incredibly fast, it created enough static electricity to get them to burst into flames. Eventually, he hoped the Buneary would be able to use the move without the trick, but they all had to start somewhere.

For Eevee, he was working on teaching him Detect. Gardenia's long-ranged moves were incredibly fast and accurate, so Denzel wouldn't mind having something to fall back on if Eevee needed to be faster than Quick Attack. Unfortunately, the move was extremely draining, meaning that when Eevee actually perfected it, he would only be able to use it a few times in battle.

Budew was off doing her own thing. She was jealous that Buneary was hogging Eevee's attention, but at least she was training Bullet Seed's speed, and her newly acquired move, Mega Drain. She would be the last one he would fall back on anyway.

Feebas wasn't able to come out during training, but Denzel was under no delusion that he'd be able to use him in battle if Gardenia decided to screw him and fight four-on-four.

He felt his hands tremble and hurriedly clenched and unclenched them. The information he had scooped up through the forums and her battle videos were extremely worrying. Gardenia was a long-distance fighter who liked to drag battles long enough until she won.

That meant she was Eevee's exact counter. Sure, Denzel's starter was reputable for his endurance, but he doubted that he could keep a battle going for fifteen minutes. It was in times like these that he couldn't help but feel inferior.

Denzel had no doubt that he was among the weakest trainers in the group. It hurt to think about, but he buried it and learned to deal with it. But when he saw Grace beat Chase so convincingly… something broke inside of him. Questions wormed themselves into his mind.

Could I have beaten Chase at that moment?

The honest answer was no. Grace was progressing so fast that she was leaving him behind. Still, he wasn't angry with her or anything. She was his best friend, and he was happy for her so he learned to deal with it.

Denzel winced as Buneary's Fire Punch dissipated again.

"Try again," He said in a fake upbeat tone.

Denzel had learned to deal with it, but he had also learned to mask what he was thinking. He was the group's comic relief. He joked around, bantered, and he liked doing that. He just wasn't in that mood twenty-four-seven like he acted he was, but it was the only way he had managed to hide his problem. Luckily for him, Grace hadn't noticed. They had already dealt with this situation on the way to Oreburgh, where his silly issues almost got her killed, so there was no point talking about it again.

And these issues were stupid. Completely mundane and irrelevant. Grace had been kidnapped by team Galactic and almost tortured by Mars, who was now looking for her. Cecilia's father was an abusive prick who treated her like an object he could control, and yet they progressed all the same, faster than he could ever hope to.

What did he have?

He was angry about how slow he was improving.

That was it.

And yet he felt the weight of it all the same. It pressed on his shoulders like a ton of bricks, always present. Always distracting him, and no matter how much he tried to deal with it like he had learned, the thoughts kept coming back.

"Try again," Denzel told Buneary. The normal type nodded fiercely and his stare lingered on the discolored patch of skin on her ear. Her scar. Denzel had explained the concept of gym battles to Buneary, and he could tell the normal type was anxious. To go from living in a forest to fighting in a place packed to the brim with humans? It was understandable.

If Buneary was going to push through, Denzel would bring himself to do so as well. He suddenly felt his Poketch vibrate and saw that Justin was calling, but Denzel couldn't bring himself to answer.

Denzel's dream was looking more distant than ever.

And he would deal with that shitty feeling just like he learned to deal with everything else.

——

Emilia stared at the huge red eye, who looked back at her intently. Aipom stood on her head, and Rockruff was sleeping on a pillow at the foot of her bed.

"Why won't you speak to me?" She asked Beldum. The huge metallic Pokemon only let out a grinding sound to answer. "I wish I could understand you."

Emilia Lussier wasn't nervous about her incoming gym battle. That was how little she cared for Pokemon battling. This fate had been forced on her by her parents, and to her, it was like a prison sentence. She liked her Pokemon, but battling? She found the practice to be barbaric. The only fun she ever had during this journey was when she and her friends stayed in a city and went on different activities together, but they were all training.

There was nothing to do.

"Beldum, please!" She said, a little louder. She brought her hand to the cold metallic surface. "Is it me? Am I too much of a coward for you to speak to me?!"

"Ai!" Aipom yelled out worriedly.

Emilia's hand slumped away from Beldum. "Sorry."

Aipom and Rockruff were gifts her parents had given her for her twelfth and fourteenth birthdays respectively. That was the thing with her parents. They always showered her with gifts and then ordered her around like she was a lackey. As if that was an equivalent exchange! Still, she had learned to love her Pokemon, which was why Beldum's deafening silence hurt her so much.

She wanted to call Pauline, but Emilia didn't want to rely on her best friend too much. Pauline had always been there to defend her from bullies at parties or events, and now she was the main thing that kept her going through the hell that was known as the Circuit.

"There's a Pokemon contest a few days after her gym battle," Emilia said as she fell onto her bed. "Maybe she'll want to go with me?"

Emilia sighed. At the back of her mind, her interest in Pokemon contests lingered. She knew that the sport also had battles, but what she was most interested in was the beauty of it all. Attacks weren't dealt to meaninglessly strike at an opponent. There was style, glamour, and amazing combinations of moves that Emilia hadn't ever thought of before. It wasn't just attacking for the sake of causing harm.

She had no grand dreams, no motivation, no aspirations. Or at least that's what she told herself to cope with the fact that her true passion might forever be out of reach.

But most of all, all Emilia wanted to do was to never go through a place like Eterna forest again.

The nightmares.

The nightmares kept her up at night, even though she never woke up screaming like Grace did.

This was going to be a long week.

——

The next day

Just like every morning, Cecilia got up at 5:30 am. She dressed, grabbed a quick breakfast down at the hotel's restaurant, and made her way to route 205. The young girl's life had always been about routine. Dancing lessons, violin, etiquette, arithmetics, history, geography— every day of her life. And it was something she still struggled to stop. Another part of her father's influence which had inevitably corrupted her.

She released her team with a sigh. Fletchinder flew on her shoulder, more gently than she had been when she first evolved. Deino roared, sending spittle toward her, but then bowed his head in respect. Slowpoke stared.

"I'm releasing him," The trainer said. "If he attacks, you know what to do."

Cecilia released her Scyther and he was immediately on edge, expecting her to attack. She had truly made him understand his position throughout these last few days. He was weak, his fate was permanent, and the only way for him to get stronger was to listen to her.

"Good morning," She said with a slight smile. "I'm not attacking you today, since you haven't done so either."

Scyther screeched and rubbed his blades together menacingly. Cece just smiled.

"In a few days, I'll be battling the most powerful trainer I've ever faced. Don't you feel frustrated? Furious? Don't you want to let it all out?"

The bug type screeched again.

"Then you have to listen to me," She said. "First, you need to use whatever moves I tell you to use—" He screamed in protest, but she ignored him. "Second, you need to give up killing. I feed you enough."

That was too much for the bug type. He screeched and blurred forward, but Cece didn't even flinch. Death had never scared her. Slowpoke immediately sprung alive and locked the Scyther with Confusion. It wouldn't last long, but it lasted long enough for Deino to Bite Scyther's neck and restrain him on the ground. The bug type thrashed and squirmed, but Deino's scales were too hard to pierce from his position.

"Disappointing," She said. "You don't understand yet, but you will in time. If I can't use you during the gym battle, I will win with three Pokemon. You are not a necessary part of my strategy, but you would be a nice boon to have. A shame."

Cecilia recalled Scyther and decided to train with the others this morning. She would try again tonight.

Repetition. Again and again, she would do it, just like how her life had been structured back in Unova. Routine was dull, but it defined a person. If Scyther decided to be defined by being repeatedly humiliated, then so be it.

She finished her first training session at nine on the dot. Cecilia had extended it by an hour to better prepare against Gardenia, and then she would practice for another three hours in the evening. For now, it was time to get back to her hotel and shower. The elevator felt impossibly long. She had gotten used to the quickness of Pokemon Center stairs.

Cecilia showered, changed her clothes, and was about to take her one hour break before her Poketch rang. It was Grace.

She grabbed the device and waited a few seconds to prepare what she would say before answering. There was a twinge of nervousness that the girl couldn't explain, but she was also incredibly happy that her friend was calling her.

"Grace!" She said. "How are you doing?"

"Hey Cece," The girl said. "I need you for something, can we meet up?"

The twinge of nervousness turned into full-blown panic. This wasn't new. She had felt this way since Grace defended her from that Chase thug, but it was never this pronounced.

"Cece?" Grace said again.

She coughed. "Of course. Where should we meet?"

"I was thinking your hotel since I live close by."

"M—my hotel, you say? Sure! I'll be down to greet you, when will you be there?"

"I'd say ten minutes?" Grace said.

Ten minutes?! Cecilia thought as panic spread through her body. This place was a mess! She was a mess! She hadn't done her hair since getting out of the shower!

"That sounds good," She simply answered, using that stoic tone that had gotten her so far. "I'll meet you at the lobby."

"Alright, see you soon!"

Grace hung up and Cecilia immediately sprung to action. It took three minutes to put the dishes in the dishwasher, two to put her clothes back in the closet, and another eight to make herself look somewhat presentable. Dread filled her entire being when she realized that she was late.

Cecilia ran to the elevator and cursed the length of the ride. Even though there weren't officially any skyscrapers in Eterna, buildings could still be tall. She ran into the lobby and saw Grace waiting on one of the couches. She adjusted her hair one last time.

"Grace, I'm so sorry I'm late!" She apologized, bowing her head slightly.

"Ah, that's no problem. I haven't been waiting long, the trams were slow. I hope I'm not intruding?"

Grace had her usual long hair tied into a tight ponytail, and Cece's eyes wandered toward her pale neck.

"Sure, let's go," She said.

They rode up the elevator in deafening silence.

"Woah, this place is huge!" Grace exclaimed. "I feel like I could get lost in here."

Was that criticism? Did she not like the room? Cecilia thought anxiously.

"Please sit, I'll go get some drinks. I have soda, juice, or water, what do you want?"

"Ah, just— just water's fine, I guess," Grace said, scratching her neck.

Cecilia practically ran to the kitchen. What was happening to her? Was this some kind of cardiovascular disease?! She quickly grabbed two glasses of water and brought them to the living room, where Grace was yawning.

"I'm sorry, I must be a boring host," Cece said sadly.

"Oh, no, no, no, not at all! I just haven't been sleeping much. I've been studying Gardenia and training a lot."

"Oh," Cecilia said, breathing a sigh of relief. She watched Grace's lips as she downed the entire glass of water in one go. "W—well, you should make sure to rest, at least. I know you can't sleep with the nightmares, but you can't work all the time."

"I'll take a big break after the fight against Gardenia. Anyway, I actually came here for something regarding Gardenia. I thought, uh, I thought that we could maybe watch some of her battles together?"

Cecilia beamed. "I think that's a great idea. Hold on, I can set them up on the 4K television screen so it's easier to see."

Cecilia quickly linked her Poketch to the T.V. screen and started playing the first video.

"Holy crap, the quality on that is insane!" Grace said with a huge grin. "You can even see her body language! This'll be a huge help, thank you so much, Cece!"

Cece sat next to her friend— but not too close. Her break that had been supposed to be one hour had turned into an entire afternoon, and she spent most of it looking at Grace instead of the screen. She was so fixated on the battles that she hadn't even noticed.

Cecilia didn't know it, but another one of her father's puppet strings had snapped.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 61

"Elekid, Ice Punch into Thunder Punch!"

Elekid's fist began to crackle as ice formed around it. He hit the opposing Nickit in the Snout before quickly forming a Thunder Punch with his other fist and blowing it away. The dark type struggled back onto its feet, but its trainer recalled it, realizing the battle was lost.

"Damn it!" The girl groaned. She walked up to me and paid two hundred pokedollars, causing me to smile. I had finally done it. I had enough to buy the Thunder Wave TM.

"What could I have done better?" She continued.

I tapped my chin for a few seconds. "Honestly, you could have dealt more damage with Quick Attack instead of trying to use dark type moves. Sure, it would tire out your Nickit faster, but you would have landed more hits."

"So there was no way I could win?" The girl asked quietly.

"I mean, not in a one-on-one, at least. But you did great, especially since you don't have a badge. I think overall, you should work on getting your Nickit to use Quick Attack more. Keep at it!" I said, trying to cheer her up.

She nodded and left. Over the last few days, I started gaining in popularity due to all the battling I was doing. I had thought that winning too much would have made trainers reluctant to battle me, but the ones with no badges kept coming back, and it was for a single reason.

I apparently gave good advice.

I was honestly just happy to talk about battling, even though I despised all the attention. Trainers with one badge didn't want anything to do with me because they saw me as a rival, but some still tried to battle me once in a while. I hadn't lost once, but some did get pretty close.

Elekid was starting to master Ice Punch, although he couldn't use it that much yet. I doubted that he would be able to dish it out as many times as Thunder Punch during our gym battle, so I'd have to save the move for attacks I was sure would hit. Right now, he was able to use five of them before they started to get too weak to be worth it.

I smiled as I strode out of the battling arena and hopped on a tram to the nearest Pokemart that would sell TMs. Thunder Wave was a pretty common one, and I was sure it would be in one of the small stores. After around fifteen minutes, I arrived at the store and started perusing the TM aisle. The disks were sold in transparent cases and were coded by type. Electric type moves were yellow, grass type moves were green, and so on. My eyes settled on the Thunder Wave TM, and I groaned.

Thunder Wave - Reusable (25,000)

Silph Co., the company that made TMs, managed to make them reusable a little more than ten years ago, which was a massive boon to trainers. Over the long term, it meant that they spent less money on TMs, but in the short term? They were expensive as hell! Luckily, one of the employees pointed me toward the non-reusable version of Thunder Wave, and I quickly bought the move. I stared at my account and winced. I was completely broke. Reusable TMs were able to be used once, and the move would be stored on your Pokedex forever.

Wasting no time, I grabbed my Pokedex, clicked a small button on its side, and a container with the perfect size for the TM revealed itself. Next, I grabbed Togetic's Pokeball and placed it in proximity to the device. The screen lit up and asked me if I wanted to teach Thunder Wave to Togetic, and I pressed yes. I wasn't sure how the process worked exactly, but it was completely wireless and only took seconds, after which the Pokedex told me that it was over. The color from the disk drained. I picked it up and threw it in the store's TM recycling bin. Silph Co. was able to put new moves on disks and save costs by doing so, so recycling was always encouraged by the company. Not all trainers cared, however, and seeing defunct TMs in trash cans was pretty common.

I quickly made my way back to route 211, which had become my training sanctuary. I released all of my Pokemon, but I'd focus especially on princess today. Even though she technically knew Thunder Wave, she'd still need a lot of practice with it before she could use it properly. I only had three days left until my gym battle, and I knew I was going to cut it close.

——

I nervously stepped into the hotel elevator and pressed the button to the highest floor. I had been training all day today, but I had promised Denzel and Cece to take a break tonight to be well-rested for my gym battle tomorrow. I had done all I could, studied all of her Pokemon and their moves, and trained my team to the best of my ability.

Louis was throwing a party for Denzel and me before our big day, and everybody would be there. Apparently, they had done the same thing before the start of their journey and before their battle with Roark, so it was a little tradition they liked to do. Before stepping into Louis' apartment, I could already hear the classical music playing behind the door, and muffled voices talking. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and took a few deep breaths. This really wasn't my kind of thing, but he had ordered all of the food, drinks and organized it for us, so it would be rude not to show up.

I knocked on the door, and Emilia opened it, greeting me with a huge grin.

"Grace! Come in, we've been waiting for you!" She smiled.

I awkwardly stepped into the huge penthouse and hung my coat on the coathanger. The first thing I noticed was that I was hilariously underdressed. The price of all of their clothes combined probably could have bought out the small TM aisle I had gotten Thunder Wave in. Where had they gotten all of these clothes?! Had they been carrying them the entire time, or did they just buy new clothes every time they were in a different city? I nodded at Denzel. At least he was just like me. We stuck out like two sore thumbs, but at least we'd stick out together. The second thing I noticed was that my eyes couldn't help but dart toward Cece. She was wearing a tight black dress that made me look places I shouldn't have been, makeup, and she also wore heels.

Meanwhile, I was here with my jeans, sneakers, and my shirt. I was so lame.

"Sorry I was late, I was doing some finishing touches with Thunder Wave and Ice Punch," I apologized.

"No talking about Pokemon battling tonight," Emi said, dragging me toward the massive couch. "Come sit."

I sat next to Denzel and fiddled with my thumbs. I stared up at Cece, but I looked away in panic when I saw that she was looking at me.

"I feel so out of place," Denzel whispered, grabbing a piece of sushi. There was a beautifully laid-out sushi plate in the middle of the table. "Thank Arceus you're here."

"Let's just try to have a good time," I said. "We'll get used to it."

"Attention!" Louis said, tapping his glass of champagne with a small spoon. "Now that all of our guests have arrived, I'd like to give a toast."

We all stared at him in anticipation.

"I'd like to wish good luck to our new friends, Grace, and Denzel in their gym battle tomorrow. We didn't always get along, but I'm glad you agreed to travel with us. It wouldn't be the same without you," The blond man continued.

"I thought we said nothing Pokemon-related," Emilia complained.

"Well, it is a party to wish them good luck," Justin said.

"I'd also like to invite all of you to another party the night before all of our gym battles. I'd really appreciate it if you came again," Louis finished.

"Sure, we'll come again," Denzel said. "I mean, this is the best Arceus damned food I've ever eaten."

"Denzel!" I said, bumping his leg. Pauline brought a hand to her mouth and laughed.

"What? It was a joke. Of course, we'll come because we're friends."

Cece stood up and approached me. "Grace, do you want some champagne? You have to toast with something."

"I don't know, I've never drunk alcohol before," I said, eyeing Denzel's drink. Everyone else was drinking, but I didn't want to. But I couldn't help but think I was ruining the mood. Underage drinking was illegal, but maybe it was better if I just said yes—

"Don't drink if you don't want to," Cece said. "We have everything."

I smiled at her. "Do you have some orange soda?"

As the party continued, I slowly felt more and more comfortable. Justin and Emilia were talking about some kind of drama that had enveloped another rich family whose name I couldn't be bothered to remember, but the owner's wife was divorcing him after discovering that he was cheating and she wanted to take half of everything he owned. Louis, Denzel, and Pauline were off playing pool, and Pauline kept complaining about her 'shit luck', since she was losing over and over. Denzel was giving Louis a run for his money considering it was his first time playing the sport. I personally wasn't too interested in it, but I occasionally threw in a word or two.

"What the fuck was that curve?" Pauline groaned. "Is this chalk sabotaged?!"

"I think it might just be a skill issue," I yelled out so she could hear.

"You're not even watching the game! I'd like to see you play!" She huffed.

"Fine," I answered, rising to her challenge. I walked up to the pool table with Cece and looked at the state of the game. There were five balls left. "Someone give me their stick."

"Here you go," Denzel said. "Break a leg."

I bent down and awkwardly aimed at one of the balls.

"Grace, that's not even the right ball," Pauline said with an evil grin. "I knew you were all talk."

"What? I thought you could hit anything you wanted."

"You're supposed to hit the white ball to aim toward the others. Usually, a player is stuck with either the striped balls or the solid balls, but we're just playing for fun, so aim for anything," Louis explained.

I coughed. "Well, I obviously knew that, I was just testing you all, and you passed."

"If that's what helps you sleep at night," Pauline said. "Just get going. This is going to be good."

I bent down again, this time in front of the white ball, and took aim. After adjusting the stick for a few seconds, I slammed it forward. The white ball hit the black one with an eight on it, causing it to bounce all around the table until it slowly rolled into one of the holes.

"I did it! That was entirely planned! Cece, did you see that?!" I squealed, jumping around.

Denzel doubled over and laughed. "That… that was the wrong ball. The eight ball is supposed to be saved for last."

Pauline sniggered. "What a shot! So much for all that talk, Grace."

"Well, at least I got it in the hole," I crossed my arms.

"In a completely random manner! You weren't even aiming for anything."

"I think Grace was aiming for that hole," Cece sprung up. "She shot the ball with an amount of determination only someone who knew what they were doing would have."

"See?" I grinned. "Cece agrees with me," I said, handing Denzel his stick back.

"Only because she likes you," Pauline said, rolling her eyes.

I felt my face heat up and stared at the ground for a few seconds. "Um, yeah, I mean, we're friends."

"G—great friends, even," Cece added. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Sure, go ahead," I said.

I hung out with Denzel, Pauline, and Louis while I waited for Cecilia to come back. No matter how hard she tried, Pauline couldn't win a single game, which I felt delighted at. I was starting to worry a little at how long Cece was taking, but she finally came back, and we headed back to the living room.

"Ah, you guys are back," Emi said.

"I see you've taken a liking to irritating Pauline," Justin smiled.

"I mean, we're having fun," I answered. "We both know it's not serious."

"Oh, I know," He quickly answered, waving his hand. "I just meant that not many had the energy to keep up with her as much as you do. I'd be willing to bet she secretly enjoys it."

"Pauline's got a hidden soft side that none of you have ever seen," Emilia said. "She can be so cute when she tries."

"I'd pay anything to see that," Cece said. "I just can't imagine it."

"Yeah, and she gets real cuddly too, but she only does that with me or her mom—"

"Emi! My bullshit sensor's tingling!" We heard Pauline yell.

"How did she even hear that?" I whispered.

"I think she was just born with a built-in 'anti-Pauline' sensor," Cece chuckled.

"Helps her fight anyone that goes against her tough girl narrative," Emi nodded. "Anyway, on a more serious note… I'm glad everyone's giving her a chance."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Pauline is a tough girl," Emilia started. "But she's so… passionate—"

"That's being generous," Justin interrupted.

"Passionate," Emi said again. "That people tend to give up on her before having the chance to learn more about her. She only had me as a friend before this, but I can tell she's happier now."

Cecilia nodded. "She's been good to all of us, all things considered."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm glad we met."

At around one in the morning, the party was starting to end. Justin and Louis were asleep on the couch in hilariously terrible positions. They'd be sore tomorrow for sure. Denzel and Pauline were talking quietly in the corner of one of the rooms, seemingly having ignited a deeper friendship during the party. Emi had been put to bed by Pauline since she had drunk too much.

"I'm gonna head out," I told Cece. "This was a lot of fun, I'll definitely come back when you do this again."

"Oh, you're leaving?" Cece said. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

"I mean, my gym battle's in the evening, so I guess I could…" I trailed off.

The conversation paused for a few seconds.

"I have another idea. Why don't we both leave? You… you can sleep in my room, it's dangerous for you to be walking alone so late at night."

Huh?

My heart instantly started to pound against my chest. "In your room? You mean the guest room?"

"I mean, if you want to sleep in the guest room, that's okay."

Another pause.

"But you can also sleep in my bed if you want!" She said quickly. "I mean, we're friends, right? Emilia and Pauline do it all the time."

I swallowed. "Y—yeah. I mean, it's no biggie. No big deal. Yep, it's totally fine."

We bid Denzel and Pauline farewell before leaving, and he kept giving me that smug stare. Nothing was going to happen. Cece was just giving me a place to stay the night, and that was it. We quickly arrived at her apartment since it was on the same floor, and I took off my shoes.

"Make yourself at home, you've already been here," Cece said, taking off her heels.

"Thanks," I shakily said. "I have nothing on me though. My toothbrush—"

"I have a spare few, don't worry."

"I don't have any clothes."

"Ah. Of course, you wouldn't have any," Cece quietly said as she turned away from me. "I can give you some of mine. I lent you my hoodie back in Floaroma, so it wouldn't be breaking any… precedent."

"Right," I said. "I'll probably wake you up early, I hope that's fine?"

"You know I wake up early anyways," She dismissed.

I nodded and went into her giant bathroom. The last time I had been this nervous was during my battle with Roark, and I was about to collapse in on myself like a black hole. I brushed my teeth and asked Cece for her clothes. She came into the bathroom already in her pajamas and gave me some silk pajamas that were definitely too big for me, but they'd do.

"Um, you can go," I said meekly.

Her eyes widened. "Right, I'm sorry!" Cece yelled before storming out.

I definitely looked silly in these, but all I could do was hope she wouldn't notice. I left the bathroom and my stare lingered as she went in.

"Just wait for me in the bed," She said.

I made my way to her bedroom and gasped at the size of her bed. You could probably fit at least ten of me in there and we'd still be able to sleep comfortably. I felt at the soft mattress before hopping into the bed, practically sinking into the material. It was as if I was floating on water, and I had to focus in order to not doze off. After around ten minutes, Cece showed up and climbed onto the bed.

"Well, uh, I guess good night?" I tentatively said, my heart still pounding against my chest. "Lots of space on this bed."

Cecilia ignored my comment and settled in right behind me.

"Good night, Grace," Cece softly said before turning off the lights. "Try to sleep well."

"I'll try," I said.

I didn't have any nightmares that night. When I woke up, it was around 10 am, and Cece was surprisingly still there.

——

"Gloom, Poison Power, Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Grassy Terrain, Acid, Leech Seed, Bullet Seed, Sunny Day. Grotle, Bulldoze, Strength…"

My leg bounced as I sat in Eterna city gym's waiting room, and I was reciting Gardenia's Pokemon and their moves to distract myself. I had practiced for the entire week for this very moment. I had to win. No, I was going to. Nervousness enveloped my entire body when a trainer entered the room with her head hung low. She had just lost, and now it was going to be my turn right after Gardenia's small break. It was the same anxiety that had taken a hold of me during my battle with Roark. The bright lights, the crowd, and the stakes of the battle all weighed on me like a vice, but the nervousness also kept me sharp.

And I needed to be sharp if I was going to win. I needed to think faster than ever before not to fall behind Gardenia's flow.

"Grace Pastel, you're up," The gym trainer said.

I nodded and got up, and he fitted me with a small microphone.

"There you go, you're all ready. Good luck!"

"Thank you," I said, my throat dry.

I stepped out onto the battlefield and on the elevated platform trainers stood on during the battle. Gardenia's battlefield was simple enough compared to Roark's. It was just a flat plain full of grass, along with a small lake on the left side close to the challenger. There were no trees, no obstacles to hide behind.

Perfect for Gardenia's long-ranged attacks.

I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth from chattering, and I clenched my fists around my jeans. The crowd was already deafening, and it was way bigger than it had been for my battle with Roark. All of my friends were sitting in the stands somewhere, watching me. I licked my dry lips, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

It's just you, Grace. Just you and Gardenia. Ignore the noise. Focus.

"Welcome, challenger," Gardenia said with a smooth voice. "This will be a four-on-four battle with two switch-ins allowed. I reserve the right to use any Pokemon in my arsenal that I deem fit, and killing any Pokemon will get you disqualified from the League Circuit. Now, send out your Pokemon."

I exhaled one last time and unclipped my first Pokeball from my belt.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 62 - A Battle of Endurance

I stared at Frillish's Pokeball and clasped it tightly before sending him out. His eyes glinted as he floated upward. The crowd gasped and started whispering, probably questioning me sending out a water type first against a grass type specialist. I could tell he was tense. His movements were tight, somehow, less fluid than they usually were.

"I believe in you, buddy!" I yelled out as encouragement. He stared back at me and nodded.

Gardenia brought a hand to her mouth as her hand hovered over her Pokeballs. I prayed internally she'd send out one of the Pokemon I wanted. The main reason for sending out Frillish first was to bait the gym leader into locking herself up into using at least one non-poison type since I had two Pokemon weak to the type. I hoped that by seeing Frillish, she would just hurry and send out a pure grass type like her Bellossom. The fewer poison types she used, the better.

Gardenia finally grabbed her first Pokemon and released a Lombre, which wasn't ideal, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario. I sighed internally in relief. Any verbal or bodily signal that I wanted this would seriously hamper me in the future.

"Begin!" The referee said, bringing his arm down.

"Lombre, Sunny Day!" Gardenia ordered.

The water type croaked loudly, and harsh sunlight began to bear down on the battlefield. Lombre was Gardenia's main way of controlling the weather, and I already knew this had been coming. She'd be able to hamper Frillish's water moves this way.

"Stay far away and Poison Sting!" I yelled out.

Frillish reared two of his tentacles back before throwing them forward, and poisoned darts flew off toward Lombre.

"Leech Seed!" Gardenia said, sweeping her arm.

The grass type tried to dodge, but it was too slow to avoid all of Frillish's darts. It cried out as five darts buried themselves deep into him, but it immediately followed up by spitting out a series of seeds from its mouth at terrifying speeds. I couldn't let any of those touch Frillish, not if I wanted my plan to work.

"Drop down!" I said.

Frillish deactivated his levitation and dropped to the ground, catching himself with a weakened Water Sport. I clicked my tongue internally. The sun was really going to screw with our mobility.

"Nature Power and then Leech Seed again!"

Fuck. Nature Power in this terrain always turned into Energy Ball. Green energy gathered in front of Lombre's mouth and then rushed toward Frillish. It was too fast to dodge.

"Intercept it with Night Shade!" I screamed.

A shadowy version of Frillish appeared in front of him and flew toward the Energy Ball, causing it to explode mid-air. Smoke was obscuring my view, but I knew Leech Seed was next. I swore internally as Leech Seeds flew through the smoke and toward Frillish.

Alright, step one was done. I grabbed the water type's Pokeball and recalled him. The seeds landed on the ground and sprouted.

I inhaled sharply. Actually being in the battle meant that plans would always go sideways. I hadn't dealt the damage I wanted, but with Sunny Day, Frillish's mobility was cut in half, meaning that approaching Lombre without getting hit was impossible, especially when I needed Frillish to be in the back of Gardenia's mind. What I had come to realize during my training was that switch-ins were a resource in Pokemon battles, and I was cashing in my first one early.

It was time for step two of the plan to deal with Lombre. I grinned as I grabbed Tangela's Pokeball. His Chlorophyll ability meant that his speed would be doubled in such harsh sunlight.

"You're up, angel," I firmly said. The grass type shivered and writhed, happy to be out in the sun.

I was unfortunately on a timer, though. Soon enough, Lombre would be able to change the weather again with Rain Dance, and it had the ability Rain Dish, meaning that it slowly recovered in the rain.

"Get up close and personal, angel!" I screamed.

"Get ready for him," Gardenia said. "Bubblebeam while he gets close."

Tangela ran faster than ever before, using his vines to push himself forward. Some of Lombre's bubbles hit him, but the damage was negligible to the grass type and in the sun.

"Vine Whip, Bind, Mega Drain," I said in quick succession.

Tangela's vines were also moving faster in the sun, and I had taught him to respond quickly to his moves. He quickly extended seven vines forward. Lombre clawed the first two away with what I knew to be Fury Swipes, but one hit the Lombre square in the face, staggering him, while the other four grabbed and snaked around him.

"More vines!" I yelled.

Lombre was completely enveloped in Tangela's vines, and they started the glow as he used Mega Drain to suck the water type's energy.

"Squeeze tighter," I continued. Tangela's vines kept tightening their grip around Lombre.

Lombre croaked out in pain, and Gardenia quickly recalled him. Shit, I thought. Tangela had been supposed to take care of Lombre on his own, and I hadn't been expecting a switch so early. I thought Gardenia would wait it out and try to change the weather again.

The only Pokemon that could deal with angel in this weather were poison types, so I already knew one was coming. The question was, which one?

Gardenia released her Roselia, and I had to stop myself from swearing. Even Gloom would have been better than this. Roselia was one of the most annoying Pokemon to deal with, since it had been trained to waste time as it watched you lose from status conditions.

I had to make a decision.

I grabbed Tangela's Pokeball and recalled him immediately, meaning I was now out of switch-ins. Tangela would be needed for later. I couldn't afford to let him lose against Roselia, because I knew he would. Even if he beat it, he'd eventually succumb to poison.

I grabbed Elekid's Pokeball and released him with a flash of red. He announced his presence with a scream.

He was my only Roselia counter.

"Run up to it quick," I ordered.

"Toxic, Rose!" Gardenia yelled out.

Roselia pointed one of her bouquets at Elekid, and huge pieces of sludge flew out of it. Elekid blurred, hoping to dodge, but one of the Toxics hit him, not dealing any damage right now, but over time? It'd stack up very fast.

"Ice Punch!" I yelled.

Even Gardenia's eyes widened at the command. Elekid let out an evil laugh as ice surrounded his fist and hit the small Roselia's chest, sending it flying against Kadabra's barrier.

"Again," I ordered.

Elekid kept going, ice still on his fist. He rushed toward the grass type.

"Magical Leaf, then Grassy Terrain!" Gardenia yelled.

Leaves surrounded by a multicolored aura appeared around the struggling Roselia and barrelled toward Elekid.

"Don't waste energy trying to dodge, it's like Swift!" I quickly said.

Elekid nodded and just pushed through the leaves as the grass began to grow taller and taller. I heard Roselia screech, meaning that Ice Punch had hit her again. And then again. And again.

There was a pause in the battle for a second.

"Roselia is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

Fuck yes! I had caught her off guard and dealt with a poison type, meaning Tangela or Togetic wouldn't have to.

"Get back quick!" I told Elekid as Gardenia recalled Roselia, who was covered in chunks of ice, and grabbed another Pokeball. He was starting to slow and breathe hard from the poison. His time was limited, and I wasn't going to be able to use him as much as I wanted, but Grassy Terrain meant that he would last longer than normal thanks to its regenerative properties. Gardenia really hadn't expected Roselia to fall that fast.

A beautiful Leafeon materialized in front of Gardenia and immediately sunk into the tall grass that had grown from Grassy Terrain. Its steps were deafeningly silent, as if it was floating and not walking. I bit the inside of my lip. On one hand, the best strategy would be to wait here where the grass was low, and I'd be able to see what would happen, but on the other, Toxic's damage was getting worse and worse.

"You're gonna have to get in there and fight, hon," I told Elekid. "Ice Punch as soon as you see it."

Elekid nodded and ran into the grass. I watched anxiously for the next minute as nothing happened. It took a bit for me to realize that Gardenia was waiting us out. She had no reason to fight and risk her Leafeon getting hit by a super-effective move. All she had to do was wait for Toxic to take Elekid out, and I'd be screwed.

And I was out of switches.

Swift was unusable too, because the target needed to be in the user's line of sight.

Arceus, damn it. I had been outsmarted and too excited from the quick victory against Roselia. Gardenia used that to her advantage, and now I was on the backfoot.

"Elekid, you've got to try to use Thundershock! Aim all around you!" I yelled.

I heard him agree with a scream and then that familiar whirring of his arms. Arcs of electricity flew throw the grass. I had hoped it would set it on fire and destroy the Grassy Terrain, but the move was apparently too powerful for that. Even after fainting, Roselia was a thorn in my side.

Gardenia was simply watching with a hand on her hip. I tapped my leg against the platform repeatedly, hoping for a hit, but nothing happened. I heard Elekid scream, and then he was thrown toward me. It looked like Leafeon finally decided to attack.

"Can you stand?" I asked worriedly. Elekid tried to stand up, but the poison had run its course through him. It'd be foolish to keep him in now. "Rest up, honey. You did great," I said before recalling him before the referee even had the chance to say his line.

Who could deal with this Leafeon? I only had a few seconds to find out. Frillish was a no-go. Tangela could maybe, but he'd probably struggle to find the grass type. Fuck it, I had no choice but to send out Togetic. That meant that her last Pokemon would probably be a poison type, screwing me over, but if I had to choose between being screwed over now or later, I'd picked later every time.

I released Togetic, who chirped and clapped happily.

"Up high, princess!" I ordered. "Fairy Wind! Your opponent's hiding in the grass!"

Togetic let out a happy giggle as pink wind began to gather around her. Off the top of my head, I remembered that Leafeon's only long-distance moves were Swift and Leech Seed, so if it used any, princess would be able to find it.

Not that we needed that anyway. The Fairy Wind she was gathering was so thick and powerful that it would be able to sweep across the entire battlefield.

"Swift, then Quick Attack!" Gardenia yelled.

A series of stars flew up toward Togetic. Quick Attack meant that she wanted Leafeon to quickly change its position, but that wouldn't work. Princess was too powerful, and Fairy Wind would encompass the entire width of the arena.

"Release it!" I quickly said, knowing that getting hit might break her concentration.

The Fairy Wind tore through the battlefield and swept through the grass before slamming against the psychic barrier, revealing Leafeon's position. The grass type lay down flat against the ground in order not to be swept away, and the stars hit Togetic in quick succession, not dealing that much damage.

"Thunder Wave!" I said, pointing at our opponent.

Now that Leafeon's position was revealed, Togetic quickly cried out as electricity buzzed around her. She sent it away toward the grass type, who still couldn't move because of the wind, and it started shaking wildly as it wrapped around it. The fact that we had perfected the move in so few days made me feel incredibly proud of my starter, but it wasn't over yet.

"Fairy Wind again!" I yelled out, and Togetic started whipping up the attack once more.

Now Gardenia could only watch as I was about to take down her Leafeon. Of course, she could switch, but as morbid as it was to treat Pokemon as pawns, why waste her precious last switch-in for a damaged, paralyzed Leafeon? I looked into her eyes and knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Swift!" She yelled out defiantly. "Don't let it charge up its move for free!"

Leafeon convulsed for around twenty seconds before finally using the move, and Togetic immediately released Fairy Wind without my command, once again dealing heavy damage to Leafeon in exchange for getting hit by a weak Swift. I knew that the gym leader hoped I would reveal some of my other moves, but I wouldn't. All she would get was Fairy Wind. Information was the most precious resource in Pokemon battles, to be revealed at the best opportune moments, and I wasn't going to give it up for free.

It took another two rounds of Fairy Wind before Leafeon finally fainted.

"Leafeon is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your third Pokemon," The referee said.

Gardenia recalled her and grinned. Now, she would either send out her Lombre again or a grass poison type like Gloom, Foongus, Weepinbell, or Ivysaur—

I swallowed when I saw Sunflora materialize into thin air. All things considered, this was probably Gardenia's strongest Pokemon that she used against trainers with one badge, and it was routinely a part of her team against trainers with two badges. That thing might have looked like a docile creature, but it was a monster. Not only did it have the Solar Power ability, meaning that its attack was raised in the sun, it knew Solar Beam. With that kind of boost, even typing disadvantages started to become irrelevant. Lombre's Sunny Day was still fucking me over even this far into the battle. Not only that, but there was still Grassy Terrain that would further empower Sunflora's moves.

All of the conditions were perfect for her. Had this been a part of her plan all along? Each one of her Pokemon completing a piece of the puzzle. Lombre with Sunny Day, Roselia with Grassy Terrain, and Leafeon's relatively quick defeat to catch me off-guard when she revealed Sunflora right after, quickly altering my state of mind and destabilizing my train of thought. In many ways, the grass type was worse than any poison type she could have sent out.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and calmed down. Panic would do me no good.

I exhaled sharply when I saw that the grass type wasn't escaping into the tall grass. "Okay, princess, Thunder Wave!" I said.

"Ingrain, Growth," Gardenia laughed. "Solar Beam!"

"Arceus damn it!" I let out. Solar Beam was faster in the sun, and Thunder Wave would take too long. I needed to interrupt this series of moves now. Solar Beam was far too quick for Togetic to ever hope to dodge, and far too powerful to ever hope to alter its path with Extrasensory or shield herself against it with Ancient Power. "Forget the Thunder Wave! Trip it up with Ancient Power!" I stammered.

Roots started to grow out of Sunflora's feet, anchoring it on the ground, and then it began to glow. Togetic's eyes shone brightly as she lifted the huge chunk of earth the grass type was standing on, but it was still attached to the ground.

"Send it!" Gardenia screamed wildly.

"Slam the rock against the wall!" I said, clenching my teeth.

A huge beam brighter than the sun flew from Sunflora's vague direction. Togetic slammed the rock against Kadabra's barriers, but I was too blinded to see anything. When the Solar Beam ended, I was surprised to see that Kadabra's barrier far above me had been cracked and was slowly reconstructing itself. Sunflora got back up on its feet relatively quickly for a Pokemon with a chunk of its right side crushed and the upper half of its head bent at an unsettling angle. It ingrained itself again as it slowly began to recover its plant matter, combined with Grassy Terrain. My eyes darted around the battlefield for at least twenty seconds, looking for Togetic. I was about to call out when her head popped out of the tall grass.

"Solar Beam again!" Gardenia said, wasting no time.

"Fuck! Ancient Power in front of you, multiple layers!" I hurriedly said, my voice shaking.

Another bright beam exploded out of Sunflora as Togetic quickly raised six layers of earth in front of her. The Solar Beam reached her, but in a greatly weakened state. She cried out in pain, and her thin layer of fur was smoking and covered in burns.

"Thunder Wave before it attacks again!" I said, hoping that Sunflora would have a similar charging time.

"Seed Bomb!" Gardenia grinned, dashing my hopes.

"Fly up to dodge!" I yelled.

Togetic jumped and floated upward as five explosions rocked the earth where she had just stood. I needed to—

"Bullet Seed!" The gym leader continued, and a series of seeds faster than even Denzel's Budew hit Togetic square in the chest.

Gardenia's engine had started going, and she was leaving me behind. She thought faster than me at every turn, and she knew that she needed to stop me from Thunder Waving at any cost. All while this was happening, Sunflora was healing from Ingrain and Grassy Terrain.

It was time to forget fancy strategies and just resort to brute force as Cece had taught me and Gardenia was doing.

"Hit it with a quick Fairy Wind, and then get close!" I ordered.

"Razor Leaf, then Bullet Seed again! Keep attacking!"

I watched anxiously as Togetic quickly sent a weak Fairy Wind forward, not even powerful enough to disrupt Razor Leaf's path. That was fine, the first attack was just a distraction, but I needed her to get in Extrasensory's range.

Togetic narrowly avoided the Razor Leaf but was hit by another Bullet Seed, but she kept flying forward with determination.

"Extrasensory!" I said a split second before Sunflora was in range.

"Tighten your roots!" Gardenia said, not missing a beat.

Strange psychic energy surrounded the grass type, but it was deeply anchored in the ground. The good thing was that it couldn't attack while it was focusing on not being lifted by Extrasensory, so that left me a few seconds to think.

Fairy Wind was off the table unless I hit the Sunflora with a status effect. It took too long to charge up if I wanted it to be powerful enough to deal real damage and all it did was leave Sunflora enough time to charge up another Solar Beam. One more of those would take Togetic out.

Ancient Power and Extrasensory were the strongest possible moves I could use in such a quick setting, but I also had—

I had it, I thought, clenching my fist.

"Lift it up with Ancient Power," I ordered.

"Bullet Seed again!" Gardenia ordered.

Togetic quickly lifted the ground Sunflora stood on once again, screwing with its aim.

"Angle it away and bring it toward you," I continued.

The chunk of earth quickly spun and moved toward Togetic. The thing I had learned about Ingrain through watching battle videos was that unless Sunflora was forcefully removed by an attack strong enough, it wasn't able to remove the roots. That meant it was stuck there, facing away from Togetic, meaning that it wouldn't be able to use Bullet Seed.

"Razor leaf backwards," Gardenia said with a thin smile. I knew that was a possibility, but Togetic couldn't dodge while she was concentrating this hard. This amount of fine-tuned control was new for her, and she was pushing herself harder than ever before.

The chunk of earth wobbled slightly as Razor Leaf hit Togetic repeatedly. Now, I could have ordered Togetic to slam it against the ground, but that was short-term thinking.

The long term called for this.

"Sweet Kiss!" I ordered.

Gardenia's winced as a pink heart flew out of Togetic's mouth and hit Sunflora. This had required Togetic's utmost concentration, and she had succeeded in using two moves together for the first time. Praises would come later. Right now, I had a Sunflora to beat.

"Take it down gently… gently…" I started. Togetic slowly placed the earth back onto the ground, covering some of the Grassy Terrain. Any sudden movements might snap Sunflora out of its confusion. "Now, Thunder Wave," I sighed in relief.

A cage of electricity surrounded the confused Sunflora, and it began to convulse and shake wildly.

"You've got all the time in the world," I told Togetic. "Give me the strongest Fairy Wind you've got."

I took deep breaths, finally relaxing for the first time while Togetic gathered enough wind to defeat the Sunflora in one hit. Sweet Kiss and Paralysis combined were too much for a Pokemon of our level to simply push through. There was only Lombre left after that, and I had three Pokemon to deal with it.

Still, I couldn't get overconfident. It took two minutes for Togetic to finish charging up Fairy Wind, and by the time she threw it at Sunflora, I could barely see anything on the battlefield. It was all pink. Kadabra's barrier bent when the wind hit, but it held. When everything dissipated, Sunflora was down for the count.

"Sunflora is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your last Pokemon," The referee said.

One more.

Gardenia sent out her Lombre and didn't waste any time.

"Thunder Wave—"

"Fake out!" Gardenia yelled out.

Lombre disappeared impossibly fast, and the next time I blinked, it was right above Togetic. The grass type clapped its two hands against her face, causing her to fall to the ground along with him.

"Get up ASAP and Fury Swipes," Gardenia said with a strange calmness. She was losing, but her behavior wasn't reflecting that at all.

Lombre's red claws glowed brightly as he repeatedly scratched Togetic over and over, tearing through her skin and making her bleed.

"Extrasensory! Get it away from you!" I yelled.

The air around Lombre started to shift, but he quickly released a point-blank Bubblebeam, stopping princess' attack and knocking her unconscious.

"Togetic is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your third Pokemon," The referee said.

"Rain Dance!" She yelled as I recalled Princess. Clouds gathered, thunder clapped above the gym, and rain began to fall, meaning that Lombre would slowly recover from the damage Tangela had dealt.

"You did better than I could have ever imagined," I told her. Standing toe to toe with that Sunflora was incredible. I grabbed Frillish's Pokeball and released him. I'd be able to deal damage with Hex and Poison Sting, and I still had Mist and Acid Armor up my sleeve.

"Lombre's the only one left," I said. "Poison Sting."

Poisoned darts flew off of his tentacles toward Lombre and hit his side, causing him to croak out in pain.

"Leech Seed barrage," Gardenia ordered smoothly. Lombre opened its mouth, and a dozen Leech Seed flew like bombs toward Frillish.

"Fly up!"

With one smooth motion of his tentacles combined with a now fully-powered Water Sport, Frillish floated upward out of Leech Seed's range. Or at least that was what I thought.

"Again," Gardenia said.

If Lombre could keep using this forever, I'd never be able to attack. It was time to pull out Mist.

"Use Mist, Frillish!"

Frillish spun around, spitting out a cold mist that coalesced around him. It wouldn't stop the grass type from using Leech Seed repeatedly, but at least his accuracy would go down. Suddenly, I squinted toward the Lombre. A small patch of its skin around one of the darts had turned pale purple.

It was poisoned.

"Use the trick!" I quickly ordered. A billow of smoke surged from the Mist, making Lombre throw more Leech Seeds toward what he thought was Frillish. Unfortunately for him, it was just a Night Shade.

"Now get in range and Hex!"

Frillish used the distraction to fly out of the mist with Water Sport. I couldn't help but smile as I thought that victory was finally within my grasp. One boosted Hex would surely be enough to take down Lombre—

"Mega Drain," The gym leader said.

Mega Drain? I panicked. Not Razor Leaf?! Shit!

That hadn't been in the moves I had seen in her battling videos, and Lombre's range was apparently better than Frillish's. The grass around it began dying, and Frillish crashed to the ground. Acid Armor wouldn't protect the water type against special moves.

"Razor Leaf," Gardenia said.

"Acid Armor!" I tried, but it was too late. He wouldn't be able to switch his state fast enough this close to Lombre. The leaves tore through Frillish, and I recalled him. "You were awesome, bud," I said softly, ignoring the nervousness that was surging inside of me.

"Frillish is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your last Pokemon," The referee said.

It was one on one now. I grabbed Tangela's Pokeball and released him. The two advantages I had was that grass type moves would be neutral against Lombre and that poison was slowly coursing through his body.

"You're the last one, angel," I said. "I believe in you."

His vines writhed around in response.

"Grassy Terrain, then Synthesis," Gardenia said.

She wanted to mitigate the damage the poison was causing with Synthesis, Grassy Terrain, and Rain Dish. She wanted to last as long as possible to ensure she could still win. I didn't know how much time Gardenia had left in the battle, but it couldn't have been more than five minutes at this point. If the twenty minutes, ran out, I'd win.

I didn't want to win like that. I wanted to win due to my own skill.

"Get close and Bind him! He can't deal that much damage to you!" I ordered.

Tangela waded through the newly regrown Grassy Terrain, slower than he had been in the sun.

"Bubblebeam! Blast the whole perimeter!" Gardenia said. The water type reared his head back and then swept through the entire horizontal length of the battlefield.

It didn't bother Tangela. The grass type just ignored the attack and burst through the tall grass before sending out vines to wrap around Lombre. He tried to fight them with Fury Swipes, but there were too many for him to fight. More vines than I could count bound Lombre tightly, and then I ordered the coup the grace.

"Mega Drain until it's out," I exhaled.

I watched with sweat dripping down my chin as Lombre slowly but surely had its energy drained from both Mega Drain, Bind, and the Poison. It took forty seconds, but it was over. Lombre fell to the ground, and Gardenia recalled him with a wide smile.

I became aware of the crowd around me just as it came alive with a roar. People were cheering and applauding so loudly that I couldn't even hear myself think. I took a few deep breaths as the monumentality of the situation sunk in. Not only had I beaten Gardenia, I had beaten one of the strongest teams she could possibly have against a trainer with a single badge. I felt my heart pound against my chest and the blood pulse through my ears.

I had won.

I raised a fist.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 63

The cheers slowly subsided as I made my way to the side of the arena to pick up my prizes. I was so mentally exhausted I could barely walk straight, and my head was spinning. Gardenia looked shorter than she actually was, easily towering over me. She was taller than even Cece, who was the tallest girl in our group, and yet still, all she wore, even in this cold weather, were orange shorts and some sort of green drape that counted as a top. I stared up into her eyes who were so light brown they looked orange, and straightened myself. Gardenia was eighteen, only three years older than me, but she commanded respect.

"Congratulations, challenger," She said, flashing me a smile. "That was one of the most enjoyable battles I've had with a trainer with only one badge. ID?"

I bowed my head in respect and handed her my trainer card. She scanned it using some device— the same one Roark had— and handed it back to me. I now had two badges on the bottom left.

"You're now the owner of the forest badge, and I've transferred seven thousand Pokedollars into your account. Pokedex?" She continued.

I fumbled around my bag and took the device out after a few seconds, and handed it to the gym leader. I really needed to be better at this, it was my second time doing it. She inserted a green disk into the TM compartment.

"There you go, you'll be able to teach your Pokemon Leech Seed now. The reward here used to be Grass Knot, but trust me, there's much more to be gained from the former."

"Thank you," I said, my voice slightly shaking.

"Take a breather in the waiting room, if you want. Regardless, you're free to leave," Gardenia said as she turned away from me. Her green drape fluttered in the wind like a cape.

So cool.

I hurried into the waiting room and out of the spotlight. It would be Denzel's turn to battle soon, and I needed to be quick if I wanted to drop my Pokemon at the nearest Pokemon Center, and I wanted to be back in time.

"Ah," I said when I saw him enter. He was clenching and unclenching his fists over and over while bouncing his leg up and down.

Denzel smiled at me. "You were… you were fucking amazing, Grace," He said. "That was a crazy battle, you definitely earned your win."

"Thanks," I simply answered. "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, the battle took exactly 19 minutes and 38 seconds, so that makes sense."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "I almost ran out the clock?"

My friend nodded and brought his hands together. "Uhuh. That thing you did with Sunflora? Lifting up the ground it was standing on to make Solar Beam miss? Arceus."

I enjoyed the praise, but I could tell something was wrong. The tone he was employing was too upbeat, too cheerful for someone who was about to go into a gym battle. Denzel's body language told me he was anxious, but his voice told the opposite. He exhaled sharply before continuing.

"That whole part of the battle in general was nuts. Togetic's really been progressing at incredible speeds. To be able to stand up to Sunflora like that, I mean I didn't even bother looking up the moves it used because I knew she was never going to use it on me—"

I crouched in front of him and placed my hand on his knee. His leg stopped bouncing.

"Hey," I said, looking up into his eyes. "Something's wrong. Tell me what it is."

Denzel paused. "I'm just nervous as hell, that's what it is."

"You're lying to me. Gardenia's on break, so we have time," I said. "I can tell something's wrong. Something's been off about you for a while, but I thought I was imagining things since you looked like you were having fun all the time."

His face tightened. "You should hurry and get your team to a Center. I don't want you to miss my match—"

I sat down and leaned against him. "I'll miss it if it means we get you out of this rut," I said. The conversation paused when a young gym trainer passed through the room and dipped his head. "Talk to me," I said softly. "You're the one that said it wasn't good to hold things in back in Floaroma."

"Won't make a difference," Denzel flatly said. "Might actually make me battle worse."

"I think you'll be much better with that weight lifted off your shoulder," I said as I rubbed his back. "You can tell me anything. We're best friends."

Denzel clasped his hands together so tightly they turned white and brought them up to his mouth. His jaw trembled, and he sniffled. For a few seconds, I thought he would start to cry, but he didn't.

"This shit's been eating away at me," He sighed. "It really shouldn't be. I mean, compared to what you deal with, it's nothing," He let out a sad laugh. "I'm not improving fast enough, Grace. At this rate, I'll hold the group behind."

"Why do you feel that way?" I asked. "Did you lose a battle?"

"No," He shrugged. "Nothing like that happened. It just doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I'm not going as fast as you are. I'm not mad at you for that, by the way!" He quickly added. "I'm happy for you. It's just frustrating to know that I'm slower than everyone else."

"Mhm," I said, letting him go on.

"Your battle was probably the best one Gardenia's had this Circuit," Denzel said. "And to think that I have to go right after that? The pressure I feel… it's immense," He sighed, before showing me his shaky hand. "The only way I can stop myself from shaking is by making a fist or grabbing something."

I grabbed his hand. It was coarse and dry. "People are going to compare you to me," I said, nodding. There was no point in pretending otherwise and coddling him. "Look," I started. "It might be true that I've been improving a lot lately. Actually, it is true. But that's because something just clicked for me when I battled Chase. I found my battling style— the way I enjoyed battling the most, and it turned every training session into so much fun, and everything is so much easier that I'm just… floating, I guess," I tried explaining. "It doesn't feel like work at all."

"How?" He asked. "How did it happen? How do I replicate it?"

"I don't know," I simply answered. He sighed and leaned against the wall. "But here's what I think. You're going slower than I am right now, sure, let's go with that. I know that things always get crazy from the forums and the media, but the Circuit isn't a race," I said firmly. "It's about consistency. It's about winning until you get to the Conference, not winning the fastest. For all you know, in a few weeks, you'll have found something that works for you, and you'll start to skyrocket past me," I continued.

"But to build up my brand, I need… I need momentum, I need coverage. I won't get any of that if I'm just an okay trainer. I need to be incredible, like you or Cecilia," Denzel said.

"You don't," I shook my head. "First of all, you're not an okay trainer. No matter what you think, you're definitely in the top bracket. Second of all, imagine if in between a route, like, in between Eterna city and Hearthome, you go from the way you are now to someone better than Cece's level? That would definitely generate more attention than just being good all the time."

"Maybe," He hesitated.

"Come on, you've seen Cecilia's thread. People were crazy about her at the start of the Circuit, but now they're kind of getting bored of her. Sure, her thread is still one of the most active ones, but compared to Chase's, for example? People like controversy and action, and events. It's not just about being the best."

"I mean, you're definitely somewhat correct, but having both of these is what I need."

"Look at the big picture, you oaf!" I exclaimed. "You're traveling with a bunch of famous billionaires, and all you need to go from the top, what, ten percent to the top five percent of trainers is to find your battling style. You're already most of the way there!"

He sighed. "You're… you're right, but I still feel like shit somehow," He said with a slight chuckle.

"Do you feel like shit about the situation, or do you feel like shit about yourself? Because the latter is a recipe for disaster."

"I feel like shit, that's all I can say," Denzel said as he stood up. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. I looked up at him. He looked more confident than before. The trembling was gone, and his face was relaxed. "But it's weird, I feel strangely optimistic as well."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Good. I'm not going to be here for the start of your battle, but I might make it before the end."

"That's fine," He said. "With all the advice you just gave me, it'll be like you're next to me the entire time."

"Next time you have a problem, will you talk to me?" I asked.

"I will, I just thought you had enough on your plate. Plus, we almost had the exact same conversation back on route 203, but I needed to hear this again."

I grinned. "Keep your chin up, Denzel. This is only badge two out of eight. There'll be plenty of twists and turns waiting for you this year."

"Same to you," He smiled. "And I'll be the one to win it all," Denzel declared. "I feel the gears turning in my head already, I think I've figured something out. One part of the puzzle, at least."

"We'll see about that," I retorted. "Now, are you ready to kick ass?"

Denzel's smile turned into a wild, toothy grin. "Hell yes."

——

"Denzel Williams? You're up," The gym trainer said. Denzel uncrossed his arms and stopped leaning against the wall, and the trainer outfitted him with the usual microphone. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Denzel said.

Denzel felt steadfast as he walked through the door to the battling arena. The words Grace had spoken to him were just that, words, but they had felt incredibly consequential. His best friend's perceptiveness was so accurate it was downright terrifying, but he had needed that pep talk, or he would have floundered the battle against Gardenia. She stood at the opposite side of the field and greeted him with the usual gym leader spiel, but Denzel's attention was somewhere else.

Gears turned in his head. Pieces of the puzzle slowly fit together.

"…three-on-three battle with two switch-ins allowed…"

It wasn't a strategy being formed per se. Grace was better at that stuff than Denzel could ever hope to be. The teenager didn't know every single Pokemon Gardenia owned and every single move they had and how to counter them with every single Pokemon. The memorization required for that was terrifying. Grace was terrifying.

Denzel smiled at the notion that his friend, tiny as she was, was someone he considered terrifying. The gears… they were more like a general blueprint to follow. What was Gardenia good at? Making a battle last as long as possible to fish out your weaknesses, so how would he counter that?

"Challenger? Send out your Pokemon, please!" Gardenia said. "Come on, it's my last battle of the day."

Well, they were gears in perpetual motion, after all, so the plan was slowly unveiling itself, and Denzel was slowly figuring it out. He felt something tug at him like he was attached to a rope. Denzel grabbed his trusted Eevee's Pokeball and sent him out. He barked and got into a prowl, and Denzel eagerly awaited to see what Gardenia would use against him.

Clench, unclench. Clench, unclench. It was a mechanical motion that the trainer had always used to destress, but he found himself not needing it as much as he thought he would.

Denzel took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes, and began to run purely on instinct.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 64

Denzel relaxed with a breath, and Gardenia released her first Pokemon. Cherrim let out a strange rustling sound, and its petals flapped around, revealing its small, dark eyes.

Don't get lost in the details, Denzel thought. Big strokes.

Luckily, Gardenia had begun the battle with one of her most iconic Pokemon. From what he knew, Cherrim was one of Gardenia's Pokemon that used Sunny Day, since the sunlight would make it change forms and boost its attacking and defensive powers. Then, it would use Grassy Terrain to boost Energy Ball's power to devastating effect.

Alright, he knew the big picture. Now he had to counter it.

"Begin!" The referee said.

"Eevee, Quick Attack!" Denzel ordered with newfound confidence. He needed to stick to the basics and find something that worked.

Eevee barked as white light enveloped his body, and then blurred forward. The normal type wasn't as fast compared to what other trainers had now, but his advantage was that he could keep it going for a long time.

"Sunny Day, then Grassy Terrain!" Gardenia said.

The young trainer had heard that the move worked even when the sun was down or setting, but to actually see it in action? The strange light bearing down from the roof was as bright as the sun, and it suddenly looked like it was noon. Then, the grass started to grow taller than Eevee was, but that could work to their advantage.

Eevee rammed into Cherrim right as the grass type started to change. Its petals changed colors as they bloomed, and its skin turned to a pale yellow. Cherrim quickly got back up on its feet, but Eevee was still going.

"Trip it up with Grass Knot!" Gardenia yelled.

Shit, Denzel thought. "Eevee, jump—"

Too late. The attack had come too fast, and Eevee fell to the ground and slid across the grass.

"Cherrim, Energy Ball!" She hurriedly said.

Grass died around the two Pokemon as a green ball of pure energy formed in front of the grass type's mouth, with the extra power from the Grassy Terrain amplifying the attack even more.

"Get up and ram him!" He quickly ordered. He was maybe too close to dodge the attack, and he didn't want to waste his Detects so soon, so his best hope was to interrupt the move.

Detect almost always guaranteed that Eevee would dodge an attack, but the move was so intensive that even Eevee had to think twice before using one. Eevee scrambled to his feet and circled around the grass type with Quick Attack still active.

"Split it," Gardenia grinned.

Denzel's eyes widened as the Energy Ball split into multiple attacks, and were sent flying all around Cherrim. One of them hit Eevee, but they were weakened enough to not bother him too much. The normal type didn't waste any time and rammed into Cherrim again, and the grass type slid across the grass. The battle was flowing in Denzel's direction. He could feel it, now he only had to keep it up.

"Don't rush in," Denzel warned. He could tell Eevee was feeling bullish, but that would just make Gardenia use Grass Knot again.

"Grassy Terrain again," Gardenia said. "Then Leech Seed."

Denzel winced. Leech Seed was one of the moves he couldn't afford to get hit with. Eevee was his most reliable fighter, and having him weaken that fast in the fight would almost guarantee a loss. Cherrim opened its mouth, throwing out Leech Seed as fast as Budew's Bullet Seed.

"Detect," He said, clenching a fist.

Infinitely faster than Quick Attack, Eevee disappeared and reappeared to the side, almost instantaneously. The trainer grinned. That was the difference between a non-perfected Detect and the actual move, it looked like your Pokemon was actually teleporting.

But unlike Detect, Gardenia could use Leech Seed as many times as she wanted, so Denzel needed to hurry.

"Get close and Bite! Don't let it go!"

"Grass Knot!"

"Jump!" He said.

With a push of his hind legs, Eevee jumped in the air— not high enough to be stuck there too long and be a prime target, but not low enough to get caught by the vines coming out of the ground. Perfect.

The idea was forming in his head now— his winning condition. Eevee had to stay close no matter what and harass Cherrim so that it wouldn't have time to use its long-ranged moves and struggle to use Leech Seed.

Broad strokes, Denzel reminded himself. Don't get lost in the details. Feel the flow of the battle.

Eevee latched his teeth onto Cherrim's face and one of its leaves, shaking his head around and tearing it up in the process. Cherrim struggled, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't get out of the Bite. With a flash of red, Gardenia returned Cherrim and immediately released a Hoppip. The pink Pokemon spun the two leaves on its head, floating in the wind as if it was lighter than a feather.

Denzel winced. All they had to fight this was Swift, and it was one of Eevee's weaker moves given how little they worked on it. Still, he wasn't going to switch. Not yet, at least.

"Swift," He immediately ordered. Stars spun around Eevee as they formed before flying toward the grass type.

"Start up your Fairy Wind," Gardenia said.

Denzel grimaced, expecting the worst because of what he had seen Grace's Togetic do, but Hoppip's Fairy Wind was incredibly weak by comparison, and it took him a few seconds to understand why.

Gardenia was using the move to make Hoppip move incredibly fast, and it was permanent. The flying type zoomed around the arena faster than Swift could ever hope to be, and occasionally, the wind would hurt Eevee. Even though the damage was minimal, it would stack up.

"Seed Bombardment," Gardenia said with a grin.

"Quick Attack to dodge," Denzel quickly said. Whatever the hell that was, it couldn't be good.

Hoppip let out a cry as seeds started dropping from its body. Some of them exploded upon contact with the ground, and some just grew vines. Gardenia had combined Seed Bomb and Leech seed together in a terrifying fashion, and there was no way to counter it when the enemy was so high up in the sky.

Denzel grabbed Eevee's Pokeball and recalled him before too much damage could be dealt. His hand settled on Budew's Pokeball, and he took a deep breath. She wouldn't do much damage, but at least she would have a chance to hit the damn thing with Bullet Seed. He wished he had taught her more new moves, but the grass type was still difficult to work with, even if she at least listened to him now.

Budew announced herself with a screech, overshadowed by all the explosions going on around her. Even Gardenia seemed to be surprised by her size. She was twice as large as a normal Budew, after all.

"Budew, Growth!" Denzel said.

Budew screeched again, glowing white and growing slightly in size.

"Acrobatics! Boost yourself with the wind!"

Fuck, it knew flying type moves too! Shit, shit—

Denzel clenched and unclenched his fists. Now wasn't the time to panic.

"Bullet Seed, then Mega Drain when it's in range!" The teen said.

Budew spat out Bullet Seed after Bullet Seed, carefully aiming at Hoppip. A few of the Seeds hit the grass type since it was flying only forward now, but the damage was negligible. Just as Hoppip started to nimbly move around, Budew yelled, and the Grassy Terrain died around her. Hoppip winced, feeling Mega Drain's boosted effect, but he kept going and rammed into Budew and sent her flying.

"Don't let it rest, Acrobatics again!"

"Mega Drain again!" Denzel mirrored.

With a look of pure rage, Budew once again drained the energy around her, slightly recovering the damage that had been dealt, and Hoppip flew into her at high speeds. This song and dance repeated itself another two times before Budew finally went down. She had done well, especially against something with a flying type move, and now it was time to pass on the torch.

"Budew is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

"Buneary, you're up," Denzel said, releasing the normal type. She looked back at him with a scared look on her face, but he nodded at her, and she did the same to him.

Buneary was skittish, but he had done a lot to prepare her for a battle in such a large setting. It had taken a lot of trips to public arenas to get her used to other people watching her, and she was ready.

"Blow yourself up high and start bombarding again," Gardenia ordered.

Buneary didn't have that many moves, but the ones it had? They were enough. A good base to work from.

"Defense Curl!" Denzel quickly said.

The rabbit curled up into a ball and her skin shone slightly, raising her defense. She would probably get hit by a Leech Seed, but at this point, he had one way to win this. One idea his instincts were screaming at him to implement.

Denzel winced as multiple explosions hit Buneary, and one of the Leech Seeds wrapped its thorny vines around her, but the moment still wasn't right. He still needed to wait.

Wait until Hoppip was right above her.

"Jump with Quick Attack!" Denzel screamed.

Buneary slammed her feet against the ground, creating a small crater, and jumped up at Hoppip. This trick would only work once. They only had one chance to do this, one opportunity.

"Knock her away with Fairy Wind and fly up!" Gardenia said. The wind that carried Hoppip slammed downward, and its leaves started rotating twice as fast, but Buneary's jump was too powerful. She was on a one-way trajectory to the flying type.

"Fire Punch!" Denzel exclaimed.

Still midair, Buneary rubbed her ears together until one of them ignited, powered up by Sunny Day, and sprung it at Hoppip. Already having been damaged by Budew, the grass type went down, crashing into the ground, and so did Buneary.

The normal type got up, and Hoppip did not.

"Hoppip is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

With raised eyebrows, Gardenia recalled her Hoppip and released Cherrim again, still in its sun form.

"Grassy Terrain," Gardenia simply said.

"Alright, Buneary, Quick Attack and get close," Denzel said.

The same principle still applied, even if Buneary was on a timer due to Leech Seed. Overwhelm Cherrim enough so that it wouldn't have enough time to use its powerful long-ranged attacks. Buneary's Quick Attack was different than Eevee's. The normal type didn't run, she jumped.

Buneary jumped terrifyingly fast across the field while Grass grew around Cherrim.

"Energy Ball, quick!" Gardenia ordered with a sweeping motion, but it was too late.

Buneary landed right in front of the grass type as it began forming the Energy Ball, and then hit it with Fire Punch without Denzel even having to give the order.

"Again," He said. Finally, after being rattled by Hoppip, he was starting to settle into a groove again. With a small noise, Buneary continued battering Cherrim with all she had until the grass type fainted.

"Cherrim is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your last Pokemon," The referee said.

One more, Denzel thought. But he couldn't get complacent. He needed to keep the gears turning. Gardenia grabbed her last Pokeball and released her Grotle, who let out a short roar before snapping its jaw.

"Think you got a little more in you?" He asked Buneary. The rabbit turned his way and gave him a fierce nod, eliciting a smile. If there was one thing Denzel's team had, it was being able to take hits and keep going. "Thank you."

Buneary and Grotle were already relatively close, so there was no need to waste her limited energy with Quick Attack.

"Fire Punch," Denzel ordered.

"Strength," Gardenia said.

Grotle's entire body stiffened as it slowly ran toward Buneary. The normal type landed her Fire Punch, but Grotle just ignored it and rammed into her with its entire body, sending her flying. The sheer power behind the move made Denzel freeze up for a split second.

Buneary struggled to her feet and took a few steps forward, but she fell to the ground quickly after.

"Buneary is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your last Pokemon," The referee said.

Denzel recalled Buneary with a slight smile. She had done everything required of her and more. Now it was Eevee's turn.

The trainer released his starter. "It's you and me, Eevee," He said. Eevee answered with an excited cry.

Denzel had never even looked at battles where Gardenia had used Grotle because he never thought she would use the Pokemon against him. What had he broadly learned about the grass type in that short interaction? It was a bruiser type— like Eevee was, more powerful by an order of magnitude. He was also slow, taking seconds to reach Buneary who had been relatively close.

The gears turned, and a strategy clicked into place.

"Swift. Stack them up," Denzel said.

Eevee barked and stars materialized around him before flying toward Grotle. The attack was nothing to the grass type, but it wasn't like he could respond.

"Leech Seed!" Gardenia yelled, and Grotle opened his mouth. Eevee effortlessly dodged the seeds with Quick Attack and kept harassing his opponent with Swift. "Get close!"

"Run away to the opposite side of the field," Denzel continued. "Then Swift again."

"Don't let him, cut him off!" The gym leader yelled. "Bulldoze!"

Grotle roared and stood on its hind legs before slamming its front legs at the ground. The floor shook around it, slowing Eevee down and making him fall.

"Strength!" Gardenia said, grinning.

Denzel inhaled sharply. "Detect!"

Eevee disappeared and reappeared further down the battlefield, having narrowly avoided Grotle's charge. He quickly started up another Swift and sent it toward Grotle. And another. And another. Slowly chipping away at the grass type, who could only slowly run up to him and try to cut him off with Bulldoze, after which Denzel would dodge with Detect.

On Eevee's third Detect, Denzel started to worry. On Eevee's fifth Detect, it was taking everything for the boy not to panic. He watched as another set of stars hit Grotle's side, and the grass type slowly but surely ran up to his exhausted Eevee.

Fuck it, Denzel thought. All or nothing.

His brain screamed at him. Every ounce of his being except his gut was telling him this was a bad idea, but he had no choice. Another Detect and Eevee wouldn't be able to move. Eevee wouldn't be able to jump over Bulldoze like Buneary could either, the range around Grotle was too large.

"Quick Attack to get close…" Denzel started. Eevee nodded, panting a few times before blurring forward.

"Strength!" Gardenia yelled.

Grotle and Eevee were going to hit each other, or at least that's what Denzel wanted it to look like.

"Slide under his legs!" Denzel yelled. Eevee ducked and skidded across the grass.

"Body Slam!"

"Double Kick!" Denzel screamed so loudly his throat ached. Unlike Grotle's protected shell, the grass type's underbelly was its weakest point, or at least that's what visually made sense.

Eevee nimbly turned around on his back as Grotle stood on his hind legs. He dropped onto Eevee, creating a plume of dust, smoke, and dirt.

The was no more sound.

Denzel stood on his tiptoes, eagerly waiting for the dust to settle.

Eevee crawled out of the smoke with a limp, barely able to walk and leaving a knocked-out Grotle behind him. He collapsed a few seconds later.

The trainer let out a long sigh of relief and looked at the sky as deafening cheers erupted around him. It was a draw, but a draw still counted as a win for the challenger. A draw was somewhat disappointing, he hadn't completely figured out how he wanted to battle as Grace had, and there were still things to iron out, but holy shit, was this a huge step in the right direction.

Denzel's body felt so light. He looked at Gardenia in a daze as she handed him his badge, money, and the Leech Seed TM. His battle was the last one of the day, so the lobby was a sea of trainers, making it hard to find his friends.

Using his height, they found him first, all congratulating him for his victory. He blinked a few times and looked at Grace. His best friend smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Denzel was happy she managed to catch at least some of the battle.

"I knew you would fucking kick ass," She said, still smiling.

Denzel Williams was so incredibly glad Grace had come to him back in Twinleaf town.

It just wouldn't be the same without her.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 65

"Mm, Arceus, this milkshake is good," I said, feeling bliss. I grabbed a mouthful of fries, appreciating the sweet and salty flavors mixed together.

"Ugh, do you have to eat on the bed?" Pauline asked with a grimace. "How barbaric."

"The battle tired me out and made me hungry," I said. "Now buzz off."

She clicked her tongue. "Whatever. It's not my bed. Cece can deal with a dirty bed."

"Don't you have maids cleaning this place every day anyway? Don't be such a grinch," I said.

"You'll get fat," The girl said, hitting my leg with her foot.

"I don't gain weight," I retorted, hitting her back. "Stop disturbing me, I might choke."

"Of course, you don't," Pauline rolled her eyes. "And who says I don't want you to choke?"

"Legendaries! Please stop bickering, I can't even hear myself think," Emilia exclaimed.

After Denzel's battle, the entire group had gone to Cecilia's apartment, but people had started to split up. The boys had gone back to their hotel rooms, and Denzel was crashing at Louis' place. I was starting to feel bad about having reserved that Pokemon Center room with how little I was using it, but it wasn't like the place was even close to being full. Plus, there were plenty in the city.

"Cece, Grace is being annoying and messing up the bed!" Pauline yelled.

"I'm being clean! You just have it out for me."

"I just want to watch videos in peace…" Emilia whined.

The result was that the girls had decided to all stay together for a spontaneous sleepover, and three of us were already in bed even with how early it still was. I had hoped that it would just be Cecilia and me again, but it was nice to spend more time with friends too. Like I had promised myself before, I was on a Pokemon training break, for at least a week!

Alright, maybe five— three days. Yeah, three days would do the trick. Plus, all of my Pokemon were so beaten up I'd only be able to pick them up tomorrow. They had fought so well. Even thinking back on the battle made me grin uncontrollably. Even now, it was still sinking in. It was like another person had fought it, but it was me. I was the one who made Gardenia use Sunflora's Solar Beam.

"Check it out," Pauline said, pointing her phone at me. "Your thread's blowing up."

I closed my eyes. "Nope, don't want to see it. I checked it out earlier today, right after Denzel's battle, and it gave me anxiety. Too many eyes on me all at once."

"You can run, but you can't hide," Pauline continued. "But I get it. The spotlight can be a terrifying thing the first time it shines on you."

"Denzel's giddy about it, though," I said. "I haven't even looked at my Poketch since. Just seeing the notification makes my heart jump."

"I'm back," Cece said, carrying a cup of tea. She sat at the foot of the bed, right below my feet.

Okay, now my heart really jumped.

"This little gremlin is munching away in your bed," Pauline narced.

"I told her it was fine," She said. "Emi ate some biscuits in there earlier."

"Don't bring me into this, I'm innocent," Emilia quickly said. She was watching a video of some contest going on tonight in Hearthome.

Pauline rolled her eyes. "Emi knows how to eat gracefully, unlike someone."

"Whatever, I'm done anyway," I said as obnoxiously as humanly possible. "I don't know how you guys dealt with this devil before I came into the picture. I'm the only one who can control her—"

Pauline threw a pillow at me.

We continued talking and joking around for a few hours, and eventually, we were ready to go to sleep. The next gym battle was Louis', and it was the day after tomorrow. Apparently, they had taken so long to sign up for the gym that they'd go an entire day after us, but I didn't mind. I was on top of the world, and nothing would be able to contain that feeling. Then, it'd be Cece's turn, then Justin, Pauline, and finally, the next day, Emilia.

"What's that noise?" Pauline groaned. "Ugh, get your arm off of me," She continued, pushing my arm away.

"Sorry, I move around a lot in my sleep," I lied.

"I think someone's knocking on the door," Emi said.

"At this hour?" Cecilia complained before unlatching herself from my arm.

Right, that was a thing I still needed to get used to. It looked like Cece was incredibly cuddly when sleeping, getting so close to me for two nights. It probably didn't mean anything, so I needed to not get any ideas.

"This better be important," She continued, rubbing her eyes before getting up.

"I'll come with," I quickly spoke.

"Don't come back!" Pauline yelled.

We quickly made our way toward the door, and Cece looked through the peephole.

"It's Denzel," She said.

"Oh? Open it."

She opened the door and my best friend barged in.

"Holy shit," He started. "Grace, have you checked your phone tonight?"

"What? No?" I answered, tilting my head. "Is this about the forums?"

"No, it's even better," Denzel grinned. "A company wants to sponsor us."

——

I yawned as Denzel carefully read the email he had gotten in the middle of the living room. It was odd, seeing him this excited and hyper this late at night, but I couldn't blame him. Even I was feeling enthusiastic. Sponsors were the difference between truly professional trainers and the rest. Almost every trainer at the top was sponsored by some company or multiple. Cece herself was sponsored by a few big names, including Louis' dad, although I had never seen her wear any kind of brand when she battled in official tournaments or gym battles, but maybe that was a special clause in her contract. For the rest, trainers were usually paid to wear uniforms containing branding logos, or just wear their clothes in battle if you were talking about a clothing brand. Justin, for example, wore a shirt with the Pherzen logo during his battle with Roark. Pauline always wore clothes from her mother's clothing brand, although that wasn't their primary business.

Then, at the very top level of Pokemon training, companies worked with trainers to create personalized merchandise for them and split the profits, but that was only for people who consistently got eight badges and got to the Conference consistently. The Conference was a much more publicized event than a normal gym battle, so I guessed that companies didn't want to bother creating merch for people who couldn't get there. Craig Goodwill, for example, was someone who sold a lot of stuff. Clothing, pins, stickers, Salamence plushies with his little brand on them because hell, Salamance in Sinnoh was practically synonymous with the man, not unlike Cynthia and Garchomp.

Either way, the point was, companies wanted their logo or product on you so they could advertise themselves to the millions of people that watched gym battles and Pokemon tournaments. In exchange, they'd pay you a certain sum. Some contracts were monthly payments, and others were per appearance in gym battles or official city or League-run tournaments. Some even gave you some gifts and goodie bags containing vitamins, TMs, Ultra Balls, or other Pokemon-related products. Hell, even Coordinators had sponsors for their Pokemon Contests.

"...business proposition tomorrow at 8:30 am," Denzel said. "By Retani Industries."

"And you say they sent this to me too?" I asked. "How did you know?"

"They want both of us. Check your phone."

I hurriedly scrolled through my email, and the exact same message was there.

"Retani Industries?" Cecilia asked. "I'm not too familiar with the business world of Sinnoh."

Emilia sprung up. "They're a mid-sized tech company that's been getting their toes wet into marketing via Pokemon battles recently. They're trying to become a competitor to the Poketch Company, but they're a tough nut to crack. They basically have a monopoly over Sinnoh's entire phone business, so Retani's market share is pretty small."

"Around nine percent, no?" Pauline said.

"No, seven. They went down this quarter after the new Poketch was released," Emilia answered.

"Well, we only have two badges, so it'd make sense to start small," I said.

Denzel nodded excitedly. "I can't believe this is happening already," He grinned. "This is going to be awesome."

"So awesome that you'll wake up in time?" I snarked.

My friend raised his hands. "You have my word."

"Before you go, Denzel," Pauline started. "Don't sign anything before coming back and consulting us. Usually, you'd have a lawyer present before signing a contract—"

"Well, Retani will have their lawyers there, that's for sure," Emilia interrupted.

"I meant them," She nodded at us. "But it's not like trainers can afford those. I'd offer to buy you one, but I believe Emi and my advice will be more than enough."

"Fair," I said. "We'll leave after hearing their terms. Can we, like, take a picture of it to show you?"

"Pfft," Emilia waved her hand dismissively. "Any company worth their while will have the contract be dozens of pages at least."

"Correct. There are clauses, clauses within clauses, like, a hundred conditions to dismiss it, ways to force you into staying locked in—" Pauline rambled.

"Alright," Denzel said, deflating slightly. "Can we bring you the contract itself? The paper version of it, I mean?"

"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem," Pauline said. "If they tell you no, then they're not worth your while. Their phones are shit anyway. They just look good."

"Aren't we supposed to like their phones if we're being sponsored by them?" I asked.

"Oh, Grace, you poor summer child," Pauline said. "You're in it for the money, not the product. No one cares what they're sponsored by if the pay is good."

——

Denzel yawned as we stepped in front of the nondescript building. We were twenty minutes early, but we figured it'd be better to make a good impression.

"Ready?" He said.

"I'm nervous," I said before blowing a raspberry. "But fuck it, let's go."

We entered the building and stepped into the elevator to the third floor, like the email had told us. I was squirming in place, curious to learn what the contract would be about. The message hadn't specified it at all, only telling us that they were interested in a meeting to make a deal, the address, and the time. When the elevator doors opened, we heard many voices coming from one of the rooms. Denzel and I looked at each other and stepped into the hallway. We turned a corner, and a man in a business suit was standing in front of the door.

"Ah," He smiled. "Mr. Williams and Ms. Pastel, I presume?" The man asked.

"Yeah, that's us," My friend answered.

"May I have your trainer ID?" He asked. We handed them to him and he gave them back quickly. "Thank you, they'll be with you shortly."

The man knocked on the door, and I awkwardly stood in front of the room, fidgeting nervously. It sounded like there were a lot of people in there. I thought it would only be a few. I was getting overwhelmed before even getting in the room. Around five minutes later, a man with a trimmed goatee and his hair slicked back opened the door and flashed us a smile. He was younger than I thought he would be.

"Ms. Pastel, Mr. Williams," He said, shaking our hands. The handshake was firm, almost painful. "I'm Mr. Hayes, the one who scouted you for Retani Industries. Come in."

Denzel greeted him, but I was silent as we stepped inside the room. Twelve businessmen and women, all in suits, were all sitting on a long, glass table, discussing things with each other, but they stopped when we entered the room and welcomed us in.

"Again, good morning," Mr. Hayes said. "Please sit wherever you'd like."

I sat near the end of the table, and Denzel settled in next to me.

"I suppose I'll start, then," He continued. "Retani Industries has been exploring avenues into trainer-based marketing, and we believe two up-and-coming trainers like you are the perfect fit. We watched your battle, and we thought you were terrific out there," He said before pointing at every person in the room and introducing them. Most of them were negotiators, but a few were also professional marketers and economists. "Finally, these two, Ms. Graham and Mr. Perry, are our lawyers. If you sign, the contract will be legally binding."

We nodded.

"Great," He smiled. "Jonathan, the contract?" He asked, and the pudgy man handed him a stack of clipped papers. There were more pages than Pauline had even imagined. "Let me go over the big picture. No one wants to read a document this long, right?" Mr. Hayes said, eliciting a few chuckles from his colleagues. "First, you'll need to use one of our phones— the newest model, free of charge, obviously."

"Good publicity," One of the marketers said.

Mr. Hayes nodded. "The model is flashy and unique, unlike Poketches, and they're very eye-catching. Here's one," He said, pulling the device from his pocket. "We call it the Crystal Next, and it'll be reaching the shelves in the next few weeks."

I stared at the device in awe. It was extremely thin and rectangular.

"Looks great, right?" Hayes said. "More powerful, more data, better camera, what's not to like? The Poketch started as a watch, and they still haven't gotten out of that rigid design choice, even if they make phones now. Our product is clearly superior in every way," He continued. "Next, we'll want you to have the phone visible during your gym battles or any tournament you participate in, official or otherwise. We can give you a clip that you can put it on and then attach to your belt—"

"Like Pokeballs!" One of the women said with a wide smile.

"Yes, exactly like your Pokeballs. Third, you won't be allowed to be seen with other phones, or at least in public, and you won't be able to badmouth our products. That one should be pretty self-explanatory," Mr. Hayes said, flipping through the contract. "And the boring part's almost over!" He said, causing more laughs. "Following me so far?"

"Yeah," Denzel said. I just nodded.

"Lastly, you'll need to appear in television ads if we can get a hold of you when you stay in cities to promote our products," Mr. Hayes said. "Nothing too demanding, just a few lines to memorize."

He paused and looked at us excitedly.

"Now, let's get to the good stuff. In exchange, you'll get paid fifty thousand Pokedollars per month—"

My eyes bulged. Fifty thousand? I'd be able to buy so much with that.

"—You'll be given a TM of your choice every month as well, as long as the price is below one hundred and fifty thousand Pokedollars, and obviously, you'll get free access to any new phones coming out."

Mr. Hayes paused, looking at us.

"That's it?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah. I'd say it's a good deal," He answered with a smile.

"Um, it sounds great, actually," My friend said. "But can we, um, consult someone before signing? I'd like to get their input."

A sudden feeling of tension appeared in the room. "Why?" Hayes asked. "If you have any questions, you can always ask one of us. Here," He said, handing Denzel the contract. "Read the fine print."

"I believe you, I just want to be sure," Denzel said.

Mr. Hayes sighed. "Fine, I suppose you can leave. Hurry though, the clock is ticking, and we have other people we're offering this to."

Denzel and I quickly left the room with a copy of the contract and hurried back to the hotel by tram.

"It sounded good, right?" Denzel asked. "I mean, it's even better than what I thought it'd be. With that amount of money, I'd be able to buy a lot."

"It did, but like you said, better be sure," I said. "The whole atmosphere kind of creeped me out. They were so giddy and smiley about everything."

"I know, right?" He said. "That lady that said 'like Pokeballs'? So dramatic, it's like she was speaking to a toddler and trying to excite him with a shiny toy."

"Probably wanted to appear relatable," I guessed.

"Well that didn't work, it just made me cringe."

We stepped into the tram and then made our way to the hotel. When we knocked, Emilia opened the door right away, like she'd been waiting for us.

"Got the contract?" She asked.

"Good morning to you too," Denzel said before pulling it out of his bag. "Here."

She snatched it out of his hands and sat down at the kitchen island. Pauline quickly joined her, along with Cece, and we just watched like two idiots. After a few minutes, Emilia groaned.

"Arceus, what is this thing?" Pauline said. "First of all, they're ripping you off."

"Ripping us off?" I exclaimed. "But that's so much money—"

"It is right now," Emilia said, crossing her arms. "But what happens when you get three badges? Then five. Then you get to the conference? You'd still be paid fifty thousand Pokedollars per month."

"Can't we just renegotiate then?" Denzel asked.

"No, the contract specifically locks you into that salary," Emilia explained. "No matter how famous or good you get, you'll be paid the same. Fifty thousand Pokedollars is pennies at the top. "

"The TM part of the contract is actually relatively decent, though," Cece said.

"That's how they lure you if you're halfway decent at reading between the lines. Companies love using a bunch of complicated jargon they think teenagers won't understand and lure them with shiny things to make them sign anyway," Pauline said. "The ads they want you to star in? There's a quota that's way too high to be sustainable for a trainer who's always traveling."

"They said it wouldn't be too demanding," Denzel frowned.

"How many ads can you make about a phone?" I asked.

"It doesn't say phones, it says products," Cecilia specified.

"Right, they don't only make phones. They're a tech company. They have their hands in everything," Emi nodded.

My eyes widened. That was right, Mr. Hayes did say products and not phones when talking about the ads, so he hadn't even lied. We just hadn't caught onto it.

"Shit…" I muttered.

"Arceus…" Emilia kept muttering as she licked her finger, switched the pages, and traced her finger over a line. "Getting out of this contract is nigh impossible if you sign it. You're not even allowed to retire until you turn twenty-two. You'd have to be irreparably crippled or dead."

"So they were scamming us?" Denzel asked. "Fuck this, man," He swore, pacing around the room.

It was all starting to make sense now. The big, fake smiles, the infantilizing tone, and the focus on the perks of the sponsor instead of the obligations. They'd been trying to put us in a disadvantageous contract.

"You wouldn't be the first trainer to be pulled into some bullshit contract, it happens all the time," Pauline said. "Usually, it's less obvious than this. These people are amateurs."

"That might be because it's their first foray into this business," Cece said. "They probably thought that teenagers— which this occupation is full of— would be an easy mark."

"Fine," I sighed. "We're not signing."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm doing that," Denzel groaned. "I was so excited too…"

"Other opportunities will come around," Cece said, comforting him. "Don't worry too much."

"They said they had other kids they were trying to negotiate with," I frowned. "Does that mean they'll get pulled into this?"

"Probably," Pauline shrugged in an uncaring manner.

"That's probably why they didn't fight that hard to make us stay," Denzel guessed. "They knew that no matter what we decided, they'd have someone else line up to take their deal."

"Trainers get very desperate for money," Emilia said. "It's a shame, but that's life. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Can we warn them somehow? Like, with a forum post, or something? If I'm getting somewhat famous, I'd like to at least use it for good," I said.

"Good idea," Cecilia said. "I'll help you draft your statement."

"Knock yourselves out," Pauline shrugged. "I'm going out to train with Justin and Louis."

I ignored Pauline's innate selfishness, since I knew it was something I'd never change her mind about, and quickly grabbed my Poketch. Cece helped me put out a professional-sounding post, and I did my best to ignore the thousands of notifications on my profile. I had befriended these people out of the goodness of my heart and through our experiences together, but I'd be lying if I said that having rich, business-savvy friends wasn't a huge advantage in our line of work. Without them, Denzel and I would have gotten too excited and signed the contract for sure.

Thank fucking Arceus, we hadn't.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 66

After that almost disastrous contract negotiation with Retani Industries, Cece helped me release a statement exposing their shady dealings on the forum, and Denzel took care of calling them to say that we weren't coming back. I felt like I should have been doing more to help and warn people, but this was all I could do. At least I could rest easy knowing that the vast majority of trainers browsed the forums at least once in a while, and with my boost in popularity, maybe they'd use that small moment to look up my post.

After that, I finally decided to go pick up the rest of my team, but first, I decided to get some gifts to celebrate, which I could afford with the money I had gotten from winning against Gardenia. Zipping back and forth through the city was annoying, but the look on their faces would be worth it. First, I bought enough poffins for Frillish— although everyone would probably steal from his share. Tangela didn't eat, but maybe there was a way for him to enjoy tasty things. I needed to look that up eventually to be sure if he couldn't enjoy the taste of food once in a while like Frillish could. Then, I purchased a small Tepig plushie for Togetic, who could finally use Extrasensory on something other than rocks or poor angel, who she seemed to enjoy bullying.

Maybe bullying was the wrong word since Tangela didn't seem to mind whatsoever. He didn't seem to mind many things, to be honest, but I still felt bad for the little guy. I decided to get him a stress ball of some sort that he could use his vines to press and touch. I wasn't sure he had ever touched the material before, so he was bound to be interested in it, with how curious he was about touching everything new.

Denzel and I already owned a portable battery that we used to cook, but I decided to get Elekid his own battery. Most electric types were capable of generating their own electricity, including him, but apparently, they enjoyed getting it from other sources. It was supposed to feel good if it wasn't their electricity or something. I'd be able to charge it on the road since it was solar-powered.

I really needed to learn more about the ins and outs of caring for my team.

Since the others were out training and Denzel was depressed about the sponsor incident, I decided to finally get back up to my Pokemon Center room. Plus, it'd be convenient since I was just picking up my team. I grabbed my Pokeballs from Nurse Joy, rode up the elevator, and entered my room. It was scary how fast I had gotten used to the luxurious life at my friends' hotel because a small part of me remembered Pokemon Center rooms to be bigger than this. People got used to wealth way too easily, so it'd be nice to get back to Earth and sleep here once in a while.

I released my team, and they rushed toward me. Togetic flew at me and knocked me to the ground, rubbing her head against mine. Elekid clapped my shoulder affectionately, and Tangela rubbed me all over with his vines. Even Frillish was staring at me with that smile that I had learned to love.

"Okay, okay, I'm also happy to see you guys," I laughed. "You were all amazing during the battle. Every single one of you did your part."

Elekid stood up straight and yelled proudly.

"Your Ice Punch was awesome," I grinned. "You were even better than when we trained. I have gifts for you guys! Here," I said, rustling in my bag. "For you," I said, handing Togetic her Tepig plush.

"Togeprri!" The fairy type cried out cheerfully before grabbing her toy. She flew around the room with it, throwing it in the air and catching it with Extrasensory.

"Glad you like it, princess," I smiled. "Don't tear it up, or I'll have to get you a new one, and that was the last Tepig in stock! For you, Frillish, I have your favorite… Mago berry poffins!"

I saw his eyes twitch a little, but he stayed still and just nodded. He was so strong, pretending not to be completely enchanted by the poffins.

"C'mere and get some," I said. "Or I'll have to feed all of them to the others. Elekid's never tasted any, and you would like some, wouldn't you, hon?"

"Elekid!" The electric type yelled.

Tangela writhed slightly and curiously felt at the poffins with a few vines, but he seemed uninterested. Togetic flew close, still carrying her toy with her psychic powers.

"Fri…" Frillish said, clearly annoyed, but he came close nonetheless. I grabbed one of his tentacles and looked at him.

"Seriously, I want you to know that I'm very proud of you," I told him. "Without you, the entire strategy falls apart, and you poisoning that Lombre helped a lot too. I know how hard you practiced with Poison Sting."

The water type nodded, and I pulled him close into a hug. "Now here, say ahhh,"

Frillish rolled his red eyes and opened his mouth, and Elekid couldn't stop himself from laughing. Frillish glared and threw water at the electric type, who easily dodged, and the two started playing a game of chicken throughout the room. Elekid somersaulted behind the bed, and Frillish flew after him.

"Hey, no water!" I exclaimed before groaning. "Angel, help me out."

Tangela blinked twice and gently trapped Elekid with a few vines by cornering him against one of the walls of the room. Frillish's eyes glinted, and he spat out his biggest jet of water yet, but angel quickly dragged Elekid into my lap. Togetic giggled and clapped her hands at the whole ordeal.

I scratched my head and stared at the wet room. "Well, at least it's just water, I guess. Come and eat," I said, beckoning Frillish.

I fed him the vast majority of the poffins, but I also fed some to Elekid and Togetic as well, much to Frillish's chagrin. Togetic complained that the poffins weren't made of Oran, but I reminded her that this was Frillish's gift and not hers.

"Next up, for you, honey," I said, staring at Elekid. He looked at my bag, barely able to contain his excitement. "A battery."

I handed it to him, and he grabbed it, staring at it confusedly for a few seconds before exclaiming and finally understanding how to use it. He quickly drained it of its entire energy and yelled out as he flexed and spun his arms around.

"Done already?" I asked with a pout. "I guess it isn't much for you, since it's meant for humans. I hope you like it still. It'll recharge alone with the sun when we travel."

Elekid nodded and caressed my arm, shocking a small jolt of electricity. I flinched, and he apologized profusely.

"It's okay, it didn't hurt," I said. "I guess you're not used to manipulating electricity that isn't yours. Last but not least, angel. I have this for you," I said, pulling out the stress ball. It was rather big, barely fitting in my hand, so I hoped it'd be big enough for him to have fun with it.

I felt Tangela's vine around my wrist tighten slightly. He was excited. I grinned as he extended one of his vines and carefully felt at the multicolored ball. After a few seconds of feeling and pushing it around, he grabbed it from my hand and started compressing it over and over, smiling with his eyes. I could barely see the ball under all of his vines now.

They all loved their gifts. I was so happy that I felt a few tears build up in my eyes. I held them back.

"You guys have fun, I'm going to work a little bit," I said, standing up and walking to my desk. Tangela, Elekid, and Togetic played together while Frillish watched over my shoulder. I affectionately grabbed one of his tentacles and placed it against my head. "Thanks for worrying about me, bud. I love you."

Frillish huffed and took his tentacle out of my hand. He was shy, but I knew he appreciated the comment. I had told myself I would take a break from Pokemon training after the battle with Gardenia, but I couldn't help it. I lived and breathed Pokemon battling. So while I'd give my team a break for a few days, I had a few things to work on.

I grabbed a notepad— the same one I had used to write down notes before going into Eterna forest— and I put the video of my battle with Gardenia on my Poketch.

I hadn't done this after Roark, which was a shame, but better late than never. I was going to call this the 'post gym battle autopsy.' I'd analyze what went wrong, what went right, and what I needed to change or improve, and ideally, I would do this after every gym battle, and maybe future tournaments too.

I pushed through the visceral discomfort of hearing my shaky voice on video and started watching. The first thing I noticed was that even though I thought I'd been hiding behind a stoic mask like Cece did during the gym battle, it was actually very obvious to tell when I was nervous, excited, angry, or panicking with the tone of my voice and my body language. I couldn't help it.

"Maybe masking yourself and what you're thinking just comes with experience," I muttered as I fast-forwarded through the video. "Arceus, Grace, stop shaking," I groaned at myself.

Alright, so that part of the plan had failed, along with trying to read Gardenia's body language during the battle. Even though I had studied it a decent bit, I had been too distracted to do so. For example, when Gardenia was about to completely ruin your day with a tactic she was cooking up the entire battle, she fucking laughed and giggled like a little girl.

"Ingrain, Growth, Solar Beam!" The video played back, and the gym leader laughed until the sound of her voice was drowned out by the huge, bright attack. I still couldn't believe Togetic had dodged the first and withstood the second by weakening it using all those layers of Ancient Power.

I scribbled away in my notebook and reached another conclusion. With Togetic's newfound prowess with her psychic powers, it might be possible to start thinking about restraining Pokemon with Extrasensory and then using Sweet Kiss on them at the same time. Thunder Wave was out though since the attack took too long and too much focus. It was something to consider experimenting with, at least.

Next up, it was time to look at Frillish's performance. He had actually done his job perfectly, and the only problem had been my fault. I had used too many videos from last year's Circuit as a reference, and in those, Lombre hadn't known Mega Drain yet. I still had a lot of work to do regarding information gathering. It was hard to remember that the gym leaders' Pokemon also improved and learned new moves throughout their lives, slowly moving up in the kind of battles they could be used at. Roark's Onix had been on the cusp of being too strong for trainers with no badges, and Gardenia's Sunflora was the same, although for trainers with one badge instead.

Elekid had done his job wonderfully, even though I hadn't used him as much as I wanted. That Roselia and her Toxics were so accurate that they had hit my fastest Pokemon, so it was obvious it would have poisoned the others easily if Elekid hadn't taken care of it so fast. The situation with Leafeon made me realize that the electric type needed a move that could affect a large area around him. Tangela could extend his vines in every direction, Togetic had Fairy Wind and Frillish was good enough to keep a Bubblebeam going for long enough to find a potential opponent in time. Luckily for me, I had the perfect move already lined up for him: Shock Wave. The attack was a quick burst of electricity all around the Pokemon— like a weaker version of Discharge. If the opponent was in range, there was no way it could miss. I would need to start working on it with Elekid after his break.

Finally, Tangela. The grass type was even more powerful than I thought. The combination of Bind and Mega Drain was seriously hard for a Pokemon to get out of. He had been perfect as well, and I'd need to teach him Leech Seed soon. In the long term, I wanted angel to have as much survivability as possible, and the move would help greatly with that.

Next, I needed to replay the fight in my head and figure out what I'd change in hindsight.

This was going to be a fun day!

——

I stretched in my chair and yawned as my Poketch started ringing. It was already night time, and I had lost another day engrossed in Pokemon battling. I rubbed my eyes and answered the phone without looking.

"Grace," I heard, recognizing Cece's voice. "I'm calling to tell you that the party's been moved to tomorrow, so there's no need to come if you don't want to. I'd like it if you still did, though… you can sleep over again." She said.

"I'll come!" I said, suddenly feeling awake. "But why is it canceled? Did something happen?"

"The gym is closed tomorrow," Cecilia said.

——

As soon as I heard the news, I hurried to Cecilia's hotel room, where everyone else was already, including Denzel.

"Sorry, I was busy," I quickly said, taking off my shoes. "Can someone tell me why the gym is closed? Doesn't that literally never happen?"

"They're saying that Gardenia will be occupied tomorrow speaking with the protesters and stuff," Denzel explained. "So the entire gym's closed for the day."

"What happens to the people whose battle was tomorrow?" I asked.

"The entire schedule's moved up a day, so all of our battles are the day after tomorrow," Louis explained.

Justin groaned. "I had just gotten myself mentally prepared too."

"Why are you complaining?" I asked, sitting next to Cece. "It just gives you another day of training, no?"

"I'd rather just rip the bandaid off and be done with it," He said, sinking into the couch. "The nerves are getting to me."

"Hmph. How weak-willed of you, Justin. You're better than a man that would worry about nerves," Pauline complained.

"You'll do fine," I told my friend. "Just keep the strategy I gave you in mind, and things will probably work out."

Pauline's eye twitched. "You gave him a strategy?"

"Yeah, when he asked me for help with his Lotad a few days ago. Do you want one too?" I grinned. "It'll probably be a big help since you'll be fighting two-on-three."

"I don't need anything from you," She crossed her arms. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Pauline, don't be foolish," Emilia sighed.

"What? I'm telling the truth!"

And so, we spent another night talking among friends. Still, at the back of my mind, I couldn't help but worry about how things were progressing. The fact that the demonstrations were so significant that they forced the gym to close was concerning. The only time Pokemon gyms closed was when the leaders were sick, and usually, one of the gym trainers that were good at battling took over their duties for the duration of the problem. But to close the gym entirely? Either I was worrying for nothing, or things were worse than they seemed. Way worse.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - Gardenia

Gardenia sang with a smile as she poured water on her newly acquired Eucalyptus. The plant had evolved to live in harsh, sunny climates, but they still needed a healthy dose of water at first. She was very happy with the purchase, given that the plant wasn't native to Sinnoh and the seeds she bought were of the best quality possible, but with her gym leader salary, that wasn't a problem.

The woman twirled around happily, walking through her huge terrarium. Different species of plants were everywhere around her, filling the air with a distinct forest-like smell. This was her refuge. After a hard day of work, Gardenia always spent the rest of the evening in her terrarium, and sometimes even slept there. She had it built specifically on the highest floor so that the sun could shine down on the plants she kept.

"La, la, la," She sang. "Oh, your soil's completely dry," She said, looking into her cactus pot. She hurried and watered it.

Gardenia was in a great mood tonight. In another corner, Roserade was silently tending to her own little patch of flowers that she liked so much. Torterra was downstairs, whipping his sons into shape— two Turtwig and Grotle. One of the Turtwig was newly hatched, and Gardenia desperately needed him to use against trainers with no badges since the other one was getting too strong and probably on the cusp of evolving. The rest of her personal team was at the Pokemon Center. Today had been an especially fun day. She had battled a trainer that had gone to the Conference last year, and she finally got to almost go all out and beat him in the dirt. He would come back soon enough. She felt kind of bad because she had expected him to improve a lot more in between the Circuits, so she may have been too hard on him. Being a gym leader was fun, but it wasn't every day that she got to use her actual team, which may have clouded her judgment.

Still, that wasn't all. The last two battles of her shift had given her a fantastic amount of fun that made her feel all giddy inside. It wasn't every day that she could go all out with Sunflora, and that strategy the other teenager used to deal with her Hoppip had been impressive. Right now, Grace Pastel and maybe Denzel Williams were still like seeds that had barely budded, but if they were given time and care? She couldn't wait to see them grow into full-fledged trainers. Every gym leader had at least a few trainers they kept an eye on during the Circuit if they particularly impressed them during a battle, unless they were always grumpy and couldn't bother like Volkner.

Gardenia's head whirled to the right as she heard her terrarium door open.

"Gardenia, it's me. We need to talk."

"Roro," She started. "You look angry, what is it?"

Roland Patel was one of her most trusted gym trainers and Gardenia's childhood friend. They had grown up together in Eterna and tried out to become gym trainers as soon as they turned fifteen and had one run through the Circuit. Roland had gotten to the sixth badge, which was very impressive for a trainer's first attempt. Gardenia had reached the Conference finals and lost to Candice. Being from Snowpoint, she just had too many ice types for Gardenia to deal with. Her mastery of the type had been too much to overcome with her usual strategies.

Today? Gardenia could probably beat Candice every time if they were both going all out, unless the girl was having a particularly unhinged day. She was nigh unpredictable when she did.

Either way, Roland and Gardenia started working as gym trainers at the same time, and Gardenia eventually became gym leader when Mira, her predecessor, retired. Today, Roland was her right-hand man who kept the gym's metaphorical gears oiled up and running while she mostly focused on what she loved doing the most: battling.

"Of course I'm angry," He hissed. "The protests, Gardenia, the fucking protests are growing out of control, and you still haven't put out a single statement."

"No need to use that tone, Roro," Gardenia said, dismissing him with a wave. "You already know my position. We had this conversation two days ago."

"Your position is self-destructive to an extremely worrying degree," Roland exclaimed as he paced through the terrarium.

"Watch the plants," Gardenia warned. "I follow Cynth's orders. She told me to stay silent for now, so that's what I'm doing."

"You're supposed to communicate with Pete!" He's been holding town halls, speaking to protestors, and trying to calm them down. You're supposed to work together to help your people. The people of Eterna city, who I fear you've forgotten."

Pete Delgado was Eterna's current mayor. Gardenia had no hard feelings toward him, she was just doing her job, and he was doing his. The gym leader walked to her terrarium's entrance and sat on one of the chairs.

"I answer to Cynthia and the League," She shrugged.

"No!" Roland yelled. A few of the late-staying gym trainers turned their heads toward them worriedly, but Gardenia just waved them away. "That's not the system Cynthia promised us when she made this. You answer to the people. You don't just ignore them and treat them like children."

"Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures," Gardenia sighed. She hated seeing her friend so angry. The gym leader never got angry. She found the emotion to be a waste of time, and it made people think irrationally. Like Roland was doing right now. "You don't know the danger Sinnoh is in."

"Then tell me," Roland begged. "Talk to me, Gardenia."

The woman sighed. "The League's arrested several agitators trying to escalate the protests into riots, and some have links to team Galactic," She disclosed in a whisper. Revealing information like this wasn't like her, but she had a soft spot for Roland. Plus, it wasn't technically classified, and her gym trainers were trustworthy.

Her friend froze. "They want the protests to get worse? Is it just to keep you distracted?"

"To keep Cynthia distracted, mostly," Gardenia said. "She's been at the Directorate all week trying to save Vernon from getting fired, but it's not looking good. The new opposition will screw her every step of the way, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if team Galactic had their hands in there too."

"But you won't verify it, right?" He asked, adjusting his collar.

Gardenia felt a bit of emotional pain, but she expunged it as fast as it came. "Do you think we're so far gone that we'd use memory extraction on anyone we suspect?" She asked.

"I don't know, and it scares me, Gardenia. It scares me. I don't recognize the League anymore. Even with the team Galactic agitators, the protestor's concerns are still valid. You should still talk to Pete."

Gardenia sighed internally. Roland still had no idea what team Galactic was, and neither did the public. To them, they had just had a fundamental right taken away after a short attack that resulted in no deaths and very few injuries. Attacks from people with Pokemon throughout the region weren't particularly rare. Being a trainer criminal could be a lucrative job if you didn't get caught.

So to them, it was just another Tuesday. So why was the League acting so rashly?

Team Galactic wanted to mess with reality, but they didn't know that, and Cynthia wanted to keep it that way. Gardenia respected the Champion too much to question the way she did things. All of the gym leaders did.

"Civilians protest about the Circuit's difficulty every year, Roland. Too many injured and dead trainers. They just changed what they were mad about," She dismissed him.

"When we became gym trainers," Roland started soberly. "We said we'd change the system from the inside. We were tired of the way the older generation did things. What happened to that?"

"When you're a part of the system," Gardenia started. "You start to realize why things work the way they do."

Her friend's shoulders sagged, and he hung his head. "I'm going to go, I guess," He said. "Oh, and I had one more thing to say. It's about Lily."

"That new kid that works reception?" Gardenia asked.

"Yeah, I think she'd be a better fit for gym Pokemon training duty. Can I move her post?"

Gardenia nodded and watched her friend leave. The gym leader got up and walked back into her terrarium.

She'd sleep here tonight.

——

"I really don't feel like working today," Gardenia groaned, thinking of her argument with Roland. "I had a terrible night."

"Well, you're on in four, so I can't do anything for you." A gym trainer told her as he reapplied her makeup. "Ready?"

Gym trainers had all kinds of jobs, including being makeup artists. Gym leaders had to look their best during every battle, after all.

"No, I need to switch my Pokemon around," Gardenia said, keeping her face still. "The kid has one badge, right?"

"Yeah, Chase Karlson, one badge, four Pokemon," He said.

"Then I don't think he'd want to face Tropius and Torterra, but that's just me."

"Alright, just a second," Her stylist said. "There… there you go, you're ready."

Gardenia nodded and quickly grabbed some new Pokemon from the metallic drawer she kept in the waiting room. They were divided by badges, so she could easily sort through them and swap them out in between her battles. They weren't all in there of course. Around half of them were out and about throughout the gym. Gardenia's Pokemon worked in shifts. After all, existing and being released solely for Pokemon battling would be akin to abuse. Gardenia quickly grabbed a few Pokemon to choose from and stepped out onto the battlefield. The crowd roared, but there were also some boos here and there. People that disliked how the League was doing things were voicing their discontent, even though Gardenia had locked the gym to trainers only to keep the peace, or they'd never be able to work.

She didn't really care for them. Her full trust was in Cynthia, and information about team Galactic would be revealed when the Champion deemed it fit.

Her challenger strode onto the trainer platform like he owned the place. Unbeknownst to most trainers, gym battles started before the first Pokemon was even sent out. Gym leaders analyzed the way a trainer behaved and held themselves to estimate the level of strength they should be at. Were they nervous? Were they confident? Could they tell that confidence was being faked through body language? Trembling, eye twitching and tense muscles all gave that away. Did the challenger have a plan? Gardenia could usually tell by the time it took for the challenger to send out their first Pokemon and the confidence they sent it out with.

Right now, Gardenia could tell almost all of her challenger's confidence was being faked, and he was incredibly nervous.

"Welcome, challenger," Gardenia said with her smooth voice. "This will be a four-on-four battle with two switch-ins allowed. I reserve the right to use any Pokemon in my arsenal that I deem fit, and killing any Pokemon will get you disqualified from the League Circuit. Now, send out your Pokemon."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," He said before immediately sending out a Zangoose.

Gardenia's eyes narrowed. That Pokemon was already poisoned, probably because of its ability. That was a double-edged sword, and it meant the normal type was on a timer.

Well, let's keep it simple for now, Gardenia thought, sending out her Gloom. Ninety percent of the time, her first Pokemon was a means test. If the challenger dealt with it easily, she'd switch it out and send something stronger.

Immediately, her mind went to work.

Confidence issues, an aggressive strategy. He's always going to be on the attack. Zangoose… Zangoose usually know Slash and other claw moves, and this one might know Fury Cutter. Keep your distance, kite, harass and try to get him angry.

Of course, to Gardenia, this was just work, so she only thought about the rudimentary scaffolding of the battle before letting her instincts take over. She didn't think of every single detail like she would have done if she was facing an opponent at her level, or she would have burned out at her second battle of the day. Unlike what most trainers thought, Gym leaders weren't actually meant to never hold back and beat trainers relentlessly. If that were the case, almost no one would ever win— weaker Pokemon or not. The skill gap was just too large. They were meant to give their opponents a challenge to overcome. Trainers got better through adversity, and Arceus knew that they needed good trainers if this team Galactic thing grew beyond the League's control. They couldn't be everywhere at once.

But enough about that. Chase Karlson had one badge, which meant that she at least couldn't afford to be on auto-pilot like she usually was with the badgeless kids.

"Zangoose, Hone Claws, Quick Attack, and Slash!" Chase yelled.

"Grassy Terrain, Leech Seed," Gardenia smoothly ordered. "Then keep it away with Acid."

Win or lose, this would be an interesting one.

——

Chase Karlson was good. More than good, in fact, but Gardenia knew the issues tormenting him held the teen back. She congratulated him and handed him his badge, his money, and his TM. The battle had gone in his favor until she sent out her Leafeon. Her hiding tactics in Grassy Terrain had almost made her turn the battle around, and unfortunately for Chase, she had already defeated his Houndour, who could have burned the grass down. That meant that it had taken both his Charjabug and Riolu to finally win. The fighting type managed to find Leafeon through his aura powers being able to sense emotions. That was something to work on in the future.

Chase clicked his tongue, grabbed his trainer ID, and started to leave.

"Good battle, kid," She said. He didn't turn back.

Gardenia had seen these types of trainers before. In fact, Roark used to be similar to this because of his problems with Byron. She smiled, imagining the rock type gym leader back when they had first met. Roark had changed a lot, and so had she. Being a gym leader changed people. Having so many people look up to you and work under you usually mellowed you out.

——

Gardenia grabbed the locked, nondescript box from the gym trainer and locked herself into her office. She grabbed a special key from a drawer, opened the box, and revealed a document that the League had sent her. There was a huge, red 'CLASSIFIED' stamped onto the front page.

The gym leader hummed and started reading.

'Report 20192938: On the League Secret Service's investigation of team Galactic activities in the Eterna region'

'For Gym Leader eyes and up ONLY'

'League trainers, in cooperation with the LSS have concluded their investigation of heightened Pokemon aggression in Eterna Forest. Remains of a device were found in the building known locally as the Old Chateau, and through reverse engineering, the LSS believes the machine to be emitting some sort of signal that agitates and lures out ghost types, but it also has an effect on all wild Pokemon. Evidence of this can be found…'

Gardenia carefully read over the examples provided by the LSS. The closer Pokemon were to the old chateau, the more aggressive they got. Even Phantump, who were usually non-aggressive, had attacked a few groups of trainers making their way through close to the Old Chateau, and a Mismagius had trapped the League trainers that had gone to investigate in an illusion.

'The device was running from October 2nd to October 26th, and the LSS theorizes that due to the half-hearted attempt at deconstruction, team Galactic was forced to flee the scene by a belligerent Pokemon in the building. Regardless, the situation in Eterna forest has now been confirmed as stable…​

"October 2nd?" Gardenia murmured. "That was before even the attack on the power plant at Valley Windworks."

'...actively disseminate misinformation through the Pokemon Rangers and create the narrative that the increase of trainers going through the forest was agitating the wild Pokemon. The LSS believes that team Galactic was looking for a specific Pokemon located in the Old Chateau or around its periphery, and the focus on angering ghosts all but confirms that the organization was looking for a specific ghost type. Further investigation is needed…'​

"Holy shit," Gardenia breathed out, eyeing the next part.

'Team Galactic has been highly active in creating and organizing the protests. The LSS theorizes that they have a base of operations in Eterna and Veilstone since the protests are the most pronounced and originated from there. Countermeasures have been put in place to reduce the threat of infiltration, and contact has been established with the International Police, who will send their agents on the 17th of November. A new directive on how to deal with these protests will be issued shortly. LSS agents have been sent to supervise Maylene Suzuki, as she is considered too young to deal with the situation. Investigations into Directorate members Samuel White and Sophie Richards have also concluded. Suspicious deposits of 5,700,000 and 7,200,000 Pokedollars have been tracked in their accounts, and right after this money transfer, they defected from the coalition government and joined the opposition. There is no confirmation that team Galactic was behind this, but the LSS will continue to recommend Cynthia's approval of the memory extraction procedure on non-Galactic members.'

'For a safer Sinnoh.'​

"This is bad… this is really bad," Gardenia said, feeling a surge of fear.

Gardenia didn't care for the LSS lying and hiding information from the public. The Secret Service was an autonomous branch of the League that dealt with internal threats, such as terrorism, or in this case, investigating team Galactic. As she had said before, being in the system changed the way a person viewed it. She knew that information had to be carefully drip fed to the masses to prevent mass panic.

No, what she cared about was that there was apparently a team Galactic base of operation hidden in plain sight somewhere in Eterna city and in Veilstone. Maylene was practically Gardenia's sister, and she worried the young girl would get overwhelmed soon. The other gym leaders should have gotten the same document she did right around now, so they were probably just learning about it as well.

Gardenia sighed. "At least some progress is being made—"

Wait, that gym trainer who had given the documents to her… she didn't recognize his face at all, and Gardenia prided herself on knowing all of her employees. Arceus, the Secret Service really had their fingers in every pie.

She heard a sudden knock on the door and hurried to hide what she had just read. Gardenia unlocked the door, and Roland greeted her.

"Roland, what is it?" Gardenia asked.

"Sorry, you were probably busy, but I needed to tell you something. I got a call from the League that said you were allowed to issue a joint statement with mayor Pete," He smiled. "Looks like they've changed their ways somewhat."

Oh, you poor soul, Gardenia thought with a pained face. Before this, she would have been fine with telling Roland… most of what she knew, and she was fine with speculating, but to confirm her thoughts that team Galactic was influencing civilian government policy? No matter how much she trusted him, that fact leaking would be disastrous for the government and the League.

I guess those are the new guidelines, then. At least the LSS works fast.

"Fine," Gardenia sighed. "Let's meet the guy."

——

Gardenia didn't come out of her gym too often. Most of the other gym leaders, like Roark and Volkner, liked to help out and were far more public than she was, but all of her work could be done in her gym. The gym leader stepped out of the black SUV, accompanied by a few of her strongest gym trainers that acted as bodyguards, including Roland. All of them combined were weaker than her, but she supposed that someone could never be too safe, especially with team Galactic running around.

"Haven't been there in like six months," Gardenia said, looking at Eterna city's Town Hall.

"Which is an actual travesty," Roland said. "Let's go."

Pete Delgado was still highly popular among Eterna city's public, and he had been re-elected in a landslide a year ago. When they entered his office, the bald, bulky man nodded at her firmly and extended his hand. She shook it.

"Leader Gardenia," The mayor said formally. "I'm glad the League is finally seeing reason and stepping out of their shell. Arceus knows they've been silent these days. Too silent."

"There were a few internal issues to deal with, but we're ready now," Gardenia smiled, ignoring his verbal jab. "What's going into the statement? I'm pretty bad at making speeches."

It was at times like these that Gardenia remembered that the cooperation between the civilian and trainer branches of government on the city level was usually icy at best. This wasn't like the Directorate, which used to be unified behind Vernon and Cynthia. Local governments bickered and fought over everything, from zoning rights to city expansion into wild Pokemon territory, to tightening restrictions around the Circuit. The entrance to Mount Coronet had been closed during Gardenia's first year as a gym leader after trainers kept dying in there, but it was the civilian government that pushed for that policy.

"I figured," Pete said. He nodded to his assistant, who handed Gardenia a sheet of paper. "Have a look at this."

"Blablabla… sorry about our lack of communication… blablabla… we'll do better from now on, yeah… yeah… protesting is your right, but keep it peaceful…" Gardenia rambled. "This seems pretty standard."

"The way you're being so nonchalant about this is concerning. If the situation devolves into riots, not only will it be more difficult to calm down the public, the city will have to pay tens of millions in damages."

"Don't they have insurance companies for that?" She mused.

"The insurers will sue and claim that the government is directly responsible for the damage due to our abysmal response to the protests, and I think they'll win," Pete explained. "This speech is just the start. We'll have you attend multiple events, speak to the public, and answer their questions. It's about time you start behaving like a proper city official and not some glorified battler."

"When do I have to do this?" She asked.

"All day tomorrow, starting at eight."

"I have work," Gardenia protested.

"Close the gym down for a day. You owe us that much."

"Can't I have one of my trainers keep it going?" Gardenia asked.

"You could, but you could also show the people that you're putting them above trainer business. It's about the principle, Gardenia."

Gardenia craned her neck and looked at the ceiling exasperatedly. "Fine," She sighed. "I'll close for one day."

"You're doing the right thing, Gardenia," Roland nodded.

Gardenia's loyalty was the League's. She respected Cynthia more than anyone else, and she would listen to anything the Champion told her to do. She prided herself on the matter, often referring to herself as a 'pencil pusher'. Gardenia kept her head down and listened to the League's orders.

But still, at the back of her mind, she was relieved that they were finally allowed to speak up. The League needed the civilian population on their side if— no, when team Galactic was going to strike again.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 67

I woke up to Tangela's vines rubbing my face. I slowly opened my eyes and turned my neck toward angel, who was staring at me with his big eyes. It took me a few seconds to understand what he wanted.

The sun was rising, and he wanted to go outside.

The rest of my team was still asleep, although Frillish was missing. I tried moving my arm, but I noticed that Cece was resting her head on my shoulder and grabbing onto my arm. I steadied my breathing and stayed still, motioning Tangela to the balcony door. Cecilia had been nice enough to allow my team to sleep out of their Pokeballs in her home last night, so I didn't want to wake her, especially when she looked so peacefully asleep.

Tangela lazily nodded and opened the balcony door with a vine, causing me to look outside and notice Frillish's head peeking through the water surface of the balcony swimming pool. I silently chuckled. How had he even gotten outside?

I squinted at the small door crack. Could he squeeze through that if he used Acid Armor and altered himself? That was something to think about. I smiled as I looked through the glass door. Tangela's presence had clearly annoyed Frillish, and the water type immediately sunk deeper into the water when he noticed that he wasn't alone. Elekid was leaning right against the bed, whispering something in his sleep, and Togetic was at the foot of the bed with her plushie, having stolen all of the covers.

Well, now I had run out of things to think about, and my mind went back to Cece being so close to me. At this point, I was wondering if I should just tell her I liked girls because this felt like I was taking advantage of her. She would probably treat me differently if she knew I did.

That probably meant no more cuddles at night. I sighed, but it was the right thing to do. Still, I'd wait until after her gym battle tomorrow afternoon to not throw her off her game. I sunk deeper into the bed and turned toward her again, observing the way she slept. The pace of her breaths, her little twitches, the warmth of her skin on my arm.

I wished I could experience this forever.

——

"Any information on the state of the protests?" I asked Denzel, passing him a basketball. "Gardenia's supposed to be doing speeches, no?"

He took aim and shot, not even hitting the rim. "Shit," He groaned.

"Airball!" I laughed. We were spending the day together since the others were training, and we had stopped at a small basketball court. Pauline had managed to drag even Emilia to do some last-minute training. Supposedly she wanted her Charmeleon to reach her true potential with Blaze, and some mock battles would certainly help Emilia.

"I thought you'd know," He said, passing me the ball.

"Easy there, dude," I complained. "Don't throw it that hard."

"Come on, you can take it," Denzel smirked. "Shoot."

I jumped and shot the ball. Togetic chirped, and it mysteriously curved toward the net. "Got it!" I yelled. "That was all me!"

"Prrrri!"

"Okay, cheaters," He rolled his eyes. I passed him the ball.

"But to answer your question, I wouldn't know. I'm not looking at the forums or the news anymore to destress," I explained. "So be useful and be my link to the outside world."

The teenager groaned as he made a half-hearted attempt to dribble. "Fine. It's been working out rather well. Of course, protests are still going on, but people are generally happy about the fact that the trainer side of government is finally speaking to them."

I nodded. "Thank the Legendaries. Hopefully, they'll stop soon," I said. I was still angry that the demonstrators were distracting the League from the real problems, but progress was progress.

"I mean, none of this would have happened if the League spoke up in the first place," Denzel said. "You can't keep people in the dark."

"If they aren't saying anything, there must be a reason."

"Meh," He said. "Still feels shitty. I guess we can agree to disagree."

I nodded.

"Prime Minister Vernon is looking fucked, though," Denzel continued. "One more dissenting vote, and he's out. It's only a matter of time. Hell, it might even happen today. They'll replace him with a member from the opposition."

"They're using him as a scapegoat," I said.

"Yeah, I definitely agree on that," He said, shooting the ball. He missed. "I mean, some members of the Directorate who voted for the National Security Emergency Act are now voting to oust the guy. Can't help but laugh about that. Cynthia's been busy trying to negotiate with them, but nothing is working."

I rolled my eyes. "Politics," I spat. "Can't believe I'll have to deal with that when I become the Champion."

"Slow down there," He grinned. "But you're right. I can't believe Cynthia was already doing this at our age. Can you imagine?"

I shook my head. "I mean, she implemented the systems, but yeah, the amount of work and pressure must have been overwhelming. Still, she pushed forward, and I'll always look up to her."

"You and me both, Grace," Denzel said. "You and me both."

——

I squeezed through the bleachers and took a seat next to Denzel. The day had finally come, and our friends were about to have all of their gym battles. Louis was first, and he was currently waiting for Gardenia's break to be over. He was as confident as ever. There hadn't been a trace of nervousness in him when we were making our way here. In fact, he said that with his new Vulpix, this would probably be easy. I didn't know how good that Vulpix was, but odds are that with her, Prinplup's Ice Beam, which Gardenia probably wouldn't expect, and Gible, he was probably right, although I did think he was being too confident. There was always the chance that Gardenia would catch him off guard and manage to squeak out a win. Still, I hoped Louis would win, along with everyone else. I was especially worried about Cece. I had gotten better at figuring her out, and I could tell she was nervous. I couldn't blame her. Her father was breathing down her neck.

Gardenia finally stepped onto the arena, followed by Louis a minute later. The arena was just as packed as it had been during my battle, reminding me that he, along with the others, were famous billionaire heirs. It was hard to remember with how… normal they were. I supposed it had been my fault for treating them differently when we first met. At the end of the day, people were just people.

Gardenia gave her welcoming speech, indicating that this would be a three-on-three with two switch-ins allowed. Louis immediately released his Vulpix, which made me wince. Revealing his fire type was his first mistake, and the battle hadn't even started yet. Obviously, Gardenia was going to send out her Lombre now, and she did.

Now Louis could either risk his Vulpix or waste one of his switch-ins unless this was a part of some greater plan I wasn't seeing. Maybe I should have given everyone some pointers like I had done with Justin. But then, I was surprised to see the weather start to change.

"Holy fuck," Denzel whispered. "That Vulpix has Drought."

Ah. It all made sense now. Vulpix's Drought would prevent Lombre from changing the weather. If the power disparity between Pokemon was too large, then the stronger one would be able to overpower the ability, but Gardenia was obviously only using Pokemon at our level. That meant Lombre's water type attack power would be cut in half.

"He must have spent a fortune on that," I said. "It's looking good for him now."

"Vulpix, start us off with a Flame Charge!" Louis said confidently.

Vulpix barked and burst into flames, gradually speeding up as she dashed toward Lombre.

"Bubblebeam while it gets there," Gardenia said, leaning on her knees.

The stream of bubbles hit Vulpix, but the fire type pushed through. Right as she was about to hit Lombre, Gardenia recalled it. She struggled to stop and crashed into the barrier. I nodded, happy that Gardenia did what I would have done. Lombre was too valuable to be risked here, so switching was the right move. The problem was, who could deal with this Vulpix?

Gardenia grabbed her second Pokeball and sent out Cottonnee, who began floating in the wind. I quickly recalled the information I had gathered on the Pokemon. It functioned like a weaker version of Hoppip, using a weak version of Fairy Wind to float, but what it had to make up for that weakness was—

"Vulpix, Incinerate!" Louis ordered.

Flames started gathering in Vulpix's mouth.

"Leech Seed," Gardenia grinned.

I blinked, and suddenly, Cottonee was the one attacking first. Even though I knew how Prankster worked as an ability, it still fucked with my mind. No matter how fast its opponent was, Cottonee's non-attacking moves would always go first. The grass type sang and threw seeds from its cloud-like beard.

"Dodge! Burn the ones you can't!" Louis yelled.

Vulpix acquiesced and aimed her Incinerate at the Leech Seed instead of Cottonee. The grass type used the opportunity to get right above her.

"Incinerate again upwards," He said.

"Stun Spore."

Cottonee shook itself and shot out yellow spores below itself at surprising speeds. Vulpix shot out another stream of flames, but the grass type dodged, weaving around it with the wind. Vulpix quickly ran before the spores could reach her, but Gardenia wasn't done.

"Leech Seed barrage behind it. Follow it up with Cotton Spore," She said in quick succession.

"Flame Charge out of there!" Louis said with a hint of frustration.

Frustration was the name of the game. Gardenia wasn't even attacking yet. Prankster was an incredibly oppressive ability and annoying to deal with. Gardenia would overwhelm you with it, upping the pressure until you popped and made a mistake. Vulpix rushed away from Cottonee's attack and toward Gardenia, but the grass type followed closely behind.

"Will-O-Wisp! Get it away from you!" Louis yelled.

A purple flame appeared above Vulpix and shot out toward Cottonee, who again, just dodged.

"Enough of this!" Louis hissed. "Hypnosis!"

I winced. There it was. The first mistake. Vulpix stood still as her eyes turned bright pink, and she began letting out weird, otherworldly sounds.

Gardenia grinned, and she snapped her fingers. "Cotton Spore, Stun Spore, Leech Seed."

The problem with the move Hypnosis was that it took time to work unless that Pokemon was expertly trained with the move. Lucian's Alakazam, for example, was rumored to be able to put an opponent to sleep in less than a second.

Vulpix was strong, but she wasn't an Elite Four Pokemon. Cottonee quickly dropped a series of spores. The first set, Cotton Spore, landed on Vulpix and swelled up around her, and they'd slow her movements down to a crawl. The second set paralyzed her, and the fire type's Hypnosis was interrupted by her convulsions.

And then, Leech Seed landed on her.

Fucking hell, Gardenia was terrifying. Louis was in a terrible spot, and losing was now a real danger if he let panic take a hold of him.

"Growth, then get down and Mega Drain," Gardenia said smoothly.

The grass type glowed and grew a few inches before quickly lowering itself, and it began to drain Vulpix's energy. The fire type was helpless. She was slowed, paralyzed, and being drained of everything she had. What I'd do in this situation was order her to Flame Charge and hope she pushed through, that way, she would at least burn the Cotton Spore, but Louis was frozen. It took a few seconds, but he recalled Vulpix. Wasting a switch-in was less of a problem here because it was only a three-on-three, and Gardenia had already used one of hers, but still, even if recalling her stopped her from being slowed and removed Leech Seed's vines, Vulpix's paralyzed state would make it hard to use for the rest of the battle. It didn't matter how well-bred and raised your Pokemon was if it simply couldn't attack.

The heavy sunlight receded as Louis sent out his Prinplup. I nodded. At least he hadn't tunnel-visioned and sent out Gible.

"Prinplup, Brine!" Louis yelled out. My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn't been the only one working on new moves.

Clouds materialized above Cottonee and rain— no, calling it rain would be wrong. Highly pressurized drops of water bore down on the grass type. The move wouldn't be very effective, but Cottonee was light. It had to be, to be able to float in the wind, and that meant that it started falling to the ground.

"Leech Seed!" Gardenia yelled as Cottonee hit the ground.

"Ice Beam!" Louis ordered.

Prinplup honked, flapping its flippers as a bright ray of icy energy flew toward Cottonee. Prinplup's attack was way faster than Incinerate had been, and Growth had made Cottonee slightly slower, along with the water coating its fluffy cotton-parts. The grass type cried out as part of its body was frozen by the attack, but it threw out Leech Seed nonetheless. Prinplup awkwardly managed to dodge, thanks to Ice Beam throwing Cottonee off.

"Fly up and Razor Leaf," Gardenia yelled.

"Quickly Ice Beam her again!"

Another beam of ice hit Cottonee, who was severely slowed. It was never going to get off the ground again. It jerked its leaf-like gliders, and sharp leaves barrelled toward Prinplup, who winced and let out a sharp honk. Louis ordered one last Ice Beam and Cottonee finally went down.

"Cottonee is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

Gardenia sent out her Lombre again, which was the obvious move. She actually wanted harsh sunlight now to hamper Prinplup's water moves, and it would be able to resist Ice Beam.

"Ice Beam!" Louis yelled again.

"Fake out," Gardenia calmly said.

Lombre croaked, disappearing and reappearing in front of Prinplup and clapping his face with both of its hands. Even that caught me off, guard. I really thought she would immediately use Sunny Day, but she decided to go on the offensive instead. Prinplup stared for a few seconds as if it was frozen.

"Hold him, and Nature Power."

"Prinplup, snap out of it!" He hissed.

Lombre held both of Prinplup's flippers as green energy gathered in front of its mouth, putting itself in harm's way but guaranteeing Energy Ball to hit. Nothing Louis could throw at it would be worth the damage that move would inflict. Vulpix was basically out of the battle, so the most logical move was to switch.

I exhaled in relief when Louis switched before Lombre released his Energy Ball. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think Gardenia had let him switch. If she had wanted to, she could have ordered Lombre to hit Prinplup with a weakened Energy Ball, but this way, she could fish out Louis' last Pokemon and adjust who she would send out as her third. I was surprised that I was keeping up with her schemes, but it was just another thing to come up with these in a battle like she was doing.

Louis sighed and sent out Gible, who roared as blue flames wreathed in his mouth. It was time to see if Louis had managed to get it somewhat under control, or if the dragon type would just do whatever the hell he wanted like usual.

"Gible, Dragon Rage!" Louis ordered.

"Sunny Day," Gardenia finally said.

Gibble's maw snapped shut for a few seconds as the sun began shining brightly again. This way, Gardenia was guaranteeing Prinplup would be weakened even if Lombre fainted. Gible roared, releasing a Dragon Rage that was bigger than I remembered. Gardenia's eyes widened for a split second.

"You can't dodge, Water Gun!" She yelled.

Lombre shot out a jet of water, attempting to intercept the Dragon Rage, but the move was too powerful. It quickly overpowered the water type move and engulfed Lombre in a sea of draconic flames. When the attack subsided, Lombre was completely burned up, but it let out a defiant croak. It was still standing.

"That's my boy," Gardenia praised. "Get to the water!"

Lombre hobbled toward the pond to Louis' left.

"Don't let it! Sand Tomb!" He quickly yelled.

I winced as Gible turned and roared at his trainer before sending out another Dragon Rage at Lombre, who barely managed to get underwater before the attack hit. If Gible had listened, this fight probably would have been won. Lombre would have been slowed and blinded long enough for the dragon type to hit it with another Dragon Rage.

"Get close to the water and Dragon Rage in it!" Louis said.

Gible roared and ran toward the pond. There probably wasn't much Lombre could do here, but it could at least dish out some damage before it went down. The dragon type quickly stepped at the pond's edge and began gathering another Dragon Rage.

"Bubblebeam," Gardenia quickly said. Bubbles burst through the surface and exploded on Gible, who simply ignored the pain and screamed out his attack, hitting Lombre with everything he had. Gardenia recalled the water type before Gible could finish, and she nodded toward the referee, who looked at her hesitantly.

"Lombre is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your last Pokemon," The referee said.

The gym leader grabbed her last Pokeball and sent out a Ferroseed who immediately extended its spikes. The Pokemon's steel type would be able to better resist Gible's dragon type attacks, but it wouldn't be able to dish out that much either.

"Ingrain, Harden," Gardenia ordered.

Some of the Ferroseed's spikes extended into the ground and began to turn into roots, then it shone brightly, raising its defense. Dragon Rage ignored a lot of a Pokemon's defenses, but I supposed that Gardenia thought it would be useful for Gible's other moves.

"Dragon Rage!" Louis yelled.

"Protect," Gardenia smiled.

Gible roared out draconic flames, but they were stopped by a thick, green barrier that appeared around Ferroseed.

"Flash Cannon," Gardenia continued. Ferroseed summoned a bright ball of light, which quickly shot out at the Gible. He screamed out, more enraged than in pain, and ran toward the Ferroseed.

"Gible, no! Sand Tomb, so it can't aim at you!" Louis hissed.

"Wait until it gets close," Gardenia said, grinning.

I was beginning to understand why Gardenia had sent out Ferroseed now. The bulky Pokemon was angering Gible to no end, and it would push the dragon type to make more irrational decisions. Gible reached his opponent and slashed across its metallic armor, causing a few of his scales to fall off.

Iron Barbs, I thought. And to my surprise, Gible kept going, biting and slashing at the steel type as his hands and mouth bled with a look of pure rage. Murmurs were running through the stands now. The worst part was that Louis was forced to let this go on. If he switched out Gible, he'd be considered as fainted, since he was out of switch-ins. All while this was happening, Gardenia kept hitting it with Flash Cannon whenever there was an opening. Still, Gible was such a powerful Pokemon that it was actually taking a long time to go down, and the damage it was dealing to Ferroseed was probably substantially more than Gardenia had expected.

"Gible! Gible, listen to me!" Louis yelled, but his voice didn't reach the dragon. One last Flash Cannon sent him flying, and he was out for the count.

Louis winced as he recalled Gible. That was it. Win or lose, I would try to help him with this problem. It was surprising the dragon hadn't ripped him apart yet during training. The blond boy sent out his Prinplup, who let out a defiant honk.

"Prinplup, stay far away, it can't move!" Louis yelled. "Ice Beam!"

"Protect, then Pin Missile," Gardenia calmly said.

Prinplup sent out a ray of ice as Ferroseed's spikes flew out of its body and bolted toward Prinplup.

"Get them off you with Metal Claw!" He yelled.

Prinplup's flippers shone brightly as he slashed two missiles away from him, but the rest of them hit. Ferroseed looked hurt from the Ice Beam, but Louis needed to keep the attack going, or Ingrain would just recover its health. Louis kept ordering Prinplup to use Ice Beam, and Gardenia would occasionally use Protect and counter with Pin Missile. The water type was too slow to dodge, and the steel type was stuck in place, so it was a matter of who would fall first.

Would Gible's damage be enough?

It wasn't, and Prinplup fainted after the fourth Pin Missile barrage. Louis swallowed as he sent out his Vulpix. The fire type was still convulsing and struggling to move, but if he managed to get her to use one fire type move, it would maybe be enough.

"Vulpix, try to push through it! Use Confuse Ray, then Incinerate!"

"Protect and Pin Missile."

I winced as the small ray of light bounced off against Ferroseed's barrier, along with Incinerate. A Pokemon was usually limited in the number of Protects it could use because it took a lot out of them, but it looked like even if Ferroseed was tired, it could keep going, at least for a bit more. He sent out another array of Pin Missiles, hitting the paralyzed Vulpix.

"Flame Charge! You have to get close!" He screamed.

"Wait for it."

It took around ten seconds, but flames spun around Vulpix as it slowly ran toward Ferroseed.

"Harden again!" She yelled.

Vulpix rammed into the hardened Ferroseed, tearing some of her skin in its spikes. The steel type stayed there, rooted in place, and it quickly bumped into Vulpix, sending her away.

"Incinerate!"

"Protect," Gardenia said.

Surprisingly, Vulpix immediately shot out her flames, and some of them made it through before Ferroseed could get its Protect up. It was stronger than I thought, seemingly pushing through paralysis much faster than a normal Pokemon would. Gardenia and even Louis had probably even thought the same.

"Wait it out, and then Incinerate again! It's getting slower!"

I relaxed slightly. I could see the victory coming now, although it would be by the skin of his teeth. Gardenia had messed up when using Sunny Day because she had thought that Vulpix would never be able to attack again. A few more Incinerates powered up by the sun, and Ferroseed finally went down. The clapping and cheering was more sporadic this time, but we gave it our all to support our friend.

Cece stood up with a determined look on her face. It was her turn next, and then there would be a small gap between her and Justin. We all wished her good luck, but she stared right into my eyes with a fire that couldn't be extinguished. Her passion for battling.

"You've got this," I grinned.

"I do. And I'm fighting for myself this time," She said.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 68

We had to push hard to keep Cece's seat open for Louis, who had told us he would watch Cece's battle before bringing his team to the nearest Center. After a few minutes, he finally showed up in the stands and sat down. Behind his usual haughty air, there was a look of dejection, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Even though he had won, his victory had been humiliating. Louis had shown the world that he held no control over his Gible. Sometimes, their objectives lined up, and the dragon type used the move he was ordered to, but that was that. Even in Eterna forest, Louis hadn't ordered his Gible. The Pokemon just did whatever it wanted.

"You did well," Justin said right away.

Louis sighed. "I definitely could have done better. My father is going to be on my back for this."

"Tell him to fuck off and be done with it," Pauline said. "Ah, Cece's coming up."

Cecilia confidently strode up to the platform with her usual poker face. From this far, I couldn't tell if she was pretending not to be nervous or not. I started grinding my teeth and clenched my hands around my seat.

I believed she would win, but I was still nervous for her.

I wondered what her strategy was.

——

Cecilia Obel ran both of her hands through her hair and listened to Gardenia enunciate the rules of the coming battle. The fight would be a four-on-four with two switch-ins allowed, which was what the trainer had prepared for. Cecilia had been nervous before, but as she stepped onto the platform, she felt strangely calm, which was a far cry from her gym battle with Roark or the Floaroma tournament. In fact, there was no fear at all. Instead, there was something else.

Excitement.

The difference today was that Cecilia was fighting for herself. Not her father. Not the company. Not to save Louis' pride and act worse than she actually was— she would never do that again, consequences be damned. The girl grabbed Fletchinder's Pokeball and released her. She cried out and took flight with a magnificent flap of her wings. Even today, Cynthia's words to Cecilia still sounded clear in her mind. She recalled them every day, repeating them over and over until they had become her mantra. Before meeting the Champion, the girl had placed more importance in strategizing than power, but as time went on, she found herself thinking the latter was more important than anything else in a Pokemon battle.

Strength is a weapon to be wielded, she thought. If I am strong, I can be free.

Gardenia released a Tangela, who let out a sinister gurgle. Cecilia felt the corner of her lips rise. That was the kind of trainer she wanted to be. Someone like Cynthia, whose power was so overwhelming that no amount of planning or strategy would be enough to defeat her.

"Begin!" The referee declared.

And it would all start with this. "Agility!" Cecilia ordered.

"Get your vines out," Gardenia said.

Fletchinder's body began to loosen. Her movements became less tight and constrained as if she had become one with the wind. Ten vines extended all around Tangela, hovering high in the air.

"Quick Attack and Flame Charge," Cecilia said.

Faster. She needed to be even faster.

Fletchlinder sang as her flames engulfed her body, and she flew so fast she was untrackable with the naked eye. All Cecilia could see was a trail of flames behind her flying type, but that was fine. The goal was to be so fast and overwhelming that none of Gardenia's apparent anti-flying type tactics would work.

"Bind—" Gardenia tried.

Too late. In a second, Fletchinder had already crossed the entire battlefield. The bird dove, nimbly moving in between Tangela's vines, and rammed into the grass type.

"Grab it! Don't let it get back up!" Gardenia said.

Vines snaked around Fletchinder's body, and Tangela began squeezing her with Bind.

"Flame Charge and burn it off," The trainer calmly said. "Then ram it again."

Fletchinder burst into flames, quickly melting Tangela's vines and pushing herself off the ground before bumping into Tangela with a spin. The grass type let out a pain-stricken gurgle and flew into Kadabra's barrier. Her speed was still building. Her full potential still hadn't been reached.

"Again," Cecilia continued. After all, if something was working, why change it?

The flying type let out another cry, her voice altered by the flames and blurred toward Tangela at astonishing speeds.

"Bind! Keep replacing your vines!" Gardenia ordered as fast as she could.

Fletchinder's attack hit again, but Tangela grabbed the bird and was constantly replacing its burning vines with another.

"Bring it toward you slowly and Stun Spore!" She continued.

"Ember!"

Still in flames, Fletchinder spat out a dozen small pellets of fire. Some hit Tangela before it rotated her away with its vines. Cecilia crossed her arms, unable to do anything to counter the gym leader's tactic. When Tangela brought the bird close enough, it shook, and yellow spores shot out of its body before it finally went down. There were at least fifty burned vines littering the ground, and even some of its body was burned to a crisp, but Gardenia had sacrificed it to take her Fletchinder out of the battle.

"Tangela is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

"Well done, darling," She said. The bird struggled to fly back to her and crashed into the ground multiple times. Paralysis was worse for flying types than it was for other Pokemon.

Gardenia wasted no time and quickly sent out an Ivysaur. Fletchinder would have easily dealt with the grass type, but she was in no state to fight. Cecilia recalled her and sent out Deino, causing even Gardenia's eyes to widen.

"Ivy, Grassy Terrain!" She ordered.

"Dragon Breath. No holding back," Cecilia smiled.

Ivysaur let out some combination of a croak and a roar as Grass began to grow across the battlefield. Deino reared his head back for a few seconds as draconic energy gathered in his mouth before screaming it out. Dragon Breath was faster and stronger than before, and even though Ivysaur tried to dodge it, it took the brunt of the attack.

"Incinerate the Grassy Terrain away," The trainer continued.

Gardenia grinned. "Ivy, Seed Bomb!"

This time, hot, searing flames flew out of the dragon's mouth, causing the whole field to catch on fire. Seeds landed around Deino, causing deafening explosions. The scene was out of a warzone, with detonations and fires all around the Pokemon.

"Incinerate again, this time on Ivysaur."

"Keep bombing and add Sludge to the mix!" Gardenia ordered.

Huge pieces of purple sludge flew out of Ivysaur's flower, alternating between each Seed Bomb, but Deino didn't even bother dodging. He was taking damage, but Cece had trained his defenses for this. His hardened scales would be able to resist anything Ivysaur threw at it. Suddenly though, the bombing stopped, and Ivysaur was gone. For a second, Cecilia thought Gardenia recalled the grass type, but she wasn't sending out anything else. Deino's maw snapped in irritation, but he stood still, waiting for Cecilia's command.

Suddenly, Ivysaur ran through the fire, its entire body enveloped in flames.

"Restrain it with your two vines and then Leech Seed!" She yelled.

Cecilia frowned as two vines extended from the flaming Ivysaur's vines and wrapped around Deino. The dragon type let out an enraged roar and started thrashing around, but he couldn't get out of the grass type's hold.

"Calm down. Incinerate it again," Cecilia said.

A small seed flew out of Ivysaur's back, landing on Deino, but before the dragon could spit out its fire again, Gardenia recalled Ivysaur. Thorny vines started to grow around the dragon type, and they would slowly drain his energy.

Gardenia grinned and sent out a Lombre, which surprised her. The gym leader had just used it against Louis, meaning that she had a second one. Upon closer inspection, this one's leaf was slightly bigger than the other, and his skin was a slightly darker tone. Cecilia considered switching, but she decided to wait a little before doing so. Deino was still able to fight as if he hadn't been in a battle at all, so it was in her interest to deal as much damage to Lombre as she could.

"Rain Dance," She said.

Thunder clapped above them as rain slowly began to fall, extinguishing Deino's fires.

"Dragon Breath."

The dark type bellowed and spat out another stream of blue draconic energy.

"Mist," Gardenia simply said.

Cece clicked her tongue. So its moveset was different too? The Dragon Breath clipped Lombre's arm as it spat out a fog that made it impossible to find. Cecilia ordered Deino to sweep the entire length of the arena with another Dragon Breath, but there was no sign that the move had hit anything.

The girl sighed and recalled Deino. In normal circumstances, she would have sent out Scyther here, but the bug type still wasn't ready to be used in battles. She grabbed Slowpoke's Pokeball and released him. It stared into the distance.

"Slowpoke, gym battle," She warned. His body tightened and sprung to life, and his eyes narrowed. "Good boy. Look for it with Confusion."

Psychic types had an innate ability to feel other living beings, and Slowpoke was no different, although his skill was still rudimentary. Still, Cecilia knew it was enough because Gardenia immediately sprang into action.

"Razor Leaf!" Gardenia ordered.

Leaves as sharp as knives flew out from the mist, but Slowpoke stopped them with Confusion. They had trained heavily using Fletchinder's Ember to ensure that he could stop as many attacks as possible, and it was paying off.

But why take the risk of him messing up? "Disable!" Cecilia said.

Slowpoke's eye gleamed with a bright blue color, and Lombre croaked in annoyance.

"Get close and Absorb, Lombre!" Gardenia ordered.

So this one knew Absorb and not Mega Drain, Cecilia thought. He must have been newly evolved.

"Confusion. Pick it up."

Lombre's range was surprisingly longer than Slowpoke, and he started to drain the psychic's type energy.

"Run closer!" Cece yelled. It was all or nothing.

"Get back, but stay in range!" Gardenia quickly said.

"Tackle! Push yourself!" She said.

Cecilia knew how much her Slowpoke hated moving around, but he still jumped a foot forward, and psychic energy surrounded Lombre, picking him up and lifting it off the ground.

"Bring it toward you and Zen Headbutt," Cecilia said, revealing the water type's new move.

Lombre struggled, but his body was locked in place. The advantage of having Slowpoke use Confusion on Scyther so much was that he was now an expert on holding any Pokemon in place. He brought the grass type toward him as a bright light gathered above his forehead, and he hit Lombre right in the chest, using Confusion's momentum instead of Slowpoke's own.

But that didn't mean Confusion had ended. No, Lombre was still in Slowpoke's grasp, unable to do anything.

"Do it again," Cecilia grinned.

But then Gardenia recalled Lombre, using her last switch-in. Cecilia sighed. She had hoped to take the grass type down, but at least this was progress. Gardenia sent out her Ivysaur again, who was still a smoking husk from Deino's fire.

Somehow, it was still standing.

"Grassy Terrain," Gardenia said.

"Water Pulse," Cecilia said.

Ivysaur took the brunt of the water type move, but it managed to get its attack off, and a new Grassy Terrain grew out of the old one that Deino had burned.

"Keep using Water Pulse," The girl said.

Gardenia was unable to get close because of Confusion, and any ranged attacks would be sent away.

Still, Cecilia knew Gardenia had to try, because if she didn't, Ivysaur would eventually fall to Water Pulse. "Seed Bomb," The gym leader said. The grass type lobbed the explosive seeds toward Slowpoke.

"Confusion to dodge."

The seeds were carefully sent away, but Cecilia's eyes widened, and Slowpoke sent two of them back to Ivysaur, blowing the grass type up with its own attack. The precision that had taken was… incredible, but it looked like Slowpoke had just had a breakthrough. Cecilia ordered another Water Pulse, and Ivysaur finally went down.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your third Pokemon," The referee declared.

Gardenia sent out her Lombre again. Cecilia frowned, wondering what the gym leader thought the grass type could do—

Her eyes widened, but it was too late.

"Fake out," The gym leader yelled.

A bit slower than her other Lombre, the water type blurred and reappeared next to Slowpoke before slapping him hard. Slowpoke stared, not realizing what had happened. Those few seconds were all Gardenia needed.

"Hold it in place and Razor Leaf," She continued.

Lombre picked up Slowpoke, and sharp leaves tore through the water type, causing it to bleed. The pain was too much for the psychic type to focus and use Confusion. Lombre didn't stop until Slowpoke become limp, and it dropped him on the ground.

"Slowpoke is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

Fletchinder and Scyther were unusable, so only Deino was left. Would his power prove to be enough?

Deino came back on the battlefield with his usual roar, and Cecilia wasted no time.

"Dragon Breath."

Deino spat out another draconic attack, and due to using Fake Out, this time Lombre was too close to dodge. It tried, but the attack engulfed its entire body, and the grass type went down immediately. It looked like that Zen Headbutt had dealt more damage than Cecilia had thought. Still, there was her last Pokemon to worry about.

With a wide smile, Gardenia sent out a Breloom, and the crowd went absolutely wild. Cecilia knew why, of course. Breloom was never used against trainers with a single badge.

At least until now. Breloom silently jumped and punched the air, almost as if it was warming up.

"Mach Punch," Gardenia laughed.

"Take the hit and Crunch," Cecilia said, revealing her final new move. The goal wasn't to deal damage. Breloom had the type advantage like Scyther, and like Scyther, if she could get Deino to restrain it, it would go down.

Breloom blurred and punched Deino in the head, staggering him, but the dragon quickly shook it off and bit the grass type's stubby arm as darkness surrounded his sharp teeth and swam around his mouth.

"Go for the neck!" Cecilia yelled.

"Force Palm," Gardenia said wildly.

Breloom's other arm shone and hammered Deino's flank, denting his hard scales. Deino released his arm and rushed to bite down on the grass type's neck, but it nimbly jumped back before punching the dragon in the head.

"Dragon Breath point blank," Cecelia said.

"Get your head down!" Gardenia quickly ordered.

Deino gurgled before sending out another Dragon Breath, but Breloom used its hat-like mushroom to protect itself from some of the damage.

"Again," Cecilia continued.

"Mach Punch!"

Breloom blurred around the dragon, punching him in the back as Deino tried to follow his lead. The grass type was running circles around him, irritating the dragon to no end. He roared and Headbutted Breloom away before roaring out another Dragon Breath, this time hitting the Pokemon's body.

"Next time he does that, you Counter," Gardenia warned. "Mach Punch."

"Crunch."

Breloom jumped to the side, punching the air for a few seconds before running forward and punching Deino's neck, cracking his scales. Deino screamed in frustration, and Cece knew she had to stop him.

"Calm down! Incinerate."

Even if it was raining, switching up her attacks once in a while could catch the fighting type off guard, and it did. It quickly jumped to the side as if it was dodging a Dragon Breath, but Incinerate was wider. The grass type's right side burned for a few seconds before being extinguished by the rain.

"Crunch."

Deino ran forward, this time grabbing onto Breloom's thin neck. The grass type struggled, but there was no getting out of Deino's grip. Cecilia knew she had her victory now.

"Force Palm," Gardenia said.

"Don't let it."

Deino shook his head wildly, making sure that Breloom wouldn't be able to attack.

"Now let out a Dragon Breath," Cece smiled.

Draconic energy began to dance around the darkness writhing in Deino's mouth. The dragon released the attack, and Breloom went limp. Deino let out a triumphant roar as it struggled to stand. Its scales were dented or falling off, and blood was leaking in between them.

"You did good, darling," Cecilia congratulated before the crowd exploded into applause. Deino bowed his head. She frowned when she noticed that Deino was still slowly getting weaker. Had Breloom poisoned it somehow? Either way, she recalled Deino and began walking toward to side of the arena to meet Gardenia.

It took a few more seconds for the situation to sink in. Cecilia had won. She had won using a style modeled after Cynthia, and it had worked. The girl felt forced to grin— not her usual calm smile that was a part of her mask, but a genuine one full of happiness.

Still, Cecilia wanted more. More battles, more power. Fletchlinder needed to be so overwhelmingly fast that she would never be caught again. Deino's scales needed to be nigh impenetrable, and Slowpoke's psychic ability needed refining until he was able to bring any opponent down from afar. This battle was barely the tip of the iceberg, and there was much to improve on. After all, Cecilia had less than a year to keep her promise to Cynthia and meet her in battle.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 69

I watched in awe as Cecilia's battle came to an end. I didn't know the kind of training she underwent, but the amount of progress she had made since Eterna forest was easy to see. Not only had she just beaten Gardenia three-on-four, but she also beat her Breloom with a type disadvantage. Fletchinder and Slowpoke had been amazing, but Deino was just a monster. The dragon's scales were too hard for the fighting type to defeat him easily. I smiled as we exited the stands. I wanted to get to her level so badly, and seeing this made me want to push myself even harder after my break. Surprisingly, during her battle, I didn't try to think about what I would do if I were her, or guess what Gardenia would do next.


I found myself workshopping a battle strategy against Cecilia herself. Here's what I had found out. At this stage, since she knew about my team and I wouldn't be starting with the informational advantage, I would just lose. Probably even worse than what had happened at the Floaroma tournament.

Togetic should be able to deal with Deino, but Cece would have no reason to let that matchup happen. Until Elekid knew Shock Wave, hitting Fletchinder with anything was a pipe dream. Slowpoke would be the easiest one to deal with right now, but he was no pushover either, and I didn't know enough about Scyther to form an opinion yet.

Cecilia greeted us in the lobby with a confident smile that made my knees buckle. Arceus, she was so attractive when she was like this.

"You were awesome," I spoke up immediately. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," Cece answered.

"You control your dragon much better than some," Pauline said.

"I would have won just as easily if Gible had listened…" Louis moped.

"That's what I was implying," She rolled her eyes before staring at her Poketch. "We have five hours to kill until Justin's battle. What should we do?"

"I'm going to get my Pokemon to a Center," Louis sighed.

"Let me come with you, actually," I said, much to the group's surprise. "What? Can't hang out with my friend?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting that," Emilia said. "I'm just going to relax until my battle. I can't be bothered to do some last-minute studying."

"Pauline and I will stick around to better ready ourselves," Justin said.

"What he said," The redhead nodded.

"Cecilia and I can keep you company, Emilia," Denzel said. "If you don't mind?"

The girl smiled. "Not at all. Let's meet here thirty minutes early. The stands are going to be packed again."

"Sure," I said. "Louis?"

He nodded.

The group split, and Louis and I started walking toward the nearest Pokemon Center. He was down in the dumps, and it was hard not to pity the man. That win had been humiliating, and his reputation likely wouldn't recover for a while, or at least until he proved that he could control Gible in his next gym battle or tournament. I didn't really care about all of that. What I cared about was making sure Louis didn't get himself killed. Gible was growing stronger and stronger, which meant his behavior was becoming worse as time went on. If the dragon evolved with their relationship still like this? I had no doubt in my mind that he would try to kill Louis, and if it evolved before Deino did, none of us would be able to stop it. I had princess, but her Fairy Wind would be too weak to take down an evolved dragon type.

Louis handed his team to the Center, warning them about Gible. He was about to leave when I stopped him and pointed toward one of the chairs.

"Let's talk," I said, sitting down. "Come on."

"Can't this wait until we get back to the hotel?" He said.

"No, come on, it'll be easier if we do it here. Being in a Center and seeing all these trainers come and go makes me feel more grounded, like I'm a part of something bigger than myself. What about you?"

I was hoping that it would at least tone down his ego a little bit.

"Nothing in particular," He sighed. "Perhaps it makes me feel thankful for modern Pokemon medicine."

"Eh, good enough," I said, putting my head against the palm of my hand. "Are you going to sit or not?"

"Fine," Louis said. "What's the issue?"

"The issue is that we need to start figuring out how to make Gible more amenable," I started. "It's one thing having the best Pokemon money can get you, but you still have to be a good trainer. You know it deep down, don't you? You won't win your third badge if this keeps going."

"I've been trying everything I can—"

"You haven't," I interrupted. "When was the last time you tried having a conversation with Gible instead of just trying to order it around over and over?"

The boy paused before answering. "I haven't, but he'd… he'd attack me if I did. Gible doesn't like talking, he only wants to fight. As long as I'm giving him opponents to fight against, he won't mind being my Pokemon."

"He still needs to listen to you somewhat," I said. "You could do it like Cece and ask for our help, Louis. Although if I were you, I definitely would not attack him. It would ruin things further. Maybe just restrain him with our psychics if he tries to attack you. Even Togetic can help out with Extrasensory. We're all your friends, but you never ask for anything. Lean on us for a bit, it won't kill you."

"If I do that, I won't be my own man," He said, his face downcast. "I already rely on my father too much. I've apparently fallen behind Cece. If I can't even do this on my own, then what's the point?"

I sighed internally, cursing at the fact that all of my friends apparently had a terrible relationship with their parents.

"You're not weak for relying on others, Louis. Denzel taught me that a while ago."

"Look, I appreciate your help, I really do," He said. "But I won't change my mind. I need to do this alone."

Damn it! I thought. Talking it out usually always worked out for me.

I sighed. "Tell me you'll at least consider talking to Gible."

"I'll think about it," He answered with a sad smile. "Now, let's go home. All that battling tired me out."

I nodded, sad that I hadn't changed his mind, but happy that I had at least gotten him to think about changing things up. As we walked back to the hotel, I was lost in thought. At the heart of every trainer's Pokemon was a desire for something. They were fully sapient beings with their own likes, dislikes, and goals. The goals didn't have to be grandiose. In fact, they could be quite simple. Togetic wanted to stay with me because she saw me as her mother, Elekid wanted to get as strong as possible as fast as he could and to have a good time in general. Frillish had taken me a while to figure out, but I knew that he wanted to protect all of us from harm. For Tangela, I wasn't too sure yet, but he probably wanted to experience touching new things.

The key to Louis' problem, and by extension, Cece's problem with Scyther, was to find what each Pokemon wanted to achieve and to try to compromise or change their mind. For example, Frillish had turned from a murderous sea ghost to a reluctant part of the group, and finally to a loving, protective member of the team. Goals weren't static, they were fluid. They changed with time and different experiences. According to what Cece had told me back in Floaroma, dragon types tended to value strength above everything. They wanted to fight hard, difficult battles to push themselves to their final evolutions, and Gible's behavior aligned with that goal. Louis just had to convince him that he was the one that would make Gible achieve that goal.

A task that would be easier said than done.

——

When we got back home, I readied myself to tell the truth to Cece. To tell her that I liked girls, and if that made her uncomfortable, we could stop being too close, but when the time came, and I saw her, I froze up. The words wouldn't come out of my mouth, and I ended up not saying anything at all. I groaned as I sat on the couch. I felt like shit, and no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I would do it soon, I knew I would keep putting it off if I kept going on like this.

My mind wandered to Pokemon battles again. They had become my escape at this point. Thinking about my passion was way better than thinking about relationship problems and if letting a straight girl unknowingly cuddle with a gay one was a problem. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't help but worry, still. The next three battles were the ones I doubted the most, although I didn't tell my friends that. With Denzel, Louis, and Cece, I was sure at the bottom of my heart that they would pull out a win. But the others?

Pauline was a good battler— much better than Louis— who enjoyed being a trainer, but she only had two Pokemon, and I didn't know if she would be able to push past that disadvantage. I could only hope she had worked something out. Justin had the strategy I had given him, but I feared he wouldn't be able to adapt if it went sideways and Gardenia saw through it. Plus, Growlithe and Sandile would be able to pull their weight, but he hadn't trained as much as I would have with his Lotad, who was weaker than the other members of his team, which would probably be an issue. Still, I at least believed that they could win if they were on top of their game.

Emilia, though? The girl's disinterest in Pokemon battles was coming back to bite her. When we had first gotten to Eterna city, I believed that she would train just as hard as the others and I did, but she just… didn't. Even Justin, who disliked battling trained hard to make sure he would win the battle, but she just wasn't motivated to do anything training related. Beldum was still a very strong Pokemon, but her other team members had no doubt fallen behind, even with the vitamins, and Gardenia was the type of gym leader that would punish you heavily for relying on only one Pokemon.

I was starting to understand a bit more about Pokemon training now. It didn't really matter how rich your parents were and what Pokemon and supplements they bought you. If you weren't willing to put in the work, you would still end up losing eventually. Even if Emilia somehow pulled through and won against Gardenia, if she didn't change fast, she would never win against Fantina, who was the third gym leader on our radar.

To be honest, I was considering only battling Fantina once and then moving on to Maylene. She was the oldest gym leader in the region, and her ghost types' illusions made her almost impossible to beat for newer trainers, and I didn't think it would be any different for me. Maylene was the newest gym leader, and she'd be a lot easier to defeat, but I doubted Emilia would beat her either.

Still, those were thoughts for the future, and I would have to bring it up to the group eventually, but maybe if Emilia lost, it would be better to just skip Gardenia for now and move on with us. Gardenia was notoriously hard to beat right after you lost to her once, so it would be better to let a few months pass until she had battled so many trainers she forgot about you.

Or maybe I was just being selfish about not wanting to waste time in Eterna too long. I sighed and sunk deeper into the couch. So many thoughts and ideas, and so few easy answers.

——

I waited in trepidation as Gardenia's current battle ended— in another surprising draw. Draws were pretty rare in Pokemon battles, so to see another one so soon was something. I lazily clapped at the trainer's victory and waited for Justin's turn. He was already waiting in the lobby, and even though he was hiding it well, he was incredibly nervous. The thin teenager finally stepped onto the trainer platform, wearing the Pherzen logo— a 'P' with a red and white pill inside of the letter— on a slick, white shirt. He ran a hand through his brown hair and grabbed a Pokeball before Gardenia even finished enunciating the rules of the battle, which was one of her usual three-on-three with two switch-ins allowed.

Justin immediately released his Lotad and straightened his back.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 70

I watched with bated breath as Gardenia sent out her Weepinbell. I cheered silently, thankful that she had sent a poison type that Justin's Sandile would be useful against. Now all he had to do was attack for a few minutes and then recall his Lotad, and he'd have the perfect start to this battle.

"Lotad, Bubblebeam!" Justin yelled out. "Then get in the water!"

"Sunny Day and Acid," Gardenia replied.

Lotad steadied itself against the ground before spitting out a stream of bubbles toward the Weepinbell. The grass type cried out, turning the sunlight harsh and weakening the Lotad's attack. It shrugged off the bubbles and spat out a massive lump of purple acid toward its opponent. Lotad managed to sink into the water before getting hit, but I reckoned two or three of these would be enough to take it out.

"Acid in the water," Gardenia smiled. "Force it to come out."

I clicked my tongue. I hadn't known that was allowed, and that meant some poor gym trainer would have to clean the pond after the battle.

Justin groaned. "Water Gun! Intercept it!"

Lotad croaked and spat out a jet of water toward the acid, but it was too weakened by Sunny Day to do anything. All that did was dilute the attack slightly. The water type cried out in pain as its body began to suffer from the contaminated water, and it slowly crawled out.

"Get close and keep using Acid on the way," The gym leader calmly said.

"Keep using Bubblebeam, Lotad," Justin said.

Weepinbell simply rushed past the attacks as if they were nothing, but before it could do anything else, Justin recalled his Lotad and exhaled sharply. He grabbed Sandile's Pokeball and released him before immediately barking out an order.

"Sink into the ground!" He yelled.

"Grab it with Vine Whip!" Gardenia ordered.

Two long vines grew out of Weepinbell's side and snaked toward Sandile, but the ground type was already gone. It had sunk into the ground as if it was water, and it hadn't even left a hole. Sandile wasn't even using Dig anymore, he was manipulating the soil around itself.

"Sleep Powder around yourself," Gardenia said without a hint of panic. Weepinbell acquiesced and shook itself, releasing green-colored spores around its body.

That was smart. She was guaranteeing that if Sandile wanted to hit her Pokemon physically, it would be forced to breathe in spores and fall asleep. I didn't know most of Sandile's moves, so I just hoped Justin had something to counter that.

"Sand Tomb!" He yelled, louder than before.

The ground below Weepinbell started to liquefy and spin around like a tornado. Sandile's Sand Tomb was way different than Gible's. The grass type tried to get out, but no matter how hard it tried, it was stuck in Sandile's trap.

"Get out and Mudslap!" Justin continued.

Sandile poked his head out in the sand and spat out mud just as fast as a Water Gun would be. Weepinbell cried out in pain and tried to retaliate with Vine Whip, but the ground type was already back underground. Weepinbell got hit two more times before Gardenia recalled it. A grass flying type like Hoppip would make the most sense here, or one that could levitate like Cottonee. At least, that's what I believed until Gardenia sent out a Maractus. The grass type danced in place, waiting for its trainer's orders.

"Grassy Terrain," She started.

"Sand Tomb it and Mudslap again!" Justin yelled.

The grass type shook its arm in a dramatic fashion, and grass began growing around it. That didn't stop the ground from liquefying around it and putting it in the same dilemma Weepinbell had been. Sandile poked his head out again and opened his mouth—

"Sucker Punch," Gardenia grinned.

Maractus blurred forward, now somehow unaffected by the Sand Tomb, and hit Sandile in the Chin.

"Grab it and Mega Drain," She hurriedly continued.

"Sandile, Bite!"

Maractus smiled as it sunk its spiky hands into Sandile's flesh and started draining his energy. Justin clicked his tongue before hurriedly recalling the ground type, and I found myself sighing in relief. If Sandile had gone down right now, the battle would have become significantly more challenging. With a shaky hand, he sent out Growlithe, who started growling at the Maractus, who was just dancing in Sandile's mud pile.

"Keep your distance for now, Ember!" Justin yelled.

"Dodge with Grassy Glide," Gardenia said.

Growlithe spat out small flames toward Maractus, but the grass type spun around and slid across the grass as if it was an ice skating rink. It wasn't terribly fast, but at Growlithe's distance, it made dodging moves like Ember trivial. I frowned. Gardenia wasn't ordering Maractus to get closer, and she wasn't ordering it to attack either. She was laying a trap, and I could only hope Justin was seeing it. The boy ordered Growlithe to use a few more Embers, but when that failed again, he snapped.

"Howl, then Flame Wheel!" Justin said.

Growlithe howled, making his body tenser as so many flames engulfed him I couldn't even see the fire type anymore. He dashed forward, burning a path across the Grassy Terrain as Maractus simply waited for him. I clenched my fist, hoping that Justin would notice that this was too convenient, but he wasn't thinking straight. The nervousness might have gotten to him.

"Spiky Shield," Gardenia said at the last second. A barrier not unlike Protect appeared around Maractus, but it had hundreds upon hundreds of spikes layered onto it. Growlithe yelped as he crashed into the barrier, and the flames around him stopped burning. "Mega Drain."

Maractus spun around, killing nature around it and draining Growlithe's energy. Luckily for Justin, the attack wouldn't deal much damage, but he still needed to clear his head, order his Growlithe to get back, and start making a new plan on the fly.

"Fire Fang!" He yelled.

"Grassy Glide into Sucker Punch."

Maractus skidded across the grass and then sped up toward Growlithe.

"Flame Whee—"

Too late. Sucker Punch was too quick to order Growlithe to engulf himself in fire. The fire type was knocked back a few feet, and Maractus approached again.

Come on, Justin, just get back and use Ember, I thought. If push came to shove, Gardenia would be the one forced to attack, since running out the clock meant Justin would win. This was easier said than done, however. In the heat of battle, obvious strategies sometimes never came to your head.

"Flame Wheel!" He said.

"Sucker Punch!"

Again, Maractus blurred forward and hit Growlithe just as its body became wreathed in flames, burning itself slightly.

Finally, Justin appeared to have gotten it. "Get back! Winning at close range is too difficult."

Good. Maractus was a tricky opponent, but it didn't dish out that much damage, all things considered. The grass type danced and giggled evily as it watched Growlithe run away.

"Ember!" The trainer said.

"Dodge with Grassy Glide."

Growlithe let out his flames, and Maractus easily dodged by sliding across the battlefield. This repeated another five times before Gardenia finally realized that Justin wasn't biting on her bait. She smiled and recalled it, sending out her Lombre— the same one I had faced.

"Rain Dance," She said.

My eyes bulged. Of course, Gardenia hadn't just been waiting to see if Justin would respond to her bait. She had also been waiting to be able to change the weather again. A plan within a plan. I winced, and so did Justin. Not only would Growlithe's fire type attacks be cut in half, they wouldn't even be super effective against the Lombre.

And he was out of switches. Gardenia had just completely fucked him over, and even I hadn't seen it coming.

Gardenia couldn't stop herself from grinning. "Leech Seed," She smiled.

Lombre croaked and spat out too many seeds to count. Growlithe tried to dodge, running around as fast as he could, but there were just too many.

"Dig, Growlithe!" Justin said. The Pokemon quickly started to claw at the ground, but the rain had turned it to mud. Sandile wouldn't have cared, but he was a ground type. For Growlithe? It made him dig slower, and one of the Leech Seeds landed on his back before he could escape.

"Forget the Dig, burn it away with Flame Wheel!" Justin shakily said.

Growlithe barked, and fire once again consumed him. To my surprise, it was now too weak to even burn away Leech Seed. I supposed that had been why she hadn't used the move previously in the battle.

"Bubblebeam!" Gardenia continued.

"Argh, Dig again!" He panicked.

Too indecisive. Too slow. The quick Bubblebeam powered by the rain hit Growlithe, knocking him out.

This… this was really bad.

Justin sent out Sandile once more and immediately ordered the ground type underground. He sunk even more easily than before now that the upper ground had turned to mud. Once again, he ordered the ground type to create a Sand Tomb, trapping Lombre in place. Justin decided to just stop attacking and let his Sandile stay underground, which was honestly the smartest strategy he could have come up with. There was no way Sandile was going to beat Lombre one-on-one. The strength difference wasn't enough to overcome the typing weakness.

Seemingly annoyed, the gym leader rolled her eyes. "Lombre, Nature Power the ground."

With a nod, the grass type gathered energy in front of its mouth and started using Energy Ball again and again, creating craters around the battlefield, hoping to hit the Sandile with a lucky hit. I understood her frustration. Losing like this would definitely be incredibly aggravating, but what could she even do? Sandile's manipulation of the ground was too good to leave a hole for Lombre to crawl into.

People in the audience began heckling at Justin, telling him to do something and stop wasting time, but rules were rules. Twenty minutes was all they got, and maybe Gardenia had something to deal with Dig, but she was out of switches. Justin ignored the noise and simply waited the clock out. I understood why he did it, but by doing this, he was only delaying the inevitable. If he wanted to get a third badge, he would need to redouble his training and get his Lotad at the same level that his other teammates were at.

An alarm rang across the gym. The twenty minutes were up.

"Get someone to clean this up," Gardenia said, pointing at the battlefield before taking off her mic. She sighed and reset her face into a neutral tone as Sandile finally surfaced again. Both trainers recalled their Pokemon, and Justin got his badge and other rewards as Pauline made her way down to the waiting room.

A few gym trainers showed up with an array of ground and grass types to fix all the damage that had been done to the arena. A Pyukumuku slowly crawled into the poisoned lake, causing the color to go from a toxic purple to a clear, transparent blue, while Kadabra fixed any damage to the barrier.

First Louis and now Justin had taken hits to their reputation. The high of the first badge was over, and now as harsh as it sounded, I supposed the second gym was when gym leaders separated the trainers that really wanted to become the Champion and strive further, bettering and training themselves every day, from the rest who were just doing it for fun— or in Justin's case, doing it because of his father.

I had faith that Pauline would manage to do slightly better, even with two Pokemon. The girl liked battling and trained just as much as we did, she was just extremely picky about her Pokemon like Denzel was, but she hadn't actually planned a team beforehand, which was the worst of both worlds.

I glanced at Emilia, who was starting to look worried. It looked like it was sinking in.

Unless Gardenia somehow fumbled the bag really badly, which would probably never happen, she had practically no chance. But honestly, maybe it was better this way. Maybe this was what Justin and Emilia needed to finally stop doing something they didn't like. They could tell their parents that they at least tried.

That was a conversation for later. A few minutes passed, and Pauline confidently stepped on stage, wearing one of her mother's expensive dresses. The stadium gasped when Gardenia said that this would be a two-on-three battle with two switch-ins.

Pauline sent out her Gothita, who shared her confident look. Gardenia sent out a Paras, which made me swallow. I hated the fact that it would be controlled by its parasite when it evolved, and the Pokemon brought back the bad memories of Eterna forest, but its bug type would help it deal with the psychic.

"Grassy Terrain and go hide," Gardenia started.

Paras screech and slammed its pincers against the ground, causing the grass to grow. It scuttled along the floor and slipped into the Grassy Terrain, employing the same strategy Gardenia had with Leafeon.

"Hmph," Pauline said. "Wait it out—"

"Fury Cutter!" Gardenia yelled, pointing forward.

Way faster than before, Paras burst out of the grass on Pauline's side of the field, and its pincers started to grow. Then another. Then a dozen. I clenched my hand around my seat. I knew it was just Double Team, but I still instinctively feared the Pokemon when it was in large numbers. Pauline didn't seem to be rattled, however.

"Confusion! Throw them away!" Pauline said.

Pink, psychic energy surrounded the first Paras, who immediately vanished before Gothita moved on to the next. There were too many to find the real one this way. Pauline needed to change it up.

"Psybeam! Hit all of them!" She said.

Gothita's eyes shone even brighter as a rainbow-colored ray appeared above her head and rushed toward the Paras. Unfortunately, though, she was unlucky, and four Paras reached her, including the real one. It slashed across the psychic type's torso, staggering her, and before it could hit her again and the damage could stack up, Pauline recalled Gothita with a scowl. It was the same look she had when I beat her in the Floaroma tournament.

She thought Gardenia was being unfair.

Pauline released Charmeleon and immediately barked out an order.

"Fire Spin! Trap it!"

The fire type roared and spat out a stream of flames that somehow settled into a circle around Paras, slowly burning the bug type.

"Now, Ember!" Pauline continued. "It can't dodge!"

Paras was hit by a few flames before Gardenia recalled it. Luckily for Pauline, Gardenia had used her two Lombre today, including against Justin, so unless she was willing to send out a Lotad, she didn't have much to counter Charmeleon. The fire type let out a victorious scream as if she had won a battle while its Fire Spin slowly subsided.

"You're up, baby girl," Gardenia said, releasing a Bayleef. The beautiful grass type let out a soothing cry and stared down the Charmeleon. My leg began to bounce. There was only one reason Gardenia could have sent out the grass type.

"Fire Spin again!" Pauline raged.

"Light Screen," Gardenia said. A thin barrier appeared around Bayleef, protecting her from much of the heat. Unlike protect, however, it stayed. "Ancient Power!"

There it was. Bayleef's eyes began to glow as it lifted up chunks of earth and rock from the Arena and threw them toward Charmeleon.

"Dragon Rage and Metal Claw to intercept!" Pauline said.

Charmeleon nodded, reared her head back, and spat out a stream of blue draconic flames. They didn't have much of an effect on the rocks, but it did soften them up enough for her Metal Claw to cut them apart. Charmeleon slashed across the earth, splitting the projectiles in two before they could hit.

"Ember!"

"Lift one up," Gardenia said. "Then throw more forward."

The flames were stopped by another Ancient Power, which was again intercepted with a Dragon Rage, Metal Claw combo. The Fire Spin was still slowly dealing damage to Bayleef, but Light Screen was too powerful for the fire to ever take the grass type down.

"Enough! Run up to it!" Pauline yelled.

Gardenia sent out another set of Ancient Power before realizing it would never hit, and then decided to switch it up.

"Magical Leaf," She said.

Leaves surrounded by multicolored energy appeared around Bayleff and flew toward Charmeleon. The fire type attempted to burn them up with Ember, but the fire had no effect on the attack. It shrugged off the damage and ran up to Bayleef.

"Fire Fang! Get its neck!"

"Reflect," Gardenia continued.

Another thin layer appeared, this time around the Light Screen. Charmeleon opened her flaming maw and bit around the barrier, which began to crack. It looked like Fire Fang was too powerful to be blocked.

Without Gardenia's command, the ground behind Charmeleon trembled and hit Charmeleon in the back, interrupting its attack.

"Push through and break the Reflect!" Pauline screamed.

Charmeleon shook itself and began biting again. The barrier crackled, broke apart, and the fire type jumped on Bayleef's back before biting its neck and slashing across its body. The grass type cried out and tried to shake Charmeleon off, but she was latched on too tightly. Gardenia sighed and recalled Bayleef, using her last switch-in. Charmeleon roared, throwing an Ember at the sky.

Gardenia sent out her last Pokemon: Servine. The snake-like Pokemon lowered itself to the ground and started running across the battlefield as if it was slithering. Charmeleon immediately sent out another Ember, which Servine dodged easily. It was fast, faster than both of Pauline's Pokemon.

"Wrap around it…" Gardenia said quietly.

"Burn it!" Pauline said.

Servine methodically approached Charmeleon, dodging almost every attack in the process. It wrapped around the fire type as if it had no bones, stretching its body in unnatural ways and perfectly avoiding Charmeleon's tail and mouth.

"Leech Seed, then Mega Drain," Gardenia said smoothly.

Thorny vines started to wrap around the restrained Charmeleon, and Servine started draining its energy too. Pauline ordered Charmeleon to fight back a few times, but the fire type could barely move as it was, and she finally recalled it and released Gothita once more. Both she and Gardenia were now both out of switches.

"Gothita, Psybeam!" Pauline said.

"Wrap around it again!"

Servine easily dodged the psychic attack, but this time, Gothita finally picked it up with Confusion. I expected her to use Psybeam in tandem like Cece had done with Slowpoke's Confusion and Zen Headbutt, but she just slammed the grass type on the ground a few times before it finally managed to break out of Gothita's hold.

"Leaf Tornado," Gardenia ordered.

Servine struggled to stand up, but when it did, it spun around, and razor-sharp leaves began to swirl around Gothita.

"Focus and pick it up again!" Pauline yelled out. "Gothita!"

The psychic type was hurting too much. She was unable to focus.

"Keep it going until it's down," Gardenia said. Servine nodded weakly.

Well, it looked like Charmeleon would have to deal with three weakened Pokemon. It was certainly doable, but it would be difficult, especially dealing with Bayleef's Ancient Power. I doubted Gardenia would let herself be caught off guard by Fire Fang's strength again. She would probably try to keep her distance instead—

Light. Blinding light engulfed Gothita and the battlefield. She was— she was evolving.

"Don't falter," Gardenia told her Pokemon. "Keep the attack going."

Gothita's body stretched and almost doubled in size as it turned into a Gothorita. Pauline's face split into a grin.

"Confusion."

More range, more concentration, more power. That was the name of the game as Gothorita suddenly picked up Servine and rammed it against the ground over and over. The grass type's eyes closed, and Gothorita finally released its body, allowing it to go limp. Gardenia wasted no time and released her Paras.

"Fix up Grassy Terrain and then go hide again," She told the bug type. "Be careful."

Paras screeched, and the Grassy Terrain recovered from Charmeleon's flames. The bug type sank into the grass.

"It's going to Double Team again," Pauline warned. "Get ready."

Another dozen Paras burst through the grass, and Pauline grinned.

"Confusion again! Find the real one!"

Gothorita held out her arms and started using Confusion on multiple clones at once, easily dispatching them. My eyes widened when I saw a singular seed fly out of the grass.

The real Paras wasn't even attacking. It had stayed in the tall grass, hiding and waiting for an opportunity to land a Leech Seed on its opponent. Gothorita was too focused on using Confusion, and Pauline was still riding on the high of that evolution. The attack landed on the psychic's type head, and vines snaked around her.

Pauline winced. "Psybeam the grass!"

Another wave of Paras streamed out of the Grassy Terrain, and Gothorita's attack didn't appear to hit anything.

"Fuck it, get close and try to track it!"

I nodded. Gothorita's newly acquired power could be enough to find a hidden enemy—

One of the Paras hit the psychic type with a vicious Fury Cutter. Gardenia had pretended to use the same tactic, but the real Paras was actually a part of the rush this time. Gothorita fell to the ground and finally fainted. Pauline recalled her and smiled.

"You made me proud," She said, before grabbing Charmeleon's ball. The fire type looked ready to go, and she was now free from Leech Seed. "Burn up the grass!"

Charmeleon roared and spat out an Ember, completely destroying Paras' hiding spot. The flames forced the bug type to scuttle out, and it started to run in the only direction it could. Toward Charmeleon.

"Fire Spin to trap it, then finish it off!" Pauline said.

The fire type roared out another stream of flames, trapping the Paras. One Ember and the heat from the Fire Spin was enough to finally take it down. Gardenia smiled and recalled her Pokemon before sending out Bayleef.

"Get close, quick!" The redhead ordered. "Ember as you run!"

"Light Screen and Reflect," Gardenia started, and two shimmering barriers formed around her Pokemon. She waited for Charmeleon to get closer and then yelled out her second order. "Trip it up with Ancient Power!"

Charmeleon tripped on a raised piece of Earth, but she got up right away before any of the attacks could hit her.

"Ancient Power around yourself."

A cocoon-like shell formed around Bayleef just before Charmeleon could reach the grass type. She raged and clawed at the earth with Metal Claw.

"Burn it up first, then hack it apart!" Pauline said.

Charmeleon let out a point-blank Dragon Rage at the barrier, but it exploded outward, sending her flying. I sat at the edge of my seat as the fire type struggled to stand. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. They were bloodshot, and she appeared to be frothing at the mouth.

Blaze had just come into play.

Pauline let out a nervous grin. "Ember!"

"Ancient Power again."

At this point, Charmeleon's Ember looked more like a Flamethrower, and the searing hot flames had now turned white. The attack melted Bayleef's protective barrier and simply burst through the Light Screen like it was nothing, burning the grass type. She tried to raise another layer of Ancient Power, but the attack melted it all the same, and Bayleef finally went down.

I sighed in relief. Pauline had won, thank Arceus. Her Pokemon had gotten so much better since the tournament— which served as a reminder that I wasn't the only one improving. If she had mastered Blaze like this during our battle, princess probably would have lost.

Emilia audibly swallowed.

"You'll make it, Emi" I said, trying to cheer her up.

The rest of the group gave her more words of encouragement as we left the gym to meet Pauline. Tomorrow morning, Emilia would fight.

——

We had done all we could to bring Emilia up to speed with some last-minute training. Denzel, Cecilia, and I had asked for her team's entire moveset to craft a strategy so she could win, and we had managed to come up with something… pretty good, I supposed. It wasn't perfect, and there were a lot of holes in the plan that couldn't be filled because of some of her Pokemon's weaknesses, but we could only cross our fingers and hope that Gardenia either wouldn't use the Pokemon that heavily countered Emilia or was just having an awful morning that reflected on her battling.

Emilia stepped into the battlefield with meek, uncomfortable steps. The battle would, of course, be three-on-three with two switch-ins. She sighed and sent out her Aipom, and Gardenia sent out a Cacnea, which hadn't been on my radar whatsoever. I expected her to send out Ferroseed or one of her grass types that could fly. Emilia hadn't planned for this either, and I doubted that she even knew what moves the grass type even had.

"Fake out," Emilia breathed out.

Aipom yelled, and he practically teleported next to his opponent before hitting him as hard as he could with the huge fist on his tail.

"Slam it!" She continued.

The normal type once again used his tail to slap Cacnea away, using its surprised state to his advantage and sending it flying off toward Gardenia. The grass type got back on its feet right away and awaited Gardenia's command.

She didn't keep it waiting. "Grassy Terrain, Spikes," Gardenia said in quick succession.

Cacnea screamed, summoning Grassy Terrain, and I groaned as floating spikes were laid all over the arena. They were dormant now, but as soon as a new Pokemon stepped onto the field, the closest ones would rush toward it and deal heavy damage. It was an especially annoying move with how much switching beating Gardenia required.

"Get close and Slam it again," Emilia said.

Aipom nodded and ran toward Cacnea. He wasn't particularly fast, which meant that Gardenia had ample enough time to think about how to respond.

"Sand Attack," She said, waiting until the last moment. Cacnea placed its appendages into the ground and flung dirt into Aipom's eyes. The normal type panicked and rubbed his face with his tail. "Needle arm, then follow it."

The needles on Cacnea's hands extended, and the grass type flung its arm at Aipom as hard as it could, sending it away. It didn't stop there, though, and it quickly ran after it.

"Come on, Aipom! Get up and Swift!" Emilia said, her voice faltering.

Aipom swerved his tail around, summoning stars and sending them flying toward the advancing Cacnea. The Pokemon grunted at the impact, but it kept running and flung its arms, hitting Aipom again.

"Bullet Seed," Gardenia ordered, continuing her onslaught.

"Swift! Swift!" Emilia said.

She was starting to panic. She needed to take a breather, and maybe switch Aipom out. The normal type could maybe beat Cacnea, but sending out Rockruff wouldn't be that bad of an idea, even with the type disadvantage. The rock type was her fastest Pokemon, and as long as she didn't reveal her Beldum too soon like we had discussed, then it would be fine.

Another set of stars hit the Cacnea, who was hunting Aipom like he was its Arceus damned prey. Sometimes, the normal type would try to knock it away with Slam, but Cacnea had quickly learned to counter that by baiting him into overextending and then hitting him with Sand Attack. Cacnea wasn't the strongest opponent to deal with, but its cunning certainly couldn't be underestimated. Gardenia was barely commanding it.

Emilia finally decided to switch out and sent her Rockruff right next to Cacnea. A few of the spikes the grass type had laid out levitated and flew at him, causing him to yelp.

"You've got this! Bite it!" She yelled.

"Do the usual," Gardenia said.

Cacnea once again threw sand at Rockruff's eyes, but the rock type shrugged it off with a fierce bark and immediately bit at the base of Cacnea's arm. Thank the Legendaries for Keen Eye. Cacnea used Needle Arm with his free arm, hitting its opponent in the head and neck, but Rockruff kept shaking his head as if he wanted to tear the grass type's entire arm off and ignoring the pain.

Gardenia returned Cacnea and sent out a Skiddo without even missing a beat. That was perfect. The plan was working, at least somewhat. Gardenia was underestimating Emilia and using Pokemon that weren't that powerful. Now all Emi needed to do was bait out her last Pokemon somehow and hope Beldum could take all of her team down.

"Skiddo, Bulk Up, and grab it with Vine Whip," Gardenia said.

"Rock Throw!" Emilia ordered.

Skiddo's body tensed, and its muscles bulged as it began running toward Rockruff. First slowly, and then steadily picking up speed. Rockruff pulled up a rock from under the ground and threw it at Skiddo, but the grass type just extended two vines from the leaves on its neck and broke it apart.

"Run up and Bite! You can do it!" She screamed.

I winced. That was a mistake.

Skiddo's vines wrapped around Rockruff, picking it up from the ground.

"Rock Throw!" Emilia faltered.

The rock type barked, and pieces of the rock he had thrown at Skiddo before barrelled toward the grass type, hitting it in the back, but its hold over Rockruff never weakened.

"Seed Bomb."

Skiddo spat out the vicious, detonating seeds that we had all grown familiar with, and they all hit Rockruff in a cacophony of explosions. Emilia's Pokemon cries were overshadowed by the noise, and he quickly went limp. Even I was surprised at how fast it had fallen unconscious. Maybe I had been underestimating Skiddo all along, but from the information I had gathered on it before my gym battle, it wasn't that remarkable.

Maybe that was its strength. Appearing weaker than it was. That precious smile and docile nature apparently hid a vicious battler.

"Rockruff is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your second Pokemon," The referee yelled.

Emilia silently thanked Rockruff and sent out her Aipom again, who was hit by the Spikes.

"Grab it again," Gardenia said.

"Fury Swipes!" Emilia ordered.

Somehow, the fingers on Aipom's tail grew sharp enough to hack the two vines apart. Emilia slammed her foot and kept going.

"Run away and Swift!"

Good, I thought. Fighting this Skiddo in close combat had revealed itself to be a terrible idea, especially when it had used Bulk Up.

"Follow it and Razor Leaf."

Swift hit Skiddo, but it was too bulky to go down to an attack that weak. The grass type was faster than Aipom, and its Razor Leaves were hitting the Pokemon more often than not, no matter how much he tried to zig-zag to dodge. A few more minutes of this chase, and Aipom went down as well.

Emilia hadn't managed to make Gardenia use a third Pokemon. Her chances of victory were now significantly slimmer.

The chestnut-haired girl sighed and grabbed Beldum's Pokeball. She stared at it for a few seconds before releasing the white, marble-like steel type, which let out an alien-like grinding sound. Thanks to him levitating in the air, he didn't trigger the Spikes, but if he was ever knocked to the ground, they would hit him all the same.

"Take Down!" Emilia said.

"Knock it away," Gardenia quickly ordered.

Beldum floated toward Skiddo. He wasn't fast, but he was heavy, and that would make all the difference. Skiddo hit him with Vine Whip, but Beldum's course wasn't even slightly altered. He rammed into the grass type.

"Pick it up!" Emilia said, not missing a beat.

Take Down had sent the grass type flying, but Beldum's red eye shone brightly as he used Confusion to stop it midair. He slammed Skiddo into the ground multiple times.

"Flash Cannon!" She continued. Beldum summoned a bright light in front of his eyes and sent it flying, hitting Skiddo once more. The grass type tried to fight back, sending Seed Bombs and Razor Leaves whenever there was an opening, but the fight was a foregone conclusion. Skiddo went down.

"Skiddo is unable to battle! Leader Gardenia, send out your second Pokemon," The referee said.

In a way, the sheer difference in strength between Beldum and the rest of her team was incredible, and Gardenia apparently thought the same, because she hesitated for a few seconds. She smiled and released Cacnea.

"Pin Missile!" She said. "Don't get close!"

"Stop it with Confusion and get in range!"

Needles grew out of Cacnea's arms and started flying like guided missiles toward Beldum, who diverted a few away. Unfortunately, he hadn't trained his psychic abilities as hard as Slowpoke or Gothorita, and a few of them hit him. Still, it was barely a scratch. Cacnea sent out another barrage of Pin Missiles before being picked up with Confusion. Since Beldum was already picking up a living being this time, all of them hit. The steel type let out a metallic sound and slammed Cacnea against the ground like a ragdoll, sometimes changing it up with Flash Cannon to inflict more damage.

Cacnea went down. It was one-on-one now.

Gardenia released Tangela— the same she had used against Cecilia's Fletchinder. The grass type gurgled as if it was sneering. It was nothing like angel, which made me appreciate how different two Pokemon of the same species could act.

"Get your vines out," Gardenia said. Tangela extended more than ten vines into the air. "Sunny Day."

"Get in range again and pick it up! You can do this!" Emilia said, clenching her fists.

Tangela screeched, and the sun began to bear down harshly on the battlefield. Gardenia wanted to take full advantage of Tangela's ability. Beldum once again slowly but steadily flew toward Tangela.

"Bind it."

All of Tangela's vines instantly converged on Beldum at the same time and snaked around him, holding him in place further than his Confusion could reach. I expected the steel type just to brush it off like he had done with Skiddo, but he surprisingly couldn't. Tangela's vines were too powerful to be simply overpowered and torn down. Beldum tried to manipulate the vines away with Confusion, but Tangela just brought more of them to the table, rendering any attempts to free himself useless.

"Bring it down," Gardenia followed up.

Tangela slammed Beldum against the ground in one smooth blur of motion, and the Spikes all hurtled toward the steel type as well.

"Mega Drain," She said.

Was… was it over? No matter what Beldum tried to do, he couldn't get free from Tangela. He was bulky and resistant enough to grass type moves that he could last a long time, but that didn't matter if he couldn't do anything.

Beldum's red eye slowly began to fade, leaving only a dark cavity. It was knocked out. I stared at Emilia, expecting her to be bitter about her loss, but she wasn't.

She looked relieved.

——

We joined Emilia in the lobby and started comforting her.

"Sorry Emi…" Pauline said, wrapping an arm around her friend. "I should have helped you train more. I was so focused on my own battle that I only helped you after it was too late."

"It was a close battle," Denzel said, clapping her back. "You'll get her next time. I know how hard defeat is—"

"I feel great," Emilia said.

"What?" Justin frowned.

"I feel great," She repeated. "Beldum… he spoke to me before going down," She said, caressing her Pokeball. "They weren't words— not exactly, it was more like a feeling."

"That's— that's amazing!" Denzel smiled.

"I knew you were worrying for nothing," I said. "I told you he loved you."

"You did," Emilia said. "Beldum told me to do what I really wanted to do, or at least that's what it felt like. I guess he knew all along that I was forcing myself into the Circuit, since he's there a lot when I watch contest videos. I was nervous about losing because I didn't want to hold everyone back, and I was scared about my parent's reaction—"

"Just give me the phone when they call," Pauline said.

"Thank you," Emilia smiled.

"So are you finally going to try out contests or what?" The redhead continued.

"Pauline… you knew?" She asked.

"Of course, I knew. You were obvious as hell about it," She said, rolling her eyes.

Contests weren't particularly my cup of tea, but I was happy Emilia had something she was passionate about. Signing up for it was as easy as signing up for the Circuit, and unlike the Circuit, it didn't run on a yearly basis. It was a continuous sport, where trainers could earn ribbons instead of gym badges. I wasn't too familiar with all the rules, though.

"Plus, contests happen all over the region! I can still travel with all of you, although I'll probably skip the more difficult parts and hop on a plane…" She trailed off.

"Of course," Cece said. "It wouldn't be the same without the entire group."

Emilia sniffled and teared up. "Thank you, everyone… for supporting me."

We all grouped up and gave her a collective hug.

"I feel so much more motivated to train now," Emilia smiled. "It's like everything's clicking into place!"

As we stepped out of the gym and toward our hotel, it was finally time to start planning when we would leave Eterna city. I still had my session with Amanda tomorrow evening via video chat, but other than that, I was fine with leaving any time.

Our time in Eterna was slowly coming to an end.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - The Directorate

It may have seemed strange, but Cynthia had always preferred the Directorate's building over the League's, at least from a pragmatic point of view. The League was an ancient, beautiful building full of history, built akin to a giant cathedral, which she loved, but in terms of utility? The sleek, modern design and straightforward hallways were much easier and less time-consuming to navigate. And time seemed to be what she lacked the most these days. The Champion had the Directorate built on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, two years after becoming Champion. Almost twenty years since she had handed her absolute powers over to a civilian body.

The Directorate sat relatively close to Sunnyshore, and the location had originally been chosen due to its closeness to the Pokemon League and how easy it would be to fly from one to the other. Yet that measure that had meant to link the two systems— trainers and civilians— together hadn't worked. Today, people felt the same adoration for Cynthia that they had all those years ago, but when it came to the actual League itself? It was hard to find anyone who actually cared for them other than trainers themselves, and honestly, who could blame them? It was much easier to feel connected to the government if you actually saw the people who participated in it. Directorate members were often seen all over the region, and they worked in Sinnoh's second most populous city.

The League, meanwhile, sat on the Lily of the Valley island, far away from any type of civilization, and it was originally built so the strongest trainers who reached the place alive could live among themselves and reach the pinnacle of strength, back when Sinnoh was still called Hisui and people were still settling all over the region. From that primitive system, the Elite Four and Champion organically came to be. They had no doubt drawn inspiration from Kanto and Johto, who, according to history, were the first regions to have done so. When the strongest trainers finally came back to mainland Sinnoh, they subjugated its inhabitants and took control of the region and established a system akin to modern 'gym leaders', whose original purpose was to keep control of the region's most populous settlements. However, the seat of power remained unchanged. The League ruled with an iron fist from a faraway island.

Until Cynthia herself divided it. Still, even now, she never regretted her decision. The League had too much power, and implementing checks and balances was the remedy. It was only a matter of time before a future Champion grew mad with power— and it certainly had happened many times in the past. Massacres, slavery, and countless horrors had been orchestrated in the past all throughout the world by trainers. Now that Cynthia had changed the natural order, she hoped the future Elite Four and gym leaders would join the civilian government to stop any future tyrants instead of aiding them like in the past.

If they didn't? Well, all her work would have been for naught, but at least she would have tried. Strongly worded letters and investigations could only do so much in the face of murderous trainers.

Ah, those worries were for future generations. Right now, she needed to make sure they got to be born in the first place. Cynthia sighed and entered one of the many empty offices in the building. The Directorate was in recess and negotiating right now, so she could afford to take a break from saving Vernon's job. The Champion immediately grabbed her Poketch, which had been vibrating relentlessly for the past hour, and called the number back.

"Rowan," She sighed, feeling exhaustion creep up. "How was your flight up to Canalave?"

"Oh, you know I hate flying," The professor answered. "But I adore Canalave, so the trip alone is worth it. Anyway, I have found a few nuggets of information regarding your… inquiry."

Cynthia had contacted Professor Rowan to help her dig for more information about Dusknoir. She was very familiar with him, seeing as he was Sinnoh's most well-known Pokemon Professor, and he extensively researched the phenomenon of evolution. When she contacted him about having seen a Dusknoir, he jumped at the occasion to help her research.

"So?" Cynthia asked.

"Well, of course, it would have been too easy to just find the answer in the Canalave library, but I believe my new assistants— Dawn and Lucas, have found a lead. It was a peculiar old book in the library's corner about ancient Sinnohan history, which is why I didn't think to check, but the book alludes to a certain Elite Four trainer that owned a Dusknoir."

"Does it allude to how it evolved?" Cynthia asked. She liked the professor, but his passion tended to make him ramble, and she needed to go meet Vernon right after this call.

"Well, this is a primary source written by a League trainer from the time, so I would give it more credence, but it is said that when his Dusknoir was still a Dusclops, it would— ah, you are familiar with Dusclops, right?"

"Fantina owns one, so yes," Cynthia said, her voice unchanging but tapping her feet.

"Well, they say that Dusclops would steal the spirits— which is what they called souls at the time— and use the amount that it had taken to weave some sort of cloth it attached in between the wispy appendages on its back, slowly turning it into a cape. When it got big enough, the ghost evolved," Professor Rowan recited.

"Do we know how many souls that would take?" Cynthia asked.

"I'm afraid not. The book is rather light on the details. But they do say that looking at the cloth too much could render you mad with the voices of the trapped souls ringing in your mind," He continued.

Cynthia nodded to no one in particular. That lined up with the voices she heard coming from Dusknoir's mouth, and if the evolution required human souls, then it made sense that Dusknoir kept sustaining itself with them, as Fantina had told her.

"Thank you, Rowan," Cynthia said. "This is great progress."

"We're not done yet. We still need to parse through more books from the same time period and cross-reference to see if the facts line up or if the trainer who wrote this was just embellishing his story for the readers."

"Sounds good. I have to go, but call me again if anything comes up."

"Very well. Good luck with your negotiations. I've heard you're having a hard time."

"Nothing I can't handle," Cynthia said before saying goodbye and hanging up.

One vote. One vote was all that separated her paper-thin majority from becoming the minority and firing Vernon. It was one thing for the majority of members to oppose her, but if the Prime Minister also did, she wouldn't even be able to bring her measures to a vote since she needed their approval to do so. Cynthia exited the room, surprising many staffers and interns walking through the gray-white halls of the Directorate. She quickly strode towards Vernon's office and knocked.

"Who is it?!" The man said aggressively. "Go away!"

"It's me, Vernon," Cynthia said. "Unlock the door."

She heard grumbling behind the door as Vernon Harper unlocked his door. He looked incredibly tired and depressed. His usual well-kept hair was disheveled, and he had stubble all over his chin. Cynthia tilted her head and scoffed at the cardboard boxes littering the room.

"Are you packing?" She asked.

"Of course, I'm packing, Cynthia," Vernon said in an exasperated tone. He was angry at her, and Cynthia couldn't blame him. She had maybe cost him his job. Even though he would remain as a Directorate Member even if he lost the position of Prime Minister, he would no doubt lose his next election in a landslide. "I'm one vote away from hell."

The Directorate worked in a proportional manner. Each city had a number of members they could elect, and the more people inhabited the city, the more members they got, for a total of two hundred and fifty. Some smaller cities like Celestic— her hometown, or Floaroma didn't like the system because they said that it gave too much power to Sinnoh's population centers, but there was no way to please everyone.

"I have one more card in play," Cynthia said with her usual smile. "I'll present a recent report the LSS finally gave us about Team Galactic."

"So you're finally ready to deliver on your promise and tell me what the fuck is going on?" Vernon sighed.

Cynthia grimaced internally. It was true that she had told him she would explain everything about team Galactic, but the Champion had wanted to gather all the facts first, which was why the League had been so silent these past few weeks. Still, now that the first substantial report had been produced, she would present it to the Directorate— albeit in a redacted manner— and hope to sway their votes. Cynthia didn't have much of a choice here. She doubted the members of parliament would believe her if she suddenly accused some of them of taking bribes from team Galactic without solid proof, and there was also the fact that the LSS had purposefully spread misinformation which had no doubt caused the death of young trainers.

All on her command.

For the good of Sinnoh, Cynthia thought, steeling herself. It wasn't the first time Cynthia had done something so unforgivable, but she was a pragmatic person at heart. The lives of a few trainers, or the potential devolution of the situation in mass riots and panic from the public learning too much, which would give team Galactic free reign? She would pick the former every time. She had done what she could by asking the rangers to give the trainers thorough lessons before allowing them in, and that had cut the casualty rate by more than half. Even now, a small voice at the back of her head was telling her to just burn down everything she had built to save the region.

Cynthia shut that thought down every time it came up. She would deal with the repercussions from the other gym leaders later. Maylene would be the angriest of them all, but Volkner and Candice would probably start getting cold feet.

"Yes, I will tell you what's going on," Cynthia finally answered. "Now clean yourself up, look confident, and join me in the chamber."

Vernon reluctantly nodded and left his office, jogging toward the nearest washroom. Cynthia placed a hand on her forehead and sighed before returning to her smiling state as she waited for him to come back. Surprisingly though, it was Sophie Richards that walked through the door, one of the Directorate members suspected of having been bribed by team Galactic. She was young— still in her late-twenties and full of ambition, which often meant making mistakes. Unfortunately, there was no money trail, but she had just bought a mansion on Sunnyshore's beaches, along with two luxury cars. The woman was so blatant with everything that it boggled the mind.

"Ms. Richards," Cynthia said politely.

"Cynthia," She smiled at her. Not using her title of Champion was another obvious jab. "I was just visiting my future office."

Sophie Richards was now the front-runner for the future Prime Minister position despite having changed her vote just slightly more than a week ago. She now often gave fiery speeches on the floor about the tyranny of the League despite having wholeheartedly supported it beforehand.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you, but feel free to have a look," Cynthia said.

"Vernon looks to be halfway done packing already," Sophie smiled. "But since you're so sure of yourself, let me give you a hint. We've already flipped two more members. Your reign is over, Cynthia. Your puppet Vernon is losing his job today, no matter what speech or new information you present."

Cynthia was surprised, but she didn't let it show. She could have been lying, although it didn't look that way. Cynthia's gut wasn't often wrong.

"Do you really believe what you're saying, Ms. Richards?" Cynthia smiled. "You seemed to have had a sudden change of heart recently, along with a large increase in funds."

The woman faltered for a split second— a mark of her inexperience— and returned to her confident expression.

"What are you insinuating?"

"Oh, nothing," Cynthia waved her hand dismissively. "Just an astute observation."

"Good, because I'd love it if you tried to bring that up when you speak to the chamber. They'll treat you like the fool you are."

Vernon stepped into the room as the two women stared at each other icily.

"Sophie, get the fuck out of my office," The man snarled. "I don't want anyone in here."

Ah, Vernon. Always rude and straightforward, but that was the thing that made him a ruthless negotiator before team Galactic and public pressure got involved in the halls of the Directorate.

"I look forward to redecorating it," Sophie said with glee as she left.

"Anyway, I suppose it's time to make our way to the chamber as well," He said as soon as she was out of earshot. "I hope what you've got is good because things are looking dire."

"I've gotten new information, and it actually looks like you're losing your job," Cynthia deadpanned.

Vernon had to do a double take and had the wind knocked out of him. "What?! You said you had a card up your sleeve!"

"Calm down. Think clearly. You'll still be a member, and your election isn't for another year. We have time to switch things around."

"So the new information you have…?"

"It won't change anyone's mind, but it'll start to make some of them doubt the prevailing narrative that the League is out to get them, at least."

"Fine," Vernon sighed. "I trust you."

"And so do I. Keep your chin up, Vernon. Act confident."

"Hard to do, but I'll try my best."

Cynthia and Vernon stepped into the semi-circular room featuring seats for every member of the Directorate. They stepped down the stairs, and Vernon took his usual spot in the Prime Minister's chair, which sat at the center of the room, while Cynthia stood next to them with the LSS report in hand. Above them was a huge statue of a faceless armored man wearing a cape and holding a lance— a monument to humankind and its advances, but also to the suffering trainers of old had wrought. Cynthia carefully waited for all members of the Directorate to take their seats. Whereas in Unova, there were different political parties and the seating was arranged by which one a member identified with, Sinnoh's parliament was arranged by city. Members from the same cities sat together, although Cynthia believed that would change soon, with the collapse of the coalition government.

Vernon grabbed his hammer and tapped on his elevated desk three times.

"Order! The Directorate is now in session— order!" The Prime Minister yelled. Eventually, the chamber became silent, but Cynthia noted that before, he could silence the chamber in mere seconds. "Champion Cynthia is here to address the Directorate. You have the floor, Champion."

Cynthia watched as the staffers finished handing out copies of the League Secret Service report to every sitting member, and then she finally started.

"Dear members of the Directorate," Cynthia started. "As you no doubt know, a new terrorist organization known as team Galactic has revealed itself to us this year—"

She heard a heckler toward her left who interrupted her.

"The gentleman from Veilstone does not have the floor!" Vernon yelled.

Cynthia continued. "I apologize on behalf of the League for our silence these last weeks. We were gathering as much information on their organization as possible to make sure all the facts we would reveal were correct. I had the most recent and substantial report distributed to you, so feel free to read along as I summarize it."

The Champion paused for effect, then took a breath. "Team Galactic has been active all around the region, but their nexus of activity seems to be around the Eterna region. First, they have been found active around Eterna forest, trying to lure a rare ghost type that we do not yet know the identity of. Second, they have been agitating the protests to turn violent, as it is in their interest to keep to government paralyzed into dealing with its internal issues instead of them…"

Cynthia kept going, embellishing her speech as much as she could. She could see from the member's faces that she wasn't flipping anyone, but that had been expected after Sophie Richards' taunt. It was about planting the seed in their mind, as Gardenia would say. Next up, staffers again went around to pass a different report, this one about the attack on the power plant at Valley Windworks. Cynthia believed it was finally time to rip off the band-aid and let them know team Galactic was more dangerous than it seemed.

"During the attack on Valley Windworks," She started. "Team Galactic stole data pertaining to tearing holes through reality itself."

There were murmurs and whispers now. Good.

"I learned of this the day of the attack, but I had the League investigate further and make sure all the facts were correct," Cynthia lied. "But I am sure now that team Galactic is a threat," She said, still omitting the fact that the threat was existential. "The Directorate and the League must stay united during this time, at least until the situation is dealt with. I am calling for you to return to your senses and unite in a coalition government once more."

There were claps and cheers from the half that supported her and jeers from the others. One member of the opposition from Jubilife stood up, and Vernon gave him the floor.

"Why is so much of these two reports redacted? Do we not deserve to know the full extent of what is going on in our region? How are we supposed to work with you if we don't have the full picture?"

"The League believes these facts getting out would be a threat to national security," Cynthia honestly stated. "I apologize, but the remaining information will be revealed at an appropriate time."

Another member rose, waited for permission, and spoke.

"You say team Galactic is a threat, but they haven't killed anyone yet or caused substantial damage. What guarantees do we have that this isn't a lie from the League?"

They have, Cynthia thought. And so has the League.

"You don't. But the fact that I am here, and my political agenda is at your mercy, is it not? I have no reason to lie."

Questions kept coming, and Cynthia kept answering them as honestly as she could, but there were lies sprinkled in there too. Right now, she needed to make team Galactic come across a dangerous threat that could kill and cause significant damage, but not end the world. It was a small tightrope to walk, but Cynthia could only hope they were convinced.

Still, in the end, it didn't look to be enough. Cynthia had flipped one of the three people Sophie had turned to her side, but that meant that the opposition still held the majority. Wasting no time, they immediately brought the position of Prime Minister to a vote, fired Vernon, and put Sophie up as his replacement. The woman let out an evil grin at Cynthia as she walked to the Prime Minister's podium, but the Champion just smiled back. She wouldn't unnerve her. Cynthia had faced far too much to be emotionally rattled by a mere girl.

Vernon immediately left to finish packing. The office technically wasn't his, it was the Prime Minister's, and he no longer held the position. Cynthia stayed to listen to Sophie's speech, which laid out their legislative agenda. None of it could actually pass without Cynthia's signature, but it was still egregiously anti-trainer, and they could form committees to 'investigate' League activities. Another one of those checks on the League Cynthia had placed in good faith was now being abused for personal gain.

Cynthia finally left when she felt her Poketch ring again. She stepped into the empty office once more and answered. It was Gardenia calling.

"Cynth!" She immediately yelled, clearly panicking. Her tone was usually calm, so Cynthia knew something was wrong. "It's a catastrophe. There's— there's—"

"Take a deep breath and start over," Cynthia said.

"We just had everything leaked. All of our data, trainer information, emails, League communications, including gym leaders and the Elite four! It was like— it was like someone hacked the gym's entire digital system."

Cynthia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stay here. I'll be on my way," Cynthia said.

The media would have a field day with this. A leak this massive had never happened before, and she needed to get to the bottom of it now. Cynthia strode through the halls of the Directorate and exited the building. She ordered the two League trainers that had been accompanying her that she would need to fly back to Sunnyshore instead of being driven there. She released Garchomp, who let out a low affectionate growl.

"Fly me to Sunnyshore, please. Volkner's gym," She said.

She climbed on the Dragon's back and grabbed her shoulder spikes tightly. She jumped into the air and started gliding toward the city. Of course, she wasn't going as fast as she could have— which was the speed of sound. Cynthia would never be able to hold on at those speeds. Garchomp landed with a loud thud in front of Volkner's gym, surprising many trainers who were no doubt waiting to sign up to challenge the gym leader. Unfortunately for them, she would have to take him away for a few hours.

Garchomp bent down to enter the building, and Cynthia walked up to reception.

"Good afternoon," She said. "Get me Volkner and his gym Kadabra."

"C—C—Cynthia?!" The receptionist yelled as he practically fell out of his chair. "Right away, ma'am!"

"Thank you."

It took a few minutes, but Volkner lazily walked through the door and into the gym's lobby with his usual slouch and his hands in his pockets. He wore clothes too large for his frame and had that familiar bored look on his face.

"Cynthia, I was in the middle of a gym battle. I had to adjourn and ruin a kid's day. Plus, he was winning, so this better be good," He said. "And we're going to have to talk about that report on team Galactic later."

She nodded. "It's not good, but it's important. Have Kadabra teleport us to Gardenia's gym. You had the previous one replaced like I asked, right?"

"Yep, yep, yep," He groaned, releasing the Kadabra. "He has enough range for that, and he's been to every gym already, so he can bring us. Sorry kids, I'll be back later, or feel free to battle Jonathan instead of me."

Cynthia recalled Garchomp, blinked, and she was suddenly at the entrance of Gardenia's gym. She asked for the gym leader's location, possibly traumatizing the young girl working reception, and quickly made her way to her office.

"Gardenia, I have Volkner with me. He can help with technical issues, so explain what happened in detail," Cynthia said. Her Poketch was vibrating. The leak had gotten out.

"Well, I wasn't there since I was battling, but a few of my gym trainers came up to me and told me that a bunch of popups appeared on the computers they were working on, and no matter what they did, all the information was sent… somewhere. Even turning it off wouldn't work."

"Were we hacked?" Cynthia asked Volkner.

"No, that should be impossible," Volkner immediately said as he walked toward Gardenia's computer. "We have firewalls, encryption, access controls—"

"So what is it then?" Gardenia asked. "Do I have to interrogate my gym trainers?" She asked in a pained expression.

Volkner held up a finger. "Hold on, shut it," He said, clicking a few windows open. "The computer looks clean. The log files don't show anything unusual—" He stopped. "Wait, what is that?"

Cynthia squinted at the screen and saw that one of the files was… gibberish. They were all gibberish to her, but it looked particularly different than the others.

Volkner double-clicked the file, and an orange Pokemon surrounded by bright blue electricity sprung out of the computer. Cynthia immediately released her Glaceon, but it was already gone through the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Gardenia asked.

Cynthia clicked her tongue. "That was… that was a Rotom. They're incredibly rare."

"Shit…" Volkner murmured. "That's why you couldn't stop the hack. Rotom can infiltrate any electrical device and essentially do whatever they want."

Cynthia brought a hand to her chin. It all made sense now. The rare ghost type team Galactic had been trying to capture in the Old Chateau was a Rotom.

"It was team Galactic," Cynthia said. "Nothing stored digitally is safe anymore. Volkner, send out a message and tell the other gym leaders to delete everything that would be deemed confidential. From now on, we're switching to paper-based communication only until we find a solution."

"But you would have to do that manually—"

"Do it."

Volkner sighed. "Roger. What are you going to do?"

"I can't stay silent about this. I'll have to talk to the media. Luckily for us, they'll probably focus on trainers' personal information being leaked, which is the least important part of this whole ordeal. Volkner, have your people try to find a solution to this problem."

"I can think of a few things already," he said. "But we'll need to mass create Porygon for it, and that's ridiculously expensive."

"You have the League's permission. Talk about it with mayor Sanchez and reach an agreement for the budget. We can potentially reach a bipartisan agreement on it with the Directorate by convincing a few members to flip, but I doubt that would be any time soon. The new government will want to see us squirm for a while. I need to see how effective the new PM is at whipping her caucus first. The money you'll see will be local for now."

"Gotcha," he simply said.

Cynthia bent down and pet her Glaceon's frosty fur. The Pokemon rubbed herself against her black pants, freezing them slightly.

"When I'm done, I'll gather all of the Elite Four, some League trainers, and start planning an attack. The LSS is zeroing in on team Galactic's base in Eterna city, and the International Police will be of help as well. I'm done waiting. It's time to go on the offensive. I won't need Directorate approval for that."

Cynthia Collins was Sinnoh's Champion. She had done terrible things, good things, and everything in between, but one thing was for sure. For her, there would never be a break.

And that was fine. She had a region— no, potentially a world to save.

 

[Soussouni1]

INTERLUDE - FORUMS II

Welcome to the League Circuit Forums! The best website to get any League/Circuit related news!

General → Sponsors

Topic: Retani Industries is a scam

Original Poster: Grace_Pastel (Verified Trainer)

Date: 12th November 20XX

Recently, there have been a lot of new companies that have been trying to get into trainer marketing. One of them is called Retani Industries. They're a tech company based in Sunnyshore that wants to grow to rival the Poketch Company, but what's more important is that they're a complete scam. They invited me and my friend Denzel Williams to sign a contract and tried to make it seem like it would help us by promising money and TMs, but there were a lot of things hidden in the document. For example, they wanted to do ads for all of their products, which we would never have time for, they wanted to make our payments nonnegotiable, and we wouldn't be able to retire until we turned twenty-two, essentially forcing us to shill for their company for years. If it wasn't for my group's help, we would have been screwed.

They also said that they were contacting more trainers, so I wanted to get ahead of them. Do not under any circumstances sign anything from Retani Industries. I recommend never signing anything if you aren't familiar with business in general. These companies are predatory, and this behavior shouldn't be allowed. Thank you for reading.

►Hayleigh_Munoz (Verified Trainer)

I've been contacted by them too, after winning my second badge in Pastoria, but I was too nervous to meet and I ghosted them. Apparently that was a good idea, thanks for the warning!

►Jessie_Newman (Verified Trainer)

So they're contacting people all over the region? Arceus, these people are scumbags.

►Nathan_Phillips (Verified Trainer)

What the hell? Is this true? I signed just yesterday???? They didn't tell me anything about what you're saying.

►Chase_Karlson (Verified Trainer)

You're all dumbasses for even thinking of meeting one of these companies. This is just one part of why sponsorships and company meddling in the Circuit should be banned. Not only does it give an unfair advantage to some trainers while leaving others in the dirt, they're only doing it to enrich themselves. I'm banning that shit as soon as I become the Champion. The League is complicit in this. Why do you think they haven't done so already? This is bigger than Retani Industries. If the government starts opposing big business, then the money suddenly gets cut off and stops flowing. I bet they're paying off politicians too. The government doesn't work for us, it works for the rich.

►Se7en

Big words from someone who barely won against Gardenia.

►Ramin_Abdel (Verified Trainer)

That has nothing to do with the topic of the thread.

►Chase_Karlson (Verified Trainer)

se7en nice job, buddy! You've successfully hidden your identity behind a screen and shittalked someone who you will never surpass! I have something planned very soon to bring a member of my team to the next level. I'll beat Fantina easily.

►Mislav_Kelava (Verified Trainer)

No need to be this rude. Anyway, getting back to Chase's point, I agree in principle, but how else are we going to buy all of the supplies trainers need to thrive at the top? When you have eight badges, the few hundreds of Pokedollars you get from battles are pennies. You need money from sponsors.

►Hayleigh_Munoz (Verified Trainer)

I agree with this. Plus, you're acting like the League is a one-man dictatorship. There are procedures you would have to go through to do this.

►Chase_Karlson (Verified Trainer)

Okay bootlickers, have fun getting scammed and then crying about it. I'm proposing solutions while you're all complaining. I'm a man of action. I'll figure it out.

►Bobby_Odink (Verified Trainer)

@Grace_Pastel, I find it ironic that you of all people are trying to dissuade us from taking money from Retani when you're traveling with a bunch of billionaires. I personally signed, and I might have gotten screwed, but that's what normal trainers like us have to do, so I don't expect you to understand.

►Chase_Karlson (Verified Trainer)

She might be privileged, but her point still applies. I checked your profile and despite having been in the Circuit for three years, your personal record is a single badge. You don't need the kind of money we're talking about to win at that level. I'm living proof of that.

You know what I think? I think you're a pathetic jealous man who blames his personal failures on a lack of funds. Stop doomposting on the forums and hit the gym, loser. Train with your team for a change instead of making them repeat the same move over and over. That's the definition of insanity.

►Bobby_Odink (Verified Trainer)

I'll have you know that the vast majority of trainers don't even get a single gym badge, so I'm actually good at my job, thank you very much. And yes, I do need money even at my level. How am I expected to go through routes if I don't buy potions? And I've been wanting to save up for some TMs, which Retani will provide me with. Those will propel me to the next level.

►Chase_Karlson (Verified Trainer)

I ain't reading all that, chief. Happy for you though/sorry that happened.

►Bobby_Odink (Verified Trainer)

My message is shorter than yours, you fucking prick.

►Omori_Fumiko (Verified Trainer)

Can we stop with the toxicity and get back to the original topic? @Bobby_Odink, was your contract the same as Grace's?

——

Gyms → Eterna → Gardenia

Topic: Does Gardenia have it out for me?

Original Poster: Caiden_Parker (Verified Trainer)

Date: 8th November 20XX

So I know I'm going to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but hear me out before clicking off the thread. I was at an anti-League protest a few days ago in front of the Eterna city gym, and Gardenia walked through the lobby while I was there, and I swear we fucking locked eyes for a split second. When I battled her two days later, she wiped the floor with me, and I mean no holds barred. I don't even have a badge yet, and she's treating me like I'm one of these first-year prodigies you hear so much about. So here's my question, am I crazy or not?

►Caiden_Parker (Verified Trainer)

Why is no one answering the thread? Am I being shadowbanned by the League because I'm right on the fucking target?

►Palovolap

No, you fucking idiot, no one is answering because you didn't take your pills this morning.

►Caiden_Parker (Verified Trainer)

So the only person that answers doesn't even entertain my theory? Nice try undercover League agent! I'm going to protest twice as hard! In fact, I think I'm going to go inside and boo Gardenia in the stands.

►Palovolap

What losing once does to a mf.

►Emma_Gilly (Verified Trainer)

Stop entertaining his delusions and don't reply.

►Caiden_Parker (Verified Trainer)

You'll see me with a giant fuck you sign tomorrow, Gardenia!

——

Gyms → Eterna → Gardenia

Topic: Gardenia tips? (Second Badge) (Trainer Only Thread)

Original Poster: Leland_Joel (Verified Trainer)

Date: 10th November 20XX

Hello everybody. I know this is a common thread, but the others all seem less active than I'd like them to be, so I'll try to revive the topic. I tried fighting against Gardenia an hour ago and I only managed to take down her Lombre. She also used Ivysaur and Roselia against me. I have two fire types: Pansear and Magby, but I also have a Hoothoot. I'm kind of trying to become a fire type specialist in the long term, but that's beside the point. I tried to have Hoothoot deal with her Lombre and I was doing rather well, but she recalled it immediately and started dunking on me with Ivysaur, and my Hoothoot went down way faster than I thought. I was left with two fire types… in the rain… yeah. So, if you were me, what would you do to win?

►Poppy_Allen (Verified Trainer)

Wait, that was you? Yikes, dude, you're making yourself sound way better than you actually were, but I'll still try to help since I beat her two battles after you. It's kind of impossible to make a strategy against Gardenia, since she uses so many Pokemon that you really don't know what you'll get that day. The only other gym leader that even comes close to the size of her team is Candice, from what I've heard.

So what can you do then? Well first, you need to give that Hoothoot of yours way more training, and you can consider teaching Magby Sunny Day to change the weather again after taking down Lombre. The problem is that weather moves take incredibly long to learn, so if I were you, I would honestly cut my losses and come back later in the year.

►Leland_Joel (Verified Trainer)

I mean, I really don't understand why she's that hard. I did just fine against Roark, and I had the same team. Two fucking fire types and a flying type, and I didn't struggle. Plus, I thought we had really gotten better after getting through Eterna forest, but I guess not.

Yeah, you're probably right, I think I'll leave. Probably try to fight Maylene and Volkner instead.

►Zac_Swanson (Verified Trainer)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but as a veteran trainer who got six badges last year (check my profile), changing who you fight won't do anything. The jump in difficulty between the first and the second gym is by design, not a flaw. No matter who you fight, you'll have just as much trouble. Just stick where you are, toughen up your team, and you'll win. If you beat that Lombre or you get lucky and fight her after she's used both of them in previous battles, you're pretty much guaranteed a victory.

►Leland_Joel (Verified Trainer)

I mean, maybe you're right, but here's what I don't understand. Why is there such a massive difficulty jump in between the first and second gym in the first place? And are there any more that I need to watch out for?

►Zac_Swanson (Verified Trainer)

You might not have noticed it, but during your first badge, what face was Roark making? Unless you were any good, he was bored. That's because all of the gym leaders pretty much run on auto-pilot during a trainer's first gym battle. This is an open secret, but they're basically kind of trying to get as many people through as they can because if too many kids are crushed in their first attempt, they probably wouldn't come back. This keeps the League Circuit alive, with old blood returning every year to help the newer trainers. At the second gym, there's no need for any of that, so they turn on a little bit of their brain during the battle, which is why you got hammered so hard.

The only other difficulty jump that I'm aware of is the eighth badge, for obvious reasons. Gym leaders don't want to let random shmucks who got lucky or trainers whose skills don't hold up into the Conference. In between the second in the eighth, though, the difficulty curve is pretty steady.

►Leland_Joel (Verified Trainer)

Thank you so much for the advice, man. I'll keep at it. And honestly, I thought Roark was just permanently bored. Like for example, Gardenia does strategy, Candice is batshit insane, and Fantina has illusions, right? They all have a theme, and I thought he was the stoic bored guy that just used his rock type's physical strength to win.

►Lynn_Sanford (Verified Trainer)

I mean, if what you said is true, it's kind of morbid, no? A fuck ton of kids, including me apparently, are being given false hope that they're any good when they should just retire and not waste their time.

Plus, you say that gym leaders don't even try against badgeless kids, but the majority of trainers don't even get their first badge! My first gym battle was fucking hard! What's up with that?

►Zac_Swanson (Verified Trainer)

I mean, at the end of the day, if you truly love Pokemon battling, knowing about this won't bother you. It motivated me to better myself instead. I recommend just quitting anyway if the first deal of hardship you encounter makes you have this entitled mindset.

►Lynn_Sanford (Verified Trainer)

Okay, asshole. So much for the older generation helping the new trainers. You're blocked.

►Jean-Paul_Dargnan (Verified Trainer)

He was literally giving you advice, you drama queen. Anyway, I'm usually a lurker, but thanks for the help @Zac_Swanson. Older trainers usually don't post that much on the forums.

►Zac_Swanson (Verified Trainer)

My pleasure. And yeah, older trainers tend to have grown past the childish antics, and we're usually too busy trying to negotiate contracts, do odd jobs, and build connections. And we still train in between all of that! But I still swing by from time to time to give help and feel some nostalgia about just starting out. It's a wonderful experience to be growing in skill as fast as you are. Cherish it.

——

Trainers → Cecilia_Obel → Megathread

Topic: Everything about Cecilia Obel

Original Poster: League_Account_Official (Bot)

Date: September 1st 20XX



(Showing page 325/333)



►Goalducc42

So I've been rewatching Cecilia Obel's battle over and over in an attempt to describe her team in the most detail possible and maybe rank them? Anyway, I'm not a trainer, but I'm a huge trainer nerd, so I figured I'd give it a shot in between all of the discussions, so here goes:

Deino - Her strongest team member by far and it's not even close. That thing is a monster that can take way too many hits without ever going down. I mean, it beat Gardenia's fucking Breloom! With the type disadvantage! Like it was nothing! At first glance, it might seem like its Dragon Breath is its biggest asset, but it's actually how many hits it can just seemingly brush off. The Deino line, as rare as it is, isn't usually known for its defensive abilities, but for the insane amount of firepower it has. Just take one look at one of her brother's battles, and you'll see. Deino does have good attacking options, but I find its moveset rather lacking still. There's a lot more Cecilia Obel could be doing with it.

Still, the attack it does have work like a charm. I guess there's a reason 'keep it simple stupid' is a saying. The last thing I want to touch on with Deino is how docile it appears to have become now. A dragon is still a dragon, but compared to her fiance's, or even how it behaved against Roark, it's like night and day. She seems to have it under control, now we'll have to see if that's still the case when it evolves.

Fletchinder - Speed is the name of the game. I knew the Fletchling line was known for its speed in the air, but Arceus, that fucking Agility, Quick Attack, Flame Charge combo is vicious. None of the trainers at her level would be capable of bringing that Pokemon down, and even Gardenia had to sacrifice Tangela, not even to take it down, but just to paralyze it.

And Gardenia's Tangela is usually a beast at taking down flying types. Hell, that's usually its only job.

It's lacking slightly in power right now, but it makes up for that tenfold with the momentum it builds up with its insane speed. When it evolves again into a Talonflame, and it gets access to both? Anything that tries to fight it without a plan is fucked. This thing is a beast in the making, and probably more of a threat than Deino if I had to guess. Deino is more powerful, but at least you can hit it.

Slowpoke - I'd say this is her weakest member that we've seen, but that doesn't mean much. Its psychic abilities are still incredibly powerful, and being able to use both Zen Headbutt and Confusion at the same time takes an amount of focus that I wouldn't have thought Slowpoke could achieve. That specific combination is also vicious, because unless your Pokemon is strong enough to break out of that Confusion— which even Gardenia's Pokemon couldn't— your Pokemon is pretty much done on arrival. It'll be picked up and attacked over and over until it faints. And we haven't even seen the progress it made with its water moves yet. No matter what this evolves into, it'll mean trouble for any Pokemon not trained against psychic type attacks.

??? - Obel had a fourth Pokemon on her, which she didn't even use. That's right, she won three on fucking four. This is just speculation, but the Pokemon is probably a type that she doesn't have yet, since she seems to be valuing type diversity instead of specializing in one type. Now, I'll go further and theorize that it might be as strong as her other team members already, but it's possible that it was too weak to use in battle.

Reaching the Conference in your first year is nigh impossible, and only a handful manage to do it every year, but if I had to put money on anyone to do so right now, it would be Cecilia Obel. She's going places, I'm telling you. This might be premature and the fanboy in me talking, but I see another Cynthia in the making.

►Sammy_Houghton (Verified Trainer)

Fanboy detected.

►Goalducc42

Bro… I typed all of that out, and that's all I get? Like, really?

►Giftcard_Scratcher

Don't worry about it, that was honestly a great writeup. People are just salty that someone other than them is succeeding in life. I agree with all of your points, but I'd still place Deino as the bigger threat. If you get a lucky hit on Fletchinder, you can take it down. Deino just never fucking goes down.

►Jamie_Kelly (Verified Trainer)

I'm just tired of people that work less than I do getting so much attention and fame. Yeah, I know that it's just how the world is. Life isn't fair. But I'd like it if people stop acting like she did something crazy. She only has two badges. I have two badges. A lot of people have two badges. Chill the fuck out and take a cold shower.

►Goalducc42

I mean, you just sound salty to me, but we can agree to disagree.

►KnownChad

You know what's funny? All of the trainers on this thread are hating on Obel, and all of the civvies are her fan.

►Sammy_Houghton (Verified Trainer)

Maybe because you don't have to deal with the bullshit of knowing that she has an infinite amount of money to make her Pokemon as strong as possible.

►Victor123456

I mean, if you look at some of the other trainers in her group, they didn't have an easy time. Justin Gardner had to stall for time (which is fucking pathetic, I mean, have some decency), and Louis Bianchi almost lost because of his uncontrollable Gible. Hell, Emilia Lussier even lost and she has a Beldum.

►Amar_Chaou (Verified Trainer)

Let's stay on topic. If you want to talk about other trainers, go to their threads. Cecilia Obel certainly has advantages we don't have, but you have to admit that she must be a good trainer if she got that Deino under control.

►Sammy_Houghton (Verified Trainer)

Honestly, fair enough. I'm just feeling a bit salty because I lost to Gardenia, so I guess I let a bit of toxicity slip out.

►Giftcard_Scratcher

Props on you for admitting that. But still, I'm excited to see her battle against Fantina. I'd like to see how she deals with all of her tricks. I can already tell that it's going to be incredible.

►Malcolm_Stanfield (Verified Trainer)

@Goalducc42, keep doing these writeups. I enjoyed reading this one, and I hope that you'll do more of 'em. For her fourth Pokemon, I have a theory. It might be native to Eterna forest. That's the place where a trainer would be able to catch the most powerful Pokemon between Floaroma and Eterna city.

►Jamie_Kelly (Verified Trainer)

Orrrr she just got it sent to her. I'm just saying.

►Goalducc42

I'll try to do them for the trainers that catch my eye in the future.

——

Trainers → Louis_Bianchi → Megathread

Topic: Everything about Louis Bianchi

Original Poster: League_Account_Official (Bot)

Date: September 1st 20XX



(Showing page 233/243)



►Jejouedelamusique

You people are delusional. This man isn't making it past the third gym, no matter which leader he challenges. That Gible is even worse than it was during his battle against Roark and the Floaroma Tournament.

►Robert_Sladerk (Verified Trainer)

I mean, it's looking to actually be a genuine danger to him and his group's safety. If he wasn't rich, he would have been kicked out a loooong time ago.

►Michaela_Brunn (Verified Trainer)

Did you see his dad running away from interviewers yesterday? Lmaoooo serves him right. Piece of shit thought he could buy his way into the Conference. Shows that he doesn't know jack shit about Pokemon battling.

►Kasper_Andersen (Verified Trainer)

His other Pokemon weren't that impressive either. I mean, yeah, they're well-trained and powerful, but I expected more, you know? Kind of makes you realize the entire group is overhyped. Soon enough, they'll all fail. That's what they get for trying to abuse the system.

►Calagore

All I'm saying is that this is an overreaction. What I see instead of flaws is that he still won despite his Gible basically throwing the battle. A badly behaved Pokemon is something that is often fixed rather than not, so it's only a matter of time. You're letting your rabid hate affect your common sense.

►Jejouedelamusique

Dude, he's not going to pay you. You've been defending him since the start of the Circuit. Are you his alt or something? Or maybe he is paying you?

►Calagore

I just try to see the good in every situation, which is something you should try. I promise you it'll make you a better person.

►Michaela_Brunn (Verified Trainer)

Okay, Mister totally not an alt. Anyway, his Vulpix was clearly bought. I did some research and there's nowhere to catch one between Floaroma and Eterna city. That's 3/3 bought Pokemon. Do we think he's going to reach 6/6?

►Austin_O'Donnell (Verified Trainer)

It's looking like it. I hate all of the members of his group, but after receiving their starters, at least they had the decency to catch their Pokemon.

►Michaela_Brunn (Verified Trainer)

If I ever cross paths with this kid, I'm challenging him to a battle and putting him in the dirt. He needs his ego checked.

►Maeve_Chang (Verified Trainer)

I've battled him once already in Floaroma, and I'm itching for a rematch now that I saw he hasn't progressed whatsoever. Unfortunately, he always stayed holed up at that hotel that I won't name because that would be doxxing.

►Calagore

At least one of you is mature enough to see reason. Arceus, this thread is such a cesspool.

►Jejouedelamusique

No one's asking you to read it, loser. If you don't like it, feel free to leave.

——

Trainers → Denzel_Williams → Megathread

Topic: Everything about Denzel Williams

Original Poster: League_Account_Official (Bot)

Date: September 1st 20XX



(Showing page 134/145)



►Samuel_Panella (Verified Trainer)

I've been gushing about Eevee since day one. Go back to the start of this thread, and you'll see me. I can't believe it stood up to Grotle. That thing is like five times its height, and I don't know how many times its size. It's made out of pure muscle, hits like a truck and takes hits like they're nothing. Eevee might be small, but it holds an insane amount of potential. I'm excited to see what he evolves it into. If I had to guess, I'd be leaning toward one of the more physically-inclined evolutions, like Jolteon, Umbreon, etc.

►Katherine_Lane (Verified Trainer)

The battle was a draw, but Eevee taking down that huge Grotle honestly made it feel like a win. I mean, what was that, Six detects?! My Meditite can only use the move twice!

►Eric_Vargas (Verified Trainer)

Yes, yes, we know Eevee's a monster, that's all people are talking about, but can we talk about Buneary for a second? That fucking jump toward Hoppip was probably the most epic scene I've ever seen in any battle at our level. I still get goosebumps when I visualize it, and I wasn't even in the stands!

►Samuel_Panella (Verified Trainer)

You're right. All of his Pokemon in general seem to take way more hits than should be possible. Even his Budew took four Acrobatics before going down. That Hoppip was boosting its speed with Fairy Wind, by the way.

►Desiree_Rumero (Verified Trainer)

I mean, he's traveling with a group of billionaires… he could have given his Pokemon supplements. Just sayin'.

►Samuel_Panella (Verified Trainer)

Arceus damn it, this is why small threads are better than the big ones. Denzel's a very swell guy who answers every DM about questions I have regarding Pokemon training. I can tell his love for battling is genuine. Please leave. Take your toxicity with you and never come back.

►Presticookr

I swear, trainers are the saltiest motherfuckers on the planet. They see a wholesome thread with a civil discussion, and they have to come and taint it forever. Thanks for nothing!

►Christian_Cole (Verified Trainer)

@Samuel_Panella is what you said about training DMs true? I've been stuck in a rut recently, and I need help to get my second badge.

►Samuel_Panella (Verified Trainer)

Yes, feel free to shoot him a message. He'll probably be slower to answer than he used to be since his thread blew up after his battle with Gardenia. He helped with my Nidorino a bunch.

►Christian_Cole (Verified Trainer)

Thank you so much! Will message him right now!

——

Trainers → Grace_Pastel → Megathread

Topic: Everything about Grace Pastel

Original Poster: League_Account_Official (Bot)

Date: September 1st 20XX



(Showing page 260/281)



►Sonya_Hladik (Verified Trainer)

So let me get this straight. This girl who barely beat Roark two months ago is now defeating Gardenia's strongest Pokemon at the first badge? Like, Sunflora, really? And I'm supposed to believe that she isn't profiting from her new billionaire friends? She didn't even try to hide it.

►Persivan

You've been hating on this girl since her thread opened. Maybe if you stopped complaining and trained instead, you would get somewhere instead of still having no badges.

►Ishaan_Ward (Verified Trainer)

I mean, regardless of what the answer is, you have to admit that she's a great battler. We already went over this right after her battle finished. She had a clear plan of action, and it worked out. Pastel has talent, I'll give her that.

►Ayden_Garza (Verified Trainer)

How would you even plan against Gardenia? There was no way to know what she would go up against, and I doubt it was luck.

►Sonya_Hladik (Verified Trainer)

She's fucking cheating. I'm telling you these kinds of people use informants.

►Flutesong55

Or… she just watched battle videos like everyone else? You are literally insufferable.

►Elsie_Burton (Verified_Trainer)

Still, pretty much everyone that fights against Gardenia just wings it. Even with an informant or watching the videos, you'd have to be crazy to memorize everything. That would probably take a month of nonstop studying with no time for actual Pokemon training.

►Abigail_Walker (Verified_Trainer)

She probably studied a few and got lucky, but her battle was still incredibly done. All of her Pokemon are incredibly well trained, but that Togetic is something special. It stood up to fucking Sunflora. It took it down and lived to tell the tale. You certainly don't see that every day.

►Persivan

The quick thinking with the multiple Ancient Power layers to weaken Solar Beam was my favorite part of the battle, but it was great all around. She's not as flashy as some other trainers, but I think I'll be rooting for her this year. I feel like she'll get far.

►Christopher_White (Verified_Trainer)

If that's not flashy, I might be doing something wrong. Still, I've battled her in the arena close to route 205, and she just destroyed me with her Tangela. Kind of deflated my ego, but she gives great advice. I managed to win against Gardenia with the tips she gave me, so I'm definitely a fan.

►Sonya_Hladik (Verified Trainer)

Whatever. You'll see that she'll lose soon and get nowhere.

►JohtoanSquatter

You have literally been saying this since September 1st. Seek help, this is an unhealthy obsession.

——

Sonya_Hladik → Profile → Direct Messages

►Pauline_King (Verified Trainer)

You. If you ever talk shit about Grace or any of my friends again, I'll have my mother find out who you are, and I'll ruin your life. You are worth less than nothing. Get over yourself and give up on Pokemon battling.

►Sonya_Hladik (Verified Trainer)

You're unhinged. I'm reporting you.

►Pauline_King (Verified Trainer)

Yes. That means you should know that I'm telling you the truth. And it takes an unhinged woman to know another one, by the way. Sleep well tonight.

——

Trainers → Craig_Goodwill → Megathread

Topic: Everything about Craig_Goodwill

Original Poster: League_Account_Official (Bot)

Date: September 1st 20XX



(Showing page 563/590)



►Jordan_Mccullough (Verified Trainer)

That was my first time seeing a Mega Salamence, and holy shit, it didn't disappoint. The entire battle with Maylene was awesome, but it kind of felt like Craig was the gym leader and not Maylene. She was on the backfoot the entire time.

►Denzel_Williams (Verified Trainer)

I mean, she just became a gym leader. She's 14 and standing up to a 25 year old with 10 years of experience under his belt. So imagine her at Gardenia's age. I can tell why they skirted around the rules and made her a gym leader. But yeah, Craig's team is insane. I hadn't taken a good look until I tuned in for the battle, so I only knew about his Salamence, but really? Typhlosion, Gyarados, Snorlax, Hippowdon and Eelektross? His entire team is stacked.

►[Raruro]

I mean, once he pulled Mega Salamence out, it was pretty much over, but like Denzel said, Craig usually doesn't use Mega Evolution at all except in difficult battles, so that's the proof that he found her at least challenging.

►August_Jenkins (Verified_Trainer)

Why wouldn't he always use it? Sorry, I'm new to Pokemon training and Pokemon in general. I kind of signed up to the Circuit on a whim after my dad gave me a Buizel.

►Denzel_Williams (Verified Trainer)

It takes an incredible toll on both the trainer and the Pokemon, which is why it's rarely used. It can even make a trainer pass out during the battle if they're not used to it enough, but Craig's had access to it for what, seven years now? At least that's what his trainer wiki page says. So he can use it more than most.

►Dragontypesupremacist11

So that's his fifth badge already, right?

►Cocoland

Yeah, he's been flying around and speedrunning the Circuit. He's beaten Volkner, Fantina, Wake, and Byron as well so far. In one of his interviews, he said he wants to get them out of the way before he goes to train on Mount Coronet.

►Denzel_Williams (Verified Trainer)

Arceus… training on Mount Coronet. We really live in different worlds. Any idea of where he's headed next?

►Cocoland

Snowpoint in a week or two. He said battling Candice was always the most fun every year because she's so unpredictable.

►Jordan_Mccullough (Verified Trainer)

There are few who can rival this guy at this point. I definitely think he's winning this year now that Sarah Newman left.

►Denzel_Williams (Verified Trainer)

Wait, she left?! I thought she was still hanging about, only taking a break for a year to spend time with family.

►Jordan_Mccullough (Verified Trainer)

Nah, she said she was bored of Sinnoh. I kind of understand her, I mean, she's been battling the same gym leaders over and over. She booked a ticket to Kanto after she lost to Bertha last year. She's going to go through the League Circuit there, although they call it the Gym Challenge locally.

►Denzel_Williams (Verified Trainer)

Sounds fun. I'd like to go to other regions at some point too. Let's get back to Craig though, if you had to face his Typhlosion, what would you do?

►Pharell_Meyer (Verified Trainer)

I don't know, die? Tf you want me to do?

——

General → Team_Galactic

Topic: The Leak

Original Poster: Tyler_Reed (Verified Trainer)

Date: November 15th 20XX

So people are still gathering all the facts about this massive fumble from the League, but I figured I'd make a thread now that team Galactic finally isn't being censored by the mods anymore. Not like they can hide it any longer with the giant leak that took place today.

So this afternoon, team Galactic used a Rotom to infiltrate Gardenia's gym computers and send every single piece of information it had… somewhere. One can only assume they sent it to themselves, and we still don't know what they'll do with it. Still, team Galactic has access to all of the League's communication, so they probably have a pretty good idea of how it operates and what the League knows about them. They also have information on every single trainer that passed through a gym. At first, I thought it would only be the poor bastards that went through the Eterna city gym, but no, since the entire registration system is connected, we're all fucked. They know your full name, your team, the amount of money you have, the fucking number of hairs on your ass. They have everything.

So that begs the question. What the hell was the government thinking? The League said they were going to create an army of Porygon so this never happens again, but why weren't the computers with the very sensitive information on them already Rotom proof? I don't care how rare Rotom is, that just seemed like a security breach waiting to happen, and it did. At least Cynthia's been vocal, which is a nice change of pace. She's finally giving us information about team Galactic, and people seem to be taking it more seriously now that it's suddenly affecting them.

You hypocrites.

Let's just hope you're irrelevant enough so that team Galactic doesn't threaten you or your loved ones now that they can literally doxx every single trainer in Sinnoh.

►Frank_Hussain (Verified Trainer)

I'm fucking terrified. This is way bigger than I thought it'd be. What do they even want to do with our information? Couldn't they just have taken the League's stuff and be done with it?

The League failed us hard today.

►Jodie_Park (Verified Trainer)

Maybe if the Directorate wasn't cucking Cynthia every step of the way, she would be able to deal with these team Galactic assholes. Also really, @Frank_Hussain? You didn't think they were a big deal after they busted into the Valley Windworks powerplant, faced Cynthia, and managed to fucking escape? Maybe you deserve what's coming.

►Temerun_Wassem (Verified Trainer)

Maybe Cynthia should have told us how much of a threat these terrorists were instead of twiddling her thumbs the entire time.

►Elle_Brown (Verified Trainer)

POLL:

WHO DO YOU SUPPORT

CYNTHIA (15678 Votes)

DIRECTORATE (2101 Votes)

►Temerun_Wassem (Verified Trainer)

Lmao, the pro-Cynthia bots are here. Have fun supporting the person who caused this in the first place.

►Tyler_Reed (Verified Trainer)

Maybe the Directorate should get behind Cynthia instead of playing these stupid ass political games and help the League deal with team Galactic? How about that?

►Leslie_Nasser (Verified Trainer)

Okay, the point is, we're all angry and scared. Let's just wait to see the League's response. Cynthia told the media that she'd deal with them more aggressively now that her negotiations with the Directorate failed. There's no need to hold back anymore, she can just fly out and start raiding their bases when they find them or something. She doesn't need to pass any laws for that.

►Antoine_Carette (Verified Trainer)

I shit you not, they've already said they'd launch an investigation on the League to figure out if the leak was due to 'purposeful negligence'. It's like they're being dense on purpose.

►Leslie_Nasser (Verified Trainer)

Investigations won't do shit, they won't find anything. Sophie Richards just wants attention.

►Xian_Dong (Verified Trainer)

I was starting to doubt Cynthia before now, but now I'm fully on her side. They can extract any memories for all I care. I just want team Galactic gone.

►Tyler_Reed (Verified Trainer)

I mean, I don't know about you, but it feels like everyone is thinking team Galactic is going to be dealt with way too quickly. I think this is just the beginning. They've shown they can outsmart and take the League off guard twice now, and who knows how many instances we haven't even heard about. I think they'll be there for a long, long time.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 71

I braced myself, feeling the beating of my heart quicken as the end of my time with Amanda came to an end. It was our first 'online session' together, and I assumed that she always tried to nudge the conversation toward my nightmares to get to the subject at least a little bit before we had to go our separate ways, and it was almost scary how good she was at it. Although of course, she would never force me to talk about them if I didn't want to.

I did, though. And I also didn't. It was just… it was just hard to explain.

"Speaking of not sleeping enough," Amanda said, her face on Cecilia's giant television screen. "Have you stopped using Togetic to induce sleep?"

Cece had lent me her entire hotel room for this and kicked everyone out. Not that they minded, of course. They were happy that I was getting help, and they hadn't judged me whatsoever when I told them I was getting therapy. Even Pauline hadn't made a snarky comment.

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"Take your time," Amanda softly said. "You're in a safe place."

"I thought they were getting better, especially when I slept with my… friend Cecilia. But I've been getting them, and they've been worse since the leak three days ago," I said, my throat suddenly feeling dry. "I'm always in this… in this maze-like place that looks like the power plant, and I always get trapped by Dusknoir and stabbed by Mars at the end over and over. When I wake up, it's like I have the wind knocked out of me. For five seconds or so, I just— I can't breathe, or I guess I forget how to. Then I start getting… this dull, throbbing pain wherever I got stabbed somehow. Finally, I take a breath and scream my heart out. Then I feel the softness of my bed, the sweat, and tears against my skin, I stare at my ceiling, and I finally remember," I explained. "I remember that it's not real."

I was feeling scared by the end of my words. With the leak, Mars could have even more information about me if she wanted. It wouldn't take that much research to find out I was in Eterna city right now, or the Pokemon center room I stayed at, or where I used to live in Jubilife—

Calm down. I already warned dad about it, it's beyond your control now.

Amanda stayed silent for a second as my words sunk in. "I'm sorry. No child should have to go through that," She said with a gentle, sad look. "I can see how the leak made things worse, but I promise you that the League will do everything in its power to bring team Galactic to heel. You said that having your friends around helped you a lot, right?"

I nodded. "Hmhm."

"Good. You told me about Denzel before, but I never heard about the others. It's good to have a group of people you can lean against and rely on."

"I met them after our last session together, actually," I said. "They're great people. I wouldn't have made it without them."

"I'm sure that's correct. But— and I don't mean this in a bad way— from the stories you've told me, it seems that you're helping them a lot more often than they're helping you," Amanda said.

I frowned. "They never asked me for that help. They're not taking advantage of me, I just… I just want to help my friends. Isn't that natural?"

"It is! It's a wonderful thing, and it makes you a great person, Grace. But between your nonstop Pokemon training, the nightmares, and being all of your friend's support crutch… I fear that you're going to crash hard soon."

"No, I'll be fine," I dismissed. "If I start feeling tired, I'll tell them and take a break."

"Exhaustion can sneak up on you very quickly. One minute, you can feel completely fine, and the next, it's like the whole world is weighing you down."

"I'm good, Amanda," I said. "I think it's just the way I am."

"Very well," She said after a pause. "But just ask yourself this, Grace: when was the last time you took a day for yourself? With nothing work-related?"

"Well— I… uh, I guess it's been a while. But I don't consider being there for my friends something akin to work. They're here for me too."

"Of course. Forgive me if I went too far, Grace. I worry that you'll overwork yourself soon—"

Her alarm started to ring.

"—And that's the end of our session. Sorry that we had to reschedule on such short notice. My job forces me to make in-person sessions a priority, even though I keep telling them that's nonsense. Now you'll have to wait until you get to Hearthome for our next one. The next four days are already full for me, and you're leaving in three days, right?"

I nodded. "The next four days are full? That's strange. Plus, you said that you were already swamped." I asked. "What gives? You're usually not that busy."

"I'm afraid I'm required to keep everything about my other patients confidential. You wouldn't like it if I just told anyone else your problem, would you?" Amanda asked.

"You're right," I quickly replied. "Goodbye, I guess. Have a good day."

"You have a good day too, and don't forget to rest!"

The connection was cut off, and I just leaned deeper into my seat and stared at nothing in particular for a few minutes. It felt nice to talk to Amanda again, but she had been right. A video feed wasn't as good as actually being in her office. Still, trainers were always on the road, and I couldn't afford to stay idle too long. I got up and grabbed some water from Cece's fridge before making my way to the exit. I opened the door and peeked my head out, worrying that one of the old rich men that had moved to the top floor would see me walk around in just shorts, but the coast was clear. I ran on my tiptoes to Louis' room and knocked.

Justin let me in.

"Did you start already?" I asked.

"Well, no, we obviously waited, but I wanted to ask you if that meeting went well…?"

I smiled. "Yeah, it felt good to talk to someone. Where's everyone?"

Justin led me to the living room, where a chaotic display could be seen. Denzel and Pauline were playing some sort of card game, and I took solace when I saw that the girl was losing horribly. I could tell, not because I knew the rules, but because she was swearing over and over. Emilia and Louis were spectating on the edges, egging them on in between their other activities. Emilia was brushing Rockruff's fur and the blond boy was trying, but failing to mimic her with his Vulpix. Cece looked stricken with worry until she saw me enter, and she rushed to me, grabbing both of my hands.

"Are you alright?! Did she treat you well? I can get you a paid professional therapist if you need it—"

I smiled before interrupting her. "Amanda's great, you don't have to worry about her."

"I still wish you told us you were doing therapy," Pauline said. "I can't believe Denzel hid it from us."

"I mean, it just never came up, I guess," I said. "All of my previous sessions with her were in Floaroma after the…"

"You don't need to say anything," Denzel said. "Let's get your mind off things and start planning the next leg of the journey, shall we? It's a big one."

We all took our seats on the couch.

"Crap, I forgot my notebook," I groaned.

"No need for notes," Pauline waved her hand. "Just commit everything we talk about to memory."

"I mean, I could do that, but taking notes just makes it easier to remember."

"All I hear is moaning and complaining—"

"Shh, stop bickering!" Emilia said, somewhat startling her Rockruff. She petted the Pokemon, who laid his head back on her lap. "Denzel, start us off, please."

My best friend clapped his hands, clearly giddy with excitement. "Alright! So in three days, we'll leave for route 206. This will be the easiest part of the journey since we have the cycling road to help us. It'll only take around six hours of riding if we count the rest stops to get through."

I nodded. I remembered hearing all about the cycling road on the news when I was around six or seven. The project had originally started in an attempt to link Eterna city and Oreburgh together, so trainers would be able to avoid taking the long way, which included braving Eterna forest. It had stopped at around seventy percent of the way there, though.

"Why did the cycling road never finish getting built?" I asked curiously.

Emilia sprung up. "When the League announced the project, Floaroma, and Jubilife threw a fit about it, including their representatives in the Directorate. Floaroma's entire economy— along with selling their energy— relies on attracting trainers passing through and making them spend as much money as possible before they leave. Jubilife would have been less affected, but they still enjoyed the fact that trainers had to pass through them since they're kind of the hub between Floaroma, Eterna, Oreburgh, and Canalave. The cycling road would have removed their advantageous position. In the end, both cities, along with Canalave, tanked the budget for the project to finish, and we ended up getting what we have now… this half-finished cycling road leading to route 207."

I listened attentively, nodding at each piece of information. "Thank you."

"Great as always, Emi. How good of you to educate those in need."

"Bla, bla, bla," I said. "I bet you can't even ride a bike since you were obviously driven everywhere as a kid."

Pauline blushed, clearly caught off-guard. "That isn't true at all! I learned like everyone else!"

"Are we done?" Denzel groaned, raising his hands. Pauline and I nodded, still side-eyeing each other. "Thank you! Like I said, we get to route 207 in six hours, then we're on foot. From there, it'll take a week or so to get to the entrance to Mount Coronet, not because the route is long, but because the terrain is a bitch to walk through. Think route 211."

We blanched a little at the mention of Mount Coronet.

"Don't worry too much, a lot of the cave is patrolled by rangers, but there is a small stretch in the middle that'll be difficult to get through since it's too deep in. Basically like Eterna forest, but only for two days," Denzel said, looking at Emi. "Feel free to get yourself a plane ticket, by the way."

"I… I have to think about it," Emilia said. "Beldum would be a great help to everyone."

"Don't force yourself," Louis said. "We'll live."

"Anyway, in total, that's six days to get through Mount Coronet. This'll be the first actual hard cave to get through, and we'll need some caving gear. Helmet, headlamp, pads— there's apparently a lot of water in that section too, so we might need wetsuits."

"Ugh," Pauline groaned. "At least it'll be quick."

"The hard part will be quick. The edges of the cave itself will be hard to traverse, even if the wild Pokemon will be weaker. After that, we have route 208, which takes around five days to get through. The first… eighty percent of it is just Mount Coronet, but on the outside. Then we have to scale down the mountain— don't look at me like that, there's a path to follow! After that, we're basically there already," Denzel finished.

"So… eighteen days just to get to Hearthome," Justin quickly counted. "That's a long trip."

"Yup. Don't worry too much about the time it takes to get gym badges though. Pastoria, Veilstone, and Sunnyshore are all relatively close to each other. The main time sinks will involve getting there, then all the way back to Canalave and getting up to Snowpoint," Denzel explained.

"So I suppose we better start getting that caving gear then," I said, getting up. "We also need to restock on food and stuff. Who's going where?"

"Actually everyone, I have a question," Emilia said. "Um, tomorrow, there's a contest that I'd like to go see, and I was wondering if you guys would… go with me?"

"Of course!" Pauline smiled. "Why were you even scared of asking?"

Denzel raised a hand. "Actually, I'm not the biggest fan of—"

Pauline shot him a murderous glare. He coughed.

"—I'll go, obviously."

"Good. Emilia, your parents still haven't called, by the way?" Pauline asked.

"No… which is odd," she answered.

"Thinking about it, none of our parents have called after our… less than stellar performance," Louis said, looking at Justin. "I expected to get yelled at."

"Maybe they've finally seen reason," Justin smiled. "Let us not speak about sensitive topics. I've always been a fan of watching contests on television, so I'm glad I'll finally get to see one in person."

I excitedly agreed. In a way, I had never been too interested in contests, but maybe seeing one would give me ideas on different move combinations for the future. After a few more minutes, we all dispersed and went to different stores. Denzel and Louis went to buy our caving gear, while the rest of the group went to buy… everything else, filling up our backpacks to the brim. The next day, bright in the morning, we all made our way to the contest venue, a stadium only slightly smaller than Gardenia's gym, and it was surprisingly packed. Just seeing Emilia's excited face was enough to make some of it rub off on me. I was intrigued to learn more about the world of Pokemon coordinators, but more than anything, I was happy she could finally make her dream come true.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 72

The contest hall worked similarly to a gym, but I was surprised to find that a group of salesmen was selling coordinators' merchandise in the lobby, which was something I had never seen happen in gyms.

"Can they just do that?" I asked, pointing at them.

"Yes," Emilia said. "Pokemon coordinators are much more commercialized than trainers, and the Contest Committee is completely independent from the League, so the same rules don't apply."

"Commercialized how?" Justin asked.

"Coordinators don't have a bunch of regulations and rules to follow," Emilia explained further. "But that also means that they don't get League funding. All that free stuff we get from being in the Circuit? They don't get that, and the Contest Committee doesn't either, which means that money is a lot more important to them and contest culture in general. Here," she said, now that it was our turn to see the receptionist.

Emilia hadn't been kidding when she said the Contest Committee needed money, since we actually had to buy a ticket to spectate the contest instead of just showing up in the stands for free. It wasn't expensive or anything, but it was surprising nonetheless. We slowly squeezed our way into the stands, and we luckily were given seats that were all next to each other. The arena below wasn't at all like a gym arena. It was set up to be a large circle, and the ground was metallic instead of natural.

"Why is it so packed?" Louis complained. "I thought you said it wasn't one of the ones where you could win a ribbon."

"You mean that it's not a grand contest," Emilia specified. "You're correct, but there's a really famous coordinator participating today. Her name is Temperance. Temperance Porter. Isn't that an amazing name?"

"Ugh," Pauline groaned. "Not her again."

"Okay, I have to admit, that is a cool name," I said.

Emilia clapped excitedly. "I'm her biggest fan! She owns a Dragonair and has the most beautiful combination of moves that you'll ever see!"

I felt more excited at the mention of a Dragonair.

"And she's participating in this when you can't win a ribbon?"

"Temperance was just passing by and decided to do so," Emilia said. "Remember when I said that coordinators did a lot of things for money? She runs a website where you can donate to her, but she also uploads a lot of stuff, like vlogs and some of her training routines. That's also where I heard that she'd be there before the news picked it up," she continued proudly.

I kept waiting, occasionally asking Emilia more questions about Temperance. I had been scared that we were all annoying her by being so inquisitive, but she looked like she was having the time of her life. I supposed it was her first time talking about this to anyone besides Pauline. I tried imagining not being able to talk about battling to anyone… and yeah, that would suck big time.

"So, can we go over the rules so I'm not completely lost about this?" Denzel asked. "I know nothing about contests."

"It's a shame how ignorant most trainers are about this wonderful side of Pokemon sports," Emilia sighed. "But sure. There are two stages of a contest, the performance stage and the battle stage. In the performance stage, a coordinator sends out two Pokemon and showcases beautiful move combinations. Usually, it doesn't last long, and the first stage is what separates the top sixteen from the rest," she said. "Following me so far?"

We all nodded attentively, except Justin and Pauline, who already knew about this.

"Grand contests where you can win a ribbon are always a double performance battle. This one will only have a normal contest battle, but since we have time, I'll explain both. In contest battles, the goal is primarily showing off a Pokemon's style and skill instead of just using brute force to beat the other side into submission—" she continued.

Uh, that was a gross oversimplification, but I'd let it slide.

"—you win by showcasing the beauty or ingenuity of the way you use moves, and you only have five minutes instead of twenty. To decide who wins, we use a point system in both stages. See that little podium to the side?" Emilia asked. I nodded. "That's where the three judges will sit. They're the ones who add the points in the performance or deduce the points in the battle."

"So it's completely arbitrary?" Cecilia complained. "How crude."

"No! Obviously they're professional judges who know what they're doing! You're just being daft."

"What if a Pokemon faints, then?" Cece continued. "What if I just order my Pokemon to pummel the opponent."

"Then you're not playing by the unwritten rules…" Emilia groaned. "Why are you like this? Obviously, coordinators will prioritize showing off the capabilities of their Pokemon instead of just beating the other side into a pulp. But Pokemon do faint sometimes, and that just means the side with the remaining Pokemon is the winner— but!" She exclaimed. "If you start just being rude and just doing that over and over, you can say goodbye to any fanbase you'll have, sponsors, and a long-lasting career in general. You're not the first one to have had the idea."

"Okay, so… points," Denzel said. "And the one with the least points at the end of the battle loses, but in the performance stage, getting more points is good. Got it. What's a double performance battle? And why is the name so confusing? Why call it a performance when it has nothing to do with the performance stage—"

"It's not that hard to understand! It works the same as a contest battle, but it's a double battle instead. That means that the possibilities of move combinations improve… almost exponentially. It's important to note that you're locked in using the same Pokemon for an entire contest in both types of battles, however, so it's best to pick wisely," Emilia said.

"Alright, I think I have the gist of it," Denzel said. "the people who named all of this must have wanted to confuse people as much as possible…"

"Oh! The judges are here!" Emilia yelled excitedly.

The lights dimmed, and stage lights began to track the three men making their way to the podium. The audience clapped as they took their seats.

"Who decides who the judges are?" Justin asked. "I've actually never thought about that."

"They're always selected from the Contest Committee. Some judges get really famous too, but since this is a small contest, I don't really know who they are," Emilia said.

One more person— this time, a woman walked at the edge of the circular arena. Everyone was dressed up incredibly nicely, which was a change from what I was used to seeing from people in gyms.

"That's the commentator," Emilia said. "We're about to start."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another one of Eterna city's contests!" She paused, letting the crowd go wild for a few seconds. "As usual, my name is Lily Garnette, and I'll be your commentator this afternoon…"

She went on to hype up the contests for a few minutes, including dropping Temperance's name, which made the crowd practically explode. After introducing each judge, the first coordinator was introduced, and the contest finally started. The boy, who looked to be about our age, was introduced as Terry Lars and then released a Volbeat and an Illumise.

"And to start us off, we have a combination that's actually less common than we would think, Illumise and Volbeat! Let's see what Terry has for us today!"

"Volbeat, Shock Wave! Illumise, Dazzling Gleam!"

In a combination of moves I absolutely did not expect, Volbeat shook itself until electricity burst out of its body. The attack was surprisingly slow and too weak to deal any damage to anything, but then again, that wasn't the point. Illumise's entire body began to slow as beams of pink, glittering light shot out toward the electricity, this time much faster. The result was a beautiful light show that was accentuated by Shock Waves, and the two bug types danced around each other.

"Woah," I said before looking around. Emilia didn't seem too impressed with this display. Maybe her standards were insanely high from only watching top-level contests. Either way, the teenager continued with these two moves until his time was up, and the judges apparently agreed with Emilia. He got terrible scores.

"This feels so much more ruthless than gym battles for some reason," I heard Denzel whisper.

In a way, he was right. Losing any battle was painful, but to have the fact that you're inadequate told to your face by judges whose entire job revolves around contests? Arceus, that would stay with me for a long time.

Either way, the contest was just beginning.

——

The contest organizers had seemingly kept Temperance Porter for last, and the girl walked onto the stage with a confident stride. She was short and had her hair in a bob cut dyed completely white with a glittering hairpin. Her dress was also sparkling— as if it had diamonds in it, and it was also way too long to be practical. The back of it dragged on the ground behind her. She wore multiple rings on her fingers that also looked like diamonds.

"She sure knows how to make an entrance," I whispered.

"She does!" Emilia said in an upbeat tone, grinning..

In fact, the audience was so stunned by her appearance that they hadn't even begun to clap yet.

"And now, the last contestant of the performance stage, Temperance Porter—"

The girl— who was probably around eighteen or so— raised her hand at the commentator and shushed her.

"You're killing my concentration," she said in a smooth voice reminiscent of Gardenia. "My manager will probably kill me for saying this, but please shut it. Let my performance speak for itself."

I was utterly taken aback that this was even allowed, but apparently, Temperance had so much clout in the contest game that they let the entire thing slide. I understood her reasoning, however. Commentators were great when you were a spectator, but they were extremely distracting when you were actually battling and thinking. It must have been the same for her.

"She's so cool," Emilia said. Her eyes were practically shining.

"That was kind of rude," Denzel winced. "I feel the secondhand embarrassment from up there."

"She is rude. The only reason people tolerate her is because she's a good coordinator," Pauline said, rolling her eyes.

"That's ironic, coming from you," I jabbed.

"You haven't seen nothing yet from me! Even when we just met in Floaroma, I was holding back," she replied. "I can actually be rude if you want me to be!"

"Wait… what do you mean, you were holding back?" Denzel asked with a look of pure horror.

"Temperance isn't rude, she's just misunderstood!" Emilia slightly raised her tone. "Now hush, she's starting."

Temperance took a deep breath and released a Dragonair and a male Meowstic onto the stage. The dragon immediately sang and took flight while the psychic type bowed slightly. I expected a command to be given, but Temperance only gave us silence. Instead, she walked onto the stage.

Dragonair dove down and wrapped around her as she somehow spun in the opposite direction with incredibly high heels. A Twister began to form, obscuring them from view. At the same time, Meowstic jumped, its ears unfurled, and its eyes shone as it floated into the twister. A few seconds later, it was on top of the draconic tornado, riding it like it was solid. The Twister began moving around the stage, and small psychic orbs began shooting out of the attack like bullets. Instead of continuing on their path and ramming into the familiar barrier I had gotten so used to, they instead slowed down and rotated in the opposite direction, moving all in unison and at the exact same speed.

A tornado with lights dancing inside and outside of it. What a beautiful sight it was. The Twister slowly began to end, and Temperance was somehow unaffected by the attack entirely. Even her hair hadn't been disturbed by the strong wind. Dragonair put its head against its trainer's and closed its eyes, and Meowstic interrupted its levitation, dropping into his trainer's arms. They stayed in that pose like statues for what seemed like an eternity.

And then the audience clapped. Louder than I had ever heard during any gym battle. They chanted her name over and over. Temperance. A name etched into my brain that would never be forgotten. Temperance. A performance that took even Cecilia's breath away when she had been bored throughout the entire contest. Temperance. A brand, a presence, a name synonymous with Pokemon contests.

A phenomenon.

She bowed with her two Pokemon, and the judges all gave her tens. A full score— the first one of the day. And she honestly deserved it. Nothing had even come close to her. She recalled her Pokemon and walked off the stage.

"That was… that was amazing," The commentator said with a shaky voice. "Next up, the usual twenty-minute break, and then we begin the battle stage."

Needless to say, Temperance advanced to the top sixteen, and proceeded to wipe the floor with the competition with her Dragonair. The dragon type had such an affinity with electric, fire, and water type moves that could create any type of effect. For example, it used Flamethrower against a Cinccino in the finals, but in such a creative way that it took our breaths away. The attack had been thrown in the air, and then split apart as it fell to the ground exactly like Draco Meteor. She could use Rain Dance and Thunder to create hundreds of weaker lightning bolts at once, and instead of disappearing right away, they stuck there, linking the clouds and the ground, completely defying anything I knew about the move. Cinccino had to fight in a maze of thunder, but navigating in between them was nothing for Dragonair.

Temperance had won, and it hadn't even been close. When we exited the stands, I asked a question that had been burning my tongue for the last few hours.

"How good is Temperance?" I asked. "Because she seemed way too skilled to be here."

I had to ask the question again, since Emilia's head seemed to be still in the clouds, reminiscing about the contest.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "She's been at the Sinnoh Grand Festival before, but she's never been further than the top sixteen. So she's one of the best in the region, but not the best. I think she'll win, this year, though!"

"Grand Festival?" Denzel said. "That rings a bell. Is that like the Conference?"

"Yes, except you need five ribbons to get in instead of eight badges," Emi explained. "Contests run all throughout the year. Unlike gym battles, there's no summer break, but grand contests where ribbons can be obtained are held every few weeks at best, and almost none of them are in Eterna. Most of the time, they're in Hearthome, Jubilife, Sunnyshore, or Veilstone, but there are exceptions. The Grand Festival is held at the end of every year though, slightly before the Conference. The League and the Contest Committee worked something out so that they wouldn't eat into their viewer bases and tank each other's ratings."

"And there's no stigma about traveling by plane, I presume?" Cecilia asked.

"Nope. In fact, if you asked a coordinator if they traveled through the routes, most of them would look at you like you were insane. Anyway, wasn't that fun?"

"I have to admit, it was, but Temperance just stole the entire show," Denzel said. "But the marketing side of contests looks fun. Having a large presence online and stuff is kind of what I want to try doing as a trainer. But the biggest question I have is, why even join this contest if she was going to destroy everyone?"

"Money, obviously," Emi deadpanned. "Everything Temperance was wearing— even the rings— was from a sponsor, and you get a lot more money than from winning gym battles. As I explained, coordinators need money more than trainers, so joining a low-level contest as a top coordinator wouldn't be as frowned upon as it would be when doing it as a trainer," She winced before continuing. "That's part of why you see so many of the same faces at the Grand Festival every year. It's extremely hard to actually get a ribbon as a new coordinator because the pros will just all swarm to the first grand contest they see since the monetary gains are bigger— along with the ribbon, obviously."

"Well, we'll support you every step of the way," Pauline said.

"But you're starting late. Will you be able to make it to the Grand Festival?" Louis asked as he stretched. "What?" He asked after noticing Pauline's stare. "I was just asking!"

"Well, if I'm being honest, probably not," Emilia said sadly. "There's a grand contest in Hearthome that I should be able to get to at the pace we planned, but the goal shouldn't really be about that in the first year anyway. It should be about gaining experience and making connections with other coordinators. Connections are way more important in the coordinator world than in the trainer world. Favors and advantageous friendships go a long way."

I nodded. It was certainly true that if you really wanted, you could try to be an independent trainer without a group or sponsors. Even if it was crushingly difficult, it was possible, as Cynthia had shown when she became the Champion. For coordinators, however? That looked to be impossible, or at least nobody had done it yet.

It was evening when we started to leave, but I had something important I wanted to do, still.

"Cece," I said, pulling her aside. "Can we hang out together, just the two of us?"

"W—what? Of course we can, but what's the occasion?" She asked.

"Nothing," I lied. "I just want to spend some time with a friend."

We let the others know we were going our separate ways, and Cecilia and I decided to hop on a tram. I was going to tell her that I liked girls tonight no matter what.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 73

I silently sat next to Cecilia on the tram, and it slowly started sliding across the rails. I had decided to stick with her a while longer, but now that it was actually happening so fast, I couldn't help but feel my hands clam up. I had gotten used to being with her alone, but the fact that the… reveal loomed so close made it hard to find words to say.

"Where shall we go?" Cecilia asked.

"Uh, I guess I somehow hadn't thought that far," I laughed nervously. "Any suggestions?"

Cece smiled slightly. "Only you could be so enthusiastic about going somewhere without a plan," she said. "I like that about you."

"You do?"

"The spontaneousness of it all, I mean!" she quickly said, averting her gaze. "My life back in Unova was planned down to every last second. I didn't know it at the time, but looking back on it now… I hated it. It felt suffocating."

"Well…" I slowly said, looking around. "Why don't we go in there!" I exclaimed, pointing at a random building. "Come on, let's get off on the next stop!"

Cecilia squinted at the building. "That's… some kind of shop, I think. I can't see it well from there— ah!"

I grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the tram's exit, much to the annoyance of the passengers we pushed through. As soon as the tram stopped, we jumped out and went toward the store. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be a thrift shop selling everything from used furniture to books— but it was mostly selling used clothes.

"I've never been in such a shop before," Cece said, looking through a rack of clothes. "A shop selling used clothes, I mean."

"I haven't gone to many either, but you can find some pretty nifty stuff here that you wouldn't expect," I explained. "Not that I'm thinking of buying anything. My bag's completely full."

"So is mine," she smiled. "But we can still try things on."

I froze for a second. "Sure! I mean, that sounds fun."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow at me. "That was a very reluctant way of saying it. I don't want to force you to do anything if you don't find it enjoyable."

Everything is enjoyable with you, I thought.

"No, no, I just wasn't expecting you to want to try on hand-me-downs, I guess," I finally said.

"I can be quite flexible in the activities I choose to do."

I swallowed. "Well, let's look for something that fits you! I bet we can find a great dress. Or a skirt! It's almost winter, but they're still selling clothes for all seasons."

"Why don't we get something on you?" she asked. "Obviously, wearing jeans or pants when we travel is sound, but you never dressed up in the city. I deserve to see it at least once before we leave."

"You want to?" I said, scratching my neck. "I guess I can, I've never found anything I thought would fit me that well, so I usually didn't bother."

"Nonsense. You can pull off anything. Look at you. Stay here, I'll have something for you soon!"

I anxiously awaited as Cece roamed through the small thrift shop. She returned with a white sundress, a knee-length white skirt, and some… white shorts. Why was it all white?

"Before you ask, I think the color goes amazing on you," she said, answering my question. "Which one do you want to try on first?"

"I guess I'll just take the dive and try out the sundress," I said. "Gimmie."

Cece smirked as she handed it to me. "Don't take too long."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, looking away. "You'll get to see me in it, don't worry."

I hurried inside of the fitting room, taking a deep breath as I stared at myself in the mirror.

"She might be disappointed," I whispered. "But here goes nothing, I guess."

I took off my multiple layers of clothing and stepped into the sundress. I hadn't worn any type of dress in so long that it felt kind of lacking somehow, but it wasn't… bad. I spun around, stopping myself with my foot and a tiny smile. I was probably less thin and short than I remembered. My arms were also more toned than they used to be.

I was apparently growing up. Scary.

Still, that was way less fabric on me that I felt comfortable wearing in public. I slightly opened the curtains and saw that Cecilia was sitting down, waiting for me. Her face lit up when she saw that I was done.

"So? Show me," she said as she shot up.

"Um… I don't know."

"Come on! You already have it on!" Cece groaned. I shook my head, and she just barged into the fitting room, eyeing me up and down. "You look— you look amazing!"

"Really?" I said awkwardly. "I don't know, I feel like I can't pull it off that well."

"You look beautiful. I wish we could get it for you… curse Sinnoh and its blasted weather. It's too cold almost all year long," she said before pausing. "Let me see the back."

Now that the conversation had slowed, I couldn't help but notice how close she was. The changing room was small, and I felt her breath on the back of my neck, making me shiver slightly. She was silent. Too silent. In fact, Cecilia hadn't said anything in the last fifteen seconds, and she was just staring at me through the mirror.

"Cece? Is something wrong?" I asked.

She coughed. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Here, I'll get out. Try out the skirt next!"

——

Even though there was no space in our bags, Cece ended up getting me all three articles of clothing. I protested, of course, but she went and bought them behind my back while I had been changing back into my normal clothes. She said they looked too good on me to just leave them there. I couldn't really see it, but I supposed I'd have to trust her. She was way better at this clothing stuff than I was.

Unfortunately though, someone in the group would have to carry those for me. With some luck, it'd be Pauline. The look of annoyance on her face would bring me great joy.

"Where to now?" Cece asked. "Should we pick somewhere random again? That was a lot of fun."

I brought a hand up to my chin. "Hm… fuck it, let's do it again. Let's hop on a tram for like fifteen minutes and then go to the first building we see."

"What if it's just some apartment?" She asked.

"Then we break in, obviously," I sarcastically said.

"You know, a month ago, I probably would have taken that at face value."

"Aw, I thought you would," I said. "Come on, the tram's there!"

——

"So, Grace," Cecilia started. "Can you explain something to me?"

"Hm?"

"What are the odds that we would end up at your favorite fast food restaurant when we were supposed to pick randomly?"

I whistled innocently. "I dunno, I mean, they're pretty big, they have a bunch of stores everywhere. It's entirely within the realm of possibility."

"Or… you just wanted to come?"

"Or… I just wanted to make you taste the goodness that is fast food, just this once."

"So you admit that it wasn't random?"

"Argh, you got me," I said, raising my hands. "But this is the perfect moment to come."

And it was. The restaurant was almost completely empty since it was still very early in the evening, between lunch and dinner.

"What do you want?" I asked, pointing at the menu above the counter. "Taste a slice of heaven."

"None of these sound appealing to me. I mean, double barbecue quarter pounder? How many calories is that?"

"Just let yourself go, just this once," I said, clasping my hands together. "Come on. There are no rules here."

"Fine," she sighed. "I suppose I'll pick the… nuggets."

"That's kind of boring, but I guess that'll do. I'll go with a milkshake, fries, and a chicken sandwich. Here, I'll take extra large fries so we can share. You've had fries before, right?"

"Fries, yes, but they didn't look like this. They were bigger."

"Ah, those," I said. "I guess that counts, but I've always liked these ones better. They taste the best right out of the frier, but if they give you an old batch, you're fucked."

"Do we know which ones we're getting?" Cece asked in a suddenly worried tone.

"No, and that's kind of the beauty of it. It adds some suspense to your order."

"Why anyone would subject themselves to this is beyond me."

I ignored her complaints and placed our order. After waiting for around five minutes, we sat opposite of each other at one of the many empty tables. I tasted a fry.

"Hell yes! We got the good ones! Here," I said, handing her a fry.

She hesitantly took it like it was going to hurt her and bit into the potato.

"So?" I grinned. "How is it?"

"It's… I have to admit, it does taste great, but the fries our cooks made tasted better. The experience though… the experience makes it better than anything else I've ever had."

"The experience?" I asked.

"Uh— I mean like you said. Not knowing if they're going to be good or not."

"That makes it the best food you've ever had? I find that slightly exaggerated, but I'm happy you like it. You can have most of 'em if you want."

"No! I want us to share."

"Okay," I smiled. "To be honest, I'm glad you said that. I was already feeling sad about having to give up on some freshly made fries."

"Ugh, you!" Cece laughed. "Don't force yourself to do something you don't want."

"I'll do it as many times as I can for you," I blurted out. "I— I mean, you deserve it! I want to treat you well after everything you went through… sorry, that was weird."

"You're not weird. I like the way you are."

Holy shit, I'm going to die.

"I like the way you are… too?" I tried.

We stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"Come on," I said. "Food's getting cold."

——

"Alright, I've completely given up on the random building thing. There's an actual spot I want to bring you to," I told Cece as we got out of the restaurant.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Bowling alley on the way to route 211. I came across it every day when I went training, and I knew I wanted to go there someday. I just never had the time until now."

"Bowling sounds fun," Cece said. "Although I've never gone."

"That's a crime that needs to be rectified," I said. "I used to go all the time with my dad."

"Your father?"

"Yeah. We used to go somewhere almost every weekend. He'd call it a father-daughter date, which was… embarrassing, but they were almost always fun, except that one time he tried to get me into drawing at these art lessons with him. Those were a terrible few weeks—" I paused when I saw the pained look on her face. "Cece?"

"I— it's nothing. It's just… the contrast between your father and mine. It makes me incredibly jealous. Is that wrong of me?"

I winced. How could I have run my mouth like an idiot?

"No, you're completely fine," I said, grabbing her hand. "I should have watched what I said. It's my fault."

"You shouldn't have to watch your words around me," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm no damsel in distress, or at least I try not to be."

"Still, I was complaining about something completely mundane. I mean, the truth is I enjoyed those drawing lessons, looking back. My dad's a terrible artist, but he gave it everything he had. Here, I have a picture of one of the Pokemon he drew," I said, scrolling through my Poketch, hoping to cheer her up. Thank Arceus for the Poketch company transferring all of your data from your old phone to the next. "See? This was him trying to draw Togetic when she was just a few weeks old."

Cecilia stood completely still for a few seconds. "What… what even is that?"

"I know, right? It doesn't even look remotely close, I mean, that's not even the right shape."

"Those eyes are rather terrifying," she laughed.

"Look at the crown! He made it look like spikes that could stab you and kill you!"

Sorry for exposing you, dad.

——

"So how do the points work," Cece asked as she grabbed a bowling ball.

"I don't know, I don't play with points, I play for fun," I said, looking at the piece of paper one of the employees had handed me. "The Jubilife one we used to go to would track your points automatically. I don't know how to count them."

"Well, that's fine," she said. "Points or not, I think I'll win."

"Pfft, you've never gone bowling before!"

"I'm quite a fast learner," she bragged. "Watch this."

Cecilia ran up to the lane and threw her ball with as much force as she could. The ball proceeded to roll into the gutter, hitting zero pins.

"Nice one," I smirked.

"I— I said I was a fast learner, not that I would get a strike on my first attempt!" she stammered. "Why don't you do it, then?"

"It would be my pleasure," I said, I carefully aimed with one closed eye and threw the ball slightly angled toward the center, netting me a strike. "Oooooh, that's a strike, baby! I still got it!" I celebrated, pumping a fist.

"Hmph. This is just the start, don't get too full of yourself. I'll show you what I'm made of."

I proceeded to destroy her and all of her hopes of victory. It hadn't even been close, even without counting the points. I was getting strike after strike, while she couldn't even get spares. We played a few games and then left the alley.

"There's no way to know who won since we weren't keeping score," Cece said, crossing her arms. "I might have won, for all we know."

"Come on, don't be such a Pauline," I said, rolling my eyes.

Cece paused. "I am being a Pauline, aren't I?"

"Well, not one hundred percent, but I'd say you're halfway there," I smiled. "You'd need to say, like, 'I'm going to make your life a living hell!'"

"That was scarily accurate."

"Well, she did say it to me the first time I met her," I said. "Come on, it's getting late. Let's head back."

——

"So, Cece," I said, sitting next to her on the tram. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the rest of your family like? Besides your… dad," I asked.

She looked outside of the window before answering. "My relationship with my mother's fine, all things considered. I'm sure she loves me, and she tries her best, but one word from my father and she becomes his servant. She's like a ghost, living without a single independent thought, and I hate her for it. There are so many times where she could have pushed back and defended me but didn't…" she sighed. "It hurt."

"That's fucked up," I said quietly. "Was she always like that?"

Cece just nodded. "They were an arranged marriage as well. For the longest time, I feared my own marriage with Louis would turn me into her. That was my biggest fear. I didn't want to be a mindless drone, having given up on life," she said. "Mark— my big brother, he used to hate dad just as much as I did. He and Amy, they were my pillars of support. But then he left to become a Pokemon trainer— or at least that was what he said to our father. The truth was, it was the only way he found to escape the household."

"And then you were all alone?"

"There was still Amy, but she couldn't always be there. I trusted her with everything back then, which was obviously a mistake in hindsight, but I would be lying if I said she wasn't the only thing that kept me going. When Mark left, life at home got even worse. Father would keep berating me and mother, and we would just have to take it. Sometimes I even thought he would become violent, but he never crossed that barrier— or at least not with me," she sighed. "Getting back to Mark, these days, we only talk when I need help with Deino, but that hasn't happened since… right before the Floaroma tournament. He turned out to be a good trainer. A really good one. In his first year, he got to the Conference, and then he eventually became the Champion, as you know. In his meteoric rise, he pulled the Obel Energy Company up with him, and father started getting even more obsessed with fame and money than he was before."

She paused for a few seconds.

"Mark came back, and he was a changed man. We had talked on the phone, but he never came back to visit until he became the Champion. I couldn't recognize him at all, and his hate for dad had mellowed out into indifference. I mean, who could blame him? Our father holds almost no power over him— he's the strongest trainer in the region! It angered father to no end, but he saw an opportunity in me. He decided to make me sign up for the Circuit in Sinnoh and marry Louis. The arranged marriage part was probably as much an economic decision as one to hope to keep me subdued and under control, like my mother is. Otherwise, I might have turned into another Mark."

"But it didn't work," I said.

"It didn't," she grinned, grabbing my hand tightly. "I met you."

It was time, wasn't it? It was time to tell her that I liked girls.

I took a deep breath. "Cece, I have to tell you something, and you have to promise me not to freak out, alright?"

She frowned. "What is it?"

"Tell me you won't freak out."

"I won't."

"Alright. I…"

The words turned to ash in my mouth.

Say it.

"I…"

Fucking spit it out.

"I like girls," I said. I saw the confused look on her face and immediately decided to clarify. "Romantically, I mean. Now, don't freak out. Please. I had to tell you because of how close we were getting, I mean, I thought— I— I figured you'd want to know."

"I…" she said, letting go of my hand. "How?"

"How what?" I said, feeling tears build up.

"How would one know," she started. "If they liked girls. Romantically."

I turned away slightly to hide my discontent. "Well, I assume it's the same as liking a guy."

"I've never liked anyone before, I don't know what it's like," Cece said.

"Well, if you can't stop thinking about them," I started. "If your biggest wish is to see them happy. If you want to be with them as much as you can. If you notice the smallest things about them that you go crazy over," I said, looking at her again. "I'd say that's what it's like to like someone."

"I… I think I need to spend some time alone," Cece said. "I have some things to think about."

Damn it, I thought. I had fucked up. I wanted to go home and cry my heart out. Maybe some time with my team would do me some good. If I explained my problem, they'd understand and support me.

"That's our stop," Cece said.

"I think I should spend the night at the Center tonight," I said, barely holding myself together. "You can go."

"No. Someone will let you stay at their penthouse. I'm sorry, I just have a lot of mull over."

"I understand," I said, hanging my head. "I kind of sprung it out of nowhere. I'm sorry for ruining things."

"You didn't— ah, we missed our stop."

"Let's get off on the next one."

For the rest of the ride, I wanted to die. I wanted to shrivel up into a ball and wink out of existence. I wanted the last five minutes to be erased and to never bring up the subject again.

We walked up to the hotel in silence. It was snowing for the first time of the year.

When we got to the lobby, Cece froze.

"What is it?" I asked.

I looked up from my feet, which I had been staring at for the entire walk and saw a girl sitting down, surrounded by four tall men in suits and sunglasses. Her hair was shoulder-length and blond, albeit darker than mine, and she had a pink highlight at its edges. She got up and shot us a smile.

"Who is that?" I asked. "Cece?"

"That's…" she said, her face turning into a look of pure disbelief. "That's Amy."

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 74 - Crashing Down

"Your old best friend Amy?" I asked, my eyes darting in between the two. She was making her way toward us now.

"Correct," Cece said. "She must have flown here."

"What do we do?" I asked. "Do we run and call the others?"

"No. I will confront her here. This is my fight."

I nodded, agreeing to let her speak alone. Amy stopped at an arm's length away from us, still surrounded by what I assumed were bodyguards, who each had a Pokeball on their belt. She stared me down first and then let out an audible scoff.

"So she's the one who's got you wrapped around her finger, hm?" Amy said.

Her voice was high-pitched, and she had a distinct Kalosian accent. I wanted to retort, but restrained myself.

"What do you want from us?" Cece asked, ignoring her statement.

"I want nothing from her," she sneered at me. "Your father sent me. I'm your last warning, Cece."

"Do not call me that. You've lost that right."

For a second, Amy looked genuinely hurt. "You've changed, Cecilia. The people you've been associating yourself with changed you. Your entire family sees that."

"You're the one who changed," Cece said. "Ever since I've left Unova, it's like a flip's been switched."

"Have I?" She said. "I have always been about familial duty. Always. My family owes everything to yours. I will do my duty toward them, as should you."

"You supported me with my dad—"

"Supported, yes, but in no way did I ever express my approval for outright rebellion," she hissed. "As I said, I am your last warning. Kick her and Denzel Williams out of your group. Everything has gone off the rails ever since they were added."

"Never," Cece spat. "The others will say the same."

"The others' input is not being considered," Amy said. "You didn't think they would just let you fail with no consequences, did you? Everyone aside from Pauline has brought shame to their family, some more than others. Although that rat and her mother turned out to be traitors anyway, so we had to maneuver around them. I will speak with the group tomorrow morning to discuss your next steps."

"You will do no such thing. You can't force us to listen to you," Cece answered. "You are blinded by my father. You can still be saved."

"It is you who needs to be saved," Amy exclaimed. "Think about it. Grace Pastel and Denzel Williams show up, and suddenly you don't want to marry Louis anymore? What if they were sent by one of Clarence or Harvey's rivals who desperately want to stop the marriage and ruin all of your reputations like Pauline was?"

I frowned. I had no doubt Cece would rebuke these accusations, and she was doing well with the confrontation in general, but Amy was turning out to be more… driven than I thought. I had thought her to be an evil person trying to manipulate Cece, but she seemed to genuinely believe what she was saying.

"The poison you spew does not sway me. There is nothing you can say to convince me to abandon my friends. Now step aside."

Amy sighed. "You've truly been brainwashed… I didn't want to have to resort to this, but I have to save you."

I yelled and got ready to release my team as one of the guards grabbed Cece, but they didn't take her like I thought they would. Instead, they just held her in place, and Amy whispered something into Cecilia's ear.

"No… no, he wouldn't have—" Cece said.

"I am your last warning, and you've now been warned. Stop playing these silly games. I will see you tomorrow. I expect your new friends to be gone by then."

"And are you…?"

"Nothing's been done to me. I know you can't know for sure, and it would be easier not to believe me, but it's the truth."

Amy and her guards left the lobby after that. I called out to Cece, but it was as if she had been put in a daze.

"What did she say?" I asked again as we stepped in the elevator. "Don't try to keep it to yourself. I'm here to help, and so are the others."

"I can't… I can't tell you. I cannot."

"You can," I insisted. "I'm sure she threatened you or us with something, but what is it? I told you I would help you back at the outpost, and you agreed. Now's the time to let me help."

"I need to be alone," she said. She opened her door and I tried to hold it open, but she was too fast and strong. I heard her lock it from the inside.

I slammed my fist on the door. "Cece! Let me in, Arceus damn it! Let me in, or I'll have Elekid break the fucking door down!"

"Then I will release my team, and we will fight here," I heard her say. She was right against the door. "At the top of the hotel. The damage will be consequential. You and the others might be hurt, along with innocent residents. I wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"Don't say shit like that!" I hissed. "Just… please. Let me help you."

There was no answer. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Her eyes were the same as they had been when we had both been held hostage by team Galactic. They were empty. Like she was giving up on everything.

"Cece!" I tried again. There was still no answer. I slammed the door with my foot and ran to Louis' apartment, where I assumed the group was staying. I knocked as loud and as fast as I could, and he opened the door. "Louis," I started before he could even complain. "This is a fucking emergency. Amy just showed up in the lobby and said something to Cece— something that I didn't hear that made her completely give up on everything. She isn't well, and I'm scared that she's going to make a mistake. I need to speak to everyone."

It took a few seconds for my words to register, and his face immediately tensed.

"Pauline's at Emilia's apartment, and Denzel is at Justin's."

"Gather them and tell them what I told you. I'm going to stay in front of Cece's door just in case she tries to leave. Bring them there."

He nodded, and we both ran off, me toward Cecilia's door, and him toward Justin's. I tried to knock on the door and call out again, but still, there was nothing. Thankfully, I could tell she was still in there due to a lot of clattering.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Talk to me!"

Another thirty seconds passed, and she finally opened the door.

"Thank the Legendaries," I sighed. "The rest of the group is coming, just talk to us and—"

Her eyes. They were worse than before, and it looked like she'd been crying.

"Where are you going?" I nervously said, my hand hovering over Togetic's Pokeball. If push came to shove, I would need to have her use her powers. It wouldn't be consensual, but I didn't think I had a choice.

She hugged me tightly and apologized in my ear.

"There's a letter on the table," she said. "For all of you."

I was confused for a second before I saw Slowpoke lazily walk behind her as his eyes turned pink. I suddenly felt a mild headache as my eyelids grew heavy. I tried to getting of Cecilia's arms, closing my eyes as tightly shut as I could, but none of that worked.

"Fucking… psychics…" I muttered as I fell to the ground.

Psychic-induced sleep wasn't like sleep at all. The closest resemblance I could find was general anesthesia, which my dad had undergone once for a surgery when he was younger. He had told me that it was like closing your eyes for a single second, and then immediately waking up hours later in the recovery room. That is what I felt as I woke up, and the feelings of having been tricked by Cece were still fresh in my mind. I was in a bed, under the covers, and I instantly shot up. It was Cece's penthouse. I hurried and walked through the hotel room, still feeling drowsy from the Hypnosis and knocking things over. She hadn't used the move against Gardenia, otherwise I would have known to be wary, but I fucking failed, and now she was gone.

The rest of the group was all sitting on the couch, asleep. I clenched my fists. They had failed to stop her too, somehow. Had they all been caught by surprise? The apartment was in a state of chaos, with items knocked all over the floor. It seemed Cece had hurriedly rummaged through everything before leaving, but it couldn't have been to pack. Her backpack was still in her bedroom.

I shook Denzel, trying to wake him up, but there was no way to wake someone from Hypnosis, or at least not any human way. I felt tears streaming down my face as the reality of the situation finally sunk in. Cece was gone. She was gone, and I had no idea where. It wasn't like I could just run off and look for her in the city. Eterna city was too big.

I grabbed my Poketch with a trembling breath and saw that only an hour had passed. I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe that meant that the others would wake up soon, and then we'd be able to split up and look for her.

And then—

And then…

"Fuck…" I sobbed. "Cece…"

Through teary eyes, I remembered what she had told me. The letter on the living room table. It was there. I grabbed it with a shaky hand and saw that it had been roughly placed in an envelope with tear stains on it. It read 'To my friends.' I stared at my sleeping companions and decided to wait for them to read it out. It was addressed to all of us. I wanted all of us to be awake when I read it for the first time.

Three minutes later, Emilia woke up first. Then Justin, Louis, and finally, Pauline and Denzel. It had been like a chain reaction, with them waking up one after another. That probably meant that Cece had hypnotized them all at once.

"Cece, you bitch—" Pauline started yelling. "Where am I?"

"Cece's penthouse," I sighed, wiping away my tears. "Try to remember. She put all of you to sleep with her Slowpoke. She's gone."

"Because of Amy?" Denzel asked, struggling to get up.

"At least Louis got to tell you before she struck," I said. "Yes. I don't know what she said to her, but it completely fucked her up."

"And she didn't say where she was going?" Justin worriedly said. "Not even to you?"

I shook my head. "I want to look for her, it's been more than an hour. We won't ever find her. Togetic's too slow in the air and she can't see well at night, so getting her to find Cece in Eterna would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Frillish can see, but he's too slow as well. It's… not looking good," I said, breaking down. "She— she left us a letter. She wanted us to read it."

"I refuse to give up," Louis exclaimed. "We can split up. We can try to find her, she couldn't have gone far."

"I agree," Emilia said. "But I think we should respect her wishes and read the letter first."

Denzel walked up to me and stroked my shoulder as I opened the letter. The handwriting was still beautiful, even though she must have been so rushed to finish writing it.

My dear friends

It has been a wonderful journey. I loved going through it with all of you, through the good, the bad, and everything else. I have never loved a group of people as much as I have loved all of you. You must all be confused, but I cannot tell you what Amy told me without putting you all at risk. Unfortunately for me, Grace is right now hitting my door again, so I must hurry and write what I have to say. A personalized farewell for each of you. Some of it may hurt, but it is the whole truth. Now, let me start where it all began.

Louis Bianchi - First, I must apologize to you, Louis. I am sorry. I never loved you in a romantic manner, even though I pretended to for a large part of our journey. As you know, this marriage was forced onto us by our fathers, and I purposefully seduced you so I could potentially have an easier time in the future. This was before I learned to know you— to truly know you. I now know that there are no ulterior motives behind your enthusiasm in our engagement. I know now that you are nothing like our fathers. They are ugly, evil creatures that do not deserve to call themselves human, while you are a good man with a good heart, despite what others may think. People tend to judge you before they truly get to know you, and I was guilty of the same. At the start of our journey together, I hated you, Louis. I hated you with everything I had. I saw you only as a vessel through which my father could inflict suffering upon me. But still, with my mind clear as it is tonight, I think I am finally ready to call you a friend. I am sorry I had to tell you this way and that I let the matter sit for so long, and for manipulating you. Find someone who truly loves you and deserves you. P.S.: try to not stare at women that interest you as much as you do, we can tell.

Justin Gardner - Justin, when we first started traveling together, I thought you to be the most sinister man imaginable. You rarely spoke to anyone other than Emilia, and you were a reclusive man. I thought that you were silently observing my every move to report back to my father. But then you slowly opened up to us, and I realized that you were just another person, as I was and that you had just been shy and passionate about business. I learned that you too, were being forced to go through the Circuit, but unlike me, you found little joy in Pokemon battling. I would like to tell you not to force yourself through this if you don't want to, but I'm afraid our parents have something else in store for us. To me, Justin, you are the pivotal member of the group. An element of stability and normalcy we desperately needed to keep pushing forward. I hope your dreams of taking over your father's company materialize. I am sure you will be doing great things in the future. Much love.

Emilia Lussier - Emilia, you were the one I always found it the easiest to get along with, even at the start, but that may have been because I already had a preconceived image of you built in my head. I thought you to be weak, and therefore not a threat to me. But I was wrong, Emi. You are the strongest of us all. You hate traveling in the wild, you hate Pokemon battling with a passion, and yet you keep pushing yourself for us. You made it through Eterna forest, and we wouldn't have without your crucial help. The strongest person is someone who can stare their fear in the face, put their head down, and keep striving forward. Unfortunately, I am not as strong as you are, even though I wish I was. The contest you brought us to see was wonderful, and I wish you well in your endeavors to become a Pokemon coordinator. Make sure to ask for the other's help when you need it. The world of coordinators seems like a ruthless one, even worse than the world of trainers. Still, if your parents let you try, I know you will succeed. You are not holding us back, and you never were. You are a part of the group. You are a friend we love.

Pauline King - Pauline, your hair fits your temperament, which I know you've heard a thousand times before, and I know you hate hearing it, but it is true. You are like a storm, never letting up and hurting everyone around you, friend or foe. That is what I believed when I met you. You were quick to anger and knew the most vicious ways to hurt someone with just words. That is why I largely avoided you until we got closer to Floaroma. I believed that if I ever angered you too much, you would see right through me, grab a metaphorical knife, stab me with it, and twist. I thought you would be able to also see right through my reluctance to marry Louis, and then my whole cover would be blown. Evidently, you did, since you let that slip at our kerfuffle in Eterna forest, but I don't blame you for it. Instead, I will thank you for hiding my secret this entire time, through no benefit of your own. I know you are extremely protective of us, and I love you for it, but still, I must ask you to relax once in a while. Sit down, breathe in the air, and look at how beautiful the world is. You don't need to be ready to fight at all times, although now would be a great time for you to be. When you see Amy in the morning, I want you to give her hell. Don't let her speak. Talk over her, insult her, rip her apart. Make it as difficult as possible for her to get a single word out. Thank you.

Denzel Williams - Denzel, you are this group's light. In the darkness, we can always count on you to be a steady man to look up to. You always look at the bright side of things, and you've been an instrumental friend, especially when it came to breaking me free from my cage. I wish we could have spent more time together, but if I could have one thing, I would ask you to let yourself cry at least once. It is good for the soul, and Grace has told me about your issues. I am sure a good cry will help. You will not be less of a man for it. I also have some advice for you and your dream of building a personality online. You should work with Emilia and start from the ground up, doing what coordinators do, but on the trainer side of things. I am sure you will find great success there, and that will be something for you to bond over. I did not know you as long as the others, but you have been a great friend all the same.

Gra Grac Grace P Grace Pastel - Grace, when I first saw you in Oreburgh, and you defended me from Chase Karlson, I thought you to be one of my fans. Since my novelty hadn't worn off yet, there were a lot of them at the time. I thanked you, paid you no mind, and left. Then I met you again in Floaroma, and I practically assaulted you and accused you of being a spy. Little did I know at the time, us signing up for the same tournament was just a coincidence. And what an amazing coincidence it turned out to be. Your desire to improve at Pokemon battles immediately gripped me. It wasn't often that I met someone as passionate as I was, and yet sometimes, I think that you are even more so. I see it in your eyes. No matter how nervous you are, your eyes are always full of fire and a desire to beat your opponent. You are the most beautiful when you battle. You brought the group back from the brink of destruction in Eterna forest, and for that, I must thank you with all my heart. Without you, we might have all perished in the forest. I wouldn't want that to happen to any of you. Still, it wasn't until you defeated Chase Karlson at the outpost that I knew you were different, even though I didn't realize it at the time. From that point on, I wanted to get closer to you. To learn more about you, and to just be together. When your life comes crashing down in mere seconds, it is a lot easier to think clearly. I think I like g found out something about myself tonight that I never thought was possible, and again, it was thanks to you. I think I'm in lov I know you will possibly be the most crushed by this, but you must pick yourself up. You have too much potential to give up on battling. I know that if you keep working like you have been, you will become the Champion. You are special, Grace. I want you to know that.

Well, I suppose it's time then. I know this must be sudden for all of you, but I'll be leaving for Mount Coronet. If I cannot escape from my father, I will go down to the most dangerous place available to me. I do not want to die a pitiful death, and I'm sure I will be fighting some wonderful battles before then, but eventually, I will fall, since I wasn't strong enough to free myself. I am devastated that I will not be able to fulfill my promise with the first person that gave me hope, but alas. With me gone, my father's hopes to enrich himself and create a lasting legacy will be destroyed. Oh, what I would pay to see his face when he learns of my demise. I have another letter in the envelope here for the press that you shall give them after I am confirmed to be missing or dead by the police or rangers. I want my father's reputation and company to be ruined. As my last act, I will abandon the name of Obel. I am now Cecilia, and for my last hours at least, I will be free.​

-Cecilia ​

I could barely keep reading when I finished the letter. My throat felt clogged and I struggled to breathe. Tears and snot fell over my face, and they did the same one everyone else's. We were all crying.

"We can't let this happen," I sobbed. "We have to go. We have to save her."

"Mount Coronet," Denzel sniffled. "It's supposed to be closed, but I don't think there are any rangers standing guard. I— I don't think they thought anyone would go there."

"It's only been an hour," Pauline said, her face in her hands and tapping her feet. "We can make it."

"Grab everything," Louis said, his voice resolute and his eyes red. "Get dressed. We have to go and save her. She must live."

We all nodded.

"And then I will have a word or two to say to my father," He said, clenching his jaw so tightly that veins were visible on his forehead. "I will never marry her. The deal is off."

---

A/N: IMPORTANT: The strikethroughs are not legible to Grace.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 75

The others had left to get ready. I did the same, but there was still something to be done. With a flash of red, I released my entire team.

"Listen up," I said, wasting no time. "Cecilia's gone. She left to a very dangerous place."

Togetic let out a sad chirp, staring at me with worried eyes, and Elekid tapped my leg to comfort me. Tangela didn't seem to understand that much, but he still wrapped a vine around my ankle. Frillish just stared, and he seemingly knew what I was going to say next. He disapproved.

"She escaped toward Mount Coronet, that huge mountain in the distance we always see, and she intends to die there. We will not let her. The entire group's going to save her."

"Fri!" He protested.

"I won't argue with you!" I exclaimed, causing Frillish to flinch. "I'm… sorry," I said, grabbing his tentacle. "I know you're worried about me. About all of us. We're family. But… I love her. I can't let her die."

Togetic held on to Frillish's hand to reassure him, but he still looked more worried than I'd ever seen him.

"I'm sorry for being selfish and putting you all in danger," I apologized. "This is selfish of me to ask, but I need you all on my side."

Elekid gave me a fierce nod, letting me know he was ready for anything.

"Thank you, hon."

Tangela blinked twice and wiped away my tears with his vines.

"Angel… thank you."

Togetic let go of Frillish, flew to me and put her forehead against mine, letting out a soothing cry. I rubbed her cheek.

"Princess…" I sobbed.

Frillish floated to my side and placed a tentacle on my shoulder, apologizing with a whisper.

"You're fine, buddy," I sniffled. "Someone's got to be the one to think clearly in the team, and it's always been you."

I looked at my team one last time. My partners. My family.

"I love you all," I said before recalling them.

—

It barely took five minutes for all of us to get ready. I adjusted the strap of my backpack on my heavy winter coat as we rode down the elevator in silence. We were all determined to save Cece. We had our caving supplies, and enough food for weeks, and all of our Pokemon had been hurriedly informed. There was nothing left to be said. We were going to get to the cave, find her, and bring her back by any means necessary. The ground outside was covered in snow now, a sign that winter was almost there. It would be even colder in Mount Coronet.

Louis held up his hand, and a limousine drove up to the hotel's entrance.

"I called my driver. Get in," he simply said.

We all climbed into the spacious car, and I felt relief that we wouldn't have to waste time walking to route 211.

"Where to, Mr. Bianchi?" The old man asked.

"Route 211. Drive as fast as you can," he answered. "I'll pay off any speeding ticket."

"Very well," The driver said, flooring the gas pedal and propelling me back into my seat. He started driving like a madman, skirting around cars, but his skill at the wheel was good enough to avoid getting into any accidents.

"We should call the rangers while we still have reception," Justin said. "Tell them that Cece walked into Mount Coronet and to send a search party. I'm sure they will if we tell them our last names."

"Then they'll stop us from getting in," Emi said. "They'll say it's too dangerous."

"Can we time our call to get there before them?" Denzel asked.

"No, the closest outpost to Mount Coronet is twenty minutes into route 211, and they'll probably just send their fliers to try to rescue her as fast as possible before she gets too deep into the cave."

"Maybe that would be the wisest choice," Justin said more quietly. "They'd get there the fastest. Every minute counts—"

"No. Absolutely not. We need to be there for Cece," I immediately cut in. "She isn't in the right state of mind. She might attack them, and she'll only come back if it's us. No rangers."

Justin reluctantly nodded.

"Wait," Louis said, lifting a finger. "Edward can warn them."

"Your driver? Oh, oh, yes, he can!" Emilia exclaimed. "Just have him wait… how long does it take to get to Mount Coronet from route 211? Grace, you're familiar with the route."

"A day," I said. "But Cece's alone and not carrying anything, and she's alone so she'll probably make it in way less time."

"Edward, you heard us," Louis said. "Call the rangers and tell them that we're all stranded in Mount Coronet… thirty hours from now. And not a word to anyone else about this."

"Of course, Mr. Bianchi."

It felt so frustrating to think that Cece was just what, an hour and a half in front of us, and there was nothing we could do about it. If we sent our fliers ahead of us, she would just attack them, and without human direction, I had no doubt they would lose.

"We need a plan," I continued. "Like in Eterna Forest. What kind of Pokemon are in Mount Coronet?"

"I know about it since I was doing research on the wildlife there since we were supposed to pass through it soon," Denzel said. "We can assume the normal cave Pokemon will be there. Geodude, Zubat, Nosepass…" Denzel trailed off. "But the deeper we get, the tougher opponents we'll encounter."

"We can handle it together," Pauline spoke up, her eyes still red. "I will not die before ripping Amy a new one, and I want Cece to be there to see it."

Denzel nodded. "Then you have Graveler, Golbat, Boldore, Onix… there's even old reports of a Golem being seen there years ago. Just… think of the worst rock types you can imagine, and they'll be there, and only our strongest attacks will work against those. There are also some non-rock types to worry about. Bronzor, Machoke, Chingling colonies—"

"So we'll have to face everything on the face of the earth," Pauline said. "Fine."

"I don't really know how to handle them, but I'll try my best to study up in the car," Denzel sighed. "There's another major problem. Most of the cave is completely pitch black. Since it's been abandoned for years, there are no gas lights to guide us."

"We have flashlights for that," I said. "And batteries. Plus, Frillish can see in the dark, so he can guide us."

"I know, but still, I thought it would be best to warn you," he said. "Then, there's the cold. It's a well-studied phenomenon that I don't know the first thing about, but it gets ridiculously cold in there, and there's no wood to light fires. You'll need to keep Charmeleon, Growlithe, and Vulpix out to warm us up when we aren't moving."

Pauline, Justin, and Louis all agreed.

"The dark will make keeping too many of our Pokemon out very difficult," Emilia sighed. Her fingers were trembling so much that she had to bring her hands together to stop herself.

"No choice," I said dryly. "We need everything that we have against rock types, and your psychics to stop any attacks and sense nearby danger. Gothorita can do that now, right?" I asked Pauline.

"It's rough, but she can, yes."

"The mountain has other effects… like hampering some Pokemon's senses if they aren't used to being there, and other nonexplainable things… scientists chalk it up to the strong magnetic field, but they aren't sure," Denzel interrupted.

"Fuck this shit," I spat. "We'll manage with just Frillish," I said.

There was a pause, as we began to realize we would most likely only be able to rely on Frillish's eyesight in the dark to warn us from any danger.

"The rest can stay in their Pokeballs, at least at the start," I continued. "If things get too rough, we'll need to release everyone. This is just as dangerous as Eterna Forest, and it might get worse depending on how deep we get."

"Alright," Louis nodded. "Should we have a formation, then?"

"I don't know, I think we should just stick close together and have Gothorita in the front, and Beldum in the back, on our left and right," I said. "That way, they can stop attacks from all around us.

"The dark will certainly make it harder to keep up formation either way," Justin nodded. "We should also have a headcount system," he said. We all looked at him confusedly. "Every five minutes, we confirm that we're all still there. It's easy to get lost in the darkness, flashlight or not."

"Okay," I said. "That's smart. What else?"

"Let's help Denzel with his information gathering," Emilia said. "We all have phones, and six pairs of eyes are faster than one."

——

Our trip through route 211 was uneventful and quick, but we were all exhausted. None of us had slept, and it was easy to see on our faces. I stared up at Mount Coronet, whose slopes were towering over us. I couldn't see the summit. It just kept going, on and on, seemingly forever, as if someone had pinched the earth and pulled it up, and my vision started to swim. I shook my head, and my eyes settled on the opening to the cave. It was tall and looming, the inside of it completely pitch black as if light couldn't penetrate into the cave. The low, menacing sound of wind blowing through the entrance rattled me. There was a torn-down, abandoned ranger outpost at its side, and the entrance had been littered with 'KEEP OUT' and 'DANGER OF INJURY OR DEATH' signs. Cece had gone in there hours prior, all alone. I clenched at my pants.

I could only hope she was safe.

I felt someone clap my shoulder.

"We'll find her," Denzel said in a reassuring tone.

"I know. We have to," I said. "And then we'll drag her back to Eterna, and we'll all look back on this as a bad dream."

It took a few minutes to prepare ourselves to head inside of the cave. I only released Frillish for now, who looked at me with his eyes full of worry.

"I know, bud," I said. "But we have to do this."

Denzel released Budew, who let out her familiar screech. Emilia released Beldum, whose eye dimmed when he stared at us. He was probably blaming us for Emilia going into a dangerous cave. Pauline let out Gothorita, who smugly brushed the hairlike appendages on its head away. Justin released Sandile, who lazily sunk half of his body into the ground. Louis released Prinplup, and the penguin honked worriedly when he saw that we were at the cave's entrance.

We all huddled close together and hesitantly stepped into the cave. My heart started to race with anxiety as we turned our flashlights, and we truly learned how little it actually illuminated. Still, it was the only source of illumination in this dark and unknown world known as Mount Coronet that dominated Sinnoh's skies. My breath only came in short gasps as I felt a tightness in my chest I couldn't simply brush off and push past, and I could only manage to take deep breaths in between the little huffs of cold air I was getting in an attempt to calm myself down. Every rustle, every creak of the cave walls, every time I bumped into one of my friends, and the distant cries of wild Pokemon made me jump in place as if I had been jolted by electricity. The cave wasn't just dark. Darkness itself clung around me like it had a physical form and shape. It was as if I was being enclosed and suffocated by the lack of light.

Still, I could only push on, no matter how terrified I got. Emilia yelped as one of our flashlights found a field of unconscious Zubat. It was an entire colony.

"Think Cece did this?" Pauline whispered.

"It could have been a wild Pokemon," Justin said.

"No," Denzel interjected. "A Zubat colony would only attack what they think they can beat. I bet they thought she'd be an easy mark."

I nodded, feeling some relief. We couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but at least we were going the right way—

"Fri!" Frillish yelled. We pointed our flashlights at him, and saw that he was pointing one of his tentacles toward our two o' clock.

"Holy fucking shit!" Denzel hissed.

His panicking made us swerve our flashlight toward his own, and I took a step back when I saw what was happening. Huge, bulging arms wider than my entire torso, an elongated, reptilian face with a bloodstained mouth, and it didn't have the usual belt humans placed on it. A huge Machoke was grabbing the Zubat on the ground, crushing them like eggs in its hands and then eating them. The fighting type hissed and shielded its eyes when the light reached it, and it immediately ran forward, crushing Zubat under its feet in the process.

"Shit, shit, shit, fuck!" I yelled. "Frillish, Bubblebeam!"

Pauline and Emilia yelled, and our Psychics immediately sprang into action, holding the fighting type in place as the stream of Bubbles hit it right in the face. Budew and Prinplup also threw out attacks of their own, but it was Sandile who saved us. Even though Machoke was a fighting type, the Pokemon broke out of its psychic restraints, but the ground below it liquefied, causing it to sink. I grabbed Togetic's Pokeball and released her.

"Princess, emergency. Thunder Wave and Sweet Kiss the Machoke!" I said, pointing at the struggling fighting type.

She nodded, sending a cage of electricity that wrapped around the Machoke before confusing it with Sweet Kiss. It was completely stuck now, and if it somehow managed to push through, freeing itself from the Sand Tomb and pushing past the paralysis and confusion, we still had our psychics to work with. I breathed a sigh of relief— my first breath since we had seen the wild Pokemon appear in the darkness.

"We should knock it out, just to be safe," Louis sighed.

The Machoke let out a stuttery hiss of protest, and we slowly whittled it down until it was unconscious.

"Good job, princess," I said, recalling her. "And thank you, Frillish. Without you to warn us, we would have been screwed."

The water type nodded, but his eyes were observing our surroundings. I stared at Machoke's arms and gulped. If it got its hands on any of us, it could have torn all of us in half like twigs, especially without the belt that restrained their physical power.

"So did Machoke do that to the Zubat—" Emilia started.

"No," I said. "A single Machoke wouldn't have taken down that many Zubat. They would have run far before that. It was still Cece."

"Agreed," Denzel said. "Let's get a move on. All the yelling probably alerted a lot of wild Pokemon to come here."

We agreed and hurried along. Throughout the cave, we would find evidence that Cece had definitely gone through there. Scenes of battles with rocks charred by Dragon Breath knocked out wild Pokemon all over the place. She was going on a rampage, even having knocked out a group of two Graveler, who were no doubt more powerful than the one she had faced when fighting Roark all those months ago. The good thing about that, however, was that she had seemingly scared off a lot of the wild Pokemon, so we were making great ground. Plus, we had also surprisingly improved since Eterna Forest, although this wasn't even considered deep into the mountain. Apparently, you could keep going deeper for weeks, and the Pokemon would progressively get worse. Now we just had to hope Cece would be slow enough for us to catch up to her. We had to be faster. Faster. Faster—

"Fri!" Frillish yelled again. This time, however, I could tell he wasn't warning about a wild Pokemon.

I angled my flashlight downward and saw a giant lake whose surface was incredibly clear. I could see Barboach swimming under the water's surface, nestled closely against the muddy ground. It was a large body of water, but it wasn't deep at all. If we stepped in it, it would only get up to my waist, and I was the shortest in the group.

Justin angled his flashlight toward the end of the lake.

"We can cross that," he said. "Saves us a lot of time."

We all ran our flashlights throughout the lake's surface to make sure there wasn't any hidden passage where a dangerous water type could be hiding.

"Sure," I nodded. "And it isn't deep enough for anything threatening to hide in. Let's go."

The Barboach fled as I tentatively placed a foot into the frigid water and flinched. I probably wouldn't feel my leg after crossing this thing. I could almost feel it in my bones. We all carefully waded through the water, carrying our non-water type Pokemon in our arms, and we made it about halfway through when the ground began to shake.

I felt mud snake its way along my ankles. I was stuck.

"Cash! Whiscash!" I heard to my left.

A Whiscash yelled out angrily as it peeked out of the water's surface. The water wasn't deep enough for it to even swim in comfortably, but apparently, it had still made it its home. I swore internally, and Frillish wasted no time, immediately sending out a Poison Sting into the Pokemon's hide.

"Now, Hex it!" I ordered. Frillish's eyes shone brightly and the ground type cried out in pain as smoke started emanating from its body.

"Gothorita, Psybeam!" Pauline said, holding the psychic type out as far as she could. The multicolored psychic energy hit Whiscash as well.

Prinplup hit the water type with a Bubblebeam, and it began to thrash around the lake, making the ground shake.

"That's an Earthquake!" Denzel yelled as Budew screamed out a Bullet Seed from his arms. "Damn it!"

Rocks far above us, creased into the cave's ceiling and began to fall into the water. I fell backward due to the Earthquake, and mud started to worm around my waist.

"Sandile, free us from Whiscash's trap!" Justin yelled.

The ground type snapped his jaw shut and finally broke us free. We ran out of the lake, barely avoiding getting crushed by stones. I crawled out of the water on all fours and dry heaved. One of them— one of them had landed right beside me. I almost died.

"Arceus…" Emilia cried. "This is madness."

"I'm sorry," I breathed out and wiped my mouth and eyes. You are fine. Pull yourself together and cry later. "It was my call. W—we should have tried to find a way ar—around it. I just wanted to get to Cece as fast as possible, and it b—blinded my judgment."

"Then I sh—share some of the responsibility as well," Justin said, shivering from the cold.

I wiped sweat and water from my forehead. "Th—these wetsuits aren't worth sh—shit. We need to dry our clothes and sleep," Denzel sighed. "It fucking hurts, b—but it's the most sensible thing to do. If we get some shut-eye— even two hours— we'll think more clearly. We're all exhausted."

I wanted to protest, but I knew deep down he was right. I could barely walk straight, and I was starting to get a headache.

"We'll d—die of hypothermia if we don't at least d—dry ourselves," Justin said, stammering his words because of the cold. "Get your fire types out to dry our clothes faster and keep ourselves warm."

"Frillish, keep watch, p—please," I said. He nodded and let out a determined sound.

We all quickly dried ourselves with towels and changed our clothes, which had gotten wet from falling into the water due to Whiscash's Earthquake. I stepped into a sleeping bag and huddled around our fire types, who were all sitting on top of our wet clothes. Charmeleon's tail was our main source of heat, but Vulpix and Growlithe's naturally high body heat helped as well. Louis had volunteered to keep first watch along with Frillish, and he would wake all of us up in two hours and a half.

"If I start screaming, wake me up immediately," I warned.

Louis nodded. He had decided to take the brunt of the exhaustion, but the next time we slept, he'd be able to rest for longer. We couldn't afford to rest for long. Cece was probably still moving ahead, and rangers would be on our tail very soon.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 76

"It's time."

I jolted awake when I felt Louis pat my shoulder through my sleeping bag and struggled to open my eyes. How had it been two hours and a half already? It felt like I barely slept at all, but I still stood up immediately and put on my clothes. At least sleeping so little hadn't given my nightmares enough time to start up again. Louis woke up all the others too, and we all hurried and got ready as fast as we could.

"Did you have any trouble?" Justin asked Louis. "Any attacks?"

"There was a pack of Aron that walked by led by a Lairon, but they didn't strike," Louis said before yawning. "Aside from that, nothing apart from the usual terrifying Pokemon cries all around us."

I grabbed a bottle of water from my backpack and coughed. My throat was killing me, my nose was clogged, and I was so cold.

"I—" I started, before coughing. "I think I'm sick."

I pointed my flashlight at Emilia and saw her pale.

"Can you keep going?" Pauline asked.

Denzel started approaching me, but I held out my hand.

"Stop! You might get sick—" I coughed again. "Sick too. Let's go, we've wasted enough time, just don't stay close to me."

Justin frowned. "We could have one of us bring you back or wait for the rangers—"


"I said no. I'll see this through."

We began marching again, although this time, I kept some distance from the group. Beldum hovered above me to protect me in case a Pokemon suddenly attacked. Frillish was reluctantly still ahead of the group. He wanted to stick by me since I was sick, but we needed him ahead to spot threats before we got to them. Denzel was now carrying Eevee on his shoulder, since his hearing would still be of use, but something about the mountain screwed with Growlithe's sense of smell, and the fire type couldn't adequately warn us as he had done in Eterna Forest.

The deeper we got, the more wrong everything felt. Mount Coronet was known to have some strange effects, such as the cold temperatures, but some of it was entirely alien, like hampering human senses or Pokemon who weren't used to the mountain. And it apparently got worse the deeper someone got, and there was an area around the summit that was the same as well. Strange visions, time dilation, shifting terrain— it was terrifying. Luckily, to go truly deep into Mount Coronet, one would have to be actively trying to be. Really good trainers used to routinely go through where we were to get to Snowpoint or Celestic, which means we wouldn't feel the truly bad effects of the cave.

Still, I couldn't help but worry for Cece.

Frillish yelled and stopped us, pointing his tentacle toward the cave's ceiling. We pointed our flashlights up, and about two hundred feet above us, a colony of sleeping Zubat larger than the first was anchored on the ceiling, along with a few Golbat that I managed to see, causing my legs to shake. We immediately all pointed our lights back down. The Zubat line was extremely sensitive to light, and it wouldn't do us any good to provoke them.

You're fine, I thought. You're fine. You've grown past this.

I stifled my coughs as best I could, and we carefully made it past the colony. The next five hours were utterly exhausting. We were being attacked left and right. Most of the Pokemon could be dealt with quite easily, but there were a few close calls. A Graveler's Rock Throw was barely stopped in time by Gothorita, who saved Louis from being crushed, after which we battered it with our water and grass type attacks, and it angrily fled. A Chingling colony that dropped the temperature dangerously low and that screamed so loudly I felt like my eardrums would burst, and that forced us to flee, making my growing headache ten times worse. Still, we knew we were on Cece's trail, since we were still following the unconscious Pokemon she had left behind.

But the worse was yet to come.

"Rhyyyyy!"

The stone wall we were walking next to exploded, and a scream bellowed out to our left. I fell to the ground, dropping my flashlight as Beldum smoothly hovered in front of me and used Confusion to protect me from the flying debris. I fumbled at the ground, grabbing my flashlight with trembling hands, and I began to crawl backward.

"Grace! Are you alright?!" I heard Louis yell.

"I'm— I'm fine," I stammered. I felt the ground shake and pointed my flashlight forward.

A Rhydon was standing right above me with its fist raised. It brought down its massive arm and I shrieked, but I felt my body tense up and float in the air. Beldum picked me up with Confusion and narrowly saved my life. Frillish yelled and threw out a Water Pulse at the huge rock type. Denzel ordered Budew to attack before running toward me and pulling me back to safety. Beldum used the opportunity to hover back toward Emi, clearly ready to protect her.

"A—A—Ar—" I stammered.

"You're okay," he breathed out. "I've got you."

Rhydon slowly picked up its fist from the ground and stared us down. Budew's Bullet Seed and Frillish's Water Pulse had done nothing to Rhydon. Pauline and Emilia ordered our psychics to restrain the rock type, but the attack didn't even have an effect. Rhydon lowered its head and began running toward them at speeds that shouldn't have been possible for a Pokemon this large. Pauline began to run away but sprinted back when she saw that Emilia was frozen in place and pushed her out of the way. I screamed and closed my eyes, expecting her to be skewered and trampled by the unstoppable rock type, but Sandile liquified the ground below it, slowing it enough for Beldum to stand in between the two and stop the attack. He was still knocked away, however, and flew into a nearby boulder.

"Don't freeze!" Pauline shouted at her best friend. "Grace, get your fucking Togetic out!"

My hands shook as I grabbed princess' Pokeball. She was the only one that could use status effect moves from a distance. Our only hope. Rhydon slammed his foot against the liquified ground, and jagged rocks ripped themselves from the ground before flying toward us. There were too many—

Frillish appeared in front of me, but Rhydon's aim was thrown off after Beldum let out a grinding sound and hit it with Flash Cannon, illuminating the entire cave. Still, Louis screamed and clenched at his face, having been grazed. I released Togetic after another round of attacks on Rhydon tore me away from my stupor.

"Sweet Kiss!"

"Toge!"

A pink heart flew toward Rhydon and—

The rock type hit it away with its fist like it was nothing.

"What… what," I said in disbelief.

I felt Denzel grab at my arm again. "Fuck it, we're running!"

"It'll catch up!" Louis said, still clutching at the right side of his face.

"We don't have a choice! Pick up the Pokemon that are too slow!" Denzel said as we began running. Rhydon was close on our tail. "Justin, have Sandile liquefy the ground behind us!"

"That's too much, he can't use Sand Tomb in such a large area—"

"Fucking try!" Pauline said.

Sandile created another Sand Tomb behind us, slowing Rhydon slightly.

"Togetic, Ancient Power," I breathed out. "Create obstacles behind us."

She nodded and lifted up rocks in between us and the Rhydon, but the rock type simply tore through them like butter and used them to send that same ranged attack. This time, our psychic types were ready and barely managed to divert them away, along with Togetic's help using Extrasensory. Denzel also had Budew drop a trail of Stun Spore behind us, which the rock type breathed in. We were slowly gaining ground, but after ten minutes of running, we were starting to get tired, and Rhydon wasn't.

I felt so sick I wanted to throw up. I was even starting to hallucinate voices—

Voices.

Lights, along with voices! They were faint, but they were unmistakably real. I began to feel a glimmer of hope.

"...die, do it somewhere else, not in front of me."

"Then stop following me! Let me be!"

"Nah, I'm good—"

"Whoever the fuck you are, we need help, there's a fucking Rhydon coming!" Pauline yelled.

Another thirty seconds and we were there. Cece was bleeding from her forehead, but she was alive. I took a few deep breaths and approached her, touching her face to make sure she was real. Chase Karlson stood beside her with his entire team out of their Pokeballs. I was too relieved and out of it to even bother asking myself why he was there.

Cece shook her head. "No, no! What are you doing here?! Do you not know how dangerous—"

"Shut up!" I yelled. "I don't want any lectures from you! Never do this again, you hear me! We're taking you back!"

"You're going to get scolded later," Pauline smiled, hugging Cece as the ground began to shake. "But there's a giant, angry Rhydon coming right for us, so I'd like it if we could focus on that first."

"Stand far away from rocks," Louis said. "It can control them at will and impale you with their fragments. Our psychics and Togetic will be enough to stop them if they have time to react—"

Rhydon stepped around the corner and let out an infuriated yell, but Sandile immediately used Sand Tomb under its feet again.

"String Shot it," Chase immediately said before recalling Houndour and Zangoose.

Charjabug screeched and spat out strands of strings that wrapped around Rhydon, but the rock type just tore them apart.

"Ri, you're up."

"Dragon Breath, Water Pulse," Cece ordered.

Deino and Slowpoke let out their attacks, which slightly slowed the ground type, and we ordered all of our Pokemon to attack as well. Bullet Seed, Psybeam, Bubblebeam, Flash Cannon, we threw everything we had at it and more, and it was finally dealing some damage. Meanwhile, Riolu ran up to the rock type and nimbly climbed onto its back, growing a bone out of his hand and jamming it in between one of the Rhydon's armor plates. Finally, the rock type felt real pain, and it desperately tried to get Riolu off of itself, but its arms were too short. Rhydon threw itself backwards, escaping from the Sand Tomb and hoping to crush Riolu with its weight, but the fighting type just climbed onto its head and used Force Palm right into both of its eyes.

That seemed to be enough for the rock type, and it finally started to flee, slamming its body into walls and boulders since it was blind. Riolu jumped off of its body and returned to Chase.

Emilia collapsed to the ground. "Thank Arceus…" she cried. "I thought we were done for."

"Cecilia," Louis said. "We've come to rescue you. Don't throw your life away."

The girl averted her gaze.

"Why did you… it would have been so much easier if none of you were here," She said. "I wanted to go on my own terms."

"Don't you fucking dare," Pauline hissed. "Deep inside of yourself, you want to live. You wouldn't have told us where you were going otherwise. It was a cry for help, and we came."

Cece teared up. "They've threatened me in such a horrible way," she sobbed. "I can't."

"You can. The minute we get back to the city, I'll call my dad and call off the marriage," Louis said.

"No!" Cece screamed. "Absolutely not, you don't know the lengths—"

"It is my choice, and I'll live with it," he said.

I grabbed Cece's hand. "Please. I can't lose you. We can't go on pretending nothing happened if you die. It'll destroy us. We're all on your side. All of us will help you against whatever it is that they threatened you with."

"You can't help."

"Stop saying that!" I said, clenching her hand tighter. I started to cough again. "We can certainly try, at least! Never give up until you've tried!"

"Can you at least tell us why you can't tell us?" Denzel asked.

Cecilia shook her head, and he sighed.

"Either way, we're dragging you back home whether you want to or not. We can get you to speak with someone— I can ask Amanda! She's great at what she does, and everything you tell her is secret."

"It would be best to wait twenty to thirty minutes for Rhydon to be far enough," Justin said. "We have time. Maybe the rangers will even get here too, they'll no doubt be faster than we will be.."

I nodded, but kept looking into Cece's eyes. "Will you at least come back without a fight?" I asked.

"I don't… fine. If that's what convinces everyone to get back to safety, I will," she sighed.

"Thank you," I said, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. Even though she wasn't coming because of her own will to live, she was coming home. It was a step.

"Why is he here?" Louis asked, pointing at Chase.

"Why does it matter?" Chase retorted. "I don't like being with you either, you rich asshole."

"I did not even imply disliking you being here. More people means more Pokemon to get Cecilia back to safety," Louis answered.

"I… I met him a few hours into the cave. He was training his Charjabug here, but then he wouldn't stop following me and helping me when I didn't want him to," Cece spat.

"Meh," Chase shrugged. "You were bleeding, I thought you'd need the help, but then you started asking me to let you die, so I figured I'd stick around," he said.

"So you… saved her?" I asked.

"Not really. We were just walking in the same direction," he said. "I heard that Charjabug needed a place with a strong magnetic field to evolve, but that was a dud. Apparently, it only gets strong enough deeper and higher up in the mountain, and I can't get there yet, so I came here for no reason."

We all grouped up around Chase and genuinely thanked him for saving our friend, which seemingly took him by surprise. We all sat on the ground, and I started to tend to Cece's wound. She had a large lesion on her head, causing blood to seep down on her forehead. Pauline and Emilia tended to our Pokemon with all of our potions, including Chase's, and got most of them back in their balls so they could rest. Meanwhile, Justin helped with Louis' injury. His was a deep cut on his cheek going right across his ear. That looked like that would scar.

"What did this to you?" I asked Cece as I cleaned the wound with water.

"I don't even know," she slowly said. "I hadn't even noticed until that boy brought it up."

"Arceus…" I muttered.

"Grace," she said quietly. "Did you read the letter?"

"We all did," I said as I wrapped a bandage around her head. "It was beautiful— it— it made all of us cry. Even Pauline."

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you would all hate me after what I said. What I thought about all of you when we first met… me tricking Louis…"

"Of course not. We love you. Nothing you could say could ever make us hate you," I started. "Louis said he was calling off the marriage, but you should know he didn't even hesitate. He knows it would hurt you too much. We're all on your side now. Do you understand that, Cece? You are loved. You aren't alone. We're your family."

"Did you… could you read the parts I scratched out?"

"At the end of the letter? No."

"Alright," she said, sighing. "Thank you for bandaging me."

I pulled her up and hugged her again for good measure. "That's still okay, right?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"My sexuality…" I awkwardly said.

"Oh! Oh, of course. You can do it as much as you want—"

A roar that was much too close for comfort echoed through the cave. It shook me to my core, and I felt my body tense. We pointed our flashlights toward the noise, and I noticed two things.

First, there was a Larvitar that was running in our direction. Second, there was a Tyranitar and a Rhyperior fighting twenty feet away from the Larvitar. Rhyperior extended its arm and threw out rocks from its palms, barely chipping at Tyranitar's armor. The rock type's forehead started to glow, and it retaliated by ramming it into Rhyperior's shoulder.

"We need to run!" Denzel screamed.

We all hurried to grab our bags and supplies, but the fighting was getting too close, and we opted to abandon a large part of our things instead. Still, Rhyperior yelled with a booming voice, and rocks that we could barely avoid thanks to our psychics began to fall all around us, and they were making our escape slow.

Tyranitar was seemingly on its last ropes. Large parts of its armor were missing, revealing exposed flesh, and it looked back at the Larvitar before letting out a loud, guttural cry. The ground shook akin to an Earthquake, but this time, it cracked and opened up, splitting us and Larvitar apart from the two huge rock types. I tried to run faster, but I was sick and already tired from our escape against Rhydon. I couldn't… I couldn't keep going.

Denzel and Cece were the first back for me. The others tried to come back, but they were told to keep running. I could barely hear what was going on. The ground was still shaking and creating a horrible sound. The wild Pokemon were screaming, my ears were ringing, my head was pounding—

I fell. I fell into the dark chasm that Tyranitar had opened up, and so did Denzel, Chase, and Cecilia.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 77

"I love you, son. This wasn't your fault. You aren't weak," he said. "You're perfect."

Chase Karlson woke up with Riolu worryingly shaking him. He got up, spat out a mouthful of dust, and he felt at his face. It was caked with dirt and bleeding. The teenager stared at the ceiling he had just fallen from and saw thousands of shining crystals illuminating this part of the cave. His right shoulder and upper arm hurt like hell, and he couldn't put too much weight on his left knee. Chase shivered, and his teeth chattered. It was so cold.

Still, he was alive somehow. Chase touched his head and was happy to feel his trusted cap still on it. Luckily, it had grown slightly too small for him, so it stuck to his head easily.

"Thank you, Ri," Chase said with a wince. Suddenly, he felt a surge of panic. "Where's Charjabug?"

Riolu pointed toward the Pokeballs still attached to his waist and nodded.

"You put him back in? Was he injured from the fall?"

The fighting type nodded again.

"Good," Chase said before his foot started to bounce. "Got no potions to heal him up though, couldn't afford 'em."

He should never have come to this cave. A fucking Rhyperior? How had it even evolved? Humans didn't even know what triggered their evolution, so to see one in the wild? Plus, it reminded him too much of the Iron Islands. Falkirk had been built in one of the cave's entrances, and the ground shaking reminded him of that day, which is why he had frozen up and fallen down there in the first place.

He and his team had paid the price for it. And it gave him this shitty ass dream that he hadn't gotten in years.

"We need to find a way out of here," Chase said. "Maybe find some of the people who fell down there on the way. Your aura's still fucked from the cave?"

"Riolu," He said with a disappointed nod.

"Even worse than before, huh? No prob. It's about time I and the others start pulling our weight," Chase said before grabbing a Pokeball. He released Houndour, who whined worriedly. His body warmth was a nice rest from the frigid temperature. "I'm fine. Just a few scratches. I need you to guide us and find a way out. Keep an eye out for threats."

The dark type barked, and Chase began following him with a limp. The rational part of him wanted to just high-tail it out of here. Even though it pissed him off, he recognized that his skills as a trainer were nowhere near what was needed to survive down here. Chase stared around the dimly lit cave. There was no clear exit, and staring up, the hole seemed to have closed, or at least he had ended up somewhere that wasn't anywhere near it.

If he hadn't followed Obel deeper into the cave, everything would have been fine.

But Chase couldn't stop himself. She was clearly unwell and suffering from… something. Chase couldn't really imagine what had pushed her this far. In his mind, Obel had been born with everything she could ever ask for and more.

Chase started to think more about the fall. He had been falling right next to the others, and yet they were nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, logic seemingly didn't apply to Mount Coronet. He sucked in air through his teeth as pain racked his leg. His best hope of surviving was finding the others, even though it hurt to admit it— even more than his injuries. Still, Pastel was sick, and Obel was down in the dumps— only Williams seemed to be fine, which made Chase hope he'd be the one he found.

With his shit luck, though, he'd probably end up finding one of the girls. If he even found anybody at all.

"If they survived, they'll fucking owe me big."

——

Cecilia tumbled through the air with a shriek, but her body suddenly came to a stop a few feet off a giant lake. It hovered there for a few seconds before dropping again, and she fell into the water and swam up, her body not even registering the cold. It took a few seconds for it to finally seep into her skin and down to her bones. Her skin felt like ice, completely numb to the touch. Every inch— every pore hurt so badly it was like her skin was getting stabbed by thousands of tiny needles. Every gasp of air was painful and burned her throat and lungs.

She was shaking too much. Cecilia could barely control her hand when she released her Deino and Fletchinder. Slowpoke had been out of his Pokeball to break her fall with Confusion just in time. The water type lazily swam up to her and out of the underground lake.

"F—F—Fletchinder, I—I need you— you to warm me up. Deino t—too," Cece stammered, her teeth chattering so loudly it echoed through the cave. She stared guiltily at Fletchinder, who was still angry at her for coming to such a place and endangering herself.

Deino grunted and blew a small, continuous Incinerate next to her while Fletchinder's body burst into flames with Flame Charge. Cecilia quickly took off her clothes and began drying herself as fast as she could. She had messed up, and messed up badly. Grace, Denzel, and that other boy had fallen down here, and it was all her fault. All her fault.

Now they might be dead while she still lived.

They can't be dead. They can't. No, no, no, no, it couldn't be—

Suddenly, she heard a cough coming from the lake. Cecilia hurried to grab her flashlight and pointed it toward the body of water. There were some crystals lighting up a further section of the cave far up ahead, but it was still somewhat dark here. She saw a human figure struggling to swim— no, it would be more accurate to say that they were flailing underwater.

"Hold on, I've got you!" Cecilia said before remembering that she ought not to yell. "Slowpoke, go help them!"

The psychic type let out a complaining yawn, but he sank into the lake, approached the drowning figure, and used Confusion to lift Denzel out of the water. The teenager was just as cold as Cecilia had been, and he was hacking liquid out of his lungs. Cece hit his back, trying her best to help, and after around thirty seconds, he seemed to be fine.

"Fucking hell," he breathed out. "Tha— thank you for saving me—"

"Take off your clothes! You need to dry and warm yourself, or you'll die!" Cecilia yelled.

Denzel let out a hiss of pain as he moved his arms to take off his wet coat. "I'm so happy you're alive. We must have fallen from one hundred feet into the water," he stammered as Cece wrapped his towel around him and had her Pokemon dry him. "I managed to recall Eevee while I was swimming, but I underestimated how heavy everything got when it was wet. I got tired… and I couldn't go on—" Another wince. "Fuck! I feel like I've just run straight into concrete. The adrenaline's leaving me, I might have a few broken bones somewhere," he continued before his eyes widened. "Wait. Have you seen Grace anywhere?"

Cecilia's heart began to race with anxiety, and she had to steel herself not to cry.

"No…" she said with a slight sob. "I don't know where she is."

Denzel began to breathe quickly. "She… she had Frillish and Togetic still out. Togetic could have stopped her fall with Extrasensory, and Frillish could have helped her out of the water. She's… she's fine. We'll find her."

"We will," Cece whispered.

Her words were doing very little to convince even herself. Grace might be dead, and it was all her fault. She would never forgive herself.

"We have to get going. The quicker we group up, the more chances Grace has of being unhurt. We might come across Chase too, and he might be able to help us find her," Denzel said in a determined tone before standing up. "My legs seem fine… my ribs and my arms hurt like hell. I can manage."

He grabbed Eevee's Pokeball and released him. The normal type let out a cry of relief when he saw his trainer was still unharmed.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Denzel said, wincing as he petted Eevee. "Grace is missing."

Eevee immediately grimaced, his face full of worry.

"My flashlight's gone," he continued. "Dropped in the water when I was panicking. Cecilia still has hers, but our visibility is terrible. We're going to need your hearing to guide us."

"Vee!"

"Right on," Denzel said. "I reckon we should head toward the part with all the crystals?" he asked.

"My flashlight won't have batteries forever, so I think that would be best," Cecilia nodded before recalling Fletchinder. There were too many rock types lurking in the shadows to risk her. Deino and Slowpoke would suffice for now, even though the water type despised walking, and his sensing powers seemed to be affected by the cave. "Plus, Grace would probably head toward there too. It's the only place with lights. Are you dry?"

"Dry enough," he quickly replied as he put on fresh new clothes. "Thank Arceus, our bags are water-proof. Let's go."

Cecilia could only help but hope they would find Grace and escape.

But even if she made it back to civilization, she would be doomed, and the others would potentially be too.

To think that her father would go that far. To make her worst fear a reality.

Cece shuddered, and it wasn't because of the cold.

——

I passed through a strange patch of air and then fell onto the cold, hard, rocks. My fall hadn't been fast enough to injure, but it still fucking hurt. I groaned and clutched at my shoulder, but soon enough, it wasn't my shoulder that was hurting the most. It was my head. It was pounding, giving me an agonizing headache. I let out a few coughs as I carefully stood up.

At least I could still do that.

I had apparently dropped my flashlight during the fall, but that was the least of my worries. I was sweating buckets. My body felt hot and cold at the same time, and my vision was swimming. Frillish flew toward me and placed both of his tentacles on my shoulders, asking if I was alright. Togetic was right behind him, and she rubbed her head on my hand. My extremities felt numb. It was cold— at least negative ten degrees celsius.

"I'm— ah, holy fuck, my head. I'm not okay, but I'll be fine," I said, my face contorting in agony. I looked up and saw that the cave was dimly-lit thanks to some kind of shining rocks on its ceiling, so at least I had that going for me.

Then it sunk in. We had fallen down a chasm opened up by that Tyranitar.

I was alone, and Denzel and Cecilia might be dead.

And the others who hadn't fallen probably thought me to be dead. They'd probably inform the rangers and call my dad and mom about it today.

All of them would be heartbroken.

My fingers trembled as I released Elekid and Tangela for the first time and brought them up to speed on what had happened as fast as I could. Elekid worryingly tapped my leg, and Tangela rubbed one of his vines on my cheek.

"First things first," I said, groaning the last word out. "Frillish, can you go with your sister— with Togetic to check if the fissure up there's closed up? Or if it's even still there? Come back immediately if there's any danger."

They both began to protest, letting me know that they weren't going anywhere without me.


"Fine," I sighed. "It was probably a pipe dream anyway."

I moved my body around to check if I had anywhere I couldn't move properly or put weight on, but my only problem was my sickness. It was getting worse.

"We need to find the others," I said. I wasn't even going to entertain the idea that they were gone. It would only serve to slow me down. I was already struggling to get my mind to work. Worrying would only worsen the situation. They were strong. They survived.

They survived.

"Tangela, your electric attacks won't be that useful—" I started before cutting myself off. "I meant Elekid. Sorry, hon."

I was so fucking out of it.

"Stick close. You're only here to use Ice Punch and keep the wild Pokemon off of me," I continued. He crossed his arms and gave me a fierce nod. "That's my boy," I smiled. "Frillish and Tangela, you're my heavy hitters. Angel, you see anything get too close, you restrain with as many vines as possible. Buddy, you're using Water Pulse and Bubblebeam— I'll leave you to pick which one works best depending on the situation."

Tangela blinked twice and caressed my ankle, and Frillish just nodded. It pained me to see him so worried.

"We'll make it out of here," I told him softly. "I promise. Princess, your job is to Sweet Kiss anything as soon as angel locks them down. Remember to stay low. A lot of Pokemon have Smack Down in here. If the Pokemon is too strong like Rhydon was, we're going to be running anyway. If we're running, you're going to use Ancient Power behind us to slow the threat down. Angel, I want you to let spores out while you run like Denzel's Budew did. Maybe Leech Seed, too, although we haven't practiced that move much yet, so I don't even know if you know how to aim it. Did everybody get all of that?"

They all nodded and were ready.

"Good. First objective, find Cece and Denzel. Then Chase. Then, we figure out how to get out of here somehow," I said as I began to walk.

I was about to leave, but I heard a cry behind a rock. I thought it was my feverish brain playing tricks on me again, but there was another cry. It was full of pain and anguish— not like the aggressive ones I had heard so far from everything in this Arceus damned cave.

"Angel," I said, pointing at the rock. "Grab whatever's behind that with a vine and pull it toward us. Keep it far, just in case, I just want to get a look at it."

Tangela nodded and sent out two vines forward that snaked around the boulder. The Pokemon let out a raspy yelp in surprise, and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was staring at the same Larvitar that had been up there. It was hurt— albeit not too badly— its armor had protected it from the worst of the fall. I realized then that it hadn't cried because it was in pain. It had been crying because it had just lost its parent.

Although right now, it was letting out enraged screams, trying to get out of Tangela's hold or potentially scare us. I thought it was going to make a move, but it was just thrashing around. It was just a baby, it probably didn't know that many moves or how to use them properly.

I didn't want to waste time, but it was a Pokemon in need that had just lost its parent… I thought I had lost my soft spot for non-aggressive wild Pokemon, but I felt compelled to help it out. It was way too weak to be here, just like we were. It would get killed and eaten by something without help. I clutched at my head as I opened my Pokedex. The bright light was making my headache worse.

"You fell down here with us, huh?" I said sadly.

Larvitar, the rock skin Pokemon. Larvitar is born deep under the ground. To come up to the surface, this Pokemon must eat its way through the soil above. Until it does so, Larvitar cannot see its parent's face.

Type: Rock, Ground

"That's… so sad," I sighed. The rock type kept squirming around, roaring at the mention of its parent. "Let him down, Tangela."

Angel gently dropped Larvitar on the ground and petted its head with more vines.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I said as softly as I could and crouched to appear less threatening. "I have two potions to use on you that'll make you feel better, and I'd rather be able to carry you so we can go faster while you recover from your injuries."

"Tar!" It hissed.

Frillish hovered in front of me, his eyes glinting, but I held him back and shook my head.

"Leave it, bud. It just… lost its parent. It's allowed to be angry."

The water type huffed and got back behind me.

"Look," I said. "Leave it or take it. I'm looking for my friends, and I can't waste time trying to convince you to save yourself. As much as it would hurt me, I'd leave you here, and who knows what would happen to you?"

Larvitar frowned angrily and hissed at me, but it was less angry than a few seconds ago.

"I'm going to pick you up now, alright?" I said. I placed my hands under its stubby arms, and I was surprised to see how coarse its armored skin was, but more surprisingly, it was heavy— maybe 130 pounds, which was heavier than I was. I placed it against my chest. I probably would only be able to carry it for a few minutes. "See? Not that bad, is it?" I huffed.

Finally, I began to walk forward, spraying Larvitar's injuries with my few remaining potions at the same time. Cece and Denzel were alive, and they were in here, I was sure of it.

I had to be, or I would never find the motivation to get out of Mount Coronet.

 

[Soussouni1]

CHAPTER 78

Tangela curiously wrapped a vine around one of the shining crystals that had fallen from the cave's ceiling and onto the ground.

"Angel, don't touch that," I said. "We don't know what it's made of, it could be bad for you."

The grass type retracted his vine and wriggled.

"Sorry. I know this is all new and exciting for you, but I need you to stay sharp," I said, squinting to alleviate the pain from my headache.

Frillish held out a tentacle and stopped me. There was something ahead.

"Tar!" Larvitar roared, which was more of a hiss. I had stopped carrying it, since it was so heavy, but it was thankfully still following us.

Even with the crystal lighting up the cave, I was still struggling to see well, and that was in part because of my illness. Elekid stepped in front of me and started whirling his arms around, generating electricity atop of his head, while Tangela created a barrier of some sort with his vines.

"What is it?" I asked.

Another few seconds passed in silence, and then a flurry of attacks erupted from my team. Frillish launched an enormous Water Pulse in front of himself, followed by a quick Bubblebeam. Tangela started breaking up rocks with Vine Whip, grabbing the smaller chunks and throwing them forward while Togetic erected an Ancient Power wall in front of me just before I heard something crash onto it.

The fight was over in just a few seconds. I carefully stepped forward an saw an unconscious Boldore splayed across the ground with some parts of itself blown off by my Pokemon's attacks. I gulped.

"Good job," I said. "That went about as well as it could have."

"Kid!" Elekid said, his head downcast.

"Don't beat yourself up," I said. "I've already said this isn't the best area for you to be fighting in. You're my bodyguard."

"Elekid…"

"I—" I winced and stumbled, but Tangela quickly stopped me from falling with his vines. "Ah, shit, this is— this is getting worse."

The cave was too easy so far. Too quiet. Sure, this had been our fourth encounter with an aggressive wild Pokemon in around twenty minutes, but this place was deep into the mountain, and it had apparently been closed off for… who knew how many years. No human had stepped in here for decades, that was for sure.

So where were the incredible threats? Where were the Pokemon like the Rhydon we had encountered or that Tyranitar or Rhyperior?

Something felt off about this. I heard a slight, gurgly sound behind me and turned my head around, but Frillish had already sent another Water Pulse, knocking a just awaking Geodude out.

Did Geodudes make that sound?

"Let's keep going," I breathed out.

I was tiring out quickly, and I didn't exactly have a direction in mind. I was just walking in a straight path, hoping I'd come across someone eventually. Unlike the upper level of the mountain, down there, there were multiple branching paths, tight corridors, and different elevations. Case in point.

"I don't think I'm well enough to jump up there," I said, nodding toward an elevated path.

Togetic chirped, and I felt the air around my body shift. She slowly lifted Larvitar and me up, placing me as gently as she could onto the ground. Tangela wrapped a vine tightly around Elekid and lifted him up before pulling himself up as well. Frillish's red eyes darted toward the left, and I thought he would launch another attack, but he just stared at a wall.

"Is there something near?" I asked.

"Fri…"

"You're not sure?"

The water type nodded and motioned for me to stay vigilant. A part of me considered just screaming, hoping someone would hear me and head in my direction, but that was probably my fever talking. Arceus, I felt like absolute trash. Still, I had to keep going. If I stopped, I wasn't sure I'd be able to stand back up.

Around ten minutes later, I walked back to the same area Togetic had just lifted me to. It was like… like that mansion in Eterna Forest, except it wasn't a Pokemon-induced illusion this time, it was just the mountain fucking with me. I was sure I wasn't hallucinating since my team seemed just as perplexed as I was.

"I've had enough of this bullshit for a lifetime," I sighed. "Let's try again."

It took a few more tries for me to finally get through… where? Get through the area I was in without being transported back to where I had just been, I supposed, and the time it took me to get there each time was seemingly random. Larvitar hissed at nothing in particular. I noticed that its sadness had been converted into anger now. Or maybe it was just trying to appear tough, it was hard to tell. The rock type was small but incredibly heavy, and I had an inkling it was asking to be carried again.

"Listen," I told it. "You must weigh at least 130 pounds, I can't keep carrying you."

"Tar!"

"Don't fight me on this. I know walking around must be tiring you out, but I'm sick, so I'm weaker than usual—"

I saw something move in the corner of my vision. A shadow. My body tensed.

"Did you see that, bud?" I said, pointing toward where I had seen movement. Frillish shook his head, probably saying that if he had, he would have done something. "Okay," I said. "Must be that damn fever. Let's keep going."

I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and began walking again, slower this time. Elekid strode up to Larvitar and patted it on the back, but the rock type let out a juvenile roar and pushed him away.

"Shh!" I hissed. "Leave it alone for now, hon. It doesn't want to be friends."

I paused and stared at Larvitar again.

"It's weird calling you 'it' all the time," I said. "What are you? Are you a boy?"

Larvitar stomped a foot against the ground, kicking up some dust.

"A girl?"

Larvitar nodded fiercely and hit her arms against her chest.

"Alright. A baby girl. Sounds good," I whispered, holding myself up using a wall. This conversation was as much a bonding exercise as it was an urgent distraction from my increasingly worse fever and the intrusive thoughts that kept telling me Cece and Denzel were dead. "You're a tough one, aren't you?"

She gave me another nod, but flinched when angel rubbed her huge horn with one of his vines. Larvitar yelled, angling her head downward, and ran toward the grass type. I worried for a second before remembering that she was a newborn. Weak. Tangela pushed two vines forward, holding her in place as she desperately tried to run him through. Togetic let out a tiny giggle, and Elekid smirked, but everyone stopped when Frillish glared at them one by one.

"Frillish is right," I said. "We have to keep going. This isn't the time to be playing, we'll do all of that when we find the others and get out."

They all nodded, and we soldiered on. I beckoned Frillish, and he floated toward me.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I keep adding kids to the team. Must be annoying to be the only adult in the room, huh?"

He stared at me and nodded.

"It'd be good if the last member of the team was an oldie like you," I laughed slightly. He shot me a suspicious look. "Right. I guess I haven't told anyone I want to catch Larvitar… I guess my motivations are mostly me feeling bad for her. She's a newborn, and she's just lost her mother or father… I think that Tyranitar might be mortally injured. I doubt there was any coming back from her wounds."

Frillish nodded before shooting another look behind us. Everybody was still following, but Larvitar had picked up some soft dirt that she was munching on, and Tangela was staring at her curiously, studying her every movement and trying to touch her without her noticing.

"I feel terrible for her. Losing a parent so young… must be crushing, and yet she's been hiding the fact that she's grieving ever since we found her hiding behind that rock," I coughed, and he shot me a worried look. "Don't worry, I'm a tough girl," I dryly said. "But at the same time, she's a Larvitar, you know? They're… incredibly rare, and they evolve to be incredibly powerful. I'd be lying if I wasn't thinking about having her as a potential battler when she grew up a little and if she evolved."

"Fri…" Frillish warned me.

"Obviously, I won't force her to come with me," I answered. "I've learned to be better than that after catching you. But it won't hurt to ask. I'll at least get her out of Mount Coronet. Newborn Larvitar are usually protected by one of their parents, they can't fend off threats on their own for weeks after being born."

"Lish," he sighed.

"I know, I know, another baby to take care of," I said. "I promise I'll try to make the last one older," I smiled. "You can bond over how grumpy and old you are."

He huffed, making me grin.

"Might be selfish to be thinking about the future like this in this horrible situation, but I have to look forward. If I don't… if I let myself think that I have no future outside of here, I won't find it in me to continue—" Frillish's head darted toward another crease of the cave. This time we had both seen movement. I gestured at the team to stop. "There's something there," I warned. "It's been following us the entire time. Stalking us."

I took a few steps back, and my Pokemon stepped forward. Tangela held Larvitar back with his vines, much to her dismay. She wanted to fight, but she couldn't. I took a few heavy breaths as the silence weighed onto me. Larvitar stepped behind me and calmed down.

"Honey," I said, feeling my neck hair stand on end and my headache start to pound again. "Use Thundershock to light up the area."

Elekid spun his arms and shot an arc of electricity in front of us.

A purple Pokemon with a shiny gem embedded in its torso and a huge, toothy grin stared back at us.

Frillish shot out a stream of bubbles, Togetic a quick Fairy Wind, and Tangela's vines surged forward, but the Sableye sunk into the shadows like it was water and giggled— no, calling it a giggle wasn't accurate. It was a low, gurgle-like sound that instilled physical discomfort into me.

Sableye appeared behind me, but Tangela quickly pulled me with a vine, and I narrowly avoided a Shadow Claw.

"It moves through shadows!" I yelled.

That was horrible news. I gulped as the dark type's grin grew wider, and it sunk into the ground again with a terrible laugh. If it moved through shadows, that meant that any barrier of protection would be ineffective. That meant my Pokemon would have to protect me by using reflexes instead of the planning we had come up with.

"Keep a vine wrapped around me, angel," I said, feeling his hold tighten. "Elekid, keep your arms spinning. Create light around us so it can't get to me."

Elekid nodded and once again, created electricity above his head, creating a 'safe spot' that I could at least stand in without being clawed in the back. I heard Sableye's evil laugh reverberate all around me, and the dark type finally emerged again, this time below Frillish. It jumped at him and held on tightly, clawing across his face.

"No!" I yelled. "Tangela, get him off!"

Tangela sent five vines forward, grabbing the ghost type and slamming him against the wall, and Togetic wasted no time, hitting it with her Fairy Wind. Sableye hissed and sunk into the darkness again. I rushed toward Frillish, who had three large gashes on his face. He was a ghost type, so the damage would heal over time, and it wasn't bleeding, but it was still disconcerting to see.

"Next time that fucker comes out, hit it with Thundershock," I hissed. Elekid nodded, but the Sableye wasn't coming out anymore. And yet I knew it was still there. It let me know, by laughing terribly all around me, taunting me.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

I touched Frillish's face, and the water type simply nodded as if to say he was fine. We still weren't good enough with Acid Armor to switch up his state on a whim, so dodging a Pokemon as fast as Sableye was impossible.

"Everyone else okay—"

A large, shadowy ball shot out of a wall, but Togetic quickly raised a barrier using Ancient Power. The rock was destroyed, but she protected me from the sharp debris with Extrasensory. I let out a few quick breaths, expecting another flurry of attacks to come, but nothing happened.

"Arceus…" I sighed in relief. "Stay sharp, it's going to attack again—"

Sableye grinned as he dropped from above me. Frillish immediately hit it with Water Pulse, creating an explosion that got water all over me. I expected to see the Pokemon crawl back into the shadows, but there was nothing. It had just been a Night Shade. Sableye clawed from the edge of Elekid's light and jumped at me again, but Tangela finally managed to grab it with a vine. He wrapped another ten around the dark type, and began to drain its energy. Sableye groaned and tried clawing away at the vines, but it was too late. He finally went limp, and Tangela let him go.

"Good job, Angel," I coughed. "You're—"

Sableye sunk into the ground again. It had faked being unconscious to escape, but at least it seemed like it wasn't going to attack again. It knew it was outclassed now. Still, I ordered Elekid to keep his light going, just in case the dark type got any ideas. I couldn't be sure it had truly given up. Too bad Elekid could only sense ghosts, not ghost types. We waited for ten minutes, making sure that Sableye was gone before finally deciding to leave.

I tried walking again, but my knees buckled, and I collapsed on the ground. My body felt so heavy.

"Fuck," I groaned. "It looks like I'm—" I coughed. "Tapped out."

My team coalesced around me and clamored with worry, and Larvitar stood to the side, watching with a careful eye.

"I think I'm gonna pass out," I said. "Frillish, take care of Larvitar and your siblings. You guys listen to him, he's the leader when I'm not there—"

I heard another sound. Not Sableye, but steps this time. Chase Karlson stepped from behind a boulder, accompanied by his Riolu and Houndour, and he looked to be in terrible shape.

He clicked his tongue. "Of course, it's you," he sighed. "Thought I heard the sound of fighting," I heard him say before I fell unconscious.