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

[Great Greedy Guts]

Huh. I'd kind of forgotten how well suited Grace is for (solo) double battles between her variety of little monsters and typings. Also, I love the note that if you fight her you'll have to deal with getting rolled while hearing her call all her Pokemon cutesy nicknames the entire time. I can see how that'd be a special kind of aggravating.

...I know it's no guarantee, but that last forum post certainly makes me think Sigilyph might end up being Grace's 7th pokemon.

Lance and Koga favor Kanto, Will and Karen favor Johto.

Click to shrink...

Interesting, with how Lance is from Johto I'd have expected him to be more on their side than not. Not that it's likely to matter any time soon, but... interesting all the same.

 

[veekie]

[

Known ability: ??? - not Water Absorb - source: ordered to dodge water type moves during fight with Candic

Click to shrink...

Kek. I recall this was a legit mistake

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 143

I had left Chase's room now, and I was sure I wouldn't see him again before he left. He had been too embarrassed to even look me in the eye. He wasn't used to showing his softer side to people, and opening up to me had been a first for him. His life had been so difficult… Riolu was the only thing he had left that linked him to his parents. I had been right when thinking of Riolu as a parental figure for Chase. Without the fighting type's guidance, I was sure that he'd still be his hotheaded, isolated self instead of the mellowed-out behavior he had adopted now. I'd have to thank Riolu the next time I saw him.

"Well, I've got time," I whispered. "Might as well get the interview guidelines out of the way."

It wasn't like I could train since my team was still in the nurse's care, and I was sure the Poketch Company would appreciate if I didn't call at the last minute. They'd been nice to me, so returning the favor was the right thing to do. I ignored the trainers' whispers as I made my way to my room. It was the same as always. A single bed that could be a double if you squeezed tightly enough, two nightstands on each side, a desk with a chair, a small bathroom, and a television in the top right corner. I considered just lying down on the bed for a few minutes, but my clothes were dirty, so I opted to shower and change first.

After a quick one hour power nap, I called Melody.

"Grace!" She happily said. "We've heard reports of your arrival in Solaceon. I trust your travels went well?"

"There were a… few hiccups, but sure," I said. "How's work?"

"Busy, busy, busy," she answered. "I've been doing a lot of things behind the scenes to build up your image, but I won't go into detail, because I'm sure that would give you anxiety. Can't be too anxious before the big day."

I laughed nervously. "Right."

"Then the sponsorship department had to deal with a dozen angry trainers calling about your preferential treatment, so that was fun," she dryly said. "Anyway, are you ready for your pointers?"

"Yup. Hit me with it."

"With how popular you've gotten, you'll probably be swarmed by interviewers right after your battle. I'm talking dozens of people holding microphones to your face and yelling questions at you. Needless to say, that can be overwhelming for anyone, so just be ready for that."

"Be ready?"

"Yeah, you know, take a deep breath, don't make a bad face, smile— smiling is important, but don't overdo it. You don't want it to look fake. Remember, we're building you up as a talented, but authentic trainer."

"Well, I'll probably be genuinely happy after every battle I win, so that shouldn't be an issue."

"Okay, good. Now, they're going to ask all kinds of questions. I'm sending you a list of potential ones right now that you'll be ready to answer. The battling, strategy stuff, I assume that you've got handled."

"Wait, what else would they ask?" I frowned as I opened my laptop.

"Oh, you know the media."

I opened my emails and scoffed. "What is this? Relationship questions? Questions about Louis and why we split? The favorite Pokemon on my team? This is just drama bullshit."

"But it's the reality of the situation. Louis Bianchi will have it worse, you know? I feel bad for the kid, but it is what it is."

"He can just refuse to answer. I hope he will. Wait, why don't I just refuse—"

"No, that's not your persona. You're a nice, amenable girl. I know this is hard for you, but you've got to work with us."

I groaned. "Fine."

It wasn't like I opposed any of these answers anyway. Questions about Louis, I would just say that it's personal and that I don't feel comfortable talking about it right now. Questions about me and Cece? I'd just say that we're doing really good, but we're keeping the relationship private for now. My Pokemon? I loved them all equally. Even Sunshine had grown on me somehow. There was something about his lazy, grumpy self that endeared me.

"Remember, they'll try to get you angry to get a reaction out of you. Reporters want nothing but to see a rising talent like you slip up at least once. Controversy is juicy. You're too squeaky clean for their liking."

"Okay, I'll be nice."

I did wish I could just have Princess shoo them away, but alas.

"Okay, we have smiling and the questions down, but you also need to speak with an air of confidence. But! You can't come off as a smug trainer either, you've got to walk the tightrope between the two."

"You're asking a lot out of me."

"You didn't actually think we were actually going to let you go through this without practicing, right? We'll get you ready for this, don't worry. If you mess up, I'll be the one on the hook, so your relationship with the company will be safe."

"That just makes me feel a lot more pressure. I don't want to mess up if your job is on the line."

"Eh, I'm not nervous about it, so you shouldn't be. Just relax, alright? The first one's always the most nerve-wracking, but after you go through one interview, you realize that it's not that bad."

"I'll trust you on that."

"Oh, and here's another point: you're amenable, but you can't get walked over either. What that means is that you'll cut the interview short after around two minutes or so. Just give some excuse about having to check your Pokemon into the Center. It works every time."

I smiled at that. It wouldn't even be a lie.

"Now, onto a less cheerful topic. How to handle yourself in case of a loss."

"I—"

"Hold on. I know you've handled losses quite well in the past, like in the battle with your friends—"

Yikes. She hadn't seen my outburst in my Pokemon Center room, that was for sure. I had been a mess for hours.

"—but it's different when interviewers will potentially try to taunt you afterward. You've got to keep your chin up and say that you fought to the best of your abilities. It's okay to be disappointed, but you'll have to appear calm and levelheaded. There isn't really a way to practice that, so you'll be on your own."

"Come on, have some faith in me. Maybe I'll win the whole thing," I said, trying to raise the mood.

"The Poketch Company has full belief in your capabilities, but don't worry if you don't make it to the top ten. There are…" she trailed off, and I heard her type. "There's a cap of 1024 participants, and they're well on their way to filling that out. Even the top fifty would be good enough."

"I'll make it to the top ten," I said.

"Well, a little bit of confidence never hurt anyone," she said. "Are you free right now? We can fill in a few hours of practice if you want. Usually, we'd have set up a schedule, but I know how hard it is to get a hold of trainers."

"Now's fine," I said. She started a video call.

"Okay, I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer them."

Melody coughed, clearing her throat, and started again.

"Ms. Pastel! Ms. Pastel! A moment of your time, please!"

"Yes…?"

"No, see, that yes has to be firmer. You were frowning— don't frown. You forgot to smile, too. You've got to relax your shoulders, you look too tense."

"I didn't even know it started yet!"

"The interview starts as soon as you look at the camera, Grace," Melody smiled. "Let's start over."

These were going to be a long few hours.

—

Arceus, I was tired. Melody had put me through the wringer with her constant, irritating questions, and I wasn't even close to being up to par. We were going to have a session once per day until my match, which I already dreaded, but suffering now would be better than potentially humiliating the Poketch Company. Thankfully, I was done for the day, and now I was completely free. There were a few things I could try to do.

Reviewing my battle with Fantina was an option, but I could also try to see if my Pokemon were healed to go and train. There was Cecilia's warning to worry about, but I would rather have trained and get spied on than battle without any kind of strategy in place. I was going in blind with my opponents, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to at least have a modicum of strategizing with my Pokemon. I opted for the second option, and thankfully, my Pokemon were all healed. I also used the opportunity to also ask Nurse Joy about telepathy, and while strong reactions like mine weren't too common, there was nothing to worry about besides the excruciating pain, so that was… nice? I opened my Poketch to check what everyone was doing, and they were mostly out training in different corners of Solaceon. Denzel supposedly had something to show all of us later too, but that could wait, and Cecilia had texted us about stocking back up on potions.

Still no message from Lauren.

The best spot to train would be somewhere outside, but the best spot to strategize was actually back in my room. There was no way for anyone to spy on us there if I closed the curtains. My opponent would most likely be someone I had never heard of, but if I could build pairs and talk my team through what we were going to do, the battle would probably go a lot smoother.

Plus, they had already learned all of their new moves anyway, and I could always go out at night, when there'd be fewer people around. I re-entered my room and released the entire team except Sunshine for obvious reasons. They barely all fit in the Center room at this point, and it'd be even worse when everyone was fully evolved. I had kind of chosen a team full of Pokemon that would end up way bigger than me.

My Pokemon each greeted me with their respective cries, and Togetic clingingly flew into my arms. I greeted them in return, petting and hugging each one in return.

"The tournament is in five and a half days," I grinned. "Just like I said, it'll be double battles. That means that you'll have to fight with one another against our opponents."

The entire team looked at me excitedly, except Buddy, who couldn't care less about fighting for sport. Still, I knew he'd give it his best, so I wasn't worried.

"The first two of you that I send out will be the most important part of the battle. You need to have good synergy, since you'll be fighting in pairs. Here's what I was thinking…"

The first, most threatening pair I could think of was Togetic and Tangrowth. Using his Sunny Day, Chlorophyll and brute force combined with support from the air from Princess, I figured that this would be an incredibly hard duo to counter unless the enemy sported an impressive fire type. Poison could be a problem too, but I trusted Togetic was good enough to counter the worse of it with Psychic or Ancient Power while Tangrowth did the heavy lifting.

Not that she was just support. She could pull her own weight too. I reckoned that I'd keep this one shelved for now.

And the reason for that was because I wanted to battle with Sweetheart. She was still the weakest of the group, but it wasn't actually because she lacked in power. It was due to her lack of experience, and that was my fault. I had kind of babied her a whole lot, only fighting easy battles on route 207. Now, I was hoping to let her reach her full potential, which was why I wanted my first battle to begin with her and Tangrowth. I had considered Electabuzz, but Angel would be better at keeping opponents locked down if they proved to be too much for Sweetheart.

Electabuzz and Jellicent was another pair I'd workshopped, and it was thanks to a single technique I was thinking of using. It was simple, as far as combinations went. Brine was Buddy's most powerful water type move, and it was capable of flooding the field if it went on for long enough. I had even tested it with Cecilia's help using a mini barrier created by Slowking. Kadabra's barrier would act as a container for the water, and it'd be enough for any opponents to be ankle-deep in it.

Or something else, if they didn't have ankles.

Then, Honey would come in with a Thunderbolt, electrocuting both opponents. It was his strongest electric type attack— stronger than even Discharge, so I wanted to abuse it as much as possible.

The last powerful pair I had thought of was Jellicent and Tangrowth, although that would probably only be used if I needed some serious firepower to win. Togetic's help would severely be missed here, and without her ability to affect the field, it'd be a cage match to see who knocked who out first. There was a lot of uncertainty in that.

After explaining everything to the team, I let them lounge and relax for a bit. Togetic practiced her psychic on a pillow, and she was getting really good at it. I simply browsed the internet for a while and chatted one-on-one with Emi on the phone to see if she didn't feel lonely. She missed us, but she was doing well. Apparently her channel had taken off after she had started reporting on corruption in the coordinator industry. There were only four videos up right now, but she already had twenty-thousand subscribers. With Vincent's excellent editing, she was doing very well.

Vincent was actually getting most of the video revenue, since he was involved in a lot of the research and again, did all of the editing, so it was starting to become a job for him. As the sun started to set, I finally got a message from Lauren.

Lauren G.

Meet me. Bring your two friends.

What? Meet her where? By two friends, I assumed that she meant Cecilia and Denzel.

Me

Which Pokemon Center are you staying at?

Lauren G.

576 Hunter Lane.

I inputted the address into my phone and then frowned.

Me

That's not a Pokemon Center, that's the tournament building.

Lauren G.

Yes. Meet me there.

Me

Uh, k. By friends, you mean Cecilia and Denzel, right?

She didn't bother answering and just used a thumbs-up reaction instead. It was time to rip off the bandaid and tell the others that I had met Craig's sister in secret. I didn't really think that they'd mind when I explained that she was shy.

Actually, she wasn't shy. She was more of a loner by choice.

Things worked out perfectly, since Denzel was already back and Cecilia was on her way. I called them over to my room, and while we waited for Cece, Denzel showed me his phone.

"Check it out. Some guy on the forum did an exposé on all of our teams. Well, all of us and Craig's sister. It's really good."

"I have something to tell you about her, actually."

He handed me his phone and I was surprised to see that Goalducc was a competent analyst. He didn't meander much and went straight to the point, identifying strengths and weaknesses. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that he'd gotten Jellicent's ability wrong due to my mistake during my fight with Candice, though. And obviously, he didn't know about Denzel's Milotic or Cecilia's Golett. I had an inkling that she was planning on using him for the first few matches. Lauren had apparently caught her sixth, a powerful Rhydon that didn't listen to what she said, and all in all was probably her easiest Pokemon to deal with along with Lairon. The rest of her team looked as threatening as I expected, but Duosion being able to use two Psychics at once was what worried me the most. Barry Lane's name did catch my eye, however. It was the name of the trainer I couldn't place back when I had thought about his father Palmer in Mount Coronet. Apparently, he was a threat to keep track of. I'd look him up when this entire tournament ordeal was done. Right now, it was better to keep my head in the game.

"He's good," I nodded, giving him back his phone.

"Right? Finally, someone who isn't mean about it too. I followed him, and I think you should do the same."

"Eh, not that much of a—" I stopped. The Poketch Company was going to make me use the forums at some point anyway. "Fine. Goalducc…42."

I typed his name on my phone and gave him a follow.

"You're probably making his day. He was so happy when I replied to his thread that I could feel it through the screen."

"Did you send it to the others?"

"Just Cece and Mira," he shrugged. "I don't want the people who weren't included to feel bad."

"Fair enough. Any spies out there?" I teased.

"Yeah, actually, it was annoying as hell. I couldn't train Milotic at all today," Denzel sighed. "But whatever. I'll figure something out by tomorrow. If I don't, I'll ignore them and just reveal him to everybody in a livestream. Might as well make some content out of it and make some cash."

"Always on that grindset, aren't ya?"

He looked at me disappointedly. "Never say that again."

"Yeah, I knew it was wrong as soon as it came out of my mouth—"

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Ah, Cece's there," I said, shooting up. I released Togetic and opened the door, holding my breath.

It was her.

If I ever became the Champion, I'd have them install peepholes on every door.

She greeted me with a kiss that lingered longer than usual, and she had a very satisfied look on her face.

"Looks like you've figured something out," I smiled.

"Yes," she simply said. "And I also had quite a lot of fun chasing away spy Pokemon."

"You're not allowed to hit them," Denzel teased.

"I did not," she rolled her eyes. "I simply scared them away, that's all. I've had plenty of people do it to Fletchinder."

"Maybe I should just chase them away too. Sylvi could be good at that."

"Oh right, you're spying too," I said. "Anyway, what I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, okay? Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

"Thank you for preemptively saying that," Cece said.

"Remember Craig's sister? Lauren?"

"Yeah, she's here. She's been hanging around the Hunters' place a whole bunch, battling trainers to practice. It looks like she doesn't care about secrecy anymore," Denzel said.

"That's because she's got those custom moves she's hiding, right?" I said. "Probably lures people into a false sense of security— anyway! I met her in Hearthome once, and she also came to see our gym battles. She wants to meet us, like, right now."

Denzel's mouth gaped. "You met her and you didn't say anything? Damn it, I'm so jealous…"

"Don't let Pauline hear that," Cecilia laughed.

"Pauline and I are just friends."

"Of course."

I sighed in relief. I almost thought that Cecilia would be jealous or something, but I was glad that she wasn't. If the situation was reversed... I might have been just a little bit. Not to Pauline's level, though.

"She's hanging out at the tournament building. The one where we signed up. I don't know what she wants to talk about. She's not very vocal."

"Well, let's get going then," Denzel exclaimed. "I already want to ask her so much stuff about her battling—"

"Did you not hear what I said?" I sighed. "Not. Vocal. Don't overwhelm her with your… extrovertedness."

"Ugh, okay."

"And remember, she isn't her brother," Cecilia added.

Right, she probably knew a thing or two about being compared to a sibling. After telling our friends what was going on, we quickly made our way toward the Hunter residence. In Solaceon, quickly meant twenty minutes. Lauren wasn't difficult to find. Her hair was so dark that it actually stood out in a crowd. She still had her Duosion worryingly floating over her head, possibly talking to her while she was listening to music on her phone. The psychic type noticed us and started panicking in its goo, moving around wildly. Lauren stared up from her phone, pushed up her glasses, and then looked directly at us. We waved.

She didn't wave back.

 

[veekie]

Arceus, I was tired. Melody had put me through the wringer with her constant, irritating questions, and I wasn't even close to being up to par. We were going to have a session once per day until my match, which I already dreaded, but suffering now would be better than potentially humiliating the Poketch Company

Click to shrink...

...just treat the media like a battle and analyze them the same way!

 

[Jyn Ryvia]

...just treat the media like a battle and analyze them the same way!

Click to shrink...

… doesn't Grace get the crazy eye when she does that?

 

[veekie]

… doesn't Grace get the crazy eye when she does that?

Click to shrink...

It looks better if you smile!

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 144

"Hi Lauren. Nice to see you again," I smiled. Duosion waved at me with its stubby little arms, and it seemed to speak to her.

"Hello. My name is Lauren Goodwill," she quietly said, introducing herself to the others. She always spoke with a whisper. "No relation to Craig Goodwill."

Such a brazen-faced lie! I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, awaiting my friends' reactions.

"Of course," Cecilia said. "Just a coincidence, I'm sure."

"Uh… sure?" Denzel frowned.

"I'm glad you called us over," I said. "Do you want to hang out with us? We can grab a bite or a drink somewhere."

"Aw man, I heard of this awesome spot on route 210 that sells the best Moomoo milk. It's a bit of a walk, though," Denzel said.

"Moomoo milk is disgusting," I grimaced.

"That's why you're so short."

"Shut it!" I pushed him, eliciting an obnoxious laugh. "Sorry Lauren, go ahead," I said, dipping my head slightly.

"No, I didn't call you over to do that—" she suddenly stopped as her Pokemon wriggled. "I'm okay, Sirris… stop bossing me around."

The Duosion recoiled in its goo. Sirris was its name, huh? It looked like she was nicknaming her team just like her brother. Slowking observed the Pokemon with usual amusement. He was our only Pokemon out at the moment.

"I saw all of your battles against Fantina, and I was also there during your double battle with your friend Chase… I think you guys are good, but I want to push my limits. Grace, I heard that your Turtonator was the real deal," she said, staring at my burns. "I want to battle it. I get four Pokemon to make it fair and no switches… I'll use my Magmar, Seismitoad, Rhydon, and Sceptile. What do you say?"

If I'd been drinking something, I would have spat all over her face.

"Err, thanks for asking, but that's unfortunately impossible," I awkwardly said. "Sunsh— Turtonator's a bit of a grouch who doesn't battle, but when he does, I mean, he's way too powerful. Rhydon would probably be fine, but I don't even think your Seismitoad would be able to handle the heat, let alone us. Not without a psychic barrier to help."

"They've got a bunch set up for trainers to practice battling," she shrugged. "But it's okay, I guess…"

She didn't look okay whatsoever. In fact, this was the most emotion I'd seen on her face when meeting her. Her eyes were downcast, and she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, if you want, I'll battle you!" Denzel exclaimed. "My Froslass could use some practice."

"I'm not in the mood anymore," she sighed.

Denzel's shoulders slouched.

"We can still get to know each other, right?" Cecilia smiled. "Better do it now while the brackets aren't announced and people aren't going too crazy."

Lauren paused. "Sirris tells me that it's a good idea, so I'll come."

I tapped a finger against my chin and watched the Duosion happily bob in its goo. It seemed that it was some sort of guiding figure for her like Riolu was to Chase, except that she had caught it relatively recently instead of knowing it her entire life. Still, I couldn't judge, and it looked like the psychic had her best in mind.

"Alright, I guess we can go grab some food, I'm starving," I complained.

"When are you not starving?" Denzel teased.

"Plenty of times, but a girl's gotta eat! Plus, I got raked over the coals by my sponsorship liaison since I have to practice taking interviews."

"Oh shit, can you give me some tips on that? I was going to take some too, but I'm going in blind and you probably have more media literacy than me by now. I'd appreciate the help. Can't fumble and ruin my brand."

"I'll send you the gist of it later."

"Text isn't enough, I need to see it."

"Ugh, fine," I groaned. "Come see me later tonight."

"The fact that you're doing interviews surprises me…" Lauren trailed off. "When my brother sent me stuff about you, he said you were just like me. I guess that was another one of his lies."

I held back a wince. Poor Craig really wasn't getting any points with his sister.

"I thought you weren't related to Craig," Denzel joked.

"I wish. That was just a joke."

That actually got his attention, and he kept going. "You seem to dislike him a whole lot."

"He babies me too much and keeps trying to help me. That takes away from my own success. I work hard, but people keep saying that it's unfair that I'm doing well for myself. The further away he stays from me, the better."

So it was what I expected, then. To be honest, it sucked for Craig, but he should probably have gotten the picture by now. I felt that if he gave her some space, then she'd slowly start opening up to him.

"I understand that completely," Cecilia nodded.

"I know a bit about you. Your brother is Unova's Champion, right? You probably have it even worse than I do, sorry for complaining…"

"It doesn't bother me much. I tend to ignore the noise."

"I still don't know how you manage that," I said.

We entered a local restaurant close to the Pokemon Center Lauren was staying at, which was different than ours. I looked the menu over a few times and decided to order some chicken fingers, which Cecilia and Denzel relentlessly made fun of me for. Obviously it wasn't just for kids, or it wouldn't be on the damned normal menu. The others all took complicated and fancy meals. I hadn't expected Solaceon to have such a high-profile restaurant.

"So, Lauren. Why don't we talk about our teams?" I asked. Couldn't go wrong with talking about Pokemon to a fellow trainer.

She showed a hint of a smile. "Who should go first?"

"I guess I will, since I suggested it," I said. I proceeded to explain how dad had suddenly brought a Togepi egg one day, and that unexpectedly started my path to becoming a trainer. If Princess hadn't been there, I doubt that I would ever have become one.

Denzel told her about how he rescued his Sylveon as an Eevee and nursed him back to health, while Cecilia explained that her Zweilous was the child of her brother's Hydreigon. I was surprised that Lauren didn't seem even a bit miffed at that. I thought that she'd think that Cecilia should have done everything on her own like she was. Granted, I'd had ten counters ready to defend her. We proceeded to go over how we caught each one of our Pokemon, reminiscing about old times, and I finally learned that Cecilia caught Slowking in the lake north of Jubilife before heading to Oreburgh.

"My first Pokemon was Volis, my Sceptile. He was a gift from my brother. The only one I ever got. He's from the Daycare here, actually…"

Oh. That made a lot more sense.

"They do breed wonderful Pokemon," Cecilia nodded. "We have a friend with a Vulpix from there."

"He's outgoing and always there to cheer the team up, but he hates my Magmar— Mags. He's aggressive all the time, and he's annoying to take care of, but he's a good guy. I caught him near Canalave as a Magby, and he burned my legs."

She lifted her pants to show us, and we dipped our heads under the table. Those looked pretty bad and stretched across both of her tibias. The ones on the right leg were worse, stretching up further until we couldn't see. That must have hurt. It was interesting that she owned a Magmar, though. He was Electabuzz's counterpart, and both of their evolution methods were secret. Hoarded like gold by a few trainers at the top. I knew that Flint from the Elite Four owned a Magmortar, but speaking to an Elite Four member was exponentially harder than speaking to a gym leader, so she would probably have to figure out the evolution method on her own or get good enough to have connections with people high up at the League.

Still, I figured it would maybe make for a nice rivalry if the two ever fought.

"As long as he can burn things, he's happy. That's easy to understand, so I like that. Byron was my first gym badge, and Volis and Mags made quick work of him."

"So you come from Canalave?" I asked. I had never asked where Craig was from and never bothered to look it up, so this was new to me.

Lauren nodded. "When I easily won, people started to talk about my brother helping me. Since Craig's first ever gym battle had been against Byron too, he gave me a bunch of tips about how he fought and the Pokemon he used at that level, so they weren't exactly wrong. I told him to stop, but he keeps trying to help to this day. At least he backed off a bit recently…"

"Yeah…" Denzel said. He was probably thinking about the fact that Craig wanted us to help her instead of him.

"Anyway, I went to Oreburgh next and caught Defiant in the mines there. He's my Lairon. He pulled his weight a lot during that fight," she smiled. "He's the only one Mags gets along with, and they like to spar a lot. Mags's been outgrowing him a lot recently though, so he's been a bit irritated. On the way back to Jubilife, I caught Sirris. He's my best friend," Lauren said fondly.

"Aww," I said.

"He's always there to support me, I don't know what I'd do without him. He runs my finances too, so I don't have to worry about money. He even answers my emails."

Cecilia frowned. "How? He can't really… type."

"He uses his psychic powers to push down on the keyboard. He types faster than any human I've ever seen."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense."

"You aren't sponsored by anyone, right?" Denzel asked.

"No, and I don't plan on doing so. I want to reach the Conference without any sponsorships at least once. Maybe next year will be different."

"Sounds like Chase," Cecilia laughed.

"Your friend is scary… I don't want to meet him. Sirris told me that he looked like bad news."

"He grows on you. I don't think you'll be able to meet, since he's got to get ready to leave soon."

"Oh, I thought he'd be participating…"

"No, he's got stuff to do, can't stay here for too long," I vaguely explained.

"Okay, well good for me, I guess. I caught my Seismitoad, Prime, next to the river that runs east of Floaroma. She's a little reserved, but she enjoys sparring a whole lot too. She helps keep Mags under control, but he hates fighting her because she's got the type advantage."

"Your Magmar kind of reminds me of Louis' Gible," Denzel noticed.

"Dragons are overrated," Lauren said with unusual confidence. "Sorry… um, ignore that. After that, I went a long while without catching anything else. I considered catching a grass type in Eterna Forest, but none of them appealed to me. I traveled through there alone too, and there were a few close calls."

My eyes bulged. "Alone?!"

Even with the Pokemon I had now, I wouldn't feel confident going through the forest alone. The Pokemon there were probably almost all weaker than what I had at this point except at the center of the forest, but one Poison Sting was all it took. One mistake, and I'd be dead. I wasn't going to take those odds unless I absolutely had to.

"Yes? I didn't really know how to ask for help."

Denzel facepalmed. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I was fine. I beat Gardenia easily in Eterna. After I beat her Lombre with Volis, Mags almost completely swept her team by standing around and burning things."

I repressed the primal need to defend Gardenia and let her keep going.

"It wasn't until I came across my Rhydon— Paragon— in the middle of Mount Coronet that I knew I what I wanted. It took my entire team to hurt him enough to catch, and I almost died in the process," she said.

It was only now that I noticed a huge scar running across her shoulder, barely hidden by her shirt. Her coat had hidden it back in Hearthome.

"I can see you want to ask. I took a shard of Stone Edge to the shoulder. If it had been the full attack, I would have died. Paragon's a bit of a special case, since he doesn't really listen to me and just does what he wants. He doesn't really talk to anyone on the team, but Sirris tries to keep him company from time to time. Still, even though he's kind of dumb, he's also really strong… slightly weaker than your Turtonator, if I had to guess," she nodded toward me. "I still think he'd lose handily one-on-one though, which is why I wanted a four-on-one."

Wow, that was a lot stronger than I expected. I'd need to figure out how to take this thing down if I wanted to win. The table went silent, and we were probably all thinking about the same thing. If he was dumb, it was doable… she'd given us a lot of insight into her team, for someone as secretive as she was. I was starting to wonder if the secrecy was more of something that she just preferred because she disliked people instead of a genuine attempt at keeping her team and moves secret. She didn't seem to care at all about the latter.

We finished our food, and Lauren left us to go battle other trainers. She seemed to love doing that even when she utterly crushed the competition. I didn't really see the point in a battle if it was that lopsided, so I preferred to train my team on my own, but maybe I could find a few four or five-badge holders here to practice… but it'd be wiser to wait for my first few matches. I still had a few things to hide.

"I guess she doesn't care about secrecy at all," Denzel enunciated my thoughts as we looked at Lauren growing smaller and smaller on the horizon. "She's a lot different than I thought she was, but she's cool."

"She probably thinks that with the strength behind her Pokemon, it doesn't matter," Cecilia said. "That Rhydon will be an issue."

"And there are the custom moves to worry about. We've got our work cut out for us," I said.

"Training it is, then," Denzel smiled.

We all laughed, and then decided to split up. Before going off to train, I went back to my Center Room to grab my laptop and downloaded the video of my battle against Fantina so I could finally get the autopsy done. I went off to a secluded wooded area that I had no doubt people were observing and released my entire team, including Turtonator for intimidation purposes. I had them work on moves that the public knew I owned while I opened my computer with a sigh. There was literally a Ducklett just staring at me from afar, and a Trumbeak flying overhead. They weren't being discreet about this at all.

I wasn't used to being studied, I usually did the studying. I ignored them and started to play the video of my gym battle. There were a few mistakes here and there that I easily caught. My reaction time when I didn't expect something left a lot to be desired, even if I had improved a whole lot, but aside from that? There were no glaring issues that I could see. The old me would have lost to that Haunter splitting in two I would have tunnel visioned and not switched because I had come up with the Wish plan and I would have been desperate to make it work. I also might have panicked when Doublade revealed Swords Dance. There was real improvement here, and I was glad that I could see it on screen. It wasn't subtle at all.

Looking at myself, I hadn't even been trembling or anything during the battle. I'd just been focused. I was sitting completely still and just staring at the battle and Fantina, barely blinking. I had failed to read the gym leader much, unfortunately, but other than that, I had been in top condition.

I stared up as Turtonator angrily blew a stream of flames toward the unsuspecting Ducklett, who flew away in fear. Jellicent quickly extinguished the burning underbrush and angrily boomed at Sunshine, who just snorted and went back to sleep.

"Don't attack things," I warned. "I know you were holding back, but hurting a trainer's Pokemon is past what we're allowed to do."

His nose angrily flared.

Well, I was a literal child ordering him around, so that made sense. He was kind of cute when he was mad. Not that I'd ever tell him that.

"Yeah, I know you don't like to be bound by rules, but it's just how this works, so cooperate with me here. Call it a favor? I'll owe you later."

The fire type curiously peered at me with the smuggest smile I'd ever seen, and Princess angrily chided him. Electabuzz calmed her down quickly enough, but Sunshine just ignored her and kept speaking to me.

"You want me to stop talking? Alright, fine. I won't annoy you with any more stories today, and you let the Pokemon here spy in peace. It's not like we have anything to hide."

I had said that final part intentionally, hoping to fool some into believing that all of the information on my team was already available online if they looked hard enough. Turtonator lay back down, seemingly satisfied with his bargain, and I just rolled my eyes at him. He was such a diva.

Back to the battle it was. Like I had said, I had been completely focused like never before, like the world around me simply didn't exist. Every decision I had taken had been at least somewhat correct, and there were no glaring mistakes.

So how could I replicate this?

Being completely prepared was certainly a part of it, but that wasn't it. I stayed deep in thought for at least ten minutes trying to think of what had been different, and I finally got it just as I won the battle on the video, funnily enough. Princess' Ancient Power sure made me proud every time I saw it.

My battle with Fantina was simply the first battle where I had come in with expectations that things would go horribly wrong at some point. Sure, in all of the others, I had thought that there might have been some deviations, but never bad ones, so I had always been caught off guard when they did come. If I expected things to go wrong, then I couldn't get tripped up.

It was kind of related to what I had done against Candice too. With her, I had changed the pace of the battle rapidly to catch her off-guard and affect her judgment, so why wouldn't it work on me? If my mind was already ready to counter bullshit, then I'd do it quicker than if it wasn't.

"Note to self, always expect things to go to shit," I whispered.

If it didn't, then great, but if it did, I would be prepared. I started playing back the video with Fantina again, and did so until nighttime in between helping my Pokemon out with their training. Princess had almost mastered the spear. Almost. When I got back, I helped Denzel like Melody had helped me, but it felt a little weird to act like an expert in media when I had gotten just a few hours of help. I was a novice at this, just like him. Still, it brought me back to the Floaroma tournament, where Denzel had helped me escape from a few small-time reporters trying to interview me.

I'd come far, but I would go further still.

—

Three days later, the brackets were announced, and I would actually have the earliest battle of the group. Mira and Denzel were fighting on the same day as I was, but the rest were all fighting tomorrow. My opponent was named Kyle Thornton, a three-badge holder from Sunyshore with a Watchog, a Gogoat, a Kricketune and a Probopass, and unlike me, he was a second-year. It was surprising to see someone in their second year with only four Pokemon, but I had to remember that I was the exception in that regard, not the rule. People usually took multiple years to fill their roster completely, since they opted to focus on training a few Pokemon to beat the early gyms consistently instead of overextending themselves.

Honestly? I was confident, and this was a perfect opponent for Sweetheart to battle with Angel. I had to physically stop myself from looking up more information, like moves, fighting style or abilities. It felt fundamentally wrong not to research more in-depth, but I was committed to doing this, at least for the early rounds. One of the good things about knowing his team was that I knew that he had nothing to spy on me unless he'd caught something in between Veilstone and Solaceon, so I was freer to train openly. I spent the next two days perfecting my team's new moves and working exclusively on their teamwork.

Finally, the day of the tournament had come.

---

A/N: Again, all teams in the tournament are made my members of my Discord. I will credit them after each fight unless they explicitly ask me not to.

 

[veekie]

"Plenty of times, but a girl's gotta eat! Plus, I got raked over the coals by my sponsorship liaison since I have to practice taking interviews."

"Oh shit, can you give me some tips on that? I was going to take some too, but I'm going in blind and you probably have more media literacy than me by now. I'd appreciate the help. Can't fumble and ruin my brand."

"I'll send you the gist of it later."

"Text isn't enough, I need to see it."

"Ugh, fine," I groaned. "Come see me later tonight."

"The fact that you're doing interviews surprises me…" Lauren trailed off. "When my brother sent me stuff about you, he said you were just like me. I guess that was another one of his lies."

Click to shrink...

Grace used a TM!
She learned Interview!

 

[Great Greedy Guts]

Grace used a TM!
She learned Interview!

Click to shrink...

I think it's more of a Move Tutor situation, really...

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 145

"Damn it, of course I'd have to face her first."

Kyle Thornton grumbled as he slowly shambled his way to his arena. He stared at his opponent, who didn't even spare him a single look as he approached. Grace Pastel had been called many things. A rising star, a prodigy, the next Gardenia, and it looked like she had the ego to back it up too. What kind of trainer didn't even look at their opponent? Not even a small nod? A set of bleachers had been set up all along the battlefield that the organizers had set up, and there would be five battles running at the same time. The other four battlefields were interspersed all over the Hunters' land, so it was impossible to watch multiple at the same time. It gave the trainers spectating a sense of choice and agency. They had to choose which battle to look at and sacrifice potentially studying another trainer to do so. Kyle felt sad that he wouldn't go far enough to battle with commentators though. It had been his dream ever since he'd been a child to have a Pokemon battle caster gush over something he'd done.

The fact that he'd be fighting Grace Pastel had come as a terrifying surprise, and he had panicked so much that he'd spent a good chunk of his savings on buying information about her from a trainer with two Cutiefly that he used to spy on people. He wasn't even in the tournament, he was just here to make money.

Two hours after that, Kyle had realized that he had simply copied an analysis from a user called Goalducc42 on the forums. So much money wasted. He was a second year, yet he'd been fleeced like a rookie desperately trying to get their first badge.

The man ran a nervous, trembling hand through his hair.

The rational part of Kyle told him that there was no way to win this, but he sure as hell wouldn't give up. He stepped onto the raised platform, grabbing two of his Pokeballs. Grace Pastel supposedly knew every trick he could employ, but what else could he do but try? Watchog would be instrumental here. These arenas were smaller than a gym's, so his incredible range with Hypnosis meant that he'd be able to use the move without even approaching his opponents. Even though it'd take around ten seconds to go off at that distance, his range meant that it was enough time. Meanwhile, Probopass would protect him and buy the normal type enough time to get the attack off.

Further than that? Well, he was no savant. There was no way to plan that far ahead. They'd be fighting on the Rock Field, which was reminiscent of Roark's gym and was ideal for his Probopass.

"This is a battle between Grace Pastel and Kyle Thornton. Trainers, send out your Pokemon," The supervisor called out.

Kyle swallowed and nervously sent out Watchog and Probopass. His opponent sent out a Larvitar and that Arceus damned Tangrowth. He knew that if he didn't focus on the looming grass type, this would be a guaranteed loss. Kyle's Pokemon watched warily as Larvitar let out an excited yell and Tangrowth caressed her head with a vine.

"Begin!"

"Sunny Day," the blonde simply said.

Tangrowth closed its eyes, and the sunlight slowly began to grow harsher. That hadn't been in the information he'd gotten! Kyle snapped back to reality and swept his arm.

"Hypnosis the Tangrowth! Probopass, Lock-On and Power Gem Larvitar!"

Watchog's eyes shone, and he stared down the Tangrowth directly. Grace Pastel frowned as Probopass' eyes narrowed and blinding lights shot out of his turrets, all curving toward Larvitar.

"Block it with Rockslide, Sweetheart! Stop the Watchog too!"

A massive boulder next to Larvitar crumpled and moved in front of the rock type like a tidal wave. The Power Gem simply deflected off of the rocks. Meanwhile, another Rock Slide washed over Watchog, interrupting his Hypnosis right as it was about to go off. How could Larvitar control that many at the same time?! Tangrowth snapped back to reality and finished his Sunny Day.

"Now get in there and Power Whip. Leave Watchog to your sister."

Tangrowth took a single step.

And then ran forward, propelling itself with his vines as fast as a truck. It was harrowingly silent, not letting a single noise escape from wherever its mouth was. There was only the sound of its heavy steps and its vines whipping against the floor. There was no stopping this thing. All he could do was hope for—

Damn it, it was already here!

"Confuse R—"

Tangrowth wrapped a vine around Watchog and threw him back towards Larvitar, who had just been patiently standing around like a kid waiting for fucking candy. The grass type then proceeded to completely dominate his Probopass. Kyle called out for a Thunder Wave, but the Power Whips were too quick and powerful for the steel type to focus on striking back. Watchog shook himself off and got up just in time for Larvitar to run him through with a Horn Attack. It pushed the normal type up to Kadabra's barrier with jubilant screams while Kyle could only watch in horror as his starter failed to even fight back. With the way he was pinned against the wall, there was no way for Watchog to even use any moves.

Kyle watched as Tangrowth calmly slammed Probopass with one last Power Whip, and the rock type stayed unmoving on the floor. Its vines all wriggled as one, working in unison like a school of Remoraid, and he blankly stared directly into Kyle's eyes. The trainer shivered in fear as he grabbed Probopass' Pokeball.

"Keep it up Angel!" Grace smiled. How could someone smile at such violence? His Probopass was more wounded than it had ever been!

Kyle recalled his Pokemon and immediately sent out his Kricketune.

"Sing!" He yelled. If he couldn't get this Tangrowth out of the picture, then it was over. Kricketune strimmed his knifelike arms against the string on his belly, but Tangrowth again just slapped him around like a damn toy, not even bothering to use a move. On the other side of the arena, Watchog was still being pinned.

"Stop playing around and get serious," Grace told her Larvitar.

The rock type grunted and let Watchog go, her horn soaked in blood. This was his moment! She'd grown cocky! Enough with the status moves, he had to go on the offensive! One Pokemon. He'd at least take down one!

"Smack Down!" She yelled.

"Detect!"

Watchog blurred impossibly quickly, dodging the blindingly fast rock that shot up from the ground like a bullet. He didn't avoid the fragments however, and like shrapnel, they tore through Watchog's body.

"Crunch and finish it off."

With a twisted smirk, Larvitar opened its mouth, revealing the darkness festering within. Already bloodied and battered, Watchog was too exhausted to even use another Detect. The rock type tore across his thigh, and Kyle recalled him, putting his Pokemon out of the fight.

Such brutality. Nothing was working. It was like he was being dissected.

Kyle felt empty as he sent out his Gogoat just in time for Kricketune to have fallen. The bug type was simply broken. His arms were bent the wrong way, and his body was crumpled like an old wrinkled shirt. He recalled him as well.

"Aerial Ace the Tangrowth!" Kyle screamed. And yet, his voice felt felt hollow.

Gogoat bleated and started running, slowly building up his speed as streaks of air surrounded his body. If he could get one hit in at least…

"Block it with Ancient Power."

Tangrowth quickly raised a boulder in front of itself, and Gogoat crashed into it head-on.

"Let Sweetheart deal with it," she continued.

Kyle dejectedly stared as eight vines snaked around the Ancient Power to grab his Gogoat. She was going to throw him toward Larvitar again instead of finishing him off with that monstrous Tangrowth! Kyle clicked his tongue and restrained a curse. She was just toying with him! That sadistic bitch!

"Seed Bomb!"

Tangrowth threw the grass type toward his ally, but two seeds fell onto him, blowing up on contact. Tangrowth simply shrugged them off and observed what Larvitar was going to do with a curious eye. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. At least he'd landed a hit. Two hits. Larvitar ran forward and stabbed Gogoat's flank with Horn Attack before he could even get up.

"No stabbing. Use Rock Slide," Grace scolded.

The ground type grunted, opting to bury Gogoat in a sea of rocks instead. Every time he tiringly managed to climb his way out of them, another layer smothered him, hitting him hard in the head every single time. The grass type was bleeding profusely from his head, soaking the rocks in scarlet red, and looked like he couldn't even think properly any longer.

There was no point to this, was there?

"I forfeit," Kyle sighed, recalling his Pokemon. His shoulders sagged, and he clenched his fist around Gogoat's Pokeball. He knew there was no way he could have won the tournament, but he would have liked to make it to the top two hundred, at the very least. And yet here he was, losing on his first round.

That was the luck of the draw.

"Victory to Grace Pastel. Trainers, please step out of the arena."

Larvitar happily stomped on the floor. Tangrowth ran back toward her, then lifted her in the air to celebrate. Grace let them have their moment, but recalled them after a few seconds with a satisfied smile on her face. It was like she'd known everything about him during the fight. How else would she have known about Hypnosis' range? At least Kyle could rest easy knowing that he'd been worth researching for a generational talent.

"Good battle," she said before leaving.

Good battle?! He snapped his head toward her. Was she making fun of him?!

Was it not enough for her to be so Arceus damned talented?! She had to rub it in too, twist the knife and pour salt onto the wound! He wanted to call out to her, berate her for being one of the rudest trainers he'd ever faced, but she was already gone.

Maybe his family was right, and he wasn't cut out for this.

—

Oh man, that had been nerve-wracking. My hands were still shaking, my body felt hot.

All things considered, that had gone pretty well, but the battle itself had been sloppy, like I was still finding my footing. If I hadn't stopped that Hypnosis, things could have gotten ugly. Watchog and Probopass would have ganged up on Sweetheart, and she could have lost, which would have been so horrible for her self-confidence that she probably would have destroyed everything around her with Stomping Tantrum after being healed. Coming into a battle with so many unknowns had been terrifying, but I still wanted to do it at least one more time before I started to get serious. Larvitar's Rock Slides had been excellent, and so had Tangrowth's Sunny Day. I needed Sweetheart to stop using Horn Attack so much, though. Stabbing things might have been fun, but blunt trauma was a lot better at taking Pokemon down quickly when they weren't covered in armor. Maybe Princess had rubbed off on her too much since she kept showing off her Ancient Power spear and bragging about it like there was no tomorrow.

If I was being honest, Angel had gone ham too, and all of his Pokemon would probably have to stay at the Center for multiple days. I wasn't exactly used to fighting people that much weaker than I was. I considered my reaction times to have left a lot to be desired, but Kyle's had been so bad that he just left his Pokemon wide open to counters at all times, and he tunnel-visioned hard on putting Tangrowth to sleep. It wasn't like he could have won, but he could have done better than this with the tools he had at his disposal. He could have tried everything he could to interrupt Angel from completing Sunny Day too, and then he would have been nowhere near that fast. If he had researched his use of Ancient Power properly, and from the time it took him to use the move, I figured that it'd be pretty easy to extrapolate that it needed his utmost concentration. When I'd heard that he was a second year, I'd somewhat expected a tougher battle.

It was somewhat underwhelming. Despite expecting a win, I thought I would have had to fight for it. I wanted to keep thinking about the battle, but I was already being swarmed by reporters. They all asked all kinds of questions, but I focused in on one I liked— a good trick Melody had taught me.

"Ms. Pastel, you showed the world what complete domination was like today! What do you say made the difference in your battle with Mr. Thornton today?"

Okay, now all I had to do was smile and stick to broad strokes. No need to go far into details or to be rude and say that my Pokemon were simply stronger and there wasn't much he could have done but delay the inevitable.

"Mr. Thornton focused too much on trying to put Angel to sleep to single out my Larvitar. Once that tactic didn't work, he should have tried something else. Me separating his Pokemon was the nail in the coffin, so I feel like he should have tried to find a way to regroup and have two members of his team focus on one of mine, but that would have required for him to find a way to bypass Angel's vines, which is always tough to do. I can't comment much more about what he could have done without knowing his Pokemon's moves, though."

Nice and straight to the point. Another flurry of questions erupted, but again, I singled out a single reporter.

"Excuse me, does that mean you didn't research your opponent before fighting him today? You're known to be meticulous in your research."

"I'm trying to improve, so I'm handicapping myself for a little bit and only checking out my opponents' teams," I said. "Of course, I don't expect to be able to keep doing it for the whole tournament. There are a lot of good trainers here— including Mr. Thornton— and I'd be foolish to think my skill in battle alone could carry me to first place."

That was good, right? I knew Melody and possibly a whole lot of other people from the Poketch Company were watching right now, judging every word coming out of my mouth.

"Another question here! We saw your Tangrowth throw its opponents toward Larvitar. What was that for exactly?"

"Well, since she's lacking in experience, I figured I'd let her battle as well for practice. She wouldn't have forgiven Angel if he just dealt with everything himself and hung her off to dry."

"You seem quite confident in yourself. If you go against one of your traveling companions, will you do everything in your power to figure out what they're planning?"

"Of course. But again, this was nothing personal against Mr. Thornton, I just figured that I had a good chance to win after looking at his lineup, that's all. It just as easily could have backfired on me. Now if you'll excuse me I—"

Wait, getting my team back to the Center wouldn't even work here, only Tangrowth had gotten hit, and it had barely dealt any damage.

"—I have to go to the bathroom."

I quickly dodged any more questions that made my way and went back toward the tournament building to fake going to the bathroom. I couldn't let them figure out that I was only pretending, after all. I had been a lot less nervous for interviews than I thought, and I had Melody to thank for that, but it was also because talking about Pokemon battling was a genuinely enjoyable thing for me to do. So long as I kept ignoring the nasty questions, I'd be fine, but if there came a day when only those types of questions came, then I'd start feeling the anxiety. Melody sent me a quick text telling me that I had done well, but that I needed to tone done the 'practice for Larvitar' angle because it made me seem like I was 'playing with my food', whatever that meant.

After hanging out in the bathroom for a while longer, I joined my friends who'd been waiting in the bleachers for me. Denzel was still getting ready for his battle and doing some last-minute planning, and Mira was also off training somewhere, but everyone else was here. Cecilia was the first to congratulate me.

"You were beautiful out there, love," she smiled.

"I did alright," I said with a smile of my own. "Need to improve in a lot of areas still."

"Come on, just take the win and stop humble bragging," Pauline said. "Your Tangrowth just completely manhandled everything that poor guy had on his team. I bet you could have fought one against four and still won."

"Probably not, since Kyle had Hypnosis and Sing—"

"Well, I wouldn't want to face such a thing no matter what moves I owned," Maeve shuddered. "It was my first time seeing you battle, and you're seriously scary."

"This praise is embarrassing me. When's Denzel's battle again?"

"Should be in an hour," Pauline immediately said. "Well, more like fifty-four minutes now."

"Should we go watch battles while we wait? I'd like to see what our next potential opponents could be like," Justin said.

Maeve was definitely right, though. So long as Angel had the time to pull Sunny Day off, he was nigh unstoppable by anything that wasn't a poison or fire type— or a tough, big Pokemon that he couldn't lift and hit around like a ragdoll.

"There are a lot of bets going around," Louis explained. "People are looking to make money off of the tournament."

"There was a 19:1 odd of you winning, by the way," Pauline smirked. "It was basically free money."

"You bet?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's fun. I tried to get the others to join, but they didn't want to. I made a few pennies."

"It felt disrespectful to Grace's opponent," Cecilia said. "He looked devastated when he stepped off the platform."

"What?" I said, my heart sinking. "I should find him, he wasn't bad—"

"You speaking to him would probably just worsen the problem," Justin said.

I nodded with a sigh, and we went to sit down to wait for Denzel's battle. In all of the excitement and my drive to improve, I had forgotten that I had possibly ruined someone's day. Or week. Or month? When had I gotten so big-headed? It wasn't all that long ago that I'd been battling in Eterna city's arenas and gently helping the trainers I beat to improve themselves after each loss, and instead I had just rushed to leave. Sure, the reporters were a problem, but I could have…

But then again, like Justin had said, unsolicited advice could make it look like I was just talking them down and belittling their skill.

Damn it, this was hard.

"What's Denzel fighting? And which arena?" I asked, trying to clear my head.

"The Grass Field," Pauline answered.

"It would have been funny if it was the snow one," I said, thinking of his Froslass.

Along with the Rock, the Grass and the Snow Fields, there was the Water and the Desert Field. The first three weren't that interesting, but the last two offered actual variations that could sway a battle. First, the Water Field was reminiscent of Crasher Wake's gym, and the entire battlefield would be submerged in water with a few platforms non-water types could stand on. That meant that water types would obviously be king there, and fire types would be at a serious disadvantage. However, if you had an electric type or electric type attacks, countering swimmers would be ridiculously easy unless they were part ground. Meanwhile, the Desert Field was simply odd because Sinnoh had no deserts to speak of outside of the Battle Frontier— which only eight badgers were allowed in— so our Pokemon simply weren't used to fighting on the sand. The weird footing would be a problem and create some variables that were impossible to predict. This wouldn't be like standing on a beach. The sand was deep, and there were dunes of different heights all throughout the field.

"He's fighting against a really weird guy too," Maeve said.

"He told you about it?" Pauline asked aggressively.

"Chill out, okay?" I rolled my eyes. "Sorry about her, she—"

The redhead put a hand over my mouth, and I squirmed in place until Cecilia jabbed her with a finger, finally causing her to release me.

"Don't say anything," Pauline grumbled.

Well, she was just making it obvious now. Justin uncomfortably stared away, probably desperately thinking about how Pauline would even make this work when she already had Emilia. I personally found it impossible to understand too, but I wasn't one to judge. So long as they came to an agreement before they did anything…

In retrospect, they probably were nowhere near that yet. Denzel, for all his expertise in relationship matters, seemed completely blind to it, and Pauline was content with the status quo. I had no idea if Emilia knew about it, too. Maybe I'd try to talk to Pauline about it with some help from Cece.

"Anyway!" Pauline coughed. "Go on, Maeve. I'm sorry, by the way."

"It's okay," she replied. "He's fighting some guy with a really weird team. He just owns six Smeargles."

"Six of them?" Louis scoffed. "Is he an artist, perhaps? I'd love to see what paintings they can come up with."

"No, he's just some weird roleplayer," Pauline rolled her eyes. "Calls himself and his team the 'Heroes of Justice'. He's tried to find Team Galactic grunts and fight them off, but he hasn't gotten any success at finding any so far, so he just fights petty criminals whenever he's in a city."

"Even with the weird team, he's actually good. He's got four badges, and he's still in his first year, so he must be close to you guys, or maybe even on par," Maeve said.

My interest peaked at that. Type specialists were rarer than generalists, but people that only owned one kind of Pokemon were almost unheard of. I did know that Smeargle was capable of learning a lot of moves by copying them, although they'd be a bootleg version of the original. For that reason, not many people used Smeargle, but if this guy managed to get four badges like us, I was sure he'd be somewhat difficult for Denzel to face.

It was still really weird that he owned six, though.

After around thirty minutes of watching battles, we made our way toward the Grass Field and eagerly awaited for Denzel's match to start. His opponent was actually there early, and he wore some kind of war paint on his face, along with a flowing cape that reminded me of Lance. It was like he was wearing a superhero costume, and it was literally impossible to take him seriously. Some people were laughing at his extravagant appearance, but he didn't appear to care whatsoever.

Denzel showed up just in time, and he had a confident smile on his face.

---

A/N: Thank you Zaberan#1586 for the team! For anyone who might be worried about the pace, I won't be showing every character's battle, I just want to write a few to show how some of them have progressed, so you'll be getting some other battles before we get back to Grace. The PoV switch was a one-time thing to show what it might be like to fight Grace as an average trainer, so that was also an exception. Don't worry by the way, Kyle will be fine.

 

[veekie]

Kyle's Pokemon watched warily as Larvitar let out an excited yell and Tangrowth caressed her head with a vine.

Click to shrink...

Headpats!

Grace let them have their moment, but recalled them after a few seconds with a satisfied smile on her face. It was like she'd known everything about him during the fight. How else would she have known about Hypnosis' range? At least Kyle could rest easy knowing that he'd been worth researching for a generational talent.

Click to shrink...

You'd think most of the common fight enders should be researched?

Coming into a battle with so many unknowns had been terrifying, but I still wanted to do it at least one more time before I started to get serious.

Click to shrink...

I heard a crunch. Like his ego was just stepped on

"Good battle," she said before leaving.

Good battle?! He snapped his head toward her. Was she making fun of him?!

Was it not enough for her to be so Arceus damned talented?! She had to rub it in too, twist the knife and pour salt onto the wound! He wanted to call out to her, berate her for being one of the rudest trainers he'd ever faced, but she was already gone.

Click to shrink...

...thin skinned much?

"Excuse me, does that mean you didn't research your opponent before fighting him today? You're known to be meticulous in your research."

"I'm trying to improve, so I'm handicapping myself for a little bit and only checking out my opponents' teams," I said. "Of course, I don't expect to be able to keep doing it for the whole tournament. There are a lot of good trainers here— including Mr. Thornton— and I'd be foolish to think my skill in battle alone could carry me to first place."

Click to shrink...

I think he's spitting blood in the back...

"Another question here! We saw your Tangrowth throw its opponents toward Larvitar. What was that for exactly?"

"Well, since she's lacking in experience, I figured I'd let her battle as well for practice. She wouldn't have forgiven Angel if he just dealt with everything himself and hung her off to dry."

Click to shrink...

Stop stop he's already dead!

"Of course. But again, this was nothing personal against Mr. Thornton, I just figured that I had a good chance to win after looking at his lineup, that's all. It just as easily could have backfired on me. Now if you'll excuse me I—"

Wait, getting my team back to the Center wouldn't even work here, only Tangrowth had gotten hit, and it had barely dealt any damage.

"—I have to go to the bathroom."

Click to shrink...

Awkward segue is awkward.

Its humanizing for the reporters who want to run that angle though

"Well, I wouldn't want to face such a thing no matter what moves I owned," Maeve shuddered. "It was my first time seeing you battle, and you're seriously scary."

"This praise is embarrassing me. When's Denzel's battle again?"

Click to shrink...

Fairy-trainer.txt

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 146

"I welcome thee, challenger!" The trainer with the facepaint said. "Prepare to lose to the Heroes of Justice! Together, there's nothing we cannot do, and thou shalt cower before our might…"

He had a haughty, obnoxious voice that reminded me of Louis when I first met him, but a lot worse.

Pauline clicked her tongue annoyingly. "Does he have to talk like that?"

"I think it's just for the extra flair. I like it," Louis smiled.

"...I have vanquished many thieves and miscreants in my short tenure as a trainer, so some insignificant trainer like yourself will never stop me—"

"Are you done?" The supervisor yelled. "We're running an operation here, we can't afford to waste time."

The boy cleared his throat. "My apologies."

"This is a battle between Denzel Williams and Elliot Santiago. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

Elliot sent out two of his Smeargles, but they each had different paintings on their bodies and faces. The first one was painted with bright splashes of red reminiscent of blood with no discernable pattern, and it sported a fierce look in its eyes. The second one was simply covered in white from head to toe, hiding its normally beige skin. The only part that wasn't covered was its tail.

Denzel sent out his Froslass, who giggled as she took flight, and the grass under her froze. Lopunny was next, and she stood steadfast in front of her teammate.

"Begin!"

"Watch for Bullet Punch. Stick to what we said," Denzel ordered. Lopunny's left fist lit ablaze while the other one was coated in electricity. One of her feet turned to ice, while the other simply shone. "Froslass, charge up Blizzard"

Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice… Kick, and Power-up Kick had all been combined in terrifying fashion. The amount of endurance needed to keep those up permanently was something. The rabbit brought both of her fists up, preparing to fight, while Froslass' eyes shone with a pale blue and a cold wind immediately picked up.

"Hah! So you know Fighter's techniques? That matters not! Break through them with Bullet Punch! White Mage, Helping Hand!"

The second Smeargle fiercely clapped its hands, and the other one's muscles bulged as it practically teleported next to Froslass, hoping to interrupt her Blizzard. Without even turning, Lopunny kicked backwards with her Power-Up Kick, hitting the normal type in the back before it could even use its attack like she had anticipated it.

"White Mage, get in there and heal him! Fight back, Fighter!"

I ignored how redundant that nickname was and observed as Smeargle narrowly dodged another kick before sweeping Lopunny with Low Kick. The rabbit fell to the ground, and Fighter jumped with its fist coated in flames, punching Froslass in the nose just in the nick of time. She'd been concentrating too much to dodge.

"Start over, go higher this time," Denzel said. "Don't do it right away."

Froslass shook the hit off and phased out of existence, quickly reappearing about twenty feet higher. There was nothing Elliot could do to stop her, so he moved on to the next best target. White Mage pointed its tail at Fighter like a staff, and a weak Heal Pulse flew off toward its teammate.

"Throw him away, Lopunny!"

With her fists still coated in fire and electricity, Lopunny grabbed Smeargle, spinning him around with Circle Throw toward the other end of the arena, meaning that Heal Pulse just missed. Not only that, but it had also taken damage from Fire and Thunder Punch.

"Quick Attack and do the same for the other one!"

I was seeing his strategy now. Denzel wanted to group the two Smeargles up so that Lopunny wouldn't have to be hit by Froslass' Blizzard. I almost scoffed at how fast the normal type had gotten, and she landed next to White Mage with a deafening crash. She kicked it in the head with Power-Up Kick and jabbed its nose with Fire Punch before throwing him at his fellow Smeargle, who fell over again.

"Get up, quickly!"

"Now, Froslass!"

The ice type laughed, and the right side of the battlefield was overtaken by a deafening Blizzard, and I could feel the cold from here through the psychic barriers. As soon as the Blizzard subsided, Denzel ordered Froslass to charge another one. Fighter and White Mage were still standing. Barely.

"Lopunny, keep them in their half."

The normal type had already been running before the words even left his mouth.

"Heal Pulse!" Elliot yelled. "Fighter, Bullet Punch! Buy some time!"

Faster than even Lopunny, Smeargle blurred in front of her as its fist were coated in silver and began punching her repeatedly. Denzel winced. Froslass could hold back her Blizzard, but that meant that White Mage would simply keep healing Fighter. He already managed to fire off three Heal Pulses before the ten seconds that the ice type needed to charge her attack, and despite being weak, they would stack up quickly.

As soon as the Bullet Punch ended, Denzel sprung to action.

"Circle Throw toward Froslass."

Without a moment's hesitation, Lopunny grabbed Smeargle before he could start another Bullet Punch and launched him toward the ghost.

"Use it in our half!"

Ah. It had just clicked. Blizzard ripped through Denzel's half of the battlefield, rendering Fighter useless for a few dozen seconds. Froslass would have to stay inside of it to keep it going, but she would take no damage from the snow.

Now it was just White Mage and Lopunny. Denzel screamed out a command that I didn't hear, but unlike us, I didn't think he could even see what was going on through the Blizzard. Lopunny's ears twitched, and she grinned before dashing toward White Mage, who could only stare in fear as the normal type relentlessly beat it up with every attack at its disposal. I had wondered about this throughout the fight, but it looked like that Smeargle had no attacking moves, so it couldn't even hope to defend itself.

White Mage went down just as the Blizzard started to slow. Fighter was down for the count too.

"Curses!" Elliot screamed, recalling both Pokemon. "Fine, if I must go all out just this once, I will! Don't say I didn't warn you! Tank, Hero, you're up!"

The boy sent out another set of Smeargle, and this time, the one called Tank was painted in dark tones with patterns reminiscent of what could be on a shield. Hero, meanwhile, was… blank. It just had a single golden line painted in between its eyes.

"Tank, Iron Defense!"

"Charge another one," Denzel told Froslass. "Lopunny, go in."

Once again, Lopunny blurred toward her opponents, opting to focus on Tank to stop him from setting up his defenses. Smeargle shimmered like steel just before Lopunny hit it with Fire Punch, and Tank didn't even flinch. The impact rang out like the clang of metal.

"Hero, Swords Dance!"

For the first time in the entire battle, Denzel looked surprised.

"Switch targets! Hit Hero!"

"Tank, Teleport and Barrier!"

Smeargle teleported in between the two, and Lopunny crashed into an invisible wall. It blocked the normal type's path long enough for Hero to finish setting up with Swords Dance. Denzel clicked his tongue.

"Time's up, get away! Froslass, Blizzard!"

"Light—"

The rest of Elliot's order was cut off by the Blizzard's howling winds. Froslass was seriously putting in work here, and she didn't even appear a bit tired. In fact, it was like her Blizzards were getting faster little by little. Lopunny barely escaped the attack, but she was starting to grow tired. No longer could she have four attacks ready at the same time. Instead, she opted for Power-Up Punch that she had relocated to her right fist, along with Fire Punch on her left, which were the attacks she was the most familiar with.

When the Blizzard receded, both Pokemon were battered, but fine. Tank had set up a Light Screen just in time, and the barrier had shielded them from the worse of the damage.

"Hero, Agility! Tank, keep him protected."

Holy fuck, he was setting up a whole lot. Denzel clenched a fist.

"Blizzard again. Lopunny, stand strong. Defend Froslass at all costs."

Was he abandoning his strategy? The only way this made sense was if he was willing for Lopunny to be caught in the crossfire. The normal type nodded tensely and kept her body completely still.

"At last! Don't say I didn't warn you, brigand! Hero, it's time to let loose! Flare Blitz that Froslass!"

I inhaled sharply as Hero's body spontaneously combusted. There were so many flames that I couldn't even see its body, and Tank teleported away to not get burned.

"Stand aside, Tank. Hero will deal with them. Go!"

The air around Smeargle warped as he jumped faster and higher than Lopunny could. Froslass was caught so off guard that she didn't even have time to disappear, and Smeargle rammed into her before falling down to the floor himself.

The ice type went down immediately, and Smeargle slowly stood up, its body burned and bruised.

"There's an opening! Hold him down!" Denzel yelled as he recalled his Froslass and sent out his Roselia. "Toxic!"

Lopunny dashed, grabbing Hero by the neck, and Roselia looked at the Smeargle in disgust as she sprayed it with poison, although some of it got onto Lopunny as well.

Hero was on a clock now. I looked at Tank, who was simply standing around. It looked like he too had no attacking moves.

"Flare Blitz and Last Resort!"

Smeargle burst into flames again. The fire was so hot that even Roselia caught on fire by just being near him. Lopunny cried out in pain, but her screams were drowned out by the flames that enveloped her. The fireball stood and hit the normal type away with a massive blow that I assumed was Last Resort. She was burned to a crisp.

Smeargle turned to Roselia, his body still consumed by the flames. Was Denzel going to lose?

He sighed and sent out his Milotic. The crowd gasped in surprise at the magnificent water type, who nervously stared around. This was his first battle, and it showed.

"Hit the Roselia!" Elliot yelled.

"Venoshock and Wrap!"

Smeargle was quick, but Roselia's aim was better. The normal type stumbled as the potent poison tore through his skin, although half of it was evaporated by the flames. Milotic seemingly ignored the heat, wrapping around the fireball and he squeezed.

"Water Pulse."

It took four of them for Hero to go down, and Milotic was exhausted. The Swords Dance had been so powerful that the flames had even burned past his hardened scales.

It was just Tank left. He couldn't attack past some punches and kicks, but those weren't moves. They'd be useless.

"Take that Smeargle down," Denzel sighed. That had been a dangerously close call.

Elliot obnoxiously made his Smeargle Teleport all over the field and shield himself with Light Screens and Reflects to delay the inevitable, but after the supervisor chewed him out for wasting time, he forfeited the battle.

"Victory to Denzel Williams. Trainers, step off of your platforms."

Pauline squealed happily and danced on her seat, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Elliot might have been a strange person, but he was definitely skilled. He had to be, to train his Pokemon enough to use Swords Dance and Flare Blitz. If he hadn't been forcing his team to conform to what looked to be classes in an RPG, then he'd be a force to be reckoned with. Hell, he might have even won.

"You win this time, but not the next, thief! You won the battle, but not the war! I'll have you in my sights now!" Elliot yelled. He then ran away dramatically with an obnoxious laugh.

At least it looked like he wasn't taking it hard at all. Denzel was busy talking to interviewers, so I opted to ask about Mira's opponent before he came back.

"Why are you so out of the loop?" Justin asked. "Even I know, and Mira and I don't talk much."

"I was busy."

"Some psychic type specialist that I don't remember the name of," he explained.

Psychic type specialist? That would probably be one hell of a battle, with how annoying a single psychic was to face.

"Don't get so excited," Pauline noticed. "Her name's Megan Barett. She's a first-year three badge holder, so Mira will probably wipe the floor with her."

"We're first-year three-badge holders," Maeve grumbled.

"We're different," Pauline shrugged.

"Type specialists are usually adept at bringing out the best of their Pokemon," I said. "She could have some tricks up her sleeves. I wouldn't underestimate her."

"Well, her battle's this evening anyway, so you'll have to wait to figure it out," the redhead smirked. "Oh, Denzel's done!"

We all walked down from the bleachers and congratulated our friend, who looked somewhat shaken. I didn't blame him. That Smeargle had almost managed to pull out an incredible comeback, and if he hadn't owned Milotic to resist the flames, then he probably would have lost. I doubted that Sylveon would have been able to do much. Fairies tended not to deal with fire very well.

"The information I managed to get was outdated," Denzel explained. "And he didn't train at all before the match, so Froslass didn't bring back anything of note when I sent her out to spy. Flare Blitz is an insane move to teach. How'd he even get that?! I thought Smeargle needed to see a move and study it for days before they could copy it."

"Well, he must have some connections," Louis said. "It's unlikely that he would have come across a trainer with the move during his travels."

"Whatever, at least we're done. I'd rather fight normal teams than gimmicks like that all days of the week," he said, looking around. "Mira isn't here?"

"She said she'd be training the entire day and not to disturb her," Maeve said.

"What should we do until her match, then? What terrain is it on, even?"

"Grass Field, just like you," she replied. "I wish I could check my field in advance… they only tell you the day of your fight. If I get the Water Field, I'll be the unluckiest girl on the planet."

"Your Starmie would do rather well, no?" Louis asked.

"Yes, but we've never fought in water before, so it'd be a first."

"First Louis' Prinplup and now you?" Pauline laughed.

"What is everyone doing now?" Denzel asked.

"Well, it depends when my next opponent is revealed," I said. "If it's today, then I'll need to go back to my room to figure out what pair to start with first."

"It depends on when the people next to you on the bracket fight, I haven't checked it out yet," he said.

"Oh, I forgot. Do they have a website for it or something?"

All of my friends groaned at me, and showed me the tournament website, which was under serious strain due to all the current traffic. The bracket was huge, but the coders had fortunately included a search function. We were all on the left side of the bracket with the exception of Louis and Justin, who were on the right.

"It feels lonely down there," Louis joked. A sign that he was getting better.

"You won't be lonely with Justin around," I smiled.

Still, knowing the bracket meant that I could just look at my potential two opponents… but I decided to wait. They were fighting today, so it wouldn't be long until I knew anyway. After Denzel brought his Pokemon to the Center, we decided to all go grab an early lunch. During the event, I pulled on Cece's sleeve, and we said that we were going to the bathroom. Pauline and Maeve offered to join, but after an awkward refusal, we were already gone. There were unfortunately people, so we entered a stall and locked the door.

"What's gotten into you?" Cecilia asked, staring to the side embarrassingly.

"I wanted to talk about Pauline," I whispered. "Her relationship issues, I mean."

She relaxed with a sigh.

"Did you think I was going to do something else?" I teased.

"Nothing of the sort!"

I laughed. "Anyway, Denzel helped us… figure it out, right? Doesn't it feel bad watching them flail around each other? Is this what we looked like?"

"Probably. But this is probably the last thing she should have on her mind with the tournament, no?"

"It's already on her mind, she can barely stop herself from looking at the guy," I rolled my eyes.

"Fine… but in this case, it's between three people. We don't want to be rash and do something we'd regret. I think it's best if we let it sort itself out."

"Hm…" I hummed.

I bit my lip softly and sighed. She was right.

"Yeah, it's not our place. This is delicate and we don't want to fuck anything up, especially when things already used to be tense."

She nodded. "You're a lot more reasonable than I thought you'd be."

"What? What'd I do to deserve that?"

"You can be very headstrong."

"Nuh-uh, I'm a very practical girl. I can do all kinds of stuff and be reasonable."

"All kinds of stuff… if we're talking about battling, then maybe."

"Ouch. I'm so hurt," I feigned. "Anyway, let's get out of here. I bet the others are going to be obnoxious about this 'cause they'll think we did something."

"Well to be honest, I thought it was either that or tampons. You always forget to carry some just in case."

"I don't always—"

"I have text messages for proof, Grace. So do Pauline and Emi."

—

I was back inside of my room, and my next opponent had finally been revealed for tomorrow's battle. I had… an hour left until Mira's battle, so I could at least check what his team was about. Yasim Benzema was a second-year with four badges, and I knew right away that he'd be a lot harder to beat than my previous opponent. He looked to be a trainer that specialized in fighting during a Sandstorm. First, there was a Magnezone, which I assumed was for variety or to cover the weakness against water. His other Pokemon was Lairon, but the two who really caught my eye were Vibrava and Hippowdon.

I didn't need to study his team to know that Hippowdon would create a sandstorm by just being out on the field. Vibrava, meanwhile, was a dragon type, although I knew I'd be able to handle it with enough care. There was no way it'd be as powerful as Zweilous, at the very least, but I would need to be careful. The fact that this team was full of ground types meant that Honey was out of the picture. Even if the Sandstorm would stop us from being able to trigger Chlorophyll, Angel was obviously going to fight again. But who could be his teammate? I feared that Sweetheart wouldn't be able to do much to our opponents, but maybe I could bring her in if one of the others fainted. That left me with Buddy or Princess.

Buddy would be good if we just wanted to rush down the opposition before they could hope to do anything. What I had learned from watching all of these double battles was that they tended to be fast-paced and over quickly, and I could lean into that if I wished, but that Magnezone was scaring me. I had no idea if it owned Lock-On like Mira's, or how powerful its electric type attacks even were. I clenched my hand around my Poketch.

"Come on, I can handle at least one more round of improv," I breathed. "One."

Togetic comforted me by nuzzling against my neck, and I gently caressed her head.

If Princess was to fight, she'd need to support Angel every step of the way. Already, I knew that Hippowdon would be the opponent's field controller, and they would compete for supremacy. Ancient Power would be a huge boon unless we were on the Water Field, but then Yasim would be a lot more screwed than I was.

"I think it's gotta be you," I told Togetic. She let out a firm cry, letting me know that she was ready. "Let's show off your new spears, shall we?"

A grin stretched across her face, and I mirrored her.

"I know, right?" I said. "But remember, only in moderation. Let's not wound more than necessary… I feel bad for what happened to Kyle. Sweetheart's going to be jealous that you're stealing her thunder."

"Prrrri…" she sighed.

"Yeah. With that team, it'll be tough to use them, but I think we can ground that Vibrava with just one spear through the abdomen— a small one, just to be safe. I don't think its scales look that tough. If the abdomen doesn't work, we can go for the wings. Lairon and Magnezone are another story though. Hippowdon… I'm not sure."

"Toge!"

"Looks like you'll fight a dragon after all, Princess. Just try to behave nicely okay? I know you'd do something like picture Sunshine and go completely wild on that poor Vibrava. Promise?"

The fairy type reluctantly nodded, and for some reason, I actually felt bad for her even though what I was asking for was completely reasonable.

I think she's rubbing off on me, I thought as I pet her.

—

"Grace, you were almost late!" Denzel complained. "What were you—"

"Working," I answered. "And I made it, didn't I?"

Mira and Megan Barett stood on opposite sides of the Grass Field, awaiting for the supervisor to let them start. The man made us wait for two minutes to finish some random phone call, and the battle could finally begin.

"This is a battle between Mira Compton and Megan Barett. Trainers, send out your Pokemon!"

"Gotcha!" Mira laughed, sending out her Haunter and her Magnezone.

Megan twitched nervously at the sight of the ghost, who taunted her with his permanent grin as poison oozed onto the floor, melting off the grass. Magnezone let out a series of static clicks and booms, clearly irritated at the ghost type.

"Let him have some fun, he's been good!" Mira snorted. "Anyway, send out your team, gal!"

With a trembling hand, the girl sent out a Metang and Galarian Ponyta. I was surprised to see a regional form from a trainer that new. Instead of flames, a fluffy purple and turquoise mane fluttered in the wind. Metang, meanwhile, clanged its two fists together angrily. This one had normal colors, unlike Emi's Beldum, but they were still ridiculously rare and expensive. Combined with the fact that she had a regional form, I guessed that Megan was probably the daughter of some rich family.

"Begin!"

"Be a nice boy, Haunter! Toxic!" Mira yelled. "Magnezone, Lock-On and Flash Cannon the Ponyta!"

With a taunting cackle, Haunter vanished, and his poison stopped dripping onto the ground. There was a shimmer across Magnezone's blank stare, and a blinding light appeared in front of the steel type. With a buzzing sound, he sent out the Flash Cannon toward Ponyta.

"Ally Switch!" Megan yelled, her voice trembling.

I blinked, and Metang and Ponyta swapped places without a sound. The Flash Cannon tried to curve to reach Ponyta, but it hit the steel type in the arm. Haunter reappeared right above the Ponyta and dove down toward the psychic type, coating its entire body in poison.

It just washed off of the horse.

"Psybeam, Psychic!"

Ponyta appeared to be immune to being poisoned, and a beam of multicolored energy appeared above her horn, dissolving Haunter into nothing. The bits that were left were seized by Metang's Psychic and relentlessly attacked.

"Man, this is no fun. Go save him," Mira waved at her Magnezone.

The electric type hummed as he flew toward his two enemies. Electricity crackled in between his magnets.

"Ponyta, Psybeam it! Buy us some time!"

Magnezone simply brushed of the beam of psychic energy and exploded in a burst of electricity. Discharge. He didn't even care if Haunter was caught in the crossfire, demonstrating the fundamental differences between her and Denzel. Haunter laughed and reappeared, harmed from the Psychic he had taken but nowhere near done yet.

"You can't poison them, it has Pastel Veil. Use Curse on Metang instead!"

The ghost's grin stretched impossibly widely as his eyes went red, and Metang's eyes flickered. The Curse was beginning to run its course. Haunter, for his part, winced. The first sign of pain that he had ever shown in the battle.

"Focus on Ponyta now. Hex and Flash Cannon."

"Stop them! Ally Switch!"

I winced when the two attacks landed on the poor Ponyta. Hex turned the psychic type into a smoking mess, and Flash Cannon completely enveloped her body. Ally Switch was a ridiculously difficult technique that required an even better control than Teleport, so doing so while under Curse's influence was nigh impossible for a Pokemon of our level. Ponyta quickly fainted, and Haunter licked its unconscious, limp body.

"Stop it, you creep!" Megan shrieked, recalling her Ponyta.

"Sorry, he's still working on that."

"Psychic that Haunter!"

The girl clicked her tongue when a Thunderbolt from Magnezone stopped her Metang from hurting Haunter, and she sent out a Kirlia.

"Wait, you have one too? That's so cool!"

"Shut it! Kirlia, Teleport and Thunder Punch the Haunter! Metang, get it together!"

The steel type let out a series of mechanical sounds and finally managed to restrain Haunter with Psychic again, and Kirlia teleported on top of his body to punch him with its fist coated in electricity while he was restrained. Unfortunately, Haunter wasn't solid, he was viscous at best, so despite the attack running its course, the psychic type just fell to the floor, and Magnezone hit it with another Flash Cannon.

Megan was unraveling before our very eyes. Kirlia wasn't done, but two more of those and she would be.

"Get on top of Magnezone instead and Fire Punch!" She yelled.

This time, Mira was caught by surprise. Kirlia teleported on Magnezone's head and firmly gripped his antenna in order not to fall. Meanwhile, Haunter gathered an enormous amount of ghostly energy in front of his mouth. The Shadow Ball hit Metang, and the steel type crashed to the floor. The abuse it had taken from Curse had proven too much. Kirlia repeatedly hit Magnezone with Fire Punch, and the electric type intentionally rammed against Kadabra's barrier to get it off.

Megan sent out a Farigiraf, her last Pokemon. The tall psychic type craned its neck and both of its pair of eyes eyed Haunter with disdain.

"Toxic and Venoshock, go!" Mira ordered.

"Stop him with Twin Beam!"

Two pink rays of energy appeared above Farigiraf's head and barreled toward Haunter. With all the damage he'd taken, he'd gotten slow. The two beams hit Haunter before he could disappear, and the poison type exploded. Kirlia had teleported back on Magnezone's back, but this time, Mira was ready.

"Just blow up with Discharge, no need to panic."

The steel type hummed, and once again, a blinding ball of electricity exploded outward, engulfing Kirlia. The psychic type fell off of his body and struggled to get up, but as a parting gift, Haunter reappeared around her, choking her from the inside out with toxic fumes. For a second, I was scared that he'd kill it, but he stopped once it fell unconscious.

Everyone around me breathed a sigh of relief, and Haunter was dealt with after another Twin Beam from Farigiraf, who was the only one left standing.

"Man, I wanted to try to win without losing anyone," Mira pouted. She sent out her Kadabra. "Charge Beam. Magnezone, Tri Attack."

"Calm Mind!"

Farigiraf closed all four of its eyes and focused, hoping to resist what was coming. Kadabra's spoon shook and rattled erratically until it bent, and electricity shot out of the tip. Beams of ice, fire and electricity fired out of Magnezone's body. All of the attacks hit the giraffe at once. Burns and ice coated its neck and flanks.

It was still standing.

"Now, Twin Beam the Magnezone!"

"Teleport and Dazzling Gleam."

In less than a second, Kadabra was right in front of his opponent, and a blinding light came out of his spoon, affecting Farigiraf's aim. The Twin Beams hit the psychic wall, and another Tri Attack from Magnezone was the end of the normal type. Its neck went limp, bending more than I thought was possible, and Megan recalled it before it even fell to the ground.

"Victory to Mira Compton!"

---

A/N: Thank you Sevenfold artisan of the rainbow#0088 and Illuma#0925 for the teams!

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 147

"That was something," I muttered as Mira recalled her Pokemon.

Her Pokemon were certainly threatening, but I felt like I needed to see her struggle more to see what she was really about. She was irritating to face for people that easily got frustrated with snarky comments, but I figured that if I ever had to fight her, those wouldn't work on me. Haunter's Curse was worrisome and Magnezone brought the raw power that Mira needed to her team, but the thing that worried me the most was that Kadabra's versatility. Like Princess, he was the one that would pull the strings in a battle, and the fact that I had identified him as the scariest thing on her team when he had only battled for barely one minute was proof enough.

Strangely, it looked like every non-psychic type attack came from his spoon. Pokemon all had different ways of using moves that weren't their typing, so a part of me wondered if I could cripple him by knocking his spoon out of his hand somehow. Hell, it might even make his psychic moves harder to use. I could have Angel twist his arm until the pain proved too much and he had to let go, maybe? With how frail Kadabra was, that was certainly an option, but there was a problem. Twisting his arm could leave him enough time to escape. With the way Goalducc had written about her, it seemed like Kadabra was capable of using Teleport even under severe pain or strain, so I'd need to permanently stop him from being able to grab things.

Shattering his hands, maybe? One Power Whip would probably be enough. But for that, I'd need to catch him in the first place, which would prove difficult with how adept he was at Teleport. I didn't exactly like that method, though. It felt a lot more ruthless than I wanted to be, even if it was probably the most efficient way of going about things.

I was starting to see battles through the lens of someone that needed to cripple her opponents in the quickest possible manner to take them out of the fight as quickly and neatly as possible, and I wanted to reign that in a little. This was a sport for fun, not some kind of life-or-death fight, and it'd make me a bad influence on Princess, who was already having problems with that distinction. Hell, even Sweetheart was starting to grow in that direction.

Oh well, I sighed. With how the brackets were arranged, Mira would have to go through Lauren before going through me, so I had time to figure it out.

We made our way toward Mira as soon as she was done with the reporters. She seemingly had annoyed them so much with her attitude that they quickly moved on to her opponent instead. The pink-haired girl pouted as she slowly walked toward us.

"Don't make that face when you won, it makes you look ungrateful," Maeve said.

"Alright, mom."

"You were great out there," Louis said. We all echoed his words.

"I know, right? I wanted my win to be more dominant, but it was still fun, and I'm super happy that Haunter behaved."

"What'd you even do to convince him?" I asked.

"Well, I told him that we'd stop playing catch if he killed anything."

We all stared at her confusedly.

"Play catch? How does that even work?" Denzel asked.

"You never play catch before, big boy? I throw the ball and he catches it. I have to play with gloves because his poison gets all over the ball when he carries it with his entire body."

"That's… innovative."

"He's been improving leaps and bounds ever since. I was thinking of buying a soccer ball to see how big we can go—"

Cecilia coughed to interrupt her. "Well, that's all of today's battle done. What is everyone's plan now?"

Everyone that would battle tomorrow answered with training, but Denzel, Mira, and I were free. I actually felt a bit miffed at that, since I wanted to see Cecilia's Golett again, but she wanted to be as secretive as possible. Everyone but us three in the group left.

"Don't look so down," Denzel said, gently patting my shoulder. "You can come hang with me for a bit."

"Don't exclude me," Mira said.

"Err, right."

"I was gonna practice too," I said. "I've got to get my starting lineup ready for my next battle—"

"Which is in two days," my friend interrupted. "A few hours with us won't hurt."

"You're just jealous that your team's at the Center and mine isn't," I jabbed.

"That is a low blow."

"You can take it," I smugly said. "But fine, I guess I'll hang. I had a few questions for Mira anyway."

"You want to know how I managed to be this awesome?" She asked as she struck a pose.

"No, I want to know about your Kadabra."

"That's off-limits, missy. At least until one of us is out of the tournament."

"Alright, alright," I innocently lifted my hands.

We started to walk toward our Pokemon Center so that Mira could get her team healed. Since it was late in the evening and Solaceon seemed to not believe in the concept of streetlights on its long, lonely roads, we were alone in the dark.

"You know, I do have a question that you could answer, though. How does a Kadabra evolve?"

I had the rough knowledge that it wasn't simply by encountering a stressful situation and getting stronger in battle, but I didn't actually know the exact method. They were rare enough that the League itself resigned to mass breeding and evolving Abra into Kadabra instead of their more advanced forms, so clearly there was a bottleneck somewhere.

"I actually don't know either," Denzel said.

"Well, I said no questions, but I guess that one is innocent enough," Mira mused. "Kadabra will only evolve into Alakazam when they want to."

I frowned. "What? So you mean they can do it at any time?"

"Not exactly. They have to amass enough knowledge first, which could take months or years. It can be knowledge about anything, they just have to grow smart enough and learn stuff first. My Kadabra likes history and biology. He'll ramble at me for hours about how enzymes bind substrates to convert them into different molecules or about the books that Cynthia wrote back in the day about Sinnohan history or whatever. Honestly, that stuff goes in one ear and out the next. Or… well, that doesn't really work with telepathy, but you get it. His true passion, however, is Type Energy."

"Type Energy? Could you be more specific?" I asked. That actually went hand in hand with what I wanted to figure out.

"It's his life's work. He wants to figure out where it comes from and how it works exactly. Science can't explain it, the energy's just there inside of Pokemon or floating in the air, and they can convert that into moves. Kadabra channels it into his spoon to use all kinds of attacks. It's like gravity, right? A fundamental law of the universe, but only Pokemon can use it."

"I mean, my Electabuzz had to use physics to first start using moves like Fire Punch, but now he can just do it," I muttered. "So I suppose you're right."

"Same for Lopunny. It's a starting point. They get familiar with the move enough for them to eventually be able to pull on the energy and use it."

"See?" Mira smiled. "Anyway, Kadabra wants to figure out the ins and outs of TE. A Kadabra won't evolve until it learns everything there is to learn about the topic it's passionate about. Everything."

I let out a whistle. That was certainly interesting, but it seemed so daunting of a task that I believed it to be impossible.

And yet, Alakazam existed. They were rare, but they existed.

"And of course, they tend to pick the hardest topics in the Arceus damned universe, and the worse is, when they figure it out, they don't tell anybody. Even their trainers. They hoard the knowledge for themselves like Murkrow do with jewelry. Otherwise, don't you think we would have figured out a whole lot more by now? Hell, we'd probably be living in a utopia and have colonized the stars."

"Or maybe we should be glad that they don't kill us all and take over," Denzel joked.

"They would never do that. Kadabra in general think of themselves above petty human squabbles. War? Money? Power? Why worry about that when there's more knowledge to be gained."

"I know, I was just making a joke. I thought you of all people would know."

"Oh, my bad. I get really passionate about this stuff. Anyway, when a Kadabra evolves into an Alakazam, the floodgates open and they try to learn about everything in the world. Literally everything— all of the knowledge available to us right now. Needless to say, none of them have succeeded yet. They aren't immortal, so they never have enough time to do so. To be honest, even if they were, I doubt that there'd be any way for one to figure everything out."

"It makes you wonder what one might do if one did, though," I said nonchalantly.

Then, I realized what that implied and felt a chill run down my spine.

"Let's hope that day doesn't come," Denzel said with a nervous laugh.

After the two gave their Pokemon to Nurse Joy, we decided to stick in Denzel's room, since his was the cleanest. He took a selfie with his Sylveon to post online, hoping that it'd get more traction after his battle, and then we lazily lounged around his room.

"I heard you had a Milotic, big guy," Mira said. "I didn't think your Feebas would evolve that fast."

"Me neither. I didn't exactly have anything to do with it, which is kind of embarrassing," he said. "It feels bad that I had to reveal him this early. Goalducc already sent me an apology for calling him useless."

"I'm surprised at how good he was already though. He seemed to move quickly enough, and that Wrap was tight," I said.

"It took a bit of practice to get Wrap and Water Pulse up to par, but the biggest challenge was getting Milotic to move properly. Right now, I settled on him secreting water out of his scales to smoothen his movement."

"Don't make it sound so disgusting," Mira said.

"I'm just telling a fact…"

"A disgusting fact. Anyway, I actually had a favor to ask of you guys."

"You didn't want to answer my questions about Kadabra, so…" I said.

"I gave you so much information though! And I know you'll probably use it to your advantage. It's not even about this tournament anyway. It's about Chasey."

"Didn't he ask you not to call him that?" I said.

"Well, he's not here, is he?"

I was going to retort, but then I realized that I called my Turtonator Sunshine in my head or when he wasn't out of his ball even though he disliked it, so I couldn't really talk.

"Set me up with him," she continued. "He's hot."

"He also hates you," Denzel said.

"I can grow on him. I grow on everyone. I'm like moss or a fungus."

"I don't know, the more you try to pry him open, the more he'll shut himself off. You've got to give him his space and act cool," I said.

Mira scoffed. "Pry him open? Who says that?"

"Me!"

"Okay, so acting cool… you mean like, distant? I don't like to play hard to get. I see something I like, I want to go get it, y'know? I wish he'd stayed. Now the only time I'll be able to meet him again is Veilstone."

"I just mean acting normally," I sighed.

"I mean, I guess I can try to help you, but don't expect results," Denzel said. "I managed with Cece and Grace, but—"

"Oooooh, you're the one that set them up? You've got a one hundred percent success rate!"

"Yeah, because I only did it once."

"Whatever, that's good enough for me. Hey, Grace, Chase seems to like you enough, so I think he'd take your advice if you asked him to try to be my friend. I can start from there and work my way up."

"Err…"

I already had Pauline, Denzel, and Emilia to worry about, and now this? Sure, I'd told Cece that I'd let them figure things out on their own, but I still wanted to nudge them in the right direction somehow and observe their progress.

Plus, Chase seemed completely uninterested in Romance anyway.

"I'll try my best?"

"That's not a yes or a no, but I'll take it," Mira said.

—

It was currently the middle of the night, and I was standing outside close to Sunshine for his body heat that he had so graciously raised for me after I begged for ten minutes. It was a particularly cold night, but this was the only time I'd be able to train my Pokemon's new moves. Cecilia had warned me about some guy with two Cutiefly that had managed to catch her training, so I was on guard for anything. I wished I had a psychic to sense them, but unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to do so until my eighth gym badge and I got my license to carry more than six Pokemon. It might be good to start planning for it in advance, though.

But then again, the last time I had planned for a fire type, I was completely blindsided. Who knew what was going to happen in all those months?

Right now, I was in the middle of a Sandstorm. Togetic, Turtonator and Electabuzz stood with me, and we were protected by Princess' barrier that she had created with Psychic. Sunshine was actually tough enough to brave the Sandstorm, but he just hadn't felt like it, so he asked to be protected as well. It took some convincing for Princess to even deign to include him in her psychic bubble.

The bubble was actually new as well, and we had taken inspiration from Cecilia's Slowking for it. She wasn't as good as he was with it, and she couldn't keep it up for long, but it worked, and it would prove useful in my battle in two days, both for the Sandstorm and against Magnezone's attacks.

Well, tomorrow's battle now, since it was three in the morning.

So this was a way to train her resistance to Sandstorm. Jellicent was practicing his by standing in the storm and making his body as liquid as possible in hopes that the sand would just pass through him, but it didn't look like it was going to work. Tangrowth was simply trying his best to take the brunt of the damage, which his vines protected him from.

Jellicent, Tangrowth and Togetic were the ones I was sure I was going to use in the battle, and they were all training their resistance to Sandstorm. Larvitar was the source, of course, and she'd gotten quite good at it. This was nowhere near Palossand's power, but it would do for now. I doubted that Yasim's own Sandstorm would be that powerful anyway. I had looked up information about Tyranitar recently, and apparently the only ability they had was Sand Stream. That meant that Sweetheart's practice here would pay dividends down the line.

The oddest part of the Tyranitar line was their second stage, where they'd be stuck in a cocoon-like form. I didn't think it was likely, but on the off-chance that Sweetheart somehow evolved during this tournament, I needed to be ready. Luckily, I had a treasure trove of information called the internet.

Pupitar are slow-moving Pokemon that tend to spend most of their time underground to hide away from potential predators while they await their evolution. They live off a diet of rocks, minerals, and soil, but are also capable of eating meat or kibble-based foods. Berries and plants will not be enough to sustain your Pupitar. They are nocturnal Pokemon that are mostly active at night, but with enough work, it is possible to readjust a Pupitar's sleep pattern. They will actually spend most of their time asleep, as rest is quintessential to building up their energy to evolve…

I groaned and wiped some sand away from my screen. Some of the grains were breaking through. Princess let out a small apology, and I smiled at her.

"It's okay, I'm not mad. You pushed yourself well," I gently said. "Sweetheart, you can stop now!" I yelled.

The Sandstorm slowly subsided, and the rock type strode up to me confidently. Her win had made her a lot happier, and all she wanted to do was train all the time. I rubbed her hard cheeks and she nuzzled her head against my hand.

"That was a great Sandstorm. And you're not even tired!"

"Larvitar!" She exclaimed.

Turtonator whispered a congratulation to her, and I teased him about it until he suddenly stood up, causing me to fall over, and walked away from me.

"Come on! I'm sorry!"

I walked up to him, but he stopped me with a glare. Meanwhile, he let Larvitar cuddle up to him as much as she wanted. Togetic stared daggers at him, but Electabuzz got her to chill out. He was getting good at that. His old self hadn't been that level-headed at all, which was a sign that he was growing up fast.

"Fine," I sighed, resigning to suffer in the cold. As I turned to Jellicent and Tangrowth, it seemed that they had taken some amount of damage. I had asked Buddy not to regenerate so we could see how much exactly at the end of the experiment, and there were deep gashes, cuts, and holes all over his head.

"Not bad," I whispered. "You can Recover now."

In a few seconds, he was as good as new. Tangrowth, meanwhile, looked to be relatively fine. Some of his vines had been torn up, but aside from that, I couldn't exactly tell how much damage he'd taken.

"Do you think you'd be able to fight like this without the sun?" I asked. The Sandstorm would stop us from using Sunny Day. "I think this battle will be longer and harder than the other one."

Angel blinked twice, but then motioned two vines to his eyes.

"The sand hurts your eyes the most, huh? We've got to figure out something for that… maybe Princess can give you a shield too? Or if that's too big, one around your eyes?"

"Toge…" the fairy type grumbled.

"Hard to do when he's moving, huh? Well, that's a bust for our fight, but we can work on it for the future, at least… after you get some rest. I don't think I'm going back the Pokemon Center tonight anyway, despite how cold it is," I said, raising my tone at the end of the sentence. Turtonator snorted, and Larvitar imitated him. "Hey, don't behave like he does! He's a bad influence on you! Come back here."

The rock type sadly shuffled toward me.

"Don't turn my kid into you," I said. "Otherwise, I'll have my hands full. One of you is enough."

The fire type rolled his eyes at me, Jellicent floated toward Larvitar to comfort her, and I went back to reading.

…If a Pupitar is caught by a predator and desperately needs to flee, it can fly by—

My eyes bulged, and my head snapped toward Sweetheart. "You can fly?!"

Larvitar blinked at me confusedly, but then excitedly agreed anyway.

"No, I mean—" I stopped, staring into her Lillipup eyes. "You know what, you can fly."

"Tar!" She beamed, her previous sadness completely forgotten.

—It can fly by forcefully ejecting pressurized gas from the numerous vents inside of its body. Once all of this gas is expunged, however, it is no longer capable of flight. It usually takes from ten to fifteen hours for the vents to reach full capacity again. A Pupitar will usually need to spend six months to a year in its cocoon form to evolve fully, but the evolution process can be sped up through the amount and quality of the food that it is fed.

That was interesting. So a Pupitar would always evolve into a Tyranitar, it was just a matter of how long it took. With the amount of food that Sweetheart already ate, I'd probably need to feed her evolved form as much as a Snorlax to get her to evolve quickly enough for the Conference. According to this though, it would mainly have to be nutrient-rich dirt and rocks, and normal dirt wasn't enough to speed up the process.

Where the hell was I going to find that? What did nutrient-rich dirt even mean? Wasn't all dirt… nutrient-rich? Eugh. Now I couldn't help but imagine what the hell was in that dirt.

After more sleuthing, there were apparently a few breeders that sold specialized soil for Pokemon that ate it, but their products cost an arm and a leg.

Well, hopefully by then, my contract with the Poketch Company will have been improved. Plus, I'd win money from this tournament if I placed into the top ten, and even more if I made it to the top four.

With a stretch, I yawned, and Electabuzz sat down to let me lean against his shoulder.

"Man, I'm going to be so tired tomorrow."

"Ele…"

"I know, I know, you told me to go to sleep. Sorry for making you worry about me."

—

And tired I was. I didn't know what I'd expected when pulling an all-nighter, but at least we had made good progress with training. There had been a little incident where Sweetheart got a little too excited and hit Turtonator with a Smack Down, but he paid her no mind. It wasn't like it even hurt him whatsoever. He was very gentle with her, especially compared to how he treated the rest of the team. He seemed to have some connection with Buddy, and they sometimes went on long tangents about depressing topics like the meaning of life, but he seemed pretty indifferent about the rest of the team, and obviously he still disliked Princess.

Unfortunately, Louis' and Justin's battles were at the same time. Louis would battle on the Rocky Field, and Justin would battle on the Desert Field. After checking in with Justin to see if he didn't mind, I opted to go see Louis battle to see how much he had progressed. Cecilia, Mira, Maeve and Denzel were with me while Pauline was watching Justin battle. Like Louis, he was fighting a fellow trainer with three badges, so at least they would probably be on equal footing. Louis' opponent's name was Victor Hamilton, and I didn't know much about him. I had expected Denzel to fill me in, but with all the training and spying he had to focus on, he hadn't had much time to stay informed about trainers that didn't pertain to him. Still, maybe it'd be interesting to see someone that I had no idea about fight. Maybe I'd try to predict what he wanted to do next.

"This is a battle between Louis Bianchi and Victor Hamilton. Trainers, send out your Pokemon," the supervisor said.

Louis sent out his Vulpix and Gible, while Victor sent out a Rhyhorn and Murkrow. Gible had grown a whole lot in size, and he was at least one point five times bigger than the last time I'd seen him. The dragon type flashed his thick, sharp teeth and roared while Vulpix just stared at him with surprisingly human annoyance. Victor's Rhyhorn had an unexpected amount of intellect behind those eyes that I didn't usually see in Rhyhorn and Rhydon, while Murkrow just lazily took flight.

"Begin!"

"Murkrow, Haze!" Victor yelled.

The dark type let out an ominous caw and beat its wings, and a thick fog set in. A groan ran through the bleachers now that we wouldn't be able to see anything that was going on unless the action came close to the barriers.

"Now, Bulldoze them to bits!" He continued.

I heard Rhyhorn yell and then the floor began to shake. I immediately understood the strategy here. Murkrow's job was to keep Rhyhorn hidden, while the rock type hopefully would Bulldoze their opponents into submissions before they could fight back. I was honestly impressed. Vulpix cried out in pain, and Louis clicked his tongue.

"Gible, Sandstorm!" He ordered.

The dragon slammed a foot against the floor, mixing a Sandstorm with Murkrow's Haze. It was weaker than Sweetheart's but it would at least deal damage to the bird.

"Keep your Bulldoze going!" Victor screamed.

"Use Bulldoze! Find the Rhyhorn!" Louis said. "Vulpix, try to find Murkrow with Flamethrower!"

Streaks of light broke through the Haze and Sandstorm, illuminating the battlefield from within. Both trainers seemed content to let their ground types run wild, but Louis was the one at a disadvantage here. Vulpix was taking collateral damage, and Murkrow wasn't. She wasn't having much luck finding the bird in the air either. If Louis wanted to win, he needed to neutralize that Murkrow.

But he did not. He kept the situation to a standstill until Vulpix's Flamethrowers stopped. She was down. He immediately sent out another Pokemon, and I recognized Prinplup's honk. Louis fought differently from how everyone else did. Trainers were usually proactive, meaning that they tried to get ahead of whatever their opponent had in store. He used to do the same, but he had changed completely. Now, he was a slow battler, and he reacted instead of acting. I didn't like it, but I'd have to wait to see if it paid off.

"Icy Wind! Spread it as wide as you can toward the sky!" Louis ordered.

I couldn't see if the attack hit its mark, but I heard a thud on the floor, and the fog slowly started to clear.

"Ice Beam the Murkrow! Gible, stop your Bulldoze and Sand Tomb Rhyhorn!"

Murkrow shrieked as the thin beam of ice completely froze its wing, and Rhyhorn sank into the muddy floor. Gible's Sand Tomb had changed, and it was now like Krokorok's. The rock type's Bulldoze stopped as it struggled to even stand up in the pool of mud.

"Gible, Twister the Murkrow. Prinplup, Ice Beam again."

A tornado started to pick up, kicking up dust, rocks and draconic energy. Murkrow was stuck in the middle, getting hit by everything. The dark type cawed and attempted to fly off, but it couldn't fly with its frozen wing. Another Ice Beam hit it directly in the face, and the crow finally fell. Before Victor could even send his next Pokemon, Louis pivoted the attack to Rhyhorn.

Victor released a Misdreavus, and it flickered in the morning light, clearly unhappy with the weather. I was surprised that he owned a ghost. Outside of Fantina and Mira, this was the only trained one I'd seen.

"Misdreavus, Shadow Ball!" He yelled, pointing toward Gible.

"Gible, keep that Rhyhorn trapped!"

"Stop fucking panicking and get out of that pit!" Victor yelled at Rhyhorn. "You know what, nevermind, just Rock Slide, damn it!"

Misdreavus disappeared right as it started charging up a Shadow Ball, and Rhyhorn simply ceased his struggling as a boulder next to it disintegrated and the large fragments flew toward Prinplup.

"Whirpool! Gible, Dragon Breath Rhyhorn!"

Prinplup ejected an incredible amount of water from his mouth, and it quickly began to spin, forming into a spiral. The Rock Slide was caught in the vortex, and only the quickest of the rocks made it through, cutting and hitting the water type all over his body. Gible roared, and a Dragon Breath shot out toward Rhyhorn. Misdreavus appeared behind the dragon with a weak-looking Shadow Ball—

"Now!"

Gible turned one hundred and eighty degrees as darkness danced in his mouth. The Shadow Ball crashed into his face. Prinplup quickly shot out a Bubblebeam at the Misdreavus, who hadn't expected such a quick reaction, and neither did Victor.

It took me a bit to understand why. Louis had fought Fantina and won, meaning that he was used to ghostly tricks. Most of the trainers here came from the east, and they hadn't fought Fantina quite yet. In fact, they were probably on their way to do so and participating in the tournament because they were passing through. With how rare ghosts were, Victor probably wasn't used to his opponents being able to fight back.

Gible bit at the Misdreavus with a short awkward hop and destroyed half of its body using Crunch. Some of the Bubblebeam hit the dragon too, but it looked like he hadn't even been phased.

"Finish off the Rhyhorn, quick!"

That poor Rhyhorn had still been stuck in Sand Tomb. It was too heavy to just walk out, even when Gible stopped using the move. It just kept sinking into the quicksand the more it tried to get out. An Ice Beam dealt the final blow, and Victor recalled his rock type.

Louis had looked like he was on the defensive, but he was winning.

Victor grimaced as he sent his out a Skuntank. I reflectively wrinkled my nose, but the Kadabra barriers would keep the smell contained. Misdreavus reappeared next to her companion, ghostly energy leaking out of her.

Louis waited for him to do the first move.

"Skuntank, get in there and Night Slash! Misdreavus, Nasty Plot and support her from afar!"

Misdreavus sniggered as the whispers emanating from the ghost grew louder and louder. With surprising speed, Skuntank dashed toward her opponents, her claws growing dark.

"Gible, Sand Tomb!"

"Jump!"

The poison type leaped over the liquefied sand, landing right next to Prinplup and slashing across his chest. Blood seeped out of the three claw marks, and the water type was knocked to the ground.

"Gible, Dragon Claw—"

"Sucker Punch!"

The poison type blurred behind Gible and knocked him down with another clawed attack. His tough scales blocked the brunt of the damage, but when Gible turned to fight back, a Shadow Ball from Misdreavus hit his side.

"Prinplup, Ice Beam that Skuntank!"

Still on the floor, Prinplup spat out another ray of ice. The dark type's eyes narrowed, and it used Sucker Punch to dodge again, this time hitting Prinplup instead.

"Stop his assault with Bulldoze!"

Before Skuntank could Sucker Punch again, the floor shook and interrupted her. Misdreavus appeared above the melee and hit Prinpup with a powerful Hex. The water type fainted, but in a fit of rage that reminded me of his old self, Gible wildly slashed at Skuntank with Dragon Claw instead of finishing his Bulldoze.

Was he… attached to Prinplup now? Skuntank let out a pain-filled scream as Gible kept digging toward its insides. Misdreavus helped its ally with another Hex, but Skuntank's flank was almost unrecognizable. There was no more purple fur, only flesh, and even bone in some places, but a sharp yell from Louis got Gible to stop before an accident could occur.

"Keep your shitter under control, you incompetent fuck," Victor hissed.

"I apologize," Louis said, recalling his Prinplup. This time, Pawniard came out of the ball. "Prinplup just went down. Retaliate."

If reaction had a move, Retaliate would be it. Pawniard whetted its blades and blurred, slashing across Skuntanks' exposed flesh.

"But it had to be done," Louis finished.

The poison type fell unconscious, unable to deal with the pain. Victor only had his Misdreavus left.

"Strengthen your Sandstorm, Gible. We will drag this ghost out of its hiding place if need be. Pawniard, when it comes out, Assurance."

I smiled. It looked like Louis had regained some of his ego after all. The Sandstorm filled the entire arena, obscuring the fight from view once more. I couldn't see what went on, but Misdreavus eventually fell. Apparently, Pawniard could somewhat see through the Sandstorm.

"Victory to Louis Bianchi."

---

A/N: Thank you #wobblegonnabe#4235 for the team!

 

[veekie]

One ship sets sail and everyone else wants a go too

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 148

Louis had improved a whole lot since the last time I'd seen him. He had no secret evolutions, no extravagant tricks to win. He had just used pure unmitigated skill, and he kind of reminded me of a slower version of Denzel with a dash of Justin. Someone who was cautious and liked to be patient, but who was quick to shut someone down as soon as the opportunity arose. I might not have been a fan since the strategy required to react and take damage before finding an opening, but I couldn't deny that it had worked well despite a lot of mistakes that he had made during the battle. Sacrificing Vulpix was an odd choice, but he probably couldn't figure out a way to use her and decided to move on to a new tactic. Still, once his Pokemon evolved, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. Vulpix just needed a stone, but I had no idea when he'd buy her one. I didn't know enough about her to know if she was ready or not.

I was a lot more familiar with Justin's Growlithe, and I felt like he was close to ready, at least. Arcanine didn't share Ninetales' long lifespans or the potential danger with curses if you offended one, but they could be just as dangerous, especially with how quick they were. You could blink, and it would be gone, having run off without a trace. Needless to say, fighting one would be a puzzle in and of itself.

"Good job out there," Denzel grinned at Louis. He'd completely avoided any questions from the press.

"You kicked ass, my man!" Mira said.

"I wouldn't have done it without you," the blond man smiled. "You've been a good teacher to me and my team."

Cecilia smiled. "Louis, your Gible—"

"There is still a lot to work on, but Sylveon put the fear of Arceus into him. He realized that he isn't anywhere close to the strongest he could be, but with my help, he could get there."

"I'm happy you managed to get him to be reasonable, at least," I sighed. "And what was that reaction when Prinplup went down?"

"Let's just say he's been growing a bit attached," he said. "Not to Vulpix though. She dislikes his antics, and he doesn't exactly care about her. It's something I'm trying to fix."

"Well, at least you won," Maeve smiled. "Should we go see Justin? He should be fighting his battle, right?"

"We won't make it if we walk, we should just watch the livestream. They've got cameras set up twenty-four seven… hold on."

Denzel grabbed his phone and went on the tournament website. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Looks like Justin already won."

"Woah," I said.

"I thought he'd be slower. I wonder how he did it," he mused.

Denzel sent him a text message to see if we could all meet, but Pauline decided to go and train now that she'd seen her rival battle. His performance had apparently motivated the hell out of her. I wasn't sure how her battle this evening would go with that Vigoroth of hers, but I had no idea who her opponent was other that he had three badges, so it wasn't like I'd be able to figure it out unless I looked it up, and unless it was for my match or she asked me for advice, I didn't exactly see a reason. Plus, she'd probably go to Cecilia if she needed any help anyway.

"I'm off to train too," Maeve said before shuddering. "I've got to figure out how to battle on the Water Field."

"You got the water field? Damn," Denzel said.

"Unlucky, right? I'm gonna grab a bunch of comfort food and get my Starmie up to speed…"

We split up after that. Louis went to heal his team and decided to stay back to rest due to Combee keeping him awake all night. Apparently, the bug type hated to be kept in its Pokeball. There were a few Pokemon like that in the world, but its incessant buzzing had made it impossible for him to sleep, which made his victory a lot more impressive. Justin joined us after bringing his team back to the Center. Cecilia's battle was in an hour, but she didn't seem like she wanted to do some last-minute training. Apparently, Justin's opponent had completely floundered his start order, and Audino and Lombre made quick work of the opposing Dolliv and Sealeo. The poor trainer had probably expected Justin to start with his Krokorok and Growlithe, but he'd gotten it completely wrong.

One mistake led to another, and he unraveled quickly enough to give Justin his victory. He seemed a lot more confident than he'd been before now that he had gotten at least one win, and we were all proud of his progress. As we walked toward Cecilia's battle, which would take place on the Desert Field, I asked Justin the question.

"When are you evolving Growlithe?"

It was quick and straight to the point. So much so that he almost flinched.

"Grace, some tact please," Cece sighed.

"My bad, I'm just curious. Indulge me?"

"Very well," Justin exhaled. "I was thinking of doing so before my battle with Maylene. I want to wait for us to get to Veilstone to get the best Fire Stone possible so I don't stunt his growth."

"Wait, low-quality stones can stunt a Pokemon's growth?" I asked worryingly. "What about Maeve's Starmie? She bought a cheap Water Stone."

The others all looked on, waiting for him to answer the question. It looked like I wasn't the only clueless one for once, although Mira just looked uninterested. I was suspecting that she was a lot smarter than she acted, Kadabra or not.

"In a manner of speaking," he nodded. "A Pokemon that evolves with a low-quality stone will reach its full potential a lot slower than one that does so with a high-quality stone. With the money I have, I could have Growlithe at his top form just a few days after evolving instead of months."

"Okay, so it was what I thought," Denzel said. "Fire Stones are a bitch to get here too. I originally told you I looked at Vulpix for my team, right?"

"Yeah, a while ago," I nodded. "You also said you stopped when you saw how dangerous they could be."

"That was part of it. High-quality Fire Stones are almost as expensive as Shiny Stones in Sinnoh because they're all imported from Hoenn, straight from Mount Chimney."

"Hoenn's far away, so that makes sense," I shrugged. Sinnoh was far up north, and Hoenn was down at the equator. Kanto and Johto were in between us, and we shared a single island. Galar, Unova, Kalos, Paldea and Orre were all overseas— although Unova and Orre were neighbors, and so were Kalos and Paldea.

There was also Fione, Almia and Oblivia, but I didn't know much about those. They were all hermit countries that never opened their borders to the outside or even sent a diplomatic delegation. There were no embassies, no contact, just radio silence. Ransei, meanwhile, was a hellish place where the Great War had never stopped, and it had devolved into permanent civil wars instead. I vaguely remembered learning that different regions backed different factions there in proxy wars, and with the geopolitical context I had gotten from Josephine, I knew now that it was just a way for them to fight without starting a real war.

"Good luck Cece," Denzel said. Her battle was about to start.

"Thank you."

We sat in the bleachers, and I observed the Desert Field in all of its glory. It had been artificially created by multiple Hippowdon owned by the Hunters, and it showed. It was indistinguishable from a real desert. There were tall dunes that obscured the view somewhat, along with two oases on each side of the field for any water types that couldn't battle on land. I knew next to nothing about the girl that Cecilia was battling, but Denzel filled me in. Valery Graham owned four badges and was a rock-ground type specialist, which meant that she was at home in this terrain. She sort of sported this goth, punk look and had piercings all over her ears, along with one on her nose and eyebrow.

"This is a battle between Cecilia Obel and Valery Graham. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

I was surprised to see that Cece sent out both her Fletchinder and her Golett. I had expected her to use the latter, but in combination with Slowking or Zweilous to support her weaker teammates. The golem slowly hummed as its rune and eyes lit up, while Fletchinder immediately took flight with a squawk. For her part, Valery sent out a Hippowdon and a huge Onix that was only slightly smaller than Roark's. Cecilia certainly was going to have a tough time here, but I was also silently thanking the legendaries. Seeing a Hippowdon in action before my own battle was going to be a huge advantage. Sand constantly leaked from the holes on its body, which explained how it could survive in Sinnoh's terrain and how it had built this arena in the first place.

Now, how would Cecilia counter this? She didn't seem that alarmed, more like annoyed at that Onix. Hippowdon sank slightly into the sandy dunes and whipped up a thin Sandstorm, allowing us to see what was going on still.

"Fletchinder, Agility and Tailwind. Golett, Iron Defense."

"Don't let them set up!" Valery said. "Hippowdon, Dig and get that Golett! Onix, Rock Polish and Iron Head it!"

Right as Fletchinder beat her wings, creating a permanent, strong gust toward the enemy, Onix shimmered and rushed toward Golett, its huge body displacing massive amounts of sand. Hippowdon lazily sank into the desert and disappeared from view. There was no way Fletchinder was powerful enough to stand up to Onix, but I had no idea what Golett was capable of.

"Stomping Tantrum! Force it back up. Fletchinder, Heat Wave!"

The ghost type mechanically lifted a foot and stomped down into the soft sands. The ground split apart, revealing Hippowdon, who floundered and stared up in complete surprise. Onix wasn't so shaken by the attack and ignored the superheated winds created by Fletchinder. It rammed directly into Golett, but the ground type wasn't even sent away. The Onix's eyes narrowed, and Cecilia grinned.

"Hammer Arm."

"Get out of there!"

Golett slowly lifted an arm. Onix was quick thanks to Rock Polish, but he was also big. The hulking Pokemon clumsily turned around, but Golett smashed its fist onto one of its segments, and Onix let out a booming scream as it writhed against the floor, accidentally hitting Hippowdon in the process with its tail. I found myself surprised at how powerful Golett was, but I must have forgotten how old it was. Who knew what it had had to defend the Lost Tower from during its lifetime?

"Calm down! Hippowdon, just get in there and Crunch that Golett at all costs!"

The ground type shook itself out of its staggered state and kept swimming upward into the parted sand, but the closer it got, the hotter the air was. Fletchinder was still using Heat Wave and whittling it down, and the attack was being powered by Tailwind. The superheated air was so hot that it was constantly warped and distorted. The water in the oases began to evaporate, creating thick clouds that rose high up in the arena. Flames spun and landed onto the sand, where they turned bright white. It was like a scene out of hell.

Cecilia giggled at her work. Arceus, I loved her.

"Onix, Slam that fucking bird!" Valery yelled.

"Stomping Tantrum once more."

Again, Golett slammed his feet against the floor, and again, he disrupted both of his opponents. Hippowdon had almost made it now, but the sand had somehow turned to molten glass— including the sand permanently leaking out of its body— and its skin was being seared. The hippo cried out in pain as its skin swelled and melted off. It was quite literally being cooked alive. How was that even possible? Sand was supposed to be a lot hotter before it actually changed to glass… or maybe it was just that hot already? Hippowdon struggled to get to Golett and burns coalesced onto its thick skin, but Onix finally managed to use its humongous size to hit Fletchinder. The bird crashed into Kadabra's barrier, and the air finally began to cool. With renewed vigor, Hippowdon finally opened its mouth, revealing flattened teeth, and bit down on Golett with a vicious Crunch. The robot-like Pokemon didn't seem like he could feel pain, but the light in its eyes flickered.

"Shadow Ball," Cecilia said.

A half-birthed Shadow Ball exploded inside of Hippowdon's mouth, and the ground type furiously slammed its head against Golett with a move that could only be Iron Head. Golett didn't even move. With Iron Defense, his body was too tough and heavy to be hit away.

"Hippowdon, stand back. You can't deal with the Golett alone. Finish the Fletchinder off, Onix," Valery grinned. The rock type grunted and got ready to slam its full weight onto the fire type.

Right then and there, Cecilia tensed. Not in fear, but anticipation.

And then, a blinding light overtook Fletchinder. Onix flinched, stopping his attack and watched with a curious eye as his opponent evolved. Fletchinder's talons grew to a terrifying scope, and she at least tripled in size—

"Slam into it, Onix! Your damn pride can wait!"

The rock type irritatingly grunted but dropped onto the still-evolving Fletchinder. What was left was a fainted Talonflame with a body that had seen better days. Cecilia fumed as she recalled her Pokemon. There was a bit of an honor system between trainers that dictated that a Pokemon evolution wouldn't be interrupted, but Valery seemingly didn't even care.

"Onix, keep Iron Heading that Golett. You're tough enough to take it down—"

Cecilia whispered something to her Talonflame's Pokeball and released her Slowking right away. The psychic type winced as he landed on the half-formed glass that clung to the scorching sands. The ground was still so hot that just standing was hurting him. The glass somewhat cooled by now, but it was still scorching hot, and nowhere as clear as normal glass was. It was this lumpy, dirty surface with a menacing red glow that cut the psychic type's feet.

"Fuck! This is the one we prepared for! Onix, Payback! Hippowdon, rush it and Crunch!"

"Golett, Hammer Arm the Onix. Slowking, Surf."

Surf? When did she even have the time to learn that? Golett slowly trudged toward Onix and cracked its tough armor with another Hammer Arm. The rock type bellowed out in pain and crashed against Kadabra's barrier, raking against the psychic wall. Just as Hippowdon was about to bite into Slowking with Crunch, the remaining water from both oases crashed into him and sent him away. A psychic bubble around Golett and Slowking protected them from any harm, and the water kept building and building until the entire battlefield was submerged. Dirty water reached up to Slowking's neck and Golett's entire body was underwater. The psychic barriers bulged under the pressure of the massive waves, and the water proved too much for the two ground types.

Both Onix and Hippowdon went down.

With a frustrated groan, Valery recalled them and sent out a Sudowoodo and Carkol instead, but both rock types were immediately washed away by the waves. Steam rose from Carkol's heated coal, and Sudowoodo cried out for help.

"Sudowoodo, Endure! Carkol, create a platform with Ancient Power!"

With surprising control, two circular pillars rose from the earth. Compacted sand solidified into a solid surface. They were both hanging by a thread, but they were still standing. To have resisted such a powerful Surf and used a move that required such focus under the water's strain?

I could commend Valery for her skills as a trainer. Carkol's control was excellent.

"Carkol, Ancient Power at Slowking! Sudowoodo, Rock Tomb!"

"Water Pulse. Finish them off."

Masses of rocks, sand and molten glass flew toward Slowking, who simply waved the projectiles away with Psychic. Two Water Pulses sped up by the same move made quick work of the two rock types, who fell into the water and fainted. When Surf receded, the waters revealed Golett, who had actually fainted. The light in his eyes and rune was gone. It looked like Slowking had improved leaps and bounds, but he still wasn't good enough to retain a barrier on two Pokemon while using a move as demanding as Surf.

"Victory to Cecilia Obel. Trainers, please step off the platform."

Well, that certainly had been eye-opening. I now knew a lot more about Cecilia's new capabilities, and I would have to watch out for her Talonflame, who would no doubt be a huge threat now that she had evolved. Not only that, but I had learned a decent bit about Hippowdon, even though I wished it had done more. For Heatwave, I had noticed that Talonflame needed to be stationary to use it to any effect that powerful, otherwise she would have easily dodged Onix's attack. A few drills from Princess ought to be enough to stop her. Golett was nothing to scoff at either, but so long as I kept my distance and attacked it from afar with special attacks, I didn't think it was much of a problem. Its physical defense was incredible, but it was too slow and nonresponsive to actually dodge any attacks. Of course, I had to account for Slowking's barriers, but if I kept him busy like I'd done with Tangrowth during our battle…

Those were thoughts for another time. Cecilia was already here.

"Well done, Cece," Justin said.

"That was awesome," I told her. "Golett's a lot stronger than I thought."

"Seriously, I thought he'd be your weakest member for a bit, but he packs a punch," Denzel said. "I kind of feel bad for Talonflame, though."

"Kids these days have no honor," Mira said in an exaggerated coarse voice, clearly mocking us. "I personally don't see what the fuss is. She tried her best to win."

"It's just wrong," Cecilia said. "Either way, Slowking's Surf was enough to take my revenge."

"By the way, what was with that glass trick?" I asked. "There's no way that Fletchinder's strong enough to turn sand into glass, right? That's like… a bajillion degrees."

"1,700 degrees," Mira specified.

"That," I said.

"Well, if I must," Cecilia said. "Talonflame's Heat Wave was powered up by Tailwind, but also by Fire Spin."

"Oh, is that why there were flames?" I asked. "I thought that it was one of Heat Wave's side effects."

Cecilia nodded. "See, when I saw that I was going to battle on the Desert Field, I came up with this plan. Fletchin— Talonflames' flames don't usually reach the temperature to make sand melt, but combined with those three attacks? I figured we'd at least get close with enough buildup. It's not a technique I would use against weaker opponents, and I trusted that rock types would be good enough to resist the attack and that Hippowdon's thick layers of fat would shield it enough."

"It's not like the entire place was burning that hot either," Mira shrugged. "If I had the guess, the temperature of the air was a few hundred degrees. The ground, though? Sheesh."

"Yeah… that could probably kill something," Denzel sighed.

"Which is why I won't use it against any opponents. I did mess up somewhat, though. Sand is usually terrible at retaining heat, so I expected Slowking to be able to stand without any pain. His feet are completely burned off."

"You guys are way too brutal with these battles… this is supposed to be for fun. I know we have a skewed perception of what's normal, but I'd relax if I were you. Anyway, where'd you learn so much about sand?" Denzel asked.

"From yours truly!" Mira said, pointing at herself with a thumb. "She asked nicely, so I figured I'd help her out."

"How nice," I said. "I thought you'd be more of the competitive type."

"Meh, I don't exactly care that much about winning the tournament. I just want to have some fun," Mira shrugged.

My eyes narrowed at that statement. I was beginning to wonder why Mira had become a trainer in the first place. We all had different reasons for wanting to make it to the Conference. What was hers? I tried racking my brain for the answer as we started to walk off toward the Center, but I couldn't find any clues from our previous interactions aside from a hidden side of her that she never showed.

Maybe I'd just ask her.

Cecilia had proved once again that she dealt in power. Surf and Heatwave alone were enough to overwhelm most opponents. I was actually starting to wonder if Talonflame wasn't going to be more useful than Zweilous for the tournament. In a singles format, the dragon would probably still be king, but in doubles? Wide-ranging attacks like Heat Wave and Surf ruled. I'd have to start creating a counter now. Princess wasn't powerful enough to shield two moving Pokemon at once. Despite her incredible skill with Psychic and Extrasensory, she was no psychic type. Talonflame had also shown that she was capable of using the attack for an extremely long time, so if Princess was ever too distracted to send some drills at her and we let the heat build up for too long, we would be in big trouble.

Buddy would be the key. He'd be able to resist the Heat Wave while Princess focused on shielding herself. After a twenty-minute walk, we stepped into the Center and Cecilia gave her Slowking, Talonflame, and Golett to Nurse Joy.

"It's a bummer that everyone's training," Mira said. "I want us all to hang out again. I wish the day of our battles all lined up."

"You trained too," I laughed. "Anyway, most of their battles are this evening… what do you say we go watch Lauren fight?"

"I thought that was a given," Cecilia said. "We can go after a short break? I need to get my team healed and eat something."

"I'll come with!" I said.

"I wish I could, but I've got to train with Milotic," Denzel shrugged. "I'll join you guys to watch Lauren though."

"Pauline wanted me to find her when I was free, so I'm out too," Justin said.

"You guys are all flaking. Mira, you should come," I smiled.

"What?! I don't want to be a third wheel," Mira groaned.

"Come on, it won't be that bad," I said.

"And see you flirt and be all over each other the entire time? No thanks. I don't want to be reminded of how single I am."

"There's more to life than relationships," Denzel said. "You could just hang out with them as friends. They cling to each other, but they won't let you feel lonely, I promise."

"Way to speak about us like we aren't there," Cecilia rolled her eyes.

"Hm… fine, I'll hang."

—

The three of us sat at a table in the same restaurant we went to before. I had to admit, eating out this much did make me feel guilty about how much I was spending, but damn their food was good. Mira constantly swung her legs around in her seat like a kid, and we all watched the tournament on a silent TV. Right now, the two trainers were down to their last two Pokemon. On one side, a Sneasel and a Makuhita were bruised, but not finished. On the other, a Scyther and a Simisear were sneering mockingly at their opponents. Sneasel got on all fours, and an arc of ice hit Scyther in the leg.

"Ouch, that's a nasty Ice Beam," Mira said. "Gotta hand it to that Sneasel, it's pretty vicious."

"But its trainer will lose the battle anyway," I sighed. "Her Pokemon are a lot more wounded than the others, and Makuhita's too slow to dodge most attacks. When it falls, they'll gang up on Sneasel and finish it off."

"Cold, but true," Mira nodded. "Man, I really want to fight on this Desert Field. It seems like a lot of fun."

"Say, Mira…" I said. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you come from?"

Maybe I'd be able to lead with this question first and segway into her reasons for joining the Circuit. I refused to believe that it was simply to get stronger.

"Jubilife!" She excitedly answered. "Born and raised. It's the best city in Sinnoh."

"Well, I'd say that's Sunyshore—"

"Excuse me?" I said, looking at Cece with an amused smile. "You're going up against two Jubilifers here."

"No way, you're from Jubilife too?!" Mira exclaimed. "I knew we were meant to be friends."

"I wanted to learn more about you," I explained. "I know a lot about everyone else… even Maeve. Why'd you join the Circuit?"

To be honest, that had been a pretty bad pivot, but I figured it was better to just be honest instead of dancing around the topic. I noticed that her eyes had narrowed at my first question anyway, so she probably knew something was up.

"Cause I want to be the very best! Isn't that what it's all about?" Mira exclaimed.

I restrained a frown. Another lie.

But I wouldn't push it. If she didn't want to tell me, well, who was I to know? Maybe she would once we grew closer.

"Fair enough," I said. "Mine is similar anyway."

"Any goal is valid, so long as it helps to motivate you," Cecilia nodded.

"You girls are cool," Mira said. "Sorry for being reluctant to come. I'm not used to people wanting to hang out with me. Until I started traveling with Louis and Maeve, I usually had to beg for people to talk to me, so… yeah. I got a little suspicious and started throwing any excuse I thought would stick. I didn't really care about being a third wheel."

"I think you're a good person," Cece said. "Ignorant people will judge you for past events, but they don't know the real you."

"Thanks," she exhaled. Like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. "Wait, are we like best friends now?"

"Sure?" Cecilia said. "You can call me Cece if you want."

"That wasn't that convincing, but I'll let it go, Cece," Mira giggled. "Oh man, this is great."

"I thought Maeve was your best friend," I raised an eyebrow.

"She is, and so are you guys. I can have multiple best friends, can't I? Oh, and by the way Cece, now that I have you here, can you help me? I need you to set me up with Chase— don't look at me like that, your girlfriend's already agreed! And so did Denzel!"

"Oh, legendaries."

---

A/N: Thank you Zhijia#9897 for the team!

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 149

I sat down, awaiting the start of Lauren's battle. Aside from a few, we had all regrouped for this specific occasion. Pauline probably had her hands full with getting Vigoroth to cooperate with her. Louis was busy sleeping or taking care of his Combee—one of the two— and Maeve was still training. The rest of us had come to spectate. Of course, most of my friends still had no idea I knew Lauren now since Denzel, Cece, and I had kept the meeting under wraps but she was still among the best first-years in the Circuit, so they still wanted to see her battle. This one was taking place on the Snow Field, which was a flatter and less obstructive version of Candice's gym. There were no trees and minimal elevation changes, just a mostly smooth surface.

"Here she comes," Justin said. I tensed.

Lauren strode up to the platform without a care in the world, and she had headphones on this time instead of the usual wireless earphones. For a moment, I almost thought that she'd somehow battle with them, but she took them off and put them around her neck. Sirris the Duosion was already out of his Pokeball with her. Her opponent was someone I knew nothing about, but he was taller than Denzel and a lot bulkier. He wore aviator sunglasses and had some sort of 'cool' vibe going on. An ugly scar ran on the side of his face, going through his cheek and right above the eye.

"How many badges?" I whispered.

"Four," Denzel answered.

"He doesn't look nervous at all," I said in surprise. Sure, he also had four badges, but he was battling Lauren.

"This is a battle between Sam Pyke and Lauren Goodwill. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

"I'll probably lose this battle, but let's make it a fun one, yeah?" Sam grinned. He grabbed his Pokeball and lazily released a Skarmory and Mawile.

The metallic bird stretched out its wings and took flight a lot faster than I expected, and Mawile slammed her second mouth against the snowy ground.

"Sure," Lauren whispered.

She sent out her Rhydon and Magmar onto the field. The two Pokemon that were said not to work well in a doubles format due to their personalities during Goalducc's analysis. Sirris shivered in his goo as he warily observed his teammates get ready for the coming battle. Rhydon were massive, but Lauren's was especially so, coming in at around eight and a half feet and dwarfing Magmar. The rock type slammed its fists together and let out a furious roar that caused the snow under his feet to shake. Magmar was Electabuzz's size, but that was where the similarities ended. Honey loved to battle, but a vicious grin permanently afflicted the fire type's face and his eyes narrowed with glee. His body was permanently on fire, and the snow under his feet melted away.

"Begin!"

Sam laughed. "This is going to be a toughie! Skarmory, Autotomize and Iron Defense! Mawile, stand back for now!"

I nodded as Skarmory's metallic plates shone brightly, and Mawile huffed, clearly angry. There was no telling what that Magmar would do to the fairy type if it got close, and Mawile were closed-range fighters.

Lauren took a deep breath.

"Fuck them up, Mags! Get in there and Lava Plume!" She screamed with such glee that I almost forgot she was the same person. "Paragon, I don't care what you do, just get in there and rip that Mawile apart!"

Magmar's twisted smile widened, and his body flared. He began to run toward Mawile and Skarmory, and while he wasn't particularly fast, approaching him would mean the end of both steel types. Rhydon, meanwhile, was protected from the heat by his thick, rocky armor, and he also slowly trudged forward, each of his steps shaking the earth.

"Skarmory, keep to the air and Stealth Rocks!"

The bird fanned its wings, and small, sharpened rocks fell toward the ground and levitated off the floor.

"Now Rock Slide! Keep 'em away from Mawile!"

Skarmory let out a metallic, jittery screech, and rocks erupted from the snowy ground. With a gleeful smile that mirrored his trainer's, Magmar sunk under the rocks and then erupted with Lava Plume, sending the rocks and a terrifying amount of flames all around him. Skarmory dodged with his improved speed, but Mawile and Rhydon were not spared. The former screamed as a rock— completely red from the superheated attack— hit her in the head, and Rhydon simply brushed the flames and the lava off.

"Icy Wind the Rhydon!"

Skarmory beat its wings, and a frigid wind powered up by the terrain flew toward Rhydon, slowing the rock type massively.

"Melt it off, Mags! Flamethrower!"

The fire type blew a full-powered Flamethrower all over Rhydon, who simply grunted and kept marching. Then, something in his eyes changed.

He was close enough, now.

"Burn the shit out of Mawile, Mags! Flamethrower!" Lauren snarled.

The flames on his back flared and flew far behind him as Magmar spat out another stream of fire toward Mawile.

"Dodge with Sucker Punch! Skarmory, Sandstorm!"

A thin Sandstorm spread throughout the arena. It would slightly hurt Magmar, but everyone else would be immune. Mawile blurred behind Rhydon, and batted at the rock type with its massive jaw.

"Foul Play!"

This time, there was darkness. Mawile quickly sidestepped to avoid getting swiped by Rhydon's tail and swung its mouth at him again. Rhydon's armor split open with a deafening crack, and the hulking Pokemon roared out in fury.

"Mags, blow up."

Another Lava Plume erupted from Magmar's body, and flames and globs of lava poured out of every single pore in his body. Mawile screeched and was overtaken by the flames, and Rhydon finally grabbed her with his two massive hands.

"Finish it off, I don't care how you do it," she said.

"Skarmory, Icy Wind!"

"Tell him to fuck off," Lauren snapped.

Mags seemingly understood that command and simply stood in front of Rhydon, dissolving the Icy Wind into nothing with his body heat. The rock type threw Mawile in the air, and his horn doubled in size as it shimmered in white.

Drill Run.

Gasps and audible winces ran through the crowd as Rhydon's horn eviscerated Mawile. The steel type was immediately knocked out by the blow, and Rhydon threw her away like a rag while Magmar sniggered and the flames on his back intensified.

They were made for each other, it seemed.

Sam recalled Mawile, although his permanent smile did not even waver for one second. He sent out a Magneton, whose three eyes looked terribly angry.

"More. Burn them more," Lauren said.

Magmar flexed, and a massive Flamethrower flew toward the newly released Magneton.

"Shield him with Rock Slide!" Sam yelled out to Skarmory.

This time, the rocks formed a clumsy wall, stopping most of the flames and absorbing the heat. Rhydon screamed, and jagged rocks flew up from under Skarmory. The flying type was almost taken by surprise, but he expertly navigated the air to dodge each rock from what I assumed to be Stone Edge. Skarmory was clearly Sam's best-trained Pokemon, but the problem was that he couldn't approach without getting crushed by Magmar's heat, and the only two ways he could attack were Rock Slide and Icy Wind.

"Now send it toward them!"

The Rock Slide exploded outward, ramming into both Magmar and Rhydon. The fire type quickly stepped behind his teammate, who shielded him from the worse of the damage. Rhydon, however, seemingly disliked that and hit him away toward the rocks.

"Paragon's telling you that you can take it, Mags," Lauren smiled.

Magmar grinned, and another stone hit him directly in the head. Superheated blood poured out from the wound, bubbling and evaporating before it could even fall to the ground. They were all insane.

"Magneton, get in there! Find an opening with Tri Attack! Skarmory, keep up the Rock Slides!"

All three heads blinked in unison and furiously fired countless rays of ice, fire and lighting toward Rhydon and Magmar. The rock type simply shrugged off the attacks, although he winced every time the ice hit him. The floor under both Pokemon sunk as Skarmory shifted the earth into makeshift rocks to stop them from moving, along with occasionally hitting them back.

"Lava Plume!" Lauren yelled.

With an explosion that somehow had grown in strength, fire erupted from Magmar once more, spewing into the floor and consuming everything around him. At this point, half of the snow on the floor had simply disappeared, and vapor had joined the Sandstorm into shrouding the arena. Some of the globs of fire landed on Magneton, but Sam didn't care. The electric type flew toward his opponents with a single goal in mind.

"Explosion!"

Light consumed Magneton, but this was no evolution. Air was quickly sucked in toward his body, and a massive explosion rocked the arena. Only Skarmory had made it out unscathed, and Kadabra's barriers rattled and shook as the explosion run its course. When the smoke cleared, Magneton was but a smoking husk on the floor. Rhydon had a few chips on his armor, but other than that, he seemed completely fine.

Magmar was on the floor, his flames having burned out.

"Get up, Mags," Lauren ordered.

His arms twitched.

"Get up. Fight. Burn."

The fire type stood with trembling limbs, and his body reignited once more. Rhydon sneered at him for a second and then went back to trying to hit Skarmory with Stone Edge, without any success. Goalducc had been right. His reluctance to listen to Lauren was costing him a lot of potential.

"Dang it, I at least wanted to take down one," Sam grinned as he recalled Magneton. "Wanna trade that Magmar? I'll give you any of mine other than Skarmory. If you didn't have six Pokemon, I'd give you two to make it fair."

I physically recoiled and felt nausea overtake me. What kind of person just said that? The worst part was that only Skarmory had heard it, and the flying type didn't seem to care whatsoever. When you were a trainer, Pokemon weren't things to be traded off, especially because you found them weaker than you liked them to be. They were family. This was a second year who'd spent more than a year with some of these Pokemon.

He disgusted me.

"Absolutely not."

"Fair enough," he said as he released a Metang. The steel type took to the air just as high as Skarmory was. "Light Screen and Reflect."

Two layers of transparent barriers appeared around the Metang.

"Paragon. Feel like working with me today?" Lauren asked.

Rhydon's head turned toward her, and he shook his head dismissively.

"Fine. Then Mags, you've got to put in some work."

"The Magmar's weak. Take him down! Skarmory, Drill Peck! Metang, Psychic to restrain that Rhydon!"

Skarmory dove down, spinning so fast that his form became a blur. Rhydon stomped a foot on the floor, and the ground split open in a line in front of him as sharp rocks flew up from the floor. Some of them hit him, and a Flamethrower from Magmar burned him so hard that the metal on his wings started to melt and fuse together.

How was Magmar still going?

Rhydon tried to bat the Skarmory away with his hand, but Metang's Psychic restrained him for a precious few seconds. Skarmory rammed into Magmar, and the fire type finally fell.

"You were a good boy," Lauren said. She recalled him and sent out her Duosion. She had to recall him and release him again so he could slip past Kadabra's barrier. The Stealth Rocks rushed toward him, but they harmlessly bounced off of his psychic shield.

"Keep the momentum going and get him too!" Sam yelled. "Break past his shield!"

Skarmory continued on its warpath and flew toward Duosion, and Metang kept slowing Rhydon as much as it could with Psychic. The steel type crashed into the barrier, which became visible as it struggled to break through. It was a lot more refined that Metang's own protective moves, and it was invisible to the naked eye.

"Expanding Force," Lauren said.

My ears popped as Duosion sucked in as much air and energy as he could. Then, he released it. It was an explosion of pink psychic energy that utterly destroyed everything in its path. The move was a perfect circle, and it chewed into the floor, creating a crater that was nearly the width of the arena. Rhydon and Metang had been too far to be hurt, but Skarmory was a goner. It crashed onto the floor that was now devoid of any snow. Parts of its metallic wings had melted and fused, and many gashes ran through its armor.

It had put in a lot of work. If only its trainer hadn't been such an ass.

Metang followed shortly, and while Rhydon flailed around, Duosion and the steel type engaged in a duel of minds. I couldn't exactly understand what was going on, but they were clearly trying to overpower each other with Psychic, and occasionally, they would try other moves to trip each other up. Metang would feign going in with Bullet Punch, and Duosion would flinch, leaving him open to further mental assaults. The duel was surprisingly equal. I had expected Sirris to win easily, but the fact that Metang had two brains just like him was probably tripping him up. Still, Duosion eventually won out. Metang had grown too tired to keep his shields up, and Rhydon finished him off with a Stone Edge.

"Victory to Lauren Goodwill. Trainers, please step out of the arena."

"Man, that was fun," Sam smiled as he recalled Metang. "I ought to get a rematch one of these days. Your Magmar completely countered my team. Kind of opened my eyes to how fucked I am by a single powerful fire type. Usually Metang was enough to take care of 'em on his own, but not this time."

Lauren retrieved her Pokemon as well, and her outward demeanor seemingly evaporated as she shrunk down to her usual quiet self.

"Yeah… you should at least try to find a counter, I think," she muttered into the microphone. "Something like a Steelix or an Aggron would be good at resisting the heat. Anyway, thanks."

Lauren left the battlefield a burning, crumbling mess. It was even worse than what Cecilia had done to hers. At least the Desert Field had been left in a somewhat recognizable state, but this? If you told someone that this had been the Snow Field just ten minutes earlier, they never would have believed you. It was nothing but upended earth from Rhydon, that massive crater from Duosion, and the snow had completely melted due to Magmar's flames.

If Pauline was violence and Cecilia was power, Lauren was uncontrollable destruction. She left nothing behind when she fought, and I had no doubt it was intentional on her part. Her behavior during the battle had been… interesting. It was almost like a split personality, but I didn't think that was it. Battling might have been the only place where she could ever let loose and talk however she wanted to, along with when she talked with her brother. And maybe her team too? With strangers and acquaintances, she was a meek girl, but otherwise? She could be as snappy as Pauline was.

That Rhydon was the least of my problems. Princess could probably run laps around him like there was no tomorrow. Magmar and Duosion though? They were threats, and at this point, I believed the rest of her team was too.

Against her, Denzel or Cece? No holds were barred. I would find the most efficient way to shut all of their teams down no matter what I had to do. My best friend might not have been as flashy as us, but I knew he was hiding something. I could see it in his eyes. That show with Lopunny and the four different attacks? The Blizzard tactic with Froslass? It was good, but it was bait. A shiny new thing that people could latch onto while he worked on his real tactic.

No, he had something else prepared, and hopefully I would be able to find out if we had to battle.

—

It was Maeve's turn to fight now. I was actually intrigued since I hadn't really seen her fight since the Floaroma tournament. Would she be a cautious fighter like Louis and Justin? Or a risk-taker like Mira and Pauline? Or someone in the middle like me, Denzel or Cecilia? I was excited to find out. Even if we all roughly had similar ways of fighting, we were so different. Battling showed endless possibilities for every single style, and watching so many battles in this tournament made me realize the incredible growth that everyone had gone through.

The Water Field was the most annoying one to fight on by a wide margin, but it would actually be good experience for anyone still looking to fight Crasher Wake. A few rocky platforms rising from the depths of the water were the only safe havens for non-water types. Some might have said that this was an unfair advantage, but water types that couldn't be on land were so difficult to train and battle with that they deserved a win once in a while.

"This is a battle between Reuben Stinnett and Maeve Chang. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

Reuben looked just as nervous as Maeve was, and he adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand. Maeve sent out her Pokemon first— her Starmie and Staravia. The star-like Pokemon spun in place, and the gem in its center gleamed. Staravia screeched and stretched her wings before taking to the air. She wasn't the biggest, but her maneuverability in the air was second to none— even better than Fletchinder's, although that might have changed now that she had evolved.

Reuben sent out a Swellow and a Quagsire. The ground type stared in utter confusion with its beady little eyes, but a cry from Swellow snapped him back to reality.

"Begin—"

Maeve exploded into a flurry of commands as soon as he finished. "Power Gem, Double Team, Aerial Ace!"

Starmie and Staravia split into at least twenty clones. The flying type and her afterimages all rushed toward Swellow, and more beams of light than I could count flew toward the same target. The fact that Maeve had trained her team to the extent that even their fake selves were able to attack was incredible.

"Quick Attack and Double Team!" Reuben yelled out to his Swellow. "Quagsire, Yawn!"

Swellow split into afterimages of its own, but it was too slow. The real Power Gem hit it, and Staravia rammed into her opponent with a ferocity that was uncharacteristic of their species. Quagsire opened its mouth so much that I thought it was about to dislocate his jaw and yawned, and I suddenly felt very drowsy. Swellow and Staravia crashed into the water.

"What?! Is that allowed? What if he drowns?!" Reuben worryingly said. The supervisor just nodded.

"Starmie, get in there and Power Gem underwater!" Maeve quickly continued.

"Quagsire, stop them! Mudshot!"

With a sharp hiss, Starmie jumped into the depths. The Mudshot followed it closely, but I couldn't see if it hit. Reuben ordered Quagsire to jump into the water to help Swellow, but it just looked around confusedly. It might as well have been a Slowpoke. Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. The water occasionally lit up with attacks that could only be Power Gem. It was a game of who would blink first. Pokeballs were generally good at tracking the Pokemon they belonged to, so pointing it in the water's general direction would be enough to save their flying types.

"Starmie!" Maeve yelled.

Swellow was raised into the air by psychic energy and slammed onto one of the islands, and the bird coughed up water. The water clung to its feathers like glue, and it was too wet to fly. Staravia was next, although she was placed a lot more gently.

"I'm retracting Staravia out of the fight," Maeve said, causing me to scoff. She immediately recalled her and released a Skorupi instead. "Venoshock."

The small bug type wasted no time angling its tail toward the Swellow and spraying her with poison that rivaled Roselia's own.

"Mud Bomb!" Reuben ordered.

This time, Quagsire spat out a huge ball of scorching mud instead of a continuous stream. Before it could land on Skorupi, Starmie jumped out of the water and held it back with Psychic. The Mud Bomb collapsed in place, sinking into the water.

"Starmie, jump back in the water before you fall asleep," Maeve said. Her words were like a continuous stream. She spoke faster than any trainer I'd seen.

The star-like Pokemon sunk into the water once more, and only Skorupi stood. Starmie was safest in the water where it couldn't get hit, and it didn't appear like Quagsire would be that good of a swimmer since he was adamant about not going into the water. Plus, Reuben would probably focus on Skorupi instead, where he held the type advantage. Another quick Venoshock finished Swellow off, and Reuben replaced it with a Bronzong.

"Light Screen and Reflect!" He yelled. "Mud Bomb again!"

"Pin Missile and Hone Claws."

Dozens of sharp spikes erupted from Skorupi's body and toward the Mud Bomb. The ground type attack did not explode, but its path was altered enough so that it only grazed the scorpion. His pincers shone and sharpened.

"Confusion it into the water!" Reuben ordered to his Bronzong. The steel type's eyes glinted, he began to lift Skorupi into the air.

"Break free with Night Slash. Keep using Pin Missle to buy time for Starmie to come back," Maeve said.

Darkness festered from within Skorupi's pincers, and he cut up the psychic sack around his body, falling back onto his island. Quagsire used Mud Shot instead of Mud Bomb this time, and no amount of Pin Missiles were stopping that attack. Still, Skorupi was a fierce little bug. Maeve ordered him to use another Venoshock, this time toward the Quagsire, and it was too slow to dodge. The poison seeped onto his skin and melted off its thick layers of fat.

"Gyro Ball, Bronzong!"

The psychic slowly started to rotate and then grew faster and faster as it approached Skorupi.

"Night Slash!"

The two Pokemon hit each other and the dark energy seemingly bypassed the Reflect. That would be important information to ingest. I knew that it was capable of passing through barriers created with Psychic, but Reflect and Light Screen were entirely different beasts. Bronzong knocked Skorupi into the water and it screeched as it made a pitiful attempt to swim.

And then it sunk.

All Maeve could do now was wait. I was nervous for her, and yet she seemed more sure of herself than she had ever been.

Starmie jumped out of the water, carrying Skorupi in tow with what could only be Confusion. They jumped onto Quagsire's island, and the bug type slashed across his back with Night Slash while Starmie blasted him with a Psychic.

"Get back!" Reuben screamed. Bronzong tried to float toward his teammate, but he was slow. Maeve's Pokemon overwhelmed Quagsire with poison and psychic energy until it fainted, but Bronzong quickly took his revenge and smashed the bug against Kadabra's wall with Confusion quicker than he could react.

Reuben sent out a Skorupi of his own, and Maeve sent out her Monferno.

She had the advantage.

"Bronzong, use Extrasensory on Monferno!"

"Starmie, Psychic, Monferno, Flamethrower."

Maeve did not even need to state who she was targeting. Skorupi was immediately restrained as Psychic assaulted its brain and turned it to mush. Monferno's tail flame intensified, and it spat out the largest Flamethrower it could muster. Instead of defending Monferno from the coming Confusion, Maeve put everything she had into one single attack.

And it worked. Skorupi was burned to a crisp and fainted right away, but Monferno was knocked back into the water. He could swim, but he was extremely weak when his tail was extinguished. Starmie jumped to his rescue and placed him back on an island.

Reuben tried for another few minutes, and Bronzong was clearly one of his strongest Pokemon, but there was only so much that it could do in a one-on-two. Eventually, the Flamethrowers and Brines broke through his Light Screen, and the steel type fainted.

"Victory to Maeve Chang. Trainers, please step off the platform."

I had seen enough to understand the gist of Maeve's style. She was a fast-paced battler that took risks, but she was smart about them. During the battle, she had had both of her Pokemon focus on one opponent while Reuben constantly split his attention. Splitting attacks was fine if there was an overarching plan, but I didn't get that feeling from him. It felt like he was still finding his footing as a trainer. Despite his Pokemon being maybe even stronger than Maeve's, the fact that she had cemented her style and he had not meant that she held the advantage.

Maeve had also recalled Staravia without any hesitation. In the moment, I almost groaned due to how strange I had found that decision, but that snap decision had potentially won Maeve the battle. Staravia would have been asleep at the same time as Starmie due to Quagsire's yawn, but it was also unable to fly because of how wet it had been. By switching out to Skorupi immediately, she kept the battle active and running at her pace.

I smiled. Maeve was pretty good.

—

It was nighttime now, and Pauline's battle was next on the Rock Field. This time, we were all here. I eagerly awaited for her Vigoroth to make its debut. I hoped that she had at least gotten him in line like Lauren's Rhydon— maybe not ready to listen to commands yet, but at least cooperative. Her opponents stepped up to the podium and Denzel squinted.

"What the… what the hell?" He muttered.

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"That's not… that's not who she was supposed to fight. This is a five-badger. Harry Rodriguez. I looked him up when I was researching the trainers with five badges in case I'd have to battle them."

"What? She was supposed to battle a girl with three badges, right? What happened?"

Denzel grabbed his phone and quickly started to type. "She… dropped out? And so did this guy's previous opponent. What the fuck."

My eyes narrowed. "What? That's shady as hell."

"This isn't good. I don't even know if Pauline knows about— ah, she's here."

The redhead frowned, clearly confused at her opponent, but she didn't appear shaken. The supervisor announced their names, and they released their Pokemon. Pauline released Charmeleon and Rufflet. Harry released his Pokemon onto the field.

It was a continent. A self-sustaining island with legs. A living terrarium. Torterra grunted, and the tree on its back creaked and rustled as it took to the field. It was mindbogglingly large, coming in at around nine feet in height and I didn't know how much in width. Were Torterra always that big? A relatively smaller purple bat with a huge wingspan and four wings was released directly into the air. Crobat screeched and its yellow eyes locked onto its enemies.

"Begin!"

—

Three minutes later, Vigoroth and Gothorita were splayed out across the ground. Torterra and Crobat stood triumphantly over them. Torterra's tree had been lit on fire, but other than that, the ground type was intact. Crobat had been too quick to even get hit once.

Pauline had lost.

Now either this was all a big coincidence,

Or something was horribly wrong with this tournament. I was willing to bet it was the latter.

---

A/N: Thank you Silvern | School Rumble#4162, Bladewing#8069, and badboysbreadbridge#7111 for the teams!

 

[Great Greedy Guts]

Yeah, nothing fucky about that at all. Lucky for Grace she decided to start improvising, though I doubt they'll pull it on a big, obvious name like her. Unless this is all just Galactic, in which case (depending on who is in charge) they just might.

One nice thing about this story, while Galactic has their hands in everything, they're not the only bad actors (just connected to a lot of them).

"Something like a Steeling or an Aggron would be good at resisting the heat. Anyway, thanks."

Click to shrink...

Steelix?

 

[Soussouni]

A user on my Discord called ObsidianOlive commissioned this for me. It's the first piece of fanart I've ever received and I'm extremely giddy about it, so I decided to share it here. Enjoy! (Drawn by @artbynath on fiverr)

Spoiler: Grace and Princess fanart

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 150

It hadn't even been particularly close. Torterra shared or even surpassed Tangrowth's bulk, so fire type attacks from Charmeleon hadn't done much but annoy it, and it easily retaliated with devastating Earthquakes that took her out of the fight before she could make use of Blaze. Torterra was too heavy for Gothorita to even hope to restrain it, and again, no clawed attacks from Vigoroth dealt much damage. Plus, the normal type had listened to Pauline somewhat, but it never wanted to hang back and wait for the correct opportunity to strike. Crobat, for its part, was just as quick as Cecilia's Talonflame and could easily run circles around anything that Pauline could throw at it.

The battle had been a massacre. A testament to the difference between a trainer with three and five badges. Maybe if Charmeleon, Gothorita, or Rufflet had evolved, then she would have stood a better chance, but there was no way for Pauline to beat an experienced trainer with tougher Pokemon than she had, or at least not with her violent approach to battling. Pauline calmly recalled her Pokemon, and we all held our breaths. She watched her opponent walk off with a smug smile and then stepped away herself.

But then, she stopped.

"Ah, shit," Denzel sighed.

"Hey, Mr. supervisor? I have a question," she said.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Can you explain to me what the fuck that just was? That wasn't the girl I was supposed to fight. I wasn't even warned about the change. Did you expect me to just walk away and take it? That'd mean that you're straight-up fucking stupid."

"Take it up to the higher-ups," he lazily said.

"No, I want to take it up with you, moron."

"I don't know why it happened, I don't make the decisions, I'm just a referee."

"Got it, so you don't care if the tournament the company you work for organized is shit. You clearly favored this guy! Why else would you put him against me at the last second? And no mentions of a schedule or a bracket change? Really?"

The audience was beginning to murmur in her favor, and the supervisor seemed to be genuinely taken aback, which surprised me. Pauline was right. What did he think would happen? Reporters had forgone interviewing Harry Rodriguez and were instead filming this entire confrontation.

"Look, all I know is that there were two resignations from your opponent and his, so you both moved up the bracket and fought each other instead. That's normal proceedings and if you read the fine print when you signed up, you would have known. I'm sorry if you feel like you've been wronged."

"So are you saying it doesn't matter then? I paid for this shit experience. That is bullshit," Pauline said. She exhaled to keep going, but then stared in our direction. Her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. "Whatever."

After Pauline told every reporter in the vicinity to fuck off, we joined her. She wasn't as pissed off as I expected her to be— well, correction: she was pissed that she'd been wronged, but she wasn't angry that she had lost. She was taking the defeat in stride in hopes of improving.

"I mean, I knew I'd lose when I saw the Torterra come out. That thing is a monster," she sighed. "I'm not stupid. I just wanted to do as best I could. I could have done better if I could have prepared… ah man, this fucking blows. There's so much I have to work on."

"You were right to be angry," Justin said. "There's no doubt that this was a suspicious development. What were the odds that both of your opponents resign on the same day? Without any warning?"

"But he was right when he said that the normal procedure would just be to move both of you up the bracket," Maeve grimaced. "So I'm not sure…"

"What? Are you saying I would have lost to him anyway in the second round? So what? There's still injustice that was done, and it fucking pisses me off. I'll be taking it up with the higher-ups," she hissed, mockingly imitating the referee.

"Did it show on the website at all?" Maeve asked.

"I checked this morning and it didn't," she snapped.

I glanced at Denzel, silently asking him to keep her in line. She was right to be angry. Something about this just didn't bode well, but I felt like we should stay discreet for now until we gathered more information. Something was still bothering me— something other than that egregious display of favoritism and corruption.

It seemed that Harry knew a whole lot about Pauline's team when that shouldn't have been possible if he'd been caught by surprise at the last minute, but most of all…

His battle hadn't been supposed to be on the Rock Field, and yet he'd shown up just in time. He knew.

"Look, we'll do it together," he told her.

"I don't need a babysitter."

"Okay… but that's not what I said— you know what, let's just get your team healed for now."

The mood grew gloomy as we walked toward the Center. None of us had expected someone to lose this early, especially when we'd seen that we wouldn't battle against anyone better than we were in the first round. But if there was a scheme afoot, why would these people risk it? BattleZone— their company— was renowned for organizing and running smooth tournaments, and they'd make an ample amount of money during the whole thing even if the Hunters were getting a share of the revenue for letting them use their land. With the advertisements, the revenue from the tickets, the publicity… so why?

Harry Rodriguez… I thought as I turned on my phone. I scrambled to look up anything I could find about him. He was a second year from Hearthome, and his two other Pokemon were a Pelipper and a Luxray. He was sponsored by a single gaming company, although it didn't seem like a close relationship. He'd gotten four badges during his first year, but was now well on his way to making it to the Conference. He'd beaten all of the gyms in the east, but where had he gotten his fifth?

It took a bit of sleuthing to figure out that he'd beaten Roark a week before the tournament started. How the hell had he gotten back here so quickly for the tournament? He didn't appear to have a teleporter on his team, and even the biggest Pelipper weren't large enough to carry humans. It couldn't have been a secret fifth Pokemon either, since his battle against Roark had been a four-on-four. At the fifth badge, gym leaders weren't going to hold back in terms of numbers for the fight, and they'd force you to utilize your entire team. Maybe Harry had caught something right after his gym battle… but no. Catching a psychic in the wild capable of Teleporting that far was as likely as winning the Arceus damned lottery, and I didn't think that anyone would trust them enough to teleport anyway. The same thought process applied to a flying type.

So how?

Connections. Just like Craig had carried us back to Eterna, Harry had someone to either teleport or fly him around. Innocent enough in a vacuum, but with the added context, I was growing suspicious. We entered the Center, and Pauline gave her Pokemon to Nurse Joy.

"Hey, Justin and I are going to head back to help Pauline lodge her complaint," Denzel said.

"You'll just censor me."

"Yes, that is the goal," Justin said.

"So keep us updated on anything," he continued. "You guys get some rest for your battles tomorrow," Denzel finished, staring and me and Mira.

"Sure thing," she nonchalantly answered.

The group dispersed after that. It seemed that despite some of us being suspicious of this whole affair, most were willing to give the organizers the benefit of the doubt until something like this happened again. Maeve had grown less confrontational since getting crushed by Louis at the Floaroma tournament. Mira didn't exactly care about the tournament anyway, and even if Denzel and Justin were suspicious, they probably wanted to focus on keeping Pauline from exploding at some poor guy who didn't know anything that was happening.

Louis, Cecilia and I were not most. They knew all too well what money could turn a person into, and I wasn't willing to let this go quite easily. Not when a friend had been wronged.

Especially when Harry Rodriguez would be someone I needed to battle sooner rather than later, looking at the brackets. Hell, what happened to Pauline could even happen to me. Instead of training for tomorrow's battle against Yasim like I had expected to do, we all sat in my room. Combee buzzed over Louis' head, the three faces yawning in unison. Cecilia closed my blinds and released Slowking to tell us if anyone was near, and I had Princess out, and she sat in my lap like usual. It wasn't that I wanted to keep my other friends in the dark. That would have been a foolish decision. Everyone needed to be on the same page, or something terrible was bound to happen if our suspicions were correct. Tomorrow, I would tell them all about what we would discover tonight, and I would also send a message to the group chat before going to sleep for good measure.

The atmosphere was still… awkward. It wasn't that long ago that Louis had left the group because of me. A heavy silence hung in the air, and we all waited to see who would start to speak first. We must have stood there for at least two minutes until Louis let out a slight chuckle.

A single laugh.

Then we joined him, giggling like idiots at the stupidity of the situation. We had a potential scandal on our hands, and we were worried about how awkward things were? It was just so silly.

"Sorry about that," Louis said, wiping away a tear of laughter. "I… wow, I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"Let's make sure you keep those coming then," Cece smiled.

My heart felt whole again. Like something that I believed irreparably broken had just been healed. Tears of laughter turned into tears of joy, but I hid them well enough and wiped them away with my shirt. Togetic noticed and glanced at me, but I just kissed her forehead and brought her into a tight hug.

"Let's get to the matter at hand then," I said. "Harry Rodriguez."

"There must be something there, right?" Louis asked. "Can we check how many resignations there have been since the start of the tournament?"

"I don't know… Denzel would be useful for this," I muttered. "Let me check the website."

I grabbed my phone again.

"I saw you looking things up earlier," Cecilia said.

"Uhuh," I nodded. "I mostly discovered that he must have an acquaintance or a friend that flew or teleported him back to Solaceon because he was last seen in Oreburgh before this. I tried figuring it out on his megathread, but there was nothing there. Just baseless speculation."

I explained his badge order and how it was strange that he had gotten to Roark so quickly. You could theoretically scale down the mountain on route 207, but nothing Rodriguez currently had was capable of that, which meant that he was teleported or flown to Oreburgh in the first place. We put a tab on that for now.

"How many days did it take him to get back here?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know, I can't really corroborate anything. He fought Roark and won a bit more than a week ago, and he showed up here five days later in time for the tournament, but that could mean anything."

"He could have either flown directly or waited a few days to Teleport," Louis said.

"So picture this," I said. "I'm Rodriguez—"

Cecilia and Louis both chuckled.

"—and I just beat Roark handily with my Torterra and Pelipper or whatever. Instead of continuing on toward Canalave or just getting a ride to Eterna via my teleporter or flier, I come back here. Why?"

"The rewards. Hyper beam," Cece immediately said.

"Obviously that's part of it, but there must be something else. To backtrack during the Circuit when you don't have to, you must be pretty sure that you're going to win, no? Doesn't that seem suspicious?"

"I don't know… if he has a teleporter or friend to fly him, it wouldn't cost him anything to try. If he loses, he can just Teleport or fly back. Plus, his skills would put him in a good position to win. I think you're looking too deep into it," she frowned.

"That's… fair."

"But then again, doesn't he only have four Pokemon? If he's going to make it to the Conference, he's going to need to catch his last two and train them up quickly. The easiest way to do that is by traveling," Louis said.

"But we could be telling Pauline and Justin the same thing. It's not enough. We're missing something," Cece muttered.

"Ah!" I exclaimed. I had found what I was looking for. "There's been twelve resignations— including the ones we already know of— but the other ten were all before the tournament began. It doesn't tell us the reasons though."

"We lack information," Cecilia said.

"And I'm sure that they could claim that other trainers benefited from those resignations in some way or another," I groaned. "The difference with Harry is that the timing is… too convenient, and that he knew where his battle would take place. Like he'd been warned beforehand.

"Could we track down the two people that resigned from Pauline and Henry's matches? That could give us some insight," Louis asked.

"I've got their names here, but finding them in this town would be…"

"Impossible," he sighed. "It's also possible that they've left already."

"There is something else we can try to do," Cecilia said. "Find Luca Antonovich."

"Who?" Louis asked.

Personally, I knew that Cece just liked to pause for dramatic effect.

"Grace already knows about this, but there's a man with two Cutiefly going around and selling information. Slowking caught one of them spying on me yesterday. He uses their small size to spy on people," she explained. "If anyone knows anything about those two, it would be him. We'll have to pay, though."

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"Now? Not tomorrow?" Louis' eyes widened.

"No time like the present. It's only seven."

"Well, I don't exactly know but I heard he liked to skulk around near the Hunters' home…"

—

With Combee and Togetic in tow, finding Luca had been easy. Well, it was more like he had let himself be found. Princess had told me that he'd waved at her when she'd been scanning the area in the sky. Luca Antonovich smiled widely as he greeted us with a curt nod. The two Cutiefly flying around his head were barely visible to the naked eye, but they had a pale, yellow glow that made them easy to see in the night. I assumed that was just for flair and that they could turn that off.

"I figured people were looking for me when I saw those two in the sky," he said, pointing at Togetic and Combee.

"And you let yourself be found?" Louis asked.

"Hey, how do you think I get paid?" He shrugged. "I didn't think Grace Pastel and Cecilia Obel would come to ask of my services. You two seemed too goodie-two-shoes for that. So who's it gonna be? Yasim Benzema? Finley Johansson?"

"We're not here for info about our opponents," I said. "We're here for two things. First, the two people that were supposed to fight Pauline King and Harry Rodriguez resigned on the same day. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Luca licked his upper teeth. "That's gonna cost you."

"Money isn't an issue. I will pay," Louis said.

"Louis—"

"Don't worry, Cecilia. It's the least I can do."

"Pay up then. 50 G's."

Louis grabbed his trainer ID and transferred the money onto Luca's account. To him, fifty thousand was nothing, but Luca was practically salivating. We had probably overpaid.

"Alrighty then. See, one of the poor sods who resigned came to me at first looking for info about their opponents. Sally McCree thought she had a chance against Pauline King, so she was willing to pay a lot. I had my Cutiefly snoop around and found out about that Vigoroth of hers and a few new moves," he said. A small, barely audible chime rang out in my ears. The Cutiefly were nowhere near me, but it felt like they were buzzing around right next to my ears.

I wondered if such small Pokemon were capable of battling.

"She was hyped as hell for her battle, so imagine my surprise when I heard she resigned. I usually try to keep my nose out of things where it doesn't belong, but I got curious. I sought her out before she left, but she wasn't willing to tell me anything. I offered to pay. Me! Can you imagine that? There's nothing I crave more than information, but the bitch just snubbed me. She said she'd changed her mind and that she needed to hurry up to collect the gym badges instead of wasting time here. I tried to push her, but she screamed that it was none of my business. So I go 'okay, whatever,' but this thing is eating at me and I seek the other person instead."

"The one who was supposed to fight Harry Rodriguez," I breathed out.

"Yeah. Another kid with five badges this time. Imagine my surprise when he told me the exact same thing, eh? Funny how that works. You know, when people have the exact same story, that means something's going on. Something a lot bigger than I personally can handle, so I resigned to just chill out and make cash even though my curiosity's eating at me."

I sighed and clenched at my forehead. From the way he'd told his story, it sounded like they'd been pressured to leave. Since Harry's opponent had been supposed to be a five-badger, I reckoned he had a decent chance to win, even without knowing anything about his team. You didn't get to five badges without being an excellent trainer.

And now, Harry had fought Pauline and gotten an easy victory instead of a possible nailbiter.

It felt like this tournament was being rigged.

"Okay…" Cecilia exhaled. "Okay. This is big."

"I'd stay out of it if I were you," Luca shrugged. "I like you guys. You paid me a fuck ton."

I ignored his ironic comment and sent all of this information into the group chat. The others needed to know about this, but we needed to act like we didn't, at least for now. Even though I didn't think it was the likeliest scenario, there was a possibility that they'd been threatened to leave. They could have been paid off too, or simply pressured. It was hard to say no when the full weight of a massive company was breathing down your neck. There was no way to know until we gathered more information.

"We also wanted to ask about Harry Rodriguez," Louis said.

"The big guy himself, eh?" Luca laughed. "Shoot."

"Does he have any relations with the organizers here?"

"With BattleZone? Not that I know of, but if they were rigging this, don't you think they'd have hidden it better than this?" He shrugged. "Feels amateurish to me. Too sloppy. I wish I had more for you, but that's all I got."

"That's fine," Louis sighed. "Thank you anyway."

"And hey, if you ever need more information, I'll be here," he grinned. "Here, take my number. Keep me in the loop."

—

I stared up at the stars as we traveled through the lonely road to get back to the Center. Just like in Floaroma, you could see them easily in Solaceon. The reactions to the news in the group chat had been mostly uproar, but we all knew that we needed to proceed with caution. Even Pauline had calmed down somewhat.

"Something's been bothering me," I frowned. "If they were rigging it for Harry, why not make Pauline fight her opponent anyway? Why make Sally Mccree resign?"

"Do you think she knew something that they didn't want her to leak?" Cece asked.

"Maybe. But then again, it could be… what if it was to muddy the waters?" I gasped.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If you're the organizers, you could want to make a bunch of people randomly resign to make it look like you're not helping a particular person," I said. "There are always some people that leave a tournament early, so it wouldn't be that strange."

"But Harry was clearly the one that benefited here, no? He crushed Pauline instead of fighting an equal," Louis said.

I nodded. "Yes. So if my theory's right, more and more people will start quitting at random, and there'll be no way to tell if those resignations are legit or not. It'll make the whole thing impossible to prove. It would be suspicious, but suspicion isn't enough to convict someone."

"So we have this trainer with no relations to the organizers… no holes in his story, but he's still getting pulled upward for some reason," Cecilia reflected. "What can he offer them? What does him winning do for them?"

"For BattleZone? Nothing," I said. "Or at least nothing that I can think of. There's something missing."

I chewed on my thumb nail and stopped moving.

Harry Rodriguez. No relations to BattleZone, but still getting help from the organizers. Why? He had five badges, so he was already a top contender. Someone wanted him to win, but we'd already established that there would be no benefits for the organizers to do so. They were already making money, and risking their reputation on such a scheme was suicidal for a company of that size. This wasn't like Clarence and Harvey. The potential rewards did not justify their actions. The more trainers were forced to resign, the more the chances of a leak grew. They'd never be allowed to run any tournaments again, and they'd ruin the relationship they were fostering with all of these advertisers, trainers, the Hunter family—

The Hunter family.

I stopped biting on my nail and my realized my eyes had gotten dry. I had stopped blinking. The Hunter family didn't run or organize the tournament, but they practically ran everything that happened in Solaceon due to the immense amount of influence they wielded. The tournament was happening on their land, and they'd given up a Hyper Beam TM as a reward. They had skin in the game.

It didn't come close to explaining anything. The entire picture was still blurry, and I still had no idea why they would want Harry Rodriguez to win. If he'd been a part of their family, I would understand…

But it was something to look into.

"We need to look into the Hunters."

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 151

The first thing we did before getting back to the Center was run back to Luca and ask him if he knew about any links between Harry Rodriguez and the Hunter family, but he had no answers for us. He'd said that there was nothing there that he knew of, but that he was going to start digging today already. If he ever figured something out, he would contact us and let us know.

For the right price, of course. He was somewhat similar to Abel in that regard, which kind of pissed me off. If there was some scheme going on, why not do the right thing and expose it? Or at least try to work with us.

The second thing we did was call for a group meeting where Louis, Cece and I brought everyone up to speed with the information we didn't manage to convey over text. We were currently in Cece's room to discuss things.

"Tomorrow, I'll try to ask around," Denzel said with his arms crossed. "There ought to be people that know more about Harry… still, none of this makes sense. I mean, he's a good trainer and all, but I still don't understand what the Hunters would have to gain and why BattleZone would be cooperating with this. The risks…"

"The risks didn't deter my father," Cece said.

"But there's no reward at the end," I said. "Unless there is, and we just aren't seeing it. It can't be for money. The Hunters are already filthy rich, and so is BattleZone. Hyper Beam wouldn't put a dent in their expenditure. And there's also how obvious they're making it too."

I tapped my foot against the floor and bit my lip. I was good at these things. Brainstorming and thinking about stuff, but for the first time, no answers were coming up. Why, why, why? No matter how I spun it, nothing made sense. We were back at square one—

Cece grabbed my hand and gently led me onto her lap.

"Relax, love," she said, hugging me from behind. "There's no fire. We still have time to figure it out."

"And maybe it's just a coincidence—" Maeve stopped when Pauline stared daggers at her.

"What was the supervisors' reaction when you guys lodged a complaint?" I asked.

"They were genuinely nice," Justin said. "Understanding and everything. They said that they'd be willing to refund half of Pauline's entry fee for the misunderstanding—"

"Which I took, by the way," she huffed. "Fucking half. Am I worth half a human being?"

"—We're not as good as you at reading people, but I felt like they were trying to be as nice as possible."

Denzel nodded to agree.

"Could they not be informed about the scheme?" I muttered. It would make sense for low to mid-leveled employees not to know. "Or maybe they sold it really well…"

"Either way, we won't figure out more until more time passes. Like Maeve says, it could be a misunderstanding or a coincidence, but the way Luca told us about the two people who resigned… there was something there," Louis said. "If we see more sudden resignations to give Harry an easier path, then we'll know for sure."

"Don't forget they might mix in others too," I warned. "Only helping Harry would be too obvious."

"Let's just go to sleep for now," Mira shrugged.

"Fine."

I went to bed pissed that night. And I also woke up pissed. I should have cuddled with Cece all night to soothe my soul. To be honest, I kind of wanted to sleep with her every night, but I didn't want to be too clingy and ask. She might find it annoying, and I didn't want to be a high-maintenance girlfriend. My battle against Yasim was in the morning just like my first one, and with all of yesterday's events I hadn't exactly had time to plan a general strategy, so I was just going in with the goal of taking down Hippowdon as quickly as possible to get rid of Sandstorm in hopes of using Sunny Day.

I stared at my opponent as I stepped onto the platform and exhaled. For my talks to Princess about not taking out her anger on her opponents, it was hard not to let loose here. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I needed to be a good example for her.

Yasim Benzema clasped his hands together, and his head twitched in anticipation. Just like my previous opponent, he was nervous to face me. What that nervousness would do to him during the battle, however? Would it sharpen his wit or dull his senses? That remained to be seen. I grabbed my two Pokeballs and felt at the cold steel with my palms. They filled my hands so comfortably.

The Snow Field had been completely fixed since Lauren had destroyed it yesterday. There were no signs of the crater or the upended earth, and a thick layer of snow had been placed back.

"This is a battle between Yasim Benzema and Grace Pastel. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

We both released our Pokemon onto the field. Hippowdon stood at attention, its body tense, but there was a strange calmness in its eyes. Sand began to leak from the holes on its body and fell onto the snow, giving way to a mix of gold and white. A huge Lairon stomped the floor and stared me down with its resplendent blue eyes. I'd have to keep it away from Princess, but with how high in the sky she was, she was probably safe from most attacks. She tilted her head and curiously eyed our enemies— no doubt scanning for a weakness. Angel's vines waded through the snow and he played around for a few seconds, reminding me of our time up north on route 216 and 217.

"Begin!"

"Start getting in there. Slowly," I told Tangrowth.

There was no point in using Sunny Day. Hippowdon's Sandstorm was already starting to pick up. Tangrowth happily waddled through the snow, sifting the cold surface with his vines. I didn't want to wait for what Yasim was going to do next, but I was waiting for a specific distance for Princess to spring into action.

"Stealth Rocks, Lairon! Hippowdon, Sand Tomb the Tangrowth! Keep it trapped, or we lose!"

Lairon's entire body shook, and it ejected sharp rocks from the holes on its metallic head. The snow below Tangrowth's feet turned to mush, and then the mud from below erupted. Angel tried to get out by propelling himself with vines, but he couldn't. He was too heavy. Too slow.

"Ancient Power. Five spears," I said. "Don't aim for the eyes."

With a sharp nod, Togetic lifted the already-formed spears from the ground. They were thick and wickedly sharp, clocking in at eight feet long each. With a gleeful giggle, she launched each spear flying toward Hippowdon.

"Escape with Dig!" Yasim yelled.

The ground type yelled and sunk into the ground, and the five spears were lodged into the floor. The Sand Tomb under Tangrowth's feet stopped moving, allowing him to push himself out with his vines. Yasim cursed.

"Autotomize!" He yelled.

"Get him," I said.

Lairon's body shimmered, and the steel type skidded onto the floor, narrowly avoiding Tangrowth's Power Whip.

"Keep your distance and Earth Power!" Yasim yelled. "Hippowdon, get up there and Fire Fang!"

Interesting. Yasim was a lot trickier than what I had given him credit for. Geysers of molten rocks and earth erupted under Tangrowth's feet, singing his vines, and Hippowdon unburrowed right behind him with flames dancing in its huge maw.

"Behind you, Angel! Princess!"

One of Tangrowth's vines turned neon green and slammed against Hippowdon's neck, staggering the huge ground type. Five spears stabbed it in the back, burying themselves past its thick layer of fat. Hippowdon screamed but carried out its order, biting Angel with all of the strength it could muster and burning his vines.

"Now run and Dig!"

"Bind."

Ten of Angel's vines wrapped around Hippowdon's entire body. The ground type was too heavy to lift, but it was enough to keep him on the surface. Angel strained against Hippowdon's pull. It was so strong that some of the vines tore away, but they were immediately replaced. I ordered Tangrowth to use Mega Drain and took a deep breath. I couldn't go easy on Yasim. He was good.

I had another plan running in the background but If I could neutralize Hippowdon, then Sunny Day was a possibility. That would almost guarantee my win.

So it had to be done.

"Stab," I cooly told Princess. "Aim for the holes."

"Lairon, free him! Metal Claw!"

Lairon's claws shone, and he tore at Angel with everything he had. It wasn't enough. Tangrowth was constantly draining Hippowdon's energy and replenishing himself. Another set of five spears flew toward Hippowdon and penetrated deep inside of the ground type, each stabbing into its precious sand-creating orifices. The sand streaming out of its holes stopped, and the ground type cried out in pain.

"Princess, another round."

Another five spears. Another scream. Princess' aim was on point today, and the smile that stretched across her face disturbed Yasim to no end. The Hippowdon went limp, and Tangrowth's hold on him loosened. Yasim recalled the ground type and sent out a Magnezone. The true threat on his team.

"Focus," I warned her.

"Fuck up that Togetic. Thunderbolt!"

Magnezone buzzed, and an arc of electricity rushed toward Princess. It was harmlessly absorbed by her psychic shield.

Yasim's expression began to morph into one of disbelief.

"Finish off Lairon with Power Whip."

Tangrowth smashed Lairon again and again, denting its tough metallic armor. The steel type tried to fight back, but he couldn't withstand Angel's assault. After using Tri Attack on Togetic and realizing that even that wasn't going through, Yasim ordered Magnezone to use Thunder Wave on Tangrowth instead. Angel froze and his vines sputtered, allowing Lairon some respite.

"Tri Attack Tangrowth!"

"Barrier on him," I told Togetic.

Three lasers of fire, ice, and electricity hit Tangrowth, but a protective bubble appeared in front of him. She was far, but she was quick.

"That's fucking bullshit," Yasim groaned.

It really wasn't, but I shut up and didn't let it show on my face. He probably thought that Togetic was shielding Tangrowth at the same time as herself, but she wasn't. She'd shifted the barrier to him instead, so she was currently very vulnerable.

"Angel, can you still fight?" I asked. He kept twitching in place.

"Don't fucking talk to your Pokemon midbattle! Lairon, Magnezone, break through the barrier!"

I frowned. Was I not allowed to check if my Pokemon was okay? Lairon was tired, but he still used weakened Earth Powers to try to help. Magnezone was the one doing the heavy lifting here, and his Tri Attacks were even better than Mira's. It was only a matter of time before the barrier broke. Without Angel, I didn't really have an answer to steel types other than Turtonator. I could use Shadow Ball, but he'd dodge those easily.

"Princess, focus on finishing the Lairon. Ancient Power. Blunt force this time, five rocks."

The barrier around Angel disappeared, and she lifted five thick boulders from the ground. With a fierce cry, she sent them off toward Lairon. The steel type dodged the first two, but it was too injured from all the abuse it had taken from Power Whip. A boulder broke against his head, and another against the softer bits on his flank. Lairon reeled, but let out a defiant roar—

The last boulder hit him in the face, causing him to faint. Finally.

Yasim sent out his last Pokemon. His Vibrava. Princess locked onto the dragon, her eyes unblinking. I could practically feel her bloodlust from here.

"Calm down," I said. "Ancient Power, another set of spears."

"Magnezone, forget the Tangrowth! Gang up on Togetic! Vibrava, Rock Slide!"

I clicked my tongue. I'd been content at Magnezone tiring himself out with attacks that would take ages to bring Angel down, but Yasim was smarter than that. Why worry about Angel when he was incapable of fighting? Vibrava beat its wings until they became a blur and rocks rose toward Togetic like they had a mind of their own. She simply flew up to stop herself from getting hit. Magnezone fired off a Thunderbolt, interrupting her from using Ancient Power. She had to focus if she wanted to shield herself. The attack was absorbed into her shield.

"I'm withdrawing Angel," I said. Turtonator would have been ideal here, but I couldn't use him still. I sent out Buddy instead, who floated up into the air. The Stealth Rock penetrated deep into his body, and he groaned before expunging the rocks and Recovering. "Brine. Princess, Ancient Power. Start with five drills."

"Thunderwave that Jellicent!"

"Shield him—"

"Tri Attack, then! Vibrava, Dragon Breath!"

Princess sent five spinning drills toward Vibrava, who weaved in between them with impressive maneuverability. I should have known that it would have been good at that when looking at its wings.

Fortunately though, Brine came into the picture. Clouds formed above both Magnezone and Vibrava, and thin jets of water slammed against their bodies. The steel type was relatively unaffected, but Vibrava screeched as it spat out its Dragon Breath toward Jellicent. This time, both Tri Attack and Dragon Breath hit, but Buddy just recovered.

And he had been the bait anyway.

A drill tore through two of Vibrava's wings, and the dragon crashed to the floor. It tried to fly back up, but with that gaping hole there was no getting back in the air. It was a sitting Ducklett.

"Spear now. One," I quickly said.

With a sad chirp, Princess raised the earth once more. A single spear rushed toward Vibrava, who tried to counter it with Dragon Breath. The Ancient Power jerked to the right and kept going.

"Magnezone, get in front of her!"

"Get in there and Hex."

Jellicent propelled himself with Water Sport, hoping to reach Magnezone in time. His eyes shone with a menacing red as the steel type's body began to smoke, but the spear actually crashed into it, barely causing a dent. Yasim clenched a fist in celebration.

"Do it again. Ten this time. Buddy, Brine."

I wasn't actually going to hurt Vibrava that much, and Princess knew that. I didn't want to battle like that, and like I had said, I wanted to rein that side of me back in.

But the quick mood switch that Yasim just went through that I manufactured? From things being slightly under control to a complete disaster? That caught him off balance. All this time during the battle, I had limited myself to the number five. Five, five, five. Whether drills, spears, or boulders, I had etched that number into his mind and made him feel safe in thinking that was Princess' limit. A tough attack to counter, but he had grown comfortable with it. Used to it.

And then I pulled the rug from under him just like I had done with Candice, but better.

If he'd been better mentally prepared, then this could have been stopped. At this point in time, however? Yasim could only feel one thing.

Despair.

The spears spread out and all converged toward Vibrava. There was no way for Magnezone to protect his teammate from that many without his trainer's command. The raindrops from Brine slowly but surely dented at his metallic shell. I waited to see if Yasim would fight back, but he just stared. That hopelessness I had crafted? I would use it to win. After realizing that no orders from his trainer were coming, Magnezone tried to desperately interrupt Princess with a Thunderbolt, but Buddy flew in between them with Water Sport and tanked the hit before recovering.

I whistled sharply, and nine of the spears jerked away from Vibrava and dissolved into dust. The one that remained lightly stabbed into Vibrava's abdomen and the ground type fainted. That whistle had been my signal for Princess to hold back, and she'd done so perfectly, although I could still feel some reluctance.

Yasim recalled his Vibrava and bit his lip.

"I forfeit."

—

After slogging through my interviews and escaping by using the Pokemon Center excuse, I joined my friends again. Cece and Denzel were the only ones here. The others were off training or hanging about Solaceon. If I remembered correctly, Pauline was complaining to Emilia on the phone about her loss. Mira was training for today's battle, and I was surprised to see that Denzel hadn't done the same. Justin was rekindling his friendship with Louis since they hadn't talked alone in a long time. I was hoping to go investigate, but I wouldn't be able to do anything until tomorrow when Harry battled again.

Cecilia kissed the corner of my lip. "Your ruthlessness leaves me more enamored with you by the day."

I couldn't help but grin like an idiot, and Denzel frowned at us.

"You guys are weird."

"Shut up. You wouldn't get it," I said.

"No. No, I really don't. Anyway, I'm mostly just joking around. Luring this guy into a false sense of security was as good of a tactic as any."

"It was brilliant," Cece smiled. "I was wondering why you were holding back the whole time, but that reveal was… wow."

"I feel kind of bad. I mean I was pissed about yesterday," I sighed. "So some of that might have slipped into the battle. Hopefully he's fine."

"Should we go somewhere to cheer you up?" Cecilia asked.

"Sure. A change of pace will be good."

"I'll be off. Need to prepare for my battle," Denzel said. "I'm still tweaking a few things."

"Don't act like you aren't hiding something," I smugly said.

"W—What? I don't know what you mean."

"Arceus, that stutter you have when you get caught in a lie is crazy. You should work on that if you want to trick me."

Denzel grumbled as he left. I wasn't going to try to dig deeper into his new tactics unless we were about to battle. I still had a lot of opponents to get through before that, however, so I could relax for now. And now that I'd made it through two opponents without looking up their moves and fighting styles, I could finally stop holding back. I wasn't going to risk getting knocked out this early, not with the Poketch Company breathing down my neck and the money that was on the line.

But most of all, I wanted to face Harry Rodriguez and win. If we both kept winning each round, we would face each other in the top sixteen. That meant that he was the main trainer that stood in the way of a potential reward from the tournament. Thanks to my beneficial position on the bracket, I wouldn't have to battle any of my friends until I made it through him. If none of my friends got knocked out by other trainers, then Harry would have to make it through… Maeve pretty soon. I did think she was a good trainer, but as it stood, I didn't think she had a chance. Denzel and Cecilia would end up having to battle soon enough, and so would Lauren and Mira.

"Grace?"

"My bad," I said, refocusing on her.

"You're anxious."

"Of course. I don't know why, but I want to win against this Harry jerk. Now let's go hang out."

"Where should we go?"

I hummed. "First, go give Angel to Nurse Joy, and then… do you think they have a piano around here?"

—

Somehow, we ended up knocking on strangers' doors to ask if they had a piano we could use. Cecilia had begged me not to do it because of the possibly fatal amount of second-hand embarrassment that she felt whenever some stranger stared at us confusedly when they opened the door, but she loved me so much that she pushed herself for me.

There was no piano to be found. We ended up having a date were we just knocked on strangers' doors and awaited their reactions. Solaceon was a relatively small, tight-knit community. Not as small as Twinleaf, but small enough for people to not even leave their doors locked at night. An old couple called Daniel and Marge even let us in to have some tea.

"It's not often that we have young people in our home," the old woman smiled as she handed us two cups. "What brings you here?"

Cece stared daggers at me.

"We're trainers just passing by for the tournament," I said. "We've been enjoying Solaceon a whole lot so far."

"It's a great little town," Daniel said fondly. "Full of history, if you know where to look—"

"Please, Danny. Don't bore them with your history again," his wife rolled her eyes. "We should talk about younger things. My grandson always brings up this DailyTube thing on the internet…"

"That's somewhere you can watch videos online," I explained, surprised that she even knew about the internet. "What does your grandson do?"

"He's at Sunyshore University. We raised him, Danny and I."

"I heard it's the best in Sinnoh," Cecilia smiled. "He's in good hands."

"He didn't originally want to go there, you see," Daniel said with a regretful look. "He wanted to work for the Daycare. He was really passionate about Pokemon—"

"He still is, Danny."

"Get off my back for a second, Arceus," he grumbled. "Can I just speak uninterrupted for a second—"

"What was that about the Daycare?" I asked.

Daniel sighed and Marge cackled.

"He wanted to work for them."

"I thought it was a family business only," Cecilia said.

"Oh it is. The Hunters have always been that way. Everyone in Solaceon knows that they hold their share of secrets and that they run things here. They aren't willing to just let anyone in. You see, our grandson Isaac used to date a Hunter. Lisa Hunter, to be exact. He hoped to marry her and join their family."

"He would have had to take their last name, which is egregious."

"You only say that because he's a man and you hate the idea of a husband taking his wife's name," Marge countered. "Let me do the talking. The only way an outsider can join the Hunter family is by marrying a Hunter and taking in their last name. Isaac— bless his heart— really believed that the relationship would go that far."

"I warned him. I did. I explicitly told him that his first relationship would most likely not go that far, but he wouldn't hear it."

Cece and I glanced at each other but said nothing.

"When you two girls find a boy, you should keep that in mind," Marge said. "Lisa broke our poor Isaac's heart, and he decided to apply for Sunyshore University. Now he says that he never wants to show his face here again."

I ignored the fact that they had gotten our relationship completely wrong and bit the inside of my lip.

Okay.

Okay.

This was something. A lead. I needed to push for more information.

"How many years ago was this?"

"Two years ago. We haven't seen him since, but we talk on his video chat thing," she sighed.

"And the Hunters… are they secretive of any potential relationships at all?" Cecilia asked.

"Quiet? That wasn't half of it, they made us sign—"

"Marge."

The old woman froze, and audibly swallowed. Sign what? An NDA?

"They were. Lisa constantly demanded to keep it hidden," Daniel continued half-heartedly, keeping his eyes on his wife. "It never got out, though. They tend to always be secret. That's why we always suddenly hear that so-and-so is marrying into the Hunters, and we're always surprised by it."

"Uhuh," I muttered. "Don't you think that's strange?"

"Well, that's just the Hunters," Marge waved dismissively. "They behave like the clans in Kanto and Johto sometimes, it reminds me of my childhood."

"You're Kantoan?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"I was born and spent the first ten years of my life there," she shrugged. "I consider myself Sinnohan."

"But she'll never stop nagging me about how her damned attitude is because of her Kantoan blood," Daniel laughed.

I sipped on my tea and considered what to ask next while Cecilia kept them busy with small talk. I couldn't assume that Harry Rodriguez was dating someone in the Hunter family yet. That was just my brain desperately wanting to fit the last piece of the puzzle that would blow this whole thing wide open. It would be too easy. Too convenient. It still didn't explain why they would even want him to win so much that they'd rig it so egregiously, and it still didn't explain the relationship with BattleZone. People on the forums were already starting to talk about how this whole tournament was suspicious, and the media was also beginning to smell blood in the water. Cece waited for a lull in the conversation and struck.

"Are the Hunters known to work with other companies? You know, they're cooperating with BattleZone for this tournament," Cecilia asked.

"Well, I'm not that well-versed in their business practices. What about you Danny?"

"They're fiercely independent, but not stupid. If there is money to be made, they'll work with others."

"So it's not the first time?"

"Of course not," he waved dismissively.

Damn it, it would have been a lot more suspicious if it was a change from how they usually operated. I was still missing the last piece, but we had somehow gotten a lot more information than I thought we'd get by pure chance. It didn't exactly have anything to do with the tournament, but it seemed like the Hunters had a lot of skeletons in their closet. We stuck around another thirty minutes before we left. They had both become uncomfortable with the number of questions we were asking about the Hunters and kept diverting the topic to other things. They asked us to come back before we left Solaceon, and we said we'd come. They were nice people, even though they had unknowingly thrown shade at our relationship by saying it was doomed to failure.

I grabbed Cecilia's hand and felt my heart pang.

"Are you worried about what they said?" She asked.

"I thought you'd ask me if I was worried about the Hunters," I dryly said.

"I know you," she smiled. "There's an element of truth to what they said… most teenage relationships don't last long. But we can try, can't we? I think we're good together."

"I do too," I reassured her.

She released her Slowking, and we walked in silence toward the city center.

"Say…" I whispered. "Can we sleep together every night?"

I felt Cece jump. "Wha— wha— um—"

"Not like that!" I quickly added. "I mean sleep literally. Just cuddle, you know. I want to fall asleep in your arms. Eugh, that sounded really corny."

She took a bit to recompose herself and cleared her throat. "O—of course. I was… waiting for you to ask that."

"You were? Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Why didn't you ask me earlier?" She countered.

"That doesn't even work," I laughed.

"I thought I'd be too clingy. I already feel like I hog you from our friends too much."

My eyes widened. She'd been worrying about the exact same thing I was.

"Let's just stop worrying about being clingy and be open with each other," I said.

Cecilia's smile widened. She linked her arm with mine and started planting kisses on my cheek while we walked on the empty road. I grinned.

"I've been cutting all of our kisses short," she said.

"How about we put that to the test?"

We were going to be insufferable to our friends, weren't we?

---

A/N: Thank you Proof?#6454 for the team!

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 152

Cecelia and I clapped as Denzel finished off his opponent. They'd been good— another four-badger, but this time, he hadn't been caught off-guard like with that Smeargle team and he only lost one Pokemon— his Sylveon— to a fierce Durant. Steel type attacks seemingly got through his armor like a knife through butter, so I had finally figured out a way to counter it— not that I had any steel type attacks. Denzel got to use Milotic extensively. The water type was getting more and more used to moving around in his new snake-like form. He was having more fun than I'd ever seen him have as a Feebas.

It would be a while until Denzel came here since he usually spent a lot of time talking to reporters. Mira's battle was in a few hours, but the entire group opted to have another meeting before then in the Center to discuss what we'd learn and our next moves. Then, I would need to start researching Harry Rodriguez extensively. Inch. By. Inch.

I was a lot of things, but I was not stupid. At my current skill level, Harry was better than me. He was extremely quick on his feet, but his Pokemon were something else. That Torterra was the worse of all. None of my Pokemon I currently had except Sunshine would deal that much damage to the hulking grass type. I needed to prepare days in advance if I was going to win. Of course, I was also going to prepare for my other battles. Knowing moves and fighting styles would probably expedite the whole process so I could have more time to research Harry.

He was just as guilty as whoever was running this scheme. He would pay for what he'd done to Pauline.

—

"Step one," Denzel started as we all stared at him. He was always the leader in these conversations. "Do you have the number for this Luca Antonovich kid?"

Only Louis nodded.

"Okay, so we can at least contact him again without meeting in the middle of the night. Second, Grace, have you thought about contacting the Poketch Company for help? They know you're smart. If you tell them that you feel like something is going on and explain, I'm sure they'll send someone to check, right?"

"Yeah… I'll call Melody," I said. "I wanted to wait until we had definite proof, but just asking for help can't hurt."

"Third. This Lisa Hunter. Do we know where she is now?"

"Pfft, there are so many Hunters that it'd be impossible to find all of 'em," Mira groaned. "The only thing that's guaranteed is that she works for her family, so she must be here. Probably sleeps in that giant mansion if I had to guess. Want to break in?"

"We are not breaking into a thousand-year-old mansion!" Maeve exclaimed.

"You're no fun."

"The truth is, I asked around about Harry, but when you texted us about the Hunters, I asked around about them too. The questions about Harry came up blank. He's just a trainer. Nothing special, really. But the Hunters? They're reclusive to the point that most of them never leave their Arceus damned property. The kids are all homeschooled too."

"I guess that means that Isaac always went to see her and not the opposite," Cecilia muttered.

"I mean, from the way we got the story what happened was pretty obvious, right? Lisa Hunter was forced to break up with that Isaac guy by her family. It was out of the blue, and the relationship seemed to be going well."

"Could have been going well from the grandparents' perspective while the opposite was true," Mira shrugged.

"Fair enough, but if I had to bet, I'd be willing to say that I'm right."

"How?" Denzel asked.

I paused and felt my lips twitch upward.

"My gut."

—

Mira had gone off to her battle, but unfortunately and despite her incessant complaints, I wasn't going to come to watch. Louis had texted Luca, asking for him to look deeper into the Hunters if he could. We couldn't infiltrate their home and neither could Haunter because he just couldn't behave or Froslass because of the cold. They'd be found out instantly.

His Cutiefly, however? Those were another story. He had said that he'd think about it and that he was assessing the risks. I couldn't blame him.

"Harry Rodriguez," I muttered as I lazed on Angel's vine-bed. "I will know you inside and out."

Thanks to his gym battle with Roark being recent, I actually had access to his team as it was now. He had used Torterra and Pelipper extensively during that battle, but Luxray and Crobat hadn't seen much use, so I would have to wait to analyze them. As it stood, Harry's strategy was just to roll over everything with his Torterra, and when that didn't work, he actually panicked quite a bit. Nothing that would be debilitating of course, but when his starter was out of the fight, he'd start to slip and make mistakes.

I sighed. Taking down that Torterra would be incredibly hard, but I could trap it, maybe. Slow it down and keep it distracted while I focus on the other Pokemon. Torterra would be coming out first. That, I was sure of. His second was a mystery, and I'd only be able to figure it out when I learned more about how he battled in doubles instead of singles. If it was Crobat… from the little footage there was of the flying type, I knew he'd be able to overwhelm Princess with speed. And he was also a poison type that would easily beat her if it got too close. She would have been extremely useful for Torterra, but I couldn't risk it. Plus, something about its face just freaked me out. It was better than Golbat's gaping maw, but I couldn't help but feel slightly anxious at the sight of it.

Angel would have to do the heavy lifting again, it seemed. If it was Pelipper, then Honey would be the choice. Even if Torterra was a ground type, Pelipper wasn't fast enough to outrun Electric Swift. If I could rush it down with that attack and a few Thunderbolts, then we would trade one-for-one.

Plus, I could think of quite a few ways to bypass Earthquake.

If it was Luxray, then I'd have to use Sweetheart. As young as she was, she was still incredibly powerful and her Stomping Tantrum would be able to stop it from getting too close.

I had counters for everything.

Except that damned Torterra.

And the solution was just a single promise away. If Mars was still after me as Sunshine believed, then it was only a matter of time anyway, right? I'd have to confront Team Galactic eventually, even if I hated to think about it. The thought alone made me shiver in fear.

I bit my lip and Tangrowth hugged me with his vines.

Maybe I could, I thought.

No. I…

Denial was too sweet of a drug. If push came to shove and our lives were on the line, then I would have no choice. Right now, this was still small. I would talk to him about it soon to see if some sort of agreement could be reached.

I had a list of moves for Torterra and Pelipper, so now all I could do was call Melody and tell her what was going on. We hadn't really talked these last three days apart from the occasional text to micromanage my behavior during interviews. The Poketch Company seemed to think I was getting better at them, but that I could still use some tact. I texted her, asking her to speak if she was free.

She wasn't free, but since her primary job was to be my liaison, I apparently took priority. It was a funny feeling, to be the Poketch Company's priority. It was a testament of the potential they saw in me.

"Good afternoon, Grace. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Melody's smooth voice rang out.

"Hi. I'll cut to the chase. Did you hear about what happened to my friend Pauline? The two resignations?"

"Ah, yes we did," she said. "Let me guess, you find those suspicious and want us to step in?"

"Yeah. Well, not step in, but investigate or something and see if this thing is legit or not."

"I wish I could do more, Grace, I really do. We have people from the company looking into it to make sure you're being treated fairly since you're under our umbrella," Melody sighed. "But that's the most that I can do. The hype about the theory's dying down. No one else has resigned since and even though it was suspicious, the evidence is circumstantial at best—"

"It's not circumstantial! Hear me out. The Hunters—"

I stopped, my throat suddenly dry. She was right. I had nothing concrete. Just theories. I had been wrong about the wave of resignations. Only one person had dropped out since, so her information was outdated, but she was on the opposite side of the bracket and had nothing to do with Harry.

"A good company would have delayed the match, but as it turns out, this is how they do things. We read the fine print. For what it's worth, I do believe there's been some foul play, but I'm just one woman. The Poketch Company is a machine. I don't make the decisions, and when decisions are taken, they are slow," she said. "I'm sorry. Even if you lose to Rodriguez, you'll have made the top fifty, so the company will be pleased—"

"I won't lose," I interrupted.

She paused. "Very well. I wish you the best of luck. I don't know much about battling, but I can tell that he was good."

"You watched?"

"I told you I was suspicious, didn't I?" She chuckled. "One word of advice, Grace. Keep your head down and don't try to investigate. You're just a kid— wait, I know how trainers hate it when we say that, hold on let me rephrase. You should just focus on yourself for now. The Hunters… are a lot more influential than most would think."

"I know they run the place," I frowned. "What else do you know? How do you know?"

"I'm from Solaceon, Grace," she sighed. "Their influence never really leaves you, even when you move."

"Influence?" I gulped.

"A metaphorical way of speaking," she reassured me. "What I meant to say is, don't try to be a hero and trespass. They don't take too kindly to that, and it'll be illegal, so it would reflect badly on us. The Hunters are a very private family."

Damn it, it was like she'd guessed that we wanted to investigate. I didn't let my mask slip and simply agreed to her suggestion. Something about this entire town was rotten. I hated it the more I stayed here. The people were nice, but Arceus, I couldn't shake that anxious feeling that had overtaken me since yesterday. It was like something pressing on my chest and never relenting.

After hanging up, I hugged my knees and Angel softly pet my head.

"I won't stop," I said. "Justice needs to be served."

—

After Mira handily won her battle, Luca sent Louis a message telling him that he was in. Tonight, he would send his Cutiefly to find Lisa Hunter and see if she ever left the Arceus damned mansion. Since she had almost no online presence, there were scant pictures of her online, but during dinner, Justin proposed an idea that had somehow slipped through all of our minds.

"Why not contact that Isaac fellow in Sunyshore? Do we know his last name?"

"Holy shit, that's true," Denzel said, slapping a fist against his palm. "We do have his last name. It's uh… what was it?"

"Frazier," Cecilia said.

"If we can contact him, we can figure out what ended his relationship with the Hunters and potentially get more insight on their family, no?"

"Yeah, but will he even answer? We'd be strangers asking him about his personal life," Maeve said.

"Should we pretend to be someone else? The cops?" Mira asked in an amused tone.

"That would probably fail spectacularly," I sighed. "I think it might pay off to just be honest."

"Agreed," Pauline said. "No games. Just be straight up and try to convince him."

Denzel nodded, and it only took him five minutes to find and shoot Isaac a message on social media. Cecilia and Louis helped him workshop it to appear as polite and easygoing as possible to not pressure the man, and it surprisingly only took him twenty minutes to answer back. When we heard the buzz on Denzel phone— a buzz that I had mistaken for Combee— we all scrambled to check what was written, crowding around him.

"Chill out guys," he groaned. "He says… 'are you guys tricking me… I promise I haven't told anyone anything.'"

"Arceus, what did they do to this guy?" Maeve shivered.

"Tell him that we can call him if he wants. The entire group, to show that we're not fake," I said. "I don't know much about the Hunters, but I doubt that they'd have done it like this."

Denzel agreed and sent the message, texting him his number in the process. Isaac instantly replied, saying to wait five minutes for him to go back to his dorm room. We all flinched when we saw the call pop up.

Isaac immediately spoke up.

"Who are you people? How do you know about me and Lisa?!"

"Hello Isaac. We're… a group of trainers looking into the Hunter family," Denzel said, taking the lead. He stared at me and I gave him a firm nod. Tell the truth. "We heard about you and her through your grandparents."

"Damn it… they weren't supposed to tell anyone. I'm gonna have to call them…"

"Were you threatened in any way?" He continued.

"I was threatened legally, but that was it. Normally I would hide this, but you already know too much. Just leave me alone after alright? I already have a lot on my plate. And do not tell anyone about this. It's not like the cops here would do anything anyway. The Hunters run that too."

"Sure thing," Denzel said.

"Lisa and I dated one and a half years ago during the summer, and long story short, she broke up with me in tears. We were doing really good, but her family forced her to cut me off. I wasn't good enough for them."

"What constitutes 'good enough'? I interjected.

Hearing my voice for the first time, he hesitated. "It was just too much. I wanted to join the family business and be a breeder… to be honest, I still want to be a breeder. It was like a cult in there. They call the family leader the Elder, and he lives on the top floor of the mansion and runs everything in Solaceon. Everything. I never even saw him. They wanted me to do all this weird stuff… pledge my loyalty, leave my home and never speak to my grandparents again, work without getting paid. It was too much. I said no, and they forced Lisa to break up with me. They were the ones who wanted to marry us ASAP. I'm not dumb enough to propose to a girl I've been dating for a few months, but I had to pretend to be on board to my grandparents."

This was it. Definitive proof that the Hunters were shady, but it wasn't proof of involvement in tournament rigging.

"Is that it? I hate talking about this."

"Wait!" Louis sprung up.

"There's another one of you? Just how many people are in the room?!"

"Uh, eight people," Denzel said. Isaac groaned. "Louis?"

"You say this family is like a cult," Louis started. "Is there any… brainwashing going on?"

"No. They're just blindingly loyal to the family head," he denied. "They've been doing this for a thousand years. The Hunters are an institution. They've always been there. People in Solaceon can't imagine their lives without 'em, and it's even worse for the people in the family. You can't free any of them from that influence. I tried with Lisa… I tried to get her to run away to Sunyshore with me. She loved me— she really did— but looked at me like I was insane. I'll never forget what she told me that day."

"I'm sorry," I winced. "One last thing, if it might not be too much to ask?"

"What is it?"

"Do you have a picture of her?"

The call ended soon after that. It took a little bit of convincing, but Isaac sent us a picture of Lisa Hunter, and we relayed it to Luca so his Cutiefly knew what to look for, but he wasn't going to go and check right away. Luca was going to do something else tonight. The goal of the operation was to constantly be on Harry Rodriguez's tail to see if he ever made contact with any organizers from BattleZone or a Hunter. His next battle was tomorrow, and I sure as hell was going to watch it. We eagerly waited for a few hours to check if Luca had any information for us, but he kept telling Louis to stop pestering him when he was working. Eventually, people filtered out when we weren't getting any news. No new resignations. No funny business. No movement. When Harry got active again tomorrow, we'd probably learn more.

I decided to look up my next opponent before going to bed.

Will Bowman was a water type specialist, which caused me to have an immediate reaction and want to send out Electabuzz and Tangrowth against him.

Of course, now that I was researching my opponents, I quickly figured out that that would have been a terrible idea. Why? Two reasons. First, he owned a Vaporeon, a Beartic, a Wugtrio, an Azumarill, a Basculin and a Frillish. Beartic and Wugtrio both knew ground type moves to counter electric types. I felt bad that Honey wasn't seeing much use so far, but it looked like he'd have to be saved in case something went wrong with my actual plan, which was to send out Angel and Buddy.

I grinned. It looked like people not knowing that Buddy had Water Absorb was going to be dividends during this battle. Since Will Bowman had six Pokemon, I wasn't sure which one was going to be left behind, but I was one hundred percent sure that he was going to have either Beartic or Wugtrio. His main strategy tended to be this: have his Vaporeon set up a Rain Dance to flood the terrain and increase the power of his water moves, along with allowing his Basculin to actually travel through the whole field. Funnily enough, his Beartic actually had Swift Swim, which would synergize with that strategy as well. The three most likely Pokemon that he'd use were Vaporeon, which was instrumental to his strategy— along with Beartic and Basculin.

Now who would be last? Frillish was probably out of the picture. She was his weakest teammate who was held behind by not having evolved. That left Azumarill and Wugtrio. They were both physical attackers, but Wugtrio specialized in speed and Azumarill in slow and steady power. Beartic and Basculin were already quick… if I had to gamble, I guessed that Azumarill would be fourth. Wugtrio would mean that Bowman's team would be too frail to resist Angel's vines, but even if I was wrong, I figured that it wouldn't matter very much. My team wouldn't change regardless. Tangrowth, Jellicent, Electabuzz and Togetic were the best possible choice.

"Come to bed."

I turned toward Cece, who was lying down under the covers. She pulled out her arm and caressed my back.

"I'm almost done, I think," I smiled. "Hold on a sec."

The main strategy here would be to destroy— not destroy— take down that Vaporeon before the water from Rain Dance built up enough for Bowman's team to have any effect. The quicker the water type went down, the faster the Rain Dance would stop. I wondered what the interaction between Sunny Day and Rain Dance was, but if I had to guess, Vaporeon's experience with the move meant that it would overpower Angel. It was even better than Gardenia's Lombre. Vaporeon was bulky, but it was slow. The most skilled ones could apparently liquefy their bodies, but Will Bowman's wasn't that good yet. It was light enough for Angel to pick up. If he got in range for a Bind, Vaporeon, would fall.

And with that, his entire strategy would fall apart. Without Vaporeon, Angel could quickly replace the rain with Sunny Day and cripple his water type attacks.

Wait… actually, it was really obvious who he would start with now. Angel was beginning to get a reputation as my strongest, and I'd started with him twice in a row. Bowman would be right to assume that I would do it again, so that meant that Beartic would accompany Vaporeon as his first two.

Oh well, Jellicent would be able to help out and distract it while Angel took care of Vaporeon for us.

I closed my computer and got into the bed. Cece wrapped me into a tight hug and I felt her body heat permeate through me.

I loved her.

—

I woke up to a frantic knock. I squinted, noticing that it was still dark out. Cecilia groaned.

"What time is it?"

I grabbed my phone on my bedside table and had to blink a few times to read the contents. Four in the morning.

"It's 4 am. I'll go get it," I whispered.

"Do you have to? Wait, you do have to, it's probably important."

I yawned and shuffled out of bed. I almost forgot to release Princess before opening the door, which could have been a fatal mistake. Luckily, it was just Denzel knocking. I was sure I would have recognized his knock if I hadn't been tired as hell.

"Yeah? Figure something out?" I asked.

"Luca sent Louis a message. Harry Rodriguez is on the move."

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 153

I inhaled sharply at the news. Trainer or not, people didn't just leave their rooms at four in the morning. If he'd been out there beforehand, we could have brushed it off and said he was training, but who started training at four? It was a possibility, but it sure as hell was suspicious. I didn't even care if I was just confirming my inherent biases, I just wanted something. Some definite proof would actually cement this thing. We were certain that the tournament was being rigged for Harry Rodriguez and that the Hunters were shady, but we had nothing linking the two.

Nothing yet.

"What does he want us to do?" I asked.

"Come join him for backup," Denzel said, his voice steady. "His Cutiefly can battle, but they're not the best."

"Backup?"

"In case things go… south," he added. "With what we learned about the Hunters today, I understand completely."

I clenched around my pajamas and had to stop myself from taking a step back. I was ready. I was ready. I couldn't be a baby forever.

"Let Cece and I get dressed," I sighed.

—

It was the dead of night. A cold wind brushed past my hair as I walked toward Solaceon's desolate city center with Cecilia, Louis and Denzel in tow. We had wanted to get everyone involved, but Luca had said that more than four would alert Harry. In a large city, people would have still been out in about, but here? It was like we were in a ghost town. Only the dim street lights illuminated the street, and the dim light of a nearby Pokemon Center could be seen in the distance.

Harry's Pokemon Center.

"Took you long enough," Luca whispered as we reached him. "I've got the bastard skulking around a few blocks away. He's been walking really slow. It's like he really doesn't want to get seen by anyone, so he makes sure every street is empty before he crosses."

I frowned. "How do you even know that?"

Luca lazily pointed back toward the sky. We squinted and noticed a bright light zooming across the horizon.

Cece scoffed. "Is that your—"

"One of my Cuties, yeah," he said. "The other's a lot closer to the culprit himself, and she's just relaying his position."

Louis hissed. "But the light—"

"Calm down, you bunch of amateurs. This ain't my first rodeo. My Cutiefly are special. Those are fairies you're talking about. If they don't want you to see 'em, you won't. Not without a psychic, and Mr. Rodriguez over here doesn't have one of those."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We follow. From afar."

We nodded. Since we were here for backup, we each released one Pokemon. Cecilia released Slowking to sense any people approaching. Denzel surprisingly released his Lopunny, and I released Electabuzz in case we needed his Protect. Togetic wouldn't be good at shielding all of us at once if an attack got through. After quickly bringing them up to speed, we slowly followed Luca's Cutiefly which was signaling high into the sky. We could never approach too closely. No, that would be too obvious, especially when Harry was being as cautious as he was. For now the goal was to see where he was going, and it didn't appear to be the Hunter's mansion, which was miles away from the city center. He seemed to be going deeper in.

We followed Cutiefly for around ten minutes, but then Luca's head snapped up and he stopped us with a hand. The fairy type flew in repeated patterns that I recognized as… letters, but it was too quick and too far for me to figure out what it was saying.

"Fuck! Harry's gone," he cursed.

"What?" Denzel exclaimed.

"He turned a corner and teleported. That confirms your theory at least," he said, nodding toward me.

"What Pokemon? What did he use to Teleport?" I quickly asked.

Luca motioned to his Cutiefly, and in just a few seconds, she was in front of us. The other one followed quickly after. The fairy type executed a bunch of acrobatics in the air and spelled out a Pokemon's name.

A.

B.

R.

A.

"Today's a bust," Luca groaned. "Abra used Teleport to get in and out of the street. It barely took five seconds. Luckily with how fast it was, I don't think it noticed my Cuties… hopefully."

"Damn it, that could be bad," I clicked my tongue. "But at least we got something. One, we know that he's getting outside help. Two, we know that he doesn't want to be seen, which is shady as hell. Even someone who was training wouldn't take that amount of precautions, and if he was, why even hide the Abra? This is something more sinister."

"But we still don't know if he's linked with the Hunters," Louis said.

"It's only a matter of time," I said. "Thank you Luca. You've been a great help."

"Pay me?" He said before grinning. "I'm just pulling your leg. I don't mind working for free if we uncover whatever the hell is going on here. That information you got about them from that Isaac guy? Makes them sound a lot more cultish than I'd like. I'll keep tabs on him."

Well, we hadn't gotten what we wanted, but at least we'd gotten something, all while avoiding a fight in the middle of the street with no rules or protection. I had never been in a battle where targeting the trainer was a possibility aside from with wild Pokemon, but humans doing it disturbed me to no end.

But if they did it to me? Well, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop my team from killing them.

"One more thing," Cecilia said, raising a finger. "That Abra… has to be from here, right? To Teleport in the middle of an alley like that means that it's been there a lot of times before. Pokemon need to be very familiar with their environment to Teleport somewhere that quickly."

"Especially for an Abra," Denzel added. "If it was a Xatu or even a Kadabra, I would have given it the benefit of the doubt, but… yeah, this feels like it's from here. No way to be one hundred percent sure though."

"Damn, you guys are good. I know nothing about Teleportation," Luca said.

"Meeting that Abra anywhere closer to the Center was probably too high of a risk, which is why he went all the way out here," I muttered. "Now all that remains is: where the hell did he go?"

"Hunter's mansion would be my guess," Denzel said. "But that's just an assumption, and it doesn't explain what the hell their connection would be. Think he's dating one of them after all?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," I said. "Thanks for the help Luca. I'd say that we should confront Harry with what we've got, but that'd be dumb and dangerous. Let's just lay low for now. Maybe the Poketch Company will figure something out."

"I'll bow out then," he said as his two Cutiefly circled his head. I found it hard to stay focused on any of them. "Next time he does the same thing, I'll call again. I'm not about to get beaten half to death in an alley or murdered."

"Fair," I said. "Good night."

"See ya."

—

I woke up tired the next day. It'd be worse for Louis, who would have to actually battle, along with the majority of our friend group. I wasn't going to watch, however. Today, I was going to do something that could be stupid. I didn't consider myself much of a risk-taker, which I'm sure all the people I knew would scoff at. When something caught my eye, I couldn't stop myself from getting it or at least trying to, like Sunshine. Other than that? I'd say I operated on the side of safety and not recklessness. Reckless was someone like Pauline.

That thing I had said about laying low? I had changed my mind.

I was planning to visit the Hunter's mansion today.

It's not like I was going to break in. That would be tremendously stupid and I'd probably get arrested for trespassing or worse if the cult stories were true. Since their home was more than a thousand year old, they often ran tours there for revenue.

Yes, more revenue. It's not like they were swimming in cash already, they needed more money. Arceus. Anyway, with the influx of trainers and people that had come to the town for the tournament, they were running more and more tours, going as much as doing them all afternoon.

Cecilia and Denzel were of course coming with me. They would never let me go alone. That meant that we had to wait for Cecilia's battle to conclude before going to the tour, and needless to say, she handily won against another girl with four badges. Zweilous and Talonflame wiped the floor with the opposition, although she didn't use the Heat Wave, Tailwind and Fire Spin trick this time because she wasn't fighting just rock types. We didn't want to go in too large of a group to avoid attracting attention, but the others knew what we were doing, even if they had their battles to fight.

The last person that would come was Luca, who wasn't going to miss an opportunity like this. The goal was to send his Cutiefly to figure out if something in the mansion was suspicious, but we would also be keeping an eye out. I doubted that they'd have anything out of order on the fixed route they'd keep us on though.

We stood among a group of fifteen. I was surprised to see how small it was, but they probably didn't want that many people on their property at once.

"Welcome to the Daycare, everyone!" A man smiled. He looked relatively normal. He was an average-sized man in his early to mid-forties. The unique thing about him was his grey eyes. "My name is Reggie," he continued, pointing to the nametag around his collar. "This is my sister, Lane."

Lane smiled softly at us, and she also had grey eyes. I was starting to realize that this was actually the first time I'd ever seen a Hunter in the flesh despite them being so influential. The stories about their isolation were no joke.

"The guide will last thirty to forty minutes, and we'll be starting with some of the Pokemon," Lane said. "Then, we'll show you some of our home."

Reggie cleared his throat. "First, we have to go over some rules. No Pokemon allowed on the premises. We don't want them disturbing our Pokemon or any of our family members."

His Cutiefly were floating high up in the sky, and we were the only ones that could see them, but it seemed that he wanted to wait until we reached the mansion to send them spying. It was too risky.

"Second, no pictures or videos. Third, no petting or calling out to the Pokemon. Fourth, always stick with us and don't go off on your own. Lastly… enjoy your time!"

The group cheered, and they led us toward the huge enclosure where the Hunters raised all kinds of Pokemon. Denzel shot a look at Luca, who shook his head. I couldn't even see where it ended. I could see a few employees in the distance tending to some Squirtle and other water types next to a lake.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Lane said, seemingly catching onto the group's awe. "We've owned this land for a thousand years, and we've preserved it all this time. It's bigger than Solaceon itself, you know?"

Reggie laughed. "When we were kids, we'd get lost out there for hours. We were practically raised by Pokemon, and so were all of our family members."

"I have a question," Luca said.

I froze. It was too early.

"Go ahead!" Lane said.

"What's your favorite Pokemon?" He innocently asked.

"We get that one a lot. I'd have to say Shiftry. What about you, Reggie?"

"You know the answer. It's also Shiftry," he laughed. Something about the way he'd said it was… disturbing. I couldn't place what bothered me about it.

They both moved on to another question from someone else, and Cecilia pulled Luca aside.

"What are you doing? I thought we needed to be discreet," she angrily whispered.

"I am being discreet! I'm blending in! It'd be more suspicious to stay quiet the whole fucking time. You have to act your part. We're supposed to be interested in this stuff, remember?"

She bit her lip and nodded. The Hunters led us to multiple enclosures within the huge enclosure, and we saw plenty of Pokemon. Bulbasaur, Lotad, Deerling… it seemed like they were allowed to roam free here. I might have found their family shady, but I couldn't deny that the Pokemon looked happy, at least. Sometimes, we would come across another Hunter, and they almost all shared those pale, grey eyes except for the ones that had married in from the outside.

Along the way, we learned about how even Pokemon from the same type with a similar body structure could have vastly different needs to thrive. Deerling and Skiddo were a good example. The former was actually quite aggressive and they fought with each other often, while the latter was one of the most docile Pokemon you could get. Deerling actually needed berries to survive and changed throughout the seasons, while Skiddo could live entirely off of grazing.

It was interesting. I hated to admit it, but I was genuinely enjoying myself. Of course, the Hunters didn't actually take us to meet the rarest Pokemon they raised, but they did explain to us that breeders needed special approval from the League before they could raise some of the more dangerous Pokemon, like Gible or Slugma. I was sure that they were hiding them somewhere. Apparently, they had created every single biome in their enclosure, and I caught a glimpse of a manmade desert in the distance before we turned back.

It was time to explore the mansion now. I eyed Luca, who discreetly motioned to his Cutiefly. They followed us as we entered the building and immediately dispersed in order to not be seen. As I stepped inside, my eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dimly lit interior. Even during the afternoon, this place seemed to be darker than it should have been. The second thing I noticed was the smell— it was an earthen, musty smell that seeped into every corner of the mansion and filled my nostrils to an uncomfortable degree. People lived in here? The air felt cold, although a fire had been lit in the foyer.

The foyer itself was a grand affair. The walls were lined with intricately carved wood paneling, and a staircase led to the second and third floors.

Lane noticed me staring. "You won't be going to the second floor today," she smiled. "Only the first is open to the public. This way, if you will?"

We followed Lane and Reggie to the left, and the old wooden floors creaked under our feet no matter where we stepped. The two guides, however, seemed to know exactly where to step to be silent. I was surprised to see the mansion so empty. I had almost expected it to be bustling with other Hunters, but no one was there. They must have all been working out on the field. It was good news for us since it meant that fewer people would be able to spot Luca's Cutiefly, who had already made their way to the second floor.

"This over here is a painting of the founder of our family, Ediva Hunter," Reggie fondly said, nodding toward the painting. I recognized the name from one of the graves in the Lost Tower. She had pale grey eyes like all of her descendants and brown hair that reached her ankles. She was dressed in golden clothes and was covered in jewelry. I assumed that was an artistic choice.

"All of her life, she wanted to create a safe haven for Pokemon, but she died before being able to accomplish her goal. Her twins took over and realized her dreams," he continued, pointing to another painting. "Siward and Leomer Hunter. The second generation. From then on, the family grew and grew, slowly expanding our lands so that we could take care of more Pokemon."

"Without Ediva, we would never have come this far," Lane softly added. "Let's continue."

The two guides showed us multiple old musty rooms that looked like they hadn't been used in decades. Supposedly though, people frequented this place every day, they just didn't sleep here. They slept in the hundreds of cabins that lined the Hunter's enclosure.

"What's the point of having a huge mansion if you don't use it?" A girl said in a haughty tone.

"We use it, the majority of us just don't sleep here," Lane smiled.

"Who does?" Luca quickly asked.

"Well, the head of the family for one," Reggie said.

I clenched a fist. The Elder that Isaac had talked about. Was he here now?

"But that's not what this tour is about," he continued, pointing to a… Pokeball enclosed in glass. It looked odd. The surface was uneven, and it wasn't made of metal. "Up next, we have the Siward's very own Pokeball that we've preserved all these years. As you can see, it looks different than what we currently use. Back in the day, these weren't mass-produced like today. They were made by specialized smiths that worked with Apricorn trees!"

"Hard to believe, right?" Lane smiled. "They don't use those anymore to make Pokeballs, although some still cling to the old ways in Johto, I've heard. Up next…"

As Reggie and Lisa took us further and further in, I was beginning to grow anxious. Sweat accumulated on my palms that I constantly had to wipe on my jeans. Luca's Cutiefly weren't back yet, but it wasn't like they could just show themselves. They'd have to wait outside until we were done with the tour. After making us look at more paintings, heirlooms and even a statue, the tour finally ended and they began to lead us back outside.

An old man and a Shiftry awaited us in the foyer.

My hands instinctively went to my Pokeballs, but they only hovered there for a second. For being an elder, this man wasn't actually that old. He looked to be only slightly older than Reggie and Lane. In his fifties, maybe? He was balding and on the thinner side, although his stomach stuck out a little bit. He sported a thin, greying beard, and the usual silver eyes. Shiftry was beautiful, and I didn't say that lightly. Every inch of its wooden body was carved with beautiful, flowery imagery, and its white hair was braided into thick locks adorned with a golden hairpiece. It stared at us with cold, yellow eyes.

"Elder!" Reggie and Lane both exclaimed, bowing.

The group stared around confusedly, but we knew something had happened.

Where were Luca's Cutiefly? I expected him to be panicking, but he looked calm. He was acting his socks off, and we'd better do the same. I took a deep breath and stared at the Elder.

"At ease," he laughed. "No need for that in front of the guests."

They both stood up straight. The Elder's voice was raspy, but soft. It was an odd thing to hear. He was possibly the most soft-spoken man I'd ever heard.

"Shiftry told me of a disturbance in our home, and we quickly found the source," he said, stroking his beard. "A Pokemon snooping about."

Reggie and Lane paled.

A single Pokemon?

"We apologize… we were careless," Lane said.

"Do not fret. Everyone makes mistakes," he said. "Now, if the trainer that owns the Cutiefly steps forward, we can all go along with our day. No harm was done. Shiftry stopped it before it could disturb our home."

That meant that it hadn't found anything of note. I restrained a curse.

No one said anything. We all stood, and a heavy silence filled the air. It weighed on us. For two minutes, the Elder said nothing. Why had he only found one? That meant that the other was safe, at the very least, or maybe he was just bluffing.

"Well, no matter," he smiled, staring straight at Luca. "I know the answer already. I just wanted to give you the opportunity to come clean."

Luca's mask slipped, and he snarled. "What did you do to my Pokemon?"

"Reggie, Lane, lead the other guests back outside, will you?"

"Fuck no," Luca said. "Why? If you're gonna do something, do it with them here."

"I won't do anything," he sighed. "I just thought that it would be better dealt with in private, that is all. Shiftry—"

"Elder!" Lane called out. "Not in front of the—"

"Silence," he hissed. She shrunk down like a wilting flower. "Shiftry, release it."

The grass type nodded silently and sliced the air apart with his leaves.

My eyes flickered and the air grew so thick that it was as if I was underwater, yet I could still breathe fine. From the cut, darkness appeared and expanded. It wasn't darkness, exactly. It was like I was looking at the absence of light. A void. The abyss. There was nothing there, and the longer I looked the more I felt like the darkness itself was staring back. A sense of wrongness overtook me and I shivered. It was cold, but it bordered on the valley between manageable and uncomfortable. I couldn't even feel my own heartbeat any longer, and the colors at the corner of my vision faded to black and white. There was a gentle pull toward the abyss, as if it had an effect on gravity itself.

I had never seen a powerful dark type before. Chase's Houndoom was nothing compared to this.

The entire process had barely lasted a second. One of Luca's Cutiefly flew out of the darkness and circled around his head. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least one of his Pokemon was fine.

Weren't fairies supposed to resist the dark?

"How…?" Luca asked in disbelief. "No one's ever spotted my Cutiefly before without a psychic, much less trapped her."

"You may take the guests outside," the Elder said, ignoring him. "As an apology for the inconvenience, your visit fee shall be refunded. Lane?"

"I will see to it," she said.

The older man nodded and watched as we were led out of the mansion. We were safe, but we had learned nothing apart from the fact that the Elder truly existed and used an incredibly powerful Shiftry.

Luckily for us, Luca's second Cutiefly joined us shortly after. I didn't know how it had escaped detection, but according to him, he had quickly run away as soon as he felt something was wrong, while his sister wanted to keep exploring to not disappoint their trainer. She got captured, and he got away.

"Guys," Luca said. "I think I'm out."

I frowned. "What?"

"It was fun, don't get me wrong, but that Shiftry…" he muttered. "I'm no battler. It was nice while it lasted, but I'm not fucking around with that family anymore. My Cuties could have died. The Elder knew about me. How else would he have known that Cutiefly was mine?"

"That's…" I started, then sighed. "Okay. Thank you for the help until now."

"The money was nice, but I'm ditching this town. The more I stay here, the more unsettling this place is. If someone told me before I came that the most disturbing city in Sinnoh was Solaceon, I would have laughed at them, but it's true. The Hunters are entrenched here, and there's no stopping them, corrupt tournament or not."

"Wait!" Cecilia exclaimed. "Before you leave, can you ask your Cutiefly if they saw anything?"

"Didn't he say that she didn't?" Denzel frowned. "And the other one just escaped."

"Cutie?" He asked.

The fairy type spelled out a name.

H.

A.

R.

R.

Y.

Harry Rodriguez had been on the mansion's second floor along with that Abra. We had proof now. They were linked. It explained how they found Cutiefly so easily, although answers about Shiftry's powers still remained unknown. That void… it was like a black hole— or at least the visual effects was. The light around it had been distorted. There was also the fact that Abra might have sensed the second Cutiefly before he could escape.

Luca exhaled sharply and clenched his hair.

"Argh… Fuck it, I'm staying," he said, biting his lip.

---

Hey everybody! I've officially created a Patreon! Now before you get too excited, there are currently no benefits to pledging. There are no advanced chapters, and I won't move poll-voting to there either— that'll stay on my Discord. People were asking me to create one, so I figured I'd bite the bullet and do it. I don't really expect too much, but right now all of the money would go toward art commissions. I'll put your name in a list at the end of every chapter to thank you though. Link will also stay on my signature.

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 154

"Argh… Fuck it, I'm staying," Luca said, his face full of anxiety.

"Are you— are you sure?" Denzel stammered.

"Yeah. I got spooked… hell, I'm still spooked, but this is too big to ignore. I'm sticking around," Luca said with a resolute tone.

Denzel nodded and hurriedly texted the group chat to update them on the situation.

"So we have confirmation of the teleportation theory and that Harry's connected to the Hunters. With how isolationist they were described by everyone in this Arceus damned town, we can assume that he's getting help from them and that he's important somehow," I said. "There's no way they'd let him on the second floor otherwise."

"Maybe he really is dating one of 'em," Luca said.

"Maybe. We can't be sure yet," I shook my head.

"Can't we report him to someone?" Denzel asked.

"He hasn't really done anything wrong yet. None of them have," Cecilia said. "Just being teleported around and invited into a home isn't wrong. The Elder captured your Cutiefly because we were explicitly breaking the rules, and no harm was done to us. They're clean."

"Damn it, you're right."

"They appear clean on the outside, but we know the truth," Luca said with a smug smile. "I want to bring them down. I want my fuckin' name in the history books."

Ignoring his questionable motives, I interjected. "We need to relax for the time being. No more attempts to sneak in with Cutiefly, or the Hunters will know we're up to something. Hell, they probably already suspect you," I nodded toward Luca. "You need to lay low. We still need to figure out what the hell that thing with BattleZone was, so we can take a little break and pivot toward them. If we can make the whole thing fit, I'll be a lot less anxious."

"It's possible that it doesn't fit, Grace," Denzel said. "There are… a lot of actors involved. Can we really expect them to have the same agenda?"

"Fair point," Luca said.

"Isaac told us the Hunters were like a cult. Reggie and Lane bowed when the Elder showed up," I retorted.

"But it's still possible," Cece said. "We can't base all of our assumptions on a single interaction. We barely saw any other members of the family, we don't know if there's a faction that's against whatever is going on. The same applies for BattleZone. It's like Josephine told us, right? With large groups and conspiracies like this, it's always factions within factions."

"You're right. Let's just… get back for now. We can have another group meeting tonight when everyone's battles are done. I'm just going to wait around until Harry's fight to see what he's about. His next opponent's a four-badger, so hopefully the battle can last longer so I can I learn more about him."

"Don't let Pauline hear you say that," Denzel teased.

"Don't snitch," I said. "I think I'll go meet her soon, actually. Luca, I guess you're leaving back to your job?"

By his job, I was obviously referring to his information brokering.

"Wait, are we just going to ignore whatever the hell that Shiftry was?" Luca scoffed. "That wasn't… that wasn't a move, right? I'm not that good of a battler."

"No, it wasn't," Denzel frowned. "That Elder's a lot better than he looks at first glance. I don't know how strong that Shiftry is, but it's definitely better than anything we have."

"Which is why battling is off the table," I said. "We figure out evidence that could sink them and tip off the media if it's just cheating in a tournament. If it's worse like I'm beginning to suspect… then we call the League."

Grim grunts of affirmation rang out throughout the group. Luca left soon afterward. He told us that he was changing his usual spot since it used to be next to the Hunters' property. Needless to say, he was too scared to stick around any longer. We arrived back to the Center around the time Lauren would be battling, and Maeve would be next. Louis and Justin had apparently won their battles, although I didn't know much about what had gone on. Denzel had checked it out via video on the way there, and Louis had won by the skin of his teeth. His Gible carried him and he managed to beat a person with four badges. If he wanted to get better, he'd have to start relying on his other Pokemon a lot more.

"Did you see what Justin said?" Denzel asked as we stepped into the elevator.

"No. You told me he won, is he okay?"

"He says that he's fucked next round— I'm obviously paraphrasing," he laughed. "He's got to make it through another guy with five badges to win his next battle. That's unlucky as hell, with how few of them there are."

"Yeah… it sucks," I sighed. "Not much he can do about it but prepare as best he can. If he loses, then it'll be a learning opportunity."

Denzel's words made me pull out my phone and look at the bracket once more. Specifically, Harry Rodriguez's position. After easily making it through that first battle thanks to probable rigging… none of his opponents would ever have more than four badges until he got a lot further in. His path to the top sixteen had been cleared, and I had no doubt that they expected him to roll through me, so they expected him to go further still.

Yeah, BattleZone was in on this. I was sure of it.

"I'm gonna go see Pauline, then I'm going to snoop around BattleZone," I said. "You guys coming?"

"Sure, why not," Denzel shrugged.

"Sorry, I need to spend some more time with Golett. He needs to get more used to acting like a living being."

"Hey, he's technically not alive," Denzel snorted.

We both playfully hit him in the back, causing him to yelp.

"Did you need to do that?"

"Well, we need to keep the mood up, don't we?" I laughed. I turned to Cecilia. "See you later?"

"Mhm."

I stood on my tip-toes to kiss her and I felt her hands rest on my hips. "I love you."

"Me too. Call me if anything happens."

—

Pauline's room was a mess. There were empty packs of snacks all over the floor, something had spilled on the carpet, and even though it was still the afternoon, the blinds were closed shut, only allowing thin beams of light through. Pauline herself looked fine. She stared at us from her bed and grunted.

"What happened here?" I asked. "Are you okay—"

The culprit soon revealed himself. Vigoroth jumped from under her bed and I flinched, expecting him to claw at me. Instead, he simply ravaged through the room, clawing at the carpet, the walls and jumping everywhere.

"Just when I finally got him to calm down, you woke him up," she sighed. "Denzel, I thought I told you to knock. You use that key double way too much."

"You're the one that told me you didn't care if I had one. Actually wait, you're gaslighting me. You wanted me to have one."

"That's… yeah you're right, I'm just pissed."

"Why are we just having a conversation when there's a crazy Vigoroth going around?!" I yelled. "You're lucky I didn't have my Togetic out! Recall him!"

"Oh boy, Princess would have freaked out," Denzel chuckled. "Probably would have choked him out or something."

"I shouldn't have to accommodate your bloodthirsty Togetic in my room. Anyway, I looked it up online! I need to get him used to staying in rooms and stuff. Eventually he'll stop being like this—" she stopped, ducking to avoid a soda can. "My terrible eating habits are catching up to me. Anyway, I need to get Vigoroth used to rooms."

"The Pokedex said that it never stops being excited," I groaned.

"There's a difference between this and how he'll be when I train him properly. Hey, Vigoroth!"

The normal type stopped for a single second, grunted at Pauline, and then continued on his rampage. The redhead sighed and recalled him.

"I feel bad for the people that are going to have to clean this up," I sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty."

"Fair enough. Did you see what happened at the Hunters' mansion?" I asked. "We sent it on the group chat, but you didn't reply."

"I did… I wish I'd been there. You guys, Cece and Louis have been moving on your own for a few days and we've been feeling left out," Pauline said. "Except Maeve. She's a bit of a wet blanket, so she just wants to keep her head down."

"That's fair," Denzel admitted. "But to be honest, it's a lot easier to work in smaller groups."

"So work with us," she said. "We can organize. I'm out of the tournament, so I have a lot of free time. I feel useless out here."

"Sorry. You know what, why don't you come with us? We were going to gather some info after this, but we can go right now if you want," I said.

She beamed. "Fuck yes! Let's let them know what we're made of!"

"I was thinking more of a lowkey operation…"

—

If someone had told me that Pauline could be extremely polite when she wanted to, I would have called them a liar. In fact, I would have laughed in their face and maybe even called them an idiot.

"So BattleZone's been around for fifty years? Wow, that's impressive," she smiled at a supervisor. "Where'd you guys get your start? You know, we don't hear a lot about how these tournaments are actually organized. I feel like we should appreciate the work that goes into them more."

Denzel and I looked on, trying to hide our stupefaction. Apparently, even he hadn't expected this. We were currently in the building the Hunters has built for the tournament and the same place we'd signed up at. It was rather empty these days. Trainers mostly came here to announce their lineup to a supervisor or lodge complaints about the tournament, but employees still milled about.

"I like you, kid," the man smiled. "I only started working here three years ago, but it's tough work. You've got to fly out wherever they decide to organize the next tournament, the hours are long, kids scream at you for the brackets being unfair… but at least the pay is good."

"Super interesting," Pauline said. "But where did you get your start?"

"Oh, sorry I forgot to answer that. Erm, it was Solaceon, funnily enough. We don't do tournaments here much, but the higher-ups felt like this would make a lot of money. As long as I get paid," he sighed.

My eyes narrowed at that. Solaceon was BattleZone's birthplace, and now that I knew how much influence the Hunters wielded, that was all I needed to know that the people at the top might be content to listen to whatever the hell that family wanted. We had seen Harry on the second floor of the mansion, so I knew that he was working with the Hunters. The link was there. The two entities working together was basically confirmed. Now all we needed to figure out were these two things:

One, why the hell would they want Harry Rodriguez to win?

Two, why make the rigging so obvious at the start? If they weren't going to keep helping Harry along and only needed to stop him from fighting that one battle, why the hell would they make that girl that had been supposed to fight Pauline resign?

If we solved these two questions, we would get to the bottom of this entire fiasco. That was a lot easier said than done. Denzel discreetly nudged Pauline, and she kept going, stopping her small talk to initiate another one of our predetermined questions.

"What brought this cooperation with the Hunters about?" She asked with a soft voice.

"I don't know about that," the supervisor shrugged. "Well, I do know that our old CEO had some kind of connection with the Hunters. They were old friends or something and the relationship between the two companies is good, but recently there's been—"

"What's his name?!" I exclaimed.

The supervisor turned to frown at me.

"Sorry," I coughed.

"If you wanted to know so bad, you could have just looked it up. Adrian Navarro, but he's kaput now. New boss wanted to do a friendly gesture and run the tournament there— especially since the Hunters could cover some of the costs."

Damn it, not a Hunter. Well, it made sense in a way. I doubted that the Elder would allow anyone in their family to get out and start their own business, no matter how successful it could have been. Now that I knew that the Elder and this Adrian had known each other personally, all of my remaining doubts vanished.

"You're the first kids that have come here with such an interest in how we run things. Why's that?"

I swallowed, but Pauline sprung up. "You might have heard of how I got screwed by two resignations. I just got curious, that's all."

"Yeah… sorry about that," he scratched his head. "People're saying that we rigged it for that Harry fellow, but it's just the luck of the dice. I've been telling people that the proper way to run the tourneys when this happens is to delay the match, but they don't want to."

"That was shitty for sure," Denzel nodded. "And a shitty way to run a tournament."

"They always say that you should read the fine print," he shrugged. "People usually like the fast pace. No delays, no bullshit, usually cheap entry. It was raised here due to the rewards though."

"At least I got half of my ticket paid back," Pauline said.

"Wait, what?" The supervisor frowned.

"I got paid back. I knew it! I should have gotten more than half, shouldn't I? It should have been a full refund—"

"That's not our usual policy. BattleZone might have been using out-of-the-box rules, but they technically weren't in the wrong. We're following the rules we set… so why were you reimbursed? Are you kids playing a prank?"

A woman called out to him. "Phil, can you hand me the battle schedule? I think I lost mine, we've got to make more copies."

"Yes! It was just a prank!" I yelled. "Sorry, it was my idea. I guess it was too obvious."

"Sure thing," he said. "Well, I've got to get back to work. You kids get outta here."

We inconspicuously walked out of the building, and I released Togetic as a guard.

"What the hell was that?" Pauline asked. "I was buttering him up for you guys!"

"No, we needed to leave. Don't you get it? You were paid off to stay quiet, Pauline. The person who refunded you went against company policy… that means that some low-leveled employees know about this!"

So why had this guy not known? I had thought that there was no way for mere supervisors to be in on this, but now, that was no longer the case. Josephine's voice rang out in my mind. Factions. It was possible to turn back and tell this employee everything, but there were other supervisors hanging about. What if one that was in on it was listening in? Even worse, he could bring it up to a higher-up and reveal this to the wrong person. It was better to keep this to ourselves.

Or maybe I was growing too paranoid.

"Holy shit," she muttered. "They obviously don't know me if they think that money's going to get me to quiet down. Especially with how cheap they were. Half reimbursed? Really?"

"Yes. Holy shit. Now this is important. Denzel, you went with her with Justin. Did you get the person's name? Or do you just remember their face?"

Pauline shook her head and Denzel groaned, rubbing his chin.

"I'm coming up blank, but he was a shortish guy, I guess. Brown hair is all I remember."

"That doesn't help at all… does Justin remember?"

"Let me shoot him a message."

Two minutes later, Justin answered with a no, and our spirits deflated like a popped balloon. If we knew what he looked like, we could have probably figured out his name and gotten Luca to spy on him, since he wasn't a Hunter.

"Damn it," I hissed.

"Sorry, Grace," Pauline said.

"No, it's not your fault. I can't expect you to remember some random guy's face," I said. "It'd be like asking me to remember a person we passed on the way here. Unless you knew they were important, you weren't going to remember them. It's just frustrating. Every time I feel like we're getting close, it turns out that it goes deeper… whatever, we'll get there," I sighed. "What the hell was that acting, by the way?"

"Impressed?" She smugly said. "I'm good at being a nice girl."

"How…?" Denzel asked.

"What did you think I did when mommy told me to play nice whenever I met her business partners' kids?"

"Ignore her and terrorize the other kids?"

"And sink her business? Please. All it'd take was for little Jimmy to complain that I was mean to him and any deal would fall through. I just don't do it anymore because it's fake. I hate that shit. People hated me for it, but I can be real with you guys."

I paused for a few seconds and smiled. "Thanks for the help. I don't think I would have been able to act like that at all, and Denzel's a terrible liar."

"Right? He's way too sweet to lie," she laughed before turning toward him. "Look at him. He's blushing! Are you embarrassed?"

"Shut up."

—

The entire group sat, waiting for Harry Rodriguez to fight his second battle. Him battling with Pauline immediately had screwed the schedule a little bit, so it had taken a bit more time for the organizers to recalibrate everything. I had almost expected there to be some shenanigans again, but this time, he was actually battling his designated opponent. Harry released his looming Torterra and his Pelipper this time, while his opponent released a Venomoth and a Heatmor, which was a terrible starting lineup for him. Pelipper would screw over that Heatmor with Drizzle, and Venomoth would lose to its flying type attacks.

But I knew that he was just trying his best to deal with Torterra with poison and fire.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as one-sided as I thought, but Harry still won handily. Torterra almost fainted due to the sheer amount of Sludge Bombs and Flamethrowers it had taken, but it still stood strong by the end of it. Harry's opponent had sent out a Corvisquire and a Boldore second, and I understood now why he hadn't started with those. They were simply too weak to hurt Harry's Pokemon and were being held back by their lack of evolution. Boldore was too slow to dodge attacks, but not tough enough to brush them off. Corvisquire was quick, but it couldn't outpace Pelipper for long.

He fell quickly after that.

I had gotten a lot of good information from that battle, even if I'd wanted to learn more about Luxray and Crobat instead. When Harry fought in doubles, he liked to pair his Torterra with a flying type to take full advantage of Earthquake. That meant that Luxray would probably never come out first, since Harry always started with Torterra. His starter was his anchor. It was impossible for him to fight without it.

Pelipper's Drizzle was more powerful than I'd given it credit for in the videos. It was like the Rocky Field had been subject to a storm and completely flooded. Still, it was less powerful than what I'd have to face tomorrow. Vaporeon's Rain Dance would be a test run for this. If I could handle that, then Drizzle wouldn't be an issue.

That night, I stayed up on my phone, waiting to see if Luca was going to send any texts, but he didn't. We were seemingly at an impasse for now. There was no way to look deeper into the Hunters, and the person we needed to find in BattleZone could be any of the employees. Still, we sent a vague description to Luca in hopes that he'd be able to find something. I ended up having to stop when the light kept waking Cecilia up, even if she was pretending to be asleep still. I could feel her shifting, since she was squeezing me like a pillow.

Not that I disliked that.

Oh well. Tomorrow was another day. I would get to the bottom of this come hell or high water.

And it would start with offering a deal to Sunshine after my battle. I had an offer he couldn't refuse.

---

A/N: A bit of a setup chapter. I promise the next few are a lot more exciting

Thank you to the people that support me on Patreon - Spandaz, Alex Walters, androide, Aaron Vera, A ferret, MKK, Oblige

 

[veekie]

Clearly the Elder is the Shiftry.

 

[Soussouni]

CHAPTER 155

Like usual, my battle was early in the morning, and it was taking place on the Rocky Field. Will Bowman somehow found a way to wear very little clothes in the middle of winter, and he had a legion of fangirls that kept screaming out his name in the bleachers. My friends tried to join in to counter them, but the supervisor hissed and everyone quieted down.

"This is battle between Grace Pastel and Will Bowman. Trainers, send out your Pokemon."

The air was cool and crisp as I sent out Jellicent and Tangrowth. My lips twitch when I saw Beartic and Vaporeon appear as I had predicted. The massive, looming bear exuded frosty air all around him, and there were clearly outlined muscles in its arms and legs. Its paws alone were bigger than my head by a wide margin. Vaporeon stretched and its ears twitched. It observed us in a calculating manner and tensed.

Rain Dance was coming, and then Aqua Jet and Ice Punch would follow on Tangrowth. I would have him raise an Ancient Power immediately and counter with Jellicent's Hex while Vaporeon watched helplessly as I completely restrained his teammate and shut him down before the battle could even start. Then, I'd use that downturn in Bowman's move to rush Vaporeon and shut down that Rain Dance.

Easy enough in my head. Now it was time to see if it worked.

"Begin!"

"Rain Dance!"

Vaporeon cried out, arching its back and raising its head toward the sky. Thunder boomed, and thick rain clouds appeared above the arena, leading to small droplets, and then an absolute deluge. It was pouring gallons of water, and it would soon fill up the entire arena.

"Aqua Jet and Ice Pun—"

"Ancient Power!" I snapped and raised a hand.

Beartic exploded forward as water enveloped his entire body. It was so quick that its speed was comparable to Talonflame's. The Aqua Jet soon turned to ice, but Tangrowth had already raised a boulder in front of himself to block the attack. With attacks this quick, maneuverability always came second. The ice type crashed into the rock, but to my surprise, it destroyed it completely and rammed into Angel, although the loss of speed has softened the blow.

"Bind and Mega Drain!" I yelled.

"Wish, then Surf!" Will ordered to his Vaporeon.

I ignored the light that flew out of Vaporeon's mouth and bit the inside of my lip. Tangrowth's vines wrapped around Beartic and froze around the ice type's body. He hurriedly replaced them as fast he could, but Beartic was a lot stronger than I gave it credit for. If I just waited around, he'd escape—

And Vaporeon's Surf was coming.

"Hex it!"

A painful Hex from Buddy stopped Beartic from struggling, and I switched the attack to Shadow Ball immediately after that. Only two reached their mark before the massive wave crashed into all three Pokemon, and then onto my side of the barrier. There was so much water already that I couldn't see the floor. The arena had practically been converted into a Water Field. Jellicent easily flew up, emerging from the water completely unharmed. Beartic was next, although it appeared a lot less large and threatening with its wet fur clinging to its body. Vaporeon was only a small head out of the water on the opposite side of the arena that I could see if I squinted hard enough.

"Angel, push yourself up with your vines!"

I grabbed my shirt, hoping that he could hear me, but thankfully he raised himself up after a few seconds. If the Rain Dance kept going though, even his vines wouldn't be long enough to keep him afloat.

"Vaporeon, get under there and cut his vines!" Will yelled. "Beartic, freeze yourself a platform!"

"Don't let them! Buddy, send a Night Shade under there! Angel, Power Whip!"

A neon green light shone under the water and quickly slammed into Beartic's gut. The bear grunted as ice formed under his body. A Night Shade from Jellicent sank into the depths as soon as Vaporeon did.

"Poison Sting and Hex," I ordered.

Sharp, purple darts flew off of Jellicent's tentacles and penetrated deep inside of Beartic, who cried out in pain as it stood on the floating ice platform it had created for itself.

Suddenly, an idea came to me.

"Icicle Crash!"

"Angel, get on that platform."

An explosion rang out underwater and shook the entire field.

"And send another Night Shade," I added.

Vines extended forward, and Beartic clawed them apart as best he could. A set of eight icicles formed above Angel's head and crashed into him, going through his vines. The grass type shivered in pain, but Jellicent's Hex allowed him to drag that damn Beartic off of his platform.

Even though he had vines fully extended downward, the water reached up to his eyes now.

Beartic flailed as it attempted to get back onto his platform, but a Shadow Ball from Buddy shut him down. Angel used the ice type's body as support to step onto the platform, hitting him with two Power Whips to better balance himself. Two huge gashes opened up on the ice type's back and blood seeped into the water.

Angel was safe now.

"Vaporeon, what's going on?!" Will screamed out.

I smirked as another explosion was heard in the water. Buddy's Night Shade had put in a lot of work to buy us time.

"Finish off Beartic."

Buddy gathered ghostly energy in front of his mouth and made his Shadow Ball twice as large while Angel wrestled with Beartic, who was attempting to climb back on and making sure not to slip off. The ball hit the ice type in the back, worsening his wounds, and one last Mega Drain from Angel did the trick. Beartic was out of the fight.

Will recalled his Pokemon and—

Vaporeon jumped out of the water, using its tail to propel itself far into the air and bit into Buddy's tentacle and tore away a huge chunk of his body.

"Recover," I said.

Bowman's face sank when he realized that it had been all for nothing. He released his Basculin— just as I had predicted— and swept his arm.

"Agility and Aqua Jet!"

Whatever he was planning, I had to take down Vaporeon and stop the rain.

"Buddy, it's in your hands," I firmly said. His red eyes dimmed and he bowed his head before sinking into the water.

Basculin was actually the main physical threat on this team. It was too quick for me to split my attention—

Case in point, it was already there.

"Wave Crash! Knock it off!"

"Brace yourself."

Vines grew out of Angel's back and buried themselves into the ice platform with quick Vine Whips. A giant wave surrounded Basculin's body. It rammed into the grass type and quickly jumped back into the water.

Angel did not budge a single inch. On the opposite side of the arena, Wish bore down from the skies and sank into the water. It was no doubt on its way to heal Vaporeon.

Will's goal wasn't to deal damage, but to get Angel to fall into the water and force me to recall him now that it was too deep. I hoped to Arceus that he wouldn't realize that the smartest thing right now would be to leave Angel stranded here and go after Buddy— more precisely, pretend to do so. I could see multiple purple explosions that must have been from Night Shade and Shadow Ball, and I knew that the only way Vaporeon had of fighting back was Bite. Water Type moves wouldn't work against Buddy.

Basculin tried three more times to get Angel off of his platform, but it was too quick for us to retaliate effectively. Power Whip was a slow attack, and Vine Whip wasn't effective enough to take the water type down.

"Forget it! Head Smash!"

There it was. I was ready and the words were already out of my mouth.

"Stun Spore!"

I grinned, and Will winced. Basculin rammed into Tangrowth with all of its strength, pushing past his vines and hitting his true body. Angel's vines writhed in agony, but he shot out yellow spores and Basculin began to twitch.

A single whiff had been enough. See, with Wave Crash, the water surrounding Basculin was enough to protect him from any spore attacks, but that wasn't possible with Head Smash. The water type wasn't completely unable to fight like Angel had been during our last battle, but its speed was at least halved. That was enough for him to Bind it and lift it out of the water.

I stared into Will Bowman's eyes. If your Beartic hadn't created that platform, I might have lost.

"Mega Drain," I said. "No use wasting the energy."

Basculin flailed as he withered and dried until the vibrant green on its body had turned into a sickly khaki. Bowman hung his head as he recalled his Pokemon and sent out his Azumarill.

I restrained a smile. I'd been four out of four for predictions, it seemed.

"Aqua Jet under the water! Help Vaporeon deal with Jellicent with Play Rough!"

Bowman was getting smarter. I would have thought that Buddy would have dealt with Vaporeon by now, but it seemed that it was more resistant than I thought, and Protect was probably working wonders against him. Azumarill disappeared underwater, and I was only left with Angel. I bent over and tried to see through the murky waters, but I could only spot different lights and the rumble from explosions.

Well, it seemed that Honey could finally see some action at last. Will Bowman had made a fatal mistake.

"I'm withdrawing Angel out of the fight," I told the referee. He nodded. "You did great! Buddy, get back up!"

I recalled the grass type as he happily waved at me, and sent out Electabuzz on the ice platform. He stared around confusedly for a few seconds and lowered himself in order not to slip. One look into my eyes, and he nodded.

Arceus, I loved my kids.

"Azumarill, Vaporeon, get back up here!" Will bellowed.

Jellicent was out first.

"Let's finish this off with a bang. Discharge!"

Electricity cracked around Honey's fur and exploded outward. It was so bright that it forced me to cover my eyes. The flooded arena became a death trap. The water smoked, and the smell of ozone filled my nostrils.

Vaporeon and Azumarill's unconscious bodies emerged from the water.

"Victory to Grace Pastel."

I breathed out a sigh of relief and clenched a fist.

Now how the hell were they going to fix this Field?

——

"I'm not going to lie, that was definitely the hardest battle yet," I sighed to my friends. "Without that platform for Angel to stand on, I might have lost."

"That was his biggest mistake for sure," Mira said. "What would you have done without it?"

"Recall Angel, send out Princess and try to get a platform raised for Honey to stand on whenever either her or Buddy fainted. Other than that? Well, I could always have had Honey try to use Discharge or Thunderbolt in the water, but… to be honest, I don't know if he knows how to swim. I should have asked."

"I don't know what you feed that Tangrowth," Maeve said. "How would you even take it down?"

"Me? I'd have Princess restrain him with Ancient Power or Psychic while I took care of the other Pokemon," I shrugged. "Angel's difficult to beat, but it's not impossible. You just can't tunnel vision on dealing damage or you'll lose. Or… you could have a powerful fire or poison type. Either or."

"Well he's been doing the rounds on the forum. People are terrified of him," Denzel said. "And of you…"

"What? Why me?" I frowned.

Aside from Cecilia, my friends all looked awkwardly at each other.

"I don't get it either," my girlfriend said. "Maybe they're scared of your cuteness. I certainly know that I wouldn't be able to fight back against that."

With a sly smile, she hugged and kissed me. We had never shied away from public displays of affection, but we were definitely pushing it these days. Not that I particularly cared.

"If you don't know now, you'll never figure it out," Pauline said.

"It's the way you play mind games," Justin explained. "People dislike that."

"Well I didn't play any mind games during my first and third battles, so they're just biased," I said. "Granted, I could have, but it would have been too dangerous. I couldn't fuck around when the field turned into an ocean."

"See, this is what they're talking about! It feels like you're fucking around with them for fun," Maeve said.

"Well, battles are supposed to be fun, no?" I shrugged. "I can't deny that I like playing with people's hopes and using that to my advantage, but only for battling."

"Let them talk," Cece rolled her eyes. "None of them matter."

"Well, it kind of matters with the Poketch Company…" I sighed. "Hopefully they'll like this battle though. It was a lot more straightforward."

"Soon enough they'll have to remarket you as a ruthless battler instead of some normal girl next door," Mira teased.

We all chuckled, and we made our way to the Pokemon Center so I could heal Angel. Denzel and Mira's battle would be next. If I looked deep within myself, I didn't exactly know why screwing with people emotionally felt so good during battles. It just did. It was fun. That moment where all hope drained from their faces was the moment where I knew I'd win. It wasn't like I did it every time, although when my presence in the Poketch Company was a little more steady, I'd probably start doing it a lot more. I had already heard about how hotheaded Maylene was, and she'd be a prime target to use it on.

Those were thoughts for the future.

We had texted Luca everything Pauline, Justin and Denzel remembered about the supervisor that had refunded her half of her ticket, so all we could do was wait for him to bring back any news. I opted to dip out early. I needed to prepare for my battle against Harry Rodriguez in advance, and there were two things that I thought were necessary if I ever wanted to win. I went back to the Pokemon Center and gave Angel to Nurse Joy, then I went off to my usual training spot.

I released Princess and Honey. The latter's fur was still damp from that little time he'd spent under the rain.

"Hi guys. It's just you two this morning," I said. "This is important practice for our big battle against Harry, okay?"

I had brought my Pokemon up to speed before my battle regarding the tournament's shadyness, and some were a lot more anxious than others. Princess and Buddy wanted me to stop investigating and keep my head down to stay safe. Sweetheart and Honey wanted to uncover whatever the hell was going on, although the electric type wanted to do so in a safe manner, which meant no more infiltration attempts. Angel didn't exactly understand the grand conspiracy at play, but he did know something bad was afoot.

As for Sunshine? Well, I hadn't told him yet.

I did feel bad about it, but I was planning on rectifying that right now. First though, I had to give Princess and Honey instructions.

"You were great, by the way," I smiled at Electabuzz. "I should have brought a towel for you."

He grinned, flashing his sharp teeth and gave me a thumbs up. Togetic chirped, asking about what happened during the battle.

"Oh it was this whole thing. The entire field was flooded. I could tell you got scared when I released you," I said, smirking at Honey. He hurriedly shook his head. "Come on big guy, I know you. You didn't let it show though, and you immediately got ready to attack. I'm proud of you kiddo—"

Eugh, kiddo? I was starting to sound like my dad. Still, one of the most important parts of Pokemon battling was that your Pokemon needed to be ready no matter what situation they were in.

"Okay, you won't actually be learning a new move, Hon," I said. His shoulders sagged. "I know, I know. You need to work on Protect some more."

"Ele…"

"It's boring, huh? Well think about it like this. If you manage to nail Protect down, you'll last a lot longer in fights, so more fun for you."

He brightened up at that.

"And I also need it in case you… you know, need to protect me or any of the others if something bad happens. I told you that we went in the Hunters' mansion, but I didn't tell you about the Pokemon they had. It was a Shiftry."

With how confused Honey looked, I knew he'd never seen one before. Princess was a given, of course.

"It doesn't really matter what it looks like, just know that it was really strong and that it's a grass and dark type. The more you can use the move, the more you can protect me if things go south, okay?"

Now he was on board. Without any complaints, he walked a few feet away and started to use the move over and over. There was no better way to learn Protect. It was a move with a low skill floor, but an extremely high skill ceiling. He'd improve with the move throughout his life, and there was no better way to practice it than brute forcing. The move would prove extremely useful to bypass Torterra's Earthquakes. In every one of Harry's fights that I'd seen, it always came out slow and telegraphed.

If I ever had to fight that Shiftry in an act self defense without Sunshine, I didn't think it could be done.

"Princess, it's about time we start working on your fairy type moves again, isn't it?"

"Prrri!"

"Yours is tricky," I said. "It's called Dazzling Gleam."

I turned on my phone and showed her a video of Mira's Kadabra using the move. It combined a bright flash of light with dozens of tiny explosions that would hurt her opponent. I wasn't exactly interested in the damage it would deal— at least not for the fight against Harry. This would be her main counter against Crobat if it ever got close to her. Blinding it would leave her enough to to run away or impale it with Ancient Power, which to be honest, was part of the plan to deal with the poison type.

"Let me tell you how I think you can get started, and you tell me if it helps, okay?" I started. "When you use Fairy Wind, it's… controlled, right? You diffuse fairy type energy, weave it into the wind so that you're able to control it."

Princess nodded.

"For this move… forget that control. Just let the energy explode out of you and see what happens."

I mimicked an explosion with my hands, sound effects and all, and she giggled at me. I pet her head and let her get to work. I observed the two for a few minutes, and Honey was already panting roughly. Protect would certainly help with his endurance overall. Princess, meanwhile, was… well, she was exploding, and the sparks were there, but the light wasn't. I'd check back in later to see if there was any progress on that front.

I held Sunshine's Pokeball in my hands. It was warm.

The fire type peered down at me with a curious look.

"Hey. I have something to tell you."

He let an annoyed groan escape from his mouth.

"It's not a story this time, I swear! Hear me out…"

I told him everything. Everything regarding BattleZone, Harry Rodriguez, the Hunters and how something was unmistakingly linking them together. His gaze was unchanged during the entire tale, and I couldn't really tell what he was thinking.

"I'm going to ask you a favor. We can trade," I exhaled. "If things go south and our lives are in danger because they realize we're snooping around, I need you to help me. I also want to keep you as a backup for my battle against Harry. I'll try to beat him without you, but you'll be my fourth."

He let out an amused snort.

"In exchange… if I ever come across Team Galactic. I will do my best to take them down. But only once! We'll call the authorities and then barge in before they get there or something so you can have your revenge. That way, I use you once, and you use me once. That's a fair deal."

I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth, but what was done was done. Turtonator's eyes widened in surprise, and he touched my shoulder with a warm hand. I almost jumped. It was my first time actually touching him. He hadn't expected this from me at all, and it showed.

I wasn't actually expecting things to go that wrong, of course. We hadn't really done anything of note except look up information about Harry. Hell, I was sure that multiple people were doing it too other than us— including the media. Luca was in more trouble than we were since he got caught snooping.

But just in case.

"Keep the deal on the down-low though. Princess has been slowly learning to tolerate you, and we'd throw all that progress away if you didn't."

His nose flared in anger.

I clicked my tongue. "What about Buddy then? And Sweetheart? You like them— ah, there's that face. I know you do. Hell, I know even I'm growing on you— wait, don't leave!"

I followed Turtonator, who lied down in the soft grass and obsered Princess and Honey train.

"Can I add one thing to the deal?"

He growled and slightly raised the temperature.

"Let me call you Sunshine."

I grinned when no objections came. Finally.

——

I awoke to the sound of my Poketch, as I usually did these days.

I don't know when I had fallen asleep, but I did. I groaned and realized that I was leaning against Sunshine, who was still asleep. His scales weren't that comfortable, but that was offset by how warm it was. Fire types were awesome. Maybe I could make this a regular thing soon. It was the afternoon now, and Honey and Princess were still working hard. Light was starting to emanate from her attacks, although it was still a tiny amount, and Honey's Protect were coming out faster than before.

I had apparently missed a lot. Luca had been added to the group chat— ah, nevermind, they created an entirely new group chat with him in it instead. I scrolled back to the beginning of the conversation and—

Someone was dead.

A BattleZone employee had died early this morning, and people had come across the body a few hours earlier. I quickly sent a message to assuage their panic, since I hadn't shown myself in hours. Cece berated me and I could hear her screaming through the text .I felt terrible.

"Wake up Sunshine, we've got to go."

He refused to get up and told me to just recall him instead so that he could continue sleeping in his Pokeball. His laziness would be the end of me. I recalled him and the others, opting to have Buddy accompany me on the way back to the Pokemon Center. I wasn't about to be defensless when someone had just died.

——

"Grace!" Cecilia exclaimed as I stepped inside of Denzel room. She practically tackled me and sniffled in my arms. "Don't just disappear on us, you idiot!"

"You should have warned us," Justin nodded. "We were besides ourselves trying to find or contact you. Cece wanted to call the Poketch Company."

"I'm sorry," I grimaced. "I fell asleep."

I rubbed Cecilia's back, and she wouldn't leave my side. She really believed I was dead.

"The cops say it was a suicide," Denzel said. "They said he hung himself in his office."

"And the cops are obviously full of shit," Pauline added. "I bet it was a murder. Someone killed that man."

"We already know the Hunters run things here, so that isn't surprising," Mira shrugged. "Now what are we gonna do about it?"

"Nothing!" I snapped "Do we know who died?" I turned to Pauline. "Is it the guy that paid you off?"

"No. And I would have remembered his face if I saw it. It's on the tip of my tongue, but you know, for the eyes."

"So a supervisor from BattleZone was assassinated. Any leads on why? Luca?" I asked.

"Nope. I'm stumped. I do know that he was pretty high up in the food chain though. Connor Tyson wasn't just a supervisor. He actually had authority on how the tournament was run. To use trainer terms… this is like if a gym leader had just gotten assassinated."

A few surprised gasps ran through the room.

"That high?" Louis frowned. "Wouldn't someone that high up know about the rigging— and be orchestrating it?"

"No, no," Denzel shook his head. "This is proof that there are factions, just like I theorized. If I had to guess, he was going to talk, and he quickly got shut out."

"Killing him for just exposing tournament rigging?" Maeve said. "Rough him up maybe, but murder seems like too much. The consequences don't match the actions here."

"For BattleZone? I don't know, maybe they're just that concerned about their rep," Mira said.

"This entire thing obviously goes deeper than just rigging now. There's something else to this, and figuring out Harry Rodriguez is the key, I'm sure of it," I said. "So there are multiple factions within BattleZone, but the question is, are there multiple factions within the Hunters? Even the most ardent of cults should have people that aren't too into the idea of murder."

"I don't think we can figure it out. They've shown that they aren't beyond using murder for their needs. Luca, I'd stop traveling alone at night if I were you," Denzel said. "And for anyone who thinks this is too dangerous… I'd resign from the tournament and get to Veilstone as quickly as you can. This isn't a joke anymore."

"We're not doing anything about it. I'm going to stay here to fulfill my contract and then we can—"

Pauline interrupted me.

"I'm going to keep investigating."

"So am I," Mira said. "This is fun."

"This isn't supposed to be fun," I exclaimed. "Someone died!"

"We're our own person," Mira shrugged. "Don't tell us what to do. I have my own reasons, and Pauline is the pettiest girl I've ever seen. Even Louis is on board, even if he's too scared to say it."

"I can't let you face this on your own," Denzel sighed at Pauline. "I think this is a terrible idea, but I'm in. Things will work out. What about everyone else?"

A heavy silence settled in the room, and I watched to see if anyone would leave. I was scared… terrified, even, but I couldn't let Pauline, Louis, Denzel and Mira do this alone. This was murder. This was real. I felt my hand tremble, and I clenched my fist. I could do this.

Maybe that was proof that I'd be able to face down Team Galactic when the time came.

Twenty seconds passed. Then forty. Then a full minute. No one wanted to leave. Not even Maeve. It wasn't just about rigging anymore. There was more to this. This entire town was rotting from the inside. I just hoped no one would get hurt because of Pauline and Mira's decision. I had risked Pauline's life when asking to capture Turtonator, so I'd be a hypocrite to say no. There was no way that she'd be convinced.

Sunshine would have to help us if it ever came to blows, and it seemed that it would sooner rather than later.

"Maeve…" Louis muttered.

"I'm staying. What kind of friend would I be if I just let you all face this?"

"A smart one," Luca smirked.

"You too, Luca," Denzel said. "The Elder knows that you tried to snoop. You could be a target. I'm not sure… but it's possible that even the Pokemon Centers aren't safe if what Isaac said about the Hunters running everything is true."

"Nurse Joys are employed by the League and most of them wouldn't be from here," I said. "We'll be alright."

"I'll be fine. This murder's a blessing in disguise— okay, I might have said that wrong, no need to stare like I'm insane. This was like a cold splash of water, right? Sobered us right up. We need to tread with caution here. One slip up, and we're dead."

"The goal should be to gather enough evidence to call the League over," Maeve said. "Beyond that, we can't do much. Especially if that Shiftry sounds as tough as you made it seem."

"It was," Luca said, his face growing grim. "I've never seen anything like it."

"We have no frame of reference. I tried looking up dark type specialists online, but none of them can do what Shiftry did. That means that it was a custom move of some kind," Denzel explained. "Beyond that, we can't really place its exact strength."

"I reached a deal with my Turtonator. He'll take care of it if the time comes."

It took a few seconds for my words to sink in.

"Wow— wow, okay, that's fucking amazing," my best friend smiled. "I feel a lot better about this than before. Now, we just need to be careful when we go out. If they send some goons after us—"

"They won't send anyone," I said. "Well, they might send some, but not for all of us. Mira, Denzel, Cecilia and I are in the limelight. If anything happens to us, that would bring too much attention. Louis, Pauline and Justin aren't as famous, but they are the children of billionaires. Luca and Maeve, you're probably in the most danger here, which is why you can't travel alone. Especially you, Luca. Understood?"

"I'll send my Cuties out instead," he nodded. "They'll come back when they have any info."

"Okay. You should probably go get a Center room in here instead of whatever Center you're staying at so we're in the same building. Cecilia and I can go with you."

"Um… one thing of note I might have forgotten to ask. I'm not a trainer. Not officially anyway. So… I can't stay in a Center room. You'll have to house me."

"Like a fugitive?" Mira joked. How could she be so unserious in this situation?

"Not a fugitive. Trainers are allowed to house non-trainers in their rooms."

"Just go get one, Arceus," I said. "This isn't the time to be petty, you can deal with that after."

"No, because then I have to do this Circuit shit or it's considered fraud!" He exclaimed. "I want no part in it. Someone will have to house me."

Louis sighed. "You can sleep in my room if you wish. You'll have to take the floor though."

"That wouldn't be anything new for me," he shrugged.

"So what now then?" Maeve asked. "What do we do next?"

"Keep your heads down for the rest of the day. If you want to train, do it in groups. Even if we think that they wouldn't send anyone to attack us, we'll be better safe than sorry," Denzel said, crossing his arms.

"The next best move would be to either find an inside man in the Hunter family, or find the guy that paid Pauline off and report him to see the Hunter's reaction when the public learns of it. One of these two, and we're golden," Louis declared. "But how?"

"I know of a way," Luca said. "You know the supervisors run on a schedule, right?"

We all nodded.

"That schedule's written down in the tournament building. The one where you all signed up. I saw it once on a piece of paper nailed down to the wall."

"You're saying that we should…" Denzel trailed off.

"Yes," he grinned. "What do you say we do a little bit of breaking and entering tonight?"

"What?" I scoffed in disbelief.

"So much for keeping our heads down," Maeve sighed.

This was it. This was the point of no return. My contract with the Poketch Company, my reputation, everything rode on this. Risks were risks, but this was something else entirely. This was stupid. But if I didn't come, the others would go anyway. I wasn't going to let them face this alone.

Cecilia shook her head. "Grace I don't think this—"

"For the record, I think that this is the worst idea you've ever had. Do you at least have a plan?" I said.

"Well believe it or not, I've done it once before around a week ago…"

Luca's plan had been full of holes, but it had worked the first time somehow. We helped him smooth over some edges until we figured something that would work out. Maeve was okay with sticking around, but she did not want to break in somewhere, so we had worked out something regarding that. Luca, Pauline and Mira had said that if no one came, they'd be going by themselves. Denzel wasn't about to let Pauline and Mira go off on their own, and neither was I. Justin disliked this but he was with us. Louis was fully onboard due to this reminding him of how scummy his father had been. He wanted to free the innocent Hunters from their cult. Cecilia… was not on board. When she saw how I was starting to go along with the idea, she pulled me aside and began to scold me.

"Grace, you're too obsessed with this. This isn't a joke anymore."

"I know," I said. "But they'll be going whether I go or not. And it's not like it's not the right thing to do. I want to fix things. I want to avenge Pauline. I want to avenge the man that was murdered—"

"You didn't even know him! And at this point, I think you care more about the rigging than Pauline ever did. It's okay to give up on things, Grace. You're in over your head. Let's just… give up. Let's just get you to the top fifty, fulfill your contract with the Poketch Company and let's leave this town and never come back. Forget everything that happened here."

"I won't forgive this slight, Cece. I can't."

"You're not making any sense! Losing a tournament isn't the end of the world, rigging or not!"

I flinched at her raised tone.

"Listen…" she sighed. "I promised your dad I would keep you safe. This is the opposite of that. I can't let you go along with this."

"I—"

I had promised my dad. I had promised him that I wouldn't take unnecesary risks.

And yet, Team Galactic was coming for me, and it'd probably be sooner than I thought. If I couldn't do this, then what was the point? So many promises I'd made were more dangerous than this. Hunting down the Rhyperior that had killed Sweetheart's mom, finding the three Gengar that had raised Honey, my new promise to Turtonator… maybe that was why I didn't feel a particular need to run. Maybe my sense of self-preservation had been so fucked up in these last few months that the current situation seemed a lot less worse than it actually was to me. Cecilia did raise important questions, though. Why was a slight to a friend so hard for me to just look past? Why couldn't I just let go and run?

For some reason,

I just found something being done to my friend— small or not— the most detestable thing in the damn world, and I wasn't about to let them do this alone.

"If we don't go, the others will do it by themselves. If they had all agreed to not go, then I would have changed my mind, but they need our support. Without Sunshine here, they will have no chance. I am going through with this. I'm sorry, but the plan is sound."

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Thank you Hatchil#5415 for the team!

The next chapter is in 2 hours. I know some people will wonder why Grace is going along with this and feels so strongly about the situation, but it should be somewhat apparent by now. I mean, I've basically been beating your head with a stick with how obvious the foreshadowing is (and just in case someone somehow comes up with this answer, it is not mind control). If you still don't get it, well it'll be answered somewhat soon (shortly after this arc).

Thank you to my Patreons - Spandaz, Alex Walters, androide, ObsidianOlive, Aaron Vera, A ferret, MKK, Oblige, Joe