Chương 106: Chapter 91

I rolled around my bed, carefully avoiding Togetic, who was sleeping next to me. Tangela was sitting next to the window, catching rays from the finally rising sun with a vine around my hanging foot. It was odd how late the sunrise was when we were so far up north. Electabuzz slept against a wall with Larvitar curved into a ball close by and snoring cutely. Frillish, meanwhile, carefully observed each one of us as he always did when we slept. I smiled, feeling at the soft, warm covers.

I was finally waking up on a bed again after so long. I was sick and tired of sleeping bags. Still, I remained somewhat tired. We had spent almost all of last night talking among friends and recounting what happened on both of our sides. I particularly enjoyed how Pauline torched anything that moved, especially Amy, but it did hurt to know that they had suffered for so long at the hands of Harvey and Clarence.

They, however, were in complete awe of how we had survived Mount Coronet and beyond, and honestly, looking back on it, I was astonished too. There had been a lot of close calls, but we had made it. We were safe. We had also created a group chat to stay in contact now that we were all far apart. Right now, Denzel was surprisingly awake and had shared a picture of his Sylveon and his newly caught Snorunt.

Emilia was gushing over them completely, saying that if Denzel hadn't been so dead-set on being a trainer, he would have made a perfect coordinator, and I did see her point. Still, Denzel had no interest in the sport, so he wouldn't entertain the idea.

I personally knew I would never do it either since I hated the judging system and how to the cynical side of me, it looked like money ran the world of coordinators and not just skill, but unlike Denzel, I wasn't against going to see a few contests whenever I had the time, even if Emilia wasn't in them. We were slowly starting to build ourselves up and make plans again. Pauline had a flame lit in her when she saw how strong we had gotten, deciding to train twice as hard and look for a third member for her team.

Louis was now adamant about communicating with his Gible and trying to get the dragon under control, and Emilia was practicing move combinations to try on a potential future contest, although she would miss the next one in Hearthome. I did know, however, that she had finally chosen to grab a flight to the city when we got back, meaning that she would wait for us and meet us there. She could have made the contest if she had left now, but she obviously wanted the group to get back together first.

Justin, meanwhile, wasn't so sure about what he would do next. He said that he'd speak with his father about potentially negotiating new terms to inherit his company, but it wasn't going well. It looked like he'd unfortunately be forced to continue his journey. He was hesitant to hurt his father's reputation, since he did want to take over Pherzen intact. Still, things were moving, and the world looked bright and exciting again, and that meant that I had to get going too.

I stretched, and Togetic woke up next to me. I petted her, and she let out a happy chirp. Tangela was next, and he wrapped his vines all around my legs.

"Angel, I can't walk if you're hugging me like this," I smiled, crouching to pet him. He apologized with his eyes and let go, still keeping his usual one vine around my ankle. Electabuzz strode up to me confidently, flashing a grin. I hugged him and greeted him good morning before doing the same to Larvitar, who had drool coming out of her mouth.

"Morning, sweetheart!" I said.

"You didn't have to wake up, you know? Babies need to sleep a lot."

"Larvitar!" She exclaimed.

"Okay, someone's all grown up. I hope you're grown up enough to eat all of your food this time and not be picky, then," I said, trapping her. I had been too soft on Togetic, and now she would only eat Oran berries, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake with Larvitar. The rock type gave me a pained nod, much to Electabuzz's amusement. Frillish floated down and softly bumped him in the back of the head with a tentacle, and he quickly apologized.

It was very funny to see that even though Electabuzz was bigger and more powerful than the water type was now, Frillish was still the top dog.

"Good, good," I told Larvitar. I started preparing everyone's breakfast.

"Don't worry buddy, I'll get you some poffins later. It's pretty far, and there's only one store that sells them in all of Snowpoint, but you deserve a reward. Plus, they'll all be for you this time."

"Fri…!" He said, clearly trying to hide his excitement.

"I see right through you," I smirked. I gave everybody their food and sat at my desk. Like I had thought to myself earlier, the world was moving, and I needed to start gathering information if I wanted to keep up— I heard a soft knock at my door and perked up. I ran up to the peephole, saw that Cece was waiting for me outside, and hurriedly opened the door.

"Good mor— Arceus, what is all of this?!" I exclaimed. She carried a huge tray of food with enough to feed an entire family.

"Breakfast," she said as she entered.

"For both of us. I just came back from the bank and withdrew everything from my private account before my father could lock me out, and I figured I'd come to see you."

"Thank you so much— they make hashbrowns here? I love hashbrowns!" I said excitedly.

"I figured, since you liked fries so much," Cece smirked as she sat at my desk.

"Come and eat." I felt my mouth salivating and hurriedly dove into the food.

"Yu didn't av to do dis for me," I said, my mouth full.

"Nonsense. I know you, you were probably going to start working without eating." I shot her a guilty look, knowing that she had seen right through me. Cece continued.

"Aside from when we were with Savika, you've eaten nothing but the bare minimum, which is why I'll take care of you from now on. Unfortunately, I'll have to leave soon after to train, but this is the least I can do."

"Thank you again," I said.

"Oh man, this is really good. The food they make here tastes better than in other Centers." Cecilia laughed.

"I think that's simply because you haven't tasted Center food in a while. Have you seen Pauline's complaints in the group chat?"

"About us missing her birthday?" I lamented.

"Yeah, that sucks. I had no idea she was a December baby." I stared at the ceiling and counted in my head. Pauline's birthday was on December 14th, which meant that it was in… six days.

"Well, the others will still have a party, and I had an idea we could do for her. Why don't we all give them a video call at midnight and stick around the party for a bit? That way, it'll be like we're all together."

"Great idea," I said before chugging some water. Thinking about it… I had… I had no idea when Cece's birthday was. I knew Denzel's was during the summer, but hers? I had never even asked! What kind of girlfriend was I if I didn't even know her birthday?

"Grace? Is something the matter?" She said, seeing right through me. I sighed.

"Erm, don't make fun of me. Don't get mad at me either."

"Just spit it out, I can tell you're worrying about something silly."

"All this birthday talk made me wonder… when is your birthday? Sorry that I never asked. I honestly should ask about everyone's birthday. We're friends." Cece grinned.

"You're so adorable. It's February 27th," she said.

"Not going to ask for mine?" I pouted.

"March 4th, I already asked Denzel." My eyes widened in shock. That traitor!

"When?"

"Oh, it was a while ago… when we were traveling in between Eterna Forest and Eterna city."

"That long ago…" I muttered.

"You have me beat."

"By a long shot. It's great that our birthdays are so close, though. Maybe we can do a dual celebration in between the two dates."

"What, so you're asking for less parties?" I said sarcastically.

"That does sound like a cool idea. I hope you don't get me an extravagant gift, though." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I saw her awkwardly look to the side.

"Cece, come on," I smiled slightly.

"I won't tell you not to get me anything, but if you get me some expensive gift, then mine will feel inadequate."

"It's about the gesture. Just you being there is enough of a gift for me," Cece said. The fact that she was being genuine about it too made my stomach flutter.

"Well, we'll see when we get there; I'm still getting you something," I said.

"Scyther still giving you a hard time?"

"Yes. It's only been a few days, I won't change his mind any time soon. I wasn't planning on using him against Candice anyway." I felt excited at the mention of Candice.

"Another three versus four for you, then?" I asked. I knew I'd be fine, since one of the options when filling up a form at the gym asked if you owned a baby Pokemon or a Pokemon that couldn't fight, so I wouldn't have to fight at a disadvantage. They didn't exactly have to care, but it was considered bad etiquette, and it almost never happened.

"I can handle it."

"I know you can," I smiled.

"You're my rival, this won't stop you." She returned my smile.

"The one thing I know for sure is that Deino will evolve during the battle. I just hope he's sound of mind enough to listen and help me win, but Fletchinder and Slowpoke will be my main means of winning, since the ice type obviously isn't to my advantage."

"You can say that again," I groaned.

"Such an annoying type for my team to deal with, but I'll come up with something. Tell you what, why don't we battle when we get to Hearthome? That way, you have time to fix your relationship with Scyther and maybe catch something else, and I have time to bring Larvitar up to speed. We can ask Denzel too. Not the mock battles we have when we train, but a real one like back at the Floaroma tournament?"

"That would be my pleasure." I felt my fingers shake with excitement.

"How are you handling your newfound fame, by the way?" Cece asked me.

"I know you hate the spotlight."

"Pffft, I don't even want to talk about it. I've been wondering if I should redirect every email to Denzel or your phone, if you don't mind? It'd take a lot of pressure off my shoulders, although the calls would still come to me." It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since we had been revealed to be alive, and my phone was blowing up, whether it was from offers to sponsor me, interview me so that I could recount my experience, or even just the forums.

I thought my name had been blowing up after my battle with Gardenia, but that had been nothing compared to this. Everyone knew my name and my face now. I could only thank the Legendaries that I was isolated in Snowpoint, so at least no one would come up to me so long as I stayed in the Center, which I was planning on doing for the majority of today anyway. I was planning on looking at potential sponsors when we got back south, although I'd probably wait until we got to Hearthome as well.

"It feels so overwhelming, but it's something I need to get used to if I want to stand at the top," I said with a firm nod.

"Talking to Craig made me think about that— I mean, that man has to think about how he behaves in public to never hurt his image. That sounds like hell to me, but that's how it is, I guess."

"Well, don't hesitate to ask for help. I happen to be a professional at building up an image of myself. Just make sure not to go too deep. You might lose yourself," Cece said.

"I'd take a few pointers before we get back to Eterna, thanks," I said.

"Hey, did you know that Craig had this sister that's apparently incredibly skilled? I was planning on looking her up today."

"What's her name?"

"Lauren Goodwill," I said.

"Doesn't ring a bell, but feel free," Cece said as she got up. We were done eating, so she picked up the empty tray.

"I'd love to stay around longer, but I have to get ready for my fight against Candice. I've been trying to teach Deino Dragon Pulse, and we're making good progress. Then I have a few interviews lined up to torch my father's reputation further."

"Sounds good! Why don't we go sign up together later today?"

"Sure! Call me when you're done." I frowned.

"What about your interviews? I don't want to interrupt." She smiled.

"Come on, I know you're going to take all morning and probably a chunk of the afternoon."

"Wait, you don't know that for sure—""Love you," Cece interrupted as she left. I chuckled. She was right… but she didn't have to say it. After she left, I heard Larvitar hiss at the door.

"Don't be jealous now, sweetheart," I said.

"Go play with your sister, I'm gonna be busy— no, don't ram the wall with your horn!" Luckily, Togetic restrained her with Extrasensory, and Tangela grabbed her with his vines. She squirmed in the air and shot Tangela a look of pure betrayal. She had expected Togetic to stop her, but him? She probably wasn't going to forgive him for a while. Angel placed her back next to me.

"You're the jealous type, hm? You never acted like this before," I said, thinking back.

"I've got plenty of love to give, alright? I won't forget about you."

"Tar!"

"I promise." She stared at me for a few seconds, huffed, and walked away toward Togetic, shooting Tangela a murderous glare. He shivered and tried to apologetically pet her with a vine, but she pushed it away. I grabbed my Poketch, ignored the insane amount of notifications and the constant vibrating, and typed in Lauren Goodwill's name. As I had thought, the girl was like a ghost. First, she never posted anything in the forums. Even I had posted sometimes, although rarely, but she didn't even have one comment.

There were threads talking about her, however, along with the usual megathread. From what I had seen, it had exploded at the start of the Circuit due to all of the hype around her being Craig's sister, but due to the lack of content, it had slowed down to a crawl, and people who posted were mostly people making wild theories and speculations.

"Strange," I whispered to myself. Even if she did her absolute best to hide by turning the cameras off, her gym battles were still open to spectators. It was odd that there wasn't even one comment about one of her battles from one of them. Honestly, if Craig hadn't told me about Lauren, I would have believed that she might have given up and gone back home. Still, there were traces of her.

People that said that they came across her in the wild challenged her to a battle and got utterly crushed by her using one or two Pokemon. Craig did say that she didn't stick around cities, so that probably meant she only stayed to battle the gyms and left immediately afterward. I personally couldn't imagine living that type of life, but she did have three badges and was on her way to having four, so her tactic was clearly working. Plus, she had defeated one of the older gym leaders.

Byron's defensive tactics were no joke, but she had somehow blown past that. The most sightings of her were in the wild, like I had established earlier, and she only ever battled other trainers there. The last time she had been seen was… route 207 by some poor trainer who got crushed by her Magmar so badly that he needed to walk all the way back to the Eterna Pokemon Center. So at least that lined up with what Craig had told me. She was on her way to Hearthome.

Whereas Chase liked to apparently crush trainers in cities, Lauren seemingly terrorized them on the routes. Well, there wasn't much more information on her. Her starter was a Treecko that was now a Grovyle, and from cross-referencing stories about her different encounters in the wild, she had caught her Solosis somewhere around Jubilife, Aron near the Oreburgh mines, Magby somewhere near Canalave and Tympole somewhere around Floaroma. Of course, these were all evolved to their second stage now.

Was I being too stalker-ish? I mean, this girl didn't even know I existed, but I had just made her one of my rivals and was looking up everything about her. I was kind of being like Chase in that regard when he had been obsessed with Cece. Thinking of Chase, I had tried to add him to our group chat so that he could make other friends, but he just left immediately after I did, saying that it wasn't his kind of thing. At least I tried.

Well, this dive into Lauren Goodwill's capabilities had been somewhat disappointing, so it was time to find out how Candice fought. The ice type gym leader was infamous for her wild tactics, but due to how isolated Snowpoint was, she was probably the one I knew the least about. I went to the Snowpoint city gym website and applied the three badge filter. I groaned when I realized that there were only five videos, and none of them were even from when Candice was gym leader. I went up to four, five— six.

Only at six gym badges did I finally find videos with Candice in them. These battles would be way over my level, and the Pokemon she used wouldn't be used against me, but this was all I had. I'd need to gauge her general fighting style and forge a strategy from there instead of memorizing the moves of every Pokemon she had. I was essentially working backwards to how I usually did here. I pressed play and watched the first video. Then the second.

Then the third, with much difficulty and buffering, because the internet in Snowpoint was kind of trash. What I saw irritated me. Candice had… no consistent strategy, or at least that looked to be the case. She would go from being so aggressive in one battle that she made Roark look like a softie, to being defensive in the next, like Byron. She stalled in another battle, winning with Hail and other status effects, and completely and methodically wiped the floor with her opponent in three minutes in the next.

There was no pattern to her madness. Candice was extreme and exhausting. She did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and it worked. I could see now why she had won the Conference three years ago at the age of fifteen, winning the finals against Gardenia. Plus, she talked and taunted her opponents during battles, which somehow was allowed. I would need to do my best in order to not let her words get to me. It was impossible.

I didn't know what she'd do, I didn't know what Pokemon she would use, I wouldn't know their movesets or how she fought with them. I couldn't plan against her. Or… or could I? I felt an idea appear in my mind and grasped it. I didn't know which Candice I would get, but I could work my way around that. I could work backwards. I grabbed a pencil and my notepad. It was time to plan a strategy for each of her moods.