Chương 414: Chapter 340

Excitement from the opening ceremony had thrown the entire island into a frenzy of enthusiasm and spending. You couldn't go five seconds without seeing someone carrying something new they'd bought, either for their Pokemon, friends, family, or themselves. I was, as it turned out, horrible with money when pushed by peer pressure. Seeing all these people blowing their cash on stuff they most likely didn't need had me buying even more. Clothes, gifts for friends or my family, or food despite the fact that I was full.

Just out of sheer gluttony! Maylene would probably look at me disapprovingly for eating so unhealthy, but if I wasn't going to enjoy this month, what was the point? Plus, maybe I'd be able to convince her to try different kinds of sweets. Or even pizza. She still had to work for a few hours and handle the end of the ceremony, so I'd be waiting for her a while. Honey helped carry most of the new bags of things I bought, much to his chagrin.

He wanted to run off and have fun with his new friends at the Gym House instead of helping his mom shop. Denzel had gone off to interview some trainer he'd found in the crowd with Pauline, so it was just the rest of us. Things were a little awkward. It had been so long since I'd spoken regularly with either Lauren or Mira, and Marley didn't know either of them, so she kept glancing my way every few seconds or so expecting me to carry the conversation. Feeling my throat tighten, I glanced at my phone.

"Forty minutes until the groups are revealed," I said, hoping to lure Lauren into some kind of conversation. She seemed more comfortable now that we were away from the crowd—or as far away as we could get. It helped that her Reuniclus or Mira's own psychics could Teleport us around and she'd had them scout the premises yesterday.

"You guys nervous? I'm nervous."

"I'm happy I made it so far already." Marley glanced down at her feet, her voice slightly meek.

"Of course, I'd love to go the distance, but I'm… well, I would be satisfied no matter the result." That got a reaction out of Lauren. She adjusted her glasses as her fingers twitched.

"You aren't making it far, then." It was not an aggressive statement, just something she'd said as a matter of fact. A truth—or her truth, at the very least. A curious, mildly offended look from Marley prompted her to continue.

"You have to be hungry for it. Hungry for victory. Or you won't ever push your limits and you'll stay mediocre." Mira intervened slowly, "I wouldn't call making it to the Conference in her first year mediocre, Lauren."

"I—" The raven-haired girl couldn't stop her fingers from moving, now.

"I meant it in—""I know," Mira said.

"But, uh, you don't know Marley. Marley doesn't know you. It might have come off as rude for no reason." A slight sigh slipped through Lauren's lips, and she averted her eyes.

"Okay. My bad."

"It's okay," Marley said.

"I, uh, I'm sorry about your—" Mira suddenly hissed like some sort of wild animal, and Marley quickly caught the hint to not finish that sentence. It'd be best not to bring Craig up at all, or at least in the context of being sorry for her. She must have been told that a million times already, and seeing the government use his death for so much profit had most likely gotten on her nerves.

If I had to guess, this would have brought a different kind of anger had Lauren not immediately retreated behind the safety of her noise-canceling headphones before she could keep track of what Marley had been saying. Not the old one where she grew pissed at anyone bringing Craig up out of fear of forever chasing his shadow, but because it was all so tiresome to have people who barely knew her mention it. She was participating for herself. Not to prove anything to anyone.

While Marley and Mira continued making small talk to get to know each other better—mostly, the latter kept bringing up old traveling stories—I told Honey to stay put and shuffled closer to Lauren, whose head bopped up and down to some kind of music I couldn't hear. I raised a finger to garner her attention, and she made 'can this wait?' eyes at me. It could, I mouthed at her with a shrug. She made a knowing smirk at me and pulled her headphones off one ear.

"Hi."

"Hi," I repeated.

"Been a while." With the rush to get to the ceremony, we didn't have time to actually talk beyond a polite greeting. Training every day with her and Cecilia while we were in Sunyshore still felt so recent. And it was, technically, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. We'd come far since then, and I'd grown into a better version of myself. The constant journey of self-improvement was an exhausting one, but one I relentlessly chased nonetheless. How had she changed, I wondered?

With her, I knew I had to be the one to keep her going in a conversation unless we were talking about battling or music.

"So. You and Mira, huh?" I said.

"Me and Mira what?"

"Dating," I specified like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm happy for you two!" Lauren blinked so many times I thought something had gotten in her eyes and then nodded, eyes drifting toward her girlfriend with a dumb smile I'd never seen on her face before.

"She's nice, I guess. I'm happier and she helps me with a lot of things. Like how to handle dealing with strangers." She nudged her face toward Marley. I was curious of how things functioned because of all the… split personalities, but I figured I'd only bring it up when we got closer again.

"She'd be perfect if she was a good battler. Too bad she just rolls over and dies whenever we battle because her Pokemon are so weak," Lauren continued a little more enthusiastically.

"Her split-second decision-making is decent, and she comes up with unique out-of-the-box moves that surprise me sometimes, but everything else is mediocre. There's potential. Or there would be if she cared about it much." She kept fixating on Mira; her stare was nearly unmoving.

"She's said she'd be rooting for me, but I can't help but think she should be rooting for herself. Oh well. At least it's cool." Oh, she was so in love.

"It's cool," I repeated with a smug, knowing smirk that then faltered.

"Hey… um, sorry if I'm being too forward. But are Craig's Pokemon okay?" Lauren took off her headphones fully and placed them around her neck.

"People don't really ask about them. Or at least not a lot besides Roxie. Thanks." A silence settled in for a few seconds, and for a moment I figured it must have been a tough topic for her.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I was just worried." I'd seen Justin's Pokemon struggle with their grief, and every few days, the thought of Lou's Pokemon blaming me for her death reared its ugly head.

"No. It's fine," she said.

"It's complicated." Craig's Pokemon, it turned out, had mostly gone their separate ways. She'd given them all they wanted. Hippowdon had gone back to her herd near route 207 and challenged her aging mother for the right to lead the herd, and she'd won handily. Apparently the League was happy to have a trained Pokemon take control of such a powerful force because it made working with them easier should a problem ever arise.

His Gyarados had decided to just swim off into the ocean from Canalave to travel the seas, though he had promised to come back in a few years. He just wanted something different for a while. Snorlax had been loaned to the Battle Frontier for two years—with visiting rights to the family whenever he wished. Typhlosion and Orbeetle had decided to stay with Lauren's parents.

The former was still lost and couldn't imagine a life without the family, and the latter because she had vowed to protect them until they vanished. She thought it was her due for failing to protect Craig from Regice. Lauren didn't know, still, and I didn't know if it was because Craig's Pokemon wanted to spare her the pain or if she hadn't asked in hopes of moving on. Eelektross had opted to go and help the Rangers in Mount Coronet, remembering her trainer's dream to stop kids from dying. It was tragic to hear.

All these stories separating, some of them for good. It was like hearing about Mudsdale and Lurantis—who were happy together now, thank the Legendaries—all over again.

"What about Roxie?" I asked.

"Roxie's with me," Lauren said.

"Not as a fighter. She doesn't want to do that anymore. Doesn't see the point." Ah. It would have been somewhat poetic to have Lauren bring Roxie into battle, finally winning it all—but that was rude of me to think. People were people. Stories were stories. They didn't have to step into their throes if they didn't want to.

"She helps me fly around when I need it, and it's just nice to have her around. She's not with me right now. She's flying around somewhere away from the Lily. She hates the atmosphere; it reminds her of Craig too much. He loved this time of year; it was where he was truly in his element. Among his fellow trainers instead of posers."

"It's nice anyway," I said.

"You've known her long."

"For as long as I can remember," she said with a nod.

"It's hard, but dad says the world keeps going. The rivers keep flowing, and the earth keeps spinning around the sun." That must have been his way to cope. Lauren stopped for a moment, hand scratching her arm.

"You know, for all people talk about him saving the country, I think he would have been sick and tired of it by now."

"Probably," I laughed.

"You know, with your…" Lauren pointed at her ear.

"I noticed that the sound was bothering you sometimes. You should buy these headphones. They're decent."

"Oh, don't worry. That's because I'm not great at remembering to turn it off and on in time before I get burned. I'll get better." She remained quiet for a moment.

"Sometimes I use them as an excuse to not talk to people." I snorted.

"What?!"

"You should do it too. Just say you're deaf…"

"I'm pretty sure I'm legally deaf?" The conversation continued, and eventually we all regrouped when Denzel came back with not just one, but two interviews behind him. Apparently he'd met another trainer who had wanted to get on his stream, and it felt strange for him to be chased and not to be pursuing famed personalities instead.

Every trainer participating in the Conference was famous some way or another, even if the levels varied from local celebrities within their community to the most famous like, well, Aubri. Or me. Blegh, it still felt odd to say it. Like walking in the shoes and clothes of a dead man. Maybe one day, I'd grow used to it. One day. We were lucky to snatch a few free benches down a less-frequented street for ourselves.

The island was quite mountainous the further you went from the coast, and people tended to stick next to the coast, where most of the stadiums were. I used the opportunity to send Princess off with most of the stuff I'd bought back to the Gym House. It was quite the amount of bags to carry with Psychic, but she was capable and faster than Cass. Speaking of, a few hats for them were in those bags; we'd picked them out together earlier today. Water spilled out of Denzel's mouth as he scrolled through his phone.

"Oh shit!" His voice snapped me back to reality—I'd been idly looking forward to Maylene sending me a message telling me she was free.

"The groups are out!" My heart squeezed and sank deep into the depths of anxiety. My thumb slipped when I tried to go to the website the League had set up for the Conference and I accidentally opened my camera and took a picture before I finally got into my search browser.

"Group three," I heard Lauren speak next to me.

"What about you guys?"

"Twenty-one," Mayley said. I stared down at my phone and inhaled sharply. Group 21 Leyla Harrison Marley Webb Hayden Browning Emerick Wagenaari Jamie Pearce Ramon Casaus Grace Pastel … There it was. My name, along with sixteen other people— Wait. Twenty-one. My eyes had glanced over her name to find mine, but there Marley was, her trainer ID picture included above her name.

"T—twenty-one," I said.

"I got twenty-one too." Her eyebrows raised a bit.

"Fun. It's a good thing I rarely let you train with me. What were the odds of that?"

"Don't trigger her; she'll start talking all about stories and stuff." Mira hopped off the bench and stretched, her long pink hair swaying with her movements.

"It's not like it dooms you two to have to fight it out. The top six out of sixteen make it out—at least for your group size. Some are different because of odd numbers and such. I checked it all out with Sirris a few weeks back." Right. It had just come as a shock because of how low the odds were in the six hundred or so people who had gotten eight badges this year. There was also Ramon and that Galarian frontrunner Pearce. I continued scanning down the list, and thankfully didn't find someone else I knew.

The last thing I needed was the significance of a battle with Cecilia right now. Anyway. I was of course informed about how the group stages worked—I had been for months, now. Denzel had been the first to tell me about it, but I'd done an ample amount of research on my own. Sinnoh followed a more streamlined model inspired by Indigo where a loss counted for zero points; a draw for one, but for both participants; and a win for two points for the winner.

According to Cecilia, Unova, for example, had a far more complicated system where knock-outs were the things that counted for points, so you could have funny situations where someone with more losses could win over a trainer with more victories in some edge cases because they'd kept more of their battles close. None of that here. It was winner-takes-all. Three-on-threes with one switch as well, keeping the fights fast-paced because there were a lot of them to go through.

Starting tomorrow, the stadiums would have non-stop fights from early in the morning to night for days. Being in group twenty-one meant that I wouldn't have to start battling for quite a few days yet, so I had more time to… settle in, so to speak. Not that this made any difference—it wasn't as if I'd have more time to study my opponents considering everyone I was supposed to fight was in the same boat. Lauren would have to fight earlier than all of us, but she would also have more time to recover.

Already, she was entirely focused on her phone screen, probably thinking to herself about how she was going to make it through groups. As first years, we were coming in at a disadvantage. While we'd progressed far very quickly, people here would be more experienced than us, and that counted for something, but the fact that so many people—six out of sixteen for us—could make it through allowed for some slippage.

For example, as much as I wanted to prove that I could stand against the best, there was no way I was winning against Ramon, let alone Jamie Pearce. There was much to think about, and the online world was most likely going insane. I sent out a pre-approved post on Chatter about how I would give the Conference my all, making sure to turn off the replies because they'd been a toxic cesspool ever since the context of my eighth badge had leaked, and took a deep breath.

Later tonight, I'd have a meeting with my team about this and start studying each opponent and their teams as much as I could, just like old times. For now, however— Maymay - I'm freeeeeeee where r u I smiled.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna go." — There was something mildly amusing about seeing Volkner soaked in sweat and struggling for every breath as he climbed the hill to come check on us. He was the kind of guy to always, constantly complain about the summer heat even more than I did, and being out and about when the sun was at its most intense was not doing him any favors. Maylene and I weren't really doing anything.

We'd ventured off to the uninhabited parts of the Lily, and she'd found a hill shaped like a crescent moon. That had triggered a funky part of her brain, and instantly, she'd wanted to run up it for fun, and I'd been forced to follow her up. This was where we'd spent the last hour, her head in my lap while she lay in the grass and I sat against Angel for support while he slept to the sound of the nearly silent winds, soaking up the sun. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road.

Support the author by reading it there. Her hair was softer than it looked. She'd cut it again just before the Conference because it was getting long and 'in the way', so it was back to how it had been when we met. It still felt nice to run my hand through. Short, neat, and practical—just like her. The kind of cut that left nothing to hide behind. It suited her, though. Maylene leaned slightly into my touch and looked up into my eyes—that was how you knew she loved me.

Because she was so preoccupied with me she couldn't even stop and make fun of Volkner. I wasn't sure she had even noticed him. Her eyes were still such a striking shade of pink—"Did you," a ragged voice exhaled and inhaled, "have to go all the way up here?" Oh. He'd made it up. Volkner leaned against his knees and collapsed on the grass with a groan that woke Angel up. The grass type immediately wiped the sweat off the Gym Leader's forehead even without any idea of what had been going on.

Maylene shot up from my lap with a little yelp that made me want to drag her closer and tease her.

"M—maybe learn to climb a stupid hill!" she yelled. Her heart clearly wasn't in it; she was off-balance and it showed. It was all the wrong cadence and with none of the fake venom that made banter with her fun.

"Even Grace can do it better than you."

"Hey. Don't just throw me under the bus!" I yelled, faking offense.

"Well, kid, I sit at a desk all day, so sorry if I can't be running around everywhere like you."

"I also sit at a desk all day," Maylene countered.

"Yet I also find time to stay active. Curious."

"Pfft. Whatever." Volkner shook his head at her—though he struggled with that, too.

"Candice sent me before you," he glanced at me, "could fly off somewhere, 'cause you're apparently going off to see Jasmine?" I nodded and hummed in affirmation.

"And you're kind of inattentive, so I wasn't sure phones were going to work."

"I'm not inattentive. I can focus on something very easily."

"She can focus on something very easily," Maylene repeated. Volkner's nose wrinkled in annoyance.

"What? Maylene, you were the one—" My girlfriend slid behind me and covered my ears for a moment. I figured it was more as a joke than anything because I knew what he was going to say. She'd told him I was inattentive, that little…

"... slander the good name of my girlfriend like this," Maylene finished right as her hands left my ears.

"I'll have you know that I'm implementing a new policy to have anyone who badmouths her sentenced to a massive fine. Anyone but me, I mean." Damn it, she'd sensed that retort coming.

"Woah. You must really be having a good time," Volkner slowly spoke.

"Hm?"

"I mean, back in the day you would have never joked about stuff like this," he added, lifting his phone out of his pocket.

"It's a good thing I was recording and I'll be leaking this to the press—" She stuck out her tongue at him, blowing a raspberry.

"I wouldn't want to be caught in the crossfire of that controversy," I said.

"But maybe Volkner should get prison time instead of a fine." Maymay beamed.

"Exactly! And there, I'll come by every day to make him do cardio! He can't leave until he can run for twenty minutes without complaining!" I snickered.

"Oh, you might as well sentence him to life."

"This is what I get for coming to deliver news…" Volkner lamented, shoving his hands in his pockets. The way he turned slightly, I noticed his pretty bad posture, but made no comment. I didn't want to push too far; I didn't really know the dynamics without Maylene here to guide me yet.

"Anyway, there's a movie night tonight. Movies plural. We figured we wanted to give you the option to show up, but we don't know if you'll be off training."

"Oh. Cool." I gave it some thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I can stay for a while. Dunno if it'll be the whole night, but… a while." Maylene pumped her fist in a silent celebration, but I noticed her anyway. Angel mimicked her with a bundle of vines. She turned toward me.

"Don't work too hard. People can get in over their heads with this stuff and perform worse because of it sometimes." I nodded. That was why she'd made the entire fight with Gardenia a surprise in the first place, and while I'd fought in front of crowds before, the Conference was different. Yes, there were more people, and yes, there was a live commentator, but that was honestly the least of my worries considering how good I'd gotten at tuning people out when I was in the zone.

There was simply more meaning behind this tournament. It was a symbol, the culmination of an entire year of hard work for hundreds of trainers, but also a desperate reprieve for the people of Sinnoh. It was a lot to carry.

"Yeah. I'll handle it, no worries," I finally answered with a smile.

"You better! I'll be rooting for you so loud I bet you'll hear me." It would have been something cute to say had she not looked like she actually meant it.

"But you know, also remember to just have fun no matter what. That's the theme this year, after all." She brought her hand close to my arm, then paused as her eyes glanced to Volkner on the right. With a small gulp, she continued and rubbed my skin. I was so proud and happy I was nearly ready to scream.

"The world's not going to end no matter what spot you end up getting."

"I'll remember that," I quietly said.

"I should probably go. I really don't want to be late. You know, with meeting Brock and Will." It was an old promise now made whole. The two were now finally here on a diplomatic mission, along with an entire team, to cut Jasmine some slack and allow her to relax after the absolute hell of a time she'd had working since the Galactic situation came to a close.

"Oh! Yeah, you really don't want to make people from Kanto-Johto wait, especially not an Elite Four member," she said.

"That could be a disaster. I hear they're strict." We stood in silence awkwardly—this would have been a really good moment to kiss. Volkner cleared his throat and announced his departure, feeling that he was probably not going to want to be around here right now. As soon as he got enough distance and kept his back turned, I lunged—uh, I gently kissed her and felt my leg unconsciously lift behind me when her hands settled on my hips. It was nice. It was always really nice.

I wished we'd be able to practice tonight, but there was no way we were going to get the house to ourselves today, or any day this month, for that matter. There were always a few people inside. I playfully bit on her bottom lip and she laughed against me, giving me butterflies until the kiss ended.

I tugged slightly on the vine Angel had wrapped around my ankle and touched more of his vines until I recalled him, swapping him out for Princess, and I was soon on my way to see Jasmine close to the actual League Building—known and referred to as The Spire in the news or when people just wanted to use its official name because of its architecture. Rare were the times when I'd flown with so many people in the sky with me. Princess made sure to keep a proper distance.

If there was anywhere I'd get caught for breaking flight laws, it was here. I needed a clean record to get an equivalent one in Unova without having to take a test again. I'd pass it no problem, but it'd be a chore. Or maybe it'd be a way to meet new friends? What was I doing, considering breaking the law to make friends? I had a reputation to worry about. I leaned in close to Princess' ears and asked, "have you been having a good time here?"

We were flying slowly enough to hear her answer; I'd leaned in more out of habit than anything else. The Togekiss said that things were going… fine—with that exact same hesitation. She was excited to get into the battling and acting of it all, but she was unused to meeting so many new people at once.

"Me too," I said.

"But hey, things get better. You should stick around with Honey and Angel instead of Sunshine if you want to socialize. Follow their lead; they'll help you out. Or even Buddy!" I quickly added before remembering he wasn't clinging to me. Oops. Jasmine had said she'd be waiting around the central road leading to the League Building. I could see it easily from up here in all its glory, a structure that felt more like a monument than a mere building.

The League rose like a fortress carved out of marble and other stones, its design a seamless blend that came together perfectly and radiated power. Tall, cylindrical towers framed the central hall, their roofs capped with gleaming red spires that caught the sunlight and seemed to glow like embers. Stained glass windows dotted its facade depicting great battles below Arceus' light, for that was what the ones who had built this monument believed themselves to be. This was supposed to be the seat closest to God.

If only they'd known how wrong they were. We landed on the closest available platform, and I kept Princess around for the time being. She lazily hovered a little off the ground upside down. Buddy deserved a longer break from always being on bodyguard duty, even if he told me it didn't bother him one bit. I felt naked without him. My skin felt so vulnerable to the elements, and I couldn't help but occasionally glance back behind me. It wasn't like I didn't trust Princess to defend me.

She'd been charged with keeping me safe with her barriers until Cassianus had come into the picture, after all. It was just—different. There was something about keeping myself wrapped in a cocoon at all times that made me feel safer. The street here was less filled with tourists and hopeful trainers, and more with government employees buzzing around like Combee. This was around where most of them lived, after all, and they rarely got any time off even in the summer.

In fact, this was most likely the busiest time of all for them. Ah, there Jasmine was, waiting for me with Amphy. There was no one else with her besides the two 'bodyguards' that followed her everywhere—Rynara and Renzo, I remembered. She spotted me first, and her Ampharos swayed from side to side, his tail nearly tripping Renzo as it shone in tandem with the electric type's excitement.

"Grace!" Jasmine spread her arms and wrapped me in a tight hug. She was wearing one of the sundresses I'd come to know her for and sandals.

"I missed you. Let me get a good look at you." With both her hands, she grabbed my face and pointed it up, pausing for a few moments.

"You look happier." I let out an awkward laugh, unused to someone just stating that outright.

"I am." Greetings were short, though I made sure to let Honey out so he could see his old teacher. They made a promise to see how far he'd come before we all had to go our separate ways—her back to Johto, and me to Unova. Jasmine was still sad I wasn't coming with her instead, making sure to show me an exaggerated pout that didn't reach her sharp eyes. Once everything was said and done, she told me to follow her. Her two guards followed in silence behind us.

"Not too nervous?" Jasmine asked.

"I'm so nervous I could die," I quickly said. I'd kept it largely under wraps by distracting myself, but the closer we were getting to the moment, the more I was finding my brain making excuses to have to leave. Depending on the first impression I made, I could either fumble everything and ruin two relationships with some of the most powerful men on the planet, or do well and have them like me. If it was something in-between, I'd consider that a win.

"But I'm trying to keep it together. Succeeding, even."

"Oh, you don't have to worry," Jasmine waved a hand in front of her face, "they're both among the nicest you could get from our dear Indigo—at least with people on their good side, and I have a good relationship with them, otherwise dear old Lance never would have sent them. If it was someone like Surge or Blue or Sabrina or—it'd take too long to list them all out—they'd be ruthlessly upfront, good or bad, and possibly use you to get to me, but Brock and Will know tact."

"Tact. Right." She bent down slightly to whisper as we walked.

"Remember how I told you about Renzo and his psychic woes?" I did remember—she'd told me he'd been exiled from the Natsume clan because the psychic powers he'd awakened had been too weak.

"Well, Will's a psychic in truth. He's a playful man who focuses on finesse and tricks rather than raw power like Sabrina can bring."

"Oh. Is he a Natsume too?" Jasmine burst out laughing, taking a few seconds to recover.

"Oh, Grace! You say the funniest things sometimes." She let out a long, satisfied sigh.

"They'd rather die than be involved in each other's affairs. No, no, Will isn't even part of a clan; he just got lucky. Brock is… Brock."

"And that means…?'

"He's got a lot of walls around him, so don't worry if he comes off as cold. Oh, and they're married."

"They're what?"

"Married." I gawked at her.

"And this is when you tell me?! I could have—I could have walked in there not knowing anything!"

"I did tell you. I told you right now." She shrugged and gently patted me on the back.

"It's a funny story, actually. Used to despise each other's guts for years and years back in the day, but I guess they couldn't get each other out of their heads." That reminded me of… well, me and Maymay, just on a longer time scale. Her eyes met mine for a moment.

"Don't mention any of this part, by the way."

"I obviously will not." She led me inside of The Spire, which was my first time in the building and not its side facilities like the public wing of the Hall of Fame, where I'd gone with Cecilia to see the many paintings of the past Champions going back hundreds of years. It felt wrong to be here. Amidst the people who all knew what they were doing, who carried themselves high, and looked like they were never lost.

Amongst those who kept this nation standing in the shadows, never to be rewarded for it in the stories and songs. It made me feel uneasy. Wrongness. A room had been set apart just for Brock and Will, where they could spend their time whenever work was not calling. Teasingly, Jasmine ushered me in the room first while her guards stood at attention and remained behind the door. The one who caught my attention first was will, for he was dressed like some sort of colorful Chatot.

His outfit was flamboyant, almost theatrical, with its sharp, tailored lines offset by bright, clashing colors. Crimsons and purples, golds and blacks. His hair was mid-length and soft purple. He'd been in the midst of reading some book he was levitating in front of him and sitting at a desk, but with one smooth wave of his finger, it fell back on the table with a marker neatly inserting itself within before it closed. Brock, meanwhile, was dark-skinned, tall, spiky-haired, and nearly utterly still.

Staring out the window with his arms crossed, yet I couldn't read the look on his face. Was he worried? Angry? Some form of sadness or melancholy? It was mildly unsettling to the point that the hair on my neck stood on end. When he turned toward me, the movements felt too… they had a certain weight behind them, like he was twice his actual size. It was odd to look at.

"Is this the child?" Will asked with a bright smile. He stood up, body flowing like water, and slid in front of me— so close.

"My! What a striking look." He fixated on my burns.

"Where did you find her?"

"Through Craig Goodwill," Jasmine said, flicking his forehead back and dragging me closer to her. Her nail sharply scraped the psychic's forehead.

"Don't overwhelm her. She's not from Indigo; don't forget." Will innocently raised his hands.

"I was just interested. People don't catch your attention often. There was Gold—oh, you were so shy, back then—""Keep talking and I'll slit your throat." Her threat cut through the room like a freshly sharpened sword. Why had she even reacted this way—I already knew this! And weren't they supposed to be on good terms? My eyes darted between the two, and for a few seconds that felt endless, no one talked.

Jasmine leaned forward, hand slowly drifting toward the purse where she'd put back Amphy's Pokeball and where the rest of her team was. Energy started brimming around Will—more than had ever appeared around Lou—and a dark shadow veiled his eyes— Then, laughter exploded from the both of them. Jasmine's was loud and undisturbed while Will's was quiet, like a whisper.

"Ah, Will! Never a dull moment with you!" Jasmine smirked, and the firm touch around my shoulder let me know that it had all been one big joke despite how real it had felt, thank the fucking Legendaries.

"I've got to keep a lady on her toes! Though we've been over this; there is absolutely no way you would manage to kill me in a fight, especially not with this setup! Your brain would be paste before your hand ever reached your Pokeball!" he joyously exclaimed.

"Forgive us for the game, Ms…" I'd nearly forgotten to breathe.

"Uh. Uh. I'm—Grace Pastel. Just call me Grace."

"Grace it is! Brock, say hello."

"Hello," he gruffed. Goodness, his voice was deep.

"What's the point of this meeting again?"

"Don't be rude, dear," Will gently chided.

"Isn't it just fun to meet Jasmine's pupil?" He spun around in a grand manner, each movement arcing with grace that felt nearly inhuman until his hand calmly settled on Brock's chest.

"Sorry. Nice to meet you." He nudged his head at me.

"I hear you have a Tyranitar."

"Oh!" Had she told him about that already?

"I do—she's still a baby and growing, but I do. I was confused about how to handle her when she'd just evolved, but I found a rhythm that worked."

"Tyranitar are a great, never-ending challenge, but if you can earn their trust and guide them well, they'll give you more than you could ever ask for—not in terms of strength or power, but they'll always be there for you, through thick and thin." All of my Pokemon were loyal, but it was true that Sweetheart was… the only one who I doubted would question any order. Princess had gotten over that phase.

"It's a shame people often think of them as simple brutes. Apex predators have to be smart." Brock's finger tapped his elbow.

"Are you looking for advice ahead of the Conference? Because I wouldn't—""It's fine—oh, sorry for interrupting." Once upon a time, maybe I would have begged him to absorb everything he knew of the species. And the temptation was still so sweet. To have one of the few trainers who owned a Tyranitar, a treasure trove of information, right at my fingertips was something few would be able to boast about. Today, however, was different. I was treading my own path, making my own story.

"Good. Through adversity comes strength."

"You're right, but can you turn off the guru version of you in your head and become sweet Brock already?" Jasmine groaned.

"Do I need to get one of your siblings on the phone? Suzie?"

"Suzie wouldn't answer," Will said.

"Your best bet is Yolanda or Forrest." Brock's facade cracked; he drew upon the faintest smile recalling his apparent siblings.

"I miss them so much… I hope Forrest isn't finding the Gym duties to be too much. Is Timmy's journey going well? What about Salvadore…" Oh. He was kind of like Craig with Lauren. But as he kept listing out names—Billy, Tilly, Tommy, Cindy—I couldn't help but wonder how many siblings did he have?! Nine was the answer. Nine. But upon closer notice, he felt less like an older brother worrying for his siblings, and more like a single parent.

For a few minutes, Brock vented about his anxieties as he apparently always did when he was away from Kanto-Johto, according to a discreet whisper from Jasmine. Will kept him wrapped around his arm, rubbing his back gently while Brock's head rested on his shoulder. It was somewhat comical, seeing the difference in size. The moment eventually passed, however.

"You asked what the point of the meeting was. And uh, like I said, it's not for advice to do better in the tournament or anything like that." I was trying really hard not to fidget. Brock seemed to hate the fact that I'd seen his weak side.

"I guess I just want to connect with people who have left their mark on the world. People who can move mountains with nothing but a word. It's selfish, I know." Because that is what I wanted for myself.

"But I need it," I finished.

"Do you see it? Ambition blazes in her eyes," Will said with a smug smile.

"She wants to steal our fire for herself!"

"I want to." I did not dare deny it.

"So tell me about your stories. Tell me what made you, you."

"Very well," Will said with a nod, "I'll begin." A pause, then a look to Jasmine, who nodded as if to say that he did not need to censor himself.

"My 'story', as you call it, begins with a handful of murders—accidental ones, mind you. One is always going to run wild when they awaken powers as a teen and they don't know what in the world is happening…" I soaked everything in like a sponge. — Maylene's arms felt warm. So warm I kind of never wanted to leave them. Every Gym Leader was huddled around, save for Byron. Under covers, sipping on alcohol, soda, or juice.

The air was thick with the comfortable sort of fatigue that only came from hours spent lounging in good company. This was the end of our third movie of the night, some sappy romcom about two Trainers who fell in love while chasing after the same rare Pokemon that didn't actually exist. I had paid attention to the acting in hopes of creating more joyous stories in the coming fights.

It ended with the two main characters fake catching each other by softly bumping Pokeballs on each other's foreheads, which while cheesy, was also really cute. Even if Candice laughed about it until Gardenia smothered her in covers. They were getting pretty chummy. Duty unfortunately called. I could not stay with them too long, or I'd never go and work. Warmth was good, but it was important not to sit still, or the engine would go out and I would be extinguished. Plus, I felt more motivated now.

According to Jasmine, Will had loved me, and Brock had… tolerated me, which wasn't great, but wasn't terrible. I blew Maylene a kiss, and her entire family erupted in exaggerated'oooooohs' before I fled. After grabbing my laptop from our bedroom, I made my way to the yard, releasing my entire team to show them the names in my group. The wind blew in my hair.

"Here it is," I started.

"We've come far, haven't we?" Noises of affirmation followed, each prouder than the last. Sunshine smirked, heat wafting off his shell and snout, and he added this: We'll go further, still.

"We'll go further, still," I repeated.

"Now let's see what we have to deal with."