Chương 176: Chapter 169 - Interlude

"Do you believe in fate? No. Of course, you don't. You've always been one to believe in the sanctity of choice. That's been your guiding principle for years, hasn't it?" Mr. Pokémon leaned back in his chair.

"Truthfully, I'm in the same boat. The idea of some greater force that defines our actions is completely ridiculous. Our decisions are not predetermined. Nothing limits the choices we make or the paths we follow. Our world is solely determined by the whims, dreams, and desires of those who live in it, but we can't ignore the underlying patterns, either."...

"Indeed," he laughed.

"You have a personal experience with this, don't you?"

"Fate is... a curious concept. A dictating force that guides us toward an inevitable future. The idea that no meeting is accidental. The belief that no encounter occurs on chance alone. The thought that all discoveries were eventually meant to happen, and that all events had already always been written down."

"But in reality, it is less a mystical force and more of a confluence of many factors. Coincidence. Chance. Fortune. Want. Everything grouped together as people search for meaning in their lives." A voice spoke on the other side of the phone, and he hummed as he listened to the reply.

"... Meaning, hm?" Mr. Pokémon asked softly.

"That reminds me—do you know what my latest sponsored trainer told me? See, she evolved her Pokémon at the edge of a route instead of within one of my labs. She told me that she had to do it there because it 'didn't feel right,' otherwise. That there wasn't enough 'meaning to it' if she just kept trying to evolve her Pokémon within a 'dusty old lab.'""Hah!" Mr. Pokémon let out a merry laugh alongside his friend's.

"She says that, but she doesn't realize the true implications of what she did. She seemed worried that I'd be upset—me, upset! —that she evolved her Pokémon without us, but that does not matter to me! What matters is that she proved that it was possible, and what matters is that she managed to achieve the results we sought in a matter of months rather than years."

"Meaning, indeed," he mused....

"Yes, yes. I agree," he said, sitting up and quickly scribbling something onto a note on his desk.

"Our duty as researchers is to prove why and how over what, but you can't blame me for being curious. Knowledge is meant to be shared, after all. So, I ask this: did she have a point? That the meaning behind our actions is more important than the intention? That, through her Pokémon's evolution, she has provided a piece of evidence to suggest our methodologies are flawed and that our research will get nowhere without being supported by some greater belief?" The silence stretched out into a tense nothing.

A voice spoke up on the other side.

"I see," Mr. Pokémon said.

"Like I said, fate is a ridiculous concept, but there is at least a modicum of truth to it. I do not believe our actions are defined by fate; rather, I believe our actions are what define fate itself. Think of it as this—a Psychic Type's predictions do not mandate what we do, they only tell us of our most likely possibility. A prophecy does not always hold true, and multiple interpretations frequently prove to be correct."

"Thus, what I believe is that the true power we hold is the power of belief, and that our belief is something real and quantifiable. People. Pokémon. Friendship. Instinct. If my memory isn't failing me, I even remember one fellow over in Kalos attempting to research exactly that?"...

"Ah. I'm not surprised you felt that, too. That strange shiver from a few months ago," he said to his friend.

"Yes, I've been waiting for the right moment. I plan to make an attempt once this is all over, but I doubt he'll accept. Just from the basic reports I've seen, he'll likely be flooded with offers soon enough. But it does make you wonder, does it not? To see what choice he'll make? To see the kind of people he decides to meet?"

"I'll be keeping an eye on him, just like how I keep an eye on so many others. I look forward to the choices he ends up—" Mr. Pokémon paused as a chuckle entered his ears. A mischievous grin crept onto his face.

"Oh-ho? You know something about him, do you? Of course, you of all people would already be aware of someone like that. I do wish you luck on your own attempts, but—"... Mr. Pokémon checked the clock, and then he laughed.

"Yes, yes. It's late. I should head to bed as well. I do appreciate these talks of ours, and I wish you luck on your research. Have a good night, Professor. I hope you enjoy the rest of the Conference."

"What do they have that we don't? How come they get to move on, and not us? We have just as much of a right to be here as they do!" The table shook as Edgar slammed his drink down onto its surface. He wasn't old enough for anything interesting to be in it, and it lacked a certain bite he had tasted once or twice before, but man, did he just want it to have something... else.

"They're moving on because they beat us," a despondent voice grumbled.

"Losers can't proceed in the Conference. Only winners can." Cassandra didn't bring up her head. She kept her cheek pressed against the table. She stared at the advertisement-laden plastic cup containing berry punch from the party, and the short laugh she let out didn't quite match the immediate festivities' mood. It was only them at this table, and they had joined each other through chance alone. No one was around them, and no one else seemed willing to approach. Everyone was already grouped with their friends.

Pokémon were out, people were laughing, and this block party continued on—all the while, an infuriating pair of trainers talked and celebrated together on the other side of the street.

"If I knew he was going to pull out some crazy move like Blast Burn, I wouldn't have given him any advice," Edgar sniffed.

"I thought he was about to lose, so I figured he deserved at least a bit of sympathy, y'know?"

"But no!" he shouted.

"He had to go and absolutely dominate his opponent—and don't give me that look! You know it was an easy win! He went into that battle expecting that outcome! That smile he wore.. The cocky grin he had on the whole time... Argh! Just remembering it makes me ticked off!" He took another swig of his drink, and he slammed it back onto the table. Cassandra was jostled around as the surface shook beneath her. Quietly, she pushed out her lips to try to grab a long straw hanging off the side of her cup.

The red liquid of her drink spiraled through loops and dizzying shapes before eventually reaching her mouth. The suctioning noise it made echoed around them.

"It's always new trainers," Edgar said with a scowl.

"It's always the new trainers that get the most attention. Every other person in this competition is some big sponsored guy or the like, so everyone is talking about the two that stand out. Flip to any news channel, and their names will eventually come up. They have to be in the, what, five most talked about competitors? All because they got lucky and got further in the Conference than they should've been able to." He grumbled and tried to take another sip, but his drink was empty.

Cassandra let her straw drop, but she didn't bring up her head.

"Three of them," she mumbled.

"Three of what?" Edgar asked, sending his conversation partner a look. He pitied her—this entire party, and no one else was approaching her. She wasn't even trying to befriend her Pokémon like he was. Unless, of course, she already has them befriended. Unless, of course, she didn't make the same mistake as him.

"There are three of those new trainers left, not two," Cassandra mumbled.

"Out of the sixteen people still in the Conference, you have Sam, Redi, and some freak named Victor." Just hearing those two names made Edgar scowl again, and he returned to glaring at the pair celebrating across the street. The boy, Sam, seemed to notice his stare, and Edgar hurriedly schooled his expression into something more polite. When Sam waved, he did his best to reply with a friendly wave right back. But his scowl returned as soon as Sam looked away. And then a whine came from across from Edgar.

"I had a strategy!" Cassandra suddenly wailed.

"How was I supposed to know she'd randomly evolve her Pokémon overnight? How was I supposed to know she'd have some crazy new species, or that she'd use some super-advanced strategy no one has ever used before?"

"I should have won. It's not fair," Cassandra grumbled to herself.

"I did everything I could have done to get ready for this Conference—including befriending the Blackthorn Clan. As a Fairy Type trainer! And don't give me that look—what are they going to do? Take away their help? I've already trained my team, and I doubt they care about some loser who just got eliminated from the Conference anyway." She held back a sob.

"Those two suck," Edgar muttered.

"I hate them."

"Agreed. They're just... the worst," Cassandra said.

"What do they have that we don't?"

"Good teams? Knowledge? Experience?" she offered.

"The support of basically an entire region at this point?" Edgar couldn't stand it anymore, and he slammed his hands onto the table. He wanted to walk over and get more juice, but of course, those two had to be right in front of the free-food table. He sat back down.

"And the only reason they even got to be as strong as they are is because they've been traveling together, apparently!" he hissed under his breath.

"They didn't have to travel alone. They got to go through the entire region and constantly have a training partner! They never had to hunt down other trainers or enter tournaments or take on a bunch of jobs just to get some experience!" He exhaled, and Cassandra mournfully closed her eyes. Her voice was filled with sorrow when she spoke next.

"If I had the chance to do something like that," she said, "I wouldn't have taken it for granted. I would have trained every day, and my Pokémon would have been way more prepared. My team would have crushed the entire Conference. It would have been us standing at the top."

"I know what you mean," Edgar mumbled, thirsty as he stared into the last dregs in his glass.

"If I had a training partner, I would have gotten a lot farther in than just the second round." They went silent. The block party's music was a constant beat around them. Other trainers spoke and laughed as part of animated conversations, and no one else paid attention to them. No one else but each other. Suddenly, both of them looked up to stare at one another in the eyes.

"Hold on," they said in unison. From there, Edgar was the one to speak first.

"Hey," he said.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"And go on a journey together?" Cassandra finished for him, an energy returning to her voice.

"Exactly!" he said, and this time, when his hands slammed onto the table, it was out of excitement and not desperation.

"We're both strong, but we've both made mistakes. If we want to get stronger—""Then what better way to get stronger than to get stronger together!" Cassandra said, expression brightening as she brought up her head. They were in agreement; who better to take advantage of for training than the pathetic person in front of them? They both tried to hide the nasty grins that appeared on their faces as they clasped arms to seal this pact.

"Edgar," Edgar said to introduce himself. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Cassandra—and I know who you are. I invited you to my party."

"Oh yeah. Right." It didn't matter how strong those other trainers were. They only got where they were due to sheer chance alone. But them? The truly skilled people? They would fight to learn from their mistakes, and, together, they could fix everything they'd messed up in the past. Next year's Conference wouldn't know what hit it. The League didn't have a headquarters in Silver Town, but it did have several office buildings and dedicated centers to support the Conference and how Johto itself was run.

The Indigo Plateau was located in the dead center between the two regions, with its location having been purposefully chosen to help facilitate the running of both Kanto and Johto. However, no one could lie and say it didn't have a Kanto lean. Though the Indigo Plateau was meant to serve both, Silver Town was the real center for managing Johto. It was for that reason Morty was familiar with the town. He'd been here a few times, and he knew where he was going as he walked around.

It was deep in the night around him, and people were passively ignoring his presence. They were too busy walking and talking and enjoying the city to pay attention to one man in a completely different outfit than his usual Gym Leader uniform. The people who did recognize him only did so on a passing glance, and anyone else who gave him a closer look at least also recognized it was better to leave alone a Gym Leader on his night off.

Unbothered, he was able to visit a cozy little bar in the far back of the city, a small place only really frequented by a few Ace Trainers and the members of the League in the know. Morty only knew this place via the recommendation of a long-retired Ace Trainer, one of the people who had once worked under the old Ecruteak Gym Leader before him. Honestly, the establishment seemed pretty seedy, but given just how many members of the League visited the place, it wasn't somewhere where anything illegal could go on.

"Just this. Thanks," he said, taking the provided drink from the bar as he looked up at the news playing on the TV. Right now, he just wanted to relax for a bit, and what better place to do so than somewhere he'd go undisturbed?

"... a wild Conference this year, already!" a newscaster's voice buzzed from the screen.

"The sheer number of new moves and Pokémon being demonstrated has been causing quite a stir. Most notable has been Tatsuhiko's Electivire, a crowd favorite and current expected winner, but we can't forget Meredith's Ursaluna, whose presence has caused quite the storm in Sinnoh's historical research community!" Morty smiled to himself as he waited for the real purpose of this segment to come up, and the topic changed to the point he'd been wanting it to make.

Surprisingly, the channel had managed to secure an interview with the head researcher of all things Sinnoh. Somehow, they had managed to catch Professor Carolina herself right as she was returning to Sinnoh's Celestic Town.

"Seeing a live Hisuian Typhlosion was quite the surprise, of course," she said, calmly answering the television's question without even an ounce of surprise on her face.

"Most have thought those evolutions were impossible, and almost all species from old Hisui haven't been seen in decades. But the presence of that Typhlosion and even the Ursaluna has brought old questions back to the table. While I doubt anything will change anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised if more focus is spent on Sinnoh's Underground in search of more Hisuian relics and artifacts.

"But while I appreciate the enthusiasm," she continued,"I doubt there's anything that special under there." As Morty watched the broadcast continue, appreciating this rare moment to have some quiet time to himself, he didn't miss the cool presence sliding onto a seat next to him. An uncomfortable grunt came out as the person's bottom hit the relatively hard surface of a metal stool. He sent them a glance, but they doggedly stared at the screen.

They waved a hand to try to get the bartender's attention, failed, and then had one of their Ghost Types grab a bottle from behind the counter to serve themselves, instead.

"It's nice to see you, too, Agatha," Morty said.

"Oh, shush, you. You know why I'm here." Morty held back a laugh as he sipped at his drink. Agatha scowled while grabbing a clean glass that didn't quite look right in her hand.

"I offered him an apprenticeship," she said outright. Morty almost choked.

"And do you know what he said to that? He turned me down. He told me to my face that an apprenticeship under me wouldn't let him be the kind of trainer that he wanted to be." Agatha wore such a genuine scowl on her face that Morty struggled not to laugh. Except, he was also stuck still trying to process what she had said. An apprenticeship? For Sam? With Agatha, of all people?

"He really—""Yes. He did," she hissed, interrupting him.

"So know that if he turned down my offer, he'll turn down yours as well." As much as Morty wanted to chuckle at her misfortune, he went silent. He didn't expect to be read so easily, and he certainly didn't expect her to already know his plans. Yes, he had planned to offer Sam a spot as one of his Gym Trainers once the Conference was over, but he had really thought—"Ugh. I should have expected that," he grumbled.

"As much as I wanted to pretend that wouldn't be the case, Sam isn't the kind of person who'd want to be tied down."

"At least for now," Agatha muttered. She tried to take a sip of her drink, but she immediately gagged at the taste.

"But I'm not here about that infuriating child," she said.

"He's far too carefree about his decisions. He doesn't have the kind of stubbornness needed to properly train Ghost Type Pokémon. He might have his tricks, but he's not anyone worth giving any more thought." Wow. She must really like him to talk about him that much.

"No, unfortunately, I'm here for a much more distasteful reason." She shuffled on her stool to look at Morty.

"I'm here solely due to your upcoming battle against Lance." Slowly, Morty put his drink down. This was not Agatha, fellow Ghost Type trainer and another person interested in Sam, but Agatha, one of the most experienced trainers in Indigo and an active member of its Elite Four.

"How well have you been keeping your ear to the ground?" she said to him.

"How much have you heard about the response to this... modified competition?"

"Not much," Morty answered honestly. He kept his voice low as they talked.

"The reception seems to be pretty good. Other than the usual complaints from traditionalists, most trainers are just happy to have the chance to compete."

"There are some that are happy, yes, but there are others who are... less than pleased. There are people," she spat, as if to specifically choose that word to imply they weren't worthy of being called trainers, "who are bitter about their loss and are willing to hear the offers provided by those who should be ignored." The quiet of the room weighed on Morty. It hit him then that there wasn't really anyone else around.

Voices from the television spoke about next season's test to earn a Starter Pokémon from a Professor, but it was truthfully just background noise for them.

"There are whispers about that bitterness growing," Agatha continued.

"As much as Lance is using this Conference to recruit, others are doing the same."

"Surely not here?"

"Discussion is different than action, and what better place to have a conversation than right under the League's nose?" Suddenly, the aftertaste of Morty's drink became sour.

"Do you know who?" he whispered.

"No," Agatha said, and she shuffled back around.

"Like I said, it's only been discussion and whispers. I do my job, but I am getting old. I sought out that boy for an apprenticeship for a reason." As Morty stared into his drink, he couldn't help but ask, "Is that why you approached me?"

"You? Hah! We couldn't be more different people! You, with an apprenticeship under me?" Briefly, she was lost to cackles.

"... You don't have to laugh so hard," Morty mumbled.

"No, no. I need the malleability of youth in my apprentice, and you... You're far too set in your ways," she said without even an ounce of irony in her voice.

"No. I've come to ask a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes. I'll tell you this: whatever you're planning to do to defeat Lance, it won't be enough." Morty chose not to speak.

"The threat is growing throughout Indigo," Agatha whispered.

"Lance believes he has them contained to Kanto, but it's only a matter of time before their tendrils slip through. There have been rumblings in Vermillion. Celadon. From a certain mansion in Cinnabar." She scowled.

"Lance is growing lax. I need someone to remind him not to fall into habit."

"So, I need you to push him," Agatha said to Morty.

"Not just fight him. Prove to him that he's not safe in his position. Fight him with every possible strategy and every possible underhanded tactic. Prove to him that no matter how comfortable he is at the top, he won't remain the strongest forever."

"I will," Morty promised.

"Will you, now?" Agatha replied, looking over to stare at him with a single open eye.

"Because it sounds to me like you'll only be doing the same thing you already had planned. Tell me, now that you've heard my request, how much do you actually plan to change about your strategy?" Morty opened his mouth, but he had nothing, and Agatha smirked at his total non-answer.

"Right, then. Follow me," she said, hopping off her stool and grabbing her cane.

"I might be old, but I have experience. Come with me, and I'll show you a few of my tricks."

"But I—""Tut, tut. No arguing. I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll help you practice as well as I can. You can be a clever boy if you try. So, listen to me, and we'll ensure that Lance is put in his place." Xavier had sponsorship offers. He wandered through the city with a thick folder in his hands. He had a lot of sponsorship offers, and he didn't know what to think about that. He'd been eliminated from the tournament—handily, in his opinion. It didn't matter how close the battle was.

He had lost, which meant he hadn't won. But, though he was eliminated, it also meant a certain pressure in his chest had been eliminated as well, and he was free to accept any sponsorship that was passed his way. And there were a bunch. Ever since he had bothered to look through the folder the nurse had handed him that afternoon, he felt as though he had existed solely in a daze. People and Pokémon passed him, but he paid them no mind.

In his hands was a massive list of investors and companies trying to sponsor him due to his achievements, and not because of anything his parents had done. At times, he swore he could actually feel himself smile. There were so many different entities out there that wanted to attach themselves to his name. Some just wanted him to enter a tournament while using their product, and some wanted one of his Pokémon to hold a specialty item in battle—a specialty item that he would receive for free.

He could get so many rare goods, vitamins, medicines, and other products all in exchange for just a bit of publicity. There were even offers from people trying to hire him as a tutor! Him! He could be responsible for the preparatory training of a trainer's first Pokémon, the same kind of training that Phanpy and Yanma had once gone through. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that all of these options were open to him only now.

Yet, as he wandered through Silver Town with no destination in mind, he couldn't help but think— Is this really what I want to do? Every potential offer sent his way was exactly what he'd been waiting for: proof. It was proof that he was on the right path, proof that he was making a name for himself without anyone else's influence, and there was something about that that was oh-so freeing about having this massive amount of options before him.

And, as those thoughts filled his mind, he ignored his PokéGear ringing in his pocket. It had been going off sporadically, but there was no sense in answering what would have been a meaningless call.

"Are you going to get that?" Xavier almost jumped, but instead, he stopped himself and sent a slow look to the woman who had snuck up on him. He almost didn't recognize her at first, but a Delcatty meowed from where it was pressing against her legs, and there was enough familiarity to her face for him to notice the family resemblance.

"You're... Sam's mother," he said.

"Amanda," she said to introduce herself, holding out her hand.

"I've been looking for you all afternoon—all night, at this point!"

"O-okay." Slowly, he shook her hand. His PokéGear rang again, and Amanda cocked an eyebrow, sending his pocket a look. Trying his best not to grimace, Xavier pulled it out only to see the expected name listed on the screen. [HOME] Seeing that word made his gut twist.

"Why not turn it off?"

"Because..." Because I like not picking up. Because I enjoy knowing they're wasting their time. Because I want them to know that I'm purposefully not answering. He stared at that glowing word, and he didn't realize he was scowling until he heard Amanda ask him a question.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm—" Xavier cleared his throat.

"I'm fine." He quickly hit the power button, shutting off the device. Silence echoed out, and he shoved his PokéGear back into his pocket even as the woman silently took him in. Then, he looked up in realization, finally understanding just who was standing in front of him. He had already begun blurting out a question before he even realized what he was doing.

"Can I ask something about Sam?" Amanda blinked at the sudden turnaround, but she still smiled and gave him a kind nod.

"Alright, but let's go on a walk. It beats having a conversation in the middle of a busy street, don't you think?" Xavier tried his best not to blush. Soon, he found himself meandering down that same path near where Sam had found him earlier in the day. Hills covered by wild plants sloped down at the path's side, and he had a perfect view of the untamed wilderness that surrounded Silver Town, all of it lit up by the moon's soft light.

"You've always supported Sam, and Sam has his friends," Xavier said to the woman who was his rival's mother.

"No matter what he did, he always acted so... confident. Except... I want to know. What was his life like back home? What— How did he live when he wasn't on his journey?" For a second, it seemed like Sam's mom wanted to make some kind of joke, but she just breathed out and brought her head back to look up at the stars.

"It was just me and him back home," she answered.

"Me, him, Delcatty, and Cyndaquil—and now there's also Sableye, Skully, and Shuppy. We lived close to my father, his grandfather, back in Dewford Town, and it was a quiet life. But Sam always wanted more, and then... his grandfather passed."

"And his father?" Xavier asked. A long silence stretched out after that.

"He passed as well. Before Sam could even remember him. He was a Pokémon Ranger. There was a landslide on Route 116. He..." she breathed out.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It happened a long time ago," she said, an unrecognizable tone to her voice.

"The landslide got him and one of his Pokémon. Most of his team stayed with the League to carry on his dream and legacy of helping others, and Delcatty was with him at the time. But she was always my Pokémon first and foremost, so she returned home to stay with me and help with Sam."

"I'd already been in contact with my father at the time, so we moved to be closer to him in Dewford Town from Rustboro," she continued.

"I was a bit tired of Pokémon battling, especially with my husband's passing. So, I threw myself into chasing my dream. I'd always wanted to run a bookstore. Sam lived with me in my little shop. It was nice, but it just wasn't for him."

"So he inherited his father's good nature," Xavier mused. Amanda looked at him.

"Sure. You could say that," she said. They idled down the path, and Xavier was deep in thought. Their speed was slow—neither of them had anywhere to be. They were only walking to talk and to take in the sights.

"I'm sorry," Xavier said.

"You searched me out to ask something, but I asked you a question first. Did you need something? Is there anything I can help you with?" Hearing that, Amanda went on to laugh.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I just wanted to check in with you, but I also heard you might be interested in visiting Hoenn? I know it's sudden, but I just wanted to ask—how much thought have you put into coming to our home region?" Xavier sent her a glance, but he didn't have an answer. However, that seemed to be fine; she wasn't done speaking just yet.

"I know you're probably flush with offers, especially with the size of that folder you have. I also know you probably have your own plans as well, but I just wanted to bring you one more possibility. How would you like a different kind of sponsorship?" she asked.

"One that comes from me?" As she finished her offer, Xavier had to stop walking just so he could stare. And seeing his expression, Amanda laughed again.

"Sorry, I should have been more specific!" she said cheerfully.

"I can't really afford to give you much, if any, financial support. But someone brought up the idea of expansion to me recently, and while I can't say I'm that interested in expanding out of region, I am interested in maybe opening one or two more stores within Hoenn."

"I have a few connections, but I need someone to go out and do a bit of hands-on research for me," she explained.

"I need to know more before making any investments or opening a new bookstore. Location, people, trends—all things I can't access from my little shop in Dewford. So I just wanted to ask if you'd be interested in helping me with something like that. Go on a bit of exploration through Hoenn on my behalf?"

"You're not going to ask Sam?" Xavier said. Amanda replied with a bittersweet smile.

"I would love to ask my son for help, but I can't. Not because he would say no, but because I know he would say yes. I can't do that to him. He would feel too much responsibility. I was glad when he branched out to come here to Johto instead of staying back home, but yet..." She looked up at the sky again.

"I can't say Hoenn is where his future lies." Xavier stayed quiet. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Then, Amanda's eyes suddenly widened in realization when she seemed to remember who he was.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I went off on a bit of a tangent there—and I haven't even told you what you'd get in return! Like I said, I can't offer you financial benefits, but I do have a decent number of connections throughout the region. I might only have a small bookstore, but I'm great at reaching out to others. Anything I do on my own would take too long, but I can offer you access to an entire other side of Hoenn that you wouldn't experience otherwise if you decide to take my offer."

"I... see," Xavier said. For a while, Xavier wasn't able to find the words to speak. He couldn't say this was an offer he ever expected to get—but he honestly couldn't say he expected to get any sponsorship, as unreasonable as that was. He always felt so bound by everything else going on that the possibility of people wanting him to represent them felt— Well, it didn't feel like anything. It had simply never been a possibility in his mind.

"My parents work for Silph Co," he said.

"They're higher-ups in the company."

"So?" Amanda asked.

"I'm not giving this offer to them. I'm giving this offer to you, Xavier." Just like Amanda had done earlier, Xavier found himself bringing his head back to stare up at the stars. The thick packet felt light in his hands, and for everything those offers represented, he wasn't sure if accepting them was really what he desired. He didn't care for money. At this point, he already had all the reputation he needed, as well.

He had also won enough tournaments to have a healthy, personal bank account, one that was completely separate from his parents. If he went on with his journey, he could last through an entire other season without earning anything else. Even if he "retired," he had enough money left to maybe support his team for a few more years on his own. Financial benefits were meaningless to him. Same for most items. But it wasn't like Amanda was offering him any of that.

Instead, she was giving him a chance to see something completely new, to experience something he wouldn't get to experience otherwise. Honestly, he was pretty sure he preferred that idea over every other offer he'd received so far.

"Okay," Xavier said, "I accept." Amanda blinked at him.

"Huh? No you don't."

"... What?" Xavier asked, completely bewildered.

"Do you really think I'm going to accept such a quick decision? No way, young man! Sleep on it! Spend a few days thinking about it! Actually weigh your options instead of agreeing to something so important with such an impulsive choice!"

"O-okay. S-sure?"

"But thank you!" And, before he knew it, Xavier was swept up into a hug.

"I really appreciate your willingness to accept so quickly, but make sure to give this some proper thought first, alright?"

"A-alright," he repeated. She went on to smile at him, and then she let him go to walk him back to the Pokémon Center. It wasn't until he was back in his rented bedroom that Xavier realized he needed to wipe his eyes.