And Still, I Climb - A Pokemon Fanfiction

### Chapter 1: Chapter 1 The Land Of Truth

CHAPTER 1 - THE LAND OF TRUTH Life was a lot easier when I wasn't worried about getting killed every minute—not that the God in my head would agree. Three months ago, Team Galactic had nearly ended the world. Now I was in Unova, five days away from the start of the League Circuit, and stuck in a strategy meeting instead of exploring Castelia City. "...ready for launch soon in tandem with the start of the Circuit. Grace, are you paying attention?" I blinked and looked away from the Castelia skyline outside the conference room window. Melody Summers, my sponsorship liaison, crossed her arms and tapped her elbow with a finger. "Sorry, I think I'm a little tired 'cause of the jetlag still." I stood up a little straighter in my chair. "Can you repeat that?" The tall, slender woman gave me a slight smile, shaking her head. "You know what, let's take a lunch break. What should we order?" The new Poketch office occupied half of a floor in one of the smaller towers overlooking the Castelia Loop. It was easy to miss among the banks, law firms, and investment companies that dominated the district. A modest silver sign beside the elevator was the only indication that the region's newest technology company had set up shop there. Right now, most of the floor was open space. Even if Melody had clearly envisioned future expansion, the management team was small right now, containing only ten people excluding me. Two marketers, three software engineers, and the rest of the staff filled a handful of roles that larger companies would have entire departments for—public relations, logistics, sales, and whatever happened to land on Melody's desk that morning. My face stared back from a dozen promotional posters scattered throughout the room. A smiling Sinnoh Conference contender in her first year! I was giddy just thinking about spreading my name through the country and for people to hear about my story. But for now… things were admittedly boring. "I'm down for a traditional Sinnohan meal. I'm kind of homesick," Cameron, one of the marketers media managers, said. "And have a worse version of what we'd get at home? No thanks," Melody chimed in. "Let's just do fast food." "I mean I'm just saying. If I get the shits, we're fucked—" Disgusted groans erupted from the rest of the room as Melody pulled out her phone looking for an alternative, and I saw an opportunity to finally get out of here for at least thirty minutes. Obviously, I had no choice but to take it. "I mean… traffic is pretty bad right now, right? With the big protest and all." Apparently it had erupted first because of opposition to the establishment of a permanent city between Nimbasa and Castelia in the middle of the desert on route 4, which would displace many of the Pokemon there. "I can go and buy us something on foot, I really don't mind." "She's right," someone said, looking at a delivery app on her laptop. "Plus, the delivery fees… Arceus." Melody gave herself a few seconds to think; I noticed the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out every single way this could go wrong. "Come on, Mel. I'll be off on my own in six days anyway." I fluttered my eyes at her knowing she'd relent. "Pretty please." "If you leave your Pokemon here so you don't get roped into some battle—" Melody noticed the way my gaze intensified and pinched the bridge of her nose. "...fine. Keep Jellicent. You'll need him to carry everything anyway. Don't get yourself involved in anything. You know the board wants you away from anything controversial." She paused, staring into my eyes. "Remember, you're the face, and we're foreigners. We don't want to cause a fuss." "I'm the face," I repeated with a nod. "So what do you all want?" I noted down everyone's order on my phone, and soon enough I was on the elevator down. The moment I made it outside and into the streets of Castelia, I struggled not to giddily run around in the first alleyway I saw— Something wriggled on my skin. "Aw, man. I know, I know." I stretched, then shielded my eyes from the sun. "Legendaries, I'll never get used to how hot it is here. Wanna cool me down a bit, Bud?" Under my shirt, the Jellicent wrapped around my body spread a pleasant chill across my chest and shoulders. "Thanks. And don't worry, we'll just take the slow way." Technically, I hadn't really agreed to not take a detour. Oh, I'd make it to Bouffalant Burgers eventually—not that they actually ate Bouffalant. The ghost clicked at me, squeezing gently around my upper arm and saying that he had to admit he'd been curious about Unova. "I know, right? I don't wanna be holed up in an office all the time." I began to walk in the store's general direction to the east, gently petting the metal bracelet around my arm. They were asleep right now, but I'd never hear the end of it if I left them out. Still, Meltan needed their rest, so I decided to wait until we reached our destination before waking them. Castelia buzzed around me. Streams of people flowed along the sidewalks beneath towering walls of glass and steel, disappearing into department stores, office buildings, and restaurants. Digital billboards flashed advertisements several stories high while the distant blare of car horns and chatter blended into a constant hum. Everything felt bigger than Sinnoh here. I drew many eyes walking around. It wasn't every day that Castelians saw sixteen year olds with my amount of scarring with how safe the region was for trainers. It would have bothered me once upon a time, but I gave it no mind, instead opting to talk to my sole companion. "I wonder what the history of this place is and why it grew so big?" I thought out loud. "Maybe we could get a book to read about it together." The Jellicent pleasantly acquiesced, though saying he'd rather have a rundown of the entire region's history before getting into the details of specific cities. He was particular about historical knowledge, wanting to devour every little thing he could about an area. Hell, he knew everything about Sinnoh by now. "I'll add it to the to-do list." We went from street to street, and he struggled to keep me on track. It was difficult not getting distracted by all the new sights, smells and flashing lights. I knelt down near a group of city Patrat to offer them a small treat, but would have ended up involved in some Patrat gang drama had Buddy not kept me on track. A hungry Pidove landed on my shoulder and decided to be a traveling companion for the time being; I promised I'd give her a full meal when I got some food. According to her, Pidove could eat a surprising variety of foods, given that they were adapted to city life. Occasionally I'd see trainers battling in open-air arenas with small audiences. That one made something itch deep inside of me. I hadn't battled since my loss at the Conference and the pull was getting stronger every day. Luckily the Circuit would start soon, and it wasn't like these trainers would give me any competition. Like in Sinnoh near the start of a Circuit, they were mostly newer trainers with little experience. I turned a corner, and a huge digital ad for the Ranger Corp. Within it, a ranger stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a dense forest, a Braviary soaring overhead while a Stoutland and Arcanine waited at her side. Words stretched across the screen in bold letters. BE THE DIFFERENCE. PROTECT PEOPLE. JOIN THE RANGER CORPS TODAY. Below it, a small group of protesters had gathered, but it was nowhere near the size I'd heard was on Oceanfront Road. Tens of thousands of people marching for a united cause. But that was none of my current business. "The restaurant should be around this street somewhere…" Buddy spotted it, and a writhing tentacle slipped out of my sleeve, making the people around me flinch. Even the Pidove nearly took flight despite knowing he was there. "Sorry! So sorry, he's harmless!" I quickly yelled before whispering in my shirt. "Don't scare people, dude!" He let out a long, cold sigh complaining about the fact that he was being blamed. I still felt like he'd enjoyed doing that and couldn't help but smile at him. He'd always had a knack to unsettling people, but genuinely scaring was a little recent. Personally, I thought he was always cute. "Wake up, Mimi…" while we waited to cross the street, my fingers tapped along the gold-rimmed bracelet, which slowly shivered around my wrist. "Take a look around." Months ago, I'd made a promise to the shapeshifted Meltan. We'd see the world together, gorge upon every new sight and story while they remained innocent and at peace. They couldn't contain their excitement—they returned to their original form, eye wobbling at the new sights. With an awed, vibrating squeal, they climbed on top of my head and pointed toward a street performer surrounded by a crowd. A trio of dancing Lillipup balanced on colored balls while their trainers juggled Pokeballs. Then toward a train thundering past overhead on the city's monorail system, sending a gust of wind down the street. Then something else, and something else, and we'd never get anything done if I listened to their every whim. "We'll have time to get into it all very soon. I'm just as excited as you are!" I picked them off my head, placing the metallic Pokemon on my shoulder opposite of Pidove. They held onto my hair, their eye bouncing around their golden rim as the city dazzled them. "For now, we have to buy food for the Poketch team, though." Bouffalant Burger was known for having some of the best, well, burgers in the city according to reviews. It was a small-scale restaurant that relied on a loyal customer base to compete with the big chains that were entrenched in Castelia and beyond. The logo was honestly charming and kind of funny—a Bouffalant wearing a paper fast-food hat and a bright red apron, holding a burger nearly as big as its head. Pidove requested to wait perched on said sign. She explained that being inside buildings made her anxious. "Very Unova-like," I mumbled as I crossed into the establishment. "In Sinnoh they'd tell you no one would ever take you seriously and scrap this." Buddy didn't reply, which wasn't cause for too much concern. He must have been focused on something else. It was quite busy given the activity around the city lately, with nearly every seat filled up and people and Pokemon chattering away over their food. I texted Melody I'd made it and that I was waiting in line, then decided to check around the Unovan trainer forums. The culture here was… well, not that Sinnoh didn't have its fair share of drama and flaming, but it was a lot more cutthroat. People were competing, and it showed. There were far fewer cooperative threads or advice-giving to go around, even if it was still present to some extent. The biggest ones were guides to have the best chance at ever getting sponsored by the 'big five' companies. X Technologies, Avalon, Crescent Global, the Opelucid Group, and the Obel Energy Company. A sponsorship from these companies, and you'd have all the resources you needed and more, or at least that was the story being sold. I'd been informed otherwise long ago by… I wondered how she was doing. Well, I hoped with a slight smile. "Next!" I blinked. "Wait, you're the guy in the picture!" I recognized him from when Melody looked up the restaurant; he was the owner. A little chubby, his hair tied in a bun, very clear grey eyes and a gap in his front teeth. "You're the guy who owns the place! Uh, David Thune, right?" His lips tugged upwards. "I work here nearly every day. Gotta show up for my people. What will it be for you today?" I listed out our orders and hoped to Arceus I hadn't messed up any. "You don't sound like you come from 'round here," he said. "Indigo?" "Sinnoh, actually!" I beamed, leaning against the counter. "I'm joining the Circuit this year." "Ah, I thought it must have been Kanto-Johto with…" he glanced at the left side of my face. "Not that I mean to be rude. It's a little strange seeing a kid that's been through so much." His eyes dropped back to the touchscreen as he entered my order. "I have a daughter your age, y'know?" "Not rude at all, I'm used to it." I shrugged, drumming my fingers against the countertop. "If it makes you feel any better, it was totally worth it." He frowned at that for some reason. "What's your name?" "Grace Pastel!" I truly hope he wouldn't forget. What better feeling was there to be remembered across the world? "This is Mimi." I pointed to the Meltan on my shoulder with a thumb. "That rings a bell. I think one of my daughters is a fan of yours—ah, let's not hold up the line." He waved to one of his employees. "Jensen! Cover for me for a few minutes." He then leaned forward and whispered, "Would you mind helping me with a favor? It has to do with my daughters." "Err, I'm in a little bit of a rush, but I can hear you out while they get my food ready." I might not be able to help, but I wanted to make my name echo across this country too, one good deed at a time. David led me to the back of the restaurant, a damp alley that smelled of cigarettes. The noise of Castelia dulled into a distant murmur between the towering brick walls. He crossed his arms and hesitated, as if he didn't know how to begin. "This has to stay between us." "For sure. I'm not one to spill a secret." Satisfied, David rubbed the back of his neck. "My daughters are involved in the protest today, and I don't want them hanging out with the wrong crowds," he said, somewhat embarrassed. "They have Plasma members in the mix trying to recruit people, you know? I don't know how familiar you are with—" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Oh, I'm very familiar," I cut him off. "I don't like talking politics," he said, "but I don't want them radicalized by those numbnuts. Since Cat is a fan of you because you're apparently close to Pokemon or something, I figured you might have some leeway and convince her to steer clear." "And if I convince her, her sister will follow suit?" "They're so close you'd think they're twins." He grinned fondly with clear love for his daughters. "They do everything together. I think there's no question. And if you want, in exchange, I'll give you a month's worth of meals on the house." "Wait, for real?" He nodded. "You're on!" David showed me a picture of his daughters, who did look very alike despite the fact that there was a three-year age gap between them. They were the spitting image of their father, with his silver eyes and hair. According to him, they'd be on Liberty Pier down Gym Street, which was luckily only fifteen minutes on foot from here. I told him to keep my order to be picked up when I swung back, hopefully with his daughters, and then went on my way, hoping to find Pidove waiting for me at the entrance. She was, however, gone. Had I taken too long for her tastes? She didn't strike me as an impatient bird, and I had a lot of experience with impatient Pokemon. "Huh. Hope she gets to eat something tasty soon, then," I said. "Maybe she didn't like your vibe." I giggled at Buddy, who remained ever so silent "Okay, what's got you so quiet?" He let out a series of quiet clicks and explained that he feared we were being followed by someone. Mimi trembled on my shoulder and turned back into a necklace around my neck. My eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" He answered that he was positive, and that he suspected Pidove was a spy. "Explain." The cadence in my step didn't change as he told me he'd planted a piece of himself on Pidove and that the flying type had flown back to someone else. The bird had been in the midst of telling him my position before he somehow noticed the minute part of him and sent Pidove on her way before he could track him down in detail. A deep, disappointed sigh escaped my lungs, and my ears started to buzz as a familiar warmth spread across my body. It was like stepping into old shoes. "What'd he look like?" I asked. Ghosts saw the world in monochrome, thus he could only tell me that it was a young man, possibly around my age, maybe a little older with long hair and a pale complexion. He wore a cap that had masked his face from his perspective on Pidove, who'd landed on his head. I had made no enemies here, yet it was as if the world itself was attempting to make me slip into my old habits. My skin prickled with the urge to track down and eliminate this would-be threat, to extract every answer from him and leave nothing hidden in the dark. Fear was a strange thing. Most people thought of it as a chain, but it had dictated nearly every major decision I'd made in the past year. Like a cornered animal, I had lashed out, fighting, torturing, killing, shedding all that made me human until it had nearly ruined me. I had wielded violence like a knife, hurting people before they could ever hope to hurt me. Still… I scratched the back of my head. "Man, old habits die hard, don't they?" Something didn't feel right. I began making my way toward Liberty Pier. "He's probably just a fan that was too embarrassed to approach and had his Pidove track me down." Buddy reluctantly agreed, but his heart clearly was not in it. I was done being a paranoid wreck. — Liberty Pier was one of Castelia's five piers, or 'five fingers' as people called them. Unlike some of the larger commercial piers, Liberty Pier primarily served ferries and passenger ships traveling between Castelia and the surrounding region. The air smelled of seawater, diesel, and the cries of Wingull and Pelipper mingled with the protesters' chants. Mimi wriggled excitedly around my neck. "What do we want?" "Protected habitats!" "When do we want them?" "Now!" I adjusted the volume on my hearing aid in my right ear; people were far too loud here and it kept spiking. Nothing done would stop things from being uncomfortable here, though. Of course, they also played music, handed out pamphlets and recruited for numerous organizations, and spoke to the media or among themselves. From my limited amount of research, Castelia was a city of bleeding hearts. It wore its conscience on its sleeve, unlike the settlements that still pressed against the wilderness. Various conflicts, whether they be simple disputes or rarely full-fledged attacks by fed-up Pokemon were routine in these frontier towns. The issue was, of course, that the situation was a never-ending cycle of violence. Rangers pressed their boots on the wilds' neck, and thus some Pokemon struck back against an ever encroaching threat. It was shocking how different things were here than Sinnoh, even if I'd come here rather well researched. There was, however, still a lot to learn if I wanted to eventually get my hands dirty. To find two girls in the mass of humanity, we were going to need to use Buddy's tricks. I whispered to him, and a piece of him slipped from my sleeve, dividing over and over and dissolving into a cold mist in the sky. People would have barely had time to notice anything, his lidless, red eyes spreading above the pier before they turned imperceptible. A trainer with a ghost, or a Pokemon experienced in sensing ghosts like my Electivire would have been able to figure something was off. The vast majority of these people were civilians—some with Pokemon of their own, yes, but civilians nonetheless. While Buddy scanned the area, I texted Melody once again, this time to tell her I might be late because the Bouffalant Burgers was packed. Technically not a lie. It took seven minutes for the ghost to locate who we were looking for, though Catherine, or Cat as her father called her, was without her sister. She did have company, though. She'd come to the protest with people who she seemed friendly with, and a Minccino whose head was peeking out of her backpack— "Wait, for real? That's so adorable—" Buddy told me to stop getting distracted. I blew a raspberry. "Killjoy. But you're right." He said he always was, which had my eyes rolling. The water type tugged me closer to the edge of the pier, where a cluster of ferries sat idle at their docks, trapped behind a sea of protesters that had swallowed the entire pier. Obstruction was the voice of the unheard, after all. There stood Catherine Thune, holding onto a sign advertising some kind of group. I squeezed past another row of people and tried waving at the girl to get her attention; she noticed me and frowned for a second, as if she was fitting the pieces together. There were few things more incredible than the look people gave when they recognized you—that little twinkle in their eyes. "Truth above!" Catherine squealed. "Are you Grace Pastel? Wait, I'm stupid, of course you are!" Dropping her sign, she grabbed both of my hands, shaking them up and down with the brightest of smiles. "I knew you were coming to Unova, but I'd never in a million years thought I'd ever see you! Wait, let me introduce you to everybody. Uh, this is Minccino." This spun around, allowing the little critter to wave at me from his backpack. "This is Erick, this is…" The boy caught my eye for a simple reason. Beneath his casual expression was a deep-seated rage. It sat beneath his skin like a bed of coals, waiting for the slightest breath to fan it back into an inferno. I could smell it burning in him. He noticed me staring. For the briefest instant, the fire disappeared behind an easy smile that I mirrored, but he did not fool me. What followed was a couple more names that I did my best to commit to memory even if I'd probably never see these people again. If only Cassianus was here. The Claydol would have been able to put us in a soundproof bubble to hear each other speak. It was difficult not to be overwhelmed by all the new stimulation, even if I was having fun. "So you're a fan, right?" I asked. "What's your favorite battle of mine? A lot of people say Crasher Wake." The girl's face fell. "Oh. I mean, it's not really about the battles?" She awkwardly shuffled in place. "I got to know you because of that interview you did with Mallory Ryan. About how you were so friendly with wild Pokemon. From there I just got to know that you've got great intuition with them and can pretty much guess what they say, right? I'd never seen someone as good as you before, and I thought I was!" Catherine seemed over the moon again, beaming like the sun. Right. That made a lot more sense—Mesprit giggled in the back of my head at the misunderstanding. We were so far apart, communication was rare now, but I could still feel them once in a while. Hopefully we'd find a remedy to that issue. My answer came as a simple nod. "It really is an honor," someone else added. "Are you here to protest?" Catherine asked. "It's truly horrifying what they plan on doing. It was never this bad with Alder a few years ago. Mark Obel is a corporate stooge." "Errr. Yeah." I swallowed, deciding it was time to bring up her dad. I leaned in to whisper. "I'm actually here 'cause of your dad." Catherine's shoulders sagged. She tipped her head back toward the sky as if silently asking Arceus for patience himself. "There are apparently a bunch of Plasma people in the crowds and he's looking out for you." "Dragons above," she groaned. "Yes, and I've already been approached by like five goons already. I'm here because my sister and I just started our own org recently and we were recruiting. It's not going very well…" she trailed off; Minccino grabbed something in her backpack and handed it to her from behind, squealing in her ear. "Oh! Here, take a look." She handed me a folded pamphlet. I opened it and found The Representation League printed across the top in bold letters. The front of the pamphlet was a cacophony of hand and paw prints from different Pokemon species and a human. I thought I recognized Minccino's on here, and maybe an Audino's? It was difficult to tell, though it was quite the heartwarming logo. Inside were a few pages about Pokemon welfare, trainer regulations, and proposed labor protections for Pokémon working in construction, transportation, and emergency services. There were also proposed solutions to the constant human encroaching across the wilds. There were statistics, quotes from researchers, and a donation link and QR code squeezed into the bottom corner. "That's cute," I said. "It's cute, but we're serious! I'm the face and PR while Maddie—my older sister Madeline—she runs things behind the scenes. The budget and such." She stared at me for a moment, and I already knew where this was going. "Hey, we actually have a meeting on the 31st at six, so a day before the Circuit starts. That's what we're handing these for, mainly. You should come!" "Um—" "Just give us a chance! We're super small I know, but we plan on being super active!" "I'm not sure—" "Having you around would be so sick, especially for Pokemon-human relations! I'll see you there! Tell my dad I won't mess with Plasma!" She turned back to her friends. "Okay guys, let's keep moving! See you soon, Grace!" She waved at me as she left. "Uh… okay?" She left before I could even say anything else. My eyes drifted down to the pamphlet where their address was written. "Legendaries," I mumbled. Honestly, I really wanted to show up. I'd come to Unova for numerous reasons.I wanted my name to travel further than I ever could, carried from person to person like a story around a campfire. To adventure again and uncover these new lands even larger than Sinnoh's. To sharpen my edge against new whetstones until there was nothing left to grind away and I could stand among the best. But this, too, was exactly why I'd come. To help Pokemon in need in a country where they were less fortunate. Buddy understood, yet he was telling me to stop considering her offer "You're right. It'd be nice, but…" I bit my lip. How frustrating, to be chained like this. "Yeah, better not rock the boat so soon." — We were being followed again. This time, he was taking no precautions. According to Buddy, he'd been following us one block away pretty consistently, and I'd noticed a flock of Pidove flying overhead every time I looked up. There were a lot of Pidove in Castelia, but this couldn't be a coincidence. Unwilling to lead this potential stalker to where the Poketch team would be working, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and confront this individual. Buddy was out of my shirt now that we had so many packaged meals to carry—his rudimentary psychic abilities meant that he needed line of sight on any matter he wanted to manipulate. People in Unova were rather coddled. Pokemon were classified into tiers, and only trainers with a certain amount of badges or special certifications were allowed to own species classified as dangerous by the government—that was if you ignored the monetary loopholes one could go through to get those lifted. Jellicent were predators of the deep, often unfeeling ghosts who lay in wait for months at the time for their next prey, stealing their life energy and devouring their lifespan for themselves. All of that to say: People weren't terrified of a Jellicent out and about per say, but this stalker would think twice when he turned into this dark alley and spotted him by my side doing his meanest of looks. We simply needed to scare him off. Castelia might have been the largest city in the world, but finding an empty alley turned out to be rather easy. A few turns away from Bouffalant Burgers and I found a narrow stretch of concrete tucked between two office buildings. Five minutes of walking was all it took before I found myself somewhere nobody cared enough to look. "Alright, then." I turned toward where I'd just come from, soothing Mimi's trembles with a caressing finger. "Get your Scary Face on, Bud." The Jellicent scoffed, saying he'd never learned the intricacies of the move. "I know, I know!" I waved a hand dismissively. "I just meant—you know what, just scare the kid and let's be on our way." I crouched and tapped my chin. "I guess that move would fit you. It's a lot of work to get to a level that's not 'scare things for a split second' though." Buddy sighed, then asked me to please take the situation seriously. "I am." That is the only reassurance he needed from me. We'd been through too much for him to doubt me now. It took only a minute for Pidove to start circling overhead, and another three for the culprit to finally prance into the alleyway. I squinted at him, and was struck by how objectively handsome he turned out to be. He looked to be around my age, maybe a little older. Long green hair spilled past his shoulders in messy waves that somehow managed to look intentional, framing a delicate face that could have fit on a girl. A loose, white shirt and beige pants hung off his long, thin body, and he had a necklace around his neck that looked like some sort of planet, along with some strange cube chained to his pants. Several Pidove fluttered around him, landing all over his body. I recognize the first one who had spied on me on his cap from her thinner disposition. My eyes darted all over him to assess threats. There were no Pokeballs on his belt, and his pockets didn't show any signs of anything that could be one. Was the Pidove not his? Neither did he carry any sort of bag to hide anything in. Buddy's trap had already been set. There was a half open gutter next to where the boy stood under which he'd hidden a Night Shade ready to explode and kill him within a fraction of a second. If that didn't work, he'd be stunned long enough for his real body to slip inside of him and boil him alive. "Listen, man," I rose on my feet. "I'm on vacation, okay? I'm here to have a good time and make friends, so can we not do this whole thing?" My finger alternated pointing toward me and him. "May I have the pleasure of knowing why you've been following me for the past hour?" I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply as I pulled deep within Emotion. This isn't something I'd usually rely on, but I needed to be certain. Even an ocean away from Lake Verity, I remained Mesprit's Shard. He didn't appear to have any nefarious emotions. What rolled off him instead was curiosity: a pale gold that stretched toward me and coiled around my ankles. He just stood there a few seconds, observing me as I observed him. The murderous stare Buddy was giving him wasn't working one bit, either, and I knew for a fact it would have unsettled my closest friends back in Sinnoh despite them having known him for a year. He pointed at the ghost. "Your Pokemon told me to get away from you if I don't want to die." His voice was soft, yet he spoke with incredible confidence and at a pace quicker than most. How had he…? "What does Pidove say?" he asked. The bird on his cap flapped her wings and sang. Slightly breathless, I replied, "She apologizes about tricking me and hopes I forgive her." Months ago, I'd spoken to a Plasma Organization sage named Rood who had been passing by Sinnoh, and he had told me I was the second person he'd met who could understand Pokemon perfectly. Was it a fluke? No, no way. It couldn't be. The green-haired teen spread his arms and gave me the widest of smiles. "Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "So it was no lie! You exist!" He took a few steps toward me— "Don't!" I warned my Jellicent not to kill him and to stand down. "Hey, dude. This is nice and all, but—you should take my Pokemon at his word." He grabbed the cube dangling from his pants, his expression turning warm and soft. "No need. I see the future," he clenches his hand around it, "I see where it all leads me clearly. I do not die today." Okay. So he was weird—but this was an incredible discovery. "Okay, wait." I lifted a hand at him. "Can I have your contact information or—or something? I've wanted to meet you for months—" "I'm afraid not." His tone turned cold. "Why?" How could he not want to explore this connection we shared? "I don't understand. Did you only seek me out to confirm that I was like you?" "Is it not obvious to you? Then you're even worse than I thought." The words spilled from his mouth in a disappointed cascade. "You understand our friends and hear their truth." The Pidove flew around him, basking in his love. "You hear their plight, and yet you do so little. Only small acts of kindness instead of anything that might threaten this system of oppression our rotten society is based on." He pointed at my Pokeball. "Exploitation. Slavery. Bloodsport. We capture them. We command them. We decide where they live, who they fight, when they eat, when they breed. We call it partnership because it makes us feel better." He gestured toward Bud. "And yet they trust us anyway." The boy turned away and left without another word, and I just let him. What was I going to do, stalk him back? His words… struck me a little. For a few minutes, I leaned against the alley wall deep in thought. Some of what he'd said was nonsense reminiscent of Rood. The old man must have gotten into this poor kid's head and influenced him with Plasma's ideology. He'd probably found me online and hoped I'd be the same as him, taking this opportunity to meet me. The rest of it? Was he not correct that I used small kind acts and pretended like they, in the grand scheme, mattered at all? Did it matter if I stopped a Pokemon from being captured against their will if another trainer passed by a week later and submitted them to the same fate? "It doesn't," I answered myself, my eyes tightly shut. Buddy places a tentacle around my shoulder in support, and I put my hand on his before grabbing the The Representation League pamphlet. "6:00pm. If I find a good excuse…" Enough stalling and sitting around. Enough putting this off. I was going to go in secret and see where the story took me.

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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2 The Land Of Ideals

CHAPTER 2 - THE LAND OF IDEALS If one wished to understand a scientist, one could begin with their desk. To Cecilia Obel, Professor Juniper's was an irritating disaster. Research papers were buried beneath field reports, which were buried beneath photographs, which were in turn buried beneath sticky notes covered in frantic handwriting. Not only that, but every piece of equipment looked a generation older than it should have been. The lab was constantly strapped for cash, and the computers looked as old as she was. Admittedly, Cecilia had been sold a much rosier version of Nuvema Labs than what turned out to be reality. She'd expected a small-scale operation, but if this year did not prove successful for the laboratory, it may very well go under. Still, the dark-skinned girl was happy enough to be given any work. Despite no longer having access to the Obel fortune, Juniper had placed a lot of hopes on Cecilia, along with the fact that she had Pokemon usually not accessible in Unova to study without more money. Perhaps this year would be the first time Cecilia made a difference—a true difference in someone's life. Perhaps she would take destiny by the reins and decide where she was headed. But she was getting ahead of herself. Every journey began with a single step. "Professor, you called for me?" She made her voice as emotive as possible, something she had to put plenty of effort in. "I hope this is a good time." Professor Juniper jumped before swiveling around in her chair, offering the Unovan a small, nervous smile which slowly turned genuine. Cecilia would have to take more notes about scaring people from behind. "Your Scizor will be happy to hear that I'm done studying him. He was giving me quite the glare by the end." Cecilia glanced through the observation window. Scizor had endured the procedure with remarkable patience, but that patience had finally run dry. An assortment of sensors and measuring instruments were fastened to his crimson carapace. He looked deeply offended by their existence. "I hope you got all the data you were hoping for?" Cecilia took a step, and teasingly tapped a finger on the glass. The bug type opened a claw at her and hissed, his wings flapping in irritation. By the attack's brightness and strength, it'd be a good old Flash Cannon and not any of the new fancy tricks they'd learned. One had to learn to gauge these things when they couldn't see color— Juniper let out a blood-curdling scream, hiding under her desk until Cecilia realized how such an action could have been perceived. "Oh—I'm so sorry Professor, he's—he's fooling around," Cecilia stuttered. Frustrated, she mouthed a 'really?' at Scizor, who shrugged and ignored her complaints. What did he care if they had a bad impression of him? "He means no harm, I promise." Juniper exhaled, peeking from the false safety of the table, and let out a shaky breath. "Great ideals," she whispered to herself. "I've seen a lot of Pokemon-trainer dynamics, but never this one. Sorry for losing my cool." "It's alright." The Pokemon Aurea Juniper researched were usually more docile and weaker than this. The Professor had specialized in the origins of Pokemon themselves, along with ancient civilizations. One of the first things she'd told Cecilia during her welcome party was that one of her dreams was to study the many ruins dotting Orre—not that they were ancient at all—but that her wife would always refuse without proper security to protect her. The trainer had promised her she'd make it happen. She owed Juniper for the many opportunities she would get this year. Eccentric as she was, the Professor knew people. Cecilia found Scizor standing amid a graveyard of discarded testing equipment, having already freed himself from anything Juniper had attached to his carapace. She thanked him for sacrificing his evening for her, promised that he was finally done with experiments for as long as he wished, and recalled him. Through the looking glass, she noticed Cheren and Bianca enter Juniper's lab most likely to investigate what that scream had been. "...really nothing, don't worry about it, kids," Juniper said as Cecilia walked out. Kids, they were. Not just because Cecilia towered over them—she was taller than even Professor Juniper, after all—but because of the innocence in their eyes. It reminded her of… no, not better times, but simpler ones. The start of her journey in Sinnoh with so many expectations swelling in her heart. Despite the challenges ahead, it felt good to be home. "Evening, Cecilia," Cheren greeted her with a small wave. "I hope the Professor didn't give you too much trouble." "Oh, not at all." Bianca, meanwhile, struggled to look Cecilia in the eyes much. Part of her believed it was because she had no irises and pupils to speak of, or maybe the two massive twin scars running down her face from fighting Jupiter near the peak of Mount Coronet. Either way, the blonde offered her a much more muted greeting. "I don't give people trouble, Cheren!" Juniper protested. The boy adjusted his glasses and crossed his arm. "I think I recall a time when you made me skip school by promising that I'd get my starter earlier, and that was just some bogus lie to make me find Hilbert. Speaking of, is he home?" "I'd hope so. He's been going out a lot now that he has his Oshawott," Cheren said. The Professor nodded, then bent at her desk to turn off her computer and gather some of the notes she'd taken on Scizor for the past few hours. "Well, it's two days out to the start of the Circuit, so y'all better get your affairs in order before leaving for a year. Oh, and again, make sure he sticks with you for the beginning of it. We don't want him to get in trouble. Cecilia, may I talk to you for a second?" The four filtered out of the testing room, and Juniper dragged Cecilia to the side of the laboratory front office. This late at night, all of the staff had left to go home. "Uh, I assume that I won't be able to study Spiritomb yet, correct?" she asked, yet already knew the answer. This was the crux of why she'd been sponsored. For any professor, the opportunity to study a Pokemon as rare as Spiritomb was a dream come true. For someone whose passion lay in ancient civilizations? It was what she'd been born to do. The Unovan shook her head. "They're far from ready." Right now, Juniper mentally wouldn't survive the encounter. "I'll try my best to heal their anger, but I don't want to rush them into anything." She nodded. "Of course, of course. No issues from me there," she nervously laughed. "Oh, and also, if you make it to Striaton City by the 15th of September, there should be an opportunity to meet with some bigwigs through Fennel. I think Cilan will be there; they'll want to discuss Dragons know what, but it'll be a policy meet." The not-ghost's heart skipped a beat at the chance that was being presented. Finally, she'd have a chance to plant her roots here. This sponsorship was already paying dividends. She thanked Juniper what felt like ten times before the Professor got in her car and left. Nuvema was one of the many, many small towns that dotted Unova, and thus contained no Pokemon Center. As a result, Cecilia needed to stay in the only motel they had. She'd just been about to release her Slowking to Teleport her when Cheren called out to her. "Excuse me!" She turned, head tilting just a little too far and enough to clearly unsettle the two kids. "Uh, since the Circuit starts soon and you have a lot of experience with this sort of stuff. Um, traveling, training, Gym Battles and the like," he mumbled nervously, "Bianca and I were wondering if we could come over to ask for some advice?" The fair-haired girl nodded. "S—sorry. We don't want to be a bother. You must be so busy—" "Not at all!" Cecilia beamed. Connecting with people this way was the kind of stuff she'd always wanted to be better at! She kept a journal where she noted down what she learned about socializing each day, for Arceus' sake! "I'm free for the next few hours; I'd love to give you two any advice!" Both Cheren and Bianca looked at each other for a moment with a sigh of relief, their lips curving upward. It seemed that they believed her to be far less approachable than she desired to be. "Have any of you Teleported before?" she asked with a grin. — Cecilia's room was small enough that they could take in most of it from the doorway. A double bed with a floral bedsheet occupied one wall, and opposite it sat a squat dresser supporting an aging television that looked older than everyone in this room. The one time she'd tried turning on the damn thing, the screen had been full of static. A narrow desk had been squeezed beneath the window. The room smelled faintly of detergent and old wood. For all its deficiencies, especially compared to what she might find in a Pokemon Center in a larger town or city, Cecilia thought this motel had its charm. The proprietors were the sweetest old couple who had been very nice to her despite her many… social deficiencies. "It's not much, but make yourselves at home." Cecilia allowed them in first, as proper etiquette dictated. While they scuttled in, her eyes met Slowking's. I still can't believe you're having guests over, Slowking spoke inside her mind teasingly. She rolled her eyes at him—not that he'd be able to tell if he hadn't known her. The psychic waddled in, and she closed the door behind him. She made a mental note not to linger in front of it for too long, since that could end up unsettling them. What better to do than thrust herself within the storm, anyway, the dark-skinned girl thought to herself. Cecilia was no good at reading people, but she could at least see this: Cheren struck her as an overachiever. He had studied the ins and outs of the Circuit, preparing as best he could for the journey ahead. From her few interactions with him, she knew he had one of the highest Certification Exam grades for the year across the country , and yet this did little to satiate his hunger for power and greatness. She did not know why he strived to do so much in so little time. The pale boy released his Snivy, with whom he trained every day for hours on end in his backyard. The grass type stood up straight, greeting his trainer with a respectful nod. "O—oh! I guess I'll—sorry!" Bianca fumbled inside her purse, awkwardly stumbling as she pulled out her Pokeball. A Tepig materialized next to Snivy, whom the fire type tried to headbutt with affection. Snivy pushed himself up with two vines, and Tepig hit the foot of her bed. Ah, youth. I miss when you were so bad at handling your Pokeballs… Slowking lamented with a sigh. "I was never—" she stared at Cheren, Bianca, and their starters, who were looking up at her with so many expectations. "Sorry, my Slowking is being a pest." Her Pokemon shrugged. With their minds so inexperienced, he couldn't speak to them without giving them a horrible headache until they acclimated to a psychic presence. Yes, Bianca… now that the Circuit was so soon, the girl had turned into a nervous wreck nearly as bad as a certain Wimpod back in Sinnoh. Every time the blonde spoke about her prospects, she did so without any expectations and from a position of weakness. Cecilia would often overhear her at the lab talking to her friends about how she'd be glad if she could get even one badge, but that she'd rather not hope to not be disappointed. She knelt, grabbing her Tepig in her arms and petting the fire type. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. In a way, they both reminded Cecilia of herself at the start of her journey. She dragged her desk chair and sat down facing her bed with her legs elegantly crossed. Once she cleared her throat, she began. "So. You two wanted advice. First, before any tips about training or moves or anything of the sort, I have to ask an important question. Why are you going on this journey?" Cecilia remembered when her old friends back in Sinnoh spoke about their dreams and goals. About how their eyes practically sparkled as if the future were something they could already see waiting for them just beyond the horizon. Even at the beginning when their goals hadn't materialized quite yet, there was something beautifully childish about wanting to explore, to make connections and to grow stronger. Grace Pastel had shown her that at the outset of their journey. Cheren? Cheren frowned as if he couldn't even understand the question. "To become stronger." At his feet, Snivy gave a nod of approval. "And?" His face scrunched up in confusion. "Well, if I become the Champion, that means I'm the strongest. And if I'm the strongest, well," he paused to chuckle, "That means I've got the freedom to do whatever. I dunno, that seems pretty obvious to me, right?" Cecilia thought like this once. The feeling had seemingly been vindicated when she saw Cynthia for the first time, swooping in on her Garchomp at Valley Windworks to save her from Team Galactic. Yet as the months went by and she got to know the Champion better, she realized this was far from the truth. "What do you mean?" Cecilia asked, tilting her head. "Think of it this way," the boy continued. "Everything in our society comes from how powerful you and your Pokemon are. I'm going to be the Champion, and then I can do whatever I want." There wasn't a trace of arrogance in his voice. If anything, he sounded as though he were explaining a mathematical formula. Champion equaled strongest. Strongest equaled freedom. Therefore, Champion equaled freedom. Simple, yet catastrophically wrong. Still, she couldn't deny that there was a certain magnetism to his naivety, egotism and pride all wrapped up into one, neat and studious teen. Cecilia considered explaining that she shed herself of this mindset, but perhaps it would be best for his development if he discovered this for himself. "Very ambitious," she said. "I wish you good luck." She didn't even know how she would go about it, anyhow. Cecilia was no good with people yet, and she wanted to be friendly with her new colleagues. Arceus knew abrasiveness had gotten her nowhere back in Sinnoh, instead bringing nothing but ruin to her friendships. "What about you, Bianca?" she probed, leaning slightly forward. The meek little girl leaned back in response, eyes drifting away from hers. She lifted a hand in front of her mouth and stumbled over words for a moment. "I, uh, yeah. I want to—" she took a deep breath. "I just want to see what's out there, I guess!" she finally got out. "I know it's not as crazy or grand as Cheren and Hilbert, but I don't care about being the strongest, I think. I guess I just want to explore Unova and maybe find something I want to do…" Bianca shifted in place, almost embarrassed by her admission. "A perfectly valid goal. They don't need to be huge, they just need to push you forward." The blonde scratched her cheek and laughed awkwardly. "It's suffocating in my house. My dad watches that stupid Crescent News all day and they always say a bunch of nonsense." "They call you a Sinnohan spy," Cheren said. That elicited a snort, and the tension in the room eased. Before long, the conversation had turned to Cecilia's own journey. She recounted a handful of stories, carefully selecting the happier ones and keeping the focus on herself and her Pokemon rather than the friends who had once shared the road with her—most of whom she no longer had. They were obviously avoiding the burning question on their tongue: how she'd become a pale imitation of a ghost. The two vaguely knew that she'd helped Sinnoh fight back against Team Galactic, but nothing else. It wasn't long before she had them speak about themselves again, this time for advice. Cheren thought of battling in a very rigid way. He'd gone over every Pokemon he could potentially get and made a list of twenty he would be happy with to make what he believed was the best team. He carried a diary filled with neatly organized training schedules for Snivy, complete with color-coded notes detailing what they would practice and when over the coming month. Already, he'd started thinking about how to tackle the Gym at Striaton when it had taken Cecilia until she got to Oreburgh to start doing the same for her own first Gym battle. No, the things he asked of her, therefore, were more esoteric. How did she know when to trust her instincts over a plan? How did she know when a strategy was worth abandoning? How could she tell whether a loss was caused by a bad strategy, poor training, or simply being outmatched? It was enough to overwhelm her, in truth. She did not think anywhere as rigidly about battling any longer, but she still tried her best to aid him, with Slowking occasionally helping her find the words. Bianca was content to soak up the information with Tepig napping in her arms. But penultimately, he asked this question: "How can you tell if a loss is a fluke or not?" Cecilia opened her mouth to answer, then stopped. She tapped a finger against her knee and considered the question for a moment. "Well, I suppose that if you're very even in skill and power, the coin could fall either way on any given day," Cecilia said. "But you shouldn't take a defeat thinking about flukes and whatnot. You should learn from each defeat." "You're right." Cheren smiled, though his grip tightened on the edge of the bed. Snivy gave his leg a reassuring pat, but the gesture seemed to have the opposite effect. A moment later, the boy rose to his feet. "Thanks for the advice," he said. "I think I'm going to call it a night. Snivy and I have some training to do before we head to bed." The grass type was already following him toward the door before he'd finished speaking. What a loyal little bugger, Slowking noted. When the door closed, Cecilia glanced back at Bianca. "What about you? Anything specific you want to know?" "Not really," she said. "I wouldn't want to waste your time; we've been here so long already." The blonde laughed awkwardly. "It isn't wise to put yourself down constantly like this—" Bianca spoke over her. "I'm not putting myself down." Realizing she'd raised her voice, her eyes widened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to I—again, I'm just being realistic and all." Not wanting to overstep, Cecilia nodded, allowing Bianca to get ready to leave. She gently placed her starter on the bed and recalled him in his sleep. "You're good with Pokemon," Cecilia noted. "Pfft," she snorted, dismissing her compliment. "I mean it. Back when I was just starting out, I was doing a lot wrong. My Scizor would be the first to tell you that." It had taken a lot to get the bug type to forgive her for her violent methods. "This'll take you far." Bianca's cheeks flushed—though it was somewhat difficult to tell in monochrome. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." She fidgeted with her thumbs with her eyes stuck to the floor. "Um. If you'd like, I'd love to have your—you know what, nevermind." "No, no, go ahead." "I'd—I mean, it'd just be for advice!" She pulled her phone out of her purse. It took a moment for Cecilia to realize she was asking for her contact information. The taller trainer figured it'd actually be best to have a way to contact all of her colleagues besides Juniper and a few important members of the lab, thus she accepted the request. She was still using her old Poketch phone she'd purchased back in Sinnoh, which was a lot thicker and more cumbersome than the expertly made X-Tech device. She made herself scarce after that. Slowking chuckled to himself. I think she might have a little something for you. "I think she's shy and scared of me," Cecilia said. Why not all three? "Possible, but I'm hoping it isn't the case." She patted down the comforter on her bed, then dragged the chair back to its desk. "Legendaries know I'm not looking for anything romantic anytime soon. And she's too innocent and young for me." You're a year older than her, but yeah, I get it. He nodded sagely with his hands behind his back. Want me to Teleport you to the usual place now? With her heart beginning to pound in her chest from what awaited her, she shook her head. She needed more time to get into the correct state of mind. "I think I'll walk." — Nuvema was, for all intents and purposes, on the smaller end of towns in Unova. Home to a few hundred people and a stubborn collection of weatherworn buildings, it sat at the edge of the region like an afterthought scribbled into the margins of a map. There was a quietness to the place that brought comfort, on nights like these. The roads wound lazily between modest homes painted in fading colors, their porches decorated with flower boxes and old rocking chairs. Beyond them stretched rolling fields and pockets of woodland that swallowed the horizon in shades of green. Within that woodland, Cecilia had traveled each night, away from civilization. The forest had proved to be the best environment for what she was about to do, away from prying eyes and shielded from patrolling rangers in the sky. She traveled to the usual clearing she utilized, making sure no other wild Pokemon were near—though most had learned to avoid the area by now. She settled on a fallen tree, sitting on its tough bark with her hands folded on her lap. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, and her skin prickled in anticipation. To experience such pain, such physical anger once had taken everything she'd had. To do it daily, albeit to a lesser extent, required the most ardent of minds. Spiritomb's Pokeball felt uncomfortably hot to the touch, as if she was touching concrete on a summer day. None of her other Pokemon were present—no, this needed to be done by her and her alone. The last thing she needed was for the constantly furious ghost to mistake her caution for a threat. Her team hadn't approved of it at the beginning, but she'd proven herself capable of conversing with Spiritomb without risking herself. Her stomach aching with anxiety, she released Spiritomb into the tall grass. She could see the obsidian keystone flickering, pulsing with energy amidst the vegetation. Clenching her hands, she braced for their arrival. Cynthia's Spiritomb had been built to prey on someone's worst fears enough to turn them despondent. Hers targeted rage and turned the emotion into physical agony. She could already feel the first warning signs. A tightening in her chest. A pressure building behind her eyes. The faint ache of muscles wound too tight. She could not see its color, yet knew the screaming wisps seeping through the keystone were red instead of purple, violent like flames instead of uniform. They gathered into a jagged disc suspended above the ground. Faces emerged and sank beneath its surface like victims writhing beneath the flames. MEAT, they spoke out as one. "Good evening," she replied. "Should we get back to what we were speaking about yesterday with Hasinaw—" she blinked, and suddenly she saw herself burning in flames hot enough to melt her down to the bone. Her tongue caught in her throat, and she collapsed to the ground. Cecilia couldn't tell what was happening. She'd been reduced to a limp body incapable of telling her fingers apart from her feet because it all hurt so damn much. YOU BRING ANOTHER TO THIS MEETING. What? The Unovan's eyes darted in their sockets desperate to find the intruder, but found none. Yet she heard the groans of a boy nearby, most likely in the same predicament she was. Fool, she had been, too entranced by the routine of this meeting to be extra careful every time; she hadn't made sure the perimeter was clear. WHERE IS HIS HATRED? Frustrated, the Spiritomb swirled more violently, bringing nightmares of fire and brimstone. Cecilia didn't want to see her brother's flesh washed away by the hateful flames. She'd been reborn anew, and her life would no longer be about others, but herself. "Please," she groaned, clenching at dirt and grass. "Hasinaw…" A Spiritomb was inhabited by one hundred and eight souls all wound together by one horrifying fate. To gain their favor was to win over the majority, and that started with one . Hasinaw and her clique's influence lingered throughout the clearing, granting Cecilia enough relief to rise to her feet and recall the ghost. Cecilia hacked out a cough, closing and opening her fist to make sure she'd regained control of her body. She wiped the drool off her chin, then stumbled against the fallen tree. Something rustled in the tall grass just beyond what she could see. Hilbert Cassidy crawled forth, vomit still dribbling down the corners of his mouth. A ragged breath tore from his throat, scraping against it like chalk dragged across a blackboard. Cecilia rushed toward him, finding her balance now that someone was in danger. Was the pain so much for his inexperienced mind that he would have to delay the start of his journey? Would he be traumatized forever and no longer wish to leave? Or worst case scenario, would she have to carry the guilt of his brain death upon her shoulders? Instead, the boy chuckled dryly, turning to face the sky with Oshawott's Pokeball clasped against his chest. "Thank the Legendaries," he whispered to himself. Cecilia understood he was glad his starter hadn't been with him. When Cecilia reached him and grabbed his arm, his eyes snapped into focus as awareness of where he was flooded back. "I'm alright… I think," he mumbled. The two sat down on the floor in silence. The clearing was quiet save for the rustling of leaves overhead and the distant chirping of wild Pokémon going about their evening. It felt strangely normal considering what had just happened. Hilbert's breathing gradually slowed from frantic gasps to something resembling normal. "I'm so sorry. This—this is completely on me." Cecilia's head hung low. "I should have asked my Slowking if anyone was around. I fully understand if you report this to the Professor and—" "Oh no, I was following you," Hilbert said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What was that? It was so scary…" The dark-skinned trainer blinked in confusion. "Why were you following me?" "Because I was curious is all. Some Pokemon told me your Golurk had told them not to show up here around this time and I wondered why." He shivered, recalling the Spiritomb's ransacking of his mind no doubt. "I guessed that you wouldn't tell me if I asked 'cause you didn't tell anyone else." And he was correct. No one was supposed to know, but Cecilia had no idea the teen was close enough with the wildlife here to get so much information from them. "To be honest, they were kinda scared and I figured checking would be good, but I was also curious," he corrected. "I mean, you're an intriguing person, Cecilia!" His face lit up. "Look at you! How does one get like that? How'd you get the scars? And your eyes? Your creepy tendencies? I wanna hear your story!" Even though the questions took her aback, there was no malice in his tone. Cecilia remembered what Spiritomb had noted before glowering with further rage. Where is his hatred? No soul was so pure that it lacked shadows. Somewhere, hidden beneath layers of love, hope, and forgiveness, there was always a spark of hatred waiting for someone cruel enough to breathe on it. Yet they'd found nothing to use and must have resorted to a basic form of Pressure. Hilbert's inexperienced body would have still been shaken by the ability. It must have been a mistake. It had to be. "It'd be long," Cecilia finally answered. "And there are wounds that are still fresh. Maybe some other day." "Aww." He crossed his legs and pouted like a child. "That's okay, though. Oshawott says the same thing and I let it go." "Your Oshawott?" "Yup! She's weird, but I love weird! She threw her scalchop away recently and her body's started growing a new one." He threw his head back and sighed. "That made beating Cheren the other day such a headache! He nearly got us!" Ah. Things were… clicking into place. "Say, Hilbert," she said, "why are you going on this journey?" The boy grinned, adjusting his cap. His eyes glinted in the night without an ounce of maliciousness, yet threateningly all the same. "I just want humans and Pokemon to be happy, and your brother's in my way." She felt a chill run down her spine.

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