Running Hot

The building was clearly designed by some big-shot architect because the layout was imbecilic. But at least somewhere along the line, someone had thought to put up plaques where the many hallways intersected, so Zinnia located the projects archive without much trouble.

Aster flicked an ear to confirm that no one was inside before they went in. The room was cramped and chilly to keep the servers cool and a good deal less well lit than the overly bright hallway outside. Aster stayed by the door while Zinnia went right to the bank of screens to start her search.

“I don’t like this,” Aster muttered.

“I know, Flower, but who’s going to come in here at four in the afternoon? Workday is almost over. Besides, Maximus has Stern occupied.”

Her first two guess yielded nothing of interest, but her third, Relicanth, was right on the money. She pulled up the sub schematics and transferred a copy to the devise she was given.

“Good to go!”

Aster grunted and they went out the way they’d come. Zinnia dropped the keycard on the lobby floor not far from where she nicked it so that someone would find it and walked out the doors. The ocean was growing darker past the dry-dock to her left, but was a bright, glittering orange on the opposite horizon as the sun settled lower over it.

“Told you it would less than an hour,” said Zinnia to her daughter. “Now we have time to grab something to eat so Datura doesn’t get us back too early. Not so bad after all.”

“An opportunity in disguise,” Aster grumbled. “We’re learning so many useful skills.” How did she raise such a sarcastic child?

“Remind me to put them on my resume when this is all over.”

It was a joke of course—the sort Zinnia always made, but her daughter rarely appreciated—built upon the premise that there would be anything afterward for her, that a scenario existed in which she survived this, that she wasn't going to die to save the planet, that they wouldn't fail again and kill everyone. That last one wasn’t even worth entertaining. There was no point. What they were doing was already the height of desperation.

As for the rest? Zinnia had squared with her death long ago. It had clung close for years now, so familiar that it was almost comforting. All was in order.

Slateport’s beaches were enormous—the largest Ren had ever seen. They wrapped two-thirds of the way around the city and stretched at least a hundred meters beyond the dunes and smooth slate walkway. There were sandbars out further still that people and pokemon had swam to. Ren took off her boots and let her feet sink into the dry, shifting sand. She winced at the scorching heat until it was up to her ankles, but Tāraki flopped down and let out something akin to a purr as he splayed out.

“According to the visitor’s guide, all the battling in the city takes place out here,” Ren told her team.

Māia gave a few experimental flaps on her shoulder. “Excellent! The wind is perfect!”

Panahi clacked her beak in agreement.

“Akahana, you should still be taking it easy, so just let me know if you’d rather rest in your ball.” She nodded. “Iki.”

The Surskit startled out of Ren’s shadow. “Y-yes?”

“I want you to take the lead, if you feel up to it.”

“What?”

Ren rubbed at her shoulder. “Sometimes it seems like you still don’t think you’re a battler. But that’s my fault for neglecting your training. If you give me another chance, I bet I can prove to you that you can be.” Iki fidgeted. “What’d ya say, little bug? Want to give this a go?”

Iki glanced at Akahana before squaring up to Ren. “Y-yeah, let’s do it!”

Was it hope, or did you see potential in her?

“I knew she could be great. Even though it scared her, she always had such unshakable dedication. It ran deeper than even I knew. She threw her all into every fight. The fear never made her freeze, it only made instincts keener. There was no way she wouldn’t become a top battler.”

I see.

“Is that why I chose her in the first place? I thought…”

Do not doubt yourself. The way you have sought to heal and empower all of those bonded to you—to use your strength to protect even strangers—is why I chose you. It is at your very core, Ren.

“You’re right. I’ve always wanted to do good with my abilities, even when I still wanted to do great things.”

It is my belief that you will do both.

Trainers were scattered all around and battles took place wherever they could find enough open space between the other beachgoers. Much to Tāraki and Māia’s delight, there were more than enough opponents around the right badge level for Ren’s entire team to get some practice between Iki’s bouts.

The matches by the seaside were particularly exciting and informative. Water moves could manifest so differently with a source so readily available, and fully aquatic pokemon could maneuver in in wholly new ways. And Iki could skate across the waves with a speed and grace that blew her movements across dry land out of the water.

But high on the beach, where the sand was loose and drifting, her spindle legs sunk beneath the surface and her speed fell behind the Slugma she was facing. It glided across a layer of glass melted by the heat of its magma, and Iki only managed to escape by turning more sharply than it was able. She zigzagged away from a Rock Throw only to be driven further into the sand by an Ember. Ren could see her trembling.

“Dig deep, Iki! You can do this!”

The shaking stopped as the Slugma surged forward, but instead of ducking down for a Fell Stinger, Iki stood tall and released a rushing stream of bubbles from her open mouth. They burst and hissed upon impact, splattering the Slugma’s viscous skin asunder until is disappeared in a cloud of steam.

The sea breeze cleared it a moment later, revealing a sunken puddle of black rock with magma glowing through the cracks

“Oh,” Iki murmured in shock.

“That was Bubble Beam!” Ren cheered. “You have a water move now! This is gonna change the game for you!”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, little bug!” Ren grinned wide and Iki smiled tentatively back.

The other trainer stood back up from inspecting her Slugma, and withdrew it. “I’m gonna take Mote to the Pokemon Center.”

“Thanks for the battle!”

“Oh, uh, you too.” The trainer almost turned to go, but hesitated. “You said this was your first time in Slateport, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Then you might not have heard, but they hold tourneys at the Seashore House every Friday. It’s a bar just down there on the west end.” Ren followed where she was pointing and spotted a blue roof a ways off on the beach. “It’s worth a go if you’re still in town tomorrow. I always go.”

Ren threw her an appreciative smile as thanks. “Sounds great! We’ll be sure to check it out.”

“Maybe I’ll see you there then bye!” She said in a rush before jogging off.

Ren turned immediately back to the task at hand. “This is perfect! We just need to do a little target practice and we’ll be ready for thing!”

Iki looked over at the sunken hole where the Slugma had been. “If you say so.”

...

The pink and orange of sunset painted the horizon and set the sand alight as Ren and her pokemon set out the next evening. The Seashore House was packed when they entered—filled to the brim with trainers and their pokemon. A smiling middle-aged man and a Tentacool bustled behind the long bar serving up drinks while one harried waitress took orders from the seated patrons. Buoys and lifesavers splashed bright color across the slatted wood walls, and the smell of fried seafood wafted powerfully from the direction of the kitchen. The room was buzzing with conversation and pulsing with excitement. Ren felt her heart beat a little quicker and a grin overtake her face.

She drifted outside with the rest of the mingling trainers to find the large stone patio being cleared. She grabbed the end of one of the remaining picnic tables with some of the others and set it down in the sand in line with the rest now encircling the patio.

“Hey, y’all! Listen up now!” A voice boomed from an amp near the side door. The buzz quieted and everyone’s attention turned to a girl who couldn’t have been over twelve, mic in one hand and the other thrown in the air, standing on a crate to see over the sea of heads.

“This is your Master of Ceremonies, your Officiator of Fun and your ultimate Judge of Battle Badassery, KAT KORRAAAAA!”

The regulars roared their approval while some of the new initiates clapped unevenly in confusion. Ren whooped. After an appropriate amount of adoration, the girl lowered her hand and all fell quiet.

“Let me lay out the rules for the new blood and all them that’s just passing through. All matches are one v one, standard League rules. The first tournament is for greenhorns through two badges. Next is for three and four badges, so on and etc. You get the idea. Winner of each tourney gets as many free drinks as they can knock back! Remember, you can only lose once, but you can win again and again so step right up hopefuls, gather round spectators and prepare yourselves for the BEATDOWN!”

Ren waded through the crowd and wrote her name in the bracket beside the building. Spectators filled the picnic tables while pokemon took the edge of the patio for a better view. Ren and her competitors surveyed each other appraisingly.

“I’m seeing a lot of plant, dark, and fire-types.” Ren whispered down to her team. “This is yours to win, Iki!”

Iki was trembling, but she nodded resolutely.

Pride mixed with excitement rushed through Ren’s veins and had her tingling down to her toes by the time her first match was called. Her opponent sent in a Houndour against Iki, and Ren glimpsed Akahana don a matching grin.

Ren had Iki douse the ring with Water Sport to dampen its fire and use the puddle to hydroplane around its jaws. A Quick Attack to each flank had it staggering and third to its shoulder brought it down before it had managed to land a single hit. The swiftness and decisiveness of the victory caused a moment of quiet before Kat shattered it with her judgement and sent Iki skittering back between Ren’s legs.

They faced a Seedot in the next round, which proved tougher. But Ren correctly guessed that its joints were the most vulnerable, and Iki had the precision to follow through with Fell Stinger. The third round was a Numel whose combination of Magnitude and Flame burst had Iki quaking, but once again she didn’t freeze and it succumbed. The fourth was a Cacnea, whose troublesome Sand Attack they beat back with Bubblebeam. It was difficult to land any effective hits without getting in range of its Needle Arm, but they managed to distract and encumber it enough to get a decisive hit on its vulnerable crown.

The crowd grew more and more raucous as each successive tier of the bracket filled until the final battle was announced. A trainer with a mohawk and piercings stepped into the ring with his Boldore opposite Ren and Iki.

Finally a real challenge! Ren felt her body lower and her hands come up like she was preparing for a judo bought, and Iki mimicked the stance in front of her. The other trainer sneered and his Boldore postured to play to the crowd. It was about four times Iki’s size and must have been near ten times her weight. They would have to be quick and careful to beat it, but that was where they excelled.

You seem to think of your confidence as a weakness of late, but to my mind, it is perhaps your greatest strength.

“Thinking I could handle things I couldn’t has gotten pokemon killed! You know that! You’ve seen it!”

I disagree. Look again, Ren. Look harder.

Ren and Iki waited for the opening move they knew was coming, and the Surskit sprang to the side to dodge the rock launched at her. It shattered by Ren’s feet, but she felt rather saw it as her eyes followed Iki’s zig-zagging path around the edge of the ring. Three more rocks narrowly missed before the attack was spent, but by then Iki had lined up a clear shot and hit it square in the leg with Bubble Beam.

The Boldore stumbled in surprise, but then leapt back at her with a Smackdown. Instead of running, Ren had Iki parry with Fell Stinger, which unbalanced and sent it stumbling back.

The crowd roared almost as loud as Ren’s heart in her ears, the pitch of it climbing at her audacity. But Iki paid the price when her own unsteady legs failed to carry her out of range of a Headbutt. The crowd gasped as the force of it pinned her to the ground. There was no getting away this time, and the Boldore raised a leg to stomp her.

But Ren didn’t reach for her ball or call their surrender. Instead her command rang out in the relative quiet as the audience anticipated the end. Iki raised her head and blasted the Boldore point blank in the face with Bubble Beam. It staggered as the first bubbles exploded against it, wobbled as Iki pressed the attack, and collapsed as Ren and Iki’s strength outlasted it.

The crowd went absolutely wild. People and pokemon were jumping and screaming and cheering. Iki didn’t jump this time. Instead, light suffused her and a breeze rushed out from her, quieting the crowd.

Iki emerged from the shell of light looking unlike any of the many Masquerain varieties in Ren’s Pokedex. Her head was crowned with a pointed, golden helm with a plume of red rising from the back. Her false eyes were a stark and hypnotizing contrast of black and white, and her mask was a deep shade of pink. She was amazing.

“What a tournament! What an upset!” Kat yelled over the mic. “Folks, it looks like we have our winner! Give it up for Ren Kosugi and her MVP, Iki the Surskit!” The crowd cheered wildly again and the girl waited for a lull to continue. “Or should I say Masquerain? Let’s congratulate her on that awesome evolution!” The cheering picked up again, but this time with more applause and a few lycan-whistles. “I think we can all agree we’ve never seen a bug quite like that folks! What a sweep! Be sure to collect your reward, Ren!”

Iki’s head was tilted down, trying to catch her reflection in the sheen of water over slate.

“Iki!” Ren called.

Iki turned and looked up, but her eyes found Akahana instead. The Poochyena’s black lips curved upward in a rare smile. Iki’s wings began to beat furiously, propelling her up several feet before she got them under control. Ren ran to her rescue, scooping Iki up and hugging her in her arms.

“You look awesome, little bug! I’m so proud!”

Ren felt Iki press her face into her shoulder. “Thank you.”

In another moment, Ren loosened her grip enough to look down at her pokemon “So do you believe me yet?”

Iki took a moment to answer, but there was hope and happiness in her eyes.

“Yeah.”

...

Later that night in their room in the Pokemon Center, Ren was drifting off on a bunk with Akahana already snoozing beside her, when a low whistle pulled her back to consciousness. It repeated, sharper this time.

“Iki!” It was Māia.

Ren cracked an eye open and saw Iki’s red plume jolt in the shade-filtered moonlight.

“Y-yes?”

“The others and I wanted to congratulate you on your evolution,” said Panahi gently.

“Really?”

There were murmurs of ascent all around.

“Of course, dear. You worked very hard, and you did so well. We were all impressed.”

Iki fidgeted in her cushion. “Oh, wow, thank you. I-I mean that’s very kind. I didn’t think I was doing that great…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” hissed Māia. “That tournament was awesome!”

“Especially that last battle!” Tāraki gushed. “The way you received that Smackdown with your head spike!” He was on his feet, imitating the motion with the frond sprouting from his head.

“That took guts!” Said Māia. “And I would know.”

Iki was quiet for a moment, then ventured: “because your ability is called Guts?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh.” Then Iki let out a little tinkling sound that might have been a giggle.

Ren pressed her hands over her mouth to stop herself from squealing and giving herself away.

“You see?”

Yes. I see a trainer who cares very deeply about her pokemon and their happiness.

“I—You!—Don’t laugh at me after being so kind!”

Only if you cease mocking your virtues.

“Personally I liked the way you used Water Sport to speed yourself up and Bubble Beam to slow the others down,” said Hakeka. “I didn’t know you were so clever.”

“Ren helped me with—”

The Shroomish interrupted before Ren could: “still, props on the execution.” Iki did not deflect again and Hakeka continued. “Now that you’re talking to us, I’ve got a question for you—if I may?”

“Um, sure. What is it?”

“Why do you hang out with the grumpy Poochyena so much?”

Ren saw Iki rise up off her cushion, false eyes flaring. “Aka is not grumpy! She’s really nice!”

“Yeah, lay off her, Hakeka!” Māia chirped. “Akahana defeated me in battle. She’s super cool!”

“Whoa! Alright, okay. Clearly I’ve been missing out on something.”

Tāraki started giggling, and soon the rest of them joined in until Panahi gently shushed them and made them go to sleep.

...

Ren wove between the colorful stalls of Slateport’s central market, laden down with bags and Panahi perched on her shoulder. The crowds dissipated as she made her way north to a small park in the shadow of a large, gaudily decorated building. She collapsed onto a bench by a fountain that shot elegant arcs of water from the snouts of patinated copper Horsea, Seadra, and a single Kingdra atop the rest. Panahi hopped down to float in the pool and Ren leaned back to let the mist cool her face.

“I hate shopping.”

“Well I love it!” Panahi declared, paddling around placidly behind her.

“Happy you’re a trainer’s pokemon now?”

“I can no longer deny it has its benefits.”

“That necklace was one pricey battle item, so I’m glad you’re happy with it.”

Panahi huffed. “You think I got this for me? Please, Honey, this is a service to humanity! Just look at me. I’m radiant!”

Ren craned her neck at an awkward angle to watch the Wingull puff out her chest with pride. The cerulean jewels twinkled in their web of delicate silver chains like the warm shallows off the beach. Ren hoped the rest of her team was half as pleased with their gifts as Panahi seemed to be.

Ren sat up as people began to pour out of the building opposite, their excited murmuring overtaking the peaceful splashing of the fountain behind her. Some of them dispersed, but many hung around—in anticipation of what, Ren couldn’t be sure.

“Goodness, that’s a sizable flock,” Panahi commented.

Ren shaded her eyes and squinted to read the golden lettering above the doors. “Oh, it’s a contest hall. One must have ended.”

“Are contests where pokemon put on performances instead of battling?”

“I think so? I’m not so sure exactly what happens. We don’t have them in Johto.”

The crowd suddenly parted to make way for a news crew as a woman in a frilly costume and her equally adorned Altaria emerged. She smiled wide as she answered questions and the pair posed for pictures.

“Must be some life,” Panahi sighed.

Ren turned back to her, and all bubbly satisfaction from earlier was gone. Panahi absently preened  one of her primaries that was nicked by a move the day before.

Ren sucked on her tongue as she fought with herself about what to say. “Ahi, you know you don’t have to be a battler, right?”

“Don’t worry about me, Honey,” Panahi said, brushing the thought aside with a wing. “I don’t mind pulling my weight, even if I’m not as enthused as the chicks.” She yawned. “I could use a nap though.” Ren pulled Panahi’s pokeball off her belt. “Send one of the others out to keep an eye on the shopping,” Panahi instructed sternly before tapping the button and flowing inside.

Ren turned the ball over in her hands. She’d have to think of something. But maybe now wasn’t the time.

Does this Ren seem selfish to you? Impulsive?

“I suppose not. No… I guess I have been a little hard on myself lately.”

Ren stowed Panahi’s ball and tapped Iki’s. The Masquerain emerged in a flash of red light.

“Do you mind being out for a bit? It’s fine if you’re still tired from last night.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

She drifted on whirring wings and landed with the tips on the surface of the pool, hydrophobic coating keeping her afloat while Ren set up her vapor box. She lowered her purchases into it, watching them melt into the wood one by one. Behind her, Iki was staring down at her reflection. She raised her false eyes for a moment and then slowly let them droop. Ren opened the last package instead of stowing it and held it out for Iki to see.

“These are for you.”

Iki snapped out of her contemplation and peered at the pair of polished blue stones instead. “So pretty.”

“They’re mystic water gems. You can wear them in battle to boost the power of Bubble Beam.”

“Oh, that’s so kind of you. Thank you, Ren.”

“I thought we could mount them on your helmet instead of a necklace. What do you think?” Iki tilted her head, watching the sunlight play through them. “I’d like that.”

“Great! The vendor said we could go back and she’d help me attach them.”

Someone passed by them, and Ren’s eyes caught on a dark, tattooed forearm. She glanced up and, even in profile, the broken nose and scared lip were unmistakable. Ren jumped to her feet.

“Josh!” The tall, gangly teen startled and stopped in his tracks, shoulders hunching. “What are you doing here?”

He turned around slowly. “Hey, R-ren.”

Ren’s cheeks puffed out as she bit back whatever she was planning to say. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “How do you know my name?”

“They, uh, s-s-said. On the news.”

“Right. Shit.”

“I d-d-d-d—” He stopped, took a breath. “Your f-father is a gym leader?”

“Yeah, um—”

“Wow, your M-m-masquerain is—wow.”

“I know! Isn’t she beautiful?” He nodded and Iki glanced between them, pink mask flushing redder. Then Ren remembered who she was talking to and the warm feeling vanished as quickly as it had come over her. “Wait! Stop that right now! We are not friends, Josh. Remember? I didn’t call you over for small talk!”

Josh flinched and looked down at his feet. “R-right, yes, yeah, of course… Sorry.”

“Good. Now, what are you doing here?”

“N-n-nothing! N-not st-st-stealing! J-j-j-j-j—I’m running some errands!”

“You can’t even lie properly? Why did they hire you?”

Josh swallowed hard, eyes scrunching closed for a second as his adam’s apple bobbed. “Who? What—”

“Cut the crap! You aren’t just some thief trying to make a quick buck.”

“No!” His brows lowered into a scowl, then his eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

“You work for Magma. You’re here for them. What are they doing here, Josh?”

“I’m not—They—N-n-nothing illegal! A n-normal errand! I have to go!” Josh took off running and Ren ran after him.

“Ah, so this is why we’re here?”

You would rather move on?

“I know our first two meetings were important but— I’d rather not dwell on this one. Makes me feel stupid. I should have seen that stunt he pulled on Mt. Pyre coming.”

I had thought his actions there might have gone some way towards mending things. But perhaps you did not see?

“See what?”

He followed you to the peak. He risked his life to make sure you were unharmed and in safe hands.

“Oh… I suppose that makes us even again. But, uh, what did you want ask about this moment?”

Why did you confront him?

“Ah, that’s fair. Of course I wanted my involvement with Magma to be over after what happened in Granite Cave. But it also made it hard for me to [i]not[/i] be involved. I couldn’t just let him go and learn later on that I could have helped but did nothing… Oh, I think I see your point.”

Before Josh had run thirty feet, he stopped abruptly and Ren nearly crashed into him. He pulled something out of hip bag as she recovered her balance and pressed it into her hands.

“This is for you.”

Ren was so startled that took it without thinking. It was something light and flat in a brown paper bag. She reached in and pulled out a TM.

“What—?” She meant to ask him, but he was already gone. “Ugh! What the hell was that? He just—and I—I can’t believe he tricked me into taking this! He probably stole it!” She flipped the TM over and growled in pure frustration. “Smackdown? What kind of joke is this? Why that beanpole son-of-a—”

“Maybe it’s not a joke,” said Iki by her ear.

“What?”

“Maybe it’s a gift. You did save his life.”

“Is she alright? Where is she?” Iki demanded with a shrill edge of worry.

“There was some internal bleeding, so the doctors are keeping her overnight for observation, but her prognosis is good. No battling for a week to make sure the cracked ribs mend well, but she should be released tomorrow morning.”

They all seemed relieved, except for Hakeka, who just looked around at the others. Then, all Ren could see was Akahana shifting and wincing on her gurney—downplaying her injuries despite the pain she was in. Ren couldn't decide if Akahana was trying to spare her or if she was afraid. She couldn’t decide which was worse. The Poochyena had seemed startled by Ren's apology and agreed to remain on the team without the slightest hesitation.

“I'm so sorry. I should never have taken the job.”

“There's no need for that,” said Panahi, nudging her arm with a wing. “None of us blame you, Honey. It was just an accident. These things happen.”

“I bought us here and then I panicked! If I had done what I was supposed to do and recalled her in time, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”

“Battling is dangerous sometimes. We all know that,” chirped Māia. “Akahana knew what she was signing up for.”

“Yeah, you sent me out,” said Tāraki. “And you helped me evolve to fight the rest of the wilds off. You’re a good trainer!”

“I think you’re being a bit hard on yourself,” said Panahi with a tilt of her head. “I know I just lectured you about taking responsibility, but there is a difference between that and blaming yourself for things you can’t control.”

Ren’s eyes fell and her face tightened. She bit her lower lip and said nothing.

Iki stepped forward. “I understand if this scares you. Battling still scares me a little. But I don’t think you’re a bad trainer and we are a lot safer with you than we would be alone.”

“Thank you. I’ll do better next time, I promise.” Her team shared a few glances and Panahi sighed, shuffling her wings. “In any event, we’ll be here a few days at least while Akahana recovers. I was thinking we could challenge the gym here. Māia, I know you missed out last time, so I want to give you the opportunity to take the lead on this one.”

“Hell yeah!”

“Do you mind backing her up, Ahi?”

“Not at all, Honey.”

“Great! I’m gonna wade in the surf for a bit. You gals can all relax.”

Ren got up and went down to the water, trying not to run. It took a few moments, but Iki and Tāraki came to join her. The wind carried Hakeka’s chattering from up the beach.

“I think we are ready for the gym,” Panahi answered, “but I’m a little worried about her.”

...

Ren and her pokemon stood in front of the Dewford gym. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as Rustboro, but interesting nonetheless. The building was a ring of interlocking aluminum plates set on stilts above the sand to keep it above the storm surge. Ren could see the circular sand battlefield through the struts and what was probably a retractable roof folded neatly above the structure, waiting for inclement weather to be deployed. But for now, all was bathed in warm, sparkling sunlight.

“I know we won’t all be battling,” Ren said as she looked up the long stairs to the door, “but I would like everyone to stay out and watch.” Ren turned back to her pokemon, and her eyes caught on the bandages around Akahana’s middle. Blue scales, an IV line, and a gurney she can barely see over swims through her vision before she forces it back. “We’re a team so we are going to do this together.”

“Yeah! Go team!” Tāraki crowed.

Panahi and Hakeka rolled their eyes at his enthusiasm, but Māia whistled in agreement. Iki just hunkered down on the sand, face tilted down. Ren wished she knew how to help her. She'd figure something out after they won this badge.

After registering, they waited in the arena as a few trainers assembled to face them. Ren took off her boots to feel the warm sand between her toes. She stretched up and down, then side to side.

“Māia, do you want to warm up on a few of these guys?”

“Nope. I’m ready. Tāraki can have them.”

“Yes!” Tāraki pumped his fist.

There was another conversation between your pokemon during the trainer matches that I think it may benefit you to hear.

“Oh, well go ahead then. I’ll circle back to my point.”

The rest of the team watched as Tāraki squared off with a Mienfoo, Māia whistling encouragement while Hakeka eyed him critically. Iki crouched, stirring swirls into the sand with her foot. She glanced up at Akahana, who was observing the battle with her usual passive expression. Akahana’s eyes slid over to her and Iki squirmed for another moment before breaking the silence.

“I—it’s just—We’re supposed to be a team, but I can hardly even talk to Māia and Ahi.” Iki’s black eyes lingered on Akahana’s bandages. “I’m not strong enough to be any help when things go wrong.” She sunk down onto the sand, making herself small. “I don’t know why Ren keeps me around.”

Akahana looked back as Ren cheered Tāraki to land a final blow on the Mienfoo. He ran back to her, and she hugged him.

“I think I was wrong before.”

Iki looked back up at Akahana, body tilted in question, and Akahana met her eyes.

“When you asked me for advice, I told you to look out for yourself, and I stand by that. But I don’t think she is going to get rid of us.”

“I don’t think so either,” Iki murmured, bringing her legs in even closer.

Akahana sighed and then pinned her ears for a moment at the pain it caused her. She turned back to the battlefield where Tāraki was facing off with a Timburr.

“Pokemon like us will always have a disadvantage. But not everyone on the team has to be equally strong. None of us can compete with Tāraki now that he’s evolved.”

Taraki caught the Timburr’s driftwood log with a big grin and threw it back at his opponent.

“There will always be someone stronger.”

Tāraki did a high backflip to dodge the next blow, but wasn’t used to his new form and landed wrong.

“But that only means that we have to work harder.”

Tāraki clutched at his arm for a moment, but grit his teeth and landed a Fury Cutter with his good arm. The Timburr fell to the sand.

“I know what it’s like to feel weak.”

Tāraki tried not to grimace as Ren felt his injured arm for a break.

“I know it feels like you’ll never be good enough, but bugs grow fast.”

Tāraki grudgingly agreed to yield the remainder of the battles and Panahi strutted forward to take his place.

“You will catch up.”

Tears welled in Iki’s small, black eyes and the tension started to fall from her posture. “T-thank you, Akahana. I’ve never had such a good friend.”

Akahana pulled her head back and blinked in surprise, but Iki smiled as tears ran down her face and dripped into the warm sand. Slowly and hesitantly, Akahana leaned down, pausing before nudging Iki’s helm gently with her nose. Iki smiled even brighter and stretched up to rub on Akahana’s chin, wiping her tears away with a slender limb.

Are you alright?

“Mmm. I’ll be fine. You had to know this was coming.”

Yes. You did warn me you were—what was that phrase you used? Unbearably sentimental?

“Shut it.”

Panahi finished battling the remaining pokemon uninjured, and Ren realized how tight her shoulders had been as they started to relax. She threw a glance at Tāraki and did a few quick stretches, rolling her head until her neck clicked.

A man with sun-bleached hair, a rash guard, and board shorts sauntered into the ring and waited in the middle for her. He tipped down his big, orange shades as she drew close, and a huge toothy grin split his face.

“Reeeen! I didn’t know you were coming my way!” He stowed his sunglasses atop his head and thrust out a hand. His handshake was heavy but relaxed. “Pleasure to finally meetcha, dude! What brings you to Dewford?”

“I had an errand to run.”

“Awww! That’s no fun!” He had no idea. Ren strained to keep smiling. “Glad you decided to drop in.” But she must have given something away, because his own grin fell just a little and his eyes narrowed slightly for an instant. “Hey, you wouldn’t want to come out surfing with us tonight? It’s a full moon, clear skies. Should be pretty sweet!”

“Yeah. That sounds nice.”

“Most excellent!” The toothy grin was back full force.

“Although, I don’t really know how.”

“It’s cool, dude. I’ll bring some of my tamer boards for you.”

“Thank you.”

“No prob! So you here for your second badge? Roxanne told me you totally killed your first, so I'm pumped to face ya. Who’re you gonna use to throw down?

“Māia,” Ren said as the Taillow flew to her shoulder. Māia flashed her wings and chirped in challenge.

Brawly raised his eyebrows. “Aight then! She seems ready to rumble!”

They parted to make room for the battle and Brawly sent out a Meditite. Behind him, more of the gym trainers had gathered and were talking while they watched, but the breeze carried their words away. Ren took a deep breath and focused on Māia.

“Time to show us your moves, little birdie!” Brawly called. “Hua, Feint!”

“Up and outta there, Māia!”

The Meditite sprinted forward and Māia took to the air, narrowly dodging its attack.

“Let’s put a lid on that fancy flying. Confusion!”

Māia came swooping around towards the Meditite, prepping for an attack, but she managed to roll aside just in time to miss the oncoming psychic waves.

“Yes! Now Peck!”

Māia instantly corrected her flight path. She dropped onto the Meditite’s head, dealt a sharp blow with her beak, and took back off again in one fluid movement. The Meditite wobbled, but stayed upright.

“Wing Attack!”

Māia barreled into her turn and came at the Meditite like an arrow, wings glowing light blue. The Meditite crossed its arms in a guard but went careening back as Māia’s strike hit home. Māia landed hard, sand spraying as she skid to a stop in front of her trainer. Without even bothering to turn around, she struck a pose, assured of her victory. Sure enough, the Meditite stayed down. Ten tried not to grin quiet as smugly.

Brawly chuckled. “That’s a righteous Taillow you got there! Let’s see if she can handle something a bit tougher!” He withdrew his Meditite and sent out a Machop. “Kick it off with a Karate Chop, Motu!”

“Parry with a Wing Attack!”

The Machop jumped forward, open hand glowing, and Māia spun to meet it with a glowing wing. The two limbs met and both pokemon slid back from the force of the impact.

“Get some momentum and use Steel Wing!”

Māia sprung into the air, quickly building speed as she swept around the ring.

“Wait for it…” Brawly cautioned, and his Machop froze and tensed. Māia dove. “Seismic toss!”

The Machop caught Māia by one glinting wing, using her own momentum to sling her at the gym walls above them. Māia tumbled through the air without a modicum of control.

“Tuck your wings!” Ren commanded in the voice that always gripped her, strong and sharpened sure. Māia obeyed in almost the same instant, spinning even faster without the resistance. “Open!” Māia opened her wings, and slowed enough to turn sharply before she met the wall. “Wing attack!”

The change in course had left Māia diving towards the ground, but she angled up just in time to level off a few feet from the floor. She arrowed straight for her target.

“Karate Chop!”

The Machop braced, hands at the ready, but Māia changed course at the last second. The Machop’s strike sliced through the air where she would have been, and Māia’s wing struck it in the opposite shoulder. The combined momentum set it spinning on its heel before its toes snagged and sent it face first into the sand. Māia used her remaining momentum to vault back up, flip gracefully in the air, and touch back down in between Brawly and his fallen Machop.

“Alright, alright,” Brawly laughed as he withdrew his second pokemon. “I’ve got a bigger challenge for you.” He sent out a Makuhita, and it flexed, thick layer of fat rolling over the muscles beneath. Māia spread her wings and let out a challenging cry in response.

“Bulk Up, Mauī!”

“Wing Attack!”

Māia shot forward as the Makuhita breathed in, entire body glowing. Māia aimed for its chest, but the Makuhita stretched up and out, and Māia hit its stomach instead. She bounced off and tumbled head over tail before landing on her back. She groaned but righted herself.

“Arm thrust!”

Before Māia had a chance to breathe, the Makuhita darted forward with shocking speed, mits glowing brightly. Māia got her wings up to shield herself in time but went sliding back from the impact.

“Parry with Steel Wing!”

Māia met the Makuhita’s next punch with a solid metal wing. She caught its second fist too, and it withdrew its hands, hissing is pain. Māia was puffing, and her wings were drooping, but she grinned smugly. Suddenly, the Makuhita surprised them all by throwing one last punch. Māia was caught completely off guard and went flying back.

Ren clenched her fists. No. They weren’t done yet.

“Nice hustle! One last Knock-Off ought to finish it!”

The Makuhita nodded and lunged forward.

They could still win this.

“Boomburst!”

Māia righted herself, dug in, and let loose. The attack always started deceptively quiet—a whistling as the air came together and the pressure massed—before blooming into something so loud Ren could feel it in her bones. The Makuhita hit the wall of sound as if it were solid and bowled over backwards, rolling twice before sinking into the sand. It lay there and groaned, the ring of aluminum walls still resonating around them.

Ren resonated too. Her own magic was in it—her strength leant to her pokemon and their power combined into one overwhelming show of force. A wild joy had seised her and her heart thrummed in her chest.

“Whoa,” Brawly muttered with a yawn, rubbing at his ear.

Ren whistled, and Māia flew to her raised arm. “You did it! The undefeated streak continues!”

“Of course!” Māia chirped. “As if I’d lose to a fighting-type.”

Ren failed to stop a laugh, the giddy warmth of her inner fire bubbling over. “A little humility! They put up a good fight.”

“Yes, worthy opponents.”

“Whooey!” Brawly called, and they looked up to see him on his way over. “That was something else! Congrats you two!”

Ren grinned, and Māia dipped her head.

“Here’s the Knuckle Badge.” He slapped it into her palm. “I gotta tell ya, a lot of trainers come in here with a Taillow or a Wingull or some other little flyer and expect to breeze through on type advantage alone. We usually send those slackers packing. But you two blew us out of the water! Your Taillow’s got guts, and she really knows how to rumble! She’s a true fighter after my own heart. More importantly, ya really trained her well. I thought I had ya a couple times, but you two kept turning it back. Basically, I just wanted to say that you totally earned this badge.”

The thrill of it was still buzzing through her veins, and for one more moment all was as it should have been, as it once was. “Thank you.”

“Absolutely! Your talent and dedication is gonna keep you riding that big wave all the way to the top!”

“I used to want that. I wanted it so badly, but I hadn’t even let myself think about it until he said that. Actually, I still didn’t let myself think about it, not then. If I had, I might not have made it much further. I don’t even remember what I said back.”

Ren clutched her arm. She could barely hear past the chaotic rhythm in here ears.

“You take care now!” Brawly called after her. “And don’t forget to eat dinner early! There’s no hurling on my boards!”

Ren managed a laugh through the tight ache in her throat. “Will do!”

...

There were no lights on the beach at night and not many still on in town, but the moon shone brightly. The sand was cast in silver, and the breakers flashed against the dark, glittering water. About a dozen people and their pokemon were gathered around a fire pit when Ren and her team arrived at the agreed-upon spot. Almost all of them were young women around Ren’s age garbed in wet suits or rash guards with varied fighting-types milling between them. Ren wondered if she should have sprang for a rash guard as well, but her two-piece was quite secure. Besides, if observation had taught her anything, it was that the people of Hoenn had fewer qualms about showing skin than her homeland.

A cheer went up as the group caught sight of her, and they gathered round to offer fist bumps and introduce themselves. One asked if Māia was the legendary Taillow, and when Ren confirmed it, they all fell back and made a big show of bowing and groveling, arms outstretched. Māia puffed up, looking supremely pleased, and flexed her wings for them.

Brawly broke through the ring to elbow out a little space and presented her with a longboard. They paddled out, most of the company in tow, and Ren stayed floating past the breaking waves to watch and work on her balance. Many of the pokemon had come out to surf as well with their trainers or on their own boards.

Once Brawly had taken her through the basics and let her watch for a while, he had her kneel on his longboard while he took them in. She managed to stay on the board, and they splashed into the shallows to much applause. Tāraki danced around, yelling about how cool it was, so Brawly volunteered to take him out for a spin, while two of the women eagerly took over coaching Ren.

Soon Tāraki was given his own board, and he and Ren tried their luck side by side. They wiped-out but came up laughing and kept going. Tāraki got the hang of it pretty quick and crowed when he made his first successful run. He collected high-fives as he paddled back out and Ren laughed and laughed.

Why are we revising this particular evening? A sorely needed moment of relief?

“Yes, but there's more to it than that. It was just like judo and drumming and everything else I tried after I quit trainer school. It was fun, kept my body active and my mind quiet—an element of competition, a sense of camaraderie. I caught myself thinking I could be happy like that. Sometimes I still think I could have been a lot of things. But deep down the fire still burns. And when I try to hold the lid down, the pressure only builds. And the flames eat all my oxygen.”

Not long after her first successful run, Ren retired to the beach and sprawled out on the sand to dry. She continued to watch Tāraki’s antics and the incredibly impressive surfing of the women who had been showing her the ropes.

Her nav buzzed, and she opened it to find a text from Wally.

Are you okay?

Ren had to think about that for longer than she would have liked.

Yeah What's up?

(´▽`ʃƪ) I was watching the news and the Champ got ambushed in Granite Cave?? You said you were gonna be there and I got worried (·᷄ὢ·᷅) Kinda silly But I had to check

Not that silly actually I was there when it happened

(*ﾟﾛﾟ)

Steven took care of the battle so I wasn't in the middle of it or anything But Akahana got injured by a wild

Oh no!! Is she okay?

Ren looked up, and her eyes fell on the Poochyena. She had dug herself a little divot in the sand and was curled neatly inside with Iki nestled snugly atop her. Ren had never seen her that close to any of her teammates before.

Yeah

Thank goodness! Give her a big Ursaring hug from me ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ

The ghost of a smile pulled at Ren’s lips, and the beach fire flared as the wood resettled.

Will do

Ren almost slipped her nav back in her pocket before it pinged again.

Swerve But Did you meet the Champ?

Yep! We talked for a while before everything happened

Awesome! You're so lucky omg Or maybe it’s not such a big deal for you Since your dad's a gym leader Haha |´∀｀●)

It was still cool Steven is really nice But not the first Champion I've met

(＊〇□〇)……！ Kaspa?

Yep

w(°ｏ°)w ᵒᵐᵍᵎᵎᵎ What’s she like??

Uh Scary

(ᗒᗜᗕ) lol I bet

But also really interesting She’s fond my dad because he’s a Sekei League Victor, and they get along well She wrote him a letter of recommendation when he applied for Gym Leader here She has always been nice to me

That is so hecking cool!! (◎0◎) I’m losing my mind!

Are you settling in okay? How are things?

I’m great! My cousin’s fiancé is really nice Not as awk as I was afraid it would be And Rosalie gave me TWO pokemon! She found a Togekiss to pair her Roserade and bred me a Budew with battle lineage! She has Giga Drain/Natural Gift/Life Dew/Extrasensory Right out of the shell!! She’s so feisty! I love her so much! (灬♥ω♥灬) Her name is ♥Beatrice♥

Cute!

Then Rosalie swapped some favors with another breeder to get me a therapy Leafeon! Her name is Daphne and she is a professional™️ I feel like she’ll probably give me an earful when the understanding sets in ꉂ(ᵔ̴̶̤᷄ꇴ ᵔ̴̶̤᷅⌯))л̵ʱªʱª⁎*.＊ I’ve kinda been running around a lot more than I should But between Daph and the air up here I can actually breathe?? Like I can just Go outside? Whenever I feel like it?? Is this how other people live all the time? Faris and I have been training almost non-stop I mean I’ve had a few _(´□`」 ∠)_ episodes obv Just me doing stupid stuff I was so caught up in the euphoria of being able to walk around That for like a minute I lived in a world where my lungs were functional

This was quite the shift from the day they met, when he could barely bring himself to reference his illness, and Ren felt warmth flush out the rest of her surprise.

Oh geez we’ve hit the memes Sorry for rambling (o_ _)o

Dude this is all so fucking amazing I’m so happy for you! Gush as much as you want

(◜◒◝)♡

Haha Where are you getting all of these? Your texting style is wild

I have an app! ー(´▽`)ﾉ Maybe you should get one The way you type out every word is pwecious

I don’t even know the Kantogo abbreviations that well I’m sorry to say you’ve befriended a troglodyte

Obv

You know, you’re a lot bolder via text

Lol that’s cuz I have WAY more practice I’ve never had an irl friend before Just internet pals

Maybe you can make more now I’ll introduce you to Kai sometime He could use more friends too

Aw thank you! Actually You’re gonna be in Mauville soon right?

End of next week

Maybe we can meet up? I was planning on getting my first badge

Nice! It’s a date

٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

“Even when we barely knew each other, he always had a way of centering me. It’s easy for most people to tell me not to worry so much. They don’t understand the risks, not all of them, not really. But without ever telling me how to feel—or saying anything at all—Wally has always said that it’s worth it anyway.”

And do you believe that now?

“You think I would be here if I didn’t?”

I wouldn’t be so certain. But perhaps you might have been less angry with me when I asked you for help.

“…Can’t argue that.”

Ren picked her head up in time to see Tāraki wipe out again, but he came up smiling and paddled right back out. Brawly gave him a high five and then rode in himself on the next good breaker. Some of the others were getting tired enough to settle around the fire. Brawly stuck his board in the sand and plopped down beside Ren.

“So, ya have fun?”

“Yeah! Everyone was so nice.”

Brawly nodded. “They’re a good bunch. And you made quite a splash.”

Ren leaned back on her arms and shot a smirk at him. “Metaphorically, or when I fell off your board?”

He laughed breezily, sliding deeper into his careless slouch. “The former. Everyone was asking if you’d show tonight.”

Ren looked away for a moment, at her pokemon resting in the sand, at the others gathering around the fire. Maybe it was a kind exaggeration. But their enthusiasm had felt quite genuine. Not that she needed to sort out what kind of enthusiasm it was. She’d be gone by tomorrow.

Her eyes found Tāraki in the surf, and her smile returned.

“Thanks for inviting me. Tāraki won’t forget this anytime soon. I think you gave him a new hobby.”

“Never seen a surfing Grovyle before. Usually they can’t stand the salt water.”

“He’s from a tiny island to the south. He said he and the other Treecko used to play in the tide pools and gather seaweed.”

“Far out.”

They were an unusual group, this bunch of surfing pokemon and trainers. On the surface it was nothing like her father’s gym, but perhaps there was one parallel to be drawn. While martial arts were more traditional—in Johto and Kanto at least—the surfing certainly had something to contribute. Strength and balance for one. And thinking back on her battle, there was something in the pokemon’s movements that resonated: energy harnessed and redirected, push and pull.

“You really get it. Usually I have to lay it out for people.”

“Well, maybe there’s something else you can explain to me?”

“Like what?”

Ren eyes flicked back over to the rest of the group. “I notice there are a lot of women in your gym.”

Brawly leaned back with a casual stretch. “Yeah, we keep it pretty steady at three to one.”

“It’s very unusual.”

“I know right?” Suddenly, he was up at attention, and his wide eyes glinted in the firelight. “Most fighting-type gyms are like total sausage fests. But it so doesn’t have to be like that! It’s not like there aren’t tons of ladies out there who like fighting-types. It can just be way harsh to train in a fighting gym if you’re a woman. That’s why I try to keep it chill and welcoming here. Seems to work.”

Ren thought that over for a moment. “Are you sure it’s not cause you’re, ya’know, super good looking?”

That triggered another breezy laugh, and he slicked back the damp hair that fell into his eyes. “I guess some of the trainers that come in are crushing on me or each other.” He shrugged. “I mean, we’re all here to train, so I try to keep the gymcest to a minimum, but I’ve got nothing against the people who just want to feel it out.” He sat back again and thought about it for another moment, and Ren sat forward, crossing her legs and waiting for him to continue. “It’s like, it doesn’t matter why you start something. As long as you work hard and have fun, what’s it really matter?”

“Hm. That’s… really cool, dude. You run a great gym.”

His face broke into a broad, toothy grin. “Thanks! That means a lot.”

They let the silence hang for a while, until Tāraki finally came trudging up the beach, too exhausted to continue. Brawly took back his board, and after a good rinse from Panahi, Tāraki went into his ball.

“You ready to join the rest?” Brawly asked her, jerking his head towards the fire.

“Yeah,” she replied, and they went together.

“I wasn’t sure why, but what he said resonated then. I was able to let go again for a while—think about the short term instead of what would happen when it all caught up with me.”

You’re still not sure if that was a positive.

“You’ve seen what happened. Maybe it didn’t help to dwell on the past, but ignoring the future didn’t exactly serve me well in the end.”

Even if it is not always the case, perhaps it is what you needed in that moment. There is a balance, as in all things.

“Hm. Maybe I’ll find it some day.”

I think you’ll find that you become a better seeker with every misstep.

“That’s a nice way to look at it. And yet… I suppose it was too much to hope a god of cycles might see an end.”

Well, then as a god of cycles, let me assure you, that you do not run in circles as much as you think you do.

The tunnels, or at least the main ones, were lit by strings of soft electric lamps powered by a solar panel outside. The light was made all the warmer by the pink hue of the granite walls, and the air sighed like a breath. It felt homey and lived in. She was welcome here.

They turned down a side tunnel and descended. Aron and Zubat peeked out from the shadows but let them pass without challenge. Geodude remained still as statues, Abra teleported away in a blink, Makuhita and Mawile shuffled off, and a Sableye feeding on a crystalline deposit fixed them with its uncanny gem-like eyes before loping into the darkness.

“Just ahead,” said Akahana.

A vertical shaft opened up, and beyond it, the tunnel started to drop off precipitously. The chamber wasn't far across and, at first inspection, unoccupied. But Akahana nudged Ren’s leg and pointed up with her snout. The ceiling was far above them, and a whiff of sea air suggested at least some part of the shaft went all the way to the surface. But before that, a young man in spelunking gear hung from the wall, headlamp bathing a section of the overall dimness in bright illumination. As she watched, he chipped away gently with a small pick, sending tiny pebbles pinging to the floor beside her. He then returned the pick to his belt and grabbed a brush. The light of his headlamp gleamed off his safety goggles as he leaned in to carefully brush some dust away. It floated gently down, glittering softly.

Akahana nudged her again. Right! She should probably announce herself.

“Hello!”

He looked down at her with a friendly smile. “Hello down there!”

“Are you Steven Stone?”

“Yes I am! I’ll be down in just a moment.”

He stowed his equipment and pushed off the wall, repelling down in one graceful arc. He unhooked himself and pushed up his goggles before removing his helmet. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook it out so that it was no longer plastered to his head. It settled like a silver cloud, soft, irregular, and weightless. It played wonderfully against the warm brown of his skin. His brows and lashes were pale as polished sterling, and his eyes were a bright and vivid turquoise.

He was absurdly gorgeous. Ren already knew this. She'd seen pictures of him. She'd looked him up right before coming here just to make sure she'd recognize him. She'd known all about his perfect nose and elegant jawline. But she hadn't expected to be affected by it. That was… that was new.

“Do we really need this part? Maybe we could skip ahead a little?” Given the current circumstances, I believe your relationship with Steven is quite relevant. “Fiiiine.”

“I’m Ren Kosugi.”

His smile became even more radiant, if that were possible. “A pleasure to meet you, Ren.” He extended a hand, and she took it. “So, are you a fan of cave paintings or did you need me for something?”

Ren paused for a moment before answering, but despite the mental preparation, her tongue still betrayed her. “I needed you—” If she wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. She could feel the heat welling up from her chest and radiating from her face. “I didn’t even know there were cave paintings here. Your father asked me to deliver a package.” Ren dove into her bag to stop looking at him for a moment, and he thanked her as handed him the parcel.

“He didn't even let me know you were coming,” Steven murmured, almost to himself. He sighed. “Well, trouble always comes in twos. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Sorry to be the Yamikarasu before the storm.”

He blinked back to the moment. “Not at all. I don't know how much my father told you, but this is extremely important. Thank you again for agreeing to deliver it.”

“It was no trouble. I'm glad I came to Dewford.”

“It is quite lovely. Though admittedly, I don't spend much time on the island aboveground. Will you challenge the gym while you're here?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Brawley won't be easy, but it should be a fun battle.”

“Māia will be glad to hear that.” Ren somehow hadn’t expected him to be this nice and friendly. But then again, there was a good chance he felt obligated to be. Maybe she should give him an out. “Where are the cave paintings you mentioned?”

“I’ll take you. It’s the least I can do.” Well, obligation or no, she wasn’t going to refuse the offer. “Actually, hang on a moment.” He picked his bag off the floor and rummaged through it. “You have a Taillow, don’t you?”

Right. They all knew her already. “I do.”

Steven smiled, and then his face suddenly grew taught and his lips retreated into his mouth, like he'd said to much.

“Don't worry, Roxanne already spilled about the group chat.”

“Thank Arceus!” He sagged in relief before snapping back to attention. “Wait, did she really?” Ren nodded, and his face wrinkled in fiendish delight. “I can never properly repay you for this invaluable intelligence! I'm saving this for the next time she thinks she can correct my Anorith claw identification!” Ren felt a little bad for tattling on her, but that light in his eyes was hard to resist. He gave a somewhat sheepish little chuckle. “We’re friends, I swear.” He took a calming breath and relaxed a little, though he was still near bubbling with mischief. It was a pleasant change from his subdued worrying over the prototype.

She was even more curious about it now, but didn’t want to bring the mood back down by asking. Besides, the fact that he hadn’t volunteered any more on his own suggested he wouldn’t tell her either way.

He pulled a TM out of a case in his bag and held it out to her. “Anyway, please accept this. It’s Steel Wing, my favorite move.”

Ren almost turned it down—TMs were very expensive—but between Steven's hopeful expression and how angry Māia would be if she heard that Ren had refused it, that wasn't much of an option. “Thank you.”

He stowed the package in his vapor box and stripped off his climbing harness, folding it neatly with the rest of his things before gesturing down the tunnel.

“Shall we?”

They headed off with Akahana trailing behind, and Steven pointed out various mineral deposits and formations as they went along. The most dramatic of which was a section of tunnel through black stone rather than mottled pink.

“Now this,” Steven paused to gesture grandly, “is why the caverns exist in the first place. It's a dolerite intrusion.”

“That's when magma pushes through an older rock?” The specific terminology was pushing the bounds of her Anglic mastery, but she had taken geology as one of her science electives, so she could at least take a crack at the words she wasn’t sure of.

“Exactly so!” A smile broke across his face, and suddenly Ren felt unreasonably proud of her guess. Steven’s fingers brushed gently across the rough black stone as if it were velvet. “This particular dolerite is exceptionally rich in iron, which is how an island this small can maintain such a robust Aron population.”

She glanced around and suddenly the regular grooves in the concave walls became obvious as claw and horn marks. “I saw a few on my way in, but I didn't know they excavated this.”

He turned slowly, giving her a moment to fall in step beside him before continuing. “It's not terribly common knowledge outside of the locals and some rock hunters like myself, but my Aggron grew up here. She's out foraging and catching up with friends, but she'll be along.”

“No wonder you’re such an expert on this place.” Compliments like that always flowed easily off Ren’s tongue, and a cheeky smile accompanied it as naturally as anything, but this time it made her feel pleasantly warm.

Steven hummed. “Gilchrist knows these tunnels as well as her armor.” His eyes flickered over her face and his lip turned upward at whatever he found there. “If you don't mind a detour, there's a siltstone deposit down this way with some truly spectacular stromatolites.”

“I don't mind at all!” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “Only, what is a stromatolite?”

“They are columns formed by almost innumerable layers of cyanobacteria growing atop one another to reach the sun,” he explained with a poetic folding and upturning of his hands. “Thus given the right conditions, the layers can form organic patters in the rock, much the way pattern welding shows the many folds that went into the steel when polished just so.”

“Now that I've heard of. It's so pretty! And I had no idea bacteria could be responsible for rock formations.”

“Not only that, but stromatolites are the oldest fossils we have and an invaluable window into ancient life on the planet!”

The stromatolites turned out to be quite striking, and there was so much to know about them. Steven explained it all quite thoroughly, with the detailed information accompanied by dramatic gestures and an infectious enthusiasm in his tone.

He reminded her of Kai just a little—except that he left little pauses for clarification and to gage her interest, whereas she usually had to tap Kai to get a word in edgewise. Ren wasn’t sure what exactly she’d been expecting, but Steven was definatly a surprise. Certainly a far cry from the intimidating force of nature who was the current Sekiei League Champion. He was, well, a huge dork really, but a charming one.

After many turnings, rock facts, and stories Steven’s Aggron had told him about her ancestors, they emerged into a large oblong chamber covered in murals. There were no clear divisions between the different sections; instead, the images marched seamlessly along through different scenes, all spilling forth from a giant central painting of what must be two gods. They looked vaguely familiar. Maybe her father had once told her stories about them.

“These paintings were made by the Draconid people approximately twenty-five hundred years ago. It contains most of their history. The central mural depicts the formation of Hoenn and the surrounding islands as a battle between the climate gods Groudon and Kyogre.”

Yes, she did know them, though hazily. But what she had at first thought were rolling clouds above them was actually a great serpentine god she didn’t know at all.

“The part that draws most scholars is the portrayal of the climate gods. Their forms are quite unlike all other depictions of them. Once, most historians simply wrote it off to artistic license, but in recent years, many have theorized that this is meant to represent their mega evolutions. But they appear to draw their power from deep in the earth rather than from humans or mega stones.” Steven gestured to the lines that swept up from the floor of the cavern and into the core of each god. “Draconid elders say that this represents their primal forms, as they were when Arcues first created them, distinct from their more current forms but also not mega evolutions. I tend to think that story is closest to the truth since it was their ancestors who made the paintings. But the debate wages on.”

“Masaka,” Ren murmured appreciatively. “I can’t believe I never heard about this. I guess Johto has its own mysteries to focus on. Thanks for showing me. This is unbelievably cool.”

“I wish I could tell you more about the rest, but ancient studies aren’t exactly my area of expertise.”

Akahana growled low, and they both whipped around. Whatever had set her off wasn’t in sight yet, or in Ren’s hearing. “Six humans, more pokemon.”

“Trainers?” Ren asked.

Akahana nodded. “I don’t like their footfalls.”

Ren looked over at Steven. His expression had hardened, and a hand hovered over the pokeballs at his belt. “Magma.”

“You sure?”

“Go.” He pointed. “There’s a tunnel just down there.”

“Wait, I’m not just gonna leave you to fight six trainers by yourself!”

“The last thing we need is for them to see you in connection with the prototype again. Three instances is no longer a coincidence.” She couldn't argue with that, but it didn't make leaving him okay. He took her shoulder and met her eyes. “I'll be fine.” He had that tone that made him easy to believe, just like his father. “I’ll call for you if I need help, I promise.”

Ren patted his arm in return before hurrying into the side tunnel with Akahana. They stopped as soon as they were out of sight and not a moment too soon. There were footsteps, shouts, wingbeats, and then a pregnant pause.

“Hand over the prototype!” A woman's voice. There was something unsettling about it. A ragged edge that that grated her nerves.

“Dr. Courtney Kagari!” Steven answered. “I almost didn't recognize you. It's been so long. I'm glad to see you've pursued that interest in training, though I must admit I'm a little disappointed Dr. Matsuda didn't come himself.”

“Enough! We're business people. Let's complete this transaction.”

“That's our parents, not us. We chose different careers for ourselves. I don't think I've ever had the chance to tell you, but I really do admire what you've accomplished with their fortune.”

Ren hadn't detected any sarcasm in his tone, but Courtney snarled. “Give me the parts!”

“I assume you must be after a Devon project? Then I’m afraid I must disappoint you. I don’t have it.”

Shrill cackling pierced Ren’s ears and echoed through the caverns, growing deeper as it went, like the stone itself was laughing.

“Do you really think it wise to take on the League Champion?” They must have been advancing on him.

“No one’s invulnerable, Stone.”

“True,” Steven answered. There wasn't even a hint of fear in it. The easy confidence remained unshaken. There was only amusement and excitement. “But some of us are a little closer than others.”

Flashes of red played across the tunnel entrance, commands jumbled together, and a deep metallic cry rang out above the roars, shrieks, and snarls as pokemon rushed into battle. Ren and Akahana stayed out of sight around the corner, trying to make sense of the sounds of moves flying and bodies connecting. Dr. Kagari and her cohort shouted attacks, but Ren didn’t hear Steven’s voice again until the glare of flames lit the rock across from her.

“MIND THE MURALS!” he thundered. “Those paintings are over two thousand years old!”

The ground beneath Ren’s feet trembled and Akahana whipped around, hackles on end and bristling. A flood of Zubat crashed over them like water, too fast for Ren to do anything but throw her arms in front of her face. Hundreds of wings buffeted her from all sides, and she tottered as their high shrieks cleaved her skull. The world spun around her—Supersonic.

“Look out!”

Ren peered out from behind an arm and swiveled in time to see the tattered image of something barreling towards her. She staggered, and a moment later, a flash of electricity punched a hole in the flow of Zubat around her, giving her an unobstructed view. Akahana’s blinding teeth sank into a the arm of a Makuhita and before Ren could move or force her tongue to form a warning, the wild socked Akahana in the gut with a glowing fist, launching her into the rock. She hit with horrible thud that struck Ren’s ears above the din, and tumbled down the wall’s curvature to sprawl limply across the floor. This time she did not roll back to her feet.

No! No! No!

Ren took a step towards the Makuhita as it rounded on her, then froze as white hot pain roared up her arm. Her other hand snapped to her belt, and she sent out Tāraki. The wild charged him, but he leapt over it and slammed it in the back of the head with his tail. That was enough to down it, but Tāraki climbed atop it just to be sure. Ren rifled through her bag, shaking her head as if that would clear it any faster. She sprayed a potion over Akahana with trembling hands as the last of the Zubat flew out above them.

“Just hang in there! We’ll get you to the Center soon, I promise.”

Ren watched Akahana’s side, but the everything was still moving too much to tell if she was breathing. She put her hands on Akahana but couldn’t feel her heartbeat over a rumble rising up through the floor. Tāraki planted himself in front of them as a Lairon loomed out of the darkness. It roared and charged right for them. Ren wasn’t sure what she yelled as Tāraki ran to meet it, but suddenly energy was flooding out of her and into him. He evolved in a flash as bright as lightning, sending a ripple through the surrounding air. He threw all of his newfound power into a single slash that knocked the Lairon off course. Its head bumped the wall and left a gouge before it swung back to center and stormed out of the tunnel.

Ren let out a deep sigh. Her body felt heavy. Tāraki returned to her side, and she stroked Akahana gently, watching for the slight rise and fall of her shallow breathing. She felt callused hands on her face that weren’t there trying to pull her eyes away, her father’s voice saying words she couldn’t hear. There was only blood, the prone pokemon before her, and shuddering, gasping breaths that would gutter out to stillness.

Ren hadn’t noticed the sounds of battle stop, but suddenly Steven was there, gripping her shoulder to bring her back. “What happened?”

Red seeped back into her memories. There were no gaping wounds—though internal bleeding was probable. She was still breathing. “A wild attacked us. My Poochyena…”

“I’ll get you to the Pokemon Center. Come.”

Ren returned Akahana to her ball, but wouldn’t let go even to stow it. Steven pulled her along by her other hand to the surface, then helped her aboard his Skarmory. They flew fast and low along the coast and ran up to the intake counter. Trainers weren’t allowed in the ICU, so Ren collapsed on one of the waiting room couches.

She didn't ask Steven to stay, but he did. He probably felt responsible, as Ren would have felt in his place, but it was Ren who hadn't withdrawn Akahana when she had the chance, who had taken too long to send out Taraki. All she could see was the button of Akahana’s pokeball blinking red over and over until it went black.

Then there was a flash of silver. Ren blinked. It was the rings on Steven’s hand, palm up before her. She took it, a little more roughly than she intended, and he squeezed her gently back.

“She'll be alright.”

She held the door open for them, and Ren thanked her as they went in.

The walls of the generous office were covered in cases of specimens from glittering crystals to polished granite. The floor was beautifully striated, pink marble that was somehow still less impressive than the lobby, which had them walking over an incredible array of intricately arranged fossils.

Mr. Stone stood from his large desk on the far end of the room to greet them. He was an older gentleman with silver hair and a perfectly trimmed beard.

“Lovely to meet you, Miss Kosugi,” he said as he shook her hand. He then he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Nonsense, it is I who must thank you,” he said as Ren sat down, and Tāraki jumped to the arm of the chair. “The package you recovered was an extremely important prototype. My company and I are indebted to you.”

“You are welcome, sir. I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

He gave a warm smile—warmer than she had been expecting. “That is very admirable of you, Ms. Kosugi, but I did not invite you here just to thank you personally.”

“You really don’t have to do anything,” Ren said firmly. She had hoped to avoid a reward after purposefully letting the thief go… twice.

“Please allow me to anyway. It is only fair,” he insisted. “I’d like to offer you full access to all of our nav apps, free of charge, and of course upgrade your nav to any model you choose. We also have an extensive line of accessories for trainers that may be of use to you. Ms. Ikeda will assist you as soon as we’re done.”

Ren weighed whatever was happening in her conscience against the risk of exposing herself and Josh for a moment before realizing it was moot. Despite Mr. Stone’s jovial bearing, she could feel that he wasn’t going to budge.

“That is very generous, sir. Thank you.”

“Very good.” He regarded her for a moment, hands knit together and thumbs wandering back and forth. “There is one more thing. This in no way effects anything I have already offered, and you are under no obligation to accept, but I was hoping you might run an errand for me—paid, of course.”

Now that she wasn’t expecting. “What sort of errand?” She asked carefully. She saw Tāraki cock his head in her periphery.

“Delivery. Specifically taking the parts you returned to me twice to my son in Dewford. It would be a great personal favor.”

The odd feeling that had prodded her back in Petalburg Woods reared up stronger than ever, and she gripped the arms of her chair. She had let go of the idea of asking questions before she even entered the building. Now there was no way not to.

“Before I decide, I have a few things I would like to ask.”

“About the incidents?” he asked, and she confirmed with a nod. He was sharp. “By all means. You and your pokemon were, albeit unintentionally, put in jeopardy. You are perhaps owed some manner of explanation.”

“Thank you, sir. Can I ask why you sent your top fossil scientist to deliver this prototype and not a courier? It seems like, as the head of the department, he might have other things to do.”

The corner of his mouth turned up just slightly before he leaned back a bit. “Ah, yes, under normal circumstances I certainly wouldn’t have, but since this was sensitive material, I needed someone I trusted. Devon may make most of its money nowadays from navtech, but I founded this company as a fossil revival center, and that has always remained my passion. Graeme has been here since the very beginning, and I’ve worked with him for much of my life. He is a close friend.”

In that moment, Ren resented her gut just a little for being right again because now she had to follow it. “Please excuse me—I don’t mean to sound rude or accusatory—but it seems as though Dr. Arden, and by extension yourself, may have expected an attempted theft?”

“To be perfectly frank, yes. Yes, I did.”

“So, do you know who is trying to steal this prototype and why?”

“Yes, I believe I do.” For the first time, Mr. Stone’s flawless posture wilted ever so slightly, and he paused for a moment, as if reluctant to elaborate. “This may sound strange, and I hope you will forgive me—I do not mean to cast aspersions—but I am fairly certain Magma is behind the attempted thefts.”

Ren had no idea what that meant or why he should feel uncomfortable saying it. Tāraki tilted his head all the way in the opposite direction, brow furrowing. He was doubtless even more lost than she was. “Is that… a criminal group?”

“Heavens no!” Mr. Stone exclaimed, raising his hands as if to push that idea away from him. “I forgot you are new to the region. No, Magma is a humanitarian organization. Their focus is infrastructure and affordable housing. I collaborated with them recently on the Rusturf Tunnel project.”

Mention of the tunnel made Ren’s chest tighten. “I’m sorry about the collapse.”

“It is unfortunate,” he said with a sigh, “but not your doing. Problems with the Whismur plagued it from the beginning. I suppose Captain Seaborne was right after all…” His eyes drifted out the window as he fell silent.

Ren felt a pang of sympathy. Continuing to pry didn’t seem kind anymore. Mr. Stone was under a lot of stress, and this wasn’t just business to him. But she looked over at Tāraki, saw the confusion on his face, but when their eyes met he smiled and nodded encouragingly. Her resolve hardened. He couldn’t understand much of what was being said, but he trusted her to make the right choice. They were all relying on her.

She didn’t mince her next words. “Do you think the project may have just been a way for them to get inside information about your company?”

“I admit to briefly considering the possibility.” He rearranged some items on his already orderly desk. “However, taking into account the organization’s history and having met with their leaders personally, I find it unlikely that their work up until this point has been some kind of smokescreen for criminal activity. That is to say, I do not believe this was motivated by greed. It seems more likely to me that they have found some way other than public appeal to further their agenda and that the technology they are attempting to steal will help them in some way.”

Now that was an interesting wrinkle. “And what exactly are they trying to steal?”

“A new type of energy converter,” he answered easily. Ren had half-expected him not to disclose anything at all. And that made her feel better even though things had become more complicated.

“So with all of that going on, why ask me to take the package?”

“Firstly, you have already proven yourself trustworthy. You had ample opportunity to take the parts yourself, knowing full well that they must be very valuable, but instead returned them twice. Secondly, since you are not a Devon employee or affiliate, Magma is unlikely to suspect you are carrying anything for us. And thirdly, if they do find out, you have already demonstrated you are a competent enough trainer to fend them off.”

“Oh.” That was all very well reasoned. “Thank you, I guess.”

“That being said, I very much doubt they will come after you. I wouldn’t have asked you if I thought they might. However, I completely understand if you don’t want to take any more risks. It is your choice.”

“He had such a reassuring way about him, that in that moment I really did believe everything would be fine. And I think he did too.” If he is anything like Steven, I’m sure he would never have sent you willingly into harm’s way. “No. He wouldn’t have.”

“I’ll do it. I’d like to visit Dewford anyway.”

“Thank you very much, Ms. Kosugi.” His relief was even more gratifying than the genuine gratitude in his expression. “Once again, you are really getting us out of a bind. Will you need travel accommodations?”

“Ah, no sir, or I don’t think so anyway. Captain Briney offered me a ride.”

Mr. Stone smiled broadly. “Jim? Well, that works out very well then. He has a lovely boat, and his cottage is quite close. Do send him my regards. I haven’t seen the old rascal in quite some time.”

Tāraki climbed up her shoulder and wrapped his tail around her neck. “Will do, sir.”

...

Ren walked out of the Devon building with the prototype in her vapor box and her bag full of new tech. Mr. Stone had not been kidding about the trainer equipment; Ren had to admit she was pretty excited to try out her collapsible screen and use her new solar generator the next time she camped out. But the shine wore off quickly as her mind wandered, and she soon found herself watching her boots tromp down the sidewalk. Without Mr. Stone there to reassure her, doubt was creeping back in.

“That went well!” Tāraki piped up by her side.

“Yeah, he told us a lot more than I thought he would,” Ren admitted distantly.

Tāraki cocked his head, trying to look up at her face for a moment or two before giving up. “Though I guess I still don't understand all of it.”

“We should tell the others. Come on, I think there's a park nearby.”

It was small, like most things in Rustboro, but there was a pond with blooming lily pads and a pretty little gazebo. Ren let out the rest of her pokemon, and they listened as she and Tāraki explained the situation.

Ren expected them to say something when she was done—opinions, comments, at least one question—but none of them did.

“Are you really okay with this? I mean, I’m not even entirely sure what I’m getting us into.” She looked from one to the next and was met with nothing but mild confusion.

“You’re the leader,” said Akahana at length—deliberately, like she was explaining something obvious. “It’s your call, trainer.”

Iki nodded in agreement, and none of the others raised any objection.

“Wait, hang on, that’s not the way I want to run this team.” Ren swallowed, a little shocked at her own dismay, but it did nothing to keep the anxiety out of her voice. “It—it isn’t right. You’re my partners. I want your input.”

Hakeka grumbled, and Panahi nodded along. “Maybe not how I would have put it, but you have a point.” Ren gave her a questioning look, and Panahi elaborated. “It’s just that you’ve already accepted.”

“I would go give it back right now if it mattered to you!”

“I’m sure you would,” Panahi said delicately, obviously still at a loss for what exactly the issue was. “Do you not want to do it anymore?”

“No, I do.” Ren looked at them, hoping one of them would understand, give her something so she could stop sliding helplessly downwards.

They looked at each other, and Akahana’s tail twitched. Finally Hakeka grunted.

“What do you want from us?” Akahana translated.

“I just want to know what you think! I know I already explained things, and you all seemed okay with it, but maybe I didn’t really give you all a choice. I want to give you a choice. Besides, you’re all smart. I just thought—well, maybe we shouldn’t be relying on only my judgement all the time. Please just tell me what you think. Should we do this?”

There was another silence and a few more glances between the pokemon before Māia piped up. “Why not? Even if another one of those Magma trainers comes after us, we can totally take them. We’re strong!”

“That’s right!” said Tāraki. “We’re all getting to be pretty good battlers.”

“He said they probably wouldn’t know it was us anyway, r-right?” Iki asked. “It doesn’t seem too dangerous.”

“And we could use the money,” Akahana concluded.

The last two weren’t as forthcoming, so Ren prompted them. “Hakeka, what do you think?”

Hakeka snorted, followed by some gurgling.

“She thinks you worry too much,” said Tāraki. “Seems like a low risk with a high reward.”

“Ahi?”

“I agree with everyone else, Honey. But listen: it’s great that you want to know what we’re thinking and all, really it is, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have the final say in the end. You are the leader. You need to own your decisions and take responsibility.”

“I didn’t know why that made me so uncomfortable, so I didn’t say anything. And she was right: I am responsible.” Perhaps, but not for everything you think you are. “And what is that supposed to mean?” If you wouldn’t hear it from Steven, you will not listen to me. Not that he has any authority on the subject. “Then why are we talking about it?” My hope is that you will see it yourself. That is why we are doing this exercise. But it won’t work if you are so defensive. “Alright, I’ll try not to be.” 

“I—thank you, Ahi.” Ren took a deep breath and nodded, face set. “Okay. We are going to do this, and I’ll take full responsibility for what happens. But I just want all of you to know that I never want to make you do anything you don’t want to do. You should be able to make your own decisions too.”

“Awesome! So when are we challenging the Gym?”

...

The Rustboro Gym stood out boldly from every other building in the city, not just in size but in architecture—if it could be called that. The exterior looked more like a jagged, natural rock formation than a human structure, yet it was still regular and purposeful. Ren wondered if it was pokemon-built. Kai confirmed for her that is was, more specifically, a team of Lunatone, Solrock, and Probopass.

The lobby doubled as a gallery of the Leader’s personal rock and fossil collection, much like Mr. Stone’s office. This one turned out to be more like a museum, albeit a small one, with informative plaques next to each case. The glass roof, which had been invisible from the outside, flooded the space with natural light. Beyond the desk at the back of the room was a thick glass wall that opened onto the arena. Kai hung back while Ren and Tāraki approached the receptionist.

“Hello miss,” the receptionist greeted her. “Ready to take the Gym Challenge?”

“Hell yeah!” Tāraki cheered, bouncing up and down on Ren’s shoulder.

“That’s right!” Ren echoed.

“And what badge will you be aiming for today?”

“My first.”

“Oh! I would have guessed second or third with a full team like yours.”

“I may have over-prepared a bit,” Ren admitted with a shrug.

“No such thing,” the receptionist responded with a smile. “I’ll just scan your trainer ID and get you started. Would you like to battle the Gym trainers at your badge level before the leader?”

“Absolutely.”

“Alright then. I’ll put you on the roster. You can enter the arena as soon as the other trainers are ready.” She fixed Ren with a knowing grin. “I don’t think you’ll need it, but good luck, Ms. Kosugi.”

Ren’s face began to twist into discomfort, but she covered it with a smile.

What did she say that upset you? “Living in a new region, surrounded by strangers, I kept forgetting that most of the League employees would already know me or at least recognize my name. The expectation would be enough, but I… I know Otōsan and I have a lot in common, but I like to think some things are different.” Is this another point we must revisit later? “Yeah. Won’t be able to avoid it.”

Kai went to look at one of the cases, and Ren and Tāraki to look out at the arena while the Gym staff and students prepared. Tāraki climbed the glass with his amazing toe pads to get a better view. It was significantly larger than standard and contained uneven terrain and rocky outcroppings rather than being packed flat. Massive fossilized skeletons loomed over the defending side, and the recessed viewing stands were almost hidden in the towering rock of the adjacent walls.

“It really is your kind of battlefield, no?” Ren asked Tāraki. He snickered gleefully back, wiggling in place while his face stayed glued to the glass. “We’re gonna crush this.”

Kai offered her a good luck handshake when it was time and went to sit in the stands with the Gym’s more experienced trainers and other spectators.

Ren sent out the rest of her team to watch, and the first trainer sent out a Binacle.

Ren nodded to Hakeka, and she trundled forward. The starting whistle sounded, and the Binacle fired off a Sand Attack, but Hakeka turned and received it with her cap, saving her eyes. Knowing the Binacle wouldn't move, Ren didn't have her wait for the dust cloud to clear before launching a Mega Drain that took it down.

The rest of the trainers went by nearly as fast. Tāraki faced a Dwebble and easily defeated it with his superior speed while Hakeka downed a Rolycoly, Roggenrola, and finally a Carbink with a combination of Leech Seed and Mega Drain.

When that was done, the Gym leader herself finally appeared. She looked younger than Ren knew her to be, though that may have been the twin buns on her head or short, stylish dress and colorful stockings. She walked out to the center of the arena to greet Ren.

“You’ve battled all of the badgeless trainers who are in at the moment. Very thorough.”

“It’s such a great opportunity for experience. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Roxanne smiled broadly. “Excellent. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ren.” She extended a hand, and they shook.

“Likewise.”

“So are you and Stripes ready for your lesson?”

“Yep!” Ren chirped and then something hit her. “Wait, how did you know his nickname means stripes?”

“Oops! Uhhh…” Roxanne floundered, and Ren’s face pinched in pain.

“Oh Arceus, there’s not some kind of League chat that he talks about me in, is there?”

Roxanne chuckled sheepishly. “Yes, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Ren grabbed her head, posture shrinking with mortification. “Don’t worry about it! It’s not nearly as bad as when Wattson spams us with pictures of his grandkids. And Phoebe and Sidney are real shitposters… Come to think of it, Steven and I have been kicked off a few times for talking about fossils. Apparently we’re supposed to ‘keep that rock shit to ourselves’ and ‘not freak everyone out by blowing up the chat with eight-hundred-and-sixty-three messages.’”

That pulled a chuckle out of Ren. She had to wonder who was the admin if not the Champion, and who was reprimanding?

Roxanne smiled before leaning in, face suddenly stony, and she gripped Ren’s shoulder firmly. “But seriously, this conversation never took place.”

Ren snapped to attention. “Hai, sensei!”

Roxanne straightened up and smiled again. “I like you, Ren. Let’s get started.”

They paced back to their squares, and Roxanne sent out a Geodude.

“Alright, Shima, Knock ’em dead!”

Tāraki ran into the ring and tensed, whole body quivering with excitement.

“Celestine, Rock Throw!”

“Dodge and Mega Drain, Tāraki!”

The Geodude started hurling rocks, but Tāraki skittered out of the way and dove behind the nearest rock. He climbed it and leapt from one to the next, zig-zagging but drawing ever closer to his opponent. The next projectile flew over his head as he ducked and danced away from three more, grin broadening. He used the last as a stepping stone to reach the top of a high boulder and launched a Mega Drain at the spent Geodude.

“Nice one, Shima!”

“Tackle, Celestine!”

“Quick Attack!”

The Geodude lunged forward and leapt up, but Tāraki slammed its arm on his way down and knocked it off balance. It crashed into the side of the boulder and rolled to the floor.

“Tackle!”

“Mega drain!”

The Geodude charged, but Tāraki flipped over it, bouncing off its head with his hands. Before the Geodude could come around, Tāraki sapped its remaining strength, and it rolled to a stop. Roxanne withdrew it.

“Well done.” She sent out a Nosepass. “Akivi, let’s hem in this acrobat: Rock Tomb!”

The Nosepass’s palms glowed, and rocks began to hail down around Tāraki on all sides. He hopped around trying to avoid them but had nowhere to run and disappeared beneath them. His head popped out as a stone fell away, and he strained to free himself as the Nosepass prepared to hit him again.

“You can still hit her from there!” Ren called to him. “Use Mega Drain!”

Tāraki stopped struggling, charged, and fired. The Nosepass remained impassive, but Tāraki glowed as its energy flowed into him, and he burst out of the rock pile.

“Rock throw!”

Tāraki dashed from one piece of cover to the next as projectiles fired at him and shattered.

“Mega Drain!”

“Tackle!”

Tāraki stopped moving to charge up his attack, and the Nosepass ran at him. Tāraki’s Mega Drain landed, but the Nosepass was undeterred and crashed into him. He went flying back but landed on his feet on a bit of high ground.

“One more Mega Drain!”

“Rock Tomb!”

The Nosepass readied her attack, but Tāraki was faster. The rocks she was lifting fell to the floor before she could fire them. Tāraki puffed out his chest as the last of her energy flowed into him. The Nosepass drooped ever so slightly and was still. Roxanne withdrew her.

“Congratulations you two!”  Roxanne called, withdrawing her pokemon. She walked down into the arena to meet Ren in the middle. Tāraki leapt down, and Ren caught him in her arms, holding him to her chest as he squeezed her neck.

“You’ve certainly demonstrated you know the basics.” Roxanne continued. “Plenty of trainers can win their first badge with a simple type advantage, but the way you countered my attacks shows dedicated practice and solid strategy.” She pulled a small box out of her pocket and offered it to them. “I’ve rarely been so happy to hand over a badge.”

“Thank you,” said Ren, and the strain in her tone took her by surprise. She should be happy about this. She had been a moment ago, but now a familiar dread clawed at the back of her throat, squeezed her ribs. She remembered the heat coursing through her veins as she directed Tāraki, and her arm gave a throb.

“And Ren.” She wrenched herself back out of her head to look Roxanne in the eyes. “Good luck with whatever you decide. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.”

The pressure in her chest lifted and sighed back into position. A smaller smile returned as Tāraki wriggled up around her neck to get back to his usual spot on her shoulder. “I won't.”

Ren thanked her again as they parted and walked slowly back to the rest of her team waiting in the challenger’s square. Even after all that strain, Tāraki’s tail waggled with frenetic energy behind her head.

“Well, Tāraki, is it everything you hoped and dreamed?”

“Hell yeah it was!” he crowed, and Māia whooped, pale underwings flashing. “That was so much fun!” Ren couldn’t help but smile, and Tāraki grinned back at her. “Although, I wouldn’t have minded evolving super dramatically in the middle of the match like Jay.”

Ren laughed. “Maybe next time.” She held up the badge to him. “Should I put this away or do you want to wear it?”

“I don’t care about that thing. No offense. I mean it’s shiny and whatever, but I don’t need it. I just want to battle like that again! Really push myself, you know? That was seriously awesome!”

“You were seriously awesome. I’ll take it into consideration.”

“I’m taking the next Gym!” Māia reminded them, shoving Tāraki’s tail aside to claim Ren’s other shoulder.

Kai came bounding out of the stands. “You did so well! That was such a cool battle! Using the terrain like that—all those awesome flips Tāraki was doing—we have to battle again!”

“Alright,” said Ren, stifling a giggle.

“But you probably have to get going…” He stared down at his feet.

“We’ll see each other in a week, just north of Slateport, right?” He glanced at her as he nodded, and she flashed him a big smile. She wasn’t sure which of them needed the reassurance. “Train hard between all the science or we’re gonna beat you into the ground!”

“We will!”

This time, when she hugged him, it wasn't stiff.

“Um, could you maybe do me a favor though?”

“Sure! What's up?”