Chapter 9: Before the Decisive Battle

I sighed and played with Dust's Poké Ball hanging from the
chain around my neck. Why did I agree to
this again? I can't even talk to my mother without it turning into a big deal.
How am I supposed to talk to a bunch of kids? And what do I say to them? “Hi,
kids. Don't fuck up like I did!"

            I leaned
against the wall and tried to push the thoughts away. I was in this mess like
it or not. I could've just not shown up, but my pride wouldn't allow it. I broke
enough promises over the years; I couldn't stand to add another to the list.

            The youth
center was the same as it was when I was a kid which said a lot because I
hadn't been in here since I was eight. The place even had the same old-building
smell. An odd sorta rotting smell of something past its prime but not quite dead.
No one even bothered to at least paint the walls a different color. I wondered
if they left the door unlocked. Probably since there wasn't anything in here
worth stealing.

            To the left
of the entrance there was a wall that had the name and handprint of every kid
who had been there. Underneath our name, we wrote our dreams. Since most of us
wanted to be Pokémon trainers, the word “Champion" came up a lot. It didn't
take long to find my handprint. It was badly faded but still readable. Over my
name and Champion, someone had scribbled “tras" in all caps. I remembered the
day it happened. Everyone was pretty pissed, especially my parents. No one ever
admitted to doing it although we all knew who did. I cried the whole day, and I
never came inside the youth center again.

            I felt
Tyrese behind me before he spoke. “I remember when Jaiden wrote that. I thought
it was taking things too far. I should've said something, but seeing the way
our parents reacted I was too scared to. I also remember the day you saw it and
cried."

            “Didn't
stop you from teasing me. Looks like someone tried to clean it off."

            “I did that.
But when I saw I would erase your name, I gave up."

            “How nice
of you," I said tonelessly. I turned away from the wall and faced him. “I
assume you didn't call me here to redo my handprint."

            Tyrese
stood there, playing with his hands as if he didn't quite know what to do with
them. “I really appreciate you coming today, Maya. I honestly thought you were
gonna stand me up."

            I shrugged.
“I said I'd be here didn't I?"

            Tyrese
chuckled nervously. “True. Growing up, you always were true to your word."

            “So where
are the kids?" I asked, eager to change the subject. The past was the past. I
hadn't come here to talk about what we did when we were dumb kids. I had enough
shit to deal with.

            “Oh, right.
They're inside the auditorium." He led me down the hall. Once we reached the
door, he turned to me. “Just a quick word of warning, they already know you're
coming."

            “What does
that matter?" I asked as I stepped inside.

            Turned out
it did matter.

            The
auditorium was packed with people, most I assumed to be trainers, and a lot of
them weren't even close to being a little kid. At first, I thought they were
just the kids' parents, but some of them didn't look old enough to have kids. I
recognized a few of them as my old neighbors. They noticed me standing there
and erupted into cheers and applause.

            I slowly
turned to Tyrese. “What the hell is this? You said a few kids."

            Tyrese chuckled
weakly again. “I told the kids the Champion was coming, and I guess word got
around."

            “I spoke to
you yesterday."

“C'mon, Maya, you know how fast
word spreads around here. How often do you think a Champion comes by a place
like this?"

            I sighed and
went inside. The crowd started cheering louder. It was just a few feet from the
door to the front of the room, but it felt like miles. The screaming of the
crowd sounded distant. The mic sitting at the front of the room looked like a
metallic noose.

            Look at them all, my conscience said. Cheering you on. Treating you like some
kind of hero. Kinda makes you wonder if anyone would be cheering for you like
this if you weren't a Champion.

            Fuck you, I thought. I didn't
want to have this conversation with myself, especially now. If I broke down and
did something stupid, I would never hear the end of it.

            But why do you care? Are you that afraid of
finding out that Tyrese and his friends were right? That you really are just
trash who has no right being a trainer? You say it doesn't bother you, but I
think, deep down, you still give a damn.

            I turned to the crowd, put on
the biggest fake smile I could, and I dug my nails into my palm and hid my
hands behind my back. “ 'Sup everybody. My name is Maya Martin, which you
already know. I was told that there
would only be a few kids here." I threw a nasty look at Tyrese and got a few
laughs. “But I guess, I can talk to a larger crowd. I was supposed to give a
few would-be trainers some advice. Honestly this can apply to some of you
veterans, too."

            I felt the
walls press in on me. I took a deep breath, but it didn't help. I had planned
on sharing something personal. Since they were little kids and total strangers,
I didn't think it was a big deal. Instead the crowd was bigger, some of them
people I knew, but I didn't have anything else planned.

            Nothing else to do but to jump. I
pointed at a little girl sitting in the front row. “You want to be a trainer
right? Maybe one day become League Champion?"

            The little
girl smiled wide enough to split her head in half. The other kids sitting near
her gave her jealous looks. “Yeah. I want to be a trainer."

            “Why do you
wanna become Champion?" I asked.

            The girl's
smile faded a little. “I don't know. That's what trainers do."

            I nodded
and pointed at an older man this time. He looked to be maybe in his late
thirties. “I assume you're a trainer, sir?"

            It was
clear in the man's face he was trying not to smile. The people standing next to
him didn't hide their annoyance at not being singled out. “That I am. I'm still
training to become Champion. If you want to know why, it's because I want to
prove I'm the strongest trainer in the region."

            “Yeah, I
wanna be the strongest trainer in the world!" a little boy shouted. A lot of
people clapped and cheered.

            “Well, I
might as well tell you now: You can forget it, kid," I said.

            The whole
room quieted, and I was faced with a sea of confused looks. The walls pressed
in further.

            Too deep to back out now. “Look, Pokémon
battling is about more than just being stronger than your opponent. You won't
get very far if you're only doing it to prove you were strong. I…My friends and
I promised we would become Champions together. It was that promise that pushed
me and kept me on the path. Even after…we stopped being friends"—I gripped Aqua's
Poké Ball—“I wanted to keep that promise. It's what pushed me to continue on no
matter what.

“It's fine to want to be strong,
but why do you want to be strong? What happens when you face someone stronger
than you? What about your Pokémon? Will you abandon them if they're not strong
enough?"

The kid puffed out his bottom lip.
“I-I don't know."

“No, I'm not talking to you," I
said quickly. “I'm just saying wanting to be strong isn't enough."

“It's worked pretty well for me,"
the man replied, his annoyance clear.

“How long have you been a trainer?"
I asked cooly. When the man blushed and turned away, I addressed the crowd. “Just
wanting to be strong puts pressure on your Pokémon. You want them to be strong.
They want to be strong. But what makes them strong? Why would they want to be
stronger? If you can't answer that, you'll never make it far as a trainer. Pokémon
training isn't about being rich and famous."

A murmur moved through the crowd. There
was no clapping, no cheering, no booing, no questions. I had said what I came
to say, so I walked out. When I got to the hallway, I opened my hand. There was
a little blood on my palm. It wasn't anything serious, but my hand would hurt
every time I used it. I walked toward the exit thinking about how my mom was
going to have a fit if she saw my hand.

Tyrese appeared next to me. I
avoided looking at him because I already knew he was probably pissed. “What the
hell was that, Maya? I thought you were just gonna say a few things about being
nice to Pokémon or at least something that wouldn't crush their dreams."

“Oh please. 'Be kind to your
Pokémon' is said so often it's a damn cliché," I said. “You said those kids
want to become trainers. They need to know now they need a better reason than
'being the strongest' or else they won't make it. There is more to Pokémon training
and being Champion than just strength and skill. I'm not the ideal trainer, but
I at least know that much."

Tyrese just stared, slack-jawed. I
turned and walked out before he could think of something to say.

Cassandra, Taylor, and my mother
were outside.

I raised a brow. “Uh, what are you
doing here?"

“I saw the clothes you packed, and
I can't let you battle the Champion with those clothes," my mom said. “Maya, I
taught you better than that."

I wanted to say something, but I
decided to keep my mouth shut. If my mom saw what I wore the day I battled
Diantha, she would probably have a heart attack.

“Honestly, I thought my aunt had a
better fashion sense," Taylor said.

“Did you do any research when you
looked me up?" I asked. “Anyone who knows me knows I don't give a shit about my
appearance."

“Which is why we're going clothes shopping,"
my mom said. She started pushing me toward the car. “The boys are having a
'guys day', so it's just us girls. We'll pick out some lovely outfits for you
and your Pokémon."

I waited until we were all in the
car and my mom was driving us down the street to ask, “Wait, my Pokémon are
getting new clothes, too?"

“No, we're picking out new clothing
ideas for your Pokémon," Cassandra
answered. “I told your mom and Taylor about the fashion show."

“I think it's just the best idea
ever!" Taylor squealed.

I rolled my eyes. “You are such a girl."

“I am a girl."

“Doesn't mean you need to act like
one."

“Well someone in this family needs
to act like a girl," my mom admonished.

“Aren't you a girl?" I asked.

Taylor snorted into her hand, and
Cassandra smiled and looked out the window. My mom clenched her jaw.

“I am not a girl. I am a woman. Taylor is only thirteen, and if
she wants to act like a stereotype, that's her choice."

“Thank you, Ms.—wait, what?"

I laughed. Taylor pouted the rest
of the ride.

My mom drove us to Santalune City. From
the boutique she parked in front of, there was a great view of the city square.
I looked at the giant fountain again and thought about my battle royale with
those trainers.

What
the hell did those guys hope to gain from challenging me? Even if they had
beaten me, three-on-one is hardly worth bragging about. If anything, they
would've looked like assholes for pushing so hard for me to battle them. I
froze as a thought crossed my mind. “That lying bitch!"

Everyone turned to me. “Maya,
what's going on?" my mom asked.

I turned away from the square.
“Nothing. Let's pick out my outfit." I felt their eyes on me as I walked past,
but my mind was elsewhere. Gwendoline had set me up. I couldn't believe it took
so long for me to figure it out. Those three trainers challenging me was an
assassination, something I was familiar with. I was so focused on them talking
shit I didn't see it.

To gain an advantage in a battle,
trainers started performing what they called “assassinations." They would pay
someone to challenge their rival beforehand and seriously injure a particular
Pokémon so the rival couldn't use it later. It wasn't illegal since it was so
hard to prove, but the League frowned strongly on it. I had been hired to
perform assassinations myself, but I never resorted to it in my own battles. I
thought it was odd for Gwendoline to push me battling someone so close to my
match against Sharon, but now it made sense. She hoped to hurt one of my team
badly enough that I wouldn't be able to use them in the upcoming battle. I
doubted Sharon was in on it, but she didn't strike me as the type to be against
that kind of tactic.

While my mom and Taylor poured over
clothes and which one would suit me best, I planned out my battle strategy
against Sharon. Before, I just wanted to win because she called me out. Now, I
wasn't going to lose to her, period.

Someone who was willing to resort
to such a dirty trick didn't deserve to be a Champion.

****

Neil leaned back in his seat and stretched. He had no idea
what to do with his newfound free time, and he was getting bored. With Noxis on
probation and Garden recovering, he would be out of the battling circuit for a
while. Unfortunately, training wasn't really an option either. Until Noxis was
more acquainted with him and the rest of the team, there was no point in trying
to train her, and Garden had done more than enough training for a while. He
still helped Claire with her training, but it was still only for a few hours
each day.

The problem was Neil didn't want to
disappear from the training world entirely during his hiatus. He needed to keep
up appearances but in a way that didn't result in a ton of turned down battle
invitations. He also wanted to get his Pokémon acquainted with each other.
Garden already knew most of Neil's team from her time as Patrick's Pokémon, so
it was easy. Noxis was still having a hard time. She spent most of her time in
her Poké Ball. When she did come out, she treated the others with suspicion
except for Ember. Neil wasn't sure why, but he decided to give the Salazzle
some space.

            Thankfully,
he had privacy and space because Claire convinced him to stay in his parents'
house while they were in Aquacorde. At first, he was against it because he
didn't want Claire to stumble across any family photo albums, but he preferred
that over someone getting wind of Noxis' past.

            Claire had
gotten very comfortable. She spent most of the last few days exploring the town
her boyfriend grew up in. Neil wished he could show her around himself, but he
worried about people figuring out they were a couple. Everyone in town knew
about Claire and her Articuno, Glaciel. He hadn't heard word of anyone making a
big deal of them staying together, so he assumed it was under wraps. For now.
The last thing Neil wanted for Claire to have to deal with some drama just
before the major League Tournament, so he spent his free time indoors planning
out strategies for her and her team. He went out a few times to catch up with
old friends, but the town hadn't really changed much since he left. Also, he
was sick of the constant reminders of Maya. Everyone was so proud of her and
what she had done. Everywhere he went it was Maya this and Maya that. People
treated her like some kind of hero, but they had no idea what she truly capable
of.

            Sometimes
Neil considered shoving the picture of the Sylveon in their faces and shouting,
“See? This is your Champion!" But if he did that, the League would catch heat
for it. Besides, most people probably wouldn't believe him anyway. It wasn't
his job to make people see Maya for what she truly was. Tomorrow, Sharon would
defeat Maya in a battle and then everyone will forget all about Maya.

            Neil looked
up and saw Garden training in the yard again. Both his and Claire's Pokémon sat
out there with the Breloom, watching her. With a heavy sigh, he got up and went
outside. “Garden, what part of take it easy are you not understanding?"

            Garden
froze and turned to her trainer. The other Pokémon suddenly became interested
in the clouds.

            “Look, I
know you wanna get stronger, but you'll wear yourself out. A few days of taking
it easy won't kill you."

            Garden
grumbled under her breath and sat in the shade of the house. Neil decided to
move his research outside to better keep an eye on his Pokémon. As he went
inside to gather his things, there was a knock at the door.

            Neil opened
the door to be immediately assaulted by a shorter, female version of himself.
“M-Mom!"

            “Hi,
sweetie, we're home."

            “That's
enough, you're smothering the boy," Neil's father said. “How're you doing,
Neil?"

            “I-I'm
fine, Dad. What are you doing here?"

            “Well, we
kinda live here. What's your excuse?"

            “I mean,
you're early. I came to see Mrs. Knowling about something."

            “Oh, we
know. She called us. We heard about Maya's battle against Sharon and decided to
come home and cheer her on," Neil's mom said. “She's like the daughter we never
had; we couldn't miss this."

            If she's the daughter you never had, I'm
glad to be an only child, Neil thought.

            “You seem
awfully nervous. Is everything okay?" Neil's father asked.

            Before Neil
could respond, Claire appeared. “Neil what's going…?" Her jaw dropped at the
sight of Neil's parents. Neil wished he could crawl under a rock.

            Is it too late to ask Ember or Pyrus to set
me on fire? “Claire, these are my parents, Samuel and Jocelyne Léonide. Mom,
Dad, this is Claire Bedford, my…girlfriend." Neil braced himself for his
mother's reaction.

            And she did
not disappoint as she let out an excited squeal. “My little Neil finally has a
girlfriend!"

            The heat
rushed through Neil's entire face. “Mom!"

            “Okay, I
think you've embarrassed him enough," Samuel said. “Neil, can you help me bring
the rest of the bags in?"

            “Sure
thing," Neil said quickly. He avoided eye-contact with Claire who gave him a
pleading look as his mother was already dragging her away.

            Outside, Samuel
said. “She's cute. Since you brought her home, I assume it's serious. If she
survives your mother's interrogation, I'd consider keeping her. Have you been
treating her right?"

“Yes, sir."

“And you're Pokémon are doing well?"

“Yep. Ember's actually grown a
little more. Pretty soon she'll be the size of a Dragonite." Neil quickly
looked around in case his Charizard was in earshot. “Don't tell her I said
that. She's been a little sensitive about her weight."

Samuel laughed. “I had the same
problem when Blaze started growing. Every time I told her she was making too
big a deal out of nothing, your mother would tell me I was being insensitive.
But back to you and your girlfriend. I assume you've been taking the necessary
'precautions', right?"

            Neil's
cheeks burned again. “C'mon, Dad. I remember everything you taught me."

            “I'm just
saying to be careful, Neil; it only takes one time to get a girl pregnant. So
how'd you meet?"

            “I met her
in a Pokémon Center," Neil said. “We were both having our Pokémon treated, and
we just started talking to pass the time."

There weren't nearly as many bags
as Neil thought there would be. It seemed his parents had only packed one bag
each. Old habits of being a trainer, I
guess. Neil pulled the bags out of the car and noticed a book sitting in
the back seat. He would have ignored it, but the title caught his eyes, Rules of a Trainer: A Handbook to Being a
Better Pokémon Trainer.

            “Aren't you
a little too…experienced for books like this?" Neil said chuckling. “Besides,
half the crap they write is impractical."

            Samuel
didn't share his son's amusement. “Actually, Neil, we don't keep that book for
reading. Technically, it's yours."

            “What are
you talking about? I've never seen this book before."

            “That's
because it's based on that old notebook you and your friends carried around as kids."

            Neil felt
as if he had been punched in the gut. “What? You took the book I wrote as a kid
and published it? Why haven't I heard about it until now?"

            “Probably
because it hasn't been released yet," Samuel said. “That book is one of the
first copies. We brought ones for Veronica and Cadence, too. It doesn't
officially come out until next month. We wanted to tell you ourselves."

            Neil
pinched the bridge of his nose. Just trying to wrap his head around the
situation was giving him a headache. “Hold on, Dad. Are you saying you were
just looking through my stuff and decided to publish the journal I kept as a
kid?"

            Samuel
sighed. “Let's get in the house and I'll explain."

            Neil
grabbed the suitcases and carried them into the house. From by the stairs,
there was a clear view of the sliding glass door which led into the yard. He
peered through the back door and saw Claire and his mother sitting outside.
Light was laying in his mother's lap, enjoying a belly rub. Ember and Garden
also looked happy to see Jocelyne, but Sentinel clearly felt like a third wheel.
Claire looked like she'd rather take another ride on Sentinel than to talk to Jocelyne.

            “C'mon,
Neil. We'll take the bags upstairs," Samuel said.

            Neil turned
away and followed his father, wishing he could save Claire. His father started
unpacking the moment they entered the bedroom.

            “Cadence
came to us one day with the notebook shortly after Veronica's son died. She
said since Patrick helped work on it, Veronica might want it as a keepsake,"
Samuel explained. “Veronica said she wanted other trainers to live up to the
ideals you listed. I won't lie, Neil, some of the things you and your friends
wrote down is a little childish, but a lot of it is pretty good advice. At
first we were just showing it to the younger trainers in the neighborhood. Then
Veronica got the idea to publish it. Spread the word to trainers everywhere."

            “I don't
get it, Dad, why were you keeping it a secret from me? I just spoke to Mrs.
Knowling only a few days ago, and she never mentioned it either."

            “We weren't
hiding it, Neil. We know how much that book means to you. We were gonna tell
you when we saw you again. I just didn't want to get your hopes up in case the
book was a flop."

            “Two
trainers from well-known trainer families and a former Champion wrote a book
together. Trainers would line up to buy it," Neil said.

            “You know
how Veronica is. She puts her pride before anything else. She wants her son's
book to stand on its own merit, not because of the name on the cover. She'll
never admit it, but she's scared."

            Neil
thought back to when he asked her to borrow Garden. For a brief moment he saw
her true emotions. He saw her as a grieving mother, not the tough trainer and
no-nonsense mother everyone knew her to be. He wondered which one was the true
her and if she hid her emotions to protect her image. If I were in her situation, what would I do? “So, does Maya know
about it?"

            “Not to my
knowledge. Cadence recommended we not say anything. There's a mention to her
son Bryce in the book. We thought it would be best to wait until the book sold
before we brought it up."

            Neil sat
down on the bed. A book deal may not be such a bad idea. It could be what he
needed to stand out from his family; none of them had ever written a book. If
the book did well, he could use it to improve his image. Let's see people talk shit after they find out I wrote the book they
base their training ideals on.

            A thought
crossed Neil's mind. He and his friends had written the book because they
believed in being the ideal trainer. If other people read this book, would they
follow the same rules?

            “So, how's
your plan to become Champion going?"

            Neil
snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, I actually gave up on that. I didn't want to
compete with Claire, y'know?" It was only half the truth. He also didn't want
to have to battle Maya for the title. Since she stepped down, there was little
chance of that happening, but he couldn't stand the idea of following in her
footsteps.

            Samuel
paused in removing some folded shirts from the suitcase. “You must have strong
feelings for this girl." He raised a brow at his son. “It was your idea, right?"

            “Yes, Dad.
It was my idea. I just feel like there is more I could be doing as a trainer.
Being Champion isn't the only thing in the world. Look at you and Mom. Neither
of you became Champion, but you still have successful training careers."

            “So what is
your plan if not to be Champion?"

            “Uh, well
there are a few titles besides Champion. I figured I could try for one of
those."

            For a
moment there was silence. Eventually, Samuel said, “Something besides Champion?
You mean like becoming Gym Leader?"

            “I was
thinking more like becoming one of The Nine."

“One of The Nine? I like you have
ambitions and all, but don't you think you're setting your sights a little
high?"

            “What, you
don't think I can do it?"

            “It's not
that I don't think you can do it, Neil. It's just that challenging someone considered
one of the most powerful trainers in the world isn't easy."

            “Challenging
someone considered the strongest trainer in the region isn't easy, either,"
Neil replied, his voice rising.

            Samuel
sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He gave Neil a firm but compassionate
look. Neil hated it when his father looked that way; it always made Neil feel
like child. “Neil, the League challenge helps pace trainers and get them ready
to deal with the high pressures of battling competitively. A lot of people can't
handle the pressure of going to the top." When Neil opened his mouth to
protest, Samuel quickly added, “Now I'm not saying you can't handle it. I'm
saying you need to be prepared. I've lost a few friends over the years because
they couldn't handle the pressure. Going to the top, staying there, it puts an
enormous burden on your shoulders, and you find yourself doing things out of
desperation."

            “So you're
saying I'm going to crack and do something stupid. You forget, I'm your son.
You really think I would break that easy?"

            Samuel
sighed. He looked tired like someone who had been doing the same thing for too
long. “Neil, I said the same thing to my father right before I cracked and did
something stupid. I was in a tournament once. I wanted to win that tournament
to impress your mother. It was the semi-finals and my opponent was pushing me
and my Pokémon to our limits. But I refused to surrender. I kept pushing and
pushing. No matter how many times my Pokémon were knocked down, I told them to
get up and keep going. I honestly thought I was going to lose, but then the guy
forfeited and let me win."

            “So your
hard work paid off. I'm not sure what the problem is."

            “Let me
finish," Samuel said gently. “The point is, I tracked him down afterward and
asked why he forfeited when he was so close to winning. He told me that if the
battle continued any longer, he might accidently kill one of my Pokémon and
that wasn't worth winning a lousy tournament. After he told me, I dropped out
of the competition."

            “Hold on,
you dropped out after all you went through to win?" Neil asked.

            Samuel
nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yes, I did. I realized that I was putting
my Pokémon in danger just to impress a girl. How could I do something like that
and call myself a trainer?"

            Neil smiled
back. “Well, Dad, I'm not trying to impress Claire. And to be honest, if I did
do something like that, she would be real quick to call me on it, so—"

            “Neil,
you're missing the point," Samuel said firmly. Neil stopped smiling. Whenever
Samuel took that tone, it was something serious. “The point is, it is real easy
to not know when you've made a bad decision until the consequences are biting
you in the ass." He picked up the book from the bed and put it in Neil's hands.
“You wrote this as a child, and I believe these rules are what any trainer
should follow. I don't care how famous you become so long as you take pride in
the man you become."

            “Don't
worry, Dad. I promise you will be proud of me."

            Neil headed
downstairs. Jocelyne and Claire were still sitting outside. This time, Claire's
Articuno had joined them and clearly had become the center of attention. Light
sulked next to them. Ember, Sentinel, and Disaster sat in the far corner of the
yard. Claire's Sandslash, Sandy, and her Serperior, Noble, had also joined the group.
Neil took a deep breath and went to rescue his girlfriend.

His mother noticed him immediately.
“Oh, Neil, there you are. You didn't tell me Claire had such a collection of
rare Pokémon. A Suicune and an
Articuno? How has this not been big news?"

Neil shrugged. “We don't make a
point of showing off our Pokémon. Have you been being nice, Mom?"

Jocelyne placed a hand on her chest
in mock offense. “I have manners. What kind of hostess would I be if I were rude
to my guests?"

“Actually, I think you're more
worried about what kind of mother you would be if you didn't look out for your
son," Neil said.

“Neil, your mom and I have just
been having a conversation," Claire said.

“You don't need to stand up for me,
Claire. I've been grilling you ruthlessly, but you've stayed polite and
answered all of my questions."

            Claire
pointed to the book under Neil's arm. “You catching up on some reading?"

            “This is a
book my parents had published," Neil said. Not wanting to sound ungrateful, he
left out the part about it being done without his permission.

            “You never
told me your parents wrote a book."

            “We didn't.
Technically Neil did."

            Claire
whirled on Neil. “You never told me you wrote
a book."

            “Whoa, I
didn't say anything because up until now I didn't even know the book existed."

“It's true," Jocelyne added. “Neil
didn't know anything. I am surprised Samuel told you. We agreed to tell you
together."

Claire snatched the book from Neil.
“So what kind of book is it?" She read the cover aloud. “Rules of a Trainer. You wrote a guide to Pokémon training and I
don't get a first edition copy?"

“Come on, Claire. I just told you I
didn't know they were gonna publish it."

“But you still wrote it."

“When I was nine!"

“Looks like you two need some time
to work through this," Jocelyne said. She gave Neil a sly smile before
disappearing into the house. Light quickly followed, likely hoping to be
spoiled some more.

Neil stood there, unsure of how to
progress their conversation.

Claire spoke first. “I'm sorry I
overreacted. It's just for a moment, I thought you didn't trust me."

“Why would you think I don't trust
you?"

“We've been in your hometown for
how many days now, and you still haven't shown me around?"

“Claire, I don't want anyone to
know—"

“That we're a couple?" Claire
finished bitterly. “Honestly, Neil, it makes me wonder if I'm your girl on the
side."

“Look, I promise you there are no
other girls. It's just you."

Before Claire could respond, there
was a loud scream from the house. Neil and Claire ran inside. They ran into the
living room to see Jocelyne cowering in her husband's arms, her face buried in
his chest. Samuel stood protectively over his wife, glaring at something on the
sofa. A large spider-like Pokémon sat on the sofa just a few feet away. Its red
body stood out against the auburn cushions, but Neil still had to focus to be
able to see it. It took two steps on its purple and yellow striped legs, looked
up at Neil with its small purple eyes and clicked its mandibles as if in
greeting.

Neil's first thought was how an
Ariados got into the house undetected. His second thought was why it didn't
seem shocked at its reception.

“Get rid of it!" Jocelyne shrieked
over and over again.

“Wait, wait! That's Hunter. He's
mine," Claire said. She recalled Hunter to his Poké Ball.

“Yours?" Neil asked. “What happened
to your Scolipede?"

“Oh, my mom said she needed her for
something, so I sent her home. My mom sent over Hunter instead. I thought I
told you." To Neil's parents, she added. “I'm real sorry if he scared you.
Hunter is actually really friendly, but he doesn't understand that bug-types
aren't the most popular Pokémon."

Jocelyne straightened her clothes and
faced Claire, but her hands were still shaking. “Don't worry about it. I can
usually handle myself around bug-types. I just didn't expect to see one in my
home. I'm going to lie down for a minute." She wobbled upstairs.

“My mom got attacked by a wild Pinsir
when she was a little girl," Neil explained. “Ever since then, she has a bad
reaction to bug-types. If you thought that was bad, you should've been there
the day I told her I wanted a Volcarona on my team."

“You're never going to let that go
are you?" Samuel asked.

“I really am sorry," Claire
repeated. “If I had known—"

“No, Claire. I should've said
something," Neil said. “I was so surprised to see my parents home early, I
forgot. At least she didn't run into your Scolipede. That would've been a lot
uglier."

“It really is fine, Claire. Don't
worry too much about it," Samuel added before following Jocelyne upstairs.

Claire dropped onto the sofa.
“Well, your mother officially hates me."

Neil sat down next to her and put
his arm around her. “She doesn't hate you. Hunter maybe, but not you."

“That doesn't make me feel better.
But you know what would? There's a bakery in town that makes the best almond
cookies."

“Um, Claire, do you really think
stuffing your face with cook—" Upon seeing the dark look Claire was giving him,
he knew it was best not to finish his sentence. “A bakery, right? I know just
the one. I'll go get them for you." He jumped up, snatched his jacket off the
back of the sofa, and headed out the door.

He had just made it to the sidewalk
when Sentinel appeared at his side, looking very cross. Neil chose not to ask
how she even knew he was leaving the house. “Jeez, Sentinel, it's just a quick
trip into town for some cookies. I don't need a bodyguard."

Sentinel continued to stare at him
and refused to budge.

Neil sighed and started walking.
She was going to follow no matter what he said. He wasn't sure why she
bothered. Aquacorde was one of the most boring towns in the region. The worst
thing to happen in the last ten years was a bad bout of food poisoning.

Neil was surprised to find Noxis'
Poké Ball still in its holster. He decided to let the Salazzle out to get some
fresh air. “Don't worry. We're just going for a walk," he explained to the
confused Pokémon. It calmed her down a little. She stayed so close by, he
tripped over her on several occasions. The problem was it made Sentinel growl
which made Noxis shrink closer to her trainer. Having the Salazzle at his side
did draw more attention than he was expecting. No one approached him directly
although it could be contributed to the protective Dragonite looming over him.

He liked the attention. For once
people were seeing him, and he wasn't seeing animosity in their eyes. It
wouldn't take long before word about the trainer with the rare Pokémon got
around. Eventually, trainers would start looking for him, and maybe challenge
him to battles. It could be the first step toward building his reputation. “Maybe
I should take you out for walks more often," he told Noxis.

The bakery was owned by the
Morgans, long-time neighbors of Neil's. The place was packed with people. Neil didn't
want to go home empty-handed, so he had Sentinel wait outside and stood at the
back of the line. Noxis sniffed at the air and looked around.

“Hey, we're only here to get some
cookies for Claire, and maybe something for my mom," Neil said as gently as he
could. “We'll eat when we get home." Even with the gentle tone, Noxis dropped
her head like a reproached child.

The man in front of them looked back
and his eyes widened. “Is that a Salazzle?"

“Yeah, it is," Neil said. “You
are…?"

“Oh, sorry. Where are my manners?"
the man held out his hand. “The name's Doctor Walter Bradshaw. Pleased to meet
you."

Neil shook Walter's hand. “Neil
Léonide. So, you're a doctor?"

“I have a Ph.D in Pokémon studies,
but that's about it. There's an official name for it that's long and hard to
remember, so I just call it Pokémon studies since that's what it amounts to.
I'm surprised to see anyone in this region with a Salazzle. They're incredibly
rare. Did you travel here from Alola?"

“No, born and raised right here,"
Neil said proudly. “I found Noxis roaming the streets. She was…abandoned by her
last trainer."

“Oh. Sorry to hear that. Some
people can be so cruel to Pokémon. She's lucky to have a trainer like you. If
it's not too much to ask, may you allow me to examine your Salazzle?"

Noxis warbled worriedly and hugged
Neil's leg. Neil positioned himself between the Salazzle and the doctor. “What?
Why?"

“Don't misunderstand. My research
involves working with poison-type Pokémon. I theorized that poison-types create
their own poison."

Neil relaxed a little. He didn't
like the idea of this guy researching poison. “Of course they do. Why wouldn't
they?"

“No, no. What I mean is they create
a unique blend of poison almost like a toxic fingerprint. No two poison-types
create the same blend it's why different perfumes have such exotic scents
depending on the poison used."

“Wait a minute. People use poison
to make perfume?"

“Yes, pure Roserade poison is
highly sought after. People have been trying to refine Salazzle poison into a
perfume for years, but no one has succeeded. That's what makes Salazzle so
unique. They break all the rules we have for poison-types."

“There are rules?"

“Well, not 'rules,' but poison-types
share a common physiology. You see, much like a fire-type, a poison-type has to
safeguard its body from itself or else they'll get sick from the very toxins
they generate. We believe this is why they are immune to poisoning."

“But if a Salazzle can poison a
poison-type, then why don't they get themselves sick?" Neil asked.

“Exactly!" Several people looked
back at them. Noxis cowered behind Neil. Walter didn't seem to notice. “A
Salazzle never gets sick from its own poison, but they can poison other
Salazzle. Some researchers theorize that a Salazzle somehow generates an
antidote in its body, but no one has been able to prove it."

Walter went into a long and
detailed explanation of exactly how poison control works in a Pokémon's body.
Even for non-poison-types who could produce venom, there were safeguards in the
body keeping them from getting themselves sick. Neil didn't really understand
of what the man said. He just smiled and feigned interest to pass the time.
Eventually, other customers began to notice Noxis and took interest in her, and
soon Neil was bombarded with questions about the Salazzle. Neil answered as
best he could, of course leaving out the details of her abuse and running loose
in Lumiose City for months. Walter tried to jump in with a few detailed
explanations and theories, but it was clear most of what he said went over
everyone's heads. Several trainers offered battle invitations, but Neil
declined saying Noxis was recovering from an injury. “The nurse said she had to
take it easy for a few days," he explained. He hated having to turn down so
many chances to boost his reputation, but he needed to know which moves Noxis
knew before he could even consider using her in a battle.

The only time Neil got any sort of
reprieve was when his turn came to order something. He ordered the last of the
cookies Claire wanted and bought some sweets for Noxis and Sentinel then forced
his way through the crowd outside.

Neil was surprised to find Walter
standing outside. “Hey, Doc. What're you still doing here?"

Walter bowed his head. “Neil, I
know we've just met, and it may be a lot to ask, but could you please bring
your Salazzle by my lab someday? Salazzle are so rare, and poison of their
toxicity, getting the permits to have one brought here from Alola is downright
impossible. I assure you, your contribution could be a huge leap forward in the
understanding of Pokémon physiology."

“Uh, I'm not sure…"

Walter lifted his head, his face
full of panic. “Oh no, no. You don't need to answer right this minute." He
pulled a business card out of his breast pocket and handed it to Neil or rather
shoved it into his hands. “That has the address of my lab in Lumiose City. Feel
free to stop by at any time. I look forward to your arrival." Walter walked
through the crowd leaving Neil to wonder what happened.

Neil sighed, put the card in his
back pocket, convinced the rest of the crowd he had somewhere important to be,
and then headed home.

The entire walk, Neil wore a large
smile on his face. No one cared that he was a Léonide. He didn't have to put up
with nasty looks or snide comments. He was free to be himself.

Neil had almost forgotten the
reason he came home when he walked in. His parents had returned to the living
room. His mother seemed calmer.

“Neil, there you are. I was
wondering where you went," Samuel said. “And is that a Salazzle? Where in the
world did you find her?"

“It's a long story," Neil said. He
prayed Claire took the hint and didn't add anything extra. He really didn't want
his parents to know Noxis' past just yet. If they found out he was being
investigated, it would break their hearts, his mother's especially. “Claire, I
brought the cookies you asked for." He placed the bag of sweets in Claire's lap
and sat down beside her. “So how are you feeling, Mom?"

“I'm better now, thank you for
asking. I was just apologizing to Claire for overreacting."

“You didn't overreact," Claire
said. “I know a lot of people with a fear of bug-types. It's perfectly okay. Once,
this guy had—"

“Neil, is your Salazzle okay?"
Jocelyne asked.

Neil turned to Noxis, wondering
what his mom was talking about. He found Noxis sitting huddled in the corner,
eyes wide, trembling as if she were freezing. Neil leapt out of his seat and
rushed to his Pokémon. “Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Noxis didn't respond or even
acknowledge he was talking to her. Neil recalled Noxis to her Poké Ball.

“Is everything okay?" Samuel asked.

“Yeah, she's fine. She just had a
long day from the walk and everything. I just caught her a few days ago, so I
haven't a chance to get her back in shape." He put on his most charming smile,
waiting for everyone to respond. They all looked at him skeptically, especially
Claire. “Really, it's fine."

No one seemed convinced. As if
sensing the tension in the air, Pyrus jumped into Claire's lap and began
sniffing her bag of cookies.

Claire pushed the Flareon away. “Pyrus,
I love you and all, but back off."

“Maybe it's time we fed the Pokémon,"
Jocelyne offered. “Neil, could you help me, please?"

Neil groaned and followed his
mother and Pyrus into the kitchen. It's
okay. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about Noxis having an episode in the
middle of the living room. Just remember the rule: Don't ask, don't tell. I
just need to come up with a good excuse in case she does ask.

Jocelyne went to the pantry and dragged
out a large bag of Pokémon food. “I hope this is enough to feed all of them. With
four trainers in this house, that's a lot of Pokémon."

“Right. I'll grab some bowls." Neil
grabbed all the bowls reserved for Pokémon out of the lower cabinet. There
weren't enough for all their Pokémon, so he grabbed some of extra large bowls
from the upper cabinets.

Between the four of them, there
were twenty-two Pokémon to take care of. Jocelyne lined up the bowls while Neil
followed behind, filling each one. The Pokémon worked out who eat from which
bowl. Neil didn't understand it, but if no one was fighting over eating first,
he wasn't going to complain.

“Aren't you going to feed your Salazzle?"
Jocelyne asked.

“Um, she already ate while we were
out. Sentinel, too," Neil said quickly. After the way Noxis acted the first
time he tried to feed her, he didn't dare risk feeding her around such a large
crowd.

Sentinel gave a surprised warble. She
had a small treat while they were out , but it was nowhere near enough to feed
a hungry Dragonite.

“Please, just go along with this
for me," Neil whispered. “I promise, I'll feed you later and I'll even bring
something special, just for you, okay?"

Sentinel grunted and leaned against
the back of the house. Neil took that to mean yes and continued filling the
food bowls. He was going to owe Sentinel big for this one.

            “So, Neil,
how long have you and Claire been dating?" Jocelyne asked.

            Neil's brow
rose. “Uh, didn't you talking to Claire?"

            “I did, but
I want to hear it from you," Jocelyne said, smiling sweetly.

            Neil froze.
He knew that tone. “You don't like Claire, do you?"

            Jocelyne's
mom fell open in fake surprise. “Actually, I like her very much. Your Pokémon
clearly trust her, but she's obviously hiding something. How much do you really
know about her?"

            Neil rolled
his eyes. This was exactly why he feared Claire meeting his parents. “I know
enough, Mom. I think you're being unfair. She just met you. Of course she's not
gonna just tell you her life story."

            Ember
trilled softly, reminding the humans to continue feeding them. Neil chuckled
and got back to work.

            “I know Claire
won't just tell me her whole life," Jocelyne said. “But if she's hiding
something it's because she's afraid of the reaction which is never a good
thing."

            “You mean
like how you tried to hide book deal," Neil said quickly, eager to change the subject.

            His tactic
wasn't lost on his mother, but thankfully she chose to acquiesce. “We figured
it seemed like a good idea. To be honest, I don't like it."

            “You were?
Why?"

            “Don't get
me wrong. I love your ideas; I think it's a great set of guidelines for any
trainer to follow. I just feel like the decision to publish the book should've been
yours and Maya's. Instead, we made that decision for you. It wasn't as if you
had a book idea you wanted published, but were afraid to. This was your
personal journal that we just put out there for the world to see."

            Neil hadn't
thought of it that way. Sure he was a little miffed at first, but after hearing
the reason behind it, he thought it was a good idea. “Mom, don't sweat it. I
like the idea."

            Jocelyne
sighed, which struck Neil as odd. “You are such a nice young man. I'm really
proud of you, but would it honestly kill you to grow a pair?"

            Sentinel
made a odd coughing sound. Neil assumed she was stifling a laugh and shot her a
dirty look. He also noticed his Pokémon were too into their dinner to be considered
natural. He turned back to his mom and said, “I don't understand."

            “Neil, your
parents went behind your back and published your personal journal and you're
just okay with it? I said before I like the book, but I'm telling you Veronica
has an agenda. Her son's been dead for years. Cadence carries the journal
around like it's religious testament. If Veronica really wanted to publish that
thing, she's had plenty of opportunities. Now, don't get me wrong, Veronica
cared deeply for her son, but this book isn't just about honoring his memory."

            Neil
swallowed thickly. Sometimes his mom could be real scary at times. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but he
couldn't deny there was truth to her story. The journal was no secret; he and
his friends carried it everywhere and talked about it all the time. Patrick's
been gone for almost 8 years. So why bring the journal up now, and why keep it
a secret? The scarier part was wondering what anyone could hope to gain from
this. Veronica was never a glory seeker, and she was a well-known trainer in
her own right.

            “I don't
get it. She let me borrow one of Patrick's Pokémon. Why would she do that if
she has a plan?" Neil asked.

            “Neil, you
may be afraid to admit this, but Veronica doesn't take a piss without planning for
it beforehand. For whatever reason she gave you that Pokémon, she did that for a reason, too." She sighed
heavily. “Doesn't that woman understand it's that constant worry about
upholding the family name that drove her daughter away?"

            Neil
remembered what Veronica said about Garden's behavior reminded her of
Cassandra. Given what Neil heard about Cassandra's relationship with her
parents, Veronica was likely glad to be done with the Breloom.

            He turned
to Garden. She showed no signs of listening to them talk about her previous caretaker,
and that bothered him. Garden had likely heard many times how her defiance
would not be tolerated.

            They
finished filling all of the bowls. They sat in the lawn chairs rather than go
back inside since they would need to collect the bowls once the Pokémon were
done with them.

            “Okay, Mom,
but what do you want me to do about it?" Neil asked. “If you were so worried
about her having a plan, why didn't you stop it?"

            “Because
Cadence wanted the book to happen to honor her
son's memory. I couldn't stop it if I wanted to. Veronica isn't a sneaky
person, but I guarantee you what she wants from this book isn't closure. I just
hope it doesn't come back to bite all of us in the ass."

            Neil chose
to let the conversation end. The whole prospect of Mrs. Knowling using her son's
memory to further some agenda left a bad taste in his mouth. A lot had just been thrown at him. The
book didn't bother him before, but now he couldn't help but wonder what the repercussions
would be.

            I suppose I could go ask the source. It's
not like I have anything better to do, Neil thought. He decided not to.
Confronting Veronica would not end
well, and there was nothing to gain from it even if she did tell him. Whatever
she was planning, it couldn't be detrimental. He would just have to put his
faith in that.

            They sat in
silence until the Pokémon finished eating then collected the empty bowls and brought
everything into the house. Claire and Samuel offered to do the dishes. While
they did that, Jocelyne told Claire and Neil about their vacation. There was
nothing noteworthy to mention, but Neil didn't care so long as the conversation
was steered away from him.

            They were
all surprised by someone knocking at the door. Neil answered it.

            Seymour
greeted him with a big smile. “Yo, what's up, cuz?" He peered over Neil's shoulder
and shouted, “Hi, Aunt Jocelyne, Uncle Samuel, and…who is that?"

            Claire
walked over, wearing a large smile. “Hi, I'm Claire, Neil's girlfriend."

            “Girlfriend?"
He looked Claire over and nodded. “She's not unattractive in anyway, so I don't
see why Neil was hiding you."

            Neil loudly
cleared his throat. “Hello, Seymour. What brings you here?" he said through
clenched teeth.

            “No reason.
I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by. Figured we could take a
walk and maybe grab some beers."

            Neil knew
Seymour didn't just happen to be in the neighborhood, but he was more surprised
by how his cousin knew he was here. He avoided his mother's analytical gaze as
he grabbed his jacket and joined Seymour outside. “Sure, I could go for a
drink. I'll be back everyone, don't wait up."

            Neil waited
until they were far enough away from the house that no one would overhear them.
“Seymour, what's going on? It's too soon to be following-up on me."

“Oh, no. I just wanted to let you
know that my boss has given me the go-ahead to handle your case."

            “Really? He's
not worried about you looking the other way?" Neil asked smiling. “With my very
own inside man in the Abuse Division, I can finally complete my plans for world
domination."

            Seymour
wasn't smiling. “Course not. If I find you did anything, I'll nail your ass to
the wall myself. You would be a disgrace not only as a trainer, but the family
as well; I won't stand for that. But that's also why my boss is giving me the lead
on your case. Let the family deal with family problems."

            “Well, if
anyone's gonna take me down, I'm glad it's you."

            “But I won't
take you down because I know you didn't do anything wrong. You are one of the most
passionate trainers I know."

            “I really
appreciate you saying that, Seymour." Neil's smile dropped. “Now why are you
buttering me up?"

            “Dude, can't
you take a compliment?" Seymour gave Neil a big, disarming smile. When Neil
didn't smile back, Seymour added, “I just don't want to see a good man get
dragged down over something he had nothing to do with. My boss can be a real
hardass sometimes. He has a strict no-tolerance policy when it comes to abuse. 'There's
no such thing as accidental abuse,' he says. I kinda agree with him, but it's
just not always that cut and dry."

            Neil
thought about Maya and the Sylveon. What if Maya hadn't deliberately attacked
it, but things simply got out of hand? It wasn't unheard of for Pokémon to lose
control in the heat of the moment, especially during an intense battle. No. It's not the same. When you're battling
at the Champion level, you have better control over your Pokémon and you know
which ones are high-risk. She likely used it anyway and just didn't care.

            Seymour
tapped Neil on the arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Don't sweat it, cuz.
As long as you keep your head down and don't overstimulate the new Pokémon, she
should open up to you eventually. Speaking of, everything going okay with you're
newest member?"

            Neil
thought back to all the attention he received today just from walking around
with Noxis. If the Salazzle was getting that much attention just from being
seen, he could only imagine what would happen when she showed off her skill in
battle. Seymour said not overstimulate
her, but she handled today pretty well. She was probably just tired from all
the excitement. “Don't worry, Seymour. Everything's fine."