Chapter 5: The Outcast

 Neil always hated being in Lumiose
City during the summer months. The city of light lived up to its reputation;
the sun's glare reflected off of every potential surface as if everything were
made of glass, and it hurt his eyes. Natives to Lumiose knew to always carry
protective sunglasses during this time of year, and all vehicles had
specially-made windows so drivers weren't blinded by the glare. The bright
lights also deterred most people from causing trouble, and wild Pokémon living
in the city often appeared at night, unable to handle the light during the day.
During the summer was when Lumiose was most peaceful, and Neil didn't have as
many responsibilities to worry about. Brightness aside, the summer months were
the best time for lounging about. Tourists came to the city during this time,
but most of the locals went to the coastal cities of Kalos for vacation,
leaving some of the best spots available.

            It was cloudy this particular day,
making it one of the few when Neil wished he had nothing else better to do with
his time. It was a great day to sit back and relax without worrying about the
blinding sun. Unfortunately, he had things to do today, one of which was to
wait for his cousin, Seymour, who waged a secret war with punctuality. When
Seymour had called him and asked him to help with something, Neil had said yes
without hesitation. Now he was standing in the middle of Magenta Plaza
wondering why he didn't make up an excuse. They were supposed to meet an hour
ago, and there still hadn't been any sign or call from the man. Thankfully,
Seymour chose a plaza as their meeting place. The large park served as a
popular place for trainers, who used the open space to practice their skills.
Most trainers were doing other things, taking advantage of the weather, so the
plaza was empty.

Neil
chose to use this time to catch up on some much needed training. If he and his
Pokémon wanted to become stronger, they couldn't afford to slack off, not even
on a perfect day such as this one. He watched his Charizard, Ember, perform
aerial drills overhead, the bright orange scales of the fire and flying-type
making her resemble an orange ball of flame streaking across the sky. The flame
on the tip of her tail didn't help matters as it caused a small streak of flame
to follow her wherever she flew. For a moment, he was mesmerized by the
majestic sight of her beating her large leathery wings and twisting her body
through the air. Turning away from the sight, Neil faced his Jolteon, Light.
“You ready for some target practice?"

Light
barked in response, and her black eyes lit up in excitement. Her yellow fur
reacted to the foxlike Pokémon's eagerness and stuck out in every direction. She
was eager, which was good. During her last battle, she sprained her ankle and
was benched for a few days until it healed. Now it was time to find out how
much work was needed to bring her back to fighting shape.

Neil
smiled and his hands instinctively moved to tie his red hair into a pony tail,
something he did when he got serious. He developed the habit years ago,
thinking it made him look cooler, but he had since cut it much shorter since
then. He chuckled at how quickly he reverted to his old habit. “If you're
ready, then use Thunderbolt!"

Light
barked again, louder and fiercer, filling the air with the sound of crackling
electricity. A single bolt of electricity shot from her body into Ember's
flight path. Without being told, the Charizard stopped short, causing Light's
surprise attack to miss.

“Ember,
retaliate with Flamethrower!"

Ember
roared, firing a large stream of fire from her mouth toward the ground. Light
jumped back from the attack. Neil held his jacket in front of himself to shield
from the heat emanating from Ember's attack. He had to be careful to keep his
eyes on the positions of both Pokémon to plan their next move.

“Light,
use Pin Missile. Ember, block it with Air Slash."

Light
started running around the battlefield as Ember continuously slashed at the air
with her claws. Each Air Slash struck the ground as Light ran circles around
the field. While the Jolteon was built for speed, she had a hard time finding
an opening to launch her attack. Even if she managed to find a window to launch
a barrage of needle-like fur, Ember's Air Slash knocked it away with ease.

Looks like Light's fully
healed, but she's still having a hard time keeping Ember on the ropes, Neil thought. Ember is weak against
electric attacks, but with her flying, it's hard to use Light's speed to its fullest.
Light's only option is to ground her somehow.

Suddenly
Light turned sharply and ran beneath Ember. Just as the Charizard looked down
at her opponent, Light shot forward, spun around, and fired a small wave of
electricity into the air. It struck Ember in the back, and her body went rigid.
Unable to use her wings anymore, Ember plummeted to the ground, landing on her
side with a loud crash. Light charged forward, electric sparks shooting from
her body as she prepped another Thunderbolt. Ember slowly lifted her head and
opened her maw. A small light began to form between her jaws as she prepared
what had to be another Flamethrower attack.

“Okay,
that's enough," Neil said calmly.

Light
came skidding to a halt just a few feet from Ember's position, the sparks
vanishing from her fur. Ember quickly canceled the Flamethrower and closed her
mouth. Both Pokémon turned to their trainer, awaiting further orders.

“You
did good—both of you." Neil fished a paralyze heal out of his bag and used it
to free Ember from the effects of Light's Thunder Wave. The Charizard trilled
happily and quickly rose to her feet. “Light, I love how you first ran into
Ember's blind spot before using your Thunder Wave, but you got too confident
when she fell. If she had launched her attack, you wouldn't've been able to
dodge it." Light's ears fell and she yipped softly in understanding. Neil
turned to Ember and said, “I want you to remember what just happened. The
moment you lose sight of your opponent, you should change positions. You stayed
in one place for too long. It's important you stay on the move since there's no
cover in the air." Ember nodded in response.

Neil
stretched, checked his watch, and frowned. It was getting late, and his cousin
still hadn't shown up. Tired of waiting, he decided to head to a nearby café to
eat. When Seymour finally did show up, he could call on the holo caster.

He
decided to go to Café Bataille, a popular hangout for Pokémon trainers. Other
cafés were much closer to Magenta Plaza, but Neil also wanted to learn of any
League competitions being held in the upcoming months and a place where other
trainers gathered was the best place to do that. He walked the few extra blocks
to get there. He could've used Ember to fly there, but he wanted to enjoy the
day as much as possible. Ember and Light followed closely behind him, stopping
occasionally to sniff at a lamppost or random piece of trash they found
interesting. They passed several tourists checking out the sights who stopped
to take pictures. Ember hid shyly behind her wings whenever her picture was
taken. The tourists thought it was too adorable to see a shy Charizard, so they
took more pictures until Neil stepped in and politely asked them to stop. Light
always struck a heroic pose every time a camera was pointed at her which of
course the tourists loved as well and wanted to take more. The spirited Jolteon
was too happy to oblige until Neil was forced to interfere. In the end, they
spent an extra hour and 45 minutes getting to the café and stopping more than
20 times for pictures.  Neil hoped to
never see another camera for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately
the owner had a strict policy that trainers could only have one Pokémon out of
its ball, and that Pokémon had to be under a certain size. Understandable,
since some Pokémon such as Snorlax could weigh hundreds of pounds and easily
took up a lot of space. Ember was too big to go inside, so she went back into
her Poké Ball. Light wanted to rest after her training regime and impromptu
photoshoot, so she went back into her ball as well. The moment both Pokémon
were tucked away, another ball burst open, releasing Neil's Flareon, Pyrus onto
the sidewalk. As another evolutionary form of Eevee, Flareon and Jolteon had
similar appearances. The most notable difference was Flareon had red fur and a puffy
mane of yellow fur around its neck instead of the sleek yellow fur and white
mane Jolteon were known for.

Pyrus
stretched, extending his rear and his bushy yellow tail which resembled a
single flame high into the air. He turned to the entrance to the café before
shooting a sideways glance in Neil's direction as if chiding his trainer for
preparing to go inside without him.

“You
sensed I was here, didn't you?" Neil asked.

Pyrus
yipped in agreement. If there was one thing the Flareon loved, it was a
challenge. He loved being around other trainers so he could size up his
competition. He took after Neil in that regard; always relishing the challenge
and pushing toward new heights. Pyrus always carried himself with confidence
which inspired Neil's other Pokémon. It many ways, it made Pyrus Neil's
strongest Pokémon, and his most stubborn.

Café
Bataille was a place for trainers to gather and it showed in the décor. The
owner cared more about a place for trainers to hang out than the condition of
equipment. The chairs, the tables, even the dishes showed signs of aging and
excessive wear. To Neil it brought a much more welcoming feeling to the place. The
worn chairs and tables had experiences of their own that they wore on their
surfaces, and it matched the look of the customers. No one inside the crowded
café was dressed to impress. Their outfits were weathered, their hair (the ones
who had hair anyway) was, at best, combed, and the few Pokémon Neil could see
rugged and well-trained. The tension from trainers eager to find powerful
opponents coupled with the stark anticipation from the spectators created a
unique atmosphere that made Neil's skin tingle. It reminded him of the feeling
right before a major battle, the fear of what difficulties awaited him along
with the excitement of overcoming those obstacles.

Everyone
in the café were focused on the two large flat-screen TVs hanging in the far
corners. Neil ignored the TV and maneuvered through the crowd to the counter.

The
café's owner, Marcus, stood behind the counter staring at the TV like everyone
else, his brown eyes serious behind the square-rimmed glasses on the end of his
crooked nose. Just as Neil opened his mouth to order something, he heard the
news reporter's voice, “That was the newest Kalos Champion, Sharon Harris—"

Neil
had to kneel in his seat to get a view of the TV. Unfortunately, the interview
was over and only the reporter was on screen now, sporting the tackiest green
suit Neil ever saw. He couldn't care less about the reporter's fashion sense.
What caught his attention were the words: New Kalos Champion Crowned at the
bottom of the screen.

A new Champion? Does
that mean someone managed to beat Maya? He quickly
forced the thought out of his head. Maya had long stopped being his friend; he
had no reason to care about whatever happened to her. If anything, he should be
glad someone knocked her off her pedestal.

The
reporter ended his segment, and cameras switched back to the news station,
showing a pair of news anchors sitting behind a desk, ready to discuss the next
major story. With the Champion story over, the trainers turned away from the TV
and the room filled with the cacophonous buzz of conversation.

Marcus
noticed Neil sitting at the end of the counter and approached him. “Hey, Neil.
I didn't notice you come in. I take it you'll be ordering your usual?"

“Pretty
much, but add in a few lava cookies for Pyrus," Neil added. He propped an elbow
on the counter. “I only caught the ending to that thing on the news. I guess
someone overthrew the champ, huh?"

Marcus
moved to fill Neil's order. “No, not really. Maya stepped down not long after
beating Diantha, so Sharon didn't get to battle the 'real' champ as she called
it. You could hear in her voice that she was pissed for being stuck with Maya's
leftovers. She challenged Maya to a battle right there on the spot." He slid
two plates across the counter to Neil. One containing croquettes, the other
filled with lava cookies.

Neil
placed the plate with the cookies on the floor. Pyrus licked his hand before
burying his face in the plate. Neil turned back to Marcus and didn't respond. He
didn't know anything about this Sharon Harris, but knowing Maya, calling her
out like that was the dumbest thing Sharon could've done. The Maya he knew was
beyond ruthless. She didn't crush her opponents, she broke them. Thinking about her caused a strange feeling in his
chest, surprising him more than anything. Was he jealous? He had spent the last
several years trying to build his reputation while Maya had been off-grid since
before she even became Champion. All she did was just appear, beat the Elite
Four and the Champion, then disappeared again, yet she was the one being called out for a battle? Neil crushed the
croquette in his hand. He had no intention of being Champion, but hearing about
the title being disrespected like that still pissed him off. Maya gave the
title a bad name, and Sharon only cared about enlarging her fan base.

“Do
you think Maya'll accept the challenge," a woman next to Neil asked. Neil
shrugged and stuffed the smashed croquette in his mouth to avoid answering. It
seemed the woman didn't know about his connection to the former champion, and he
intended to keep it that way. The last thing he needed was to start mouthing
off.

Another
trainer, an older man with a large mustache, appeared next to her. “Y'know. I
fought that old Champion—what's her name—once. Hardest damn fight of m'life. It
ended wit two of my Pokémon bein' bed ridden for a week. That girl, didn' hold
back at all. What scared me most were her eyes. She had this look, had me
feelin' like I was bein' stalked by a wild predator."

Neil
casually looked around the crowded café, hoping he could find an empty spot so
he could get away from the conversation. Every other available seat was
occupied. He swore under his breath and stuffed another croquette in his mouth.

“Well,
either way, I'm glad someone is doing something about her," the woman said.
“Some of the things people've been saying about Maya Martin made me scared to
finish my League Challenge. With Sharon as Champion, I don't have to worry
about facing Maya."

“I
didn't introduce myself," Neil said, hoping to steer the conversation away from
Maya Martin. The less he thought about her, the better. He held out his hand to
the two trainers and smiled. “Name's Neil Léonide."

The
woman's eyes widened and she didn't accept the handshake. “You're a legacy."

 Neil's smile dropped. She had heard his
family's name before. It wasn't surprising since just about every member of his
family was a Pokémon trainer; that's what legacies were. It was decided before
he was even born he would be a trainer and continue the 'family business.'
Ember was actually bred from Neil's father's Charizard to be Neil's first
Pokémon. 

The
older man reached around the woman and gave Neil's hand a firm shake. “A
legacy, huh? Glad t'see I ain't the only one here. Nice to meetcha. Name's
Gared Marshall, but just 'Gared' will do."

Neil
had heard of the Marshalls. They were a strong family of trainers from the
Sinnoh Region. According to Neil's family, most of the Marshalls became League
Champions and all of them had impressive battle records. “Wow, it's an honor to
meet you, sir—Gared."

            “Typical legacies. Always sticking
together," the woman said, sneering at both of them. “You expect me to bow down
and call you 'sir', too? Too bad, I don't give a shit what your last name is.
I'm not kissing your ass."

            Pyrus walked around Neil's chair,
placing himself between his trainer and the woman. The low growl emanating from
the Flareon was barely audible over the ambient conversations. Other trainers
were beginning to take notice of the sudden hostile environment and stopped
their conversations to watch. Neil placed a hand on the Flareon's head to keep
him calm.  “Do you have a problem with
me, lady?" he asked. He already knew what her problem was. Most legacies looked
down on other trainers; Neil had a few cousins who acted as if they were from
some kind of noble family. Neil never treated others that way. As far as he was
concerned, a trainer should be measured by their skill and how well they raised
their Pokémon.

            “Yeah, I got a problem with all you
legacies looking down on everyone else like we're beneath you," the woman
half-shouted. “And I especially got a problem, with fame-hungry, glory-hogging
assholes like you. All you Léonides care about is getting your face on TV."

            “Miss, you been talkin' to me for
the better half of the last hour, and I ain't ne'er looked down on ya," Gared interjected,
a small note of anger in his voice. “And this young man been's nothin' but
polite since ya sat down."

A
murmur began to move through the crowd. Neil caught several people shooting
angry looks in his direction. Gared's words weren't having much of an effect on
them, and Neil couldn't blame them. In addition to the snobby attitudes,
everyone knew legacies received special treatment because their families had
connections. Without being from a well-known family, it was hard to build a
reputation, or get an invite to exclusive battle facilities. Neil had met
plenty of trainers who battled for years yet were still unheard of. Unless
someone became a Champion or performed some kind of amazing feat, no one cared
about them.

Something
slammed hard enough on the counter to make everyone jump in surprise. Marcus
had slammed his fist on the counter and was glaring darkly at the crowd. “I
won't have any of that in my place. All trainers
are welcome here regardless of where they're from, or what their last name is.
Anyone got a problem with that can take their business elsewhere."

The
murmuring stopped almost immediately as everyone looked at those next to them
with nervous looks. Lumiose City was filled with cafés and restaurants, but
only a few of them actually catered to trainers.

The
woman threw a nasty look in Neil's direction before snorting angrily and
stomping out of the café, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the glass.

“Anyone
else?" Marcus asked.

No
one else moved. Marcus nodded, accepting that the situation had been diffused
and turned to Neil. “Sorry about that."

 “Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."
He reached down and snatched Pyrus' last lava cookie—ignoring the protests of
his Flareon—and gave the now empty plate back to Marcus. “Besides, she does
have a point. What right do I have to try and make a name for myself when I
could be leeching off my family's reputation?" he added sarcastically.

“Piss
on that. Any man who wants to stand on his own accomplishments is alright in my
book," Gared said. He placed some money on the counter, and looked at Neil
again. “I swear, yer the spittin' image of yer father. It's too late fer me,
but I hope ya make it to whate'er level yer tryin' to reach. Say 'hi' to yer
old man fer me." He headed for the door.

“Sure,
will do," Neil called over his shoulder.

“So,
I'm assuming you came here for more than just a bite to eat," Marcus said.

Truth
was Neil wanted to know if the League was going to hold any small tournaments
before the battle season ended and registration for the League Championships
started. Just as he was going to answer, someone else called Marcus' attention,
putting the request on hold. Neil decided to check his holo caster for any
messages while he waited for Marcus to come back. Turned out his cousin Seymour
had left a message. Seymour claimed that he was tied up with work and wouldn't
be able to make it. Neil rolled his eyes at the message, stuffed the holo
caster back in his bag, and dropped his head on the counter. Of course you would cancel, Seymour, he
thought bitterly. I just wasted all this
time waiting around for you when I could've been out training—

“The
nerve of some people, huh?" a woman asked.

Neil
lifted his head and faced the woman. The woman appeared to be around his age
putting her in the early-to-mid-twenties range. Her short, dark hair was
slightly curly. A strong aura of confidence surrounded her. He stared
gap-mouthed at the woman's cute round face and ice-blue eyes. The last time he
saw his girlfriend was four months ago when she left to earn her final gym
badge. “Claire?! When did you get back?"

Pyrus
barked jubilantly, startling several people, and jumped into the woman's lap.
His sudden weight almost caused her to fall out of her seat. Her stool rocked
on two legs as she hugged the Flareon close and regained her balance. When they
were no longer in danger of hitting the floor, she stroked his back and
laughed. “Hey, there. This one's cute. Is he yours?" she asked Neil. It was a
game Neil knew well. They often pretended it was their first time meeting each
other after long separations. But today, Neil wasn't in the mood.

“Look,
I don't really wanna play games. How long you been back?"

Claire's
smile slowly drained from her face. Pyrus, sensing the tension, squirmed in her
lap. “Wow, that lady must've really hit a nerve. She's not the first person to
get in your face for being a legacy. What's going on?"

“He
found out Maya is being challenged by the current Champion," Marcus called out
from the other end of the counter.

Neil
fought the urge to throw a croquette at the back of his balding head. Would it
kill Marcus to mind his own business for once?

“Oh,
that explains a lot. You okay?" Claire asked, taking Neil's hand.

Neil
forced a smile. “Let's not talk about her right now. How did your last gym
battle go?"

A
sheepish grin appeared on her face. “It went…sorta great. Ramos was harder to
take down than I thought. I got cocky because grass-types have more weaknesses
than any other type. I found out the hard way not to underestimate a Pokémon
because of their type."

“Yeah,
only a rookie thinks a type advantage guarantees a win," Neil said, chuckling.
He immediately closed his mouth the moment he said it. That phrase was one of
the things he, Maya, and Patrick used to say all the time as part of their
“Rules of a Trainer", a set of guidelines they believed every trainer should
follow. It was just one of the many things that reminded him of just how much
of a dork he used to be. He had thought he gave up on those childish ideals
years ago. Hopefully, Claire didn't understand where it came from. He hated
quoting anything from his past to her. It always brought up questions he didn't
want to answer.

The
past was behind him now, and it needed to stay there.

Claire
either didn't catch the reference or didn't want to draw attention to it. She
continued to smile and said, “Well, I won't be making that mistake again. I'm
already working on some new strategies for my next bout. Y'know, I could use a
sparring partner to help me prepare for the upcoming tournament," she added
with a sly smile.

 “If you want, we can have a quick battle right
now," Neil offered, returning the smile. The other trainer's jealous stares
didn't escape his notice.

“Not
in here you're not," Marcus cried.

Neil
rolled his eyes and placed the money for his meal on the counter. “Come on, I
wanna get some air." He hadn't asked Marcus about any upcoming tourneys yet,
but Claire came first. As Pokémon trainers, Claire and Neil traveled a lot.
Sometimes, they went months at a time without seeing each other. They could've
journeyed together, but they both decided it was for the best not to. Neil had
all eight gym badges, but no intention of becoming Champion. There was no
conflict of interest between them, but traveling together felt a lot like
living together and neither of them felt their relationship had reached that
level. He actually felt the separation was good for their relationship. It made
him appreciate the time they did get to spend together.

He
left the café and spun around to see Claire and Pyrus weren't behind him. He
peered through the window to find her still seated at the counter, talking with
three female trainers. Judging from the look on Claire's face she was trying to
end the conversation politely, but the women weren't taking the hint. He rolled
his eyes and came back inside. He elbowed his way through the crowd and tapped
her on the shoulder. “Hey, you ready to go?"

One
of the trainers holding Claire up, a woman with long blonde hair and a strong
square jaw, spun on Neil. “Excuse me? Do you not see us having a conversation?"

Before
Neil could respond, Claire spoke up, her tone firm. “Excuse me, but he asked
first." She hopped down from her seat and followed Neil out of the café. “Thank
you for that. I thought I was gonna be stuck in there for the next hour signing
autographs. I didn't think anyone knew who I was."

Neil
clenched his jaw and remained silent. He wanted to be happy for Claire, but it
still stung to hear people were asking for her autograph while all he received
were judgmental looks.

As
they walked down the street, Claire described her final gym battle in great
detail. Neil was only half-listening to her. Something felt off. There was a
strange feeling in the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on
end. It was if something watched and judged them from afar, reminding him of
being stalked by a predator. Right now, it was gauging the strength of its prey,
deciding if they were worth the trouble of ambushing. Pyrus stayed close by,
acknowledging he sensed it as well. It seemed Claire hadn't realized it. Neil
thought about telling her, but decided against it. Wild Pokémon attacks in the
city were rare, especially in a large city like Lumiose. A wild Pokémon
wouldn't travel this far into city limits, and the strays that wandered the
alleys kept their distance from humans.

There is the
possibility it's a rival trainer, he thought. That woman who stormed out earlier seemed
pretty pissed at me. Although I doubt she would try to jump me while I have a
Pokémon out of its ball.

Neil
glanced down an alley as they were passing and froze. Far at the end of the
alley, a door was left open. Hidden in the darkness inside the building were a
pair of what appeared to be narrow purple eyes. The distance made it hard to
tell. It could be something else. Pyrus stood next to his trainer and began
growling, his red fur standing on end and shimmering as if his entire body were
on fire. Neil stared at the “eyes" transfixed, a tight knot forming in the pit
of his stomach. Assuming they were eyes, he had never seen a Pokémon with eyes
like that before. There was no doubt, this was the source of that “watched"
feeling he felt. Whatever it was, it was judging him, but for what?

“Neil,
what's wrong?" Claire asked.

In
a blink, the eyes vanished. Neil looked around just in case the culprit was
trying to get a better angle. It wasn't until Pyrus relaxed that Neil believed
they were safe and faced Claire. “Sorry, I thought I heard something. It was
just a wild Purrloin knocking over some cans."

“Ugh,
I hate Purrloin," Claire said, shuddering. “They act all cute, but they're
nothing but furry little thieves. Anyway, come on. If we're lucky we should be
able to get a good training spot."

“Y'know
what? My Pokémon are a little tired. They've been training all day. Besides,
you just got back; we should just hangout for tonight." He actually just wanted
to get indoors as quickly as possible. Whatever those eyes belonged to, he
didn't want to be caught out on the street.

Claire's
eyes lit up at Neil's idea. She would never admit it, but she would take a date
over a battle any day. She didn't take battling as seriously as he did, but
that was okay. He preferred someone he could talk Pokémon with, but still
enjoyed doing other things. He led her down the first street they reached which
turned out to be Autumnal Avenue. It didn't have the same number of shops as
Vernal Avenue, but there were plenty of places for them to hangout. Neil
steered Claire into the Poké Ball Boutique, the store closest to where they
stood.

The
store had the design and ambiance of a jewelry shop without the jewelry. It was
lined with glass display cases filled with every known type of Poké Ball from
brightly colored Nest Balls to the expensive but reliable Ultra Balls. There
was even a special shelf dedicated to unique Poké Balls crafted from apricots.

“Um,
Neil, when you said 'hangout,' this isn't what I had in mind. I already have
enough Poké Balls," Claire said. Pyrus yipped in agreement. The Poké Ball
Boutique wasn't really a hangout place; it was where trainers went to buy new
Poké Balls then leave. Neil nodded and pretended to be interested in the
different Poké Balls in one of the display cases. They could go to a better
place in a few minutes, but for now Neil really wanted to get someplace safe.
Besides, he actually had business here anyway.

“Hello,
can I help you?" the store attendant behind the counter asked. It was an older
man with a short haircut and a strong uptight air about him.

“Yeah,
I made a custom order a few weeks back. I was wondering if it was ready?" Neil
said. He pulled out the invoice with the details of the order. Coming by the
store was pure coincidence, but since they were there, he figured he may as
well take care of it.

The
attendant took the invoice and studied it carefully. “Give me one moment, sir."
He disappeared through the red curtain behind the counter into the back of the
store.

Claire
appeared by Neil's side and placed her head on his shoulder. “So, what's this
special order?"

“You'll
see," Neil replied, smiling. He ordered specially-made Poké Balls for her
entire party. It was an order he placed weeks ago for when Claire had collected
all eight gym badges. He planned to present it to her just before she left to
go to the Pokémon League, but now he needed an excuse for bringing her there.

The
attendant returned with a large, cushion-lined box with several Poké Balls in
it. Each Poké Ball had been specially designed to match each of her Pokémon's
type and unique traits. There was a ball decorated with blue waves for her
water-type, North. Another ball had been painted with trees for her grass-type,
Noble. A similar ball had been made for her poison-and-bug-type, Scoli, except
the lower hemisphere of the ball had purple bubbles painted on it. For her
ground-type, Sander, there was a brown ball decorated with wavy lines similar
to desert sands. There was also a sky-blue ball covered in white snowflakes for
her ice-and-flying-type Glaciel. The final ball for her dark-and-rock-type Disaster
had an upper hemisphere decorated with brown rock formations and the lower
hemisphere was completely black.

“Oooooh,
that is so cool! Neil, can I order one of those while I'm here?"

“Actually,
that's for you, babe."

Claire
looked at him, stunned. “No way. Did you get that for me? Really? I can't
believe you did that for me." She pulled him into a tight hug.

“No,
wait…Claire. You're…squeezing too tight…I'm gonna…I'm gonna…Pbbt!"

Claire
quickly released him and punched him in the arm. “Will you grow up! I'm trying
to thank you here. This is a really nice thing you did."

Neil
was too busy laughing and leaning on the counter for support to acknowledge the
pain in his arm. “I know, but I couldn't resist. Anyway, I figured you'd want
your Pokémon to stand out when you get to the League, and I missed your
birthday last month because you weren't here. I figured I could handle both at
the same time." He looked at the tray on the counter and frowned. “Excuse me,
but I only ordered six Poké Balls. Why are there seven?"

“Oh?
Well, we decided to add in a complimentary Poké Ball as part of a new promotion:
We call it the Champion Ball. It was made after a custom order that a former
champion uses."

Claire
lifted the extra Poké Ball and examined it in the light. The ball's upper
hemisphere was colored with purple flames while the lower hemisphere was
covered in brown, grainy lines similar to desert sands. Neil clenched his jaw
as he stared at it. The design was the same as the custom Poké Ball Maya used.
Was this some kind of joke? Did they do this because they knew of his
connection to Maya, or was his luck just that bad?

“I
don't want that one," he said quickly.

“Hey,
come on. It's free, isn't it?" she asked the attendant.

“Yes,
it is. But I can still remove it if you prefer."

“Yeah,
do that," Neil said. Almost snatching the ball from Claire's hand and slamming
it on the counter. “Next time, just stick to the damn order and don't ad lib."
He scooped the balls he ordered into his bag and stormed out of the store. He
continued down the street without a particular destination in mind. It didn't
matter so long as he got as far away from that store as possible.

He
made it halfway down the street before Claire and Pyrus caught up to him. “Hey,
what was that? You were really rude to that guy. All he did was give away a
free Poké Ball."

“It
has nothing to do with the Poké Ball. Well, actually, it does—but not like
that. It's more of a principal thing. You see, that's the same Poké Ball she uses."

Pyrus
whined and his ears fell. Claire looked at Neil, confused. “She who? Wait, you
mean your friend, Maya?"

“Ex-friend,
and yeah, I mean her." He turned away and continued down the street, indicating
the end of the conversation. Normally, that would be enough to make Claire drop
the issue. This time was no different. Claire knew he and Maya were no longer
talking although he was vague on the events that led to the outcome. She
accepted that and never pried.

Neil
was in a foul mood for the rest of their date. Pyrus sensed the tension and
retired to his Poké Ball for the rest of the night. Claire and Neil went to a
restaurant to eat, and had the most awkward dinner. He hardly said anything
beyond one-word responses and always in a tone as if saying, “stop asking me
questions." Claire did her best to salvage their night, making jokes, making up
excuses for her boyfriend's behavior, and reminiscing about past dates. Nothing
helped to improve Neil's mood. Maya wouldn't leave his mind. It just wasn't
fair. All he had to do was introduce himself, and then the animosity came. He knew Maya was a total bitch, but no one
had a single bad thing to say about her. Instead she was having things modeled
after her. If they knew the real her, they would change their tunes.

Eventually,
Claire claimed she was too tired to walk around anymore and suggested they
spend the rest of the evening in a hotel and catch a movie. It was a lie, and
they both knew it. He had ruined their evening, and she was tired of making
excuses for him.

Neil
hated himself for what he was doing to her. The entire walk to the hotel, he
thought about how he messed up his first date in months and ways to make things
up to her. He still hadn't thought of a proper apology by the time they checked
into a hotel room.

They
sat on the bed in silence while watching an old action film about a young
trainer who stumbles onto a criminal organization trying to take over the
world. The movie's plot was predictable, and the bad acting made Neil want to
hit the mute button. The only upside were the battle scenes which were too
short and too far between. Claire wasn't the least bit interested in the movie;
she tried making subtle hints at Neil that there were other ways they could
pass the time. Neil knew it was his only chance to get back on her good side,
but he ignored her advances. He was too distracted to even feel aroused; his
thoughts kept drifting back to his career as a trainer. He had spent years
battling and trying to build his reputation. Even so, Claire was more popular
than he was, and she wasn't even from this region. He knew he shouldn't feel
jealous, but he couldn't help it. He never got this kind of attention when he
was collecting his gym badges. After
all the tournaments he'd won, all the powerful trainers he'd defeated, he was
still a stranger to most people.

It
wasn't fair. The only way he could get people to even notice him was by telling
them his name. No, it wasn't truly his name; it was his family's name. If his
last name wasn't Léonide, would people even give him a second glance?

“Hey,
Neil, do you love her?" Claire asked.

Neil
jumped at her sudden voice. “What? That was sudden. Love who? The woman on TV?
I mean, she's a little hot now, but this movie is like 40-years old. She's old
enough to be my grandmother by—"

Claire
snatched the TV remote off the nightstand and turned off the TV. She spun on him,
her cheeks turning red with anger. “You know full-damn-well who. We haven't
seen each other in months, yet you see one Poké Ball that reminds you of your
so-called ex­-friend and now I can't even
get you to look at me. I'm a big girl, Neil, you don't have to spare my
feelings. Did the two of you use to date or something?"

“I
never thought of her that way."

“That's
not answering the question."

Neil
stared Claire in the eye and said in an even voice, “No. I never dated Maya,
and I never wanted to. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

For
a moment, Claire just sat there and stared, the flush in her cheeks spreading
to the rest of her face. Then she laid down, turning her back to him. “It's nothing.
Good Night. I'll see you in the morning," her voice was cold and bitter.

Neil
wanted to press the issue, but he knew better than to talk to Claire when she
was like this. He turned off the lights and lay next to her, wondering where
things went wrong until he fell asleep.

****

The
next day wasn't much better. Claire's mood hadn't improved. He tried to make it
up to Claire for ignoring her last night by doing what he couldn't do then, but
she claimed she wasn't in the mood. She then made a wise-crack about him
looking at a picture of Maya to get hard before hopping in the shower. He
sighed heavily and started getting dressed. There was no talking to her when
she was like this. The only option was to give her some space until she cooled
off enough to have a rational conversation.

As
if they didn't already spend enough time apart.

Hey, you can't get
too upset,"his conscience chided. You were being a dick to her all night.

He
wanted to argue with his conscience, but he also knew it was right. Claire
wasn't the one digging up his past and letting it get in the way. He wanted to
leave the hotel room and take a walk to get his head straight, but he had to
make things right with Claire. She had to prepare for the Pokémon League
Tournament in the next few months, and he couldn't afford to do anything that
would distract her. If she lost because of him, he would never forgive himself.
He fell back on the bed and waited for her to get out of the shower.

She
eventually appeared in the room wearing a bathrobe, her wet, curly hair
clinging to her neck and shoulders. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of
the bed. The awkward silence between them lingered for a minute before Neil
worked up the courage to speak first. 

“Claire,
I'm—"

“First,
you're a selfish dickhead."

Neil
half-smiled and nodded, knowing now was not the time for making any kind of
statements.

Claire
faced him and held up two fingers. “Second, if you say you and Maya were never
a 'thing', then I believe you." A third finger shot up alongside the previous
two. “Third, you can't keep comparing yourself to her. You told me you have no
intention of becoming Champion, so there is no reason for you to think you
should be treated like one."

“I
didn't actually want to be treated like—" Neil began. He quickly fell silent
upon seeing the angry stare Claire was giving him.

“You
told me that you wanted to do things your way," she said. “Well, your way takes
time. Just give it time, eventually, people will recognize you as the trainer
you are. I hate to say it, but your family name is gonna follow you no matter
where you go or what you do. You need to make peace with that. Now, I will
stand by you for as long as it takes, but you will not take it out on me every
time you feel you're not getting the respect you feel you deserve."

            There was nothing else to be said. He
wrapped his arms around her midsection and pulled her closer, placing his head
on her chest. He wanted to tell her he would be there to help her follow her
path, but he knew it wouldn't be the truth. While he could provide the
emotional support she needed, he couldn't do much beyond that. Claire kept her
distance from him professionally, and he knew she never told anyone she was
dating a Léonide. That's why she never invited him to watch her matches, and
why he never followed her. They never said it, but they knew it had to be that
way. It was important that they keep their distance until her League Challenge
was over, or else his family name would taint her as well. People would claim
she only got as far as she did because of him.

“I'm
sorry," he said.

She
sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “Don't be."