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."