With Comfey on her head, I was able to wrangle Junior into a bath and comb the knots out of her fur. It was an ordeal we’d been going through together since Wavecrest, and every time, it got a little easier. After her loss, however, she was moodier than usual, though not as aggressive. I had an inkling she partly blamed me for it. I did recall her before she was out for the count, but it wasn’t a fight she was going to win. Not without some semblance of strategy. Darren and Kid were only going to keep dancing around us.

  Whatever resentment she had for me was overshadowed by the blame she directed at herself. I could tell by the way she brought her limbs inside her, making her more of a ball than she usually was. It was clearer than ever, if she was unable to keep her composure, she would never win a good battle. Her days of relying on brute force and her pack was over.

  “You did good, Junior,” I said. “Darren caught us off guard, and we still nearly had him.”

  She grunted, but didn’t seem very convinced.

  Proper care had done wonders for her fur. It was unrecognisable from the mat of moss and twigs from when I caught her. It was a clean, light brown now, and silky smooth. It paid to look pretty, that’s what Grandma always said.

  The baths in the Pokémon Centre were cheap, but had a time limit. Especially with how busy they were at this time, we couldn’t get away with going over. This is to say, we had to leave too soon, but at least Junior was clean, and if I understood her at all, on her way to recovering from the match, emotionally speaking.

  I wasn’t the only one to have lost in the first round. Luca and Buzzkill had put up a good fight, but they were up against someone with a decade more experience than them. Sunny won her fight, Hector handily beating a Manectric, all the way from Hoenn. Sure, they had the type-advantage, but the opposing trainer had completed the gym circuit from there. Or, challenged it, at least, I didn’t actually know if he’d finished. Jade had also made it through, but Quentin lost. He wasn’t upset by it, he said himself he wasn’t a battler and had only entered because Jade had pushed him to. Both Baltazar and Aria faced no problems whatsoever, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the eventual winner was one of the two.

  The biggest struggle I faced as the rest of my friends prepared for their matches the next day wasn’t envy or bitterness but contentment. I spent an hour and a bit in the evening playing with clay, getting a feel for it, as Trim said. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and with the lack of immediate pressure from tournament battles was calming. It was a pleasant state of mind, but I had to ask myself if this was what my drive and ambition amounted to. It wasn’t so much that I intended to stop, rather, was it so bad if I entered a few competitions, do reasonably well for a first timer, and then dedicate myself to some artistic pursuit? Worst came to the worst, I’d continue helping around at the farm. Hands were always needed, and the Mareep deserved someone who knew what they were doing to take care of them. It was important work. As important as retrieving lost artefacts from some Arceus-forsaken ruin. Maybe. I still don’t know.

  I didn’t take long to find the answer to my resolution, and when it came, it was sudden. Since being formally accepted by the Professor as a lab trainer, I maintained contact with him through short, weekly video calls. That was the idea, anyway, in practice, they occurred whenever we both had time for them. They were mostly just a formality, and I was pretty sure the Professor mainly wanted to keep tabs on me to make sure I was okay.

  Since my schedule had opened up, I had plenty of time. The second day of the tournament, I had a call with him in the morning. I expected it to take no more than ten minutes, which would give me plenty of time to go to Sunny’s match and cheer her on. The talk started in much the same way they usually did, with him asking how I was and if I needed anything.

  “I’m doing good, Professor. The TMs you’ve provided have helped a lot. Junior still doesn’t have the hang of Protect, but she’s making great strides with Fire Punch.”

  “That’s good to hear. I’m sorry the first round didn’t go well.”

  “It’s what it is,” I said. “We’ve learnt where we need most improvement. Professor, if I may, could I ask how Elaine is doing?”

  “Of course, do you not have her number?”

  “I do, but she only replies that she’s fine to my messages. I don’t mean to be nosy or anything, I’m just a little worried.”

  “She’s just like her mother after all,” said Professor Leaf. “She is fine, and probably having the most fun she’s ever had, but that’s only because she likes danger to an unreasonable extent. If she’s not telling you much, it’s because she doesn’t want the people she cares for involved in that danger, but I know how it feels not knowing, so please don’t tell her I’m telling you this. Last I’ve heard, she’s heading to Popplio with Ducky and Joey. All the while, she’s playing some convoluted Meowth and Rattata game trying to avoid Killian, who’s on her tail, and reporters who are desperate to uncover anything about what actually happened in the Greenforest. Have you seen what they’ve been saying in the news?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “I’ve kept an eye on it. The police have confirmed it was a smugglers' base, but they haven’t given any further details. It hasn’t stopped a lot of people speculating and making up stuff.”

  “That’s always the way,” he said. “Are the reporters still after you?”

  “I haven’t seen any in Silverwind, yet. Is Elaine hoping to stop the storm?”

  “That’s the idea. She was waiting for Ducky’s help to break through it. Ducky has been strengthening her connections while Elaine’s being bait for Killian. It’s all a bit of a mess, and I’m not thrilled, as you could guess, but I’ve convinced her to keep me informed, which is something.”

  “Thanks for telling me,” I said.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said. He hesitated before continuing. “There is something you could do. Only if you feel comfortable with it, I don’t want to put you in more danger than I already have.”

  “What is it, Professor?”

  “Ducky’s mentioned there are rumours among the bounty hunters that a Clamperl nest has been found near Silverwind. She wasn’t able to provide more details, but if it’s true, well, it could be bad. The pearls they make are valuable, and if more unsavoury types find them, they could force them to produce them through rather unethical means. I’ve notified the rangers in Caprice, but you know how it is, more help would be welcome. I’m not asking you to do anything too dangerous, just some scouting. Avoid battles, there’s no reason for them. If you could work with the rangers in finding the nest, they can take care of its protection. Only if you’re okay with it. Don’t put yourself in danger.”

  “I’ll do it,” I said, surprising myself at my quick response. It was as if something sharpened within me. I liked my rest. Even so, as soon as I knew of a concrete action I could take to make things better, I knew I had to.

  “I’ll contact the rangers, then. Expect a call from them later today, or tomorrow morning.”

  The call carried on for longer than I’d anticipated, so I had to run to be on time for Sunny’s match. I got there, out of breath, found Luca and Aria, and let Flaaffy out of her pokeball to watch along with me.

  “Cutting it close,” said Aria. Sunny was already on the pitch.

  “I’m here, amn’t I? The conversation with the Professor went on longer than I expected.”

  “Anything interesting?” asked Luca.

  “You could say that. I’ll tell you later,” I said as the arbiter blew the whistle.

  Sunny led with Coral, and her opponent put out a Lombre. A Fake Out meant she started off on the back foot. Lombre was in front of Coral before she could react, both hands smacking either side of her squishy head. Then he made a mistake in remaining in close range for a Giga Drain, his hands and arms glowing green. It hurt Coral, yes, but allowed her to retaliate with a series of Poison Stings. They had gotten more powerful now, closer to Buzzkill’s Poison Jabs than the weak stings she’d started off with. Lombre had to retreat and was most definitely poisoned. He Protected himself from the follow-up Venoshock and began jumping around weirdly. By the time I’d clocked he was using Teeter Dance, Coral was well and thoroughly confused. I was still confident in Coral’s chances. Sunny had trained her well. In her state of confusion, she had instilled in Coral to use a series of protective moves, namely Protect and Wide Guard. Even without being able to listen to Sunny or make rational decisions, her training was enough for her to instinctively hunker down. Meanwhile, Lombre was still poisoned.

  The battle shifted when, with plenty of time to do as he pleased, Lombre set up a Sunny Day followed by Synthesis. Recovered, he jumped back up close to Coral, fist crackling with electricity. He broke through her defences before she was back to herself, and with a few well-placed Thunder Punches, he knocked her out.

  Sunny recalled her and sent out Caviar. Lombre put up a valiant effort, but a series of Wing Attacks left him with little chance to retaliate, and Caviar beat him with ease. My confidence in Sunny dwindled when I saw her opponent’s next Pokémon. Standing over two metres tall, with a sturdy body, long neck, and their signature fruits, Tropius landed on the battlefield. I shivered as her leafy wings fluttered with a fan-like buzz. Caviar was familiar enough to me that I barely felt anything anymore. The beast before me was a different story.

  They took flight, and though Caviar dominated in terms of speed and manoeuvrability, Tropius built such a dense cloud of multicoloured leaves that one hit was all it took to knock him out of the sky. I forced myself to follow the battle and squinted at the sun. That Magical Leaf was too powerful for the level I’d thought Tropius was at. I could only conclude he had Solar Power as an ability. Satisfied with my deduction, I turned my attention back to Caviar, looking to see if he was down for the count or if he still had some fight in him. My question was answered by the blue glow of evolution.

  With a bill twice the size of its body and a wingspan as long as I was tall, the Pelipper hopped into the air and, without Sunny’s command, opened his massive beak and launched a Supersonic attack which had everyone crouching hands over ears. Tropius, the focus of the attack was naturally the worst hit, almost falling to the ground. Sunny was first to recover.

  “Air Slash, now!” she shouted.

  Confused and unable to defend, Tropius tanked attack after attack until her trainer was forced to recall her.

  “Tropius is unable to battle; the match goes to Sunny and Caviar,” said the arbiter, and Caviar gave another great squawk in triumph.