Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The morning after returning to Viridian should’ve been spent in recovery. Instead, we were jolted awake as my door banged open and my curtains were ripped wide, flooding the room with morning light.

“Rise and shine, everyone!” Joey crowed. “Time for training!”

“I know I asked you to keep us on track, but right now I’m sorely tempted to hand you over to the Viridian PD,” I groaned into my pillow.

“You don’t mean it,” he said, far too chipper for so early. “You’d be lost without me and Mr Wiggles!”

Breakfast was only a few bites we forced down. Back home I’d rarely eaten in the morning, and with a day of training ahead I wanted it even less. My team felt the same. Even the gluttonous Arashi.

Joey ignored us, happily shoveling toast, eggs, and sugary cereal alongside his Mankey before herding us downstairs to start training.

The underground arena was perfect. Concrete walls and floors carried scars from old battles—claw marks, scorch circles, gouges. Overhead, heavy lamps burned bright, the hum of air recyclers keeping the space cool.

Ace crouched in the center of the painted square, his rings glowing faintly as shadows bled across the floor like spilled ink. Across from me, Joey was practically bouncing out of his new boots, Mr Wiggles hammering his fists into the concrete in time with his trainer’s excitement.

“Alright,” I said, my voice echoing off the walls. “Ace, Reflect.”

The air in front of him rippled, faint sparks glittering like light through stained glass. For half a heartbeat the barrier held, solid and shimmering. Then it cracked like thin ice, shards of light scattering, then winking out. Ace staggered, breath harsh in the silence.

“Better,’ I said, jaw tight. ‘Again.”

On the sidelines, Arashi pawed at the ground, sparks snapping through her fleece. I pointed at her.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook. Thunder Shock. Push it.”

She huffed, stamping a hoof before spitting a bolt at the red target rings on the far wall. The flash left a faint scorch mark, smoke curling up the concrete.

“Stronger,” I pressed. “If you want to learn Thunderbolt, you’ve got to push harder..”

Joey raised his hand like he was waiting to be called on in class.

“Uh, shouldn’t training be fun? Mr Wiggles—”

“Mr Wiggles isn’t battling Suzie in front of half the goddamn region,” I cut him off, my tone sharper than I’d intended.. “Fun doesn’t win battles. Focus does.”

His grin faltered. Mr Wiggles grumbled but obeyed when Joey muttered a command. Arashi fired again, the bolt cracking loud enough to chip stone.

“Better,” I rubbed my temple, the ache in my leg pulsing in time with my heartbeat. My voice came out low, steady. “Again.”

We trained for an hour straight, working on Arashi’s electrical output and continuing to practice Ace’s new moves. We broke for ten minutes, then went another hour. Harsh conditions were the goal.

Pokémon grew the most when stressed, which was why close battles were such an effective way to develop skills. Yesterday me had planned this. Yesterday me wanted everyone pushed to their limit.

Yesterday me was a bitch.

By noon, the arena reeked of burnt wool and sweaty Mankey. Arashi stood in the painted square, chest heaving, sparks jumping in erratic bursts through her fleece. Ace crouched across from her, rings blazing, a thin shimmer of Reflect hanging before him like a soap bubble.

“Again,” I ordered.

Arashi bellowed and barreled forward, horns down, hooves cracking against the floor. Her Headbutt slammed into the barrier. It held—just for a second—then shattered like glass under a hammer. Ace skidded back, claws screeching, but he stayed on his feet, snarling.

“Closer,” I shouted. “You almost had it.”

Ace reset, panting, setting the barrier again. Arashi pawed at the ground. Sparks crawled across her fleece and the world flashed white.

Ace dove to the side a heartbeat before the Thunder Shock struck.

“Dammit, Arashi. Reflect only halves physical damage,” I pinched the bridge of my nose, voice sharp. “You know that. Stick to Headbutt.”

She stomped a hoof, wool still crackling, unrepentant. She wasn’t the only one losing patience. I sent her to continue her Thunder Shock practice.

“Suzie’s a Gym Leader,” Joey said from the sidelines. “I’ve been watching her battles on the PokeNet. She’s really tough.”

“And that is why we’re training,” I told him. “We’ve only got a week to get strong enough to face her.”

Joey looked unsure. He started to say something but stopped himself.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

I frowned. I hated to say it, but the kid had a point.Suzie wasn’t some run-of-the-mill trainer. Not even just a Gym Trainer. She was a Gym Leader. That meant the League was confident she was strong enough to take on anything that threatened Viridian City, at least until help arrived.

“Ugh,” I said, scratching at the side of my head. “We’re going to need more than brute strength.”

Ace eagerly nodded along in agreement. He didn’t even blink at me admitting our weakness so openly. Joey pursed his lips, considering my comment.

“What about Ace’s shadow trick?” he asked.

That was an idea. We’d only used it to keep him hidden but could Ace make use of it in battle?

“Ace, hide in Joey’s shadow,” I directed.

Ace was more than happy to show off. He dived into the kid’s shadow like a pro swimmer, disappearing with barely a ripple.

“Kid, can you have Mr Wiggles try attacking Ace?” I asked.

“Sure! Mr Wiggles, Karate Chop!” Joey called.

The Mankey hooted and slashed the shadow with the side of his hand. Ace yelped and leapt from the shadow to glare at Mr Wiggles.

“Looks like it doesn’t prevent him from taking damage,” I said. “If an opponent sees him dive into a shadow, they’re just going to attack the shadow.”

“Maybe we should focus on mastering the moves you gained with your evolution,” I said with a sigh, pulling out my Pokedex.

Name: Ace

Species: Umbreon

Type: Dark

Age: 3 mo.

Gender: Male

Height: 1m

Weight: 27kg

Abilities: Run Away, Adaptability, Synchronize

Moves: Covet, Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Baby-Doll Eyes, Swift, Bite, Take Down, Fake Tears, Snarl, Confuse Ray, Feint Attack

“Arashi, front and center,” I called.

She bleated and dragged her hooves, but her ears perked when Ace squared up across from her. Nothing lit a fire under her quite like the chance to show him up.

“Ace, Baby-Doll Eyes.”

Ace’s rings dimmed as he tilted his head, widening his gaze into the most absurdly sweet, pitiful stare I’d ever seen. For a moment he looked like a rain-soaked plush abandoned on the curb.

Arashi froze. Her ears flicked, sparks sputtering as instinct warred with intent. She shook her head violently, growling low, but her stance softened.

“See that?” I pointed. “Her attack dropped before the fight even started. Doesn’t matter how strong she is—mess with their head, and you own the field.”

Arashi snorted, stamping a hoof like she wanted me to shut up.

Joey tilted his head, chewing on his lip.

“So… tricks?” he asked.

“Exactly.” I shrugged. “Suzie’s Pokémon will be stronger, faster. We’ll be smarter. They’ll never see it coming.”

Ace yipped proudly, tail swishing. Arashi bared her teeth, but I saw the way she squared her shoulders. She understood.

“Okay, Fake Tears,” I said.

Ace’s ears drooped. His whole body sagged. He whimpered so pitifully I almost laughed. His eyes shimmered like a mutt left at a truck stop.

The effect was immediate. Arashi’s sparks sputtered out mid-charge as she blinked, torn between fight and sympathy.

“Good,” I said. “That hesitation? That’s the opening.”

Arashi wasn’t falling for it twice. She shook herself hard, fleece crackling, and fired off a bolt that scorched the arena floor a hair’s breadth from Ace’s paws. He rolled aside, act gone, rings flaring bright as his snarl echoed across the walls.

“See?” I said, glancing at Joey. “One second’s all it takes to win.”

Joey still looked doubtful, watching Ace circle Arashi like a hunting cat.

“You really think Suzie’s gonna fall for stuff like that?”

“I’m just a noob, right?” I said. “She’ll underestimate us. That’s my edge.”

Ace yipped, crouching low, shadows pooling out from him again. Arashi growled, electricity popping along her fleece. The space between them buzzed, shadows and sparks colliding.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Let’s see, we know what Covet, Tackle, Quick Attack, Swift, Bite and Take Down look like. You mostly mastered those before you evolved. Same for Growl, Tail Whip, Sand Attack.”

I skimmed Ace’s move list again.

“You used Snarl and Confuse Ray against Nidorino and Arbok. Feint Attack? When did you pick that up?”

Ace just tilted his head, ears flicking, like even he wasn’t sure.

“Alright, let’s see it. Feint Attack!”

The floor’s shadows rippled — and he was gone. One moment at my feet, the next swallowed by black.

Arashi’s ears twitched, sparks flaring as she spun. Too late. Ace erupted from her shadow, a blur of fangs and glowing rings. He slammed into her side, hooves squealing against the floor.

She bleated furiously, fleece flaring bright with Static. A Thunder Shock cracked across the arena — but Ace was already gone, darting back into the shadows before reappearing at my side, tail lashing.

“So that’s Feint Attack,” I breathed, heart hammering. “Beautiful.”

“That was awesome! He just teleported!” Joey gaped.

“Not teleported,” I corrected, still grinning. “Not exactly, anyway. It was more like he traveled between the shadows.”

Arashi stamped, glaring, her wool snapping with angry sparks. She hated being caught off guard.

“So cool,” Joey whispered, wide-eyed.

“This,” I said, watching Ace crouch low again, shadows pooling around his paws, “this is what’s going to win us that Gym match.”

It would—assuming we didn’t all keel over from exhaustion first.

“Time for lunch,” I said, sighing as I recalled the cranky Mareep. Ace trotted over and disappeared into my shadow.

—

Upstairs, the nondescript hotel spat us back into Viridian’s side streets, my hoodie zipped up to the neck, hood tugged low to hide my tattoos and, hopefully, keep anyone from recognising me. Joey chattered beside me, egg cradled like a newborn, while Mr Wiggles—mercifully—snoozed in his ball for once.

My bad leg still ached with every step, but PokéWorld medicine was something else. Two nights of Potion spritzes and Oran-infused ointment had done more than weeks of physio back home. At this rate, I figured I’d be close to healed by the time of the Gym match.

I didn’t bother asking where Joey wanted to eat. We’d walked past the diner on the way in last night, a greasy little hole-in-the-wall with a faded sign in the window that read simply PIZZA.

The place was dead inside, just humming refrigerators and the smell of fried oil clinging to the yellowing ceiling tiles. Vinyl booths, cracked along the seams, line one wall and a bored-looking waitress slouched behind the counter, scrolling her Pokedex. It was perfect.

I slid into a booth and snatched up the laminated menu. Joey bounced in opposite me, setting the egg carefully beside him like a third diner.

“Pizza?” he asked, nose wrinkling like he wasn’t sure what that even meant.

“Yep,” I said, flipping the menu over. “Saw the sign outside. Been hankering for a slice for months.”

“I’ve never had Unovan food before,” he said, peering at the glossy photo of a cheese and pepperoni.

I raised an eyebrow. Pizza? Unovan?

“Trust me, you’ll love it,” I told him.

He grinned back at me.

The waitress finally wandered over, apron stained, pen tucked behind one ear.

“What’ll it be?” she asked.

“Large pepperoni,” I said before Joey could ask what pepperoni was. “And two sodas.”

Joey perked up like I’d just promised him a legendary.

“Do you think Suzie eats pizza?” he whispered, leaning across the table as the waitress trudged off.

“Suzie probably eats boiled seaweed and calls it traditional,” I sneered.

That got Joey giggling loud enough the waitress shot us a look, but I didn’t care. I was about to get some pizza.

The sodas came first, sweating plastic cups plunked down on the table with a clatter of ice. Joey’s eyes went wide at the fizz.

“It’s sparkly! Mr Wiggles would lose his mind if he saw this.” He shoved the straw in, slurping so loud the waitress winced from across the room. “Whoa, it tastes like candy!”

“It is candy,” I said, taking a sip of my own. The familiar burn in the back of my throat striking a pang of homesickness. “Liquid sugar and a little bit of poison.”

He didn’t hear me, too busy tipping the cup back like he’d found the nectar of the gods.

The pizza arrived a few minutes later, cheese bubbling, the smell of grease and spice filling the booth. Joey gasped like he’d been presented with the Indigo Cup.

“It’s huge!” he gaped.

“Relax,” I said with a laugh. “It’s just pizza.”

He leaned over the table, studying the glistening slices like they might wriggle.

“So… what do I do? Do I need a fork?”

“You pick it up. With your hands.”

His jaw dropped.

“You’re allowed to do that?”

“Kid, it’s basically a rule,” I grabbed a slice and folded it, strings of cheese snapping as I took a bite. The grease burned my tongue, glorious and awful at the same time.

Joey followed my lead, fumbling with a slice almost as long as his arm. He bit down, cheese stretching like a spider’s web, and his whole face lit up.

“This is AMAZING!” he yelled, mouth full. “Why don’t we eat this all the time?”

“Because we’d die by thirty,” I said, but I couldn’t help the corner of my mouth twitching.

He didn’t care, sauce smeared across his cheek as he attacked a second slice.

“Unova must be the greatest place in the world if they eat this every day!”

“Yeah,” I muttered, wiping my fingers on a napkin. “Something like that.”

Joey raised his cup in a toast, nearly sloshing soda everywhere.

“To Unovan pizza! And to us kicking Suzie’s butt!” he shouted

I clinked my cup against his, because why the hell not. For a few minutes, under the flickering fluorescent lights and the stink of fryer oil, it felt almost normal.

Joey was halfway through his third slice, grease shining on his chin and sauce smeared up one cheek. Mr Wiggles would’ve been proud.

“This is the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten,” he declared, words muffled by molten cheese. “We should eat pizza every day.”

“You’d be dead by Thursday,” I said, taking a slower bite of my own. Grease and salt — disgusting and perfect.

He slurped the last of his soda, rattling ice, then held the empty cup up like a trophy. “Can I get another?”

“Fine,” I muttered, waving the waitress down. She barely looked up from her Pokedex, sighed, and shuffled over with the pitcher.

The bell above the door chimed.

A man stepped inside, pausing to let his eyes adjust to the dim interior. Mid-thirties, dark hair neatly combed, a lean frame wrapped in a trainer’s jacket a little too nice for this part of town. His gaze swept the empty booths, landed on me, and lingered.

My stomach tightened. Recognition hit a moment later.

The Trainer School. He’d been there that day with Suzie — the one with the Vulpix on his lap, the one who’d actually known his type matchups. Suzie had let him leave early, while the rest of us sat there humiliated and stewing.

“Chloe Luxford,” he said evenly, crossing the floor toward our booth.

Joey froze mid-bite, cheese stretching from his slice like a spider’s web.

The man stopped at the edge of our table, offering a polite hand.

“Raymond Quartly,” he introduced himself. “I believe we’ve met.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, eyeing his hand but not taking it. “We shared an incompetent teacher, but I don’t recall ever exchanging names.”

A flicker of a smile tugged at his mouth. He let his hand drop. Joey blinked between us, a string of cheese still dangling from his slice.

“Wait—you know this guy?” he asked.

“I know he had a Vulpix that day,” I said flatly. “And that he got to leave early.”

Raymond chuckled softly, sliding into the booth opposite us without asking.

“Perks of answering the right question at the right time, I suppose,” Raymond said.

“How did you find me?” I asked, my pizza forgotten.

“My store is nearby,” Raymond explained. “I saw you passing and thought I recognised you.”

“Great,” I said. “So much for my disguise.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “I doubt anyone else would have recognised you. I only did because I’ve been thinking about you so much lately.”

“Fucking excuse me?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh! Sorry! Not like that!” he hurried to explain. “I saw your speech on the news the other night and it really spoke to me.”

“Um, okay?” I said, a bit lost as to how to handle the situation.

“Do you mind if I release my Vuplix? She doesn’t really like being cooped up in her ball,” he asked.

“Sure, I guess,” I said, glancing over at Joey who shrugged back, half a slice of pizza hanging from his mouth.

Raymond pulled a Poké Ball from the inside of his jacket and released his Pokémon in a flash of red light. The little orange fox materialized in the seat beside him, tails curling neatly as she blinked up at us with sleepy amber eyes.

“Chloe, this is Nina,” Raymond said, stroking the Vulpix’s ears. “Nina, this is Chloe. She’s a friend.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” I said.

Joey nearly tipped over the egg in his excitement, leaning across the table with sauce still smeared on his cheek.

“Whoa, a Vulpix! She’s so pretty!”

Nina yawned, unimpressed, before curling tighter against Raymond’s side. Joey didn’t care, already fumbling for a napkin to wipe his greasy hands.

“Mr Wiggles has to meet her! He’ll freak out!”

“Kid,” I warned him. “If you dump a Mankey in the middle of this diner booth, I’m walking out.”

Joey slumped back into his seat, still staring at Nina.

“She’s still amazing…” he whispered, noodles of melted cheese dangling from his half-eaten slice.

“Miss Chloe, I know you don’t know me, and I’m sure you’ve been hounded by enough people lately,” he said. “But when I saw you walking past, I had to come speak to you.”

“Alright,” I said. “I’m listening.”

“Nina belonged to my partner,” Raymond began. “His name was Brad. It was his dream to become a Pokemon trainer, to travel the Indigo Islands and take on the Gym circuit.”

I nodded along, unsure how to respond.

“When I saw you that day in the lecture room, I agreed with the instructor and with Suzie,” he admitted. “I took one look at you and assumed the worst.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said. “Was that what you came to tell me?”

He shook his head.

“Then I saw you on the news and I realised I’d been no different than those people who had refused to shop at our store because of who we loved,” he went on. “The same as those who had whispered rumours about us, who had defaced our home.”

“Wait, I thought same-sex relationships were legal in the Indigo Islands,” I said.

“They are,” Raymond said, nodding. “But only for the last thirty years. Bit hard to keep it illegal when the Grand-Champion is openly dating another woman.”

“Red?” I said, surprised. “Damn, girl.”

Raymond smiled faintly, running a hand along Nina’s back as she leaned into his touch.

“Yes. That Red. When she came out, it forced the League’s hand. Old laws don’t last long when your most famous hero makes a mockery of them simply by existing.”

“Still,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s barely thirty years ago. And you and your partner still got treated like garbage.”

Raymond’s eyes flicked down to his fox.

“Brad didn’t live to see it change. But Nina… she’s what I have left of him,” he said. “When I saw your speech, Chloe, I saw someone who refused to let others define her. You remind me of him.”

The table went quiet except for Joey’s soda fizzing. I didn’t know what the hell to say to that. My slice of pizza had gone cold on the plate, cheese congealed into rubber.

Finally, I cleared my throat.

“So what do you want from me, Raymond?” I asked.

His gaze sharpened, the softness burning away.

“I want to help you, if I can,” he said. “Suzie won’t play fair. She never has. You deserve someone in your corner who understands that.”

“Wait—you mean like training with us? That’d be awesome!” Joey perked up immediately, sauce still on his chin.

“Hold it, cheerleader,” I said. “We don’t even know what he’s offering.”

“To be honest, I can’t offer much beyond my support,” he admitted. “But I’m a tailor by trade and my store is just down the road. I want to help you show the world the real you.”

“The real me?” I narrowed my eyes. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know what Suzie wants people to see,” Raymond said evenly. “A thug. A misfit. Someone unworthy of being a trainer.”

“See, Chloe? He gets it! You could have, like, a battle outfit! Something that shows you’re strong but also… y’know, you,” Joey shouted, nearly knocking over his soda in his excitement.

“Kid, this isn’t a fashion show,” I groaned, rubbing at my temple.

Raymond smiled faintly, unbothered.

“No, but appearances matter more than they should. Suzie understands that. It’s why she made an example of you in front of her class,” he said. “If you want to win, you need more than power and strategy. You need presence. The kind of presence that makes the crowd see you, not the story she’s trying to spin.”

I hated that he had a point. Hated even more that Joey was nodding along like Raymond had just explained the secret to life.

“Great,” I muttered, pushing my cold pizza around the plate. “So now I need a tailor on top of everything else.”

Raymond inclined his head.

“You need someone in your corner. Let me be that.”

Nina yawned from the booth beside him, curling up tighter against his side. Somehow, the little fox’s casual trust made his words harder to dismiss.