CHAPTER 225

Denzel took a few breaths as the reality of his loss sunk in and the cheers from the crowd flooded his ears. He clipped Lopunny's Pokeball to his side and sighed with sagging shoulders. All of the adrenaline from the battle was leaving him at once, and it sure wasn't helping with the disappointment he felt.

He hopped off the elevated podium and toward Grace, who was frozen still and staring into the distance for some reason. It was only when he was basically almost there that she did the same and came to speak to him. Denzel outstretched a hand and she grabbed it before pulling him into a hug. She was sweaty, but he didn't mind.

"Congrats," he smiled. "How's it feel?"

He wasn't bitter. Denzel had convinced himself he'd be the underdog since the day he challenged her, and he had expected it to be an uphill climb. Even more so now that she was hanging out with trainers so powerful they boggled the mind. Walking weapons of mass destruction that countries liked to flaunt and brag about, but that also kept each other in check.

But damn it, was he disappointed in himself.

"It feels… well, revelating," Grace answered. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he said. "I won't lie though, it hurts."

"Shit. Sorry."

"Don't apologize for winning, dude. I'll live," Denzel said. "Uh, I'm gonna stop the stream and stuff for now."

"Want to bring our teams to the Center after?" Grace asked. "I knew we said we'd hang out in two days, but now would be cool."

"Eh, I'll get back to you on that," Denzel hesitantly said. He couldn't help but feel hurt at the disappointment on her face. "Don't be like that. I'm fine, no joke. I just need a few hours to clear my mind and think on the battle. Relax."

"If you say so. We're all one phone call away—"

"Yes Mom," he groaned. "See you soon, alright?"

Denzel patted her on the back and pushed her toward Cece and Erin who were waiting for her with wide smiles. The former raised a hand at him and shot him an apological look when their eyes met. He smiled at her and waved back before making his way toward his mounted phone, where Emilia and Pauline stood with saddened faces. They stayed silent and pointed at the phone, and he understood that they were asking him to end the stream so they could speak privately. Denzel's eyes bulged when he saw the viewcount at 102,399. He spoke a few words to the stream and ended it, making sure to remind them to all subscribe. No doubt, he'd see a massive revenue bump from this and incredible growth for his channel.

"Holy fuck, that was a lot of viewers," he said. "What did it peak at?"

"118,000 or so," Emilia answered. "But Denzel, are you okay?"

"Disappointed and angry at myself, but other than that, I'm fine."

"That doesn't sound too good. Do you want us to do anything, or—"

"Pauline, I'm fine. Well, actually, I won't deny I feel like shit, but it's nothing I can't handle. This is something I learned to deal with months ago."

"...If you say so."

"Oh. When was this?" Emilia asked.

"Back in Jubilife, Chase beat the crap out of Sylveon when he was just an Eevee and Ri was a Riolu. It was the first time we met actually," Denzel explained. "It took me a while to get out of that slump, but I did. I'm okay, I won't spiral and start doubting myself or whatever. I'm a fucking good trainer, and I know it."

The redhead smiled. "Cool."

Chase was lucky Denzel hadn't told her how much of an asshole he used to be, or he would have gotten an earful from her.

Denzel sighed as he picked up his phone and folded the tripod. "But! Let me spend a few hours alone to get my thoughts in order."

"I thought your thoughts were fine?" Emilia accused as she crossed her arms.

"You know what I mean," he rolled his eyes. "I'll get my team to the Center and wander around and think about the meaning of what being a trainer is until I lose sight of myself and want to retire."

He paused when both of his… friends' faces didn't move.

"That was a joke, guys," he said. "Okay, seriously though, I'm off."

Denzel told the rest of his friends goodbye and made his way toward the Center, releasing Swablu on his head while he walked. Many in the crowd tried to hold him and ask him questions, some of which were very inflammatory, but he just used the convenient excuse that his team really needed to get to a Nurse Joy right now. He could have taken the bus, but he really felt the need to get blood pumping in his legs right now, and Sunyshore was a beautiful city. He could see why so many people had moved to it in recent years.

Swablu chirped on his head as soon as he released her, and Denzel guessed what she had just asked.

"We lost," he said. "4-5. You could have seen the battle if you weren't so… particular about interacting with others. Not everyone that isn't me is dirty, you know?"

The flying type bit and pulled at his hair in response, and he hissed out in pain.

"Fine, fine," he sighed. "I'm bringing the others to a Center right now. Just relax and take in the sights."

Swablu huffed and he felt her puff up her fluffy wings. She was quite a peculiar Pokemon, even after having known her for a few weeks. She was young, having hatched from an egg months prior, but she didn't behave like his friends' baby Pokemon. There was none of the cuteness there, only an aggressive tendency to destroy anything she didn't like and a want for battle. That one would have to wait, unfortunately, since she was still playing catchup with the rest of the team. Milotic and the others liked to help her train, but Sylveon still hadn't fully accepted her.

And she wasn't even a dragon type yet. Denzel shivered at the thought of that.

He handed his Pokemon to Nurse Joy and smiled at the trainers at the Pokemon Center that had been watching the battle. Normally he would have loved the attention, but that was the last thing he wanted right now. He slipped out as soon as he saw an opportunity to and decided to wander the streets once more.

"What could I have done differently?" He muttered to himself.

Because that was the entire crux of the issue, wasn't it? A question that had haunted millions of trainers throughout all eras and all regions and one that he couldn't shake right now. Should he have saved Roserade for Tangrowth after all? The fact that Froslass lost to a grass type was still something that he hadn't fully registered. That Knock Off trick had been vicious. Maybe he should have recalled Roserade as soon as Electabuzz showed his face… yes, that he was sure of. Thunder had been wholly unexpected, and the fact that she'd almost used the move three times was awful. It would only go up from there—

Denzel jumped when Swablu alerted him by pulling on his hair. He'd nearly crossed the street while the light was red.

"Thank you, Swablu," he muttered. "That was weird."

He usually never got lost in his thoughts like that.

"I should go and eat something," Denzel said. "Thinking over lunch sounds great right now."

The teenager found the nearest restaurant on his phone and quickly asked for a table for one. Pokemon were thankfully allowed in the establishment, so Swablu stayed on his head. He had tried to place her on the table or the chair in front of him, but she'd bitten his finger in protest. He ordered a pizza and returned to his thoughts, but he couldn't help but think he was biased somehow. Trainers weren't exactly the best at analyzing a battle completely objectively, so Grace was kind of a monster in that regard. Seeing your flaws exposed like that hurt, and it hurt even more to call them out. Better bury your head in the sand and blame something else.

He scrolled through the contacts on his phone as he clenched a fist. What he needed was someone with a completely unbiased and objective view. Someone that would be willing to call him out on anything he'd done wrong. He answered a few worried messages from his friends, sending a picture of himself and a scowling Swablu to their group chat.

His finger hovered over Barry Lane's number. Even if they'd told each other they'd hang out in Sunyshore, they hadn't spoken since meeting that one time in Veilsone. He was the only person not in their friend group that wouldn't be scared to set him straight. He called on his old friend, who picked up the phone instantly. He smiled when he saw that he hadn't lost that old habit. Denzel's mother would sometimes called his on their landline and he would always answer the phone first.

"Denzel! My old buddy old pal! What can I do for you on this beautiful day?"

The way Barry spoke was a flurry of words, as always, like he was constantly in a hurry.

"Want to come and eat with me?" Denzel asked. "I can drop you the address. I need you to discuss some battling issues with me."

"Well, if it's battling!" Barry exclaimed. "I'll be right there!"

"I haven't even sent it to you yet."

"I'm already running, so you better send it before I end up on the other side of the city."

Denzel stayed silent for a few seconds and heard Barry's stomping against the ground and his shallow breaths.

"Okay, you're actually serious. I'll hang up, and you can check the messages for the address."

—

Barry leaned forward with terrible posture as he stared at Denzel's phone and watched his battle with Grace. Somehow, he hadn't known about it despite it being the only thing every first year could talk about online. Barry was the only person Denzel knew who was worse at keeping up with news than Grace. While they had a similar upbringing in Twinleaf, Denzel used the internet as much as he could to escape his boring life while Barry was just incapable of getting bored with what he already had. Swablu stared at what lay below the table with disgust and disdain.

Barry's Munchlax was currently finishing his third meal and he would definitely ask for a fourth one. The normal type held his plate up and slid all of his food down his mouth, not caring for all of the food he dropped on the ground in the process. Denzel could feel the waiters stare daggers in his and Barry's back.

He'd definitely clean up before leaving.

"What a great battle!" Barry exclaimed. "Super, duper good. But, uh, why did you need me?"

The short trainer looked at Denzel with light brown eyes that almost appeared orange and blinked. Even while eating, he always wore his green scarf. A heirloom left to him by his father before he left for the Battle Frontier.

"I want advice," Denzel said. "You're one of the best first-years—"

"I'm the best! I'm him!" Barry yelled.

Barry wasn't just among the best first years— and definitely better than Denzel was. He was possibly the most random-minded trainer Denzel had ever seen at their level. People on the forums said that whenever someone battled Barry, they could never know what to expect, and he knew it to be true despite how relatively average his team was. Denzel had watched his battle against Maylene and saw how much he had angered her (it had been a while before her break). For example, his Staraptor knew Sunny Day and Heat Wave. His Rapidash knew Bounce and could somehow gallop across the air, raining fire down at her opponents, and she synergized perfectly with Staraptor. His Heracross had mastered his flying capabilities and could use them to create a sound that confused opponents. Empoleon was as good at using ice TE as his own Froslass was and he used it to slide around the entire arena incredibly quickly. Munchlax wasn't good enough to battle yet, but he was sure he'd pull some similar tricks when he was.

While Denzel's Roserade had focused on her poison typing, Barry's was focused on grass.

And all of that was just the tip of the iceberg. He always pulled some insane shit that shouldn't have been possible every time he popped up in an official battle.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Okay, let's not yell in the middle of the restaurant, please," Denzel whispered with a hiss. "I wanted your advice. Completely unbiased. Just lay it on me."

"Well, there were mistakes on both sides, but it's easy to say that from my seat," he rambled. "I think that you got too lost in your original strategy—"

"You know what I was doing?"

"Well, you were trying to mentally exhaust her, it's obvious. The stalling you did when switching, the healing moves, it was a pretty decent job, I'd say. But it wasn't working, and you kept doing it and leaving her ample time to think!"

"I fucking knew it—"

"I'd say the only time where that was the right decision was when you let the poison whittle down Jellicent before releasing your next Pokemon, but I mean, maybe it's just me. I like fast-paced fighting better than this mind game stuff. I yell out what feels right at the moment. I don't really know how you jive, so I don't think it would work for you. This Grace Pastel fellow's interesting, though. Is everyone in your group as good as you two?"

"You met her in Veilstone," Denzel sighed.

"Oh. I forgot."

"And yeah, I'd say Chase, Lauren and Cecilia are that good," Denzel said, rubbing his chin. "Interested? You need more friends."

"I'll be fine. I can't waste time when I've got to get my eight badges! I'm leaving for Pastoria when I get my team back."

Denzel's eyes bulged. "You won already?"

"What do you think?" Barry grinned, flashing the Beacon Badge on his trainer ID. "I won yesterday. I thought you of all people would know. I want to be the first first-year to get eight badges! That ought to impress my old man."

"I was at a party yesterday," Denzel said. "Congrats, though. Happy for you. Shouldn't you slow down and get your flying license, though? It'll be convenient for… Candice is your eighth badge, right?"

"I'll do that in Pastoria," he quickly dismissed. "I heard that—"

Barry stopped when he noticed that Munchlax was tapping his feet for more food.

"You're ruining me," Barry smiled. "I'll get you some… what do you want? Is fish okay?"

The normal type shrugged, probably saying that anything was fine so long as it got in his mouth. Denzel leaned down to look at Munchlax and decided to talk to Barry about him. They were rare, and Craig had one. Plus, it wasn't every day that he got Barry to stick to one place for long. Keeping his attention was notoriously difficult.

"How is taking care of a Munchlax? Isn't that expensive as hell?"

"Yeah, but Professor Rowan sends me everything we need. That's how I get my vitamins too," Barry explained. "This is just a treat."

Denzel salivated at the thought of having a Professor sponsor him, but he knew that was a pipe dream. Barry had only been picked because Rowan knew his parents well. Palmer was well-acquainted with a lot of Sinnoh's important people, and Professors were no different.

"What else does Rowan send you?" He asked.

"TMs, Ultra Balls, advice on how to raise each of my Pokemon and the exact nutrition they need. It's annoying to keep track of, but it's for their own good. He also sent me one of the few Shiny Stones he had stocked up for Roserade. In exchange, he asks me to catch some Pokemon to send back to his lab."

"You can go past the six Pokemon rule?"

"Duh. He's a Professor, I get special perks," Barry said excitedly. "I'm still not allowed to keep them, but I can catch 'em and send them to him. Sometimes they stick around the lab their entire lives, or he sends them back to where they lived after he's done with them if they want to. That's why the good old Professor wants me to get strong quickly. The more powerful I am, the more rare Pokemon I can find him. He's been wanting to get his hands on a Carbink, but good luck finding a wild one outside of the deepest parts of Mount Coronet. He's got some wack theory about them having an evolution even though it's never been proven."

Denzel nodded. All of that made sense… except one question he had.

"Can't he just buy them?" Denzel asked.

"He's a Professor, not a billionaire," he said. "He buys the ones he can, but a lot of Pokemon are too expensive. And if he can get them through me, why not save his cash?"

"Right. Right. So is that how you taught your Staraptor Sunny Day and Rain Dance?" Denzel said.

"Yeah! Rowan sent me the TMs for both. Reusable! I got Sandstorm and Hail too. Weather's cool, but I kind of want him to get me Hyper Beam. He's got a bunch of old TMs he stocked up through his career that he's slowly giving me, just like the evolutionary stones. Obviously I have to give the TMs back when I'm done with them, though."

"I guess that's how your Pokemon know moves that are completely crazy," Denzel said, leaning against a palm. "What's next, a Rapidash with Solar Beam?"

"Yeah, that's in the works, actually," Barry said. "Anyways, TMs are great, but I still got to practice the moves for weeks before they're usable. They're only a baseline."

"Yeah, obviously."

"I need to get started on these custom moves. I've got some, but I've been relying on TMs for too long and your battle inspired me. That Poison Cutter was cool. I wonder if my Roserade can do the same thing, but with grass… Grass Cutter?"

"Yeah, I don't think that'd work."

The waiter arrived with Munchlax's fish. Denzel didn't really know what it was, but the normal type inhaled it in seconds, bones and all.

"I've got to go," Barry said, shooting up from his chair. "This was cool, but Munchlax needs to train now. We've been working on Sleep Talk, but he just keeps staying asleep instead."

"Wait, already—"

"Glory waits for no one, Denzel!"

Barry recalled Munchlax and ran off, his scarf flowing in the air. He nearly bumped into a waitress and she almost dropped all of the drinks she was carrying, and he didn't even look back while apologizing. Denzel chuckled as he grabbed his phone again. He'd wanted to ask for the tab, but a message from Grace caught his attention.

Stay where you are. Trust me.

"What…?" Denzel muttered.

Well, he didn't like to be kept in the dark, but this was probably harmless. Maybe she'd show up— actually, that wasn't possible. He hadn't sent them the address. Only a picture. Either way, he listened, ordering a drink to not clog up the table and browsed some of the reactions of the battle. A lot of people had expected him to pull through, mostly because Grace kept her training in the dark the entire time while he livestreamed his progress for his viewers. They probably hadn't expected her to have kept up with him. The forums were alight with discussion of the battle, and even trainers beyond the first-year chimed in to give their opinions. Some of them called Denzel's group overrated and said that they'd wipe out at the Conference, if they even got that far, but the majority actually respected their skill, much to Denzel's surprise.

Around ten minutes later, he heard some commotion around the restaurant's entrance. He paid it no mind. It was probably some fight happening outside or a famous person walking by. When he heard the commotion get closer, though, he turned and saw that Craig Goodwill was in the damn restaurant. At first, he thought it was just a coincidence, but he waved at him with that crooked smile of his and tapped him on the back.

"Hey kid," Craig said. "How's it going?"

"C—Craig! What are you doing here?"

Denzel cursed at himself for the stutter. He hadn't seen his idol since they were at Lake Acuity, and he was still nervous around him. He knew what it was like to have nervous fans now, though, and he tried to calm his nerves. A titan of the industry was standing right next to— actually, he dragged the chair Barry had been sitting in and took his place. His friend would definitely regret leaving so soon if he found out. He recalled Swablu so she wouldn't humiliate him in front of the trainer he admired.

"Your friend Grace told me you were here. It's a nice little spot, even if I usually stick to the boardwalk."

How had she found the address? Just from the selfie he'd sent? It had been innocent enough and well-intentioned, but Arceus, she could be terrifying when she wanted to. Yet another reminder to never get on Grace's bad side.

Denzel just decided to think that Erin had known this spot and that she had asked her.

"I was told you were watching the battle," Denzel spoke, trying to keep his voice still. "What'd you think?"

He winced, expecting the worst.

"You were both fantastic. Truly. It took me back to simpler times when I used to chase Sarah Newman around and she kept beating the crap out of me, except your battle was a lot closer. I see you're taking the loss surprisingly well."

Denzel unclenched his fist and relaxed. He thought he would completely rip him to pieces, exposing every imperfection. That was what he'd wanted, but it would have been different coming from the trainer he looked up to the most.

"I'll manage. I still feel like shit, but it's okay."

"Good. That'll help you for the Conference, if you get there. Losing there crushed me the first time. It still did every year, and I've been going for six years."

Denzel nodded. It was a known fact that Craig had been in a terrible state after losing in the finals last year to Sarah Newman, and it had only been by a hair. That probably still haunted him at night.

Or maybe not.

"But you've got to look at the bigger context. For a first year, you're progressing leaps and bounds. I thought you'd have flamed out by now when we met in Snowpoint, but here you are, chugging along. You're an extremely talented kid."

"But?" Denzel asked.

Craig placed an arm over the back of his chair and smiled. "Do you want my advice?"

"Who wouldn't?" Denzel scoffed. "You're the trainer. Everyone would want your insight after a battle."

"Eh, you'd be surprised," Craig smirked. "Why don't you tell me the problems that jumped out at you? Let's start slow."

"Everything I threw at her except Poison Cutter, she had a counter for," Denzel blurted out. "I don't know how she does it… not the planning, but, like, she manages to be the most defensive-minded out of all of us all while not lacking in power. Every single one of her Pokemon is so tough to crack. You've got Togetic with Ancient Power and her barriers, Electabuzz with Protect, and he's way faster than he used to be and that's only going to get worse if she figures out how to evolve him. Tangrowth used to be easy to hit, but he's got Ancient Power now too and even when you hit him, he's got an insane amount of stamina. Jellicent can regenerate a thousand times, Pupitar's got a tough shell and can fly incredibly quickly, but when she evolves she'll be nearly indestructible except for the most powerful attacks… Arceus."

"Seems like a lot," Craig nodded. "And she is quite the defensive trainer. Good catch. She's like a fusion of Gardenia and Byron, although even Gardenia wouldn't have gone as far as she did against Maylene."

Denzel swallowed. He knew that had happened? For some reason, he felt nervous even though he wasn't the one that had done anything.

"What about Jasmine?" Denzel asked.

"Oh, Jasmine is like a rapier," Craig said. "She'll stab you a thousand times and leave you dead. Byron's a shield. You can slam against him, but if you don't have the power needed to break through, you'll need tricks to win. Good luck on that eighth badge, by the way."

"Right."

That was going to be a terribly hard fight, and he looked forward to it already.

Craig snapped a finger and pointed at Denzel. "Anyway, back to you. You were on the right track. There are two kinds of battlers in this world, kid. Defensive and offensive battlers. Now, this isn't black and white… it's more like a spectrum. And just because you're defensive doesn't mean you wait to have things happen to you. You can be a proactive defensive battler or a reactive offensive battler. You catch my drift?"

Denzel nodded.

"Now you approached this battle the completely wrong way," Craig said. Denzel felt his heart drop. "It was close, but you could have handily won if you fought correctly. You played too passive, Denzel, and I don't mean using moves like Recover. You didn't fight to your strengths and fought to counter her instead. You were basically playing by her game, and against defensive-minded trainers like her that like to think, that's a death sentence. You can't let them think, Denzel, that's when you lose."

"But I did play to my strengths. I mean, I can battle for a long time, and she can't— well, I thought she couldn't. I underestimated her there."

"Obviously she can. That's beginner stuff, and you guys are at least intermediate. Your friends progress alongside you, not just you. I suspect that she'll love to have long battles by the time the year is over. Her type always does," he recalled with a hint of fondness. "Personally, I dislike long battles. I keep mine quick by blowing past most opponents with raw destruction— sophisticated destruction."

Denzel understood where Lauren had gotten her battling style from now, even if hers couldn't really be called sophisticated. He'd watched plenty of Craig's battles, but him saying it out loud had made it all click. Plus, according to Grace the battle with Jasmine had been pretty quick, all things considered, but that was mostly because of the strength disparity between Craig and Jasmine's Pokemon.

"So what are my strengths then?" Denzel asked.

"For this battle, it was Roserade and your creativity with her," Craig said. "I've rarely seen a Sludge Wave applied like this at your level, let alone Poison Cutter. She was your crutch, and you failed her."

Denzel clenched a fist and stared at his feet in shame.

"Sorry about the harsh words. She could have carried you to victory if you relied on her more. Notice how you were basically winning every time she was on the field? And you could have won against Electabuzz had you poisoned the field again. You did win the first bout the two fought and forced her to recall him."

"But my other Pokemon would have been hurt afterward!"

"What's a battle without a little risk?" Craig smiled. "Picture this. You just sent that Sludge Wave toward Electabuzz over and over until he couldn't use Protect any longer, and you take him out. What does she have left that can fight Roserade? Jellicent, Tangrowth and Pupitar. That doesn't sound so great, doesn't it? And there's also the fact that you could have used your switches better and gotten your Sylveon to actually get that Wish to her, but I digress."

"But there was no way Roserade could have finished all three off."

"She could have done two if you played it correctly, and that leaves you with Lopunny, Milotic and Sylveon against her last Pokemon. Even having two of those left would have netted you a win. The poisoned floor would have been there, yes, but you would still be at an advantage. At the heart of it all, Pokemon battling is a numbers game. You've got to play to your strengths. Convert them into a lead, and convert that lead into a victory. Switches are important, but leads are everything. They are crushing psychologically and you want to do everything to come back and at least equalize the battle again. That makes you stop thinking clearly and you start to make mistakes unless you're the most analytical, stone-cold individual out there. Even I'm not immune to it. It's how I lost last year. That make sense?"

Denzel nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, it does."

"Grace exploited that," Craig said. "Played with the tempo, quieted down, made you slip up. You basically lost control of the battle as soon as you let Roserade exhaust herself against Electabuzz for no reason, and you never came back from that. You had a one Pokemon lead for a little bit, but it was fake. Just smoke. It wasn't a real lead with your best Pokemon waiting in tow, because without Roserade there, all of the Pokemon she had left could beat yours without a problem. Now, every battle's got a different Pokemon that'll act as the cornerstone of your strategy. From the way she behaved, I'd bet that Grace knew yours was Roserade and that hers was Electabuzz."

"Not Tangrowth or Jellicent? They were honestly a lot more annoying," Denzel said, recalling the battle.

"Tangrowth and Jellicent were like… Cynthia. They're powerful, sure, and without them it would have fallen apart, but Electabuzz was like the thousands of employees under her that keep the League running like a well-oiled machine. He was in the background, but he screwed you. He exhausted your Roserade by fighting her twice, damaged your Froslass some and took down your Sylveon's armor in one hit, rendering him basically useless and easy fodder for Jellicent. Do you get it? Sylveon was a nonfactor in that battle, even if he finished Electabuzz off. He turned it into a four against five. Electabuzz knocked down your foundation and Tangrowth and Jellicent finished collapsing the house."

"Okay. I get it, I misused Roserade," Denzel said. "What else was there?"

"Well, I don't want to just give you the keys to the castle. Finding them yourself is an order of magnitude more satisfying," Craig said. "But… hm."

"What?" Denzel asked.

"You know, you remind me of my younger self, believe it or not," Craig said.

"No way."

"Yes. That's why I like keeping an eye on you from time to time. I was worse than you, actually. I had my rival I desperately wanted to surpass, and the fact that she was two years younger than me didn't help. But even the way you behave. The way you handle your fame, it's very similar. I like you, kid."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Craig Goodwill stayed silent for a few seconds, leaning back against his chair.

"I'll be in Sunyshore another week," he said. "What do you say I take you under my wing while I'm there. I can… point you in the right direction. You've got potential. An unpolished diamond, one might say."

Denzel practically jumped for joy. "Yes! Absolutely yes! But what about your sister?"

"My sister can handle herself," Craig said. "She's a damn genius. I trust her to be the strongest first year by the Conference. And it's only a week. Not much, all things considered. Just enough to light the way. I'll teach you the broad fundamentals."

"Fucking awesome. When do we start?" Denzel asked.

"How about right now?"