CHAPTER 57

“You again?” I drawled. “What else would you possibly want from me? How did you even find my room?”

Chase took a breath and straightened himself before crossing his arms. His body was tense.

“I wanted to speak with you, obviously. And finding your room was just a matter of asking around,” He said.

“Asking around? Are people watching me?” I asked, letting a little bit of panic slip into my tone. “Who was it?”

“Well, you’re traveling with that band of crooks, and now you just beat me, one of the rising stars of the Circuit,” Chase said, his face wincing. “So expect more people to watch you from now on.”

I frowned. He wasn’t as angry as I expected him to be. In fact, he was cordial.

“I’m tired, so talk,” I ordered.

The boy smiled, adjusting his cap. “I underestimated you, and you beat me. That was my first loss since I left home, and that stung,” He hissed out the word, his face contorting. “All the work I’ve done my entire life feels meaningless now, and my goal feels more out of reach than ever. But!” Chase said, pointing toward me. “The next time we fight— because there will be a next time— I will utterly crush you. No underestimating you next time.”

Chase pushed himself off the door and started walking past me.

“And I also want to thank you for something,” He said, stopping at my side, still looking straight ahead. “You know, that loss really fucked me up. I felt like I was about to lose myself for a few minutes, but it also made me think clearly. Finally, I can make Cynthia eat her Arceus damned words. I’ve finally found something worth fighting for. Have you?”

I frowned. He had spoken to Cynthia? “What goal? And Cynthia talked to you?”

“You’ll see after I become the Champion,” Chase said as he began to walk away. “None of you have even half the drive or dedication that I do. And of course, Cynthia talked to me. I’m Chase fucking Karlson. See you in Eterna city, shrimp. Look forward to that rematch.”

Cynthia talked to me too! I screamed internally. Of course, it was probably in completely different circumstances, and he probably wouldn’t even believe me. I would just appear to be a jealous kid trying to one-up him.

“What an asshole,” I whispered.

Whatever, it wasn’t like I hadn’t gotten used to it with Pauline. Although to be fair to my friend, Pauline didn’t think herself to be the best thing in the world, but the aggressiveness was similar, and she sometimes let go of her hard outer shell. Chase never let me see the good in him except when he had stormed into the Valley Windworks powerplant to try to save us.

I supposed that was why I couldn’t bring myself to hate him.

I opened my door, and my hand rested on top of Togetic’s Pokeball. This would only be a nap, but naps still brought nightmares. I had to be strong. Cynthia had warned me. One month maximum, and I had almost gone over that. I groaned, collapsed onto my bed, and sunk into a deep sleep.

——

Chase walked toward the stairs with his hands deep into his pockets. That conversation had gone relatively well, all things considered. It took everything he had not to assert his superiority over Pastel and her clique, but he knew better now. It would be foolish to behave the same way after being beaten and proven to be the weaker trainer— yes, he had underestimated her, but Chase had to admit that her Pokemon were good. Riolu would be proud if he were there to listen, but unfortunately, he was still being healed. That Extrasensory had done a number on him, and he’d still be there for a few hours.

Whispers made Chase’s ears twinge.

“That’s Chase Karlson…”

“Did you see his loss to that Pastel girl? Here, I have it on video…”

“I think I might be able to take him…”

The teenager scoffed. These motherfuckers were talking just loud enough so he could hear. The loss of his undefeated streak had done a number on his reputation. He glared at them as he passed, and they shut up real quick, eliciting a smile. The weakest trainers were always the ones that talked the most. Chase was obviously an exception to that rule.

But he already had a plan on how to rebuild. Chase would need a spectacular win against Gardenia. A win so dominant that no one would be able to question his skills ever again. It would hopefully come in due time, however. Right now, he was looking for someone else.

Oh, it wasn’t that Obel girl. A deal was a deal, and he had lost, meaning that he wouldn’t bother her again. Plus, he had misjudged the situation. She wasn’t even the leader of the group.

Chase didn’t know how Pastel had done it, but during their trip through Eterna forest, she had apparently taken control of the group and was now leading it. Why else would she stand up to defend someone who could buy her way into being a contender to win the Circuit? She was obviously using them for her own advantage. Pastel’s only real connection in that group looked to be Williams, that tall kid he crushed in Jubilife.

Chase entered the Ranger building, basking in the bright fluorescent light. The only place he believed Scott Montante could be if he hadn’t left yet was here.

The trainer confidently strode up to the front desk. “Hey. Did you see a Scott Montante that came here to make a report about some Pinsir?” He asked.

The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, tapped her chin and hummed for a few seconds. “Uh, I think Scott’s still around here somewhere. Wanted some information about becoming a Ranger. Looking for him?”

“You know him?” He asked. “I want to speak to him,” He ordered.

“Watch your tone, kid,” The Ranger warned. “And yeah, I know him. Comes through here every year.” She whistled and gestured for someone to come. “Elliot! Still have that Montante guy running around?”

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“I’m a bit busy right now, Georgia!” The man answered. He was carrying a huge carton box with a bunch of files in it. “Ask someone else.”

“You’re using your hands right now, use your mouth!”

“I think he was sitting in that orientation thing we’ve been doing!” Elliot said before disappearing into a hallway.

“Orientation?” Chase asked. “I thought he wanted to finish this year’s Circuit before signing up.”

“Orientation doesn’t mean he’s signing up yet, it means he’s getting information about signing up. We’ve been running it every few weeks, and he got lucky enough to catch this one, or maybe he planned the trip to get here in time. Anyway, nothing you can do about it. Wait for your friend in the lobby.”

“He’s not my friend,” Chase grumbled before sitting down on one of the chairs that lined up the walls of the building. He didn’t like that he was wasting time, but he wasn’t about to work out or train without Riolu.

It took around twenty minutes for Scott to come out, and he had a huge grin on his face. Chase shot up and walked up to him.

“Yo,” He said. “Can we talk?”

Scott stopped in his tracks, and his smile vanished. “What is it, kid? Thought you’d be gone like Maeve already.”

“I thought so too, but shit happens,” Chase shrugged. “So?”

Scott sighed. “Fine, we can talk.”

“Not here.”

Chase led Scott to a secluded part of the outpost, away from prying eyes and ears. This was going to be an important conversation, and he didn’t want some random trainer to listen in.

“Isn’t this far enough?” Scott complained.

“No.”

“What, are you about to tell me your deepest, darkest secret? What is it? You’re a part of team Galactic?” Scott asked.

“I beat the shit out of grunts, so that wouldn’t make sense,” Chase said.

“It was just a joke, sheesh,” Scott said.

Chase turned abruptly and faced the man. “I think we’re good,” He said. “I wanted to talk to you about goals.”

“Goals?”

“You heard me. Well, first I… uh, I wanted to apologize for shitting on your dream of becoming a ranger like that when we traveled together,” He started.

Scott’s eyes widened. “Never thought you’d be the type of guy to apologize for anything, but I accept. Go on.”

“I didn’t understand it at the time,” Chase sighed. “Your need to help people. Well, to be honest, I still don’t quite understand it, but that’s beside the point. I’ve gone through an illuminating experience recently that’s changed how I view the world a little bit.”

“Oh, right,” Scott said. “You lost to that girl.”

“Ugh,” Chase groaned. “You know about it already? I would have— might have won if I didn’t fuck around. But still, when the battle ended, it was only me and my thoughts, and I started thinking. My goal… isn’t achievable anymore.”

How could he be perfect if he had lost? Cynthia had never lost a single battle during her entire career, even during her first year when she rose to become the Champion.

“But I can still do something for the next generation,” Chase continued, licking his dry lips. “I can make the Circuit a more even playing field. No more outside money, no more sponsors, no more buying the best Pokemon.”

“But the girl that beat you wasn’t rich,” Scott interjected.

“But she’s using them to make her journey easier, so the principle still applies,” Chase retorted. “I seriously considered quitting after that loss. Just hang my cap and go back home, but no,” He said, clenching his fist. “I’m going to become the Champion, and I’m going to bring an end to big businesses involving themselves and their kids in the League Circuit. The winners will be the people that worked hard and deserve it. Cynthia has allowed the system to erode under her watch.”

“I mean, that’s great. I agree with some of this, but it’s easier said than done,” Scott said. “And why are you telling me this?”

Chase clammed up. “With our talk about dreams and goals in the forest, I thought it’d be good to let you know I’ve settled on something,” He got out.

The truth was, he just wanted to let someone know, and Riolu wasn’t there.

It was kind of lonely.

——

Five days had passed since they arrived at the outpost, and Emilia was finally alright enough to walk again, although her leg wasn’t anywhere near one hundred percent. I thought about Chase as I stepped down the stairs to the Pokemon Center lobby to meet the others. He had kept his word and hadn’t bothered Cece or any of the others. In fact, he had already left, but not before beating up a bunch of trainers in battles, which was probably to fix his wounded ego.

“Already here?” I smiled at Denzel.

“Bright and early. Surprised?” He asked.

“I thought you were the one who’d be late,” I laughed. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Louis is calling his dad about some new Pokemon he wants,” Denzel grimaced.

“Yikes,” I sighed. “I should talk to him about that.”

“I mean, as long as it’s not some Pokemon he can’t control, he should be fine,” Denzel said.

I stared at him, letting him know that that was most likely a pipe dream.

“I mean, Prinplup is fine!” Denzel tried. “But we’ll see what he asks for. Pauline and Justin were helping Emilia pack, last I heard, and your crush—”

“Denzel! Not in public!” I hissed.

My friend grinned. He was trying to get a rise out of me and succeeding. “Cece’s refilling our potion and food supplies. They ran low in Eterna forest.”

I nodded and sat next to Denzel, sinking into the soft couch. Pokemon Center couches were seriously the best, especially with how tired I was getting again. I probably would have dozed off, but there was a sentence Chase had told me that had been stuck in my head since he confronted me in front of my room.

I’ve finally found something worth fighting for. Have you?

What had he meant by this?

Something worth fighting for… what did I want? To become the Champion and surpass Cynthia. To enjoy my journey through Sinnoh and to build a family with my team. That was enough, or that had been enough until now. Chase’s words had infected me and spread doubt like a virus.

I stared at Denzel. What did he want? To become famous and build a brand for himself.

Cece? She wanted to free herself from her father’s clutches, escape from her arranged marriage with Louis and build a life for herself.

Chase? Well, he hadn’t told me, but he apparently found something.

That’s when it clicked. The common denominator with all of these people. They were using the position of Champion as a launch pad to further their own goals, while I was still stuck at the first step.

What did I want?

“There she is,” Denzel whispered and nodded toward Cece, who carried multiple bags full of supplies. She smiled when she saw us.

“Good morning.”

I stood up. “Morning! Let me help you out,” I said, before gently kicking Denzel’s leg. “You too, you lazy bum.”

“I was going to!” He protested.

Cece chuckled and handed us some of her bags. I needed something to strive toward. A goal beyond the finish line, or I would just crash and burn when I got there. In a way, I was glad Chase had accosted me that day, or I maybe would have never figured this out.

Now all I had to do was find it.