INTERLUDE - HORIZON

Cecilia looked onto the beach and listened to the ever-calm waves crashing against the sand intently. She focused on the horizon and squinted at the thin, almost indistinguishable line that separated the ocean and the sky. Beyond the horizon was obscured, and it would be no matter how far she chased. Walking, running, flying, swimming, none of these would work. The horizon would march on in front of her, forever alluring, out of Cecilia's reach. Her feet did not move one inch in the sand, even when a particularly large wave hit her ankles. She was still, ever staring at the horizon.

Cecilia was beginning to despise her lack of power— not only physical, tangible power that her Pokemon could dish out on a whim, but soft power as well. When the people she wanted to emulate spoke, the world moved. Cecilia's word did not matter. She could scream, kick, destroy, throw a tantrum, but the situation would not change at all no matter what she wanted. Cecilia was at a stage where she was powerful enough to feel like she mattered, but not powerful enough to actually do. She sighed as she heard soft steps in the sand approach behind her.

My lady, Slowking spoke into her mind. Chase and Mira request your presence.

"Tell them I'll be a little while," she answered. "Ten minutes."

Very well. Make shore to ask me if you need any help.

Cecilia turned to the psychic and gave him an amused look.

"That was a… five out of ten. Maybe a six, if I'm feeling generous."

Was shore on a beach too on the nose? That was the point, Slowking shrugged. I wanted to cheer you up.

"That worked some. We need to get you started on Chilly Reception. I'm sure you'd be able to make puns so terrible even the opponent would freeze."

I've wanted to learn the move for weeks, Slowking laughed, rubbing his hands together. Don't get cold feet now. You aren't ready for what's to come.

"Cold feet? Was that another one?"

The water type's mouth gaped. I swear it was not. You can't fault me for using a common human idiom.

Cece snorted. "Just go tell them I'll be on my way."

Of course, my lady.

"Thank you, darling."

Slowking began to jog back to the rest of the group, almost hovering in the air every time he took a step. Training himself to step on barriers was going well, Cecilia mused with pursed lips. Levitation was too advanced of a concept for most psychics even though all of them could theoretically reach such capabilities, so Cecilia and Slowking had settled on the next best thing, especially with how good Slowking was getting at shielding. Plus, it would be a wonderful tool to have against Crasher Wake, since his arena was a giant, rectangle-shaped sea with a few islands. Slowking might have been a water type, but he would not be able to compete against Wake's Pokemon in the water.

Cecilia let out a long exhale, turning back toward the ocean.

The decision the League had taken to send her father back had completely blindsided her. Cynthia had warned her beforehand, but that hadn't even mattered. To paraphrase the Champion, she had basically said that they were doing this whether she liked it or not. There was too much at stake to let feelings get in the way of things, Cynthia had told her, and that she would make it up to Cecilia when they traveled together this summer. Arceus, that would be miserable. Cecilia closed her eyes, focusing on the anger that rose from within her chest. Think, she shouted at herself. There was no use letting the anger consume her. Focus. Channel it and clear your mind.

Cecilia opened her eyes with newfound clarity, and she took a breath. Talonflame could be seen in the distance, flying so fast over the ocean that Cecilia could barely keep track of her. The sound barrier was as elusive as ever. There were no more tricks they would be able to employ to gain more speed, or at least none that Cecilia knew of. From now on, Talonflame would need to train herself until she reached her goal.

Yesterday's revelation had thrown her for a loop. Abel was near, or at least he was involved with some 'business' nearby. The first thing she felt when she heard the news was not terror, which had been extremely surprising, and not something even Cecilia had expected. She had spent so many nights dreading Abel and Malamar taking what was worth the most to her. Freedom. Being a mindless puppet forced to listen to the whims of her father for however long Abel would have been under his employ. By the time they'd let her go, it would have been too late to change anything. Cecilia blinked and felt her throat tighten. Even imagining herself stripped of her will terrified her.

So why had she been… no, relieved would have been the wrong word. Cecilia still despised Abel from the bottom of her heart, but she'd never felt so— so—

Dirty.

The first thought that popped into her head was,

I want Abel back in Unova so he can burn and destroy everything my father had ever loved and cared for.

She had not cared for the stolen Leafeon, nor had she bothered to feel bad for Carnivine. Cecilia had only thought in terms of how she could use Abel for her own gains, and that terrified her. Cecilia disliked Cynthia, but a part of her could not help but understand how the Champion had gotten to where she was in the first place. Cynthia was a ruthless pragmatist who did not care what she had to do so long as her decision helped Sinnoh, and it would be easy for the teenager to let that side of her take over.

After all, what was one sin? But then it would turn into two, three, and years later you looked back, and you were unrecognizable to even yourself. Or maybe that version of you had never been real in the first place. Just pretending to be normal.

And it was not like she could just convince the others not to get involved— and the fact that she was even thinking about that disgusted her. Grace was a kind soul. Cecilia was sure that she would convince herself to get involved one way or another. Chase wanted to bring the poachers to heel, and despite Mira having changed for the better, she was still not risk-averse. If a fight between them and the poachers took place, the League would intervene and Abel ran the risk of getting caught.

"Damn it," she sighed. "Damn it all."

Cecilia could almost imagine Azelf giggling at her with their child-like voice, mocking her dilemma and just telling her to take what's hers or something along those lines. There was a fire in Cecilia's throat, begging to be let out, but she would stamp it out every single day. She would never use the Voice.

What if my friends are in danger? She thought as she took a few uneven breaths.

Cecilia gulped. Then, she would.

But for a selfish goal that only she cared so much about? No.

She could not.

We'll see how long that lasts—

Cecilia's head whirled behind her, but there was nothing. Just Mira and Chase in the distance, getting ready to set up for the evening now that the sun was starting to set, along with their Pokemon surrounding them. She swore that she heard something taunt her.

She buried the concerns and made her way toward her friends. She released Zweilous along the way to accompany her, and the dragon followed in her wake, content to be by her side. Sol and Zerst were growing a lot more cooperative these days— not with her, but with each other, a telltale sign that their evolution was not near, but at least within reach. She dreaded and reveled in the day she would finally get a Hydreigon.

How ironic, that she would miss Zweilous having two personalities when she had feared that very thing when they had just been a Deino. She would also still call Mark, if only to give him a piece of her mind and eviscerate him as well as get his advice. Cecilia and her brother had never been close, but he had essentially knifed her in the back. Instead of listening to special interests in Unova, he could have grown a backbone and punished their father for all of his abuse.

Then again, Cecilia had no idea what the view looked like beyond the horizon. Cynthia did. Mark did. And yet, they all seemed so evil to her. Did power truly corrupt even the most well-intentioned individuals, then? Did responsibility doom you to immorality? Was the weight of a region simply too much to bear? Continuously twisting and bending yourself for the 'greater good' until you became a part of the system that you tried so hard to destroy, change, or reform? What did Mark, Cynthia, and the other Champions see that she did not, and why did it push them to act so?

Cecilia placed a hand on Sol's rough head and smiled when Zerst demanded attention as well. They both licked her hand, but their tongues might as well have been concrete with how tough and rough the texture was.

"Thank you for worrying," she smiled, scratching both of their chins.

Cecilia walked the rest of the way in silence, and soon the beach bled into grass and dirt. Mira and Chase sat atop a log that Zangoose had cut and brought over for them, and Houndoom had already started a fire to cook their meal. Today was… grilled cheese sandwiches, which Mira apparently knew how to cook. Houndoom snored at Chase's feet, and Vikavolt was off flying somewhere just like Talonflame was. Zangoose and Sigilyph were speaking a few dozen feet away, and the normal type was showing off a new way of sharpening her claws to her friend while Scyther compared his scythes with them. Abomasnow had started spending more and more time in his Pokeball now that the weather was shifting gears. Lehmhart was also in his Pokeball for now because he had exhausted himself trying to fly. He was getting a lot better, though, and Cecilia was sure she'd be able to get her license in Pastoria. Lucario sat next to Chase, quietly meditating with Aura diffusing out of him.

The plan for her and Chase was to go to Canalave right away after their seventh badge, even though they weren't exactly going together. Cecilia hadn't exactly asked yet, but she was sure Chase was planning on going to visit the Iron Islands, and she wanted to go with him. Not because she wanted to do anything there, but because she didn't think it'd be good for him to go alone. He had finally opened up and told both her and Mira about what had happened to his hometown and father, and Cecilia didn't want to leave a friend in need hanging, especially when the Iron Islands would hold traumatic memories for him.

Alakazam and Gardevoir flanked Mira, as they always did. Porygon was playing some kind of gacha game on her phone and had hacked it to give herself infinite in-game currency somehow. Haunter and Magnezone sparred in the distance. The ghost was irritating his opponent to no end by taunting him every time an attack missed, and Slowking contained the damage with a barrier. The battle must have just begun, she mused.

"There you are," Mira cheered, gesturing at Cecilia to come over. "You were brooding so hard that I could see it from here."

"Well, no, you couldn't," Chase shook his head.

"Manner of speaking, Chasey. Sit down, Cece. We want to talk about things with you."

"Just to preempt this, I do think Mira's spouting a bunch of bullshit and is way in over her head."

"Pfft. That never happens," Mira said with a sarcastic chuckle. "You'll be getting the first sandwich as revenge so you can be our lab Rattata."

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"I thought you knew how to make them?"

"Uh, yeah, but cooking in the middle of nowhere is different than cooking in a kitchen."

"Arceus, I miss Grace's cooking," Chase grumbled. "Your sandwiches are definitely going to taste bad."

Cecilia cracked a smile. "I wish I'd been recording that. Her hearing Chase say that ought to have cheered her up with her broken ankle."

"Well I heard online that she was having fun playing piano to the wildlife in Pastoria earlier today, so you shouldn't worry too much about her," Mira joked. "Your girlfriend will be fine."

"It's a long time not to be able to walk. I know how frustrating that is from experience, let me remind you," Cecilia paused to sit on the long log and pat her clothes down to look presentable. "And Grace isn't one to enjoy feeling restricted. What do you want to talk about?"

Mira grabbed the only skillet they had left now that Grace was gone and started making the sandwiches.

"You've been out of it ever since Abel's name was mentioned yesterday."

Cecilia blinked. "Out of it? Perhaps I was more distant because of my worries—"

"Grace knows something is up too. We shared a look before we left, and I have to figure you out now. We're friends, Cecilia. Talk to us. You don't need to hide."

Cecilia sighed, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, shit. She was right?" Chase faltered.

"I… um, I was worried for— well, not for Abel, but I ideally would want him to get back to Unova and wreck havoc on his path for revenge," she said, calmer than she expected. "So this whole poacher business made me uneasy. The ACE Trainers intervene, he gets caught, and then what? He gets extradited to Unova, and Clarence wins again," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Do you know how he was greeted back to Unova?"

Both of her friends shook their hands in silence.

"With accolades. My brother shook his hand and smiled for the cameras," Cecilia raged. "He smiled! There was this whole party thrown in Castelia, my mother welcomed him with open arms and a kiss, and they're saying he was a political prisoner and that there was no evidence against him, which is bullshit. Almost all of the Gym Leaders and half of the Elite Four came to his party. Marshal, Caitlin and Brycen missed it, thank the Legendaries."

"He still abused you," Mira muttered. "How does he get welcomed back into society after that? He hired Abel!"

"The law's different for him," Cece bit her lip. "He's pinning it all on Louis' father. Throwing his old business partner under the bus."

"Bullshit," Chase spat.

"He's also using my closeness to Cynthia as a foil," she continued. "Saying that I'm getting manipulated by a foreign dictator. Of course, I'm a damsel in distress getting manipulated again. He used the same excuse when Pauline exposed him in Eterna City. Amy ate it all up too."

"Amy?" Chase frowned.

Cecilia frowned. Had she never told him her former friend's name?

"Trash. Don't bother asking," Cecilia said.

"A likely story," Mira scoffed. "Can't believe you still want to go there. You should stick around next year with us. Bring Grace too."

"See that?" Chase pointed at Mira. "That's her saying she'll miss ya both and she wants to spend more time with you. Savor it."

The pink-haired girl blushed and stammered out an answer that made no sense.

Cece smiled, but she shook her head. "No. I've made my decision. I will not run away any longer," she firmly declared, reminding herself of how Azelf had mocked her for it. She wanted to be taken seriously. If she stayed away from Unova like an exile, then her enemies would win and have the last laugh. Imagining them toasting over Champagne about how their plans had all worked out infuriated her so much that she forgot to breathe.

Cecilia continued with a firm voice. "I just can't. Even if Grace hadn't agreed to come with me, I would have gone."

"So what? Are you gonna have, like, a political revolution? Kick some ass?" Chase asked, his eyes fixated on the fire.

"Please," Cecilia rolled her eyes. "A revolution? With all the death and destruction? And with what support? Revolutions aren't born from nothing. You can't just declare one and hope for the best. I plan on working within the system and using all of its glaring loopholes to my full advantage."

"Yikes. Take notes, Chasey. You'll have to do it too," Mira said.

"I can hire people for that, right?"

"You're never becoming the Champion," Mira laughed. "Maybe aim for Gym Leader of Canalave instead. You've already got Ri for a steel type."

"Fuck off."

Cecilia retreated into her thoughts to ignore their bickering. It was not like she had been idle all this time. Her father being sent back home had lit a fire under her, and she had been doing research. She did not expect to beat Mark next year, but that did not mean she'd have to play nice. Unova was not a monolith, despite what her friends believed. Not everyone approved of the status quo. The problem is that they never got enough power for it to matter.

Whereas Sinnoh was split into two parties— or used to be before it became a fancy group full of 'yes-men'— with a pro-Champion coalition and the opposition, Unova's political life was much more alive. Cecilia had looked into a few of them. 'Forward Unova!', The 'Anti-Corruption' party, The 'Radical Party'. She did not exactly see eye-to-eye with any of them, but they did share a common goal, so ideology was not exactly a problem quite yet. There was also the 'Plasma Organization', which was actually the largest out of the four and had gained steam this past year, but they were far too extreme for Cecilia's liking— although she had noticed that their message was getting toned down a little as they gained more and more influence. Still, they were just populists saying whatever was the best to get themselves elected. Only their Pokemon rights policy seemed to be something they believed in.

Not that she would not be content to let them shake up the status quo. The status quo was the enemy.

Cecilia refocused on her friends, who seemed to be back to their normal selves.

"Here's your sandwich, Chasey."

The teenager lifted his cap and bit into the bread.

"Meh," he said with his mouth full. "Good effort, I guess."

"Hell yes!" Mira clapped her hands. "I'll make yours, Cece. I've given some thought to your Abel problem while I was arguing with this guy—"

"I personally think you should just let Abel rot and take the fight to your old man yourself," Chase interrupted. "Oh, my bad, shrimp. Go ahead."

"Right. Uh, I obviously wasn't going to say what Chase said. On the off-chance that we get involved in this poaching thing—"

Chase cut in. "I'll go with or without you."

The pink-haired girl flicked him on the forehead. "Let me finish! Arceus! On the off-chance that we do something about it, then y'know, maybe just don't bother thinking about Abel getting arrested."

"Huh?" Cecilia frowned.

"Think about it. If he can't stand up to or run away from a few first-years and some ACE Trainers, what makes you think he'll even bother your dad in Unova?" Mira shrugged. "Clarence is dumb, but surely he's hired bodyguards— real bodyguards. Not the one you told me about that were in the hotel in Eterna City that were only as good as kids with a couple of badges. You don't just get kidnapped and not change your hiring process."

Cecilia blinked. "It's true that Clarence would do that," she muttered. "I remember seeing a lot of faces filtering in and out growing up. He'd have dozens of different guards every month… but now, he probably has some ACE Trainers of his own. Hell, maybe he had some before going to Sinnoh that never showed their faces. I wouldn't know."

"But it makes sense, right?" Mira asked. "If he can't deal with us, well, he sucks."

"Well, we're strong," Chase said. "This Abel guy is what? 8-Badge level?"

"Probably higher, but I don't know, he doesn't really fight people, as you know. When he does, it's to stall to allow him to escape," Cecilia paused, grabbing the sandwich from Mira's hands. It was so hot she almost dropped it. "I'll give your suggestion some thought, Mira. Thank you for the help."

"I live to please," she bowed. "But I know it's not that easy."

It was not, Cecilia thought to herself with a visible nod. What if Chase let his hatred of criminals get the better of him and used the Voice on Abel to trap him? Granted, they were keeping their capabilities a secret from their guards, which was why they hadn't practiced or experimented with it ever since they left Sunyshore and only did so inside of their Pokemon Center rooms. They still feared that a power like that would have the League completely reevaluate their relationship and decide they actually were too valuable to let travel around the region or let go of after this whole Galactic situation was over.

What if, against all odds, she was the deciding factor between Abel escaping and getting caught?

Cecilia internally groaned and bit into her food. There were too many 'what-ifs' for her to even know what to do at this point.

"This tastes… okay," she said, trying to change the subject. After chewing for a few seconds, she recoiled. "Ew, what cheese is this? Plastic?"

"Excuse me, princess! I didn't buy you gourmet Miltank cheese, because we don't all have the money to spend on that!" Mira yelled. Cecilia couldn't tell if she was fooling around or she was genuinely offended. "I've got to save for my Porygon Upgrade, and I barely have enough as it is considering I wanted an Eevee."

"Sorry, sorry," she waved a hand. "Come to think of it, Chase, how's your money doing?"

"Well aside from getting paid from the LTIP, I don't get much," he shrugged. "I'm still never getting myself a sponsor. I'm not going to whore myself—" he stopped, and considered his next words. A smart decision, considering Cecilia had been about to destroy him with a verbal essay about sponsorships. "It doesn't align with my morals. I want to be self-made, and I don't want to be beholden to some half-dead men in suits."

"Meh. I'd kill to get sponsored by a professor," Mira shrugged.

Cecilia beamed. "Me too! I was actually looking into Unovan Professors too!"

"You? You don't seem like you'd be interested in research," Chase said. "Mira, I can see it."

"If you couldn't, you'd be blind," she chuckled.

"It's not about the research, it's about the information and supplies they'd be able to give," Cecilia repeated what she'd told Grace in Sunyshore. "They're treasure troves of knowledge— Mira, do not make that joke."

"Wasn't going to!"

Cecilia couldn't bear to finish her sandwich and threw the remaining bits to Zweilous, making sure to divide it into equal parts. Even then, Zerst got jealous and glowered at his fellow head, who was too busy chewing to care.

"As much as it pains to admit, I'll definitely have to do something for money," Chase acknowledged. Every word coming out of his mouth looked like it pained him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "The Conference has a bunch of items, or whatever nonsense, and I still haven't bought vitamins… although we're keeping up through sheer dedication."

"I'm sure you'll get an idea," Cecilia said.

"No, he won't. He'll put it off because his standards are impossible and go into the Conference without items," Mira said.

Chase glared. "You're the one who was complaining about money and wishing you could get sponsored by a Professor. Your standards are impossible."

"Guess we aren't so dissimilar," she teased.

They spoke deep into the evening, and Cecilia was content to let herself be a part of the fun even though she was still far from having fixed her internal dilemma. Still she was at least enjoying herself tonight, and that was more than she could ask for.

—

Cecilia hadn't really drifted off to sleep when her phone rang, but her eyes had been closed, and she'd been leaning against Talonflame's comfortable fluff. She was no Togekiss, but she was still comfortable and warm. Chase slept huddled next to his team while Mira had her head on Gardevoir's lap. The fairy type stroked her hair while her trainer snored. Grace had told her that Gardevoir thought Mira to be a daughter, and she'd seen more evidence of that every passing day.

Speaking of Grace, she was calling at an unspeakable hour. Cecilia didn't care, nor did she manage to contain the burst of happiness within her. One day apart, and she already felt like this? This wasn't healthy, she told herself. She had not figured that out on her own, of course. Denzel had spoken to her about it once in Sunyshore, but she hadn't wanted to act on it beyond making some vague promises. Co-dependency, he had called it. And of course, Denzel had not expected Sylveon to be suffering from a very extreme version of it.

Maybe those weeks apart would do them some good. Right now, though, all she felt at the idea was dread. It was hard not to feel distressed when they literally spent the majority of every single day together in some form.

Cecilia picked up the phone and rose, opting to get away from her friends and Pokemon so she wouldn't disturb their sleep.

"Ceeeeceeeee," Grace drawled.

Cecilia giggled. "What's up with you? How's your ankle doing?"

"The pain meds have worn off, and now I'm stuck on my bed trying to go to sleep. The pain makes it hard, but what really grinds my gears is the fact that I can't fucking change positions without sending terrible spasms up my leg, so… yeah. I'm not sleeping, I guess. Did I wake you— Buddy, please don't get this close, you're going to get my cast wet and I already got into that close call when I showered."

Cecilia sat on the sand, not caring about any that could potentially get on or in her clothes.

"I can stay up with you, if you want," Cecilia said.

"Oh! I mean, I wouldn't want to keep you, you sound tired."

"I am," she agreed. "But I can stay an hour or two. Maybe three."

"Let's settle on one," she said. "I did a bunch of fun stuff in Pastoria today! Here, I played the piano and two wonderful Kricketot joined in the melody— it was this entire thing. I wish I recorded it! I bet you'd be proud of me…"

Cecilia intently listened to Grace's day. Her girlfriend did not hold back from venting about the pain she was in or the poacher situation, but she did not let that deter her from focusing on the good either. The good food, the pretty streets, the wild Pokemon, the parks, the fun she had with her team… she sounded like she was doing okay for herself.

She had also looked into Pokemon Rights and was apparently going to battle Barry Lane. Denzel would go crazy for it if he was there.

"You won't believe what Mira said today!" Cecilia gasped, suddenly remembering. "Well, not said, but more implied. She basically admitted that she'd miss us…"

Grace laughed when Cecilia finished the story— and especially at the notion of Mira blushing. That was a rare event, and every happenstance was stored in their core memory.

"Chase is the best for forcing that out of her. How's he doing?"

"He misses your food."

"I'll make him some chicken and veggies when you guys get here. Honey will probably tell me to stop working and cook alone."

"He'd be right."

"Meh. I can do it if I have the painkillers in me."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Any update on the Slowking pun front?"

"There is an update, but don't change the subject," Cecilia chided.

"Don't worry, I only take two per day, spaced six hours just like the doctors said. Otherwise I'd be passed out sleeping right now."

"Right," she nodded. "Um, say, Grace. I have something to tell you about Abel. I told this to the others already, but…"

Cecilia stared upon the horizon and blinked as she explained her dilemma. It was so dark out that she could not tell where the ocean ended and the sky began as if the horizon had disappeared from view completely. Cecilia held out her hand, her palm outstretched, and closed it around where she thought it would be.

There really was no way to know what was beyond there until you made it there yourself through sheer force of will.