INTERLUDE - MEND

Eighteen days earlier

Louis Bianchi quietly dragged his feet across the dirt in the dead of night before sitting down against one of the giant concrete legs that kept the cycling road standing above route 206. He didn’t exactly know why he came down there— well, that was a lie, he knew exactly why he did; it was just that actually staying here was irrational and meant that he was just wasting time. He shoved his hands down his jacket’s pockets for warmth and settled by the fire he had lit. Prinplup stood next to him, loyal as always. He occasionally stole worried glances at his trainer, but did not actually speak up. Vulpix was curled up next to the flames and watched as they danced in the air, occasionally manipulating them to create moving shapes to distract herself.

Gible, meanwhile, was gorging himself on a wild Starly he had somehow caught. Louis’ eye twitched when he heard one of its bone shatter under the dragon’s incredible jaw. He had always been like this. No matter how many times Louis had tried to feed him processed Pokemon food in the past, the dragon wanted to kill things. To hunt. Prinplup opened his beak as if he was going to say something, but after a few seconds, he just shook his head and sighed with a strange honk.

The reason Louis had made his way under the cycling road was simple. Trainers were spreading rumors about his friends further up ahead in the route, and he just couldn’t bear it. Now that he had left, even just hearing Cecilia’s name hurt. The boy groaned in frustration, shoving his head backward and accidentally hitting it on the concrete wall, hurting himself. Louis let out a short scream and rubbed the back of his head while Vulpix and Prinplup looked on with worry. Gible, meanwhile, stared at him like he was just an annoyance.

An annoyance. That was what Louis was to his Gible, and that was actually an improvement to how bad things had been right after the battle with Gardenia. It had taken Louis a while to figure out why Gible had acted out the way he did, but when he finally managed to, it had all clicked into place.

Gible were a prideful and aggressive species, especially when they were young, but his was even more so than usual. Before getting through Eterna Forest, part of that aggressiveness would get weaned off every day or two by having him battle Cece— Cecilia’s Deino, but they had completely stopped that arrangement after getting through the forest. That meant that Gible hadn’t actually been fighting anything. Sure, he trained by himself, since Louis had been incapable of even getting him to practice with his other Pokemon back then, but training was nothing like the battles that Gible had fought before against Deino, and then in Eterna Forest, and it angered him. There had been no challenge or thrill to it.

That anger built, built, and built until he was finally put in a hard battle again. Against Gardenia. And he went completely rogue.

So how had Louis managed to get Gible back under a modicum of control? Well, he had Prinplup and Vulpix fight him every day. It was good training for them, and it helped him sharpen his skills as a trainer, although Gible wasn’t exactly the smartest opponent to face… anything helped, so long as he could catch up to Cecilia—

Louis’ fists clenched in his pockets.

He was being so foolish.

“Catch up for what, you damned idiot,” he muttered to himself.

When Louis read Cecilia’s letter that had set everything in motion, he had been too worried about her well-being to actually let the words sink in. He had, however, been filled with an overwhelming desire to break off their engagement so that she could be happy again. He understood the letter’s contents, but the words themselves… took a while to actually get through his head, but Louis had had a lot of time to think in the harrowing weeks when he believed Cecilia, Grace, and Denzel to be dead.

The fact that Cecilia never actually loved him hurt more than anything he had ever felt, but there had been other things to worry about, especially their fathers swooping in and locking them up in that hotel, so he put it off. And plus, who had he been to feel hurt about it? Cecilia had been suffering for months and bottling it all up, so he should have been able to deal with a simple rejection. And yet, when his friends finally called from Snowpoint to reveal themselves to be alive, the tiniest, smallest part of him still hoped for a chance. An utterly irrational thought, but that was what love did to a man’s brain. So for some reason, Louis got the idea in his head that if he somehow caught up to her skill and gave her enough space, maybe Cecilia would take him back, so he redoubled his training, and so had the others who had been left behind in Eterna. They had all been motivated to catch up.

And then, Cecilia came back, and Louis practically fell in love again.

Irrational. Stupid. Foolish. Yet, Louis didn’t show it. He stayed quiet during the party and didn’t celebrate as hard as he had wanted to. He had wanted to let her breathe. To give her space.

But then, she revealed that she was dating Grace, and his world came crashing down. A dash of hope, crushed so thoroughly just as quickly as it had come. Louis hadn’t even had a chance from the start. He had just been building these scenarios in his head. These fantasies where Cecilia would somehow see that he had changed for the better and give him another chance.

He had just been daydreaming.

Meaningless delusions that were better fit for a thirteen-year-old boy than him, the heir to the Bianchi—

Louis exhaled sharply. His family name and business were nothing to be proud of. His father, who he had loved dearly, was a monster that he couldn’t recognize. He had never been particularly close to his mother either. He had separated from his friends so that he could finally attempt to move on. He had nothing. Nobody—

“Pix!”

He stared dejectedly at Vulpix, who rubbed her head against his leg. Prinplup joined in and tapped his shoulder with his flippers.

“Thank you,” he sighed. “I mean it. I’ve been quiet, hm?”

Prinplup honked softly and nodded.

“Well, there isn’t anywhere to go from here but up, I suppose,” Louis said with a pained look.

That was right. He still had Prinplup and Vulpix. He had even grown attached to Gible, as awful as the dragon was to raise and control. With his Pokemon to support him, maybe a few weeks alone would be enough to stop his heart from feeling like it was being pulled apart every time he looked in Cecilia’s general direction.

“Ah! I finally found you!”

Louis’ head darted toward the female voice, and Gible roared angrily at her with blue flames dancing in his mouth.

“Gible!” Louis exclaimed. “No.”

The dragon looked at him for a few seconds as the Dragon Rage gathered in his maw. Louis was being tested. Would he show his fear?

He did not, and he continued staring right into Gible’s eyes until he stopped and went back to eating.

“Holy shit, I thought I was going to get killed by that dragon. I knew you couldn’t control it from your gym battle with Gardenia, but still.”

Louis stared at the teenager standing before him and frowned. A Monferno stood by her side, and his flame was almost brighter than his own fire. “Who… who are you?”

“W—what? You don’t remember me?”

“No,” he simply said. He was in no mood to converse with anyone at the moment.

“I’m Maeve! Maeve Chang! You beat me at the Floaroma tournament!” She yelled angrily.

Louis frowned. No matter how much he racked his brain, the name didn’t ring a bell, but he opted to go for the path of least resistance and lied.

“Right. Maeve,” he said. “Can I help you?”

“I was following your trail, and it took me the entire day to find you,” she sighed. “You beat me last time, so I want a rematch right here and now,” she declared, pointing her thumb toward the ground.

“No.”

“W—what?”

“No,” Louis repeated, turning away from her. “I don’t want to battle you. Go find someone else.”

“Arceus… what happened to you?” She said, staring at the scar on his cheek, which he instinctively covered. “You were so boastful and loud when we fought in Floaroma, and now you’re like this deflated balloon,” she frowned. “I guess the stuff with your dad affected you worse than I thought. I heard on the news. Um, I’m sorry I kind of judged you quickly during our battle. I’m kind of bad with people.”

“You’re forgiven,” Louis answered while his thoughts were screaming at her to leave. “Is that it? It’s late, and I’m feeling quite tired.”

Maeve deflated. “Man, this is disappointing. I built up this whole… idea of you in my head off of our single battle and spent so long dreaming about the day I’d surpass you, and now you just refuse?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… no, I can’t accept that. I’m going to follow you until you battle me.”

Louis scratched his head frustratingly. “You’ll be disappointed. I want nothing to do with this, I have enough on my mind.”

Maeve sat down next to the fire, although she kept her distance from Gible, who was done with his food by now. “Finally. I hate the cold, and Monferno’s heat wasn’t cutting it.”

The fire type bowed his head apologetically at its trainer.

“No, don’t worry, it’s probably something wrong with me,” she smiled. “I mean, what kind of Sinnohan can’t handle a little bit of cold? Just me, apparently.”

Louis recalled Gible into his Pokeball and looked on in horror as this stranger just inserted herself into his group. This was meant to be a period of self-reflection, and he wanted to be alone for that. He stayed there quietly with her, although she occasionally spoke to her Monferno, but when she fell asleep, Louis recalled his Pokemon and discreetly sneaked away deeper into route 206 and toward the Wayward Cave.

——

“You asshole! You ditched me!” Maeve screamed.

“How did you even find me?!” Louis hissed.

Hours later, Louis had settled down and built another camp so that he could sleep, but Maeve somehow found him again. He understood when a huge Staravia landed next to her and squawked.

“I should have slept under the cycling road…” Louis grumbled.

“No, Star still would have found you,” she shrugged. “I told you I’m not giving up until you battle me. I spent weeks preparing for this. We can either do this the hard way, or the easy way.”

Louis had somehow gotten himself a stalker, and the most sensible move would be to give in to Maeve and give her want she wanted. Yet a part of him simply refused to be forced to do something he didn’t want to do. Louis had hoped to grow into his own man during his time alone. There was no way he’d give in to this girl.

“Well, feel free to follow me until the ends of the earth then!” he yelled angrily.

“Ah, there’s that tone I thought I’d get,” Maeve said. “And I will. Don’t act like I didn’t warn you. This is the hard way.”

And so, Louis had gained a traveling companion, much to his chagrin.

——

“So this is the Wayward Cave, huh?” Maeve said as she stared at the entrance. “It’s been abandoned years ago since they just went ahead and built the cycling road over it, but there are rumors that you can find Gible there. I want one.”

“So you mean to say that you weren’t just following me to be annoying, then?” Louis complained. Suddenly, an idea sprung in his mind. “Fine. How about you go look for your Gible, and I will wait for you here?”

“Nice try,” she said. “But no. I can tell you wanted to go in here too. Why else would you go this way? You’d just be wasting time.”

The blond man clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair. She was frustratingly perceptive. The truth was that Louis had also heard of the rumors about the Gible of Wayward Cave, and he thought that he could maybe have his own fight one. Gible was getting bored of fighting Prinplup and Vulpix all the time, so Louis wanted to switch things up so that his aggressiveness wouldn’t just accumulate like it had last time.

“Fine,” he sighed, resigning himself to his fate. “Let’s go in, then.”

“Finally, you’re starting to cooperate.”

Maybe he’d get lost in the cave and lose her. As they stepped into the cave, they realized that it was ridiculously dark. Louis grabbed a flashlight, and Maeve released her Monferno, and soon enough, they were on their way to find that Gible. The floor was flat and even, which meant that it was easy to navigate, at least compared to Mount Coronet, but it was a real labyrinth down there. Corridors led to other corridors that twisted and turned, and they would have no doubt gotten lost if Maeve hadn’t had the smart idea to mark their path by having her Monferno Mach Punch the walls. Pokemon down here were stronger than on the routes, especially since rangers weren’t there to keep the stronger ones away, but they were still manageable. Prinplup and Monferno were enough to deal with any threats, but the toughest ones they had to face were just Rhyhorn or Graveler.

“I’m starting to think this Gible rumor was just a load of crap,” Maeve sighed hours later. “I guess it makes sense, since most of Sinnoh’s dragons live around Celestic.”

“Well, feel free to turn away, I think I’ll keep going.”

“You can’t escape me, Louis,” Maeve chuckled dryly. “I mean, come on. Do you really want to be alone?”

“Yes!” He exclaimed, but then stopped when he realized how loud he was being. “I’ve told you over and over that I need time to myself!”

He shone his flashlight on her, and she paused. “Look,” she breathed. “I’m bad at reading people. I’ve told you this already, but I don’t think you realize how terrible you looked when I walked up on you.”

“What?” He asked.

“You looked tired and depressed,” she shrugged. “A far cry from how you were at the tournament, so I guessed something must have happened to you. At first, I thought it was just the issues with your dad, but there’s clearly something else. The biggest sign is that you’re traveling alone when you used to travel with your group of friends. Anyway, I figured I’d try to stick around, I guess. Before, I would never have done this, but a nice guy called Scott taught me about helping my fellow trainer and all of that. He helped me cross through Eterna Forest.”

Louis’ words were stuck in his throat.

“If I’m wrong, it is what it is,” she shrugged. “The part about wanting to battle you wasn’t a lie, but you aren’t who I thought you were. I thought you were a disingenuous asshole all this time, even when the news about your father broke. I didn’t want to believe that you were actually nuanced as a person, but when I took one look at you when we met again, I could tell that something was killing you inside. You aren’t as good at hiding it as you think. I guess what I want to say is I’m sorry.”

“I—”

Louis heard sharp shink, like knives being sharpened on a whetstone, and he pointed his flashlight toward the sound. A group of eight Pawniard stood menacingly and immediately attacked. Louis watched, almost in a daze as one of them jumped at his gut, ready to run him through with their sharp blades, but Prinplup shot it out of the sky with an Ice Beam.

“Monferno, Flame Wheel!” Maeve yelled as she released a Staryu. “Brine!”

Staryu rotated, and water droplets materialized above the group of Pawniard and fell down, littering the ground in small craters. The steel types cried out in pain, but quickly rushed out of Brine’s area of effect and ran toward them. Monferno yelled, and his body was engulfed in flames until he looked like a wheel, and he burst through the densely packed group of Pawniard. The fire type move was devastating, but Louis was finally out of his stupor.

“Prinplup, Scald!”

Louis had bought the TM when they had just arrived in Eterna, but it was his first time actually using it against wild Pokemon. Prinplup spat out a stream of superheated, steaming water toward the Pawniard and slowly moved the jet of water to hit each and every one of them while Monferno blurred and Mach Punched another one, cracking its helmet-like head. Now that they had the initiative, they made quick work of the rest of the wild Pawniard.

“Thank you, Prinplup,” Louis said. “I don’t know what came over me, but… you saved me.”

The water type nodded as if he was just doing his job, but another sharp sound caught Louis’ attention. Upon shining his light toward the sound once again, a ninth Pawniard revealed itself, but it did not attack. It simply stared at the group of its fainted comrades with a pleased look.

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“Pawniard travel in groups led by Bisharp, but apparently, this one didn’t like his squad,” Maeve shrugged. “And apparently, there was no Bisharp to lead here. No need to take it down if it doesn’t attack. Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Louis frowned. He squinted, and this Pawniard’s blades appeared duller than the others, which would be a mark of extreme shame for the species. “Why are its blades like that?”

“I don’t know, I’m no Pawniard expert,” she said. “They usually sharpen them on stones, though.”

Louis pondered to himself for a second. His last three Pokemon had been bought. Bought with his father’s money. Despite the hatred that bubbled inside of him, he could never take back that fact, but he could certainly do something to rectify it. Louis grabbed a Pokeball and stared at the steel type.

Yes, a Pokeball would do just fine. He was sick and tired of Luxury Balls.

“If I had to guess what happened,” Louis said as he stepped closer to the Pawniard. “You were bullied by your group, and they prevented you from sharpening your blades. I don’t know why, but I know there’s certainly no correct reason to bully someone. Pawniard live in groups, but yours wronged you. Why don’t you come with me?”

“Niard,” the steel type said with a nod. When Louis was about to throw the Pokeball, however, it stopped him, and continued speaking.

“I don’t understand you,” he frowned.

Pawniard started jabbing the air with his blades.

“You want to grow stronger?” Louis asked hesitantly. It nodded. “Of course. I’m a trainer. That means that I travel throughout the region and battle tough opponents. You’ll see your fair share of battles.”

Even though Louis knew that catching up to Cecilia wouldn’t get her back, he still wanted to do it. The goal had utterly consumed him more than his need to gather badges and get to the Conference, and it felt like it would give him the closure he needed.

Finally, Pawniard let itself be caught.

——

Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokemon. Blades comprise this Pokemon’s entire body, but they are dulled by battling. Pawniard will sharpen them again on stones, and it strives to become stronger by fearlessly challenging any foe and training diligently.

Moves: Scratch, Metal Claw, Fury Cutter, Slash, Headbutt, Metal Sound, Quick Guard (Click for more information)

Ability: Inner Focus (Click for more information)

Gender: Male

Pawniard was a male, and Louis noticed that he immediately got along with his Prinplup, which was a welcome change after his troubles with Gible. The fact that he could have the steel type out and about right after catching him meant that he’d quickly accommodate himself to the team and adapt to his new situation, but it also meant that Louis could probably use him in battles already. His moves were certainly impressive for a Pokemon that had been living in the wild and been bullied by his pack, but from the Pokedex entry, Pawniard seemed to be diligent Pokemon that trained day and night, so it made sense.

“Aren’t you glad we came?” Maeve smiled as they stepped toward the cave’s exit. They were still hours away, but they decided to turn back, since that Gible rumor had apparently been a fabrication. “Now you’ve got yourself a new Pokemon.”

“I suppose so,” Louis said, staring at his feet.

“Still depressed, huh?”

Obviously, he was still hurt. This wasn’t the kind of situation that someone could simply get over in a few days, but he at least felt like he was making some progress toward his ultimate goal of besting Cecilia. Louis didn’t bother answering Maeve’s question. Most of their time together was spent in silence anyway, and they had both grown used to it. There were scant conversation topics. In fact, he didn’t know the first thing about Maeve.

Should he ask?

“Erm, speaking of new Pokemon, what Pokemon do you have, Maeve?”

The words were dry and forced, but if there was one thing trainers could bond over, it was Pokemon.

“Well, you know about Monferno, Staravia, and Staryu,” she said. “But I also have a Skorupi.”

That was a lot of S’s. Louis simply grunted and gave a curt nod. “That’s an impressive team.”

“Arceus, let’s just not talk, this is super awkward. We’re both so stiff.”

Louis nodded and sighed in relief. He had tried, at least—

Suddenly, a scream rang out throughout the cave.

“That was a person!” Maeve immediately said. “Hello?!” She yelled. “Call out, we can come and help!”

“help… a… need…”

“I can’t make it out,” Louis said, clenching a fist.

“Let’s just go toward the sound!”

Louis recalled his Pokemon, since they couldn’t run as fast as he could, but Maeve kept Monferno out. It took around five minutes for them to realize that they had been going in the wrong direction and that the voice was actually getting lower before finally picking the right direction and getting close enough to make out words.

“I hate this cave! I need help! Anyone?!”

Another two minutes, and this time, they reached the source of the voice. A short girl with pink hair and two long pigtails that went down to her legs. A Kadabra stood next to her, clearly attempting to calm her down.

“You suck, Kadabra! I don’t care if you know the way out, this place is too dark, I hate it!” The girl yelled. She paused for a few seconds and winced. Telepathy. “What do you mean, you warned me not to come? Kirlia said it’d be good training, and you didn’t even push back— oh. People.”

Kadabra’s soft look immediately turned sharp and cold as it stared at Louis and Maeve, its spoon bending and twisting threateningly with an uncomfortable shrill sound that was like nails on a chalkboard.

“Um, little girl,” Maeve started. “I— we heard you call for help.”

The girl angrily stomped the ground. “Little girl?! I’m fifteen, you prick!”

Louis’ eyes widened. Fifteen? This girl didn’t look a day over twelve. Even Grace, who was short and looked younger than she was, didn’t look twelve.

“Well, do you need help or not?” Maeve asked. “I thought you’d be getting attacked by something. This is kind of anticlimactic.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no—” she stopped and winced again as Kadabra spoke to her. “You’re too suspicious. These people look fine.”

There was another pause. Another wince.

“No buts! I’m putting you on Haunter watching duty, since you’re so responsible, ugh,” she groaned. “Anyway, sorry about that. My Kadabra hates anyone that isn’t me. My name’s Mira.”

“Louis,” he simply said.

“I’m Maeve.”

“So cool,” Mira said, her eyes shining. “I wish I had traveling companions, but no one wants to stick with me.”

“She’s not my companion,” Louis specified. “She’s my stalker—”

“We were just traveling in the same direction,” Maeve said before turning toward him and whispering. “Don’t ruin our first impression! Are you crazy?”

“What?” Louis whispered back.

“Can’t you tell? This girl is fucking insanely powerful,” she hissed.

“Why? How can you tell?”

“Her Pokemon, you idiot! Haunter, Kadabra, Kirlia? Those are incredibly hard to raise and train. Here, let me ask her—”

What are you whispering about, children? Do not cross Mira, or I will kill you.

Kadabra spoke to him, and Louis buckled over as searing pain engraved itself in his mind. It was like someone was hammering long nails all over his skull, and the pain kept throbbing long after the psychic type was done talking. The boy painstakingly looked at Maeve, who looked to be in the same predicament.

It was Louis’ first time being spoken to by a psychic type, and the first time was always the worst. He wanted to throw up, but he held back the bile building up at the back of his throat. There were no shortcuts. No avoiding the pain. The human mind wasn’t built to endure the mechanisms of telepathy. You needed a psychic type to speak to you and endure the pain over and over, and it would slowly lower in intensity throughout the years as you built a tolerance. So for Mira to only have to wince after a few months of the Circuit? She must have gone through hell.

“Kadabra, what the hell?! I told you, no speaking to trainers other than me! That’s it, you’re getting back in the ball. This is why no one wants to travel with me!” Mira yelled as she recalled her psychic type. She released a Magneton instead. “There you go, at least you can be cool.”

Magneton answered by letting out strange pulses that made Louis’ ears ring, which certainly wasn’t helping with the headache. Were the heads frowning at him?

“Thank you for recalling your Kadabra,” Louis groaned as he wiped his mouth.

“That was the worst headache I’ve ever had, and I never want to go through it again,” Maeve said before coughing.

“I’m so sorry,” Mira said. “Um, is there any way I can make it up to you? My team makes it really hard for me to make friends.”

“That Kadabra certainly was something,” Louis sighed. The pain was getting better now, but he was still panting. He wiped drool dripping down his chin and straightened his back.

“He’s way too overprotective,” Mira grumbled. “But there’s also Kirlia, who’s too violent, Magneton, who hates people, and Haunter, who’s… well, a Haunter. I can’t even have him out with other people, or he’ll try to kill them.”

Louis swallowed. She was being very nonchalant about that, and it creeped him out.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t release him here,” she quickly said. “I was hoping to ask Fantina for advice about him in Hearthome if I can impress her in a battle, or one of her gym trainers if I can’t. There isn’t much info online about raising a Haunter, since no one’s suicidal enough to train one. Well, except me.”

That certainly was true. Gastly were already almost impossible to control, but Haunter were murderous. There were many stories about them killing their own trainers and escaping, or simply killing other trainers during a friendly battle. Its species was one of the most aggressive ghost types in the world, and that wasn’t even counting Gengar. Only a few trainers in the world had one, including Fantina. The evolution method was still unknown by the masses. The stories, though.

The stories made Louis shiver.

“Well, let’s get out of this cave then,” Louis sighed.

Mira joined them, and they started walking toward the exit, following Monferno’s marks.

“What were you even doing here?” Maeve asked.

“I was trying to train, but everything’s too weak,” Mira shrugged. “My secondary goal was finding Pokemon with high potential in special attack.”

Maeve raised an eyebrow. “Special attack? That’s your criteria?”

“That’s right,” she said, proudly placing her hands on her hips. “I’m a special attack specialist, and one day, everyone in Sinnoh will know my name!”

“Woah, that’s kind of cool,” Maeve smiled. “How many badges do you have?”

“I have three! I beat Roark, Byron, and Gardenia. Did you hear about those guys that beat Candice already? I’m so jealous!”

Louis’ throat tightened, and he stared at Maeve to silently tell her no. Mira had somehow not recognized him, and he’d like to keep it that way. The less the conversation steered toward his friends, the better he’d feel.

“Yeah, I heard of them alright,” Maeve said with a stiff, bitter smile. “They’re all anyone can speak about these days. I’m sick of it.”

“Come on, don’t be rude. I heard they were going to Hearthome, I hope I meet them! We can travel together on the way there, right? Hey, what Pokemon do you guys have?”

Wait. Louis froze in his tracks. Travel together on the way there?

“What do you mean by travel together—”

“Oh, so you do speak,” Mira said half-jokingly.

“He’s got a lot on his plate,” Maeve interrupted.

“You seem to know a lot about him, for someone who’s traveling with him because you’re going ‘in the same direction’. Anyway, I do mean travel together. I promise I’ll get Kadabra in line, and you won’t have to see Haunter. I’ll go far away when I release him.”

“Well, if you can do that, then I’m fine with it,” Maeve nodded. “Louis?”

Why was she asking him? It wasn’t like she had listened when he told her no.

“Do what you want,” he said in a defeated tone. He felt like he had just aged thirty years in the last two days.

——

A few days had passed since they got out of the cave, and the three trainers had settled into a nice rhythm. Louis stayed in his corner with his team most of the time until Mira or occasionally, Maeve dragged him back. Pawniard had taken remarkably well to being his Pokemon, and he had quickly become a force to be reckoned with in battle. Gible was pleased with this added challenge, and he now fought one-on-three battles with his team. Vulpix didn’t seem to care much for their new member, opting to stick closer to Louis than his other Pokemon, while Prinplup was glad to have another straight man in the group that took things seriously. Pawniard was also trying to find a rock he liked that he’d keep, but he hadn’t found anything so far.

Mira certainly was an impressive trainer. Maeve had redirected her thirst for battle onto her, which Louis welcomed with open arms, but she was certainly as good as Grace, Cecilia and Denzel were, although her lack of type coverage probably meant that she would lose in a battle. She did prioritize special attack over having a diverse team. Maeve struggled to fight back most of the time, but she was certainly getting better at fighting Mira.

Her Kirlia was ruthless, and she fought in close quarters, using her psychic powers to restrain her enemies while she fought with vicious kicks powered up with psychic energy. Was her violence inherent to her fairy typing? Louis didn't really know, since he hadn't seen a Kirlia before. If she hadn’t been a female, he would have thought that she would evolve into a Gallade. Kadabra’s mastery of Psychic meant that he was a terrifying threat on any battlefield, but he also could Teleport to easily dodge attacks. Magneton, meanwhile, could use Lock-on to ensure that his next attack would never miss. Still, like she had promised, the pink-haired girl hadn’t even used her Haunter, but Louis wasn’t crazy enough to actually want to see it.

Well, so long as he was left to do his own thing, Louis would be satisfied. They were only a two days away from the outpost, and hopefully, they would let him go and keep going together. He was tired of people.

“Louis,” Maeve said, making him jump.

“Maeve, how can I help you?”

“Mira convinced me to come ask you to stop staying in your little corner all the time.”

Louis turned toward Mira, who waved at him with a huge smile.

“Later,” he shrugged.

“What are you even doing? Brooding?”

“I’m enjoying myself.”

“Enjoying yourself by brooding,” she said. “Got it.”

The trainer clicked his tongue. “Why are you so insistent? You both already inserted yourselves into my travels, and now you’re asking me to socialize? Just let me be.”

“Because I want to try being friends, Louis!” She hissed. “Because you’re hurting, and isolating yourself won’t help.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” he said, turning away.

“I know a little bit. I know there must have been a problem with your group, and I know I was also obsessed with traveling alone until Scott beat it into my thick skull that just because I’d rather be on my own doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice! I would have died if I went through Eterna Forest alone, and I didn’t even know any better.”

“So?” He said. The words felt hollow.

“So?! What do you mean so? Mount Coronet is coming up, and you’re going to try to run away again,” Maeve sighed. “You’ll die in there. We aren’t good enough to get through alone. Mira will help us get through.”

Louis brought his palms to his hands and preemptively tried to stop the tears that were coming. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to get away from people, because being close to others reminded him of what he had lost.

No, not lost. What he had to throw away for the survival of their friendship.

“Are you— shit, I’m sorry. I told you I was bad with people. Mira should have been the one to do this.”

“I’m so tired, Maeve.”

“I— I’m sorry,” she apologized again. “Look, just come with us. Hang out by the fire. You don’t have to say anything. I don’t even say anything half the time, and I just let Mira speak her socks off about anything.”

Louis gave her a weak nod before standing. His legs were shaking, and they felt weak.

“Louis,” Mira said worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Louis wiped his tears with his palms and sniffled. “I’m alright. I just felt nostalgic.”

“Is it about your friends? Cecilia Obel and such?” Mira asked.

Louis felt his heart sink. “You… I thought you didn’t know.”

“What, didn’t know who you were? Come on, I’m a loner, I don’t live under a rock.”

“But you asked about them beating the Snowpoint gym—”

“I asked about them. That doesn’t mean I didn’t know them. Or you, as a matter of fact,” she shrugged. “It just never felt relevant to bring up until you started literally crying.”

“A bit of tact?” Maeve winced.

“I mean, I’ve put two and two together,” she continued. “You were engaged to Cecilia Obel, and now there are rumors about her and Grace Pastel dating. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. Kadabra ran the numbers, and this is the most likely scenario.”

Louis couldn’t find the words. He just sat there, speechless.

“Mira! You— you can’t just say that.”

“I consider it equivalent exchange,” she said. “Sorry. I told you a lot about my problems and how I haven’t found a single friend or person to talk to other than my Pokemon, and how my megathread is filled with toxicity and preconceptions because I own a Haunter. They’re spreading rumors about how I’m a crazy trainer killer because there was an accident when Haunter evolved during a battle, and he sent the trainer I was battling to the hospital. Haunter can drain your life force, so he couldn’t walk for weeks. The League tried to take him away, and I had to fight tooth and nail to keep him, but my reputation never recovered. And honestly? I can’t blame anyone but myself. That’s why I don’t let Haunter out next to people anymore,” she said with a heavy sigh. After a pause, she continued. “Maeve, you’ve hinted at your inferiority complex and how you worry about how you’re falling behind and how being a successful trainer is harder than you could have ever imagined, and you hate the fact that others are getting more attention than you are, including me.”

“Why are you telling us all of this?” Louis finally asked.

“So we can all air out our dirty laundry and finally be honest with each other,” Mira smiled. “Doesn’t it feel good? Do put it all on the table? To not have to hide anything?”

“I… I’m sorry, Mira,” Maeve sighed. “You’re right. I was— am jealous of you. I mean, three badges?!” She said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Why can’t I be as good as the others? I work so hard, and yet I… I…”

“From now on, let’s just tell each other everything,” Mira said. “We’re friends, or at least I think we are. We won’t judge each other because of it. If you think I’m being annoying, tell me. If you think I’m boasting too hard about my accomplishments, tell me. If you want me to leave, tell me, and I’ll pack. I know I’m forceful, but I was just so excited about finally meeting people… I let it get to my head.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Maeve said. “I like you, there’s just that side of me that’s envious.”

“Envy is a human emotion,” she said. “So long as you don’t let it consume you, you can let it run its course.”

“Mira…” Louis muttered. “I’m still hesitant about traveling with people so soon, but I think after all of that, I can certainly give it a try.”

The two girls both smiled at him. The truth was, before Maeve had come into the picture, Louis’ thoughts had been filled with self-deprecation, anger at himself and how stupid he had been, and most of all, sadness. Now that she and Mira were there… sure, they were annoying, but at least he thought about other things. His mind was healthier.

“Well, that’s that, then,” Mira said. “We’re going to Hearthome together! And maybe further?”

“Don’t push it,” he sighed. “Maeve, are you still up for that battle?”

It would be long and arduous— far longer than he wanted it to be, but the road to recovery had begun. He needed closure to mend his heart. He needed to surpass her.