INTERLUDE - STEPS (PART 3)

The evening sky was settling over Oreburgh city, and with it came the lights. Cecilia Obel had always thought that a city at night was the most beautiful thing there was. A city was made out of millions of individual parts and inhabited by hundreds of thousands, but at night? All individuality melted into a concert of flashing lights, and humans couldn’t be seen, especially from so high up. Still, no city had ever compared to Castelia, her home back in Unova.

“And so apparently, the Gible my parents bought me has the potential to eventually rival— or perhaps even overtake Cynthia’s. That’s what our private breeder said. Can you believe it? All those times that I let that little monster feast on the wildlife here seem worth it now,” Louis Bianchi bragged.

“You don’t say?” Cecilia answered with a high-pitched voice. “Well, I certainly believe you can achieve that potential.” She tilted her head, stared straight into his eyes, and smiled at him. The young man blushed.

Internally though? In the depths of her mind? She was miserable.

Louis Bianchi— the heir to the Bianchi family and their fortune numbering in the billions. The potions you bought, the vitamins, the repels, everything that could be found in a Pokemart? Chances are they were made by the Bianchis. And this young, eighteen-year-old boy had signed up for the Circuit for the first time and was traveling with her along with an entourage of other rich heirs. Tonight though, they were alone, as he was, unfortunately, also Cecilia’s fiance.

Cecilia hadn’t had any say in it, of course. She had been practically forced to fly to Sinnoh and sign up for the Circuit by her father, and he had told her this a month before her flight. She hadn’t been surprised by not picking who she was going to marry, of course. Her family— the Obels— had raised her for that very purpose. To be married off to a man of high status. Cecilia had just been surprised at how early the decision had been made. She was still just fifteen, and set to marry someone three years older than her as soon as she turned eighteen.

Guessing her father’s goal was easy enough. As soon as they married, the Obel Energy Company in Unova and the Bianchi Conglomerate would inevitably intertwine economically and would be able to throw their influence around the entire world. She knew her father would no doubt urge her to have a child before she even finished reading her vows so that eventually, the two companies would merge.

The second goal was obviously name recognition. If Cecilia did well enough in the Circuit, then the Obel name would start spreading throughout Sinnoh and would stop only being a Unovan household name. She had been instructed to gain eight badges, help Louis do the same, and then lose to him at the Conference.

“Well, I am glad you agree, Cecilia. I believe we will go very far this year together,” Louis said, placing his hand on hers.

Ew, she thought.

“Of course. With you as our leader, there is no glass ceiling we couldn’t break,” She answered. She had to resist the urge to pull her hand from his.

“How are you finding the food, by the way? I have to ask where they raise their Goldeen, these sushi rolls are simply exquisite,” Her fiance said.

“It’s perfect. Just like you, darling,” Cecilia lied.

She needed to keep showering him with platitudes. Her father had explicitly asked her to make Louis fall for her, and he had. Hard. Men were so easy, and yet so terrifying all the same. A smile, a few compliments, and they’d be eating out of the palm of your hands. But if they ever realized that they weren’t in control for an instant? Cecilia held back a shudder.

Louis swallowed. “Say, Cecilia… would you want to join me in my room tonight? I could order the best champagne bottle in this city.”

Cecilia drew a sharp breath. The stare, oh, Arceus the stare.

My eyes are up here, She screamed internally.

“I don’t know… it’s getting late, and I’m quite tired. I think I’ll just go straight home and sleep. Maybe Emilia or Justin will keep you company.”

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“I see,” He said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. “Maybe some other time then?”

“Some other time,” Cecilia said.

Cecilia knew she was beautiful and… well-developed for her age, which was more a curse than a blessing. Since the age of twelve, she had suffered under the stares of men. Father’s business partners, friends, or even family. They sometimes stared for an entire conversation, unable to realize that she could tell. Or maybe they just didn’t care?

“Cecilia? Are you feeling sick?” Her fiance asked.

“I—uh—I—” She stuttered

“Is the smell of fish too overwhelming?” Louis continued. “Server! Here, please.”

Is that really how weak I am to you? You think smell is making me feel like this? Cecilia thought.

“It’s quite alright,” She told the server. The poor man looked whiter than a sheet of paper. The entire restaurant had been cleared for them, and they were attended by the entire staff. “I apologize, I’m just feeling tired.”

“Should we cut dinner short then? It’s a shame, but we must prioritize your health before all else. Plus, you have to be well rested for your battle against Roark.”

Cecilia nodded and they quickly left the restaurant after Louis paid an astronomical sum. To them, however, it was spare change. They were in the richest neighborhood in Oreburgh, separated from the rest of the city to avoid the heavy pollution that gathered around the mines and the industrial area. They got into a taxi and rode in silence to their hotel.

When they got there, Cecilia quickly said goodnight to Louis and her other companions, Emilia, Justin, and Pauline. They smiled at her and wished her well, but were those smiles fake? Were they even friends, or was it just a facade? Cecilia couldn’t tell, but the fact that she had to ask herself this didn’t bode well.

The young girl locked herself in her room and stared at her three Pokeballs in silence. The weight of her battle was slowly mounting on her shoulders, creating an ample amount of stress. Not because she wanted to win, but because she knew the wrath from her father her defeat would incur. She slowly touched her cheek, caressing it softly. She had never felt so alone in her entire life. At least in Unova, she had—

Her Poketch rang, and Cecilia beamed as she read her caller’s name.

“Amy! I was just thinking about you, how are you doing?” Cecilia asked in an upbeat tone.

“I’m fine, I was just excited. You hadn’t called yet tonight, so I wondered if you had finally taken the plunge with your chérie.”

Amy Saunier was Cecilia’s best friend back in Unova, even though she had originally come from Kalos. She was the only one Cecilia could be herself with, but she hadn’t come to Sinnoh for the Circuit.

“I didn’t. Not tonight. But enough about him, how did your modeling gig—”

“No, no, no,” Amy interrupted. “You need to hurry up and sleep with him, Cece. If you don’t he’ll get tired of you and find another woman.”

Cecilia froze. She couldn’t even comprehend the words that had come out of her friend’s mouth.

“W—what?”

“Are you surprised? He’s a man, he wants to have sex. The longer you wait, the more cumbersome your relationship will get. Take it as advice from your best friend. I know you’re nervous but—”

“Has father been talking to you about this?”

“Monsieur Obel? No, why?”

Is she lying to me? Cecilia thought. Why can’t I tell? I should be able to tell!

“D—doesn’t it bother you? The fact that I’m supposed to marry him? I’ll have to live in Sinnoh and we won’t be able to see each other.”

“Well, it is a shame,” Amy started. “But I also can’t get in between you and your familial duty.”

“I have to go,” Cecilia said.

“Cece? Hold on—”

Cecilia was on the verge of tears as she hung up. Who had she just talked to? She sat on her bed and hugged her legs as she silently cried for what seemed like hours. She had no one here, no one back home, and she had no agency. She was a tool for her father to exploit, and there was nothing she would ever be able to do about it.

Even the one she loved the most had betrayed her.

Was this it then?

She stared at her Pokeballs through her teary eyes and cursed. There was one way. One avenue through which she could escape. To forego her father’s plan and build a life for herself here by actually winning the Circuit. Not only would she get a good amount of money and stop being dependent on her father, but she would also burn his plans to the ground. But would she? Could she? She was so tired. A part of her hoped she would go to sleep and not wake up tomorrow.

The only thing she could was—

“Take it one step at a time,” She cried.