“What was that?” Cashe said, slumping back in his seat. The battle was over and the crowd’s enthusiasm was finally dying down, finally leaving the box quiet enough to speak in. Emilia was at the back of the room, filling up a couple of plates with food, while the rest of the box’s occupants were in various states of post adrenaline exhaustion, similar to Cashe.

“That was a high level gym battle,” Emilia said simply, handing Cashe a plate full of snacks. Cashe took it gratefully with a nod of thanks, “You won’t have to worry about those for a while.”

“I can’t believe that’s your sister,” Cashe muttered, “How the hell are we supposed to compete with that?”

“You aren’t,” Emilia pointed to the battlefield. The main stage was a complete mess. Deep furrows were rent in the ground where various pokemon had torn up the earth, the soil was soaked with water and, in places, blood, and the entire thing was covered in debris, as if hit by a hurricane.

On the battlefield were both trainers. Both were surrounded by people. Ace Trainer Til was sitting on the ground, head bowed between his legs in defeat, flanked by Nurse Joys, who had set up an impromptu first aid station. A small crowd of fans, or perhaps his support team, were gathered around him, speaking not with him, but to each other in hushed tones. The only actual interaction Til had with the world was a tiny Togepi who stood by his ankle, patting him on the shin in an effort to bring him comfort. It didn't seem to be helping.

At the opposite end of the battlefield, Selena was standing tall, giving an interview with a reporter in front of a small camera crew. Finishing the interview, she turned away from the cameras and began speaking to two familiar looking trainers - the Drilbur and the Bastiodon trainers Cashe had seen battling before the main event.

“See that girl to Selena’s right?” Emilia said, indicating the Drilbur girl, “That's Noel. She’s the Third Circuit Gym Trainer for the Viridian Gym. That’s who you would be facing if you challenged this gym.”

“Seriously?” Cashe said, “I start with her?”

“Selena thinks Noel is a prodigy, so don’t underestimate her,” Emilia said as she munched on a pastry, “But did you really think you would start in the big leagues? You have to earn your spot there, you can’t just show up at a gym and expect to get a badge.”

“I thought there might be alternate teams or something,” Cashe said, “Like depending on your experience the Gym Leader might have different pokemon that they use.”

“This is professional entertainment, not some feel-good journey for children,” Emilia said, her voice thick with derision, “Why do you think it was such a big deal for Dad to conquer the League when he was twelve? Or how Red did it when he was eleven, right after?”

“I don’t even understand how they would have pokemon ready for battle so quickly,” Cashe said, taking Bulbasaur’s ball off his belt and staring at it. Bulbasaur wasn’t even at his second evolution stage yet. He had picked the little guy up from the Pokemon Center that morning, but was told he needed to keep Bulbasaur in the ball for a full day in order to rest.

“The standard has changed since that time,” Emilia admitted, “We had a lot less understanding of things like optimal strategies or even abilities. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.” Emilia stood up and took a quick glance around to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything in the booth, “Come on, let’s go see my sister.”

Cashe followed her out of the box seats and into the tunnel behind them. She led them down an empty corridor and several flights of stairs, where it suddenly became very busy. People pushed past Cashe and Emilia in both directions, running to or from the arena. Nobody objected to their presence until they reached a crowd that had formed at the end of the tunnel.

A pair of doors were cracked open and Cashe could see the main stage just beyond them. He spotted Selena talking to an upset Til. She was walking with him, arm in arm, and had her other hand on his shoulder, giving him what appeared to be gentle reassurances. They were walking towards the tunnel with a small crowd of people behind them.

The doors were guarded by a beefy man in a Hawaian (or was it Alolan here?) shirt and a Hariyama, the latter of which was as tall as the corridor and nearly as wide. The man in the Alolan shirt held up a thick palm as Emilia and Cashe pushed thier way through the crowd. The Hariyama mimicked him with its own massive palm.

“Sorry, ma’am, no one past this point,” the man’s voice was surprisingly high.

“I’m Selena’s sister and he’s with me,” Emilia said, jerking a thumb at Cashe, “We’re allowed to go by.”

“Uh-huh, and I’m the Kalos Champion,” the bodyguard sounded bored, “I’ve heard it all before, lady.”

“I am her sister,” Emilia said, trying to force her way by the bodyguard, “And I will go see her!”

The bodyguard didn’t even try to stop her, instead shooting a quick glance at Hariyama. Hariyama’s hand reached out and lifted Emilia off the ground. Placing her gently back where she started.

“Hey, what the hell?” Emilia complained, trying again to walk by, only to be lifted and deposited again by Hariyama, “Let. Me. Through!”

“You should have tried flirting first,” the bodyguard smirked, “Not that that would work either.”

“We can just wait until she gets here,” Cashe said, placing a hand on Emilia’s shoulder, “Look, she’s coming this way.”

The bodyguard raised his eyebrows a fraction when he heard what Cashe said, though only looked slightly doubtful. Emilia, however, realized Cashe was correct and decided to simplify the situation.

“SELENA! YOUR IDIOT BODYGUARD WON’T LET ME PAST!”

Cashe cringed as the shout rang through the hall. Selena looked up from her conversation with the morose Til, hearing the commotion. She spotted Emilia and grinned giving her a little wave. Emilia waved back in an obvious plea for assistance, but Selena just grinned wider and gave Emilia a single finger salute.

“Oh, that bitch,” Cashe heard Emilia mutter, right before she screamed and darted through the open doors. Hariyama tried to catch her, but she ducked the grab, sprinting at Selena.

“Damn Impidimp,” the bodyguard growled, turning to sprint after her, “Hariyama, grab the boytoy.”

In the distance, Selena noticed her sister sprinting towards her and let out a high pitched, delighted shriek, ducking behind Til, who did a double take at the taller, younger version of Selena sprinting towards him.

Cashe frowned at the guard’s comment. “I have a w-”

The Hariyama cut him off with a growl, picking him up and slamming him into the wall. The world went black.

***

“-ero chance it happens.” A woman’s voice.

“Still, to even try…” The same woman’s voice? That didn’t make sense. And why did his head hurt so much? Better ask.

“Urrurlg,” Cashe asked, forcing his eyes open. He blinked rapidly as light entered his eyes. He was in some sort of dressing room? Something like that, and laying on a couch. Emilia and...another Emilia? No, her sister. They were sitting in a pair of comfortable looking chairs across from him, sipping on colorful drinks. Selena had changed out of her blue jumpsuit and into a much more casual pair of jeans and sweatshirt. Between the pair and Cashe was a low table with a spread of food and drink.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“Cashe, are you awake?” Emilia looked over at him, mildly concerned.

“Arlg.” Cashe said.

“Just give it a second,” Selena said, “Hariyama used Submission on you. It will take a minute before you get your facilities back.”

“Yarl.”

“Well he wasn’t going to use it on me, was he?” Emilia said, “I’m just a cute girl. You’re the big, bad, brooding man.”

Cashe snorted.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

“Wow, like a girl and her pokemon,” Selena laughed. She turned to Cashe, “So did you enjoy the battle? When little Emi asked me for tickets, I made sure to put on a good show.”

“Salrk,” Cashe nodded. A bit of tension ease from him that he didn’t know he was carrying. That was what had taken Emilia so long last night. She wasn’t buying tickets, she was meeting with family and getting them for free.

“I have no idea what that means,” Selena said. She glanced at Emilia.

“He was on his feet screaming with the crowd,” Emilia grinned, “It was cute. Like a kid at his first pokemon battle.”

It was his first pokemon battle. First real one, at least. Suddenly, the little scraps he and Bulbasaur got into didn’t feel so dangerous.

“Oh yeah?” Selena’s grin joined her sister’s, “Who were you cheering for?”

“Toovochors,” Oh! That was almost correct.

“Oh he’s a big Til fan,” Emilia lied, “All about those water types.”

Cashe gave her a flat stare and Selena burst into laughter. “Well thank you for that, little sister, glad to have your vote of confidence.”

“I’m coming for you, you know,” Emilia said, helping herself to some more food, “I even stole a fan away from you, just the other day.”

“I don’t know how I will ever recover,” Selena rolled her eyes, “How long are you two in the city?”

“We head out this evening, actually,” Emilia said, “We only stayed the night to let our pokemon recover and catch your battle.”

Selena sighed wistfully, leaning back in her chair, “The life of a trainer on the circuits. Always on the move, a new adventure around every corner. Sleeping on the road, fighting wild pokemon for berries. I don’t miss it.”

Cashe snorted at the juxtaposition of her tone and the words.

“So, where are you heading first?” Selena said, glancing over at Cashe.

“Saffron,” Cashe managed, surprising himself at his speech’s sudden recovery.

Selena saw the confused look on his face and smiled, “The energy from the move was what was messing with you. Once that’s gone, you’re fine.”

“We’re catching the train and heading down to Vermillion from there,” Emilia explained, “We should be there for about a month.”

“You’re starting the circuit with Jan’s gym?” Selena frowned at her sister, “Are you sure about that? Omanyte won’t do you much good there.”

Emilia shrugged and Selena’s eyes lit up in realization, “You little brat!” she squealed, “First you screw things up with Til, and now you are jumping at the True Rookie Tournament?”

Emilia smirked, “I get a cruise and then a full year of Alola. Cashe is even coming with me.”

Selena shot Cashe another glance, before turning back to her sister with a scowl, “That’s so not fair. You know I always regretted not going to the True Rookie Tournament!”

“Not my fault you challenged a Second Circuit trainer straight out of school,” Emilia said with an indifferent shrug.

“I didn’t know he was Second Circuit! He had a Ambipon! What was I supposed to think?”

“I’ll send you photos,” Emilia teased, “You should see the swimsuit I picked out. It looks fantastic.”

“Gaah! Wait, Cashe, she’s screwing with me, right?” Selena turned towards Cashe, giving him tiny little nods, as if the encouragement would change his answer.

“No?” Cashe said apologetically.

“So not fair,” Selena muttered, slumping back into her chair. She scowled at both of them for a full minute before speaking again, “Still, Alola,” Selena’s expression became serious, “That’s going to be tough.”

Emilia nodded. “That’s the idea.”

“You’re that confident you can pull it off?” Selena raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, “Alola is definitely the best region right now.”

“You’re doubting me?” Emilia’s face was neutral, her voice light. She even took a nonchalant sip of her drink. But Cashe detected a hint of underlying tension beneath her actions.

“I’m not doubting you,” Selena said. She didn’t look at him, but Cashe could almost feel the implication of the words. He tried not to take it personally. He was a complete unknown, after all.

“You don’t think I should start with the best region.” Emilia mirrored her sister, crossing her arms.

“It’s just not what I would choose if I were you,” Selena said, “Even the Third Circuit in Alola is more like a Second Circuit elsewhere.”

“You started in the Second Circuit!”

“By accident,” Selena said, “My first year was hell. I lost almost as much as I won and every battle was brutal. Look at Hippowdon. Do you think she got all those scars in an accident?”

“I’m not you and Hippowdon,” Emilia muttered.

“No.” Selena said, “You are not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you are your own person, and that path is not for everyone.” Selena met her sister’s gaze. Emilia was scowling now, but she relaxed as Selena took her hands in her own, “If I had known he was a Second Circuit trainer, I would never have challenged him. If I could go back now, even knowing that everything worked out, I don’t know if I would challenge him again.” Selena smiled kindly at her sister, “I just don’t want you to do anything you might regret.”

***

“Meeting your sister was interesting,” Cashe said. They were on the train, traveling from Viridian to Saffron. The train would take eight hours to traverse the distance, and Cashe and Emilia had decided to spend a few credits on a cabin so they could more comfortably rest overnight. The cabin was small, with an L shaped cushioned bench running under the window and along one wall, and a pair of bunk beds along the other. Through the dim light leaking out their cabin window, Cashe could see the very edge of the landscape rushing by.

“Interesting how?” Emilia said, her foot poking him in the side of his head. She had immediately claimed the top bunk upon entering the cabin and was sitting on its edge, letting her legs dangle over and into Cashe’s space. She had changed into her pajamas up there, so the offending foot was cushioned by a Spheal clad slipper.

Cashe bat her foot away from his face, “I just mean that wasn’t exactly how I expected the conversation to go.”

“Uhg, I know. Can you believe her?” The bed above him squeaked as Emilia harrumphed on it, “She seriously thinks I can’t keep up with her! She’s probably just scared I’ll take the spotlight off of the ‘hometown hero’.”

“It sounded like she might be concerned that you could push yourself too hard,” Cashe said carefully.

“Of course you take her side,” Emilia scoffed, “Men always seem to do that with her. I wonder why?”

“First, I have a wife,” Cashe said with a frown, “Second, you know you two look identical, right? Except you’re younger and taller?”

Emilia snorted, “Totally.”

“I think that maybe you should consider your sister’s advice instead of dismissing it out of hand,” Cashe said, “I know things get complicated with family, but it sounded like she was worried about you.” Cashe swallowed, "I- I just-" He trailed off, biting his lip, trying not to sound like he was about to cry, "Family's important."

Emilia kicked her feet back up over the edge of the bed, lying down on her bunk and narrowly missing kicking Cashe’s head again. She did not respond. Cashe cleared his throat and lay down in his own bed, swallowing the tight ball of emotion that had built up there.

“So how do challenges work anyway?” Cashe said, trying to break the awkward silence, “How did Selena end up challenging a Second Circuit trainer?”

“Read it in the rules,” Emilia grumbled.

“I’m asking you.”

“Fine.” The bed squeaked again as Emilia rolled over in it, “Trainers can’t be challenged if they are too far below you, it won’t work if you try. But anyone can challenge up. It's considered gauche to accept a challenge from below at best, and bullying at worst, but the truth is not everyone takes the time to check.”

“Wouldn’t that mean the high ranked trainer gets a loss?”

“Losses don’t count if they come from denying a challenge like that, and winning the challenges are worth almost nothing,” Emilia said, “It’s to prevent the matches from even happening in the first place. No one wants to see a new trainer’s pokemon crippled for life because they took a match they couldn’t win, and it’s not entertaining to see a one-sided stomp.”

“I get it, thanks.” Cashe leaned across the room and flipped the small cabin’s light off.

Several minutes passed where the only noise came from the rush of the train as it rocketed through the Kanto wilderness. The constant background thump of the wheels running over the track was slow and steady, pulling Cashe closer and closer to sleep. Just as he was about to drift off he heard Emilia murmur his name above him.

“Cashe?”

Cashe stayed silent.

“Thanks.”

*****