Hatenna glowed in his hands, the light swelling to a blinding glare. Cashe screwed his eyes shut and held Hatenna away from his body as she underwent her evolution. Surprisingly, the evolution did not feel like anything special, with no heat emitted from the process and Hatenna only gaining a few pounds of weight as she evolved into Hattrem. The only odd sensation was a light tingling that ran through Cashe’s arms as Hattrem emerged from the evolution. The light faded and Cashe turned back to observe the pokemon he was holding in his hands.

Hattrem was larger than Hatenna. By a lot but also not much at all. Hatenna’s tiny body had elongated, adding a pink torso and little arms. She had a small white patch on her chest in the shape of an oval and her torso took the form of a wavy dress that fell around her waist. Her eyes were bright white, with pitch black sclerae. The effect was not as unnerving as Cashe thought it would be, especially with the nervous expression Hattrem was wearing.

The largest change to her was by far her hair. The merger flop of hair on her head had transformed into something else entirely. It now resembled a large blue witch’s hat, resting comically on Hattrem’s small head. The hat’s cone was pink and tapered to a white point, while two ponytails dangled from the sides of the ‘hat’. The ponytails were wide and floppy, held in place by a pair of pink rings that looked suspiciously like scrunchies.

“Hat?” Hattrem squeaked as Cashe lay his gaze on her, shuddering in his hands, her hair moving on its own and thrashing back and forth as she began to panic. Despite the evolution her voice was unchanged, still sounding like a high pitched chime.

“Whoa there,” Cashe whispered, fighting to get his emotions in check as the crowd cheered and shouted in excitement at the new evolution, “Calm Mind, remember? Calm Mind.”

“Hat!” Hattrem nodded nervously, closing her eyes as she concentrated, trying to enter a state of meditation. Cashe could see she was having trouble, however. She twitched with every loud noise the crowd made and her long ponytails whipped through the air with surprising strength.

“Hat!” Hattrem squealed in complaint, opening her eyes, panic rising in them.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Cashe said, pulling Hattrem close to him in a loose hug, “I’ll put you back in your pokeball where it’s nice and quiet. We can talk about how proud of you I am later, okay?”

“Hattrem,” Hattrem confirmed, hugging him back with her tiny arms. Cashe let her squeeze for a moment before returning her to her pokeball.

As he did, Kiana made her way across the stage, a forced smile etched onto her face.

“Well done,” she said, offering him a stiff handshake, “Congratulations on officially entering the Third Circuit of Alola.”

Cashe nodded and offered a few polite words, but kept the interaction short. Kiana was obviously annoyed by the loss and wanted to be anywhere else but on the stage shaking the hand of the man who just beat her. Cashe understood the feeling perfectly, having felt the same way after his loss to Marcus, and made an excuse of needing to get his pokemon to the Pokemon Center right away before heading off the stage.

He walked back the way he came, heading down the stairs and into the concrete staging room, where he was greeted by the flabbergasted expression of the pudgy, balding production assistant. Cashe walked right up to him as the man stared in silence, mouth agape.

“You there?” Cashe said, waving a hand in front of the production assistant’s face.

The man started, pulled from his shocked state with a shake of his head, “Ah! Ahem, sorry, sir!”

“Is there anything you guys need from me before I head out?” Cashe said, raising an eyebrow at the man’s change in attitude now that he had won, “I know you said this wouldn’t be like what I saw on TV, but…”

“No. No, sir,” the man said, shaking his head and glancing down at his tablet quickly. His eyes widened at what he saw but he shook his head under Cashe’s questioning glance.

“Okay then,” Cashe said, "I just head back the way I came?”

“You can if you want, sir,” the man said, “But defeated trainers - that is, trainers who have finished battling - usually take the doors directly out of the area.” He pointed across the room at a pair of double doors at the far end of the room. He cleared his throat, “Also, sir? A reporter or two usually watch the matches in case anything unexpected happens. You might be interviewed as you leave. I can have them kicked out if you want!” The man’s eyes widened and he waved his hands in a placating gesture as he misinterpreted Cashe’s frown, “But it might be better to talk to them here. If we kick them out, they will just catch you as you leave the gym.”

“It’s fine. Thanks,” Cashe said, nodding to the production assistant and heading towards the doors. He opened them, and was greeted by another surprise.

Moni, the woman who had chaperoned him to the waiting area before the match, was standing in the hallway, greeting him with a brilliant smile.

“Hello?” Cashe said.

“Hello, yourself,” Moni responded. She stepped up beside him and linked her arm with his leading him down the hall. She glanced up at him and licked her lips, eyes sparkling, “It looks like I was right about you.”

“Were you?” Cashe said with an easy smile, “I distinctly remember you telling me that you thought I couldn’t win.”

“I was right that you were strong,” Moni said, squeezing his arm with her hands and feeling the lean muscle underneath, “And I said I would cheer for you anyway. And that I love winners.” Moni bit her lip, “And you won. We make a great team.”

Cashe laughed at the description, “Some team. My pokemon and I did all the work while you lay back and watched.”

“Oh, I think I am quite comfortable with laying down while you do all the work,” Moni said with a scandalous wink, “But I’m fine with switching things up if you get tired.”

Cashe opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond, walking in silence for several steps until Moni led him into the foyer of the gym, only to be greeted by a reporter and an over eager cameraman who snapped several pictures of Moni hanging off Cashe’s arm before he had a chance to disengage.

The only other people in the atrium were Emilia and Lindon, who were standing a respectful distance away in order to give the reporter a chance to interview Cashe uninterrupted. Upon seeing Moni latched onto Cashe’s arm, Emilia’s brow furrowed and she pinched her mouth into a tiny frown.

Cashe stiffened as he noticed his friends waiting for him. Moni, noticing the sudden tension, slipped out of her hold, taking a respectful step away as the reporter approached. The reporter was young, fittingly wearing a newsboy cap and holding a notepad and pen in his hands.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Trainer Cashe!” He called out as he hurried across the empty atrium with the gusto of a reporter who had to compete for attention.

Cashe glanced around the near empty room, “Yes?”

“Eddie Edderson, with the Hau’oli Herald. May I have a moment of your time?”

Cashe glanced at Moni.

“Eddie’s a good kid and the Herald is a real paper. No need to worry about anything salacious getting printed,” she said with a wink.

“Great!” Eddie said, not waiting for Cashe’s affirmation, “Trainer Cashe, congratulations on your win today! How does it feel to be admitted to the Alolan Third Circuit?”

“I was already admitted,” Cashe said with a shrug, “No no different than before, I guess. Though a win, especially against a tough opponent always feels good.”

“You were?” Eddie blinked, glancing up from his notebook.

“I gained admittance from my placement in the True Rookie Tournament.” Cashe leaned back, resting on his back foot. Eddie really was new if he hadn’t even looked up his trainer profile before the interview.

“Oh, wow!” Eddie’s eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, “That’s amazing! That means you finished top eight, right? I had no idea.”

Eddie’s cameraman, a middle aged Kantonian man with a goatee and glasses, cleared his throat loudly.

“Oh, sorry, Yuki,” Eddie scratched the back his head in chagrin and returned to the topic at hand, “Um,” he glanced at his notes, flipping over a page, “The battle was impressive, but I think many people were confused at your decision to use Hatenna instead of Sneasel to finish off the fight. Seeing that Hatenna evolved into Hattrem at the end of the battle, is it fair to say this was your reason for choosing her over Sneasel? And do you think that serious gym battles are appropriate places to train your pokemon?”

Cashe raised his eyebrows at the implication of the final question, surprised by the sharp edge that appeared in the enthusiastic young man’s question.

“I’ll answer both questions separately because I think there has been some misinterpretation,” Cashe said, “Yes, I do think that battles are appropriate places to train. The best places, in fact, as real battles have the most potential for a pokemon’s growth. But that is not what I was doing with Hatenna. Hatenna was the best choice for the end of the battle.”

Eddie frowned, “Can you explain that?”

“Sure,” Cashe said, “Hatenna resists the fighting type, she was at full health, and most importantly, choosing her traps Hawlucha in a loss. Gym Trainer Kiana recognized that, which is why she told Hawlucha to evade rather than attack or Roost.”

“For those of us that aren’t professional trainers, can you go into further detail and explain that last statement?” Eddie said as he jotted down Cashe’s words.

“Kiana can’t tell Hawlucha to Roost, because that will leave him completely open against a Thunder Wave. If that hit, even Hatenna would probably be able to take on Hawlucha, regardless of whether or not he got a Roost off to recover. Even if Hawlucha did defeat Hatenna, he would be easy prey for Sneasel. So, what if she attacks? Engaging in a fight like that means making your pokemon vulnerable. Even if you land a blow, you are opening your pokemon up for a counter attack. Since we all saw Hawlucha fall to a single hit, we know how that would go.”

“But couldn’t Sneasel effectively do the same thing with Taunt?”

“Perhaps,” Cashe admitted with a shrug, “But Hawlucha was already hit by a Taunt, and he was remarkably well trained. He might have been able to shake it off and Roost before getting Taunted again. Plus, Sneasel was already heavily injured. I had less confidence that Sneasel could successfully counter-attack given his condition, if Kiana decided to go that route.”

“I get it, that’s good strategizing,” Eddie said with a grin, looking up from his notes, “I never would have thought of that. What kind of training-”

“Eddie,” Moni said in a warning tone, “Remember what we discussed?”

Eddie swallowed, “What we discussed, Miss Hale?”

“Even if you are the only reporter here, the gym limits each paper to three post match questions. How many have you had so far?”

Eddie grinned like a kid who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, “Sorry, Miss Hale. I just get excited around trainers, you know?”

“Oh, I can understand that,” Moni said with a sly smile and a glance towards Cashe, “But if you are in our gym, you have to follow our rules. Time to end this, Eddie.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eddie said, jotting down a few final thoughts into his notes, before thanking Cashe and moving on his way.

Moni watched Eddie and Yuki as the pair returned to the stands to watch the upcoming matches, before slipping back to Cashe’s side. She whispered into his ear as Emilia and Lindon made their way over to him, “When I told you to use my card any time, I meant it.” She gave him a final, heated look and stepped away, brushing her hand down the length of his arm as she did so, giving him a long glance over her shoulder as she walked away.

“Wow, Apollo!” Lindon said, running up to Cashe once Moni was departing. His eyes shone with earnest excitement and he was wearing a thousand watt smile on his face, “Hatenna evolved! Can I meet her?”

“Congratulations on your victory, Cashe,” Emilia said, nudging Lindon in the back.

“Oh, right, congratulations,” Lindon added, hastily, “So can I see Hattrem now?”

***

The walk back to the Pokemon Center and their hotel room was awkward at best. While Lindon was busy pestering Cashe about Hattrem, who Cashe would not let him meet until she had a chance to get used to her heightened powers, Emilia was laconic, barely contributing to the conversation.

When they returned to the hotel, Lindon ran off to ‘try out a few ideas’ that the battle gave him ‘before the afternoon ended’, leaving Cashe and Emilia alone in the small room. Cashe was sitting in a stiff chair, shifting in his seat and unable to get comfortable, while Emilia was sitting on the couch by herself. There was plenty of room for Cashe to sit as well, but when he had tried to, Emilia had stared at him with a look that made it clear she wanted space.

“I thought that maybe the environment around gym battles would be different here than it was on Earth,” Cashe finally said, once it became clear that Emilia was not going to be the first to speak, “But I had a somewhat rude awakening that it was not while in the waiting area for my first match. It was disappointing, actually. I was hoping things would be different here, at least in that regard.”

Emilia chewed on her lower lip for a moment instead of replying.

“I actually should apologize,” Cashe continued, scratching his finger against the rough fabric of the chair he was sitting in, “I said something that was misinterpreted and might lead to some rumors.”

Emilia glanced at him and crossed her arms, “I’m used to there being rumors about me.” Her voice was flat.

“That doesn’t mean there should be. I’m sorry that I might be the cause of some.”

“You have rumors of your own to deal with,” Emilia said, “Especially after that reporter photographed you and ‘Miss Hale’.” Emilia’s face pinched at her own words and Cashe felt tension grow in his gut.

“I didn’t ask for that, you know,” he said.

Emilia's face screwed into a look of pure frustration and then relaxed. She sighed, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to face Cashe.

“It’s how it is,” Emilia said, “For men and women, both. Trainers get famous and people are attracted to that fame. It’s natural, there’s nothing wrong with it unless people don’t respect it when you say no.” There was a biting edge to Emilia’s words, heavy with implication.

Cashe bit his lip, “You’re wondering why I didn’t say no to Moni.”

“Moni?” Emilia sighed again, rubbing her temple, “I’m not wondering why. I saw her, didn’t I?” Emilia squeezed her eyes shut, gathering herself. “You should meet with her.”

“Wha-?” Cashe blinked, so surprised he couldn’t even finish the word.

“She gave you a way to contact her, right?” Emilia said, glaring at Cashe with a determined look on her face, “You should get in touch with her.”

“But I don’t want to get in touch with her,” Cashe said.

“Cashe, you can lie to yourself, but don’t lie to me. You’re bad at it, and besides, it was obvious.”

“It was?” Cashe swallowed.

“You were grinning like an idiot,” Emilia rolled her eyes.

“Oh.” Cashe chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, “I’m not really sure I can.”

“You need a break away from Lindon and me.” Emilia looked at him with genuine sympathy, “We’re around each other all the time, and while I wouldn’t trade either of you for anyone, I know it can get stifling. Why do you think I stayed with my sister for ten days? Cashe, go have some fun.”

*****