“Hollis, I’m sor-”

SLAP

“You piece of shit!” Hollis spat, “You do that to me and then come over here like it’s fine, like an apology can fix anything? Leave me alone!”

Cashe rubbed his cheek, not surprised by the reaction his attempted apology received, more put off that it was so public. They were in the dining hall once again, but using it for its primary purpose. The room was rearranged after the previous night’s party and circular tables were packed in close to each other to make sure there was enough room for everyone. They were serving breakfast, a mix of fresh tropical fruits that Cashe had never seen before and various yogurt/granola combos.

The hall wasn’t full by any means, it was too early in the morning and they still needed to make two more stops before the tournament even got underway, but there were enough people that the slap got significant attention from those around them. Cashe saw more than one group of people turn towards them, leaning it to better overhear their conversation.

Cashe spared Hollis a frustrated glance and made his way back to the table he shared with Emilia and Lindon. Lindon was glaring in the direction of Hollis’s table as Cashe returned and Emilia had a smug expression on her face.

“I told you so,” Emilia said as Cashe sat down to continue his breakfast, “The only difference you made is that more people are going to know what happened.”

“She isn’t very nice,” Lindon said, scowling.

“Well, I wasn’t very nice last night,” Cashe said, “I’m surprised I only got slapped.”

“She’s supposed to forgive you!” Lindon said, “That’s what a gracious person does!”

“Not all people are gracious,” Cashe said.

“Mantyke will recover before the tournament starts,” Emilia said with a shrug, “That’s probably why she only yelled and slapped you. She thinks she can get revenge there.”

Cashe raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m texting with Grace,” Emilia said, “They’re still my friends even if you made an enemy of one of theirs.”

Cashe nodded. “So what are we going to do today? More training?”

“I want to see the ship!” Lindon said, “We trained a whole bunch yesterday.”

“Because there is a tournament coming up,” Cashe said.

“What’s the point in going on a cruise if you can’t have fun?” Lindon pouted, “We can train any time.”

“He’s got you there,” Emilia said, “Let’s go get changed and take the morning to explore, see what this place has to offer.”

***

Exploring was a good distraction, especially since Emilia and Cashe allowed Lindon to lead the way. Lindon did not have a traditional sense of direction, which was to say he had no sense of direction at all. This, coupled with his inability to read the ship’s map correctly, meant the three of them were constantly getting lost.

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Lindon was easily distracted by large geometric shapes, which usually led them away from the main attractions of the ship and the trainers that could be found there. He also had a penchant for moving down rather than up, which had predictable consequences.

More than once they found themselves in the bowels of the ship, surrounded not by plush carpets and bright lights, but by painted steel pipes and narrow walls. They came across sailors at their jobs, working in tandem with their pokemon, which consisted of an even mix of water and fighting types. Cashe saw more than one Poliwhirl and Grapploct adjusting valves and working with tools while sailors dealt with more delicate machinery.

The sailors were surprisingly accommodating to their intrusion. Many happily gave demonstrations to Lindon as they worked, showing him what their job was and how it provided for the ship. None seemed annoyed by his questions - it was hard to not get wrapped up in Lindon’s energetic enthusiasm. Even when they delved too deep into the ship and needed to be escorted back to the passenger deck, the sailors were friendly. Though, on their second time being escorted out, their guide did voice a complaint.

“You trainers love to get into trouble, huh?” The sailor said. He was short and burly, just like his Machop, and wore a dark blue uniform. Cashe was a bit disappointed that he didn’t wear the traditional white and blue from the pokemon games, but he wasn’t going to voice that aloud.

Lindon grinned and flushed in embarrassment, “Sorry. I’m just curious.”

“You and everyone else,” the sailor grumbled.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this?” Cashe said.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve done this,” Emilia snorted, causing Lindon to blush further.

“This trip has more than usual already,” the sailor admitted, “I’ve needed to kick three people out of the engine room today.”

“People can go into the engine room?” Lindon said, his eyes lighting up.

“No!” The sailor growled, “That’s why I keep kicking them out. Some people need to learn to read a map.”

Cashe glanced down at Lindon who was again flushing in embarrassment, “We might have some experience there. Though those tourist maps aren’t very clear.”

The sailor snorted and crossed his arms. His Machop mimicked him. It was kind of cute. “You don’t understand. These people had a map on them, but all three somehow thought up meant down. I tell ya, if I find out whoever was handing out maps to those weird little guys I will…”

The sailor went on a colorful and creative rant that taught Cashe quite a few new words. By the end of it, Lindon was staring at the sailor in awe and Emilia was biting her lips trying not to laugh.

From there, their exploration was restricted to the upper decks, despite Lindon wanting “to go back and look at the pipes some more”. Exploring the upper passenger decks made Cashe reconsider his evaluation of the cruise ship. It wasn’t a mall, it was an amusement park.

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There was a startling number of activities for kids and families, including a theater running newly released movies, bumper cars, an indoor water park, a climbing wall, and a sprawling arcade. The upper decks were more adult themed. There was a casino/restaurant that allowed people to bet on the upcoming matches in the tournament. Since credits were non-transferable, the casino used its own system of currency, giving away the same amount to each person who entered. The betting was then turned into a competition, where the most successful gamblers would win prizes at the end of each round of betting.

There was a proper theater, for plays, magic shows and the like, as well as an entire second pool area hidden away on the top deck of the ship. It was more elegant and much less crowded than the indoor water park, and it was where they finally stopped exploring. The only place left to see was the battle stadium, which took up the majority of the top deck of the cruise ship. None of them felt the need to see it soon, as they would be there many times before the end of the tournament.

They ended up taking more than just the morning to explore, but Cashe didn’t really mind. He sighed as he sank into the pool, glad he took Emilia’s advice and changed into a pair of swim trunks before they ventured out. Emilia sat on the edge of the pool beside him, dipping her legs into the water as she enjoyed the sun while Lindon splashed in the water at the deeper end of the pool.

The pool was on the very back of the ship and overlooked the sprawling ocean. The cruise ship cut a frothing white ‘V’ into the pristine ocean as it moved through the water, and Cashe could see Finizen following in its wake. He swam to the edge of the pool, peering over and down the ship to get a better look.

“They're looking for berries,” Emilia said, sliding gracefully into the water and joining him at the edge of the pool, “People throw them overboard for good luck.”

“Hmm,” Cashe grunted, staring down at the dolphin pokemon as they played in the water.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to relax, you know,” Emilia nudged him with her elbow playfully, “I know I’ve been pushing you to do the ‘Blood Money’ thing, but it's just us here.”

“Sorry. I was trying to figure out if I could attach a pokeball to a fishing rod and catch a Finizen,” Cashe said.

“That’s right, your list had Palafin on it,” Emilia said, “You would need a long fishing rod though.”

“It wouldn’t be for me,” Cashe turned around, resting his back against the side of the pool and nodding at Lindon, “Kid’s had a rough couple of days and he’s been wanting to find a second pokemon for over a week now. Thought it might be nice.”

“It’s a nice gesture, but I wonder if that’s the right thing to do,” Emilia said, letting herself sink into the warm water until only her head was above the surface.

“You would do something different?” Cashe said, “Even if he only has one pokemon for the tournament?”

“For Lindon? I think so,” Emilia bobbed her head in the water, imitating a nod, “He’s on his pokemon journey. I think it’s best if he catches pokemon on his own, it’s how he will learn and grow as a trainer. More importantly, I think it’s what he wants as well.” She stood back up and stretched, letting the water run off her body as she enjoyed the sun, “Besides, even if Lindon had two pokemon, I don’t think he stands much of a chance. Unfortunately.”

Cashe nodded. Lindon was just too inexperienced. Not so much with pokemon but with life. He didn’t yet have the mindset Cashe had come to expect from top trainers. At least if Emilia and her sister were anyone to go by.

“I still feel guilty. It’s basically my fault the start to his journey has been miserable.”

“Does he look miserable?” Emilia said, turning her head towards Lindon.

Lindon was currently shrieking with laughter as Magnemite tried to chase him around the pool. The spherical magnet pokemon was not designed for the water, however, and every time it tried to turn to chase after Lindon, it spun in wild circles, looking like a top instead of a pokemon.

“No,” Cashe admitted. Still he frowned.

“If you really want to do something, stop treating him like a kid.”

“He is a kid.”

“Treat him like an equal and show him respect. He will be ecstatic. He looks up to you for some unknown reason.”

Cashe felt a small smile creep onto his face, “Oh? My looks, charm, and obvious abilities as a trainer aren’t enough for you?”

Emilia laughed, “They might be enough for me, but Lindon has standards.”

***

“You’re at the bottom end of the Gym Leader circuit, skill-wise,” Tiana said, her arms crossed. She was a tall woman of forty years, with fiery red hair and a severe face. Red frowned in disapproval. Not of Tiana, but of himself.

Blue sat to the side, in the stands of the empty Gym. They had cleared it out, just for Red’s evaluation. He lost against the Blackthorn City Gym leader, but that was to be expected. If Blue could beat him with out of shape pokemon and modern strategies, then Tiana, with trained pokemon and cutting edge strategies, easily could.

“You could probably beat some of the weakest Gym Leaders, if you have a good matchup. I think there are a couple of new leaders in Paldea and Kalos who you might have a chance against,” Tiana continued, not cutting Red any slack. Over her shoulder, a giant carving of a snarling Salamence glared at Red.

“I don’t think that’s the way he wants to go.” Blue said, standing up and joining the pair on the stage.

Red nodded in agreement.

“Unova might be a good region to get your bearings,” Tiana said, her tone only slightly condescending, “Strong trainers and a tricky region to navigate. Good for someone looking to make progress.”

“Unova has a large variety of pokemon,” Blue said in response to Red’s frown at the suggestion, “It might be good to update your team a bit. Six pokemon is less than a third of what most trainers use nowadays.”

Red pursed his lips, sour expression on his face.

Tiana sighed, “You want to be stubborn? Fine. Alola is by far the most difficult region for Gym battles right now. Every single Leader is like me: they’ve been active for decades, but they are still young enough not to be set in their ways. They train and battle with the best modern strategies, but they’ve been around long enough to know all the old ones as well, so they won’t be caught unaware. And then there’s the Champion.”

Red shot Blue a questioning look.

Blue grimaced, “She’s a monster. A real bastard. Don’t even think about it right now, you stand no chance.”

“She’s the current World Champion, not just Champion of the Alola region,” Tiana said, “She has eighteen battle-ready pokemon, but she’s only ever used twelve. She says no one has pushed her enough to use the other six.”

Red crossed his arms leaning back on one leg and raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Blue said, “If you really want to become Champion again, Alola is not the region to start. Start with Galar if you want a challenge. The journey is the most difficult there thanks to the wild area, and the Gym leaders are pretty strong.”

“I would beat some of them, but I think it would be even odds against most,” Tiana supplied.

Red frowned but nodded, turning on his heel and marching from the Gym without another word.

Tiana watched him go. “You know the way he was talking before the match, I thought he would never shut up.”

“I only discovered it recently myself,” Blue said, “He gets real quiet after a loss. I wish I had known it fifty years ago, I would have tried harder to beat him.”

“I thought you only lost to him as Champion,” Tiana said.

“That’s right,” Blue said, carefully avoiding the Gym Leader’s gaze, “It must have been a trait he developed recently.”

“Right,” Tiana’s voice dripped with skepticism.

“Anyway, thanks for the help,” Blue said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, “I really don’t want him anywhere near Kalos until my paper is published.”

“Is that really a thing, academic rivalries?” Tiana said, “I’ve heard rumors, but…”

“It’s not so much of a rivalry as it is professional disagreement,” Blue said, “Sycamore and I have competing beliefs regarding pokemon evolution.”

“I see.”

“But I’ll show that arrogant, smooth talking, self obsessed, womanizing, patronizing little know-it-all who really ‘needs to relax more’. Relax once your evolutionary theory is resting in a grave you-” Blue descended into mumbling. Tiana heard more than one repeated reference to smooth talking and womanizing in his grumbling.

“Yes, I am sure you will show him."

*****