Cashe spent the rest of the morning training with Emilia, eventually transitioning to simple, positional battles with her. Emilia outperformed him as usual, her years of formal education outpacing him in the tactical nature of their mock battles.
“Dodge is a good command, but you’re not using it right,” Emilia said as they finished up, grouping with their pokemon to discuss the training session.
Bulbasaur watched her closely, hanging on her words like they were gospel. Emilia so effectively outmaneuvered Cashe with her Omanyte that Bulbasaur didn't get in a single good opportunity to attack, even at the reduced speed of their mock battle. Rather than being disheartened by this, Bulbasaur appeared enraptured, eager to learn and improve.
Mankey, on the other hand, paid her no mind, instead sitting on Cashe’s shoulders and attempting to distract him.
“What do you mean?” Cashe said while fruitlessly attempting to pull Mankey off his back so he could better concentrate, “I hear trainers telling pokemon to dodge all the time. What am I doing differently?”
“Pokemon know to dodge an attack that is coming at them,” Emilia said, “When a skilled trainer tells their pokemon to dodge, they include instruction with it. Dodge left, dodge right, pull back. They take advantage of the fact their pokemon needs to move and use the opportunity to gain positional superiority. Half the time you just say ‘dodge’. It’s a meaningless command, you might as well tell your pokemon to breathe.”
“I’m missing out on opportunities because of it,” Cashe said. Bulbasaur nodded sagely at him. Cashe poked him in the side with a gentle nudge of his foot, “Shut up you. You didn’t know it either. You think I didn’t see you floundering out there like a fish out of water? I was right behind you, floundering as well.”
“Saur.” Bulbasaur continued to nod.
“Little pest,” Cashe grumbled. He turned back to Emilia, “I should be using my opportunities better so I can get in close and attack.”
Emilia shook her head, “You need to position better in order to fight optimally. What that looks like depends on who you are fighting.” She gestured to her own two pokemon, Charmander and Omanyte, “Against these two, you want to close the distance, but against other pokemon you will need to stay away. Remember your battle styles with different pokemon as well. Bulbasaur is going for wins by attrition. You will have to be defensive against most opponents. Mankey is hyper aggressive, she needs to be directed precisely to take advantage of every opportunity.”
“Mank,” Mankey said from his shoulder as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Then again, maybe it was. All she ever did was attack.
“Actually, I thought she was a lot more careful than what you usually see in a Mankey,” Cashe turned to see the Gligar and Eevee trainers approaching them, “Though that’s not to say she’s wrong,” the Gligar trainer said, holding out his hand in greeting, “Marcus Daye.”
Marcus was a short man with chocolate skin and a charming smile. He walked with the unmistakable swagger of confidence born from talent.
Emilia took his hand and shook it, “Emilia Oak.”
Marcus glanced at his friend and grinned, “Oh, we know. And that makes you the rumored Apollo Cashe?”
“What school did you go to? How did you graduate and not know this?” the Eevee trainer said before Cashe could get a word out. She was the opposite of Marcus, tall, pale, and blonde, with a look of bored disinterest on her face.
“Lisa! You can’t say stuff like that.” Marcus scolded. Lisa rolled her eyes. He turned back to Cashe, “Sorry about her. I swear she’s not mean, just blunt.”
“No worries,” Cashe said, grinning and shaking Marcus’s proffered hand. It was firm and callused. “Call me Cashe.” He turned to Lisa, “And to answer your question, I went to UBC Sauder School of Business. No pokemon there, unfortunately. I’m completely new at this.”
“Really?” Lisa said, glancing at Emilia.
Cashe could hear the disbelief in her voice. It took him a moment to realize that she wasn’t asking if he was really new to pokemon. She was asking why Emilia was traveling with someone like him.
Emilia shrugged, “He was like a lost Yamper, so I let him tag along.”
Marcus and Lisa exchanged another glance. They clearly didn’t believe her, but neither of them pushed the subject.
“If you’re Marcus Daye,” Emilia continued, ignoring the glance completely, “Does that make you Lisa Summers?”
“You’ve heard of me?” Lisa said, bored expression turning to mild surprise.
“I wouldn’t be much of a trainer if I didn’t keep tabs on the competition,” Emilia said, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow, “I looked into you the same as you looked into me. That’s how you heard of Cashe, right?”
Lisa crossed her arms, “I’m surprised that one of the Oaks would bother to glance at us. I didn’t think you could see so low.”
Emilia mirrored Lisa, crossing her arms, her gaze narrowing.
“Oh, she can go low,” Cashe said with an awkward smile, trying to diffuse the sudden tension with a light joke, “She’s worse than me half the time.” The joke did not hit.
“Aren’t you a poisoner?” Lisa said, “Are you threatening me?”
“No, I’m-”
“Relax,” Marcus interrupted, “She’s joking. It’s hard to tell because she refuses to put any emotion into her voice.”
“It’s funnier that way.”
“Only for you,” Marcus sighed. He sounded like a man who had this exact conversation more than once, “Emilia, Cashe, it was a joke. Lisa, apologize.”
“I’m not apologizing for being funny.”
Marcus sighed again, deep and weary.
Emilia snorted, “You know what? Lisa’s right. It is funnier this way.”
The barest hint of a smile poked through Lisa’s bored expression. “We actually came over to give a friendly word of warning to Cashe,” she said.
“To me?” Cashe said.
Marcus nodded, looking relieved at Emilia’s acceptance of the situation. “That Deino trainer you were speaking with before, he’s-”
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“Damian Dart, I know.” Cashe interrupted.
“-an asshole,” Marcus finished.
“A conniving twit.” Lisa nodded.
“It says online he’s earnest and competitive.” Emilia said.
“And it says you’re cute and clumsy and you’re being forced against your will to travel with Cashe,” Marcus countered, “Should we believe that as well?”
“We met him on our way to Olivine,” Lisa said, “He was fine at first, nice even. But he kept saying things that revealed himself.”
“He would deliberately try to start fights between me and Lisa,” Marcus said, with a scowl, “I thought he was just jealous at first, but it wasn’t that at all. He was just trying to get in our heads.”
“It made the journey really stressful. We separated from him when we got to Olivine and everything became easier.” Lisa said, “I don’t know what he told you, Cashe, but whatever it was, it was probably a lie.”
“Cashe already sniffed him out,” Emilia grinned, “He’s surprisingly good at this part of the job.”
“I was a banker, this is nothing compared to those weasels.”
“You worked at the Bank?” Marcus said, “Why did you quit?”
“Never mind that,” Emilia shook her head, “We were just about to grab breakfast. Want to join us?”
***
“Wow!” Lindon exclaimed, gazing at Marcus’s array of pokeballs. Marcus had changed from his workout clothes and into his ‘adventuring gear’. It was part of his efforts to curate his person online. Apparently he was going for something like Indiana Jones. It wasn’t how Marcus described it, but Cashe didn’t know any of his new world’s cultural references yet.
Marcus had seven or eight pokeballs strapped along his chest like bullets in a bandolier, with another six on his hip. They were a variety of ball types, Cashe recognizing the black of an ultraball and the blue of a greatball among the spread.
“You have that many pokemon?” Lindon said, eyes sparkling in wonder, “I only have Magnemite!”
“Most are support pokemon I’m borrowing from my father,” Marcus said, scratching the back of his head bashfully, “I only have a couple for battling.”
“Really? Which two are you using for the tournament?” Lindon said.
Marcus and Lisa shared a look. Cashe suppressed a grin. Neither of them knew what to do with Lindon’s breathless enthusiasm. Lindon had joined them for breakfast in the dining hall and immediately honed in on Marcus.
“Gligar and Popplio,” Marcus said, finally relenting.
“You have a Popplio?” Lindon said, much too loudly. Marcus winched and glanced around the cafeteria. Several people looked over at Lindon’s shout. Cashe surpessed a laugh. It was good to have someone to earnestly ask questions that would be suspicious from anyone else. A small advantage was gone, just like that. “What are you even going to Alola for?”
“Marcus’s mother is actually from Alola,” Lisa said, “His father is from Johto though, and he grew up there. He’s never actually been.”
“Popplio was a gift from my mother when I graduated,” Marcus confirmed, "She wanted me to start my journey in Alola and visit her family."
“Magnemite was a gift, too. From- uh, from…” Lindon frowned, “From a friend of a friend of my parents.”
Marcus waited for Lindon to continue, but he didn’t. Unperturbed, he turned to Cashe and Emilia, “So how do you think you two will do in the tournament once it starts. Are you trying for the win?”
“Isn’t everybody?” Cashe said.
“Lots of people do,” Lisa said, “But we’re on a cruise. Some people are just here to take advantage of that.”
“Not us; we’re going to win!” Lindon declared.
“That’s funny, because I didn’t see you in the training gym this morning,” Lisa countered, deadpan expression on her face.
“Lisa,” Marcus’s tone was warning.
Lindon didn’t seem to care, “That’s because I know the value of rest. I train just as hard as anyone. Watch this!” Lindon began stuffing his breakfast into his mouth as fast as he could.
Lisa shot a questioning look at Cashe and Emilia.
“We are trying to win as well,” Cashe confirmed, looking at Lindon, a warm ball of amusement blossoming in his chest, “I’ve only really seen a few trainers actually train so far, so we might have a chance.”
“I’m going to win.” Emilia said. Her voice was matter of fact, as if she was stating water was wet or there were stars in the sky. Several people heard her and shot her annoyed glances, including Marcus and Lisa.
“You think you can do it?” Marcus said, “Not everyone is here for a vacation.”
“I know.” Emilia said, locking eyes with Marcus, ”I’m still going to win.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes.”
Marcus stared at her for a long moment but looked away first. Emilia smirked.
“So what about you? “Lisa said to Cashe, “Do you also think you can win?”
“No,” Cashe said with a frown. It was upsetting to admit, but he had never got the best of Emilia. Not really. Their recent mock battle was eye opening. He had a long way to go.
“I would have expected more confidence from Mr Blood Money,” Lisa said in her flat voice.
“I have an undefeated official record,” Cashe said, a small smile on his face, “But my training partner is Emilia, so I know when I’m outclassed.”
Emilia frowned, “I wouldn’t say outclassed. I told you I think you can get into the top eight.”
“Pre tournament betting odds at the casino have Emilia and that Stone guy as tournament favorites,” Cashe said to Marcus and Lisa, ignoring Emilia’s comment, “The people who make those odds know their stuff.”
Marcus made an unsatisfied face, “I guess we’ll see.”
“Done!” Lindon shot to his feet, his plate clean except for a few crumbs, “I beat you all. Now I’ll show you who can train!” He turned and marched out of the cafeteria and down a hallway.
Cashe watch him go as Marcus and Lisa shared a confused look, “Do you think he will notice he went the wrong way?”
Emilia sighed, “Give him a moment. If we don’t see him come back, we can go after him.”
Lindon did not come back.
***
Five days passed before the SS Ambition made port in Hoenn. The training gym increased in use as the journey continued. Marcus, Lisa, and Damian were regulars there, as well as a few others with whom Cashe didn’t end up interacting. A tension overtook the gym as they neared Slateport City. Trainers spoke less and less to each other, and by the time they reached Hoenn, trainers were only talking to their close friends and pokemon.
Parties still occurred every night. The cruise was still a cruise. But Cashe did not attend any of them. After the third night on the way to Hoenn, Emilia stopped attending them as well. “They’re too hectic,” she said.
Arrival in Hoenn was not at all like arriving in Olivine. The cruise ship arrived in the middle of the day. There were no parties on the docks, or even a large gathering of celebrities and fans. The docks were still busy, but with dock workers and longshoremen.
The midday heat of the Hoenn port was sweltering, even on the water. When the ship arrived, the Hoenn trainers hurried onto the ship with little fanfare, eager to escape the head of the sun. More comfortable inside the air conditioned main atrium of the cruise, they were able to relax, and some of the geniality of the first two stops returned. Cashe, however, did not partake in the welcoming party either. The pokemon games called the Slateport City Market world famous, and Cashe wanted to see if that held true even fifty years later and in another world.
Lindon joined him and Emilia came along as something of a tour guide since she had been to the city before.
The city reminded Cashe more of Vermilion than of Olivine. The docks led to the city rather than the beach and the city as a whole felt busier and more focused than the party happy Olivine. The strong scent of the sea was still present wherever they went, and, paired with the unfortunate summer heat, made the city feel like the inside of a fishery.
Like Viridian, the city was built low, with few buildings reaching into the sky, with streets made for pedestrians and foot traffic. Before long, Emilia brought them to the market. An open air bazaar, just like in the games, the market stretched along the beachside of the city.
Even in the heat, the market was crowded and thriving. Cashe could see hundreds, perhaps thousands of tents and shops set up along the seawall. The din in the air was incredible, a cacophony of sound rising above the wind as people haggled with vendors and merchants hawked their wares.
“Welcome to the markets,” Emilia shouted as they drew closer, “Put your valuables in your backpacks and your backpacks on your chests,” Emilia immediately followed her own advice, tossing her pokeballs into her backpack and flipping it onto her chest, “pickpockets are everywhere.” She grinned, “Now, where are we headed first?”
*****