March

Hitmonchan chats with Maylene’s Medicham as I approach their corner. I speed-hop toward the cleared area they seem to have prepared for our first session, and Chan notices me with an eager smile.

“Cleo! Ready to start training with Best Hitmon?”

“Yes, finally! Top was a huge help, it’s just…”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I get you,” she says. “You know I once asked him ‘How are you doing?’, and he said ‘I think, then my body moves’. Not kidding.”

Medicham nods sagely, moving to stand at the edge of our allotted space. We stand in a square of wooden flooring, enclosed on two sides by walls and the other two by the Screens Medicham begins to put up.

Chan shrugs at my raised eyebrow. “Overkill, I know, but you’re trying new moves today. With fire. They wanted to be safe.”

“All set,” Medicham calls out. She proceeds to sit seiza style to Meditate, eyes closed.

“Alright, let’s get this started! Cleo, I know a greedy girl like you has tried some stuff already. Show me!”

Gladly.

I take a loose boxer’s stance, unpracticed and probably wrong somehow. Closing my eyes and rolling both ears, I focus inward. On my energy.

Weeks of intensive training have given me muscle mass and definition I’d never had, and the Type energy contained in my body has risen to match. I feel… full. Whole.

Concentrating on my right arm, I coax the Normal energy into circulation– a closed loop whose only purpose is to gather speed. I’ve found it easier to convert to Electric like this.

It accelerates quickly, with little inertia. When it’s moving as fast as I can manage, I trigger the transformation. The speed enhances the buzzing feeling I associate with the Type and my theoretical knowledge of electricity, causing my right arm to burst into sparks.

I punch.

The lightning dissipates before I’ve even finished extending my stubby forelimb.

A sigh escapes me. Business as usual. My eyes open to reveal Chan’s face, brow furrowed in thought as she leans to stare at my hand.

“Hmm… you started with Thundershock, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Then Thunderwave. Haven’t managed any Physical moves yet.”

“How did you make the Electric TE?”

“I move it around in a loop. Seems to help.” I gesture vaguely at the air, aping the motion.

She chuckles. “Hehe, wow! Way to go about it in the most ass-backwards way I can think of!”

“What… do you mean?”

“Here, watch.”

Chan takes her own stance beside me, guard up. “Right-hand straight, look for the sparks.”

She throws out a couple left jabs, seemingly out of habit, before throwing a straight punch with all her weight behind it.

A mundane pun- her fist explodes with bright crackles.

Chan side-eyes me, arm still extended. The air smells like ozone. “So?”

“It only… It was a regular punch until right at the end.”

“That was a Thunderpunch. Yours was thunder, hold it, punch. Electric doesn’t like to hold still, and you’re a Normal type. You can’t store it. So, how did I do it?”

Obviously the energy should be converted only at the end, but punching breaks my focus on the circuit. I can’t manage both at the same time.

…But she said that was backward. How do I-OH!

My palm flies into my face. “Stupid! I’m such an idiot! Why am I creating extra steps!? The punch is the movement!”

“Yup! You’re a Physical fighter through-and-through, girl! How did you learn that clean Double Kick of yours? Was it ‘moving around’ Fighting energy or was it learning to kick right?”

“Yeah, of course… Just hadn’t clicked for Electric, I guess. I practiced that shitty Thundershock for months! Goddamn Special moves…”

“The movement guides the energy for the elementals; at least that’s how I do it. Other stuff like Ghost or Dark is more emotional, but you knew that. Payback is a bitch!”

I nod absently. “Can I see the other ones?”

“It’s what we’re here for.” Hitmonchan resets her stance, rolling her shoulders. With the ease of a routine practiced thousands of times, Chan starts her sequence.

Jab-jab-Thunderpunch, her fist flying in a perfectly straight line. Jab-jab-Firepunch, an uppercut that drags through the air, igniting like a struck match. Weave-weave-Icepunch, a sharp cross delivered as her head bobs, as if countering an opponent’s straight. This one isn’t as flashy—a faint, misty condensation the only sign of the Ice move.

Hmm, got to try to punch as straight as her for Thunderpunch. I’ll have to watch how my shoulder and elbow move. The Firepunch kinda looks like the opposite of Bounce: Increase friction to create heat, like rubbing my hands together. The Icepunch…

“-Cleo? Hello?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you have any questions. You looked deep in the think-tank, there.” Chan is already sitting in front of me, legs crossed.

“Sorry, yeah. …What’s the deal with Icepunch? Why’s it a cross?”

“Stops whatever they were doing. A sharp counter to knock’em out cold!”

“That… doesn’t feel like it makes much sense. The nature of the move is what happens to the other guy?”

Hitmonchan shakes her head, then making grasping motions with her hands, like she’s trying to mold her thoughts into a shape I can understand. “No, no, it’s like… a punch that stops Pokémon in their tracks. That’s what it does, so that’s what it is.”

…What?

I suppose cooling is stopping, in the thermodynamic sense, but how am I supposed to generate essence of stopping by moving?

I’ll have to experiment. Later. For now…

I take my amateur stance, ready to try a real Thunderpunch. “Ok, I’m ready to start.”

Chan nods. “Focus on the fist, you don’t need to light up your whole arm. You don’t even need to do the whole fist, but we won’t go into that yet. For now, try to make it straight and fast, and only convert to Electric at the very end. Every instant you’re trying to hold onto Electric TE is an instant the punch is getting weaker. Plus it’s harder to see coming.”

“Got it.”

Let’s get punching.

-0-

I lean down to touch my toes, calves aching from their latest beating. The white sands of Maylene’s compound behind the Gym are great for cushioning falls, but terrible for launching into a Bounce. For today, though, it’s over. I get to enjoy this beautiful afternoon.

The bright March sun warms my back, and the wind carries the scent of flowers and pollen. I’d almost forgotten what it was like.

It’s Spring again.

Hawlucha claps me on the back, my dearest water bottle in his other clawed hand. “Good job, kid. The wind was being a bastard and you still landed most.”

“Not all of them.”

“Limitations of the move, Cleo. At the end of the day, Bounce is never going to be the most accurate. That kind of air-time, especially for a non-Flying type…” He shrugs. “You have the move down, now it’s a matter of knowing when to use it.”

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My head snaps up. “I have it down? You mean…”

He lets a grin slip onto his colorful face. “Yup! Next week we start on Acrobatics.”

“YES!” At last, no more Bouncing for hours on end. Acrobatics is a great move, and seeing Hawlucha use it has me suspecting that being Limber will help. “Thank you, seriously! I can’t wait!”

“Nothing to thank me for, it’s not a favor. You’re ready. Now come on, we’re missing the opening ceremony.”

I drain the remaining water, and after a quick stop at the locker-room to store our stuff, Hawlucha and I head to the Gym’s main battlefield. Its only use now is for the watch-parties being hosted there for the next few weeks.

The League season is over. The Lily of the Valley Conference is starting.

The automatic doors open to the large lobby, chatter already audible from here. We make our way into the arena, filled to bursting with Pokémon, Gym staff, Trainers, and plenty of people who came to watch the Conference on the big screen. And by Arceus, is it big. The two large flatscreens normally hanging above the bleachers have been combined with two others to form a video wall, currently displaying this year’s competitors lined up in neat rows.

As I look around for a place to sit, I spot Maggie and… Maylene? Riolu’s there too, all three talking animatedly about something. The surrounding chatter makes it impossible to catch their words.

Riolu glances to the entrance, spotting me and Hawlucha. Eyes widening, he gesticulates frantically to the others, in quick little points and waves that he probably thinks are surreptitious. Their conversation abruptly ends, both Maylene and Riolu looking right at me before the Gym Leader wanders off to talk to someone else. Subtle.

“I’m gonna go sit with Mags,” I say to Hawlucha. “See you Monday?”

He gives me a quick thumbs up. “I’ll hang out with Heracross. Have fun!”

A slalom through a forest of legs later, I slide into the spot Maylene vacated, sitting on Riolu’s right. Mags is on his left.

“Hey, guys.”

“Hi, Cleo.”

“You got here just in time! Cynthia’s speech is about to start.” Maggie runs her hands along her jeans. A nervous tick.

“So… Talking about me?”

They put on expressions of confusion. My ‘Are you serious?’ look is enough to make Maggie cringe.

“It’s… Don’t worry about it, okay? Nothing bad.”

I can’t contain a frown. “Is it…” About how you almost died? Are you having problems? Was I wrong to intrude into your home? She still has nightmares sometimes. Fewer now, but right after she would wake up almost every night clutching at her neck. I think me being there helped… but have I overstayed my welcome?

“No! Cleo, no. Ok? I’m just working on something, and I wanted Maylene’s advice. I’ll tell you when it’s ready, promise.”

She moves to squeeze my hand, but with Riolu in the way her motion sort of… fizzles out. I glance between them. Riolu tries to give nothing away, and Mags settles for looking vaguely reassuring.

“Alright. I trust you guys. …Anything interesting happen, yet?”

They both relax, and Riolu recounts the ceremony up to this point. A couple speeches, explanations of the rules, which I’d already learned favor rookies by prioritizing them for automatic wins when the bracket isn’t perfect, and a couple performances to get the crowd hyped up.

By the time he’s finished, the Elite Four have lined up in the raised stage at the front of the massive field. Aaron. Bertha. Flint. Lucian. A Rotom-drone camera pans over the whole packed stadium, and I spot a few familiar faces among the competitors.

Eduardo, with Manuel the Grumpig at his side. Jackson, Ribombee on his shoulder. Kim and Drapion. Dawn, with a tall Empoleon beside her. She looks to her left at Barry, next to a fidgeting Infernape. Neither can stand still for long.

No Ash Ketchum. I’d already been expecting it; I’ve been looking online and seen no mention of him. Still, this confirms it.

Then the piano starts. Instantly my anxiety spikes, until I realize what’s happening. Cynthia walks confidently up to the stage, waving at a cheering crowd. She wears her iconic black coat and pants, perfect for this time of year. Probably by design. The classy piece playing throughout the stadium triggered my human memories’ fight-or-flight response.

“Cleo?” Riolu looks me over, sounding worried.

“Sorry. Music jumpscared me a bit.”

He blinks, confused, but turns back to the screens.

With raised hands she asks for silence, and the people and music quiet. At the Gym, too, people stop their chatter to hear the Champion.

“Welcome everyone!”

Another wave of cheering ensues. Surprisingly, I hear some booing.

…Perhaps not so surprising, with how the year went.

“The Lily of the Valley Conference is here once again, marking the passing of another year! This has been a trying time, with tragedies and triumphs for all of us. Let me start by saying that I understand some of you have, with good reason, been unhappy with the League’s openness to discuss the events surrounding the Galactic Corporation.”

Veilstone’s people lean in at that. It occurs to me that most don’t even know what happened, or why. Makes sense, to an extent. A good way to keep someone from trying it again is to not tell them what Galactic really did, and how. Still, it’s bound to be upsetting.

“This was partially for reasons of operational security. With that in mind, I am proud to announce that thanks to a tip from Trainer Buck, Elite Flint’s own brother, our Elite conducted an operation in concert with the Battle Zone’s security forces, resulting in the capture of all remaining high-ranking members of Galactic at Mount Stark. More details will be made public soon. For now, I say this: As of two days ago, the Galactic Corporation is over.”

There is applause at that, but not as much as I’d been expecting. Maggie hums consideringly.

“However, the marks that December day left on all of us will need time, and compassion, to heal. For those who passed due to the events of that day, and all those who lost their lives fighting for what they thought was right, let us share a moment of silence.”

Cynthia lowers her head, and all around me people do the same. I have no idea how many died from accidents or panic, but the memory of blood leaking from a pile of rubble in that tunnel to Celestic sticks in my mind. Trainers and Galactic grunts, indistinguishable from one another in that state.

‘...those who fought for what they thought was right’. Carefully worded.

We hold our peace until Cynthia speaks again.

“Thank you. …It is also my duty as Champion to say the things many do not like to hear, but this is what my conscience compels me to say. People of Sinnoh, please hear me. Cyrus’ actions and those of his inner circle were despicable; their ideals abhorrent. But many of the people that comprised the Galactic Corporation were simple workers, people trying to live their lives who were caught up in his rhetoric and the pressure of their peers. Their only sin was to allow themselves to be fooled by Cyrus. And of that, I too am guilty. He was my friend, once.”

Cynthia pauses, a hint of pain crossing her features. It’s quickly wiped away.

“I will not ask you to forget. But it is good and right to give these people a chance to atone, and perhaps in time you may find it in your hearts to forgive.”

There is a silence as the Champion gives people time to think on her words.

Maggie’s phone rings. She looks at the screen, and a storm of emotions follows. Shock, confusion, hope. Then a realization hits, and it transforms into a roiling fury. She throws the phone into the bag beside her, focusing back on the screen.

“Now, in this place that honors excellence and achievement, let us too remember the actions of those who stepped up to help their fellows, whose exemplary contributions were far beyond what could be expected of any Trainer, much less any so young. Dawn of Twinleaf Town. Barry of Twinleaf Town. Lucas of Sandgem Town. Will you please join me up here?”

Dawn and Barry recapture their Pokémon, then break formation to start walking toward the stage. Lucas emerges from an entrance to the side, walking stiffly, arms straight at his side. He’s clearly trying not to embarrass himself.

Confused gossip erupts all around me, and I turn to Maggie while the three make their way. “Mags, you alright?”

“Fine.”

My concerned look persists, soon joined by Riolu’s.

She sighs. “My parents. Needed the Champion to tell them kindness is an option. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Yikes. I flail for another topic.

“Uh, you seemed to find the speech interesting…”

She blinks, then comprehension dawns. “Oh, that. When Cynthia said it was over, she was decisive, but her tone was flat. I was expecting her to start a triumphant shift, but that would have been a bad idea.”

I mull her words over. “...Because of the moment of silence, after.”

“Yeah. She’s a good speaker. You can’t just swing an audience’s emotions back-and-forth; they’ll get tired and disengage. They were excited in the beginning, she brought them down for the serious news, then kept it that way for the somber part. Now it’s shifting to hopeful and inspiring, and only after that will she bring it back up to end on excitement again.” She explains, gaining the restless energy common to her explanations of things she’s learned from self-study. The anger seems to dissipate.

“The reading is paying off, huh?”

She nods. “It’s… important.”

Now I’m the one who wants to give her some support. Unlike her, though, I have no qualms with poking Riolu. “Hey, Riolu. Pat Mags on the arm a bit. Tell her it’s from me.”

He hesitates, but follows my instructions with an awkward smile that is the perfect blend of comforting and embarrassed. Cute.

The three Lab Trainers line up behind Cynthia, in front of the Elite Four. The Champion turns to face them, says something not caught by the mic pinned to her coat, then faces the stadium once more.

“These three Trainers, on behalf of Rowan Laboratories, conducted an investigation into Sinnoh’s Great Lakes. There, they discovered Galactic’s plot to enslave our beloved Guardians, and force them to use their power for Cyrus’ twisted ends. Despite facing experienced and highly dangerous criminals, these three young Trainers and their Pokémon risked their lives to inform the League of this plot. Their timely warning was invaluable to prevent calamity from befalling our Region… Perhaps the world.”

The audience in the Gym is silent. Stunned.

“Which is why…” The Elite Four step forward. Aaron brings out a black velvet box, from which each of the other Four take a shining medal.

“For Exemplary Service To Sinnoh, the Pokémon League awards the Kamado Medal of Service to Lucas of Sandgem, to Dawn of Twinleaf, to Barry of Twinleaf.”

Bertha pins the first medal to Lucas’ lapel, as he fights a losing battle against his tears.

Flint pins the second medal, struggling to contain his chuckles. Barry is vibrating in place.

Lucian pins the third medal onto Dawn, who stands rigidly at attention.

“To you, and to all of the Trainers, Rangers, Nurses, Police, support staff, and many volunteers who stepped up to help in our time of need: Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

Cynthia claps, and Sinnoh claps with her.

Damn. How accurate the games were I don’t think I’ll ever know, but it seems it was enough to warrant something like this. I give them my claps gladly. They deserve it.

“And thank you to all of you here today, who have cultivated your team’s skill and fought to stand among the best. Our bright future relies on strong Trainers to protect us should the worst happen, and I know you will rise to the occasion. Every Trainer in front of me has strived, grown, and overcome challenges to be here. This is where legends are born, where humans and Pokémon come together to celebrate what we can achieve together!”

“So, finally, let us celebrate the beginning of a new, brighter year! The Lily of the Valley Conference has begun!”

This time the huge stadium produces a proper cheer. Fireworks and light-shows capitalize immediately, and the mood is catapulted sky-high.

Shows and performances aplenty follow, and the watch-party at the Gym breaks up into myriad clusters, discussing today’s bombshells.

“Wow. They saved the world…” Riolu still looks toward the screens, but he stares at something only he can see. His fist clenches.

“Cleo, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while.” He stands, and turns to face me.

“Uhh… Ok?”

“It’s my birthday in a couple weeks. I would love it if you came to the mall with me.”

I blink. “That’s it? Sure, count me in.” I thought this was headed somewhere else…

His determination cracks, and he rubs at his arms furiously. “No, we-I’ll tell you at the mall. I’ve been planning this for a while now… I just wanted to ask if you’d come.”

‘We’? “Oh. …I’ll look forward to it, then.” I glance toward Maggie, eyes narrowed. She’s conveniently focused on the broadcast’s fireworks.

I did say I trusted them… Ugh.

What the hell are they plotting?