“So um,” Morgan asks, sitting upon a metal garden chair designed to look like tangling vines, “Where the heck did you pull this stuff from?”

Diantha just smiles as she prepares a pot of tea on a hot plate, upon the garden table she had popped into existence. The other woman, who had begrudgingly introduced herself as Daciana when the battle was over, sits stoically beside her, eyes closed in thought. Gardevoir, curiously, also is seated upon one of the chairs, humming away as she happily stares out at the field of flowers.

Cappuccino, who had been healed (though she wasn’t really all that hurt in the first place), runs around the field, trying to catch Eve as she playfully dashes away whenever the chinchilla would get close. For once Chamomile isn’t on my head, instead opting to rest on top of Daciana’s Abomasnow, who quietly sits without a word beside its trainer. Finally, and the pairing that has my distinct attention, is Tinder and Cider.

Floating lazily in the air, the pair’s eyes glow a faint pink hue as they slowly and clumsily chase each other in a strange mirror of the older Pokemon’s game, just in a 3D environment. Tinder suddenly does a loop, booping her friend on the head, snickering as she hides in Morgan’s bag. Cider grumpily flops into my lap, where I can’t help but smile as I pet its little head as it shares its childlike frustration.

After all, Cider was the first pokemon that I’ve truly connected with.

When Morgan had come walking up with Tinder last night, a deep connection having formed between them after just a few minutes of knowing each other, I was admittedly pretty envious. I made an earnest plea to the cute girl to tell me how she did it, and to be fair, she immediately went into excruciating detail about how it worked. I only really caught part of it, mainly about how you needed to open your heart to them, to let them willingly connect.

I hadn’t really understood until I stood holding the little one in my hands after it battled so hard to see if I was truly worthy of it. It wasn’t strong, at least in the conventional sense, but the little trooper had ripped open the doors to my soul with only its two little paws.

At that moment, I was nearly overwhelmed by flashes of Cider’s memories and emotions, but something became abundantly clear very quickly. Our goals were the same; I wished to get strong while traveling and protect Morgan as much as possible, He wished to grow beside Tinder while keeping her safe in the process. United in purpose, that golden string of light I had seen between others tied us together from now into the future.

It was exhilarating.

At once, both of us gained power, both tangible and otherwise. Where Cider once had difficulty floating and moving at the same time with its Extrasensory, it now (albeit still clumsier than Tinder) can easily maneuver as if it had done it all its life. On the other end, I now was able to actively perceive the bonds that I was only able to see for just a moment before.

And boy, were the three women sitting with me interesting.

For one, Daciana, the woman I still didn’t know much at all, and her pokemon had a rather strange knot in the middle of their connection, and the shade of either side was a teeny bit different then the other. It was almost like they had been cut short or something, so they compensated to make it work regardless.

Diantha and her Gardevoir, on the other hand, seemingly had made the connection multiple times. There were at least three separate lines, each individually wrapping around their souls a few times to form a sort of web. It made me wonder, if I found additional purposes, would I be able to form a true connection with Chamomile and Cappuccino?

Morgan, of course, in the end was the one who really kept drawing my attention. Her bond with Eve was almost… too much. The bond completely wrapped their souls in a kind of golden cocoon, a thick woven rope nearly perfectly taut between them. Yet eerily concerning is, from Morgan’s side a murky black substance slowly drips down the line towards Eve’s, which greedily absorbs the goop like a delicious drink.

Putting that aside for now, our bonds with Cider and Tinder weren’t anything special. They wrap around once with a thin thread, seemingly fragile enough to snap with just a touch. I had no doubt that over time they’d get stronger, but for now I needed to remember to take good care of them.

Taking a deep breath, I let my affection for the Cyndaquil in my lap flow. Cider perks up, his back flaring with flame that is strangely, not that hot. It was uncomfortable, like a dry summer day, but not distinctly painful to the skin like you’d expect it to be. Sure, a tingly feeling lingered on my skin afterwards, but it was worth it for the pets.

“Here you go, you two, it’s hot, don’t drink it too fast.” Diantha places a plate with a cup and spoon in front of Morgan and I, then sighs as she takes a seat. “Oh, right, you might not like straight tea. Fantasia, if you’d please.”

Rolling her eyes, the Gardevoir waves her hand, and two small jars pop into existence. Curious, I open one to find sugar cubes within, the other apparently containing milk which Morgan doesn’t hesitate to pour into her cup. I shrug, taking a sip without either. It’s a nice, deep black tea.

“I’m used to it personally,” I mutter, a faint sense of nostalgia filling me as I look out at the meadow blowing in the wind, “Reminds me of home.”

Daciana snorts, dropping three cubes of sugar into her drink, “You’re my age, stop talking like an old woman.”

I giggle, rubbing Cider’s little head. “Maybe, both of the places I lived had a bunch of old women around, so perhaps it was osmosis.”

Daciana groans a raspberry after taking a sip, leaning back in her chair.

“Arceus, now I feel kinda bad about what I said earlier,” The woman admits, rubbing the back of her head, “You two seem so normal for a pair that raided a Pokemon Center.”

“I personally don’t understand why everywhere doesn’t do things like the regions around the Indigo League,” Morgan mutters, hiding her expression behind her cup, “Having the shops be in the center is just asking for shenanigans like what happened that night.”

Diantha sighs, taking her Holo-caster out of her purse as she begins to shoot off a bunch of messages.

“The Joy clan in that area of regions is the main branch, and they have been governmental institutions there for a long, long time.” Diantha grimaces as her phone beeps a few times, and she vigorously begins to type again. “Outside of that specific few regions, there are splinters of the family that each run the Pokemon Centers in their own way.”

A frustrated look on her face, Diantha slams her phone into her purse, then angrily takes a sip as she calms down a bit.

“Originally, our branch worked in a similar way to the Indigo Joys, mostly funding them with subsidies, but a while back they incorporated and merged with the Poke-mart brand to form the Pokemon Centers we know today,” Diantha states, then continues, “From experience, they aren’t particularly fun to work with.”

I pick up the spoon from my plate, then begin to twirl it around in my fingers until I mess up, sending it flying. Fantasia scowls at me, catching it midair and poofing it into nothing somehow. I look up to see all three other women looking at me with a variety of expressions.

“I uh,” I stammer, mind rushing to find something to say, “It’s really an honor to meet you Miss Diantha.”

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All three women giggle and I feel my face heat up, but I quickly decide to wear it with pride.

“Sorry, been on my mind since you showed up,” I admit with a crooked smile, “I wore that famous bun you popularized a decade ago for a few years.”

Diantha breathes from her nose, a small smile appearing on her face.

“That’s honestly a refreshing first,” The former champion says playing with the bow on the end of her hair, “Usually people say how I’m the reason they started battling or began acting or whatever.”

Daciana rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms and says: “You do know that’s basically bragging about your status right?”

“Maybe, but it’s not like you can deny it.” Diantha chuckles, turning her cup a bit in her hands. “I’ll take what I can get, Miss Snowbelle.”

Morgan and I share a look, and I lean forward a bit to lean on the table.

“On that note, Daciana,” I start before asking, “Are you the Gym Leader in Snowbelle?”

The woman in question smirks, then nods.

“Yup. Took over when dad retired.” She raises her hand, pointing backwards with her thumb at the Abomasnow wearing a Petilil hat. “Windsor over there was his, but he didn’t want to stop battling, so now he’s my partner.”

I tap the table, looking down at Cider.

“Well, I guess you’d be our next gym then, but…” Looking up at Diantha, I frown. “What does going to the league exactly entail?”

The former champion shrugs, refilling her cup a bit.

“I’ll teleport you to the castle town, where we’ll schedule a meeting with the champion,” Diantha casually declares, “You’ll probably have to wait around a bit, but the place is pretty well populated and has a lot of amenities despite not being a true city in the government’s eyes.”

“W-Wait,” Morgan stutters out, pale as a sheet, “We have to meet Serena?”

Diantha nods, taking a sip.

“Yup, she’s a bit of a character, so prepare yourself for that.” The former champion’s eyes shift around a little bit as she thinks. “You’re probably both gonna have to become a league trainer to continue the circuit, though you have a few options of which type to become”

“Can you um, elaborate on that?” I anxiously pet Cider, who radiates a bit of sleepy contentment at the feeling. “I was aware that league trainers existed, but not there there were different roles.”

Diantha sighs, raising up her hand to look at her nails, then extends her pointer finger.

“First you have the state-sponsored trainers, who are the ones who we rely upon to advertise the circuit by running through it year after year. Unfortunately, probably not an option for you.” Next, she extends her middle finger. “Second are officials, who we can actually just give orders to for various things. They’re basically lackeys.”

“You can become a gym trainer, if one of the leaders is willing to take you. I know for certain there are at least four or five that would be willing.” Diantha grins as she sides eyes Daciana, who simply grunts in response. “That’d require you to dedicate yourself to a type of pokemon, so it’s a bit drastic, but we always need more.”

I blink, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, but I didn’t see Viola having any trainers in her gym?”

Daciana is the one to respond, “She’s a bit crazy, she doesn’t delegate at all since she loves teaching so much. Most places separate the duties so they don’t get overworked.”

Daciana snickers, then leans down on her fist.

“Continuing on, the most famous ones are of course, the Aces,” Daciana flippantly notes, “They sort of do the same thing as the state-sponsored peeps, but they have a responsibility to keep the area they’re in safe for others as well. It’s a bit of an unbalanced role, they usually gather in eastern Kalos since the gyms are a bit more difficult.”

“That’s a gross oversimplification of their jobs, but it’ll work for now. They aren’t really an option for the same reason as the first, you just don’t have the experience for it.” Diantha puts her cup down, a serious look on her face. “The reality is, you only really have the last three as good options to choose from.”

I gulp as she continues, and I catch Morgan sharing a glance with Eve as well.

“If you manage to convince Serena of your good intentions, she can hire you directly.” The former champion taps her chin, looking down at her cup. “I never did it myself, but you’d end up as her subordinate, and if you prove yourself strong enough, there is even a chance you could become a member of the Elite Four.”

Diantha sighs, then continues her explanation, “Next is, interestingly enough, becoming a Professor’s assistant. I’ll have you know, it’s a role I can actually guarantee if you want it.”

That takes me a bit off guard, and is immediately the option I figure we’d be the most interested in. To my surprise, however, Morgan doesn’t seem too happy with it, as she frowns and taps the table.

“Maybe, if the last one isn’t good,” She mutters, “I’m not particularly impressed by their decisions for who to sponsor this year.”

“To be fair, Miss Morgan, those three are sponsored by Professor Sina and Dexio,” The former champion responds, “You’d be working directly for Professor Sycamore.”

That seems to perk Morgan up, who’s eyes go a bit wide at the name, “Really? Isn’t he the guy specializing in Mega Evolution?”

Diantha smiles and nods, her demeanor relaxing a bit. “We’re old friends, so I can pressure him for the role, and I know he has openings. That’s beyond the point though, so let me explain the last one.”

Clearing her throat, the former champion regains her elegant poise.

“Finally, you could create an official ‘Team’ with me as the one vouching for you, tying it to the league itself through the champion’s decree.” She says, a bit of reluctance in her tone.

A few different things run through my mind, but the primary question slips out before I can stop it.

“Like Galactic or Flare?” I bite my tongue at the severe reaction Diantha and Daciana show to the question, but continue regardless. “How does that work?”

Taking a deep breath, the Former champion looks out at the sprawling field of black and red, a deep regret on her face.

“When Flare was rising, their leader and one of my closest associates conspired together in tandem to pass a bill that allowed for ‘trainer organizations’ to function as official league entities. It allowed them to do everything they did with the league’s name, and we couldn’t even prosecute their members for it.” Putting her face into her hands, Diantha’s voice is shaky. “I signed it without even looking at it twice, and it still stands today as a symbol of my ineptitude.”

Morgan looks away from the table, apparently thinking about the option harder than I imagined she would as her nails begin to dig into her skin. I reach over, taking her hand and stealing her attention as I unclench them. When her gray eyes turn to look into mine, they display her indecision plain.

“We’ll think about the options,” I blurt, squeezing my friend’s hand, “Can you give us a bit to decide?”

Daciana is the one to respond, giving a curt nod. “Yeah, you have until that meeting to decide. For now, can you give us a moment? Go play with your friends for a bit or something.”

I don’t hesitate, pulling Morgan behind me as I walk us to the edge of the clearing, a few dozen feet away from the table. She follows obediently, her cute little head lost in thoughts as she so often was. I stop, take a look behind us to see the two women quietly talking among each other, then pull Morgan into a hug. She squeaks, turning red and staring up at me with wide doe eyes.

I can’t help but chuckle. “Wanna share your thoughts on all this?”

Morgan bites her lip, then says:

“I’m not sure, all three seem doable.” Morgan hides her face by looking away. “I don’t mind the professor assistant role if it’s to Sycamore, since I am interested in Mega Evolution myself.”

“It’s okay in my opinion, but what about becoming Champion Serena’s subordinates?” I scratch the girl on the head, and I feel Morgan calm down a bit. “It was kinda vague, but working directly for the strongest trainer in the region seems like a really good way to get powerful ourselves.”

Morgan sighs, turning her body in my arms to look out at the meadow.

“The knowledge that it’s not guaranteed makes me question if it will even happen, and the vagueness does concern me,” She whispers, her warm breath on my arms, “ But I’d be willing if she does offer and we agree on it over the other two.”

I nod, wetting my lips before asking the big question.

“What about the team thing?” I squeeze Morgan a bit, bitter memories flooding back. “It’s a bit, how you say, disconcerting as an option, especially with how Diantha reacted to offering it.”

Morgan nods, looking up to me with a small smile.

“It might have bad connotations for now,” She says, her tone warm and caring, “But we could maybe change that. We can turn it into something that had a terrible start only to turn it into something that gives people hope.”

I nod reluctantly, then sink my face into the girl’s hair.

“I don’t know, Morgan, I get what you're saying, but it just…” I sigh, then turn my head to look out at the flowers. “It'd be a bit of an undertaking, to be sure. If that’s what we decide on, I’m fine with it, I think.”

Morgan pokes me in the stomach, squinting at me. “Don’t force yourself to accept that just because you wanna stay with me. If you want other options, we’ll go with those.”

I shake my head, finding a smile spreading across my face from her lecture.

“Nah, it’s really not like that, I think it’s a great idea.” I smack my lips, taking a step away so that I can really think about something other than her. “We should make our decision carefully though, over the time that we have.”

Morgan grins, giving me a thumbs up before Eve ambushes her and knocks her onto the ground. I can’t help but giggle as the two wrestle around as they often do, leading to Cappuccino running up to lecture them as she cleans off the dirt that had covered the two. Tinder and Cider float over, squealing as they drop onto the pile themselves. I shrug, then rush forward to join as well. Beneath the evening sun, we happily play with our Pokemon in that pile, the ominous flowers just a few feet away.

We had an important decision to make, but we had time. I knew we’d make the right one.