The interview after the battle was much more basic than last time.
“Where have you been these last few months?”
“Training.”
“What are your thoughts on Maylene?”
“She's one of the strongest Fighting Type specialists I’ve met.”
Etcetera. Etcetera.
Maylene was more tired than I was. Somehow, she had expended more of her energy. I guessed it was probably due to the fact her Mega Pokémon actually fainted, whereas mine hadn’t, but I’d noticed that it’d been getting easier to support my Pokémon's Mega Evolution recently. I wasn’t sure if it was due to me getting closer to my team after our experiences on Iron Island, or if I was getting better at handling Mega Evolution in general.
I chalked it up to my Pokémon getting a better handle on maintaining the energy. Mega Evolution was more reliant on them, not me.
After taking a quick break to rest both before and after the interviews, Maylene and I headed up to that viewing box that hung over the arena. Honestly, I hadn't expected to see Maylene heading up here as well, but considering she kept sending smiles its way, I should have expected she had guests here, too.
Entering the room was a bit more of an ordeal than I wanted. With Maylene having guests, I should have known it would be them.
“Maylene! And Alex!”
“Pika! Pi-pi!”
Ash and Pikachu were in front of a table full of complimentary food while most of his group's Pokémon were meandering about the room. Brock was engaged in a conversation with Reggie, and Dawn was quietly talking to Piplup in her lap. She turned around to look at us when we entered.
Steven was here too, with an expression of slight amusement on his face when he saw me walking in. Ponyta was next to him, talking to Ash’s Turtwig, and around them was a series of empty seats that the “rich” members of the audience should have been occupying. They probably left once the battle had ended and once they saw that Ash and co. were sticking around.
“I can’t say I expected you to be here,” I said to Ash.
Maylene looked between Ash and I, a bit confused.
“Wait, Ash, you know Alex?” she asked.
“Yup! Alex taught me about Fairy Types and even showed me Mega Evolution back in Oreburgh! We also battled, and Turtwig lost, so I know Alex is really strong!”
He and Pikachu nodded then went back to stuffing their faces with their food. Brock let out an exasperated chuckle then walked forward.
“Maylene, do you want to share how we met, or should I?”
She looked hesitant for a second before speaking up.
“I... I’ll do it.” Maylene took a deep breath. “A few days ago, I lost a Gym Battle without fainting any of my opponent’s Pokémon. That would have been fine normally, but afterwards, the challenger called me ‘weak,’ ‘pathetic,’ and ‘the easiest Gym Leader he’d faced so far.’ I haven’t been a Gym Leader for too long, so hearing that... hurt,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Dawn helping me regain my confidence in a Gym Battle of her own, I wouldn’t have been able to perform anywhere near as well as I did today.”
I looked to Dawn, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
“No need to worry! I’m sure you would have been just fine!” Dawn said.
“You were a big help, Dawn. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Dawn and Maylene gave each other a big smile, but I was more focused on the event Maylene just described.
“How many days ago was this?” I asked.
“Four,” Maylene said. “Why?”
I winced and looked over to Reggie, who grimaced. Apparently, he was already aware of the conclusion I just reached.
“So, Paul might have been in a bad mood because of me,” I said.
Almost everyone turned their heads to face me, shocked. Steven already knew, and Reggie also didn’t act surprised, displaying a small, sad smile on his face instead.
“I didn’t tell them because I thought you’d appreciate the privacy, Alex," Reggie said. "But, yes, Alex was the trainer I mentioned that Paul became worked up over. I didn’t expect him to take it out on you, Maylene, so I apologize on my brother’s behalf.”
“No, it’s fine!” Maylene said quickly. “It wasn't pleasant, but I needed a wake-up call eventually. I had a bunch of lingering doubts from becoming a Gym Leader recently, and even though what he said hurt, it at least let me get back into my normal state of mind.”
“Being a leader is always stressful,” Steven suddenly added. “Many Hoenn Gym leaders had their own set of doubts when they were first elevated to that position, especially Flannery. If you wish, I could inquire if she'd be willing to talk to you so you can make a friend going through a similar circumstance to you?”
Maylene looked shocked, but after considering it, sent a smile and nod his way.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
She tilted her head in a bow towards Steven, but he just held up his hands and laughed.
"It's no problem at all! I might not be Hoenn's Champion any more, but I still feel a duty to the leaders there. I imagine Flannery will be overjoyed to make a friend like you." He stopped for a moment to hum in thought. "Now that I think about it, Brawley might also be interested in talking to a fellow Fighting Type specialist."
“Wait a second! If Paul beat Alex, he’s stronger than I thought, right?” Ash suddenly said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“See, if Alex beat me, and if Alex is beating Gym Leaders’ personal teams, then if Paul beat Alex... Paul is stronger than me?”
Ash didn’t seem happy with the conclusion he made. I personally was just surprised at the level of logic he applied.
“Probably,” I said honestly. Ash frowned at my response. “Paul’s been training for almost as long as you, with the only major differences between you being that he hasn't taken on the Battle Frontier."
Reggie visibly winced at that.
"I disagree with some of his training methods and his almost detached connection to his team members," I continued, "but that style does tend to work for him.”
Ash’s Chimchar, who I had forgotten was in the room, jumped up on the back of a seat and hopped up and down while holding on with its arms. It then shouted its name in annoyance and jumped over to land and hang on Ash’s arm affectionately.
“Yeah, Chimchar’s right!" Ash said loudly. "Just because Paul has a strategy that works for him, doesn’t mean we’re weaker than him! Just you watch, Alex, next time I see Paul, I’m going to challenge him and beat him in a Pokémon battle!”
Ash’s Pokémon all cheered, and the sudden noise surprised Ponyta when Turtwig suddenly shouted right next to him. My Pokémon ambled over to me, so I bent down to pat his head.
“So then, you’re going to Pastoria next, right Ash?” I asked. “And Dawn, you’ll be competing in the Wallace Cup along the way, too?”
Ash just gave me a wide grin at mentioning Pastoria, but Dawn looked genuinely confused.
“The Wallace Cup?” she asked.
I had a brief moment of panic when she asked that, thinking I had messed up the timeline somehow when Dawn didn’t know about the Wallace Cup. Then, I realized I was really stupid, and I had just brought it up before it was supposed to come up in their journey.
“Yeah, the Wallace Cup,” I said. “It’s an annual Contest tournament hosted by Wallace that takes place in different locations around the world. This year, it’s taking place on Lake Valor. It’s a little different since the ribbon the victor earns there can be used to enter any Grand Festival, not just the upcoming one in Sinnoh. I imagine the competition might be tougher than a usual Contest due to that.”
“Huh,” Dawn said. “I'm definitely going to do that. Hear that, everyone? Looks like we have some prep work to do!”
Her Pokémon cheered, just like Ash’s Pokémon had done moments before. Brock let out a sigh.
“Well, with our travel plans suddenly made, I think it’s time to head out,” Brock said. “We need to go to bed now if we’re to head out tomorrow.”
“But there’s still so much food left!" Ash objected.
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Brock laughed.
“Don’t worry, Ash. I can make you something when we get back.”
Ash pumped his fist, then headed out with the rest of his friends, Maylene tagging along behind them. Only Steven and Reggie were left in the room with me.
“I should head out, too,” Reggie said. “I have Pokémon to take care of back in the ranch. Before I go, however, I have a question to ask you, Alex. It’s been bothering me for a few days now.”
He pressed his lips together and paused before he asked it. He seemed a bit nervous, for a reason I couldn't tell.
“Did you know who I was before Paul brought you over? You said my name before either of us introduced me.”
Oh, shit.
“I, uh—”
“I actually told Alex about you. There’s no need to cover for my slip up, Alex,” Steven interrupted.
Both Reggie and I send him a confused look. After doing so, I forcibly schooled my expression to act as though what Steven was saying was the truth.
“We talked about a few trainers I had fought in the past. With Veilstone being nearby, your name came up. I had no clue Alex would ever meet you, and I deeply apologize for that slip of privacy.”
My head was spinning, although I wasn’t showing it.
Steven fought Reggie?
Reggie seemed to calm down at that, at least, Steven’s cover story working perfectly to convince him.
“That makes sense. Our battle wasn’t really a secret, anyway.”
“It might not have been official, but chance encounters can occasionally lead to the most interesting of developments,” Steven said.
He gave me a knowing look.
“Then, I need to head out. It was nice seeing you two again, and Alex, I’m sorry again about Paul.”
We said our goodbyes, and the moment Reggie was out of the room, I collapsed into one of the free chairs.
“Holy shit. Thank you,” I said.
Steven gave me a calm nod.
“Phoebe drilled me on how to forge a cover story many times before I left Hoenn. When it comes to informational security, she’s the best, although she might not look like it.”
“That’s kind of the point though, isn’t it?”
Steven laughed.
“Indeed. So, now that everyone else is gone, I have a question for you, myself. What plans do you have next for Sinnoh?”
I groaned.
“Unfortunately, I think I’m going to be following Ash’s path for a bit. That’s down to Pastoria then up to Hearthome, Solaceon, then Celestic. I’ll try to diverge after Pastoria and use Altaria to cut over the swamp straight to Hearthome, but with the chaotic route Ash usually travels, I'm not sure if that'll work. At least, I'll need to head to Eterna City before I go to Snowpoint, which should hopefully be enough of a difference that I won't encounter him until my show battle up north.”
Saying that out loud, I suddenly realized an unhappy coincidence. I rubbed my temples.
“Goddamnit, Sycamore.”
“What happened?”
“The three scheduled show battles just happen to perfectly line up with Ash’s journey," I said. "If I met him in Oreburgh and Veilstone, I have no doubts I’m going to meet him in Snowpoint as well.”
Steven chuckled.
“That actually brings me to the point I was going to bring up. If you are going to be traveling in the same direction as Ash, why don’t we travel together for a short while?”
“What?”
A cool grin appeared on his face.
“Just until Pastoria, where you said you would split off. I have mostly been on my own this whole time, but it is much more interesting to travel with different companions occasionally. Also, traveling with an ex-Champion would surely reduce the danger of the trek, if you need any convincing.”
“No, you don't need to convince me," I said. "I'm just surprised you offered at all. What brings this on?”
“Oh, not much. Just if we’re traveling the same direction, why not do so together?”
He definitely had another angle, but I was too surprised to find it. Definitely, it had to do with Ash, but what exactly, I didn’t know.
So I agreed to his offer, and the next day, after exchanging some of my Pokémon and teaching more TMs to others, Steven and I set out southwards towards Lake Valor, where the Wallace Cup was soon to be held.
----------------------------------------
Steven and I didn't wear our usual outfits when we left. I was becoming more and more known, and Steven, as the previous Champion of Hoenn alongside all his other titles, would be recognized in a flash.
Instead, we both donned black sunglasses to hide our faces while slightly changing our outfits. For me, I simply didn't wear my coat, vest, or jacket, choosing to have a solid colored turtleneck that was meant to normally be an underlayer to go with accessories. Steven wore an outfit that would have fit more in a tunnel than anything else, consisting of heavy pants tucked into black boots and a thick, long sleeved shirt over his chest.
No one spared us a second look as we left Veilstone, allowing us to make it a ways south of the city before anything happened.
"So how about a battle?” Steven proposed.
“We’re not even a mile out from Veilstone and you already want to battle? I mean, not only that, but you have the team of someone who used to be a Champion. You can't seriously expect my Pokémon to put up a fight."
In response, Steven tutted, almost dismissively.
"The goal of battling a trainer with strong Pokémon isn't to win, but to learn and experience how a more experienced team fights. But no, I do not mean a battle between our entire teams. A new Pokémon joined me on the route before Veilstone. I've been training her as much as I can, but she needs more practice."
That was unexpected to me. Steven's team was so famous that I had never even considered him making any additions or changes.
"Really?" I asked. "What Pokémon is it?"
"Scyther. Armaldo has been a big help training her due to their similarities in form."
I hummed at that proposal. With what he was saying, I'd get the chance to battle a Champion-tier Pokémon before it became Champion-tier, although it would undoubtedly be difficult with his level of skill. It'd be a tough fight, but just like how this would be a good experience for his Pokémon, it would be a wonderful one for mine.
"You're trying to get a Kleavor," I suddenly realized.
Steven smiled.
"Yes. You've finally figured out my clue about the Black Augurite, then?"
I shook my head as we continued to walk.
"No, I forgot you mentioned it, actually. It just made sense for you to aim for Kleavor with The Underground opening up with Hisuian biomes. I'm not even sure how Black Augurite is even relevant."
"You don't know?" he asked.
"No, I don't."
"Black Augurite is used to evolve Scyther into Kleavor."
I hummed in response.
"I guess I should have got that sooner. While I'm kind of aware of old Hisuian Pokémon, I don't really know how most of those Pokémon evolve. I never had a chance to play the Hisui game due to, well, you know."
He nodded.
"Then let us find a place to battle."
It was easy to find a spot: there was a wide enough space on a nearby hill. Steven preemptively sent out Claydol to create some barriers, and, seeing that, I sent out Carbink to do the same. With their frequent use of Reflect and Light Screen, protecting the field would be good practice for them and would help Claydol as well. As a non-Psychic Type, Carbink wasn't able to cover as much as Claydol, however, but they could potentially learn an insight or two from a Pokémon as strong as it.
"So how about we make this more interesting?" Steven called out before sending out his Pokémon. "The winner gets the chance to head on their own temporarily, while the loser has to continue to follow Ash?"
I practically sputtered at his words.
"If you needed a break, you could have just asked!" I accused. "Argh, I knew it! You did have an angle for this! No wonder you're wearing a miner's outfit."
Steven sent me a perfectly innocent look, undoubtedly one he had practiced with the help of Phoebe.
"I don't know what you mean, Alex. I simply saw this as a chance for a break from Ash's antics and to head to The Underground."
I wanted to curse, but at the same time, Steven genuinely deserved this chance.
"Fine, but with one change: the loser gets to head off! Making it the winner just means you'll leave if you crush me."
Steven, holding a Pokéball in a hand, drummed his fingers over its surface in thought.
"That would be quite the dilemma. I would lose my record of winning all battles challenged to me, but I'd get to spend some time underground in exchange."
"This feels like quite a big set up to just immediately ditch me, too," I commented.
Steven blinked at my comment and frowned.
"Alex, while I could if I really wanted to, I don't plan to spend my entire time underground. I'd still need to travel to keep an eye on Ash, so it'd only be a few hours at a time at most. We'd still be traveling together the rest of the time here."
"...I mean, I guess that makes sense. I don't get anything if I win, though."
"Hmm. Perhaps if you win, I will leave a member of my team with you each time I leave? That would give you a companion to train your team while providing me an easy marker to have Claydol return to."
I purposely didn't mention how he was setting things up for only one possibility in our battle. It was a child's "I win, you lose," trick, just reversed due to my comment earlier. It wouldn't matter, however, because if Steven was using a new Pokémon, I would be sure to try as hard as we could to win.
"You'd really do that?" I asked.
"Of course! It wouldn't do to ask to travel with you then leave you completely alone."
"Then I guess it's time to battle, then," I said.
"So it seems. Let us begin."
Steven tossed forward the ball he was holding while I unclipped and threw forth the Fast Ball that had been on my waist.
Like he said, a Scyther appeared on the field, the great green bug digging its scythed hands into the dirt and grass while flapping its wings. Across from it, my team member, the tiny yellow rodent, Dedenne, appeared as well.
“Dedenne, you’re fighting a Pokémon that’s partnered with an ex-Champion, so get ready for a tough fight!”
His fur bristled with excitement at those words, causing me to start to worry that I was getting another Azumarill on my team.
I mean, Kirlia was already basically filling that role.
“Charm and paralyze, Dedenne!” I called out.
“Swipe,” Steven calmly ordered.
Dedenne scurried forward at Scyther, keeping his eyes locked onto his opponent while making his face as cute as possible. Scyther took to the air in response, not necessarily flying into the sky, but hovering a few inches over the ground to make it so that as it flew forward, it rapidly built up momentum.
Even with Dedenne trying to use Charm, Scyther seemed basically unaffected, simply letting one of its scythes drag along the ground, slicing up the dirt and not even slowing it down due to its sharpness.
With the slicing arm hurtling his way, Dedenne was forced to leap to the side to narrowly avoid it. Scyther then curved in the air behind him and lifted up its other appendage to swipe horizontally rather than vertically, but Dedenne was able to jump and dodge with a squeak.
“If it's too hard to get close, try getting it from range!” I suggested with a shout.
Steven, too, gave his Pokémon an order.
“X-Scissor.”
Scyther, looping around once more, crossed its bladed arms over one another to ready an attack. Dedenne, seeing this coming, preemptively burst with a Thunder Shock, catching Scyther with a charge of lightning that it simply powered through.
Without delay, the Bug Type slashed forward and hit Dedenne right where it's two arms interected, unfortunately dealing critical damage with an X-scissor straight through the electricity and sending Dedenne flying backward.
Dedenne, now rather wounded from that singular attack, pushed to his feet. As he did so, I made out a thin, red X-shape carved into his fur on his chest.
Steven said he had just caught Scyther before Veilstone. The power it already wielded proved his skill as a trainer.
"Dedenne, you have to slow its movements. You know what to do."
Dedenne, even with his practice, didn't exactly have that much Electric Type energy at his command. His stores were growing, though they weren't quite there, which meant he just needed to rely on his trickery even more.
Steven called for another X-Scissor from Scyther, and this time, Dedenne used a move that was less about damage and more about effect.
The moment Scyther began to approach Dedenne, he used Electroweb to send forward a net of electricity that landed on Scyther's body and jumbled its wings. While the attack didn't necessarily cause Scyther to crash and fall, it was forced to land and hop a few times to recover into a run that was a bit slower than what it could do normally.
"Use Charge and stay next to it!" I yelled.
"Break out with Steel Wing," Steven ordered.
Dedenne built his energy as Scyther got close, charging his electricity to temporarily reach an amount that exceeded his usual charge. Scyther's wings glowed while it ran, illuminating that part of its body with Steel Type energy.
Flapping with Steel Wing, Electroweb broke, freeing it of the slowing effect. Dedenne had timed this perfectly, moving forward to be right next to Scyther the moment it escaped. Bewildered by bungled timing, Scyther clumsily tried to swing its scythes at him, but Dedenne was able to use Endure to withstand this set of X-Scissor quite easily and position himself just right for his next attack.
It was now or never.
"Do it!" I yelled.
Jumping into the air, Dedenne squeezed his body and let out as much electricity as he could. The Discharge burst out from him, and thanks to the Charge from earlier, it was even more powerful than he could do normally.
Scyther took the full blast from the attack due to its position right next to him. The Bug and Flying Type took super effective damage, and despite trying its best to act unaffected like it had done twice before, it just ended up falling to the ground, extra crispy.
Claydol and Carbink removed the barriers. Dedenne stood on the grass, panting heavily.
My heart was pounding.
"Did we just win?" I asked, mumbling in shock more than anything else.
"Indeed," Steven said. He brought up his hands to give me a slow clap. "Scyther and I have worked on her speed and resistance, but I suppose dodging still needs development."
He hummed. Dedenne took up a victory pose and chittered happily.
"Well, congratulations, Alex, Dedenne. I underestimated you and most likely should have had Scyther prepare herself initially with Agility and Swords Dance. Alas, that mistake cost us the battle, so—"
"Goddamnit," I cursed.
Scyther pushed to her feet and walked over to Steven. She chirruped and pushed her head into his hand, where he patted her affectionately.
"I believe as the loser, I will head out. Claydol will stay here for now, to help with Carbink's training like they were already doing, and Metagross will contact them when I am about to return."
He reached into his pocket to pull out a Pokéball to send out his Armaldo, which then hurriedly dug into the ground to make a deep tunnel that led downwards.
"I'll be back soon. We will talk later!"
I was left there, gaping at the open hole with Dedenne similarly shocked in front of me. The hole closed behind Steven, hiding his descent down. With him gone, the duty of following Ash to ensure nothing too bad happened was left to me.
"This is not how I pictured today would go," I grumbled.
Dedenne squeaked in agreement.