Meat was ripped apart, food noisily consumed, as the trainer in front of me messily tore into his burger.

He wasn't anyone I recognized from the games, nor was he anyone famous. He wasn't even an experienced trainer, just a guy who decided to take a year off before college to see if he could make it as a Pokémon trainer.

On practically any other day, he would have just been a face in a crowd: a person I would walk by without a second thought. However, out of every town in Sinnoh, we just happened to be in the same place at once, and somehow, Kirlia knew him personally.

"So how did you two meet, anyway?" I asked when the trainer, Chance, was between bites.

He didn't stop eating to respond. He took a big bite of his Unovan-styled meal and hummed in thought as he chewed.

In the resulting silence, my eyes flicked over to linger on Kirlia, who was sitting next to the man in our small restaurant booth. He was chewing on a fry and merrily kicking his feet back and forth.

This was the happiest I'd ever seen him.

"Oh, I met Kirlia back when he was a Ralts. He saved my life! I couldn't have become a Pokémon trainer without him."

Kirlia smiled and leaned into Chance's arm. He laughed and patted Kirlia's head.

Kirlia didn't seem to mind that Chance got a bit of ketchup in his hair. Chance didn't notice, but I was just stuck staring at this completely unexpected situation taking place in front of me.

"How did that happen? How did he save your life?" I asked.

My own food was completely untouched, already cold on the plate it was served on. Ponyta sat next to me in the booth as well with a bowl of salad of his own. He was munching on the greens while keeping an eye on Kirlia at my side.

"Well, I was trying to catch a Shinx, right?" Chance said. "But this Luxio suddenly appeared when I cornered one and got all angry at me for trying. My starter, Duskull, fainted to its Bite, leaving me completely defenseless! Kirlia, Ralts at the time, managed to swoop in and Teleport me out, then was nice enough to work with me to catch more Pokémon on the route."

I glanced over to Ponyta to share a look.

If Kirlia helped him catch Pokémon, why isn't Kirlia on his team?

"And what Pokémon were those, might I ask?" I questioned slowly.

"Oh, I only caught the strong ones, or at least the ones that had the potential to be strong. Shinx, Growlithe, and even a Zubat! It's hard to train, but Crobat can be good."

My fists clenched under the table.

"But not Ralts," I stated.

"No, not Ralts," he said.

Kirlia looked straight ahead and stared at his side of fries. That happy gleam from before seemed to have disappeared. At Chance's words, Kirlia returned to that same, serious attitude that he tended to usually have, up until Chance bumped him with his elbow and Kirlia regained his previous jovial state.

"See, you're really strong!" Chance said loudly. "You're out battling all these tough Gym Leaders and Mega Evolving and all that, but us normal folk, we can't do that." He took another bite of his meal. "I don't have your talent, Alex, so I have to carefully build my team and train them, you know? If I want to be strong, I have to make sure I only have the strongest Pokémon. A Gallade or Gardevoir are decent, but they wouldn't cut it."

"Uh huh," I responded flatly.

"Plus," Chance leaned in to whisper, as if Kirlia wouldn't hear him only a foot away. "You make it work, but Kirlia is, well, y'know."

"Know what?" I asked tersely.

"A Fairy Type."

He glanced over to where Ponyta's horn was glowing blue and looked at my Pokémon strangely. I doubted he realized that Ponyta's Confusion locking down my arm was the only thing stopping me from punching him in the face.

Chance leaned back and took another bite of his burger.

"So anyway, I explained to Ralts, or Kirlia, that I didn't want him on my team but he was a big help anyway, then continued on to Oreburgh. Arcanine and Luxray have carried me through a few Gyms, but Golbat hasn't evolved just yet. We're still working on that, you see?"

My teeth ground together in my mouth. Kirlia was silent.

"Oh, you should see Dusknoir's Ice Punch! It was super expensive to get the Reaper Cloth to evolve him, but I swear, that move could take out a Legendary—"

"Battle me," I said.

Chance gave me a funny look.

"Why? I'd lose."

"Because you don't deserve to be a Pokémon trainer," I replied.

Chance went silent at that, and stared at me strangely as he processed what I just said. His expression shifted from confusion, to surprise, to contemplation, to anger, before settling into a cold rage.

"Now, you look here—"

"No, you look here!" I slammed my hands on the table, causing all conversation in the restaurant to stop and turn our way. Ponyta was giving me a worried look, but I was too bothered to stop now.

"You want to know how I caught Kirlia?! I caught him when he was heavily injured because he was trying to get stronger! A nurse asked me to step in because a Ralts was challenging every trainer sent his way! He was battling far past what was safe, and he only stopped long enough for me to catch him at all because he lost challenging Luxio! I had to catch him to take him in for emergency treatment, his injuries were that bad!"

"I don't see how that's—"

"Shut up! You formed an emotional connection with a Pokémon, used them to benefit you, then tossed them aside once they had no use to you! Pokémon are our friends and deserve to be treated with respect, not whatever you think you're doing!"

Kirlia was staring at me with wide eyes, whereas Chance just fumed. Somewhere in my short rant I had stood up, and I was now towering over the sorry excuse for a trainer in front of me. Ponyta might not have been holding me back, but he was obviously not happy.

No sounds were present in the room. I could feel the eyes of the other diners watching us.

"I didn't come here to have you tell me how to train my Pokémon," Chance said.

"You came here because I said I'd buy you a meal. You were more motivated by that than meeting Kirlia."

I turned to Kirlia and froze when I saw him staring at the table. He refused to look up at either Chance or I, choosing to try to sit as still as possible.

He was shaking.

"Kirlia, I—"

"We'll battle," Chance interrupted. "But I want to raise the stakes of the match."

"Just say what you want," I said flatly.

I couldn't bring myself to raise my voice with the state Kirlia was currently in.

"Put your sponsorship on the line," he said.

Someone gasped in the room. I rubbed my temples.

"I don't think that's how—"

"Sponsorships count as a financial benefit, so they can be staked on a match. Most sponsors just care about having a strong representative, anyway. If not, I'm sure they can make an exception for the League's golden trainer. After all, your show battles must have made them quite a bit in ticket revenue," Chance said.

I was silent as everyone stared. Kirlia was on the verge of tears.

"Fine. I don't care. Just go. We'll battle tomorrow morning," I replied.

Chance gave me a smug grin, then stomped out of the room. Whispers echoed about as he left, leaving me, Ponyta, and Kirlia alone at the table.

Notably, Chance didn't bother to look at Kirlia when he left.

I sat back down.

"I'm sorry, Kirlia," I said while staring down at the table.

When I looked up, Kirlia was gone.

----------------------------------------

"I'm disappointed in you, Alex," Wallace said to me in my hotel room.

The rumor of what had happened in the burger joint had spread around the resort town, and, to make matters worse, someone had managed to film my argument when recording a video with a friend. That was being shared online, and I wouldn't be surprised if a recording of that Jubilife nurse berating me was going to start popping up again as well.

Wallace continued to speak as I stared at the carpet.

"Not only did you lose your anger in public, but you irreparably damaged your public image. Even more, if you win your fight tomorrow, the public might see you as bullying a weaker trainer! The only positive of this situation is that the rumors seem to be leaning in your favor, since you were admirably defending a hurt Pokémon."

"How is that a bad thing?" I asked quietly.

Steven spoke up from where he had been listening silently in the corner.

"Part of being a trainer is to be a symbol of safety. Trainers are the individuals who protect civilization from danger, their Pokémon companions at their side. It doesn't matter that you were in the right. If you lost your temper here, people might think you'd lose your temper elsewhere. Despite being a logical fallacy, people tend to truly believe in the slippery slope."

I sighed.

"Honestly, I don't care. I just want to know how Kirlia's doing, and I have no clue where he is," I mumbled.

"Don't worry. I have a handle on Kirlia right now," Steven said. "Metagross is keeping track of him to make sure he's safe. As it stands, Kirlia has found an unoccupied hotel bedroom and is sleeping there. I've quietly passed the front desk some funds to ensure that the room stays unoccupied."

"Thank you, Steven," I whispered.

Wallace chose this moment to continue his rant.

"Honestly, Alex, I think my biggest disappointment here is that you didn't act like a Fairy Type," he suddenly said.

Damn.

Stolen story; please report.

That practically brought me to tears.

"Aren't Fairy Type specialists supposed to be master tricksters? Individuals that are able to trick and fool and plan revenge in the long term? Surely you could have done something other than berate him in public."

"He was making Kirlia feel worse," I said.

"So you decided to do the same?"

I didn't have a response. I felt like my stomach was full of lead.

"I would stay to assist, but you have a battle coming up tomorrow, and I have a Contest to organize. I'm sorry, but I can't dedicate much more time to this." Wallace sighed, his arms wrapped around his waist. "Alex, you've come far as a trainer. I know you'll figure something out. Everyone has their own share of drama, yours just happened to be... public, this time around."

Wallace tried to give me a reassuring smile, but all I could do was give him a slight nod back.

Rather than leave the room through the door, Steven released Claydol to Teleport Wallace out, since, due to how charged this situation was, he couldn't be seen actually supporting me.

The public image nonsense of being a trainer was starting to get on my nerves.

At this point, my Holo Caster started to ring, and I silently dug into my bag to see who was calling.

It was Sycamore.

I grimaced.

"Hello?" I answered.

A holographic image of Sycamore appeared floating over the device. Steven remained sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Alex! I heard the news. Well, a news agency called me and told me to try to get me to answer some questions as your sponsor. I wanted to hear your side of the story before I went through with anything."

"Did you see a recording?" I asked.

Sycamore winced.

"Yes, it was online," he replied.

"Then you know what went down."

I suddenly heard a door open up from behind Sycamore, and a new figure entered the frame.

The holographic form of a balding, rotund man appeared next to the Professor.

"Aha! Alex! Just the trainer I wanted to see. I saw your burger joint meltdown. Insulting a new trainer in the middle of a low quality fast food establishment? This is the trash entertainment everyone loves to see! You really let the fool have it."

"I don't want to be talking to you right now, Xerosic."

The ex-Team Flare scientist grinned, exposing his perfect teeth.

"Oh? But I am here now, so you do not have the choice!" Xerosic cheerfully replied.

Sycamore rubbed his forehead.

"If you want, Alex," he started, "I will issue a statement of public support, so no one will question you over what just happened. If a Professor is on your side, the media will be less likely to slander you.

"I'm not sure how that works," I said.

Sycamore shrugged.

"It's how I understand it. Do you know how you plan to respond?"

I shook my head. Unexpectedly, Xerosic tried to answer for me.

"Crush him," the ex-Team Flare scientist said seriously. "Any accusations of bullying on your part would be misguided given Kirlia's history, and with the public on your side, a simple beatdown would be enough. That Chance fellow is a misguided moron if he believes he has anything to gain from your battle. Demonstrate your power, show the world your strength, and fight to win!" Xerosic paused. "For your Kirlia, of course."

Sycamore was staring at Xerosic blankly, whereas Steven actually seemed to be giving the madman's words some thought.

"He's right," Steven said.

"He is?"

"He is?"

"I am?"

"Yes," Steven replied. "You might be able to twist this to your favor. We've been looking at this the wrong way.

"Wallace and I base our appearances around acting controlled and refined, but you do not. For you, well, you aren't a controlled person. You get mad, you make dumb mistakes, you get hurt."

"Thanks," I said.

"No really, Alex, listen to me. You always try to do your best, even if your best might be a bit paranoid and lead to failure. However, you're a Fairy Type specialist. You're chaotic. You're unpredictable.

"Think about it like this: did you really lose control, or are you just harsh to your enemies? Cleanly defeat Chance, act like you're in control even with your anger, and if you demonstrate that this outburst came from a good place, I doubt anyone would be willing to put a negative spin on that."

"And this is coming from the Champion who had to step down due to negative public opinion?" Xerosic asked.

"Unlike some people, I learn from my mistakes," Steven shot back.

"Touché."

I spent a moment thinking about it, and what they were saying made sense, but none of their words actually touched on the problem I actually cared about.

"But how does this help Kirlia?" I asked.

"This may sound cruel, but that's the exact kind of attitude everyone needs to see. Kirlia included."

I frowned at Steven's sentence. Sycamore then said he'd get right on issuing a statement of support that would try to stop negative rumors, but I hardly paid attention when he hung up.

I disliked how much focus was being placed on my appearance, but I didn't have a choice in the matter since I was trying to become a Pokémon trainer. Public support was big at high levels of play, especially since major battles had audiences more often than not. As a Fairy Type specialist, I really should have put more effort into having a certain public appearance, but Kirlia was my main worry.

Pokémon Trainers were supposed to train Pokémon, not cultivate an image. I wanted to know that Kirlia would be okay.

----------------------------------------

The next morning, I went to the resort's main battlefields.

They were separated off like tennis courts and were located right near the pools. I'd imagine they were primarily here for casual battles, but for me, that wasn't the case.

When I approached, Chance was already at the field, surrounded by many bystanders and reporters as well. It seemed that having a trainer as notable as me, Sinnoh's Mega Evolution demonstrator, was causing the media to salivate at the potential story. I chalked it up as a slow news day, but, then again, all of these people were probably already here to cover the upcoming Wallace Cup.

It was just my luck that something that should have been private was being aired publicly.

There are fairies that isolate themselves from society, right? No one would think it was weird if I disappeared for a year or two, right?

A few cameras were trained on Chance, and I was able to pick up what he was saying when I approached.

"...me a hack? I train my team well. My Pokémon are strong. We're fine friends, no matter what someone as insecure as Alex might say. They're too strung up on the show battles. Sure, Alex can Mega Evolve, but what of it? I doubt they're actually that strong without it. Alex competed in show battles, not real, competitive tournament battles. Their single appearance in the Ever Grande Conference only got them into the top sixteen. Anyone can do that!"

Chance had seen me approaching, but he hadn't stopped talking. He simply gained a similar smug grin to what he had when he left the restaurant yesterday and continued to insult me to my face while the cameras recorded his words and my reaction.

I stared at him, emotionless.

"Alex, what are your thoughts in Chance's words?"

"Alex, are the allegations of show battle fixing true?"

"Alex, is it true you blackmailed Sycamore into publicly supporting you?"

The media clamored for a statement.

I wasn't a public speaker, but Steven was, so he had been able to coach me the night before. Thanks to him, I knew I couldn't say anything that could be taken out of context, I had already chosen my next words carefully before I even got here.

"All Pokémon deserve to be treated well," I stated. "All Pokémon have the potential to become strong. I will always defend Pokémon from those who don't understand."

I glared at Chance as more meaningless questions were thrown my way. He seemed amused, as if this whole situation was funny. As I strode onto the field, he did a light jog to catch up to me and talk quietly next to my ear.

"Hey, thanks for causing that scene yesterday. I'm already getting a ton of sponsorship offers if I promise to say good things about their businesses in the news. I'm not too bothered about what you said to me, too. People are entitled to their own opinions, you know? I don't want Kirlia on my team, and he seems fine on yours, so it's a non issue. Let's just treat this as a normal battle and go home a bit richer, what do you say?"

I said nothing and took a sharp left to take up a spot on the field.

Chance frowned and hurried over across from it.

Since these fields belonged to the resort, referees were provided with a fee. It seemed that someone had paid for one already, and with the number of cameras currently on us, I very much doubted any unfair ruling would happen.

Chance called out to me once we were in position.

"So, you never said what you'd want if you win or even what the rules would be! I asked for your sponsorship, but what will it be for you?"

"I want you to apologize to Kirlia," I stated.

Chance frowned.

"Yeah, but what if I put up something really valuable, just to keep it fair? Like, you make me do something really embarrassing or even give up a member of my team. Heck, you could probably claim one of my Pokémon for yourself, if you really wanted. I wouldn't be happy about giving up a strong Pokémon, but it's in your right to ask for one."

"Apologize to Kirlia when I win," I repeated.

Chance laughed.

"When you win, huh? Awfully cocky." He rubbed his chin. "So for the rules, I was thinking this would be a full team match, six on—"

"One," I said.

"Huh?"

"I only need one Pokémon to beat you."

The crowd went silent.

Chance smirked and looked over to the referee, who nodded hesitantly. The referee sent a glance for me to confirm, which I did with a nod.

"Then this will be a one on six battle between Specialist Alex and Challenger Chance," the referee yelled. "The victor will be decided once one side's Pokémon are all unable to battle. Competitors, are you ready?"

Chance laughed.

"Born ready!" he called out.

I grunted in acknowledgement.

"Then begin!"

As soon as he said that, a voice whispered in my ear. I was unsure how Steven was communicating with me like this, but I chalked it up to Psychic Type nonsense.

"Kirlia is watching. At your four o'clock."

My heart pounded. I didn't check, but I hoped this meant something to him.

Chance tossed forward a Pokéball that released a Luxray onto the field, taunting me as he did.

"So what Pokémon are you going to send out. Your Altaria? Your Mawile? If you use a Mega Evolution, a victory won't mean much."

Azumarill appeared on the field.

Unlike normal, her face wasn't angry. She didn't have the cruel-looking furrowed brows or a frown that could melt a mountain. Instead, her face was perfectly level and emotionless, but I knew she was mad.

It wasn't my place to share, but my team had heard the conversation with Chance in the restaurant from their Pokéballs. The story had deeply resonated with Azumarill, who shared a similar background to Kirlia.

"Your Water Type, huh? This'll be easy!"

Azumarill didn't have her Life Orb on, since we couldn't afford her losing any health when she attacked. Instead, wrapped around her upper arm like a bracer was her Mystic Water I had bought all the way back in Slateport.

Luxray's mouth sparked with electricity. Azumarill stayed still and brought up her arms.

She began to beat her stomach like a drum.

Clearly thinking a super effective move would mean a fast knockout, Chance called for a Thunderbolt, and every hair on Luxray's body stood on end. The air broke apart to send an Electric Type move Azumarill's way.

She didn't bother to dodge. She didn't bother to defend. Azumarill stood there and used Belly Drum, taking the damage head on.

Between the damage from Belly Drum and Thunderbolt, Azumarill was already on the verge of fainting. I gave my only command for the battle anyway.

"Aqua Jet," I ordered.

I couldn't even see Azumarill move. Belly Drum had maximized her power, which meant it was time for the show.

Luxray fainted.

More specifically, Aqua Jet brought her forward in the blink of an eye, where she crashed into Luxray and laid a fist right across its face. The sparking cat was sent flying back into the fence that isolated the field, crashing into it and falling to the ground unconscious.

Chance's eyes went wide.

"T-that's just a lucky hit! Luxray was damaged after our training yesterday, of course. Come on out, Golbat!"

Returning Luxray and sending out his next Pokémon, a large purple bat with a gaping mouth appeared in the air. It flapped its wings to maintain its height, and when the battle resumed, all Chance managed to say was "Poison Fa—" before Azumarill jumped up and punched it in the back with Liquidation.

Golbat, too, fell to the ground unconscious.

Chance grit his teeth and sent out his next Pokémon.

This time, he shouted to use his attack at the same time the ref resumed the match, meaning he actually got it off in time. His starter, a Dusknoir, caused its hand to glow white for Ice Punch, and Azumarill dashed forward.

Using her Thick Fat to her advantage, her own fist, enhanced by Liquidation, slammed into Dusknoir's fist, and there was a brief period where they almost seemed matched.

Water and Ice Type energy was sent out in waves between the two currently colliding attacks. Azumarill turned her head to stare at the center collision emotionlessly.

Dusknoir's single eye widened as it began to be pushed back.

"S-Shadow Ball!" Chance yelled.

Dusknoir pulled back it fist and opened the wide mouth on its stomach, but Azumarill disappeared before the attack could shoot out in front of it. The Ghost Type looked around, panicked, before Azumarill finished using Aqua Jet to appear right behind its head and slammed it to the ground with a Liquidation-infused punch.

The Ghost Type, too, fell to the ground unconscious.

Chance returned his Pokémon silently.

The next Pokémon he sent out, he hadn't mentioned before. This one was a Hippowdown, a Ground Type that kicked up a Sandstorm with its ability, Sand Stream.

Through the harsh weather, Azumarill knocked it out in one blow. It was vulnerable to Water Type attacks, after all.

Chance held his Pokéball in his hand without sending out his fifth.

"D-Do we really n-need to finish the battle? Why don't we call it here?" he asked.

I said nothing.

He waited a while for a response, but was forced to send out his next when the referee threatened him with disqualification. Grunting in anger, Chance sent out Arcanine.

"Extreme Speed!" he yelled before the referee even resumed the battle.

The Fire Type dog disappeared in the blink of an eye and reappeared after slamming its entire body into Azumarill. She was sent flying back and crashed into the net just like Luxray did at the start of the fight. She laid on the ground without moving. However, she was still conscious.

Azumarill was heavily injured. That first Thunderbolt had dealt super effective damage, and Belly Drum had significantly injured her. After that, combined with the chip damage from the Sandstorm kicked up by Hippowdon, she should have been unable to continue.

Still, though, Azumarill pushed to her feet.

Chance looked worried, and instead of making the smart decision and calling for another Extreme Speed, he ordered his Arcanine to do something else.

"Flamethrower, wide-ranged! Take it out!"

He was too late. Arcanine didn't even get to breathe in. Azumarill had already used Aqua Jet to slam into Arcanine and take it out.

The Fire Type fainted from that boosted super effective move, and Chance stood there with his fists clenched into white balls on his side of the field. The audience murmured as he did nothing at all, and the Sandstorm died down as we waited.

"Challenger Chance, please send out your next Pokémon," the referee called out.

Chance somehow clenched his fists even harder.

"I... can't," he responded. "I only have five Pokémon."

The audience murmuring increased even further, and the referee cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back onto him.

"Then, if Challenger Chance's team is unable to continue, the victory goes to Alex!"

There wasn't any cheering, just the sounds of the audience breaking out in furious conversation. Azumarill stayed on the field, huffing and puffing, and Chance immediately rushed out of the area.

The field suddenly became silent. I turned to the side.

Kirlia was here, staring at me.

I couldn't find any words to say, but Azumarill seemed to do that for me. Despite her heavy injuries, she stomped forward to make her way right in front of the Psychic Type. She was having trouble even standing, and her movements were extremely slow, but somehow, she had made it there without fainting.

"Tch."

Azumarill's favorite sound rang out.

Kirlia stared at Azumarill, eyes watering.

And then, Azumarill bent down to collapse into Kirlia with a hug.

Kirlia didn't know what to do at that point, simply standing there, eyes wide. His hands were held out awkwardly as Azumarill embraced him, until eventually, he hugged back.

His eyes burst into tears.

I walked over, myself.

"Kirlia," I said. "Can we talk?"

He nodded.

Kirlia held out a hand, and I kneeled down and extended mine to grab it. Space twisted around us, and no longer were we on the field, but in a random hotel bedroom I hadn't been in before.

Presumably, this was where he spent the night.

"I'm sorry," I said.

Azumarill backed up off of Kirlia to fall back into a seated position. She created a dripping Aqua Ring to start passively healing herself before closing her eyes to rest.

"I should have known you went through something like what happened with Chance, but I assumed you hadn't since you were never officially trained. To form a bond you thought was genuine with someone, only to have it have been fake all along..."

I paused.

"It's not pleasant."

Wiping my nose, I continued.

"Kirlia, I approached you with that deal when you were injured simply because I didn't know what to do. I was panicked that you were hurt, guilty I had caught you so unexpectedly, and desperate for a solution I couldn't think of. I think that such a detached way of convincing you to join me created a distance between us that I don't want to be there, so, to hell with that deal. Please. Let me ask you this:

"Kirlia, do you want to stay on the team? Because I want you to stay with us, but if you want to leave to join Chance, I understand. I bet I can use the fact I beat him to force him to—"

I was interrupted by Kirlia running forward and hugging me. For some reason, I was having trouble seeing. I wiped my eyes.

"I'm sorry for everything you went through," I mumbled. "I promise to be the best trainer I can be for you."

Kirlia nodded and we hugged for a few seconds longer, until everyone else on my team released themselves from their balls. Ninetales was the first to act, bringing her head down behind Kirlia's back to bring him forward to where everyone could reach. Mawile moved in to hug him now that there was room, followed by Ponyta leaning in with his head, and Dedenne hugging his leg. Ninetales brought her chilly tails around the group, and Altaria leaped up to land over everyone as one final fluffy cherry on top.

My Pokémon giggled at the silliness.

Kirlia sniffled and tried to wipe tears from his eyes. When everyone pulled back, he had a big smile on his face.

"I still promised you I'd make you strong, and I don't plan to back down. Whether you want to be a Gallade or Gardevoir, you're on the team no matter what, you got that?"

Kirlia nodded again, with the most emotion I'd seen on his face in months.

Things would be different for him from here on out.