The Eon Academy [S.S. Wishmaker Side-Story]

[[Desolate Divine]]

Season 5 Episode 9: Redemption

Spoiler:

“Is everything alright?” Abbee asked Jon nervously, as she sat in the lounge of the staff lodge with the rest of the on-site staff members. Like herself, all had received a message from Jon that evening, telling them to meet with him there at eleven. Dylan was scheduled to be starting his watch, however Jon had told him Latios would handle it whilst he spoke with them.

“Everything’s fine,” Jon said casually. “That’s why I’m here…”

It was Wednesday of the tenth week of summer, a little under two weeks since Charlotte’s disastrous date with Cole, and Abbee, Chris and Cassandra’s subsequent revenge. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to all present that Chris now was speaking to Abbee on the same terms he was prior to when they started dating during their second summer, as if nothing had happened, and even more surprising was the fact that he and Cassandra actually seemed to be getting along. Nobody seemed able to get a straight answer out of the three of them as to what had happened, not even Dylan, who was unused to Abbee keeping secrets from him, though assured him that there was nothing to be concerned about, simply that she had promised a friend she wouldn’t speak of it.

The biggest change however, was Jon. During the Saturday of the sixth week of summer, Jon had attended an appointment with his specialist in order to begin taking anticonvulsant medication, in order to prevent his seizures. He had been given a dosage to take, and ordered to take it for two weeks, monitoring any seizures he may have. At the time, it seemed like it was doing nothing, as for the next two weeks, Jon’s seizures continued, growing more frequent at the same rate they had been all summer. Two weeks after that initial appointment, Jon attended another, where the dosage was increased. And thankfully, the increase in dosage seemed to have worked. It had been a few days shy of a fortnight since Jon had a seizure, something that had been unheard of since the beginning of summer, and Jon seemed optimistic that he may have them under control now that he was medicated for it. Whilst there were side effects, such as nausea, it was extremely minor, which was attributed to the two weeks of low dosage, as his body got used to the presence of the medication.

“Fact is, even though I haven’t missed a class, or been absent for nearly two weeks, there’s still this haze over the place,” Jon explained. “The students are still walking on eggshells, and I don’t blame them. Nearly half the summer has passed since they found out the truth, and most of that, they’ve been seeing me disappearing, and sometimes even seeing these fits happening…”

There was a murmur of agreement from all present, as Jon continued.

“Until now, I haven’t been in a position to do anything about it. It was all I could do to keep things running smoothly,” Jon continued. “So now that I have a bit less on my plate, I was thinking it might be a good time to do something fun and exciting, and try to raise morale…”

“Could we do another prom?” Justin asked. “Last summer we were here, the students seemed to enjoy that…”

“They were laughing at you and Candice dancing,” Chris interjected, as Justin rolled his eyes, and Abbee couldn’t help but laugh. Jon grinned, thankful, despite the butting of heads he had seen amongst his staff this year, that things seemed to have sorted themselves out.

“If we had more time, I’d say yes, but I don’t think we could pull it off. We’ve got a little over two weeks left of summer, and double the students we had then. We’d need more time to prepare,” Jon answered, as Justin nodded in understanding. “That, and I don’t want the prom to become a staple, because if we aren’t in a position to do it next year, I don’t want students thinking they are missing out on something that really, is just an extra…”

“Could we come up with another Shadowcraft game?” Cassandra asked, looking to Willow. “The first one went down well…”

“I’m game,” Willow answered. “And I think between the four of us, we could come up with a few ideas…”

“Count me in!” Jarena said enthusiastically. Last time Cassandra and Violet came up with a game, Jarena had been scheduled to help Justin get students to quieten down that evening, and as such, was resting that afternoon in preparation. Once she heard what the game had entailed, she had been eager to be involved in another.

“I have another idea,” Abbee added. “Something we can do in addition to that…”

Abbee realised quickly all eyes were now on her, and attempted to keep her composure.

“When Victini and I thought we had a way to force you to let him battle Scizor, the thought of there being an S.S. Wishmaker Grudge Match seemed to get them all excited,” Abbee explained. “I mean, we managed to get nearly a hundred and seventy students to keep that training session free to take to the stands when given the signal…”

Jon grinned.

“Is this your way of trying to give Victini his grudge match?”

“Well you said yourself, I’ve got a little over two weeks to get Victini that win, and I know you want to give Victini the chance, you just want to make sure he has earned it,” Abbee explained. “I think that if I were to challenge you, be it for this purpose or another, you’d battle with Scizor to give Victini and I the opportunity to force that match to happen, and make us fight for it…”

All eyes moved to Jon, whose grin widened.

“You know me well,” Jon admitted. “Yes, if you were to challenge me to any standard battle, I’d make sure to use Scizor, but would not make it easy for it to battle Victini…”

“Well how about this,” Abbee explained. “If I know you’d battle me, with Scizor guaranteed to make an appearance if I challenged you, I challenge you, for Friday night, to a standard battle. But this time, instead of doing everything on the down-low, and coordinating things behind your back, we make an event of it. It will be good for student morale, and honestly if we were to live stream you battling at your best, cursed arm and all, it may be good publicity for next summer…”

“And if you beat me?” Jon asked.

“Even better…”

Jon considered this for a moment, before looking to the four resident Shadowcraft experts.

“Do you think you could have two games prepared, one for this Saturday, and one for the next?” Jon asked.

“With more than a morning’s notice, I think so,” Willow answered with a grin, as Jon nodded.

“Well then, Friday night, Abbee and I battle, for Victini’s chance to have a crack at Scizor,” Jon concluded. “Then the next two Saturdays, we have property-wide games for all the students with a Shadowcraft twist…”

There were murmurs of agreement, before Jon concluded the informal meeting, and left, Dylan leaving a minute later to begin his own night shift.

Once Jon had left, Charlotte looked to Abbee.

“So how are you going to force him to let Scizor battle Victini?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Abbee admitted. “I was going to spend tomorrow night planning once the students were all in bed…”

“Typical, the night when I’m on watch…” Charlotte sighed. Abbee gave her a glance.

“You want to help?” Abbee asked, somewhat surprised.

“Considering the bait and switch Jon pulled last time, I think all of us want to see him taken down a peg,” Chris answered, as Justin nodded in agreement. “And now that his seizures seem to be under control, I wouldn’t feel like we’re ganging up on a cripple if we were to help you beat him…”

There were groans at the poor taste of Chris’ joke, though all present had to admit, he raised a valid point, even if none wanted to admit that it was slightly amusing.

“Would you all be interested in helping Victini and I plan?” Abbee asked, addressing all in the room.

“We still owe him for training our students on how to beat us,” Justin explained.

“I’d like to see him brought down to earth,” Cassandra added. “Will help me figure out just how far ahead of me he is…”

There were murmurs of agreement, as Abbee grinned.

“Well tomorrow night, let’s meet at the watch point at eleven-thirty,” Abbee decided. “It’s far enough from the property’s edge that if someone were to trespass tomorrow, they shouldn’t hear us before we’d notice, assuming we’re quiet enough to not keep students awake…”

There were grins and words of agreement. Abbee couldn’t help but feel excited for it.

“Well between now and then, be thinking of ideas…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

By Thursday afternoon, word of the Victini-Scizor Grudge Match had spread like wildfire amongst students, as all grew eager for Friday evening. Even on Twitter, by noon, the original hashtags were trending again, now that word had gotten out that Abbee Strauss and Jon Drake had agreed to a battle, both promising to use Victini and Scizor, but no promises from Jon about whether the two Pokemon would grace the battlefield together. With all knowing one party wanted nothing more than for that to happen, and having a feeling that the other would want nothing less, it had made for a perfect storm. By noon, various broadcasters were approaching Jon about the match, asking permission to attend and broadcast it, filling the hole in the summer season from that year's High Seas Tournament having now come to a close.

Charlotte had been looking for Dylan since her team had finished their training session with Jon three quarters of an hour earlier. He hadn’t been in the main hall, the classrooms or the staff lodge. For a moment she thought he had locked himself in his room again, however, after ten minutes of knocking on the door, had been informed by Chris that he hadn’t been in the lodge for hours. It wasn’t until Charlotte decided to check Jon and Alyssa’s house that she found him.

Dylan stood by Jon’s car, his phone in one hand, and a small cardboard box in another. The driver’s door was opened, and Charlotte could hear the dialogue of an automotive tutorial. Hearing her footsteps, Dylan looked up, and paused the video.

“Hey,” Charlotte called out casually, as Dylan nodded in response.

Despite the fact that the last time her and Dylan had a conversation alone together, it had ended with harsh words, the pair had been on generally friendly terms since. Charlotte’s aggressive visit was enough of a wake-up call for him to stop hiding, knowing that it was making things awkward and difficult for Abbee. What had been present however, was an awkward tension between the pair of them. For Charlotte, it was knowing that she had spoken some very harsh words to Dylan, telling him he was being worse than Chris in how he was treating Abbee. She wished she didn’t have to say them, but didn’t want to risk the message not sinking in by apologising for it. Dylan on the other hand, knew that Charlotte had told him exactly what he needed to hear, which was made obvious by the fact that once Jon’s medication had started to take effect a few days later, he didn’t have another seizure, and for the first time, Dylan felt that should he leave the Academy, Jon could survive without him.

“I see you’re busy, so I’ll cut to the chase,” Charlotte continued. “Can I borrow your car? I gotta go into town for some supplies…”

Dylan considered the question, before answering.

“I should have this fixed in five minutes, then I need to take it for a test drive,” Dylan explained, nodding towards Jon’s car. “How about I kill two birds with one stone, and drive you there?”

“Thanks,” Charlotte said awkwardly, before remembering the events of the fortnight prior. Given what had happened the night after, Charlotte had forgotten about the issues she and Cassandra had with Jon’s car, which had been the starting point for all that followed. “Is it still not fixed?”

Dylan shook his head.

“Jon can’t drive, and Alyssa takes her car if she goes out. The other’s have been borrowing Alyssa’s car. But since this one hasn’t been driven, there hasn’t been any urgency to fix it,” Dylan explained. “I got sick of seeing it here, so I got the part myself after lunch…”

Dylan pressed play on the video, which continued for another minute, as Charlotte wandered around the car to watch it. On screen, the technician demonstrated holding the brake pedal up in order to stop it from making contact with the old brake light switch, before unplugging the old and faulty switch, and twisting it to unlatch it from where it sat, then simply doing the reverse to install the new one. Once the video finished, Dylan knelt down, grimacing as the hard bitumen dug into his knees, before sticking his head under the steering wheel. After a minute, he removed the old switch, before holding his hand out.

“Mind passing me the new one,” he said, his voice muffled in the footwell. Charlotte grabbed the small cardboard box that sat on the bonnet, and opened it, removing an identical, albeit cleaner, switch, and exchanging it with the one in Dylan’s hand. He quickly put it into place, as Charlotte walked to the back of the car.

“Any luck?” Dylan asked, as he pressed down on the brake. Charlotte saw the red brake lights light up, before turning off as Dylan released the pedal, and back on as he pressed it again.

“Yeah, they’re good,” Charlotte answered. Dylan turned the key in the ignition, before quietly climbing into the driver’s seat, and Charlotte made her way to the passenger seat.

The car took off with both driver and passenger silent, and it wasn’t until Dylan turned out of the Eon Academy’s driveway that he realised that if he didn’t acknowledge what had been said, they’d be sitting in silence for the next half hour.

“Listen,” Dylan said, a little quickly. “I’m sorry about how I spoke to you the other week. You were right. Jon was right. As much as I hated the thought of leaving whilst Jon’s health was as bad as it was, he wouldn’t have wanted me to give up my plans to stay and help him. And I would have been doing the wrong thing by Abbee if I had followed through with that idea. And I was not thinking about her when I shut myself up in my room. It was stupid and selfish of me…”

Charlotte nodded in understanding, appreciating the gesture.

“And I’m sorry for kicking you so hard while you were down,” Charlotte said. “I know it must have been heart-breaking for Jon to tell you that you couldn’t come back, but I didn’t want you to do something you and Abbee would regret whilst you were upset about it all…”

“I needed to hear it,” Dylan agreed. “Especially from Jon. I shouldn’t have put him in that position…”

Charlotte nodded, as silence overtook the pair again. Finally, Charlotte spoke.

“So what made you see sense?”

Dylan was quiet, as he considered his words.

“I mean, I knew you were right pretty much as soon as you left, but I didn’t want to believe that you were. Because, to believe that, would have been to accept that Jon was only going to get worse, and the best thing I could do was look the other way,” Dylan said quietly. “I felt like if I believed that, I was dooming Jon to that path, and was doing wrong by him by not looking for another way…”

“And now, the medication seems to have worked?”

Dylan nodded.

“Honestly, I’d forgotten what it was like to have a day go past, and not be worried that Jon would just collapse into a fit…” Dylan muttered. “To be able to be around him, and not be on edge. To not worry about being close enough to roll him over if he has a seizure, or keeping an eye out for sharp edges he might hit his head on…”

Charlotte nodded in understanding. She, like Chris and Justin, had only found out of Jon’s cursed hand and seizures at the beginning of that summer. Dylan had been living with this, albeit, less frequently, for a few months shy of a year…

“So you’re feeling better about leaving?”

Dylan opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t, and remained silent.

“Dylan?” Charlotte asked, now worried.

“If I’m being honest, I’m not…” Dylan explained. “I’m just as anxious about leaving as I was that night when Jon told me he wouldn’t let me stay…”

“But I thought you-”

“I know you and him are right,” Dylan amended. “I know it one hundred percent. But despite that, I still have this unshakable feeling that if I did leave, everything would just fall apart…”

“You’re still going to go to Unova though, right?” Charlotte asked, worry evident in her voice. Dylan nodded.

“Myself, Jon and Alyssa will be visiting a mortgage broker on Sunday to get finance sorted. I’ve got about ten weeks left to do it before I lose the hold and the price,” Dylan answered. “And even if I feel like I am making every wrong decision by going through with it, I’ll do it. I may just not be able to sleep at night until I get there, and it’s made completely obvious to me I’ve done the right thing…”

Charlotte nodded in understanding, not envying Dylan of his current situation. It made sense to her, that Dylan knew what he needed to do, while every instinct he had, told him he was making the wrong decision.

“Well if we’re lucky, these meds he is on will keep working their magic, and by the time you’re ready to leave, the seizures are just a bad memory…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

“Did we really need this much food?”

Charlotte was looking at the wooden outdoor table that had been covered in various snacks. It was almost eleven thirty that evening when Abbee had brought the provisions that could feed a small army out, whilst the others made their way from the lodge to join them. They spoke quietly, not wanting to arouse suspicions of their students who slept in the lodges nearby.

“I figure if we’re having a late one, the sugar fix should keep us alert,” Abbee explained.

“No complaints here,” Chris retorted as he opened a box of ice-creams, and passed one to Justin. He looked over to where Jarena and Cassandra sat, holding up the box in offering. Jarena shook her head, though Cassandra nodded, voicing her thanks as Chris passed her one. Justin grabbed a large can from a box that was black with a neon green logo, and Charlotte knew was packed full of caffeine.

“I don’t know how you can drink that…” Charlotte muttered at Justin in distaste. “I tried one once, and couldn’t get through a quarter of the can, it was that sweet…”

“Do a law degree at Jubilife, then tell me,” Justin teased, as Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Honestly, these things helped me pass my exams…”

“And probably gave you diabetes as well…”

“God, it feels weird to think you’re going to graduate university,” Chris noted. “I mean, if someone told us back in our first year that in five years, you’d be the only one of us with a degree, I’d have laughed in their face…”

“I would have too…” Justin muttered, as Violet looked between the pair of them.

“Why is that so unbelievable?” Violet asked. “Justin seems like he has his head screwed on straight?”

“I didn’t always,” Justin admitted.

“Funny what happens when you date an older woman,” Chris remarked.

“Because you’d know?” Justin retorted, as Violet couldn’t help but laugh at the back and forth.

“Anyway,” Abbee said, a little too loudly. “We aren’t here to talk about who has the most degrees…”

There was a quiet laugh, as Abbee continued. She pressed the button on Victini’s Pokeball, before speaking.

“We’re here because in less than twenty-four hours, Victini and I will battle Jon, trying to make sure Victini has a crack at Scizor before summer ends and we leave this place,” Abbee said, sounding almost like a drill sergeant. “If we let this opportunity slip by, chances are we won’t get it back. Tomorrow has to be a win…”

There were quiet cheers, intentional as to not wake sleeping students, as Abbee addressed Victini.

“Keep your ear out for anything nearby,” Abbee said to Victini.

“Do you think we’ll be attacked?” Willow asked. Abbee shook her head.

“Latios,” Abbee explained. “He may well be right here, invisible, and listening in to everything. Maybe even transmitting everything straight to Jon…”

“I’ll drink to that…” Violet muttered, earning a laugh from Jarena and a grin from Cassandra.

Abbee removed her laptop from the bag she brought with her, and opened up the recording she had saved of her and Victini’s last battle against Jon.

“I want us to watch this. Pause it whenever you want, if something stands out to you…” Abbee instructed. “I’ve seen it that many times, I am just seeing the same thing over and over again…”

Abbee pressed play, as the battle began. Cassandra was interested to see how the five students, and even her own newer addition friends, would view this match. The opening matchup of Ariados and Nidoking appeared on screen, as Nidoking quickly dispatched of Ariados. Justin was the first to interject, causing Abbee to pause the video.

“It seems like that opening matchup put you in second place almost instantly…” Justin noted. “Even if Nidoking didn’t have an innate type advantage…”

“You’re right,” Abbee said with a sigh. “There were a few reasons for it. The first being that I was hijacking a demonstration battle, and as such, needed the battle to begin in a way that it appeared we were demonstrating the point. And Ariados suited that, especially seeing as I was relying heavily on Glaceon to actually enact my plans…”

Justin nodded, as Cassandra spoke.

“So there needs to be more intentionality with the starting Pokemon?” Cassandra asked.

“Yes and no,” Charlotte answered. “Because the start of the battle can make or break a strategy, having a tactic that relies very much on your opening Pokemon can be risky, seeing as if your opponent happens to open with something that counters it easily, you may not be able to get past the first step of your plan. That’s where Abbee’s tactic last time, using Glaceon as her second to lock in Jon’s third Pokemon worked well. The fact Ariados went down quickly didn’t write off what she had planned with Glaceon.”

“However, I do need to be careful of what Pokemon I begin with,” Abbee explained. “Because as much as I love Ariados, on the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a naturally strong Pokemon. At a guess, my Typhlosion is thirty percent or so stronger than it, and Victini would be almost fifty percent stronger…”

“So other than Victini, what is your strongest Pokemon?” Violet asked. Abbee’s brow furrowed as she tried to guess the answer.

“I have an Electivire I use at the Gym, which has the potential to be strongest, but it has the least experience of all my Pokemon. If I were to rank them in terms of natural strength, it would be Electivire, Typhlosion, Glaceon, Gardevoir, Poliwrath, Ampharos and Ariados,” Abbee explained. “But in terms of experience, it would be more accurate to say Typhlosion, Ampharos, Ariados, Poliwrath, Glaceon, Gardevoir then Electivire…”

“Typhlosion wouldn’t be a bad opening Pokemon,” Chris noted. “It’s mono-type so it has a total of three weaknesses, and your chances of Jon being able to really exploit that are slim…”

“How so?” Cassandra asked, curious by Chris’ observation.

“It may be cheap to think like this, but in terms of his six Pokemon, Jon always keeps Latios, Rayquaza and Giratina with him. Both in case of an emergency, and so there is no risk of someone getting a hold of any of their Pokeballs. This battle won’t change that…” Chris explained, holding up three fingers. “Then he has also given his word that Scizor will make an appearance in this battle…”

Chris held up a fourth finger.

“Which leaves a total of two Pokemon he can have in his party, that he must use in this battle…” Chris explained.

“There wasn’t any agreement that Jon wouldn’t use any of his Legendary Pokemon…” Charlotte interjected, though Abbee shook her head.

“He may use Latios, but I don’t think he’d use Rayquaza, and I think he is even less likely to use Giratina,” Abbee explained, as Chris nodded in agreement.

“He used Rayquaza against you last time?” Justin noted.

“Because I forced his hand,” Abbee said, as realisation dawned on her. “Think about what Chris just said. The three Legendary Pokemon, Jon keeps with him at all times. That is three of six spoken for. The other three Pokemon he had with him would have been Nidoking, Zoroark and Scizor…”

Chris’ eyes widened at this.

“Of course!” he said, excitement growing in his voice. “You beat Nidoking, then he sent out Zoroark and we all thought it was Scizor. And he was probably expecting you to have Victini attack it and break the illusion, after which, he would have sent out Scizor…”

Abbee nodded.

“But I didn’t even try to hit Scizor,” Abbee explained. “I just forced it off the field, which left Jon with two options. Send out the real Scizor, and give away what he probably was looking forward to being a big reveal, or send out Latios or Rayquaza…”

“He really loves the theatrics,” Willow said with a laugh. Dylan nodded in agreement.

“So really, I think Jon might use Latios, though I doubt it…” Chris explained. “So let’s say you open with Typhlosion. It is weak to Water, Ground and Rock types. Only one of those Jon has, is Nidoking…”

“Blaziken does know Earthquake, Bulldoze and Stone Edge,” Charlotte interjected.

“But Typhlosion knows Earthquake and Bulldoze as well, as well as a few moves strong against Fighting Types, and off the mark, is quicker than Blaziken…” Abbee added, realising that this was by far her best bet.

“What other moves could it use to beat Jon’s other Pokemon?” Dylan asked, as Abbee began rattling off information.

“Typhlosion is faster than Nidoking, Absol and Scizor. Jolteon and Zoroark are faster though,” Abbee explained. “Focus Blast would deal with Absol, and Bulldoze or Earthquake would handle Jolteon if it doesn’t knock Typhlosion out first. Scizor isn’t an issue, as Jon wouldn’t open with Scizor anyway…”

“And if he did, and you opened with Typhlosion, he’d likely withdraw Scizor pretty quickly, which would only help you,” Jarena chimed in.

“Zoroark is Normal and Ghost Type, right?” Abbee asked. Dylan nodded in agreement. “Well if he opened with Zoroark, I’d have Typhlosion use Eruption. If Typhlosion is at full health, it will deal massive damage, and since Zoroark is faster than all of Jon’s Pokemon but Jolteon, he’d likely be having it use some speed-buff as its first move to make it hard to tell whether it is the Pokemon it’s pretending to be, or Zoroark…”

“So that leaves only Nidoking…” Violet muttered. Abbee, however, grinned.

“Zen Headbutt,” Abbee said, remembering the move. “Nidoking is slower than Typhlosion, has mediocre defence, and is Poison Type.”

“So you open with Typhlosion?” Cassandra asked.

“I open with Typhlosion…”

“There’s something else I’ve noticed,” Charlotte said, earning the attention of those present. All there knew, even Jon, that if Charlotte had wisdom for battling, it was worth listening to.

“One of the flaws with your last plan is that there was too much time between when Jon figured out what you were doing, and when it would have paid off. We just didn’t notice it because Scizor was never even in that battle…” Charlotte explained. “Imagine Zoroark wasn’t there and it was Scizor. You made your decisive move when Jon had two Pokemon at full strength left, but you wouldn’t have been able to reap the benefits of that until you beat his second Pokemon. So then he sends out Rayquaza to try and get in the way. And, hypothetically, Victini has to do most of the work to knock out Rayquaza, so goes into the final matchup weakened…”

Abbee nodded, following so far.

“Whatever you do now, you need to reduce that time gap,” Charlotte said. “Make sure that either as soon as Jon knows what you’re doing, you’re able to make the most of it, or the other way. Jon doesn’t know what you’re doing, until you’ve done it and it’s paid off. Anything else, and you’re giving him an opportunity to screw up your plans…”

“You really are terrifying,” Chris said to Charlotte, who couldn’t help but grin at the compliment. Cassandra looked in awe at the younger trainer who this summer had been a mentor to her. She knew that at her current skill level, she never would have thought of that herself.

“It’s what Jon did against Camilla Blakely,” Charlotte explained. “She didn’t know what he had planned until her Suicune was beaten by Blaziken…”

Hearing of this, Abbee had a thought. She quickly grabbed the laptop, and began searching online for the recording of the battle Charlotte was referring to, and opening it.

“I think I have an idea…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

Friday passed quickly for Dylan, as he found himself sitting in the familiar office of Dr. Tanner that afternoon. It had been a fortnight since he had last been here, with the wounds of Jon’s decision to not let Dylan remain at the Academy after this summer, as well as Charlotte’s harsh words, both still fresh. Additionally, that day two weeks earlier, Jon had another seizure. Dylan had been in the waiting room, when Dr. Tanner had invited him in, and the pair exchanged pleasantries. Once both were comfortable, the psychologist was the first to speak.

“I have to admit, I’m surprised to see you doing as well as you are today, given our last session…” Dr. Tanner explained, although there was a hint of caution in her tone. “Has anything happened in the last fortnight to cause that? Or have you just had time to process it all?”

“A mixture of both,” Dylan admitted. “I was talking to Charlotte the other day, and was telling her that when we had our argument, at the time, I knew she and Jon were right, that the best decision I could make was to not let what was happening get in the way of my plans. But I felt like doing that would be giving up on finding a better solution, and just dooming Jon to get worse on his own…”

“So what happened to change that?”

“The day after I was here last, Jon’s dosage was increased, and it actually worked,” Dylan answered. “It’s been a fortnight since his last one, and all of us are feeling optimistic that the medication will keep them away, and let him live his life…”

“That’s great news,” Dr. Tanner said with a smile. “In light of that, how are you feeling about the move?”

Dylan hesitated for a second, before speaking to attempt to hide it.

“On Sunday, Jon, Alyssa and myself will be seeing a mortgage broker to try and get that sorted so I can buy the land,” Dylan explained. Dr. Tanner nodded.

“That’s great, but wasn’t what I asked…”

Dylan went quiet at this.

“Do you feel better about leaving Mossdeep?”

Dylan sighed at the question, before the logical part of him, the same logical part that knew that Jon and Charlotte were both right, pointed out how stupid it was to try and hide the things that were bothering him, from the person he was paying to help him figure them out.

“No, I still don’t feel right about it…” Dylan answered. “I know that it’s the right thing to do, but it still doesn’t sit right with me…”

“And how are you coping with that?” Dr. Tanner asked softly, as she took notes.

“Honestly, I’m forcing myself to ignore my instincts, telling me that I shouldn’t go,” Dylan explained. “It makes the most sense for me to leave, but I’m not at peace with it…”

“And does ignoring it help?’

“It keeps everyone else happy…”

“But does it help?” Dr. Tanner asked, not wanting Dylan to avoid the question.

“No…” Dylan admitted. “I struggle to sleep at night, but now, instead of it being because of what happened in Alola, it’s because of this. I can barely focus, because at any given point, this is in the back of my mind, dragging my attention towards it…”

Dylan looked at the now familiar painting of the Legendary Pokemon Ho-oh, as he collected his thoughts.

“Then, it just leaves me feeling guilty, that now I am being given the chance to be close to Abbee and not just see her during summers, something I have wanted for years, but now my instincts are telling me it’s the wrong thing to do,” Dylan said quietly. “She broke up with her last boyfriend because the plans he had for his future didn’t leave any room for her in it. I’ve had plans for months that had room for her, and now, the thought of following through with them keeps me awake at night. I thought that I did right by her more than he did. But I worry I may be worse…”

“If you had to explain it,” Dr. Tanner began. “What part of the thought of leaving makes you anxious?”

Dylan considered the question, before realising something. He genuinely couldn’t answer it.

“I don’t know…” Dylan answered. “Like, I thought it was leaving Jon to run the Academy without me with his health declining. But now, he is improving, but I still don’t feel right leaving…”

Dr. Tanner nodded, writing something quickly, before closing her notebook and placing it on the coffee table that sat between them. She leaned forward.

“Dylan, can I share some observations? A theory I have?”

“Isn’t that why I’m here?” Dylan asked, trying to be funny. Dr. Tanner grinned.

“Dylan, I think you’d be just as anxious about leaving, if what happened last summer in Alola never happened,” Dr. Tanner explained. “The fact it did, and it had such a profound effect on you, and your circumstances, means that anyone would tend to look at what you’re feeling right now, and link it to what happened last summer, and the consequences of that…”

This was the last thing Dylan expected.

“Maybe not just as anxious, but overall, I think you’d be feeling the same thing, because honestly, anybody in your position would be justified in feeling this way…” Dr. Tanner explained. “If I’m being honest, now that you believe that Jon and the Academy will be okay without you, there is only one thing from last summer that I think is playing into this, but I’ll get to that…”

Dylan nodded, as Dr. Tanner held up her thumb to begin counting.

“Firstly, would you say that after your mum left, your step-dad’s house felt like home?”

“No,” Dylan answered, as Dr. Tanner nodded. She opened her notebook, to clarify her information, before speaking.

“Your mum walked out when you were ten, leaving you with your stepdad who ended up abusing you, and you said yourself, that place was not home for you. The first place in nearly a decade that did become home, was the Eon Academy. Not only because you were offered a place there by Jon and Alyssa, but because you earned it. You defended it when Deoxys attacked. You helped with the legal battle for Jon to retain it. Even this summer, you defended it from intruders who meant to do it harm,” Dr. Tanner explained. “The Eon Academy isn’t just a place you work at, or live. It is your home, and the most significant home you have ever had. For the first time in a long time, it was a place where you felt safe. And now, you’re planning on leaving, and making home elsewhere. There is a level of anxiety that is standard for someone your age moving out of their parents house for the first time, especially if they grew up there. But for you, the Academy is far more than that. Not only did you earn the right to call it your home, it developed you into the adult you are now. It helped you discover your own talents, and inner strength, and capacity to lead. You said it yourself, it was the difference between two very different lives you could find yourself living. And now, you’re at the point of wanting to build a life independent of it, and that means you need to leave. And to do that is to take away the safety net it represents, and step into the unknown…”

Dylan was shocked hearing this, as Dr. Tanner said, “that is my first observation…”

“And your second?”

“My second, is that there has always been a comfortable amount of distance between yourself and Abbee. You’ve been together for a year, but you mentioned having been romantically interested in her since you were nineteen?”

Dylan nodded, a little embarrassed at how impartial and impersonal Dr. Tanner was being about this.

“That entire time, with a few odd exceptions, you saw Abbee for twelve weeks each year, most of that under the context of both of you working. Despite how you felt about her, there was always a very safe distance between you. But if you follow the plans you’ve set, you’re going from having a very safe distance, to having almost none when compared to the last four years,” Dr. Tanner explained. “You will be going from seeing Abbee three months a year, as co-workers, with the odd meeting outside of summers, to geographically being closer to her than anyone else in your life. You won’t be working together which means the extent of your relationship will be completely personal. There will be nothing to stop you spending every free moment together. There will be nothing to stop the pair of you even living together. That safe and comfortable distance is now gone, and that scares you…”

“Why would that scare me?”

“One of two reasons, and I’d bet my qualification that I know which one. The first is that you’re worried about the damage she could do to you without that safe distance between you,” the psychologist explained. “But I doubt that. I think instead, you’re worried about the damage you could do to her without that safe distance between you. The capacity you have to hurt her…”

Dylan was silent, as Dr. Tanner asked a question.

“Have you forgiven yourself for not heeding her advice last summer? Or for the fact she was nearly killed when she risked herself to try and save you?”

Dylan remained silent, however, knowing that Dr. Tanner would not take silence for an answer, shook his head.

“Have you forgiven yourself for the things you said to her, that created the rift between you and her last boyfriend?”

Dylan hadn’t thought of that night, the things he said, or the effect it had on Abbee, in a very long time. However, now that it was brought up, he shook his head.

“What was it that Charlotte said to you, that got you to stop isolating yourself?”

“That it was hurting Abbee…”

“I have no doubt that Jon’s condition played a role in your anxiety about moving on,” Dr. Tanner explained. “But you’ve been given a golden ticket, because Jon’s condition is the one factor in all this that no matter how well you come to terms with it, it would never change. And now, it has. And now, based on what you have told me, the things that are holding you back, are things that with enough understanding and intentionality, you can actually change. You can come to accept Unova, and the house you build there as your home, and it will be even more significant to you than the Eon Academy. And you can grow to be excited to remove this distance between you and Abbee, instead of being scared of it…”

“How do I do that?” Dylan asked, no doubt in his mind of what Dr. Tanner was saying.

“My brother in law has raced rally cars as a hobby for nearly thirty years, and my sister rode as his co-pilot for many of those years. Both got injured more times than I care to remember, but I remember talking to my sister about it, and she told me something that has stuck with me since,” Dr. Tanner said anecdotally. Dylan nodded, gesturing for her to continue. “She told me that if her husband were to lose control of the car, and they were on a collision course with a tree, she would never point out the tree…”

Dylan gave Dr. Tanner a puzzled look, as she grinned.

“Instead, she’d tell him to look for the gap, because if his focus is on the tree, he’s going to hit it. But if he is focused on the gap instead…”

“So what, it’s a matter of just being painfully optimistic?” Dylan asked cynically.

“They both knew the tree was there. But if they were too focused on the tree, they would miss the gap,” Dr. Tanner explained. “It may sound like borderline toxic positivity, but there’s a nugget of truth in it. I can almost guarantee you that if you make the effort to look for the gap, the home and business you’re going to build for yourself, and the closeness you’ll develop with Abbee, you will gravitate more towards that, and less towards the worry about leaving the Academy behind, and being more responsible for Abbee’s wellbeing.”

Dr. Tanner closed the book, and looked Dylan in the eye.

“It’s up to you…”

************************************************** ************************************************** *****

At seven o’clock, Friday evening, Abbee made her way into the stadium, where Jon waited, as did the roaring crowd of students and spectators. She noticed the same array of broadcast quality cameras, and drones piloted by experts wearing goggles that streamed their view directly to them, as the first live stream the Eon Academy had hosted four years ago. In less than forty-eight hours, this battle had attained almost as many expected viewers as the first High Seas Tournament. Abbee knew why though. Everyone who watched the first High Seas Tournament saw Victini brutally and humiliatingly beaten by Scizor. And now, Victini had a chance at levelling the score.

The night prior, Abbee had come up with the skeleton of a plan in order to force Jon’s Scizor to battle her Victini. The others had contributed, pointing out potential holes, and coming up with countermeasures. Given the success of the evening before, it took a lot of self-control for Abbee to not feel overconfident. Victini sat on her shoulder, ready for his opportunity. Across the stands, all the other staff members, including Steven and Alyssa, were scattered, ready to see if Victini could make the most of this last chance he would have to get his grudge match.

Jon approached Abbee, offering his hand to shake, as Abbee withdrew hers from the overly large hoodie she had borrowed from Dylan. Jon gave Victini a grin, something the competitive Pokemon did not reciprocate. In this moment, Victini saw Jon as a barrier who would do everything he could to get in Victini’s way. Once the formalities were out of the way, with the referee who had been borrowed from Mossdeep City Gym, having gone over the format of their battle, and the broadcasters had announced the beginning of the battle, both trainers made their way to their sides of the battlefield. On one side, first High Seas Champion, and Founder of the Eon Academy, Jon Drake, and on the other, one of his first pupils, and very soon to be Gym Leader of Nimbasa City, Abbee Strauss.

Both trainers selected a Pokeball, Jon unable to hide the smirk from his face at the thought of the fun he was going to have with this. Victini on the other hand, finally grinned himself, at the thought of wiping that look from Jon’s face.

”Begin!”

Abbee and Jon both sent out their first Pokemon. As planned, Typhlosion appeared in front of Abbee, roaring with determination, as Blaziken appeared on Jon’s side, quiet and focused, waiting for Jon’s orders.

“Smokescreen Typhlosion!” Abbee called out, as Jon gave his first order.

“Power-Up Punch!” Jon commanded.

Flames erupted from Typhlosion’s back, as it roared, causing smoke to bellow from its jaws, flooding Abbee’s side of the field. Despite not being as fast as Typhlosion however, Blaziken darted forward, landing the hit which whilst not doing a great deal of damage, would increase its attack power, whilst Blaziken’s speed increased by the same factor thanks to its Speed Boost ability.

Even in the opening seconds of the battle, Jon couldn’t help but appreciate how far Abbee had come. As her own skill had grown, she had also grown into the concerning habit of relying on Victini a little too much, and as a result, had neglected using Typhlosion in battle as much since, figuring it to be too risky to use two Fire Type Pokemon. However, against him, Jon had to admit, Typhlosion was the best choice to open with, given both its excellent variety of attacks, few resistances, and decent speed. And now, Abbee was making good use of Typhlosion, even in her first move.

“Bulldoze!” Jon ordered Blaziken. The Ground Type move was one that would both hit hard against Typhlosion, and reduce its speed, giving Blaziken a larger advantage. Additionally, it was a relatively accurate move, only being possible to miss now that Typhlosion had used Smokescreen, and had no drawback for failing, such as a move like Close Combat.

Blaziken rushed into the smoke, where Typhlosion had been a few moments earlier, as the ground erupted in front of it, hitting Typhlosion, but only grazing it. Abbee however, wasn’t too concerned by this.

“Zen Headbutt!” Abbee yelled, as Typhlosion, now in easy melee range of Blaziken, rushed at the part-Fighting Type, its head encased in a telekinetic aura, and slammed itself head-first into Blaziken, knocking the Pokemon back.

“Power-Up Punch!” Jon commanded, knowing that one more hit would finish Typhlosion, and the boost to attack power would give Blaziken an even bigger edge over Abbee’s next Pokemon.

Blaziken attempted the attack, however between the sheer amount of smoke, and being slightly dazed by the heavy Zen Headbutt attack, just missed, leaving itself again in Typhlosion’s attack range.

“Again!” Abbee shouted.

Typhlosion, barely visible amidst the smoke, despite it starting to clear, spun on its hind legs, before launching another Zen Headbutt attack, striking Blaziken. This time however, Blaziken seemed to teeter for a second, and Abbee knew this was it.

“Follow it up with Quick Attack!”

Typhlosion cried out before darting forward at breakneck speeds, launching itself bodily into Blaziken, knocking the Pokemon back. Blaziken staggered back, before falling backwards, and not getting up.

There was a roar from the crowd, as Abbee heard the commentators for various broadcasters highlighting the battle that had just occurred. Jon grinned at Abbee as he returned Blaziken to its Pokeball.

“Should I be worried?” Jon asked, his tone almost sarcastic.

“Not about me,” Abbee called back with a grin. “Him on the other hand…”

Abbee nodded to Victini who sat on her shoulder. Jon chuckled to himself, before sending out his next Pokemon. In front of him appeared Scizor. Or so it appeared. Jon could tell exactly what Abbee was thinking as she saw the Pokemon.

“So is it Scizor, or is it Zoroark? No using Victini to check!” Jon called out. “Will you send Victini out, and risk having Zoroark weaken it before the main event? Or will you risk Scizor being taken down before Victini has a crack at it. Or worse, Scizor ramping up before battling Victini and things ending the same way they did back then…”

“Boo!”

From where she stood in the stands, Cassandra heard the loud voice, and looked across to see Chris leading the cries against Jon, and couldn’t help but grin.

“Wipe that smug look off his face, Victini!” Cassandra yelled, getting quite into the spirit of the battle.

Abbee didn’t respond, and nodded towards the referee, who took the nod to mean Abbee would not be switching her Typhlosion out.

“Begin!”

“Agility!” Jon yelled to Scizor, and Abbee grimaced at the situation she just realised Jon had placed her in during the last matchup. Typhlosion and Victini were Abbee’s two fastest Pokemon, and whilst Scizor was naturally slower than them, Zoroark wasn’t, making the speed of the Pokemon in front of her the giveaway, unless Jon decided to train Zoroark to feign slowness. However, by having Blaziken use Bulldoze, which would reduce Typhlosion’s speed, she now had no accurate point of reference. Both Scizor and Zoroark would be faster than Typhlosion having been slowed. And whilst Dylan, Charlotte, and maybe even Chris, would be able to tell based on the speed they saw, she didn’t have that same sense that they did.

Scizor cried out, as it darted from side to side, its speed doubling, now making it impossible for Abbee to determine its true identity by comparison, unless she were to have Victini match its speed adjustment. The smoke was now thin, and she knew Typhlosion would likely only have time for one more attack.

“Smokescreen!” Abbee commanded, as Typhlosion began refilling the air with dense, black smoke, obscuring visibility of her side of the field, and partially herself as well.

“Swift!”

Despite the smoke in the air obscuring vision, Swift was an attack known not for its strength, but its ability to home in on its target and always hit. And Abbee knew that both Zoroark and Scizor knew the move. The only hunch she had now about whether or not the Scizor on the field was actually Zoroark, was that Swift would have hit much harder coming from Zoroark than Scizor, though given Typhlosion being exhausted from the previous battle, even the weaker variant that Scizor would produce would be enough to finish the match-up.

Stars of white light shot like bullets through the smoke, striking Typhlosion, and knocking Abbee’s oldest Pokemon unconscious. She called back her starter, commending it on its performance. It had done all she had needed it to…

Abbee looked to the referee who was looking towards Jon, though she couldn’t see him herself through the smoke. The referee then looked at her, as she selected her next Pokemon.

“Go, Gardevoir!”

Once Gardevoir was on the battlefield, her focus directly ahead of her, the referee called for the next round.

”Begin!”

“Swords Dance!” Jon shouted, as Abbee felt the confusion over which Pokemon Jon had in front of her return. Despite the use of Swift seeming to indicate that it was Zoroark, Dylan had told her and the others the evening before that whilst Zoroark was an effective physical attacker, it was almost twenty-five percent more powerful in special attacks. Meanwhile, Scizor’s special attacking ability was almost negligible compared to its physical attacks, which Swords Dance would boost further. However, Abbee had to consider something else. Gardevoir’s defensive capability was much higher in holding out against special attacks, with physical attacks being a point of weakness.

She quickly shook the moment of analysis away, knowing that Jon could not keep this up forever. Eventually he would have to act in a way that would give away which Pokemon he was actually using. If it was Scizor, he would be foolish not to attack Gardevoir with a move like X-Scissor, which, given the Swords Dance and Gardevoir’s own weak defence to it, Gardevoir would not last more than a single attack, leaving Scizor primed and ready to battle Victini with an edge. If Jon didn’t do that, then Abbee was certain that the Pokemon she faced was Zoroark.

“Double Team!” Abbee instructed, as Gardevoir multiplied into five spectral clones of itself.

“Swift!”

The bright stars pounded through the smoke, hitting Gardevoir. Abbee knew that the smoke would not last much longer. She had a hunch, but wanted to confirm it.

“Calm Mind!” Abbee commanded, knowing this would worry Jon, and if nothing else, cause him to make a move that gave away his Pokemon.

“Swift!”

Abbee now knew it was Zoroark. Even if it was a definite hit amidst very uncertain visibility, Swift was a relatively weak move, even when empowered by sharing a type with Zoroark. Although it would be riskier, if it were Scizor, Jon would have used a Bug Type move by now, risk of missing be damned.

“Gardevoir, Baton Pass!”

”That could be a problem…” Charlotte had said the evening before as Abbee explained the idea she had. “Gardevoir doesn’t learn Baton Pass, does it?”

Abbee shook her head.

“I could use another move, but if Jon thought Victini were about to take to the field, covered by smoke, and under the effect of Double Team and Calm Mind, that might be enough to rattle him…” Abbee explained.

“And what if Jon knows that Gardevoir can’t learn Baton Pass?” Justin asked. “Or Jon realises that he didn’t hear Gardevoir’s Pokeball?”

“Then I gotta hope that the battle has him focused enough that he doesn’t think twice, or the fact that he knows that, and will somehow see Victini in front of him will rattle him even more…”

From where she stood, Charlotte looked towards Jon, as Abbee gave the command for Gardevoir to use Baton Pass. She knew this could make or break the match. However, Jon didn’t seem to react at all to Abbee’s command, instead giving his next order.

“Shadow Ball!” Jon instructed, knowing that if Abbee was withdrawing Gardevoir, she had to be sending in Victini.

The attack missed, as Abbee felt something crawl off her shoulder, and into her jumper, hidden from Jon’s view by the smoke.

”I need you to listen very carefully,” Abbee had said to her Gardevoir that afternoon, in the privacy of her room, having ironed out the last details of her plan. “During the battle with Jon, I will tell you at some point to use Baton Pass. I know you can’t use that move, so when I give that order, I want you to use another move instead. Role Play…”

Despite his cool composure, Jon couldn’t help but feel like something didn’t add up in what was happening in the battle, though could not place a finger on it. However, the smoke started to clear, and in front of Abbee, he saw multiple instances of Victini’s small form, thanks to the inherited Double Team, standing proud, and ready to fight.

“Future Sight!” Abbee commanded, as Jon attempted to predict the damage of the attack. Even empowered by Calm Mind, Victini’s strength was in its versatility. It was as fast as it was strong, as it was resilient. Whilst Gardevoir was stronger for special offensive attacks, Victini lacked the same sheer strength, making up for it in his other attributes. Additionally, Jon knew nothing he could do now would reduce the damage to Zoroark, seeing as the attack had already been foreseen. Any adjustments to Victini’s attack, or Zoroark’s defence would not impact Future Sight when it hit. Instead, knowing Scizor would hold a tremendous advantage over Gardevoir if Abbee had to return it, he focused his attention on using Zoroark to weaken Victini as much as possible.

“Shadow Ball!”

The large ghostly and spectral orb appeared in front of Zoroark, before launching, taking out three of the five imposters, and striking the original. However, as it made contact, Jon’s jaw dropped, as silence spread like wildfire through the arena.

Upon taking the hit, Victini vanished, and was instead replaced by a worn, but still standing, Gardevoir…

”Role Play will let you copy your opponent's ability, and if used on Zoroark, it should let you copy it, and pretend to be Victini…” Abbee had said to Gardevoir, explaining the plan. “And if Jon thinks you’re Victini, he is going to waste a lot of time and energy having Zoroark try to weaken Victini, to give his Scizor a chance at winning…”

Jon looked at Abbee in disbelief, and watched as a small cream and orange head, with a V-shaped crown, emerged from the collar of Abbee’s borrowed and oversized hoodie, understanding dawning on Jon.

”Bet you didn’t see that coming…” Victini said telepathically to all present but addressing his words to Jon, causing the crowd to roar.

“Psychic Terrain!” Abbee ordered, knowing that this was Gardevoir’s last stand in this battle. Jon seemed to have the same idea. When he thought that Victini had used Future Sight, he hadn’t been too worried. But now he knew that Gardevoir had, he knew that his moments were numbered.

“Rain Dance!”

The ground beneath them began to distort, as if shimmering from heat, which was juxtaposed by the dark clouds that manifested above the battlefield, despite being indoors, and began pouring rain. Abbee knew exactly why Jon had done this. He was nervous…

Before anything else could be said, there was a boom, as a powerful, telekinetic blast struck Scizor, throwing it across the battlefield. In the moment between it being launched from the ground, and hitting, it had returned to its natural form of a Zoroark, lying unconscious.

Both trainers returned their Pokemon, though Gardevoir was still conscious, and counted towards Abbee’s score, and both sent out their final Pokemon. Victini, and Scizor, both the real deal.

“That was pretty clever!” Jon called out. “I thought something was up, but never would have guessed that…”

”Less talking and more battling!” Victini said telepathically. ”I’ve got a score to settle…”

Jon laughed, as the referee, for what Abbee hoped would be the last time, ordered the start of the round.

”Begin!”

Abbee knew that as Victini’s trainer, she had to take the lead now. Victini was an incredible Pokemon, and had proven itself powerful on many occasions. But at the same time, it had proven itself competitive, and when that streak was present, headstrong and reckless.

“Flamethrower!” Abbee ordered, knowing if she didn’t Victini would hit with something heavier, and Jon would likely be acting very intentionally to avoid Scizor taking a hit, damage reduced by the falling rain or not.

Victini opened his mouth as a powerful, although dampened, jet of flames erupted. Jon however, didn’t order Scizor to dodge, instead, trusting that the rain would help his cause, ordered it to get in close.

“Pounce!” Jon ordered. With blinding speed, Scizor leapt onto Victini, striking at it, and leaving Victini unsteady on his feet, and Abbee realised a little slower. However she realised this was Jon’s plan.

“Struggle Bug!”

Knowing that she only had a split second to make a decision, Abbee felt her mind race to what she knew of Scizor, having seen Jon use it in battle many times over her years at the Academy. At light speed, she recalled Scizor’s sub-par special attacking ability, and the fact that Struggle Bug was a special move, which would reduce Victini’s special attacking power on a hit. Scizor opened its claws, as swarms of microscopic bugs launched from them, and began pestering Victini.

“Encore!” Abbee ordered, before even knowing exactly why. As Victini’s eyes flashed, and Scizor came under his spell, she realised. Scizor was going to do far less damage to Victini with Struggle Bug, and even if Victini’s Searing Shot and Flamethrower attacks would be significantly weakened by sustaining multiple hits, his physical attacks would be as powerful as they should be.

As Jon heard Abbee’s command, he realised the match was over, and when Scizor used a second Struggle Bug attack, he knew it was too late to resign. He only hoped that Victini wouldn’t hospitalise Scizor in what was going to be his final attack…

“V-Create!” Abbee roared, her own determination amplified by the roaring crowd.

”I’d say I’m sorry for what’s about to happen…” Victini said to Scizor. ”But I’d be lying…”

Victini’s crown erupted into flames, as a small explosion from behind him, launched him forward, directly into Scizor who was thrown back, hitting the ground in front of Jon, as Victini landed gently between Abbee and Scizor.

”You might have beat Cass that night,” Victini said to Jon, as he stood victorious. ”But Scizor got lucky…”

Cheers erupted from the stands, as commentators and broadcasters announced Abbee as the winner, noting that this was Jon’s first official loss since the first High Seas Tournament five years earlier. From where she stood, Cassandra watched as Abbee rushed forward to pick up Victini, holding her partner tight in a hug, before being swarmed by broadcasters to ask about her win, and her future as Nimbasa City’s new Gym Leader. As Cassandra saw this however, she couldn’t help but disagree with Victini.

Scizor hadn’t gotten lucky five years earlier. Or if it did, it was lucky to be trained and raised by a trainer who was willing to put in the work, something Victini didn’t have. However, and this surprised her, Cassandra wasn’t feeling guilty or dejected by this. Instead she felt determined. She saw her former partner just prove to the world that with hard work, a hell of a lot of hard work, he could rise above what had happened, what was his lowest and most humiliating point, and beat the opponent who had once beaten him with ease. And more than ever, she now saw the possibility to do the same thing herself.

“Don’t get too comfortable Jon,” Cassandra said quietly, though Violet and Jarena who sat next to her heard. “I’ll be next…”