It wasn't unusual for Candice to take short vacations from handing out Icicle Badges back at Snowpoint City's Gym, actually, she did it quite often these days. She would usually just close down the Gym and wonder the city, but she knew Snowpoint City, it was just a bunch of snow, and it got boring quickly.

That's why she was staying at the Hotel Grand Lake. It was a nice change of scenery, and for once, people wouldn't look at her oddly for wearing a skirt, something people tended to do a lot in Snowpoint City. Most of all, though, Candice wanted to go see Sunyshore City. There was no particular reason for this, except that the name Sunyshore sounded nice and warm, and that was enough for her.

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In Candice's opinion, Sunyshore was beautiful. The sky was wonderfully clear, especially compared to the grey skies she was used to, and everything was so warm. There was a lighthouse there, Vista Lighthouse, where you could look through some binoculars and see the Pokémon League. And, of course, there was a Gym.

The Gym was run by a man named Volkner, Candice knew him, of course. His Gym was closed for the day, she saw, as she passed the Gym. Okay, she hadn't passed the Gym, she had actually spent ten minutes looking for it. It wasn't her fault that the town was so hard to navigate.

Sighing, Candice headed towards the shore after a day of checking out the Sunyshore Market, talking to random people, and looking at some strange rock that looked like a Munchlax. The sky was already dark and she was exhausted, but she hadn't had the chance to look at the ocean yet, and she decided that she might as well.

As she neared the rocky shore, Candice noticed a familiar face, or more like, a familiar head of hair.

She called his name, walking a little faster than before. She watched him turn around and she smiled and waved at him enthusiastically. Soon she was standing beside him, with a grin still spread wide across her face.

"Hey," Volkner replied, fixing his gaze onto Candice, who noticed his surprised expression. "Why are you-"

Candice answered before he could finish, telling him why she was there and how long she would be there, twirling her hair around her fingers. "I like it here, it's nice." She added.

Volkner didn't comment, instead he just nodded his head. Obviously, he hadn't had many challengers lately, so everyday was like a day off. Honestly, it wasn't that great.

"So," Candice started, trying to start a conversation. "How have you been?" She asked, soon realizing it was an annoying question that everyone always answered 'fine', even if they didn't mean it.

"Fine," Volkner stated, not putting much thought into it. Candice couldn't help but laugh a little on the inside. "What about you?" He continued, looking down at her.

Candice smiled sweetly. "Oh, I've been okay," She said in a dramatic tone while shrugging. "There isn't anything going on right now. Everything's pretty boring." She finished, rocking back and forth.

Volkner nodded again, he wasn't very good with small talk. Candice, however, didn't give up. She continued talking for the next few minutes about other things that weren't really important, but Volkner still listened to her.

Eventually, Candice ran out of things to say and realized she had to go. She said that she would be staying for the next few days and that she could probably see him tomorrow, that is, if he wanted.

Obviously Volkner didn't mind, he would be there, waiting for her every night. And maybe Candice had overstayed her welcome, she really hadn't planned on staying such a long time. She would blame the city. Yes, it was the city's fault that she was neglecting her Gym. At least, that's what she would tell everyone back at home.

It wasn't unusual for Candice to take short vacations from handing out Icicle Badges back at Snowpoint City's Gym, actually, she did it quite often these days