Episode 10: All that shines

The group made it to the Resort Area the day following Niko's encounter with Hunter. The previous night he tried to take his mind off of it by training with venusaur, magmar, and his other pokémon, but it wasn't doing much good. Venusaur felt out of place and exhausted from his battle with weavile, and so he largely sat out the training. Occasionally, the others on Niko's team—torterra, prinplup, and glalie—all walked over to see if the seed pokémon was alright. Then Niko explained the situation, and they seemed to all understand, having battled Hunter's pokémon at one point or another. Prinplup in particular understood the problem, having been Hunter's pokémon at one point.

Niko's friends also chose to give him a bit of space. They knew that the encounter was only brief, but everyone—even Fay—figured each one was doing a small bit of damage to Niko's psyche. Fay and Brittany especially understood the fragility of Niko's confidence, and had to urge Lauren not to interfere, as he needed the space now more than at any other time before (with the exception of the Sinnoh League). Niko needed to focus on the upcoming Battle Castle, as well as their inevitable rematch against Palmer, which both him and Lauren always had in the backs of their minds.

Lauren, on her part, spent time training her entire team this time. Neither she nor Niko knew what kind of battle they would face at the Battle Castle, but they could at least surmise that they would get to use their own pokémon this time. She struggled with trying to find new moves to help her pokémon learn, and so she engaged in more casual practice, with all of them working on their moves, as well as their speed and evasion.

The Resort Area was, simply put, beautiful. There were clean-cut lawns and trimmed hedges in the shapes of different pokémon. On top of the small hills were houses built in a more modern style. Palm trees littered the town. It looked more like a spa resort than a town, hence its name. Off in the distance, Niko noticed, was a massive purple-roofed building. To the town's far right, he saw a massive brick castle. That's the place, he thought.

The first thing they did was visit the Pokémon Center to heal up their pokémon. Niko particularly wanted venusaur to get some rest, both physically and emotionally. The thing about venusaur, he observed, was that the seed pokémon tended to reflect his own emotions a lot. When Niko was happy, venusaur was happy. When Niko was sad, venusaur was sad. Even though he hasn't spent a much time with venusaur in the past couple of years, that bond hasn't really broken which, in his view, is a testament to their relationship.

After grabbing some lunch, Niko decided to go and train with his pokémon in the practice battlefield.

"I'll join you in a bit, Niko." Fay said, pulling out a laptop. "I just have to get some work done first."

"Oh, no worries Fay. Join me whenever you can." Niko said with a slight smile before walking over to Nurse Joy to grab his pokéballs. He then turned back to Lauren, Brittany, and JJ. "What're you three going to do today?"

"I'd like to check out the town, actually." Lauren said. She really wanted to stay with Niko, but she felt confident with her pokémon's ability to battle, and Niko needed the alone time. Although, it did irk her that he so readily accepted Fay's offer to join him, and not ask her. Her boyfriend simply nodded and kissed her forehead before walking off towards the practice battlefield.

Lauren, Brittany, and JJ then went out into the Resort Area. Almost as soon as they exited, a young man ran up to them, nearly tackling JJ to the ground. Panting, he pointed directly at Brittany.

"You…you're…Brittany from Vermilion City!" He said in between breaths.

"Um…yes? Who're you?"

"I'm…Andrew. Sorry, one of my coworkers saw you and your friends walk into the Pokémon Center, and sent me to find you." After reflecting on what he just said, he added, "That sounded way less creepy in my head, sorry."

Brittany giggled. "It's not a problem. But…why do you want to see me?"

"Because I work for a group called the Ribbon Syndicate. We're a service dedicated to treating only the best coordinators in the world. We are a spa and resort that only provides the best luxuries any trainer could ask for. We've been wanting to get ahold of you for some time now, since you won the Grand Festival. Would you care to join me today at the Ribbon Syndicate?"

Brittany, trying to soak in all of the information, simply nodded.

"Great! Come with me, we're in the purple-roofed house over on the edge of town." He said, pointing off in the distance. Soon enough, the two were gone, leaving JJ and Lauren to walk the town by themselves.

"So…" JJ said, twiddling his thumbs while togetic fluttered at his side. "Whaddya wanna do?"

Lauren shrugged. "We could go check out the shops around here, if there are any." JJ nodded, and the two—and togetic—proceeded onwards.

The two walked down the street, noticing the litany of different spa and beauty services available. JJ—who didn't find any particular interest in any of these—felt out of place. Lauren, on the other hand, seemed at least somewhat interested. But she too felt out of place. Niko was off on his own; Brittany was on her own doing coordinator things. And, if she was being honest with herself, she never really bonded often with the curly blonde pokémon breeder standing to her left.

It took the both of them some time before they finally came up with conversation. "So…you feel ready for the Battle Castle?" JJ asked as they both looked up at the looming brick building in the southern part of the town. "Looks…imposing, I guess."

"I think I'm ready, actually. My pokémon can handle whatever's given to them at this point."

"That's good. Hopefully Niko feels the same way." JJ replied. "I mean, I think he does. He's gotten more confident in recent years."

"But he doesn't feel confident right now." Lauren said. "And even if he does, he isn't showing it."

"He has a weird way of expressing his feelings, as you're well aware." JJ said, turning around and walking back down the street. They continued talking about Niko for a bit until Lauren eventually sighed and asked JJ if he wanted to go get food with her. "Sure." He responded, leading the way to a ramen house on the western edge of the Resort Area.

"Anyways, I hope Niko gets out of this…whatever it is…soon." Lauren finally said after they ordered food. "He worries me."

"I've noticed. And you have every right to be worried. But…I wouldn't let it get to you. Like I said, he has a way of figuring these things out on his own."

"You really believe in him, don't you?" Lauren asked, feeling a little hopeful.

"Of course. He's one of my best friends. Why wouldn't I? After all we've been through, I wouldn't be saying anything different." He then sat there in silence for a moment.

"I just want him to be happy, I guess. But…if this is how he always is, it'll be difficult to be with him."

JJ perked up, for once showing a look of concern. "You're not saying…"

"Oh, no no. I'm not! I-I don't think I am." She shook her head, unsure of her own thoughts. "It's just exhausting feeling like this. Worrying if he is in the right mindset. Damn Hunter…"

"He's something else. But for some reason, Niko is constantly bothered by him. I got over him, but Niko takes everything he says very personally. Especially when it came to me, you, and his rampardos. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a complete jerk, but I'm not going to let our time at the Tag Tournament get to me, you know? But Niko…it still bothers him, I think, how Hunter treated me and my shroomish. And, of course he's said mean things to you, too." JJ said, motioning to Lauren.

"Yeah, I'm the same way. I don't let Hunter's word hurt me. I mean, they do hurt, but I try not to dwell on it. While we were in Sinnoh I had other things I needed to worry about. The rampardos thing, though…that was inexcusable. I think Hunter did it on purpose."

"I agree. He seemed oddly satisfied with the damage he did."

They both went silent as they ate their food.

"I wonder what Brittany's up to right now." Lauren said. "That whole Ribbon Syndicate thing…sounds weird, doesn't it?"

"A little. But after becoming Top Coordinator, anything's possible I suppose." He shrugged. "She didn't seem too happy about it, though."

"More like surprised. Brittany doesn't seem to enjoy the fame that comes with being Top Coordinator. Although…she really felt touched when the little girl in the Fight Area met her. She has an impact on people now…it's really great to see."

"How do you feel about all of it?" JJ asked. "Brittany being Top Coordinator, I mean."

"She deserved it. After as much effort she put into trying to be the best she could be, she definitely earned the title. I wish I had done better, but she beat me fair and square."

"Do you think you'll ever get back into contests?" JJ asked. He never quite understood what exactly Lauren wanted to do with her future.

"Maybe, but more casually, I think. I want to focus more on battling now. I'd like to see other regions and meet new pokémon and compete in other Pokémon Leagues."

"So…you want to do exactly what Niko wants to do." JJ said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes…" Lauren said, looking down and blushing a little. "But I don't know what he wants to do next."

"He'll probably want to go to another region and challenge their gyms. Or maybe go back and compete in another Pokémon League that he already placed in. Who knows."

"Yeah…I'd be great to go back to Johto and compete there. I loved living there."

"It's a great place. I personally enjoyed it a lot."

"Because your girl is there, right?" Lauren said teasingly. Now it was JJ's turn to blush. He nodded. "When are you going to see her again? Have you talked recently?"

"I don't know, and we talked when we were on Lily of the Valley Island. She's doing fine. Wants to leave Johto and see more of the world."

"Maybe she can travel with us." Lauren said cheerfully.

"Maybe…that'd be great."

They left the restaurant and continued walking around, eventually stumbling upon the only shop in the Resort Area. It was a general store, but with more high-end items than an ordinary pokémart. The two spent some time walking around, casually browsing the items on the various shelves.

Suddenly togetic, who had been silent most of the day, found herself attracted to a set of stones on display under a glass case.

"Togetic…?" JJ asked, turning to see the happiness pokémon fluttering towards the stones. He followed, only to see togetic staring at a specific stone in particular. It was a rock with a glassy, pale yellow exterior that resembled sunlight, or a lamp light. "Do you like this? Want it?"

"Oh, your togetic probably wants it because shiny stones will cause it to evolve." An elderly man said with a smile. When JJ looked confused, he laughed. "You didn't know that, did you?"

"No. I didn't know how togetic evolves." He then turned to the happiness pokémon. "Do you want to evolve?"

Togetic simply floated there, perhaps unsure herself. JJ then turned to the man, who looked like the shop owner, and asked for one. By this time, Lauren was now standing by the curly blonde, wondering what he was doing.

"So apparently this shiny stone evolves togetic." JJ said. He turned to the shop owner. "Out of curiosity, what else evolves by this stone? I've never seen one of these before."

"Ahh…well, other than togetic, roselia, minccino, and floette all evolve with this stone."

"Roselia evolves with it, too?" Lauren asked. Like with JJ, she knew that her pokémon evolved, but she never really knew how it evolved. The shop owner nodded sagely.

"Indeed. Would you also be interested in a shiny stone? We do have a discount on a second evolutionary stone if you buy one."

JJ and Lauren looked at one another, and nodded. The shop owner smiled, pulled out two shiny stones from a box in a backroom, and placed them on the table. JJ and Lauren scrambled up enough money to pay for the stones and, after thanking the shop owner, they both exited the shop.

"So…do you really want to evolve, togetic?" JJ asked a second time. The happiness pokémon looked at him, albeit nervously and unsure of herself. "If you don't want to, then no pressure. But I bought this for whenever you choose to evolve.

Lauren then sent out roselia to ask the same. "Roselia, come on out!" She said, throwing a pokéball into the air and releasing the thorn pokémon on the ground. She then held out a shiny stone of her own, which instantly attracted roselia. "This stone apparently evolves you into a roserade. Do you want to?"

Roselia, who had been with Lauren for longer than most of her team, nodded. She was, and has always been, a rather ambitious pokémon.

"Alright, then. Here you go." Lauren said. And at the same time togetic took the shiny stone from JJ's hand.

Both roselia and togetic were then enveloped in a white light, and the two began to grow. Togetic grew significantly larger, with the exception of her feet, which got smaller. Her wings we now fused with her wings, which were triangular in shape with small wisps under them. Like when it was a togepi and togetic, togekiss retained her red and blue speckles, which were now scattered along her torso. She had a small, three pointed white tail. Lastly, there were three spikes adorning the top of her head—one white, one red, and one blue.

Roselia, on the other hand, grew twice her size. Her hair was made of white rose petals. She now had a leafy, green cape with a yellow bangle on her neck. She now has a dark green mask across her red, yellow-lidded eyes. Lastly, the red and blue roses on her arms were now in the shape of bouquets.

"Togekiss, the jubilee pokémon. Normal and flying type. It shares many blessings with people who respect one another's rights and avoid needless strife."

"Roserade, the bouquet pokémon. Each of its hands contains different toxins, but both hands can jab with near-fatal power."

"It also looks like togekiss learned a new move upon evolution…" JJ said, further examining the pokédex. "She now knows aura sphere…cool!" He said, looking up at the massive togekiss floating in front of him. "Well, you look beautiful, togekiss."

"And you too, roserade." Lauren said before pumping a fist. "And we're going to win the Castle Print, right?"

"Rose!" Roserade said cheerfully.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Niko and Fay spent a fair amount of time training the former's pokémon. For the most part, Niko had few issues during their training. Prinplup got closer to learning hydro pump, but venusaur was nowhere closer to mastering frenzy plant. Torterra, staraptor, and glalie kept practicing their moves, with torterra accidentally discovering a new move—leaf storm, which Niko wanted to utilize in their upcoming match at the Battle Castle.

Occasionally, Fay would step in and have a practice battle with one of Niko's pokémon, usually involving his charizard, flaaffy, or gible. Niko was impressed at how strong the little land shark pokémon was. It nearly tied in a practice match with prinplup at one point.

Eventually, Niko's pokémon got tired and their trainer and Fay returned them to Nurse Joy for a second round of healing. The two then sat down in their usual booth until JJ and Lauren came back.

"Hey!" Niko said, waving to his friends. He then noticed different pokémon following alongside them. "Did roselia and togetic…?"

"Yep!" Lauren said cheerfully, looking down at roserade. "After getting some ramen, we went to a shop and found these shiny stones. They apparently evolve both roselia and togetic." She shrugged. "Now we'll definitely get the Castle Print!"

"That's for sure." He smiled as Lauren sat down across from him, and JJ next to him.

"How was your day?" JJ asked.

Niko shrugged. "Not too bad. Just trained with Fay for a bit. I think we're ready, too. By the way…where's Brittany?"

Just then, he leaned over and saw the brunette walk in, looking oddly radiant. He tilted his head in confusion, forcing his three other friends to do the same.

"Woah." JJ said.

"Brittany!?" Lauren shouted happily.

"Yeah…the Ribbon Syndicate did me up a little. They were really nice, too! I felt a little like a princess, or something."

"Well, you look nice. What's the Ribbon Syndicate?" Niko asked. Brittany then sat down next to Lauren and Fay and explained her day. She got a typical "spa day" and was treated to a number of different services that, according to her, calmed her down significantly. It gave her a moment to reflect on her journey and consider where she wanted to go now that she was Top Coordinator. "What do you want to do, then?"

"I have a few ideas, but I really want to keep going on with you guys, so it'll depend on what we all decide as a group." She said. Brittany seemed to shy away from the topic, and instead continued on describing the services she received. "I think what I enjoyed the most was the food. The servers were so sweet and considerate to me, and the quality of the meals was the best I've ever had."

"Sounds like you had a great day, then." Fay commented, receiving a joyful nod from Brittany. The other four then talked a bit about their days. Brittany seemed most excited about the dual evolution of roserade and togekiss, and wanted to see them immediately.

After a couple more hours of talking, they made their way to bed. The following day, Niko and Lauren would compete to earn their third print. As they lay there in bed, they both felt confident in their abilities to win, even if Niko had his doubts. Brittany felt more relaxed and sure about her future as a Top Coordinator. All in all, there didn't seem to be any problems brewing on the horizon, which allowed the five of them to all sleep well.