The two had rented another boat for their journey back to Olivine. When there, Spade would waste no time facing off against the gym leader. But now, battling Fai and Splash was on his mind. He was ready for the Olivine Gym Leader, but was he ready for the other two? From what he had found out, they are two of the three strongest gym leaders in Johto.
This time, both trainers sat at the end of the boat, fishing. Hopefully not capturing anything to big, but it gave them something fun to do to pass the time.
They also released a few of their Pokémon to get some fresh air. Monferno took a nap near the captain, Zubat flew through the air, Nika rode on Abby's shoulder, Sam hid under Abby's bench, Shellder darted through the water, and Bing, Abby's Venonat, rode on the head of Spade's Red Gyarados as he sifted through the water.
"I wish we could have stayed in Cianwood for just a little bit longer… It would have been cool to get in some of the sights," Abby commented, looking into the ocean.
Spade shook his head. "Do you know how close I am to winning enough badges to enter into the Silver Conference? You should want to get a move-on too, having four out of your five ribbons."
Abby's eyes widened. Not because she was reminded that she had most of her ribbons, but because of the fact that Spade actually remembered that. She reached into her bag and pulled out her case, opening it and looking over her ribbons.
"You should be proud. But more than that, you should be anxious to win yourself your next ribbon!" Spade said with a laugh. It was one of the first times that Spade had laughed on their journey.
The two sat in silence for a bit before Abby chose to speak up. "Why were you so mean to Clock? He wasn't really a bad gym leader. If he would have landed that Hi Jump Kick, you would've been done."
Spade looked down into the water. He did not know what overcame him at the time. There was just no tolerance for someone that was that easy to beat.
"I think it is because Morty and Pryce were so difficult. Clock was just no challenge. Yes, he could have beat me with that Hi Jump Kick, but he didn't. I beat him with little strategy. He lost to a Pokémon that is very immobile on land," Spade explained.
Abby sighed. She did not know how to respond to that. After all, Spade did make a good point. The last time that Spade had an easy gym battle was with Bugsy.
"You did not have to be rude, though," she said this with a smile. "You only need eight badges. Are you still going to take on all of those gym leaders? You only have to beat one."
Spade nodded lightly. "You make a good point. But I think it is best to face all of the gym leaders and collect all of their gym badges. It would show how strong I really am!"
"If that's what you want to do. I think after I win my last ribbon, I'll just train. The minimum is enough for me!" Abby announced happily.
They sat in silence for a little bit more. The two watched how fast Shellder could move underwater. It gave Spade plenty of ideas for water battles.
"Have we ever just sat back like this and talked? I've known you for about four months and I can't say that we have," Abby noted.
Spade looked at her. He knew that she was going to continue talking no matter what he said. He enjoyed his peace and quiet, but maybe it would be nice to actually talk to Abby.
"So, you have never spoke of your grandmother and your little monster of a sister. Explain them," Spade said. He had given in to being nice.
Abby laughed. "Well… I was born in Pallet Town to a single mother. Her name was Grace. My father flew out of the picture when I was five, and he never came back. My mom was a mildly known model. You may know her for her Persian, Gigi." Spade shook his head, but Abby continued on with her story anyways. "My mom was often out of the house for photo shoots, so I'd live with my grandmother. It was my grandmother who convinced me to become a trainer just a few months before me and you met. She told me that I needed to find who I am…"
Spade looked off into the ocean. "Now… I'm going to regret this. But what about your sister?"
"Amber barely has any memories of our dad or my mother," Abby started. "She has always been around our grandmother. There isn't much to tell about her… She is really ornery, as you saw. And the day that I left for my journey, she whined so much. It took a few hours to convince her that she should stay." She laughed.
The two stayed quiet for awhile.
"What about you?" Abby asked.
Spade looked over at her. He still had not told her about how he got Chimchar, or that he was the younger brother of the leader of a criminal syndicate. He laughed and confessed everything. Every little detail from the moment that he first saw what Team Rocket would do, to him meeting Abby.
Abby looked into the ocean. She seemed a little bit taken back by how much has happened with Spade. Spade would not be surprised if she wanted to leave him now. Anyone else would.
"So, you are still planning to take them down?" Abby asked.
Spade nodded. "I can't stand what they've done… I understand if you want to leave me now…"
"No!" Abby snapped. "I don't care if you've had such a bad past. What really matters, is who you are now. I'll admit, when I first met you, I thought you were a jerk. I still do, but you've definitely changed over the past few months. I guess, I can call you my best friend…"
Spade laughed. "Yeah… I guess so…"
A/N So, I decided not to update Free and Heather's adventures today, knowing that it is the last chapter of that season. So, you'll have to wait just a little bit longer!
Next chapter will be Spade vs. Jasmine. Any predictions?
Q1) What do you think of Spade taking on 10 gyms instead of 8?
Q2) Who is your favorite Pokemon on Spade's team?