I'm back, baby! Just in time to end 2019. ACL surgery went well, no complications, no more leg brace, and doing physical therapy. Still have a ways to go for a full recovery but I'm in a much better spot physically and mentally than I was during my time off. At least I got a cool scar out of it. Hope everyone had a good Christmas! May everyone have a fantastic 2020!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs
Our legs held out long enough to reach our destination. It was a hole-in-the-wall joint on the southeast side close to Tree Tower. Plenty of seats were available due to the driving rain presumably keeping people indoors. For the dozen or so patrons at the bar, most were done with their meal and were waiting for a good time to leave.
Winona got a hug from the hostess before we were seated in up against a side wall away from the action. The gym leader even got some waves on the way to our table. A waiter came out with clean dish towels so we could haphazardly dry off.
"Ran here from the gym?" he asked.
"Yeah. Too ugly out to fly if you ask me," she said in disgust. "Still running that special?"
"Of course! Bottomless soup coming right up. What would you like to start out with?"
She opted for a hearty stew first while I went with a Mauville chowder. We liked each other's choice and asked for a second bowl of each to be brought out at the same time. I went with water to drink and Winona wanted a glass of wine to go with water. Any alcohol in me would've put me to sleep on the spot.
My gluttony came out on full display once the waiter delivered the food; Winona matched me. Pouring a little water in the soup cooled it down enough for me to constantly put spoonful after spoonful in my mouth without a fear of getting burned. The leader did the same. We heard some laughter from the bar before the crowd left.
"Kind of regret doing that," Winona said with a small laugh. "Feels like I instantly filled up."
I dove into bowl number two. "Delicious. I could probably go for thirds or fourths."
We kept up the small talk by focusing on gym battles. Six recent trainers walked out of Winona's gym with a loss, one of which failed to knock out a single flying type. I reminisced about my experience at Norman's gym seeing as he was the first to give me a reality check. Going over Tate and Liza got Winona to shake her head with a smile. Those two caused the most trainers to quit the challenge for the current period.
Vivian was thriving as Mauville's new leader. Her mastery of electric types wasn't as good as Wattson, but she could handle different skill levels better than the jolly old man. Her Meditite had evolved into Medicham through training off the clock too. It even got approved to be used in battles against trainers with seven or eight badges.
"Probably rude to ask, but how was she after our battle?"
"Emotional… at least the next day when she called me. Between the fanfare, your history at the gym, her limited experience as a leader, and a complete sweep, Vivian's stress levels were through the roof," Winona said before starting her second bowl of soup.
Little did they know that I was in the same boat. The only difference was I wore my emotions on my sleeve that night; I could afford to do so. No way Vivian would look good if she matched my intensity. Winona took a sip of wine after putting down her spoon.
"The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty didn't help either."
"Oh. The throat slash…" I said just above a whisper.
"You might want to be careful about that. There's no telling how other trainers or referees at the tournament are going to react. I'd hate for it escalate to the point where you get disqualified."
I motioned for a third bowl of soup. "Can't take the fire out of me that easily. Guess I'll have to find a workaround for when things get heated. Got any suggestions?"
"Curse under your breath during substitutions. Oh, and cover your mouth to avoid lip reading," she replied faster than expected. I was also surprised at her advice considering she oozed professionalism.
"Doesn't that make you look weird?"
"Kind of, but a lot of people see it as hyping yourself up or dismiss it outright." She took a big sip of wine. "I've done it numerous times."
A thunderclap shook the building and some lights flickered. We put the talk aside to get the most out of our meals in case of a power outage. I eventually downed a fourth bowl of soup while Winona stopped at two and a half bowls. My PokéNav beeped as our table was being cleared.
Sadie sent me a picture of her emergency schedule courtesy of the massive storm in the area. She was slated to work serious overtime. I rubbed my eyes just thinking about working that long. A map covered in red and yellow was sent shortly after. The storm was only going to get worse overnight with it fading away around 3:30 in the morning. Winona noticed me scowl.
"Something wrong?"
"No. It's just my sister telling me she's not coming home tonight. I need to head to the Pokémon Center to see if there's a room available after the bill comes."
The leader peeked outside as a smaller rumble of thunder came from overhead. "You probably won't get a room. I imagine it's already full of travelers caught in this mess."
"I'm not in the mood to sleep on the floor or set up my tent when there's a motel around." She put up a hand.
"Or… you can stay at my place and save yourself some money."
It took a good amount of effort not to laugh. Most trainers with excess cash would shell some out to be comfortable during nasty weather in a city or town; I was no different. Still, her offer was sincere.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother if you have stuff to do."
"Positive. At the very least you should rest up and feed your Pokémon. If you want to leave after that, go for it."
The check came and I left a 30% tip for the waiter's effort. A large bolt of lightning preceded a power outage. I half-jokingly put my head on the table and nearly fell asleep. We held out for a half an hour before giving up and running to her place. It was around the halfway point between Tree Tower and the gym on the southeast side of the city.
What I expected was an apartment. What I got was a two bed, one and a half bath rental house. On the outside It looked smaller than the one I grew up in, the inside appeared larger. Open carpeted living room with a couch, loveseat, flat screen television, and coffee table alone put my apartment to shame. The kitchen, bathrooms, and dining room items were up to date. Most importantly, the spare bedroom was taken care of; could've sworn it was cleaned earlier in the day based on the smell. There was another room with the door shut that I did not open. A similar house would be ideal for me if I didn't drop 485,000P on a mansion.
"Nice house. Did the league set this up or did you find this on your own?"
"Historically this has been the Fortree gym leader's home. Ownership has changed hands over the decades and it's currently owned by a landlord. Rent is split between the league and me. If I left the gym, I'd have to find another place to live which wouldn't be too hard."
I thought about the terms regarding my mansion. "Would you consider buying it if it went on the open market?"
Her eyes lit up. "Absolutely! I love how cozy it is. Speaking of cozy, why don't you take a shower and change into dry clothes?"
I dumped out every item in my backpack. "I didn't bring a spare pair and… shit! Everything you gave me is soaking wet!"
"Woah there! It's alright Ryan," she calmly said. "I'll throw our clothes in the dryer."
My pile was handed to her as I stood behind the bathroom door. The water heated up in a matter of seconds before I turned it to a lukewarm setting. I cranked the heat up and stood still just basking in the warmth for the final five minutes.
Laundry wasn't expected to be done for another fifteen minutes so I thought about hiding in the bathroom until then. A few minutes after I turned the water off, Winona told me I could come out if I kept the towel around my waist. I chose to wait it out.
Everything came out fine except for the shirt I wore on the way over. My compression top was dry enough to wear. The leggings were also warmer than my hiking pants, but my boxers and hiking pants were adequately dry. She gave the green light to feed my team sitting down in the living room while she took a shower.
Aggron barely fit in the living room standing up yet managed to eat comfortably. Altaria dug in faster than I had ever seen which was oddly terrifying to see. Her food coma came not too long after finishing. She ended up on her back and did not care about plucking the crumbs off her body. Not even a loud boom from the storm could get her to move.
Winona eventually came out with some papers, her laptop, and a charger. Her wearing a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants made my face turn red. I played it off by pulling my pantlegs up to let some heat out. All her Pokémon were called out for their dinner.
The two Altarias tilted their heads at one another despite mine still in her funny state. Swellow was unfazed at a bolt of lightning that struck just outside the window. Tropius scooted to the kitchen edge where there was slightly more room for its head. Skarmory and Aggron glared at each other in remembrance of their slugfest for the Feather Badge.
"Okay, that's enough," Winona sternly said. Skarmory reluctantly turned away. "Ryan and his Pokémon are our guests."
My Altria staggered to her feet as the flying type leader poured their food. The shit-eating grin had returned once again; she did it while picking at spare crumbs. I couldn't even be mad. Winona looked even more beautiful than in her official gear. There were a lot of thoughts going around in my mind, but most of them had consequences that I was not prepared to deal with.
"I'm putting on some hot water. Would you like any tea or hot chocolate?" she asked from the kitchen.
"No thank you. I'm all set." Altaria jumped into my lap not satisfied with my answer. Winona's Humming Pokémon took note although let the exchange go. I played along. "There's no pleasing you, is there?" My ball of cotton rolled her eyes. I picked her up so she could sit in my lap on the couch.
I faded in and out of consciousness once everyone was settled in. Winona took the loveseat and went to work on her laptop. She didn't have a problem with me watching condensed Pokéathlon reruns from the previous season. Her Pokémon were recalled presumably to make me more comfortable. I called Aggron back since he was starting to fidget from lack of space. Altaria couldn't stay awake yet demanded to stay on my lap.
Judging by the date in the lower right corner, the one for the 10pm slot was Lucas' first start on the relay team. He was the fifth runner out of six and a nervous wreck taking his spot on the track. Once the gun went off, it was like he turned into a world class professional. His final distance in the allotted time was good enough for third place among humans. Electrike wasn't as nervous and did well enough for third among Pokémon. Their combined distance netted them third place overall. Then came the last contestant, the five-year veteran he told me about.
She finished last on her time, but her Rapidash blew the competition away thus securing first place. The despair in his eyes was caught by a sideline camera as his named dropped to fourth on the leaderboard. For the rest of the match, the camera would pan back to him and his defeated expression was on full display. Hoenn as a team ended up in third place which lessened the blow. That sequence got me thinking about my body language at the upcoming tournament.
The 10:30pm slot showed him a few weeks later exuding confidence. His teammates were off the bench cheering him on as he ran harder than the first race. Electrike put it into another gear as well. They both got second place leaving only what I assumed was his rival left to go.
After Lucas saw his name dropped to third, he nodded with no emotion. The ring drop starter whispered into his ear and patted him on the back before heading off to his event. I looked up his competitor and saw the duo finished fourth overall in the standings while Lucas and Electrike finished sixth. Now with Manectric by his side, they had a great shot to take home the title next season.
Winona saw me leaning in. "Looking for something?"
I turned the volume down. "Sort of. See that guy with Electrike? He's my brother." She closed her laptop.
"Really?" The gym leader recalled all her Pokémon as they had fallen asleep. "Now that I think about it, the whole team was running through my gym not too long ago."
"Offseason training. From what I understand, their season starts up after the Hoenn championships."
"Well that's good! He should be around to support you."
The thought of being seen with my family or associated with them scared me unless the whole Latias situation was taken care of. Nothing was out of the question knowing how ruthless Ardos was. Aggron interrupted my train of thought when he tapped the center circle of his ball. Altaria stirred in her sleep.
"Oh, I meant to ask you something." She pointed to my partner. "Why Altaria? A lot of trainers talk about getting Flygon or Salamence. I mean… few of them actually have the patience to get them but still."
It was true that Altaria as a species got the short end of the popularity stick when it came to dragon types. Flygon in a sandstorm was hard to hit plus had an amazing ability in Levitate for double battles. Salamence needed no explanation on why it was held in high regard. At least Drake used all three.
"Someone found her injured as a Swablu around route 114. Funny thing is she wanted to go with a trainer instead of back to the wild. I stopped by the house where she lived, and the rest is history." I gave her a gentle squeeze. "My fluffy girl has helped me so much. You wouldn't think she's a warrior by looking at her."
Winona gave us an endearing look. "Sounds about right."
It got to a point where we passed out for twenty minutes. Winona woke up and turned the television off for me. I felt the change in light and woke up. Altaria did too and let herself back into the ball. While getting ready for bed, I quickly called home to explain I was in Fortree because of a storm; I heard Linoone calling out in the background. The gym leader and I retired to our rooms.
During the middle of the night, I needed to use the bathroom. I noticed the spare room whose door was originally closed was cracked open with the light on after washing my hands. The sound of fingers on a keyboard gave way to a fist hitting a desk. Going back to bed would've been the right move except Winona started to sob. I peeked into the room.
The setup was like a miniature office only it was extremely disorganized. Papers were scattered everywhere with some having coffee stains. It somehow got worse when the flying leader swept a pile on the floor out of frustration. Her laptop had a dozen or so tabs open. A glass of wine was on the desk although away from her work. All that at quarter after three.
"Hey Winona… are you alright?" I quietly asked from the entrance to the guest room.
"Y-yeah," she sniveled. Obvious lie.
"Can I come in?"
Radio silence for a few seconds. "Yeah."
A blanket covered her head which was planted on the desk. I did my best to maneuver through the room without making too much noise. Different papers were highlighted in different colors; I did not look at them. My feet stayed planted on the side of her chair closest to the door.
"This week has been awful." She wiped her eyes then stood up. "Getting swept two matches in a row then losing two more was the start. The first one was by a Swellow and the second one came from a Zangoose. I've never seen such aggressive Pokémon in my life. Their trainers were just as scared as I was, but I had to give those two their badge."
More Shadow Pokémon in the hands of ignorant trainers was not a good sign. However, I didn't want to add to her exhaustion by explaining the truth immediately.
"Other leaders have had this problem too. And then there's this Ardos situation. Remember the emails you didn't see from your time with Wallace?" I nodded. "Those were talks about a getting a warrant for Pokémon Services. Now your insider friends tell me it's actually happening. Combine all this with my normal job and it's just… stressful. I have three challengers coming in tomorrow then six the day after."
I found it odd she didn't mention our flying lesson. The league saw today as a day off for the flying leader. Regardless, my stomach knotted up at the sight of her trying to keep it together after each sentence. That emotional state was supposed to be reserved for me. Winona had to be doing more than she let on in case the sheer amount of paperwork wasn't enough of a hint.
Her eyes grew tired as we stood in silence. I thought there would be more coming only to realize she had let it all out. She closed her laptop and sat down with her head down. I was unsure about speaking up.
"Do you think it's possible to let me handle everything from now on? I don't want you running yourself into the ground over this." She stood up slowly then faced me. We stared at one another with the rain letting up outside. Her head lowered and her arms extended out just a little bit.
The embrace started out soft then her grip on my back started to tighten. I found myself rocking us side to side akin to what my mother did to me growing up. We did that until she stopped moving with me.
"You should get some sleep. I'll clean this up," I said reassuringly.
She shook her head. "I can help," she said with her head still buried in my chest.
No point in arguing with her so we got cleaning. I stacked papers according to the highlighter colors which was what she wanted. Neither of us spoke a word. Ten minutes later and the office space was more comfortable to be in. Fifteen minutes later everything was neatly organized. Winona leaned on me while admiring our work.
"Thanks for that," she said with a little red in her cheeks. I blushed too.
"No problem. If anything, I should be thanking you for everything you've done for me," I sheepishly replied.
She rubbed her head against my shoulder. "There's still more you need to learn."
"Not if it means jeopardizing your health and career," I said trying not to sound worried.
"Look at this."
Winona dug out a rolled-up calendar from the desk drawer. One week was circled with a black marker and the next three were circled with a red marker. One day had a green mark in the box.
"Up until the first day inside the black circle, I can take personal days provided I give enough notice. That week is the last opportunity to win badges and register for the tournament."
"Okay, but the tournament lasts a week. Why are there three weeks circled?"
"Vacation time. One week before the tournament, the week of the tournament, and one week after. The only league obligation we have is the opening ceremony which is the green check. Follow me?"
Still felt guilty about potentially cutting into her vacation time. "Now I do. Fingers crossed this Ardos problem gets solved by then."
"We can only hope." She gave me another hug. "I'll see you in the morning."
I held her close. "Goodnight Winona."
Clouds still filled the sky when I woke up. The smell of pancakes got me moving around. Winona had kept a stack warm for me at the kitchen table. She looked better although the yawning persisted.
"When's your first battle?" I asked.
"Noon. I've got two and a half hours."
"I'll leave after breakfast so you can get ready."
She used up the last of the batter. "Leave when you're comfortable. You can feed your Pokémon here too," she nonchalantly replied.
We all ate in silence. Altaria sensed something was off and opted to keep her head down. I cleaned my dishes and got to packing my things. My hope was that Winona would take a power nap to become fully refreshed shortly after I left.
There was no doubt in my mind her mental strength was better than mine. She had taken on so much emotional baggage yet still managed to keep a hold on it all for so long. I could only imagine facing trainer after trainer with so much on her mind and still winning enough not to get written up for performance issues. Last night's outburst was bound to happen and for better or worse, I was there to witness it.
I made sure to wear my new gear so I could get used to it. Dedicating even one hour per week flying with it on could help in the long run. Altaria's training would have to be managed more carefully to avoid overexertion. The last thing I wanted to do was upset the Pokémon who could carry me across Hoenn whenever I wanted.
"We're going to head out. I've got a… clear sky and want to take advantage of that," I called out while walking back to the kitchen; almost said how long of a flight I had back to Fallarbor. I wasn't comfortable revealing that side of me.
Winona stood up to meet me. "Have a safe trip. Call me when you get to where you're going."
"Can do." I gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Call me if you need anything or just want to talk." Winona leaned in for a gentle hug.
"Please stay safe," she said quietly.
I don't know what came over me, but I started to stroke her hair. The thought of me being a creep almost got me to stop. Winona hummed with a smile on her face the entire time which got rid of that fear.
"I will. All while getting stronger too."
Our hug eventually broke with a hint of reluctance. Altaria quickly turned around but I saw her silently giggling; I didn't plan on saying anything. Aggron let himself back in the ball after a sigh. We thanked Winona for her hospitality then headed outside. My flying type got sprayed with a hyper potion to restore any lost strength from yesterday's training before taking off.
The flight home was more relaxing than the initial trip over. Nature was kind enough to hold the rain and limit gusts. The goggles proved to be the most valuable item as the wind was a no longer a threat to my eyesight. Altaria's stamina was good enough to take me home without a break. It was just before noon upon landing at the front door.
"Good girl! You can rest in the ball for a bit then I'll give you lunch." She screeched in approval before getting sucked in. I called Winona to tell her I was safe before opening the front door. "I'm back!"
Linoone came running from upstairs at full speed. He stumbled on the last step yet had enough momentum to get up in one motion and throw himself at me. I hugged him as tightly as he would allow me to with him squirming. Furious licking followed once he could keep his head up for more than a second.
"Aww! Someone missed me! I'm sorry I didn't come home last night but I did hear you in the background when I called," I struggled to get out between Linoone's chaotic movements. Jack and Rebecca walked in from the living room. The latter holding a package while the former was looking at my new flying equipment.
"Welcome home master. I hope everything went well. Lunch was just served so it should still be warm. May I take your things?" Jack said.
"Yes please," I replied. "Actually, wait a second. What's this box?"
Rebecca handed it to me while I put Linoone down. "From Slateport."
"Oh, that's right! Go open it on the kitchen table. I'll grab leftovers."
The obscene amount of foam and bubble wrap created some anticipation. When it was all removed, the glass figurines of all their Pokémon sparkled under the light. My housekeepers analyzed them just centimeters away for a bit.
"Sir… these are beautiful," Rebecca said trying to contain her excitement. "Everything is modeled perfectly. Absol's horn is so sharp and its fur is incredibly detailed."
"Breloom's tail is really smooth and Delcatty's pin cushion-looking collar is thick enough but not too thick. Salamence looks so majestic too. How much were they?" Jack added.
"Don't worry about it. As long as you're satisfied, then so am I." They carefully picked up their respective figurines.
"Very satisfied," Rebecca happily replied.
"Quality like this isn't mass produced," Jack said. "Thank you very much!"
I couldn't get over how happy they were. It was the first time I had seen them since I bought the house. A much-needed reprieve from the recent negativity surrounding my situation that they helped deal with.
"You're welcome! I'm going to rest for a bit. Please don't wake me up if it's close to dinner and feed my team if they want food. I'll leave Aggron and Altaria with you."
Before doing that, I called my parents to make sure their Pokémon figurines arrived. Mom started sobbing over the phone when she described how much she loved Pelipper. Dad did a better job of hiding his emotions as he commented about the linework on Torkoal's shell and removable smoke cloud attachment.
Linoone rushed upstairs to get back to playing; I slowly made my way up to the master bedroom. I took a hot shower to help adjust from changing out of my warm clothes. The lingering steam helped me transition into wearing shorts and a tank top to sleep in. While drying off, I head the bedroom door squeak open.
"Just a second. I'm getting dressed," I yawned. "All set now."
Ninetales burst through the door like she was shot out of a cannon and tackled me. Her tails were furiously wagging while she licked my face as fast as she could. Some whines escaped while I was trying to calm her down. Eventually she got tuckered out and rested on top of me.
"It's okay Ninetales… I'm alright. The weather was bad last night so I stayed in," I cooed. "Remember, I said that I would never abandon you."
She let me sit up while rubbing her head against my hand. The outburst had Sealeo bouncing in shortly after. He had a small rubber toy ball in his mouth and a tennis ball under each flipper. Ninetales moved off to the side so he could get closer.
"Well hello there! Are you happy with your loot?" I asked while petting his head. He happily lined them up. "Oh? Are you going to show me something?"
Juggling was a nice surprise considering Sealeo preferred to balance objects on their nose. He started with the rubber ball then added the other two once he got into a rhythm. Once he felt like he was done, he let them all drop. I gave him a round of applause.
"Damn! I'm glad Jack got you those balls when I was gone," I yawned again. "Oh man, I need a nap."
I shooed them to the door before realizing they didn't want to leave. Sealeo made a beeline for the bed yet couldn't wiggle his way up; I helped him on. Ninetales elegantly hopped on the left side to curl up next to me. Sealeo was on the same side except he stayed by my feet.
"Can't complain if I roll over," I teased.
I woke up around 6:15pm thanks to a strong wind outside. Both Pokémon were on the floor rolling a tennis ball to each other. My stirring caused them to rush over and place their chins on the edge of the bed. Head pats were given.
Magneton happily greeted me at the top of the stairs with Delcatty in tow. The normal type moved next to Sealeo so they would walk down side by side. Someone really made use of their day off. Hopefully he could stay focused on training when it mattered. The more I thought about it, I hoped Linoone and Ninetales wouldn't go easy on each other when it came to full intensity battles. Dinner was just being cleaned up by the time I walked into the kitchen.
"None of your Pokémon have eaten since lunch. Their bowls have fresh food now," Rebecca said.
"Really? I thought at least one of them wanted a snack," I replied.
"To be fair, Linoone over here was drooling when we were cooking. Let me get you a plate." They all dug in the moment I picked up my fork.
Jack had gone out to help at the Pokémon Center and returned midway through dinner. A group of mountain climbers had gotten into a scuffle with a dozen Sandshrew on the way back to town. It was something I could have handled if I was volunteering. Minor scratches for the humans, a couple of fainted Geodude courtesy of Self-Destruct, and maybe a new pair of pants for one climber.
"Just a bit of an overreaction considering Geodude have an advantage over Sandshrew," I noted.
"Not everyone has a trainer's mentality. You'll see situations like that pop up every so often," Jack said nonchalantly. "Before I forget, our Pokémon love the figurines too."
"Even Salamence?" I asked.
"Especially Salamence. He looked so proud of himself. See for yourself." The large dragon type was annoyed about coming out of its ball. "Want to show Ryan what you got today?"
Watching him get instantly happy was uncanny. Even the housekeeper's Pokémon looked at each other unsure of what to make of the scene. He fetched the piece of art and came back holding it in his mouth as delicately as possible. Once Jack placed in on the table, Salamence proudly held his head high.
"Ryan got that for you!" Rebecca said. He came out of his little trance to stare curiously.
Our relationship at its deepest was based around tolerance. No doubt he was unhappy about losing to Aggron when the house was on the line, but he didn't openly resent me or Aggron for it. Maybe it was because he was told everything would be okay or maybe he genuinely respected our strength. In turn, I left him do his own thing.
We had a small breakthrough when he let me ride him home from the Pokémon Center the day Machop died. I never expected him to openly show affection like Linoone or even Sealeo. The best I could have hoped for was stoic respect which I put a step above tolerance. It was nice to see him open up even if it was over a gift. Salamence put up a front leg signaling a high five to which I obliged. He scooped up the glass piece to admire some more in the sunroom with.
"Like a kid getting a birthday present," I said with a mix of awe and confusion.
"Told you," Jack said while shrugging his shoulders.
"Uh, right. Anyway, mentioning the Pokémon Center earlier has got me thinking about going back to volunteer… regularly."
They looked at each other. "We can set something up," Rebecca said nervously. I hung my head.
"You guys were right. There general public has been affected. Winona told me she got swept twice in a row by overly aggressive Pokémon. Their trainers didn't know what to do. We already had one Pokémon die. It's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to a trainer. I figured if I could run into just one Shadow Pokémon, it could lead to bigger things."
Rebecca nodded solemnly. "What kind of schedule do you prefer?"
"I don't know yet. There's still the issue of training my team for the tournament. I can feel the burnout coming from the horizon," I sighed.
"You can start with a few different options to avoid overexertion," Jack said. "First one is to spend a certain number of hours a day working with one Pokémon then volunteer on the seventh day. Second one is having your entire team work less hours than in choice one for six days then give them all a break on day seven while you volunteer. Third is to work your team harder and/or longer for five days, volunteer on day six, and everyone rests on day seven. Obviously allow yourself leisure time."
Pretty solid options. Another possibility was to volunteer on the same day as a training session if I wanted to get it over with. The hard part was finding how long each session would be so I could mentally recover.
"Once I decide, I'll let you guys know."
Sitting down on the couch to watch television helped me mellow out. I still couldn't decide on a schedule or the approach. An advertisement came up for Dewford's spelunking festival which I had looked at a flyer for during my time there, but never took with me. It was slated a week before the opening ceremony. A beach getaway for two days could entice my team to work harder. My Pokémon gathered in the living room when they got tired of playing. All of them together gave me an idea.
"Alright guys listen up. Tomorrow is the day we start training for the Hoenn League Tournament. We're going to start easy with intersquad battling then go from there. Sound good?" They all cheered. "Great! I expect everyone to work hard in the coming weeks. We'll take a nice beach vacation at the end."
So many moving parts with so little I could control. Just take it one day at a time.
Have a good day and I will see you next chapter :)
-W4f