I gave everyone their new moves, and we all retired to bed soon after. The next morning, as I woke up, I immediately checked my watch. Everyone except for Quinton, Max, and Laura was still on the routes to the south. Even the duo in the lead hadn't quite reached Fuchsia yet. And I knew they were rushing. They had to be. They knew people weren't too far behind.

And we wouldn't be, either. I looked around the dark room. Everyone except Bailey was still asleep. I locked eyes with her, and she nodded.

"This is becoming common with you," she said. "Are you scared of staying asleep?"

"I probably should be, considering where my mind goes," I said. "Although, again, no nightmares lately. I guess I'm anxious."

"Another of your problems."

"Love you too," I muttered. I got off the floor, rolled up my sleeping bag and stuffed it into my backpack, and walked up to Bailey. She never took her eyes off me, and she continued to stare as I approached. Something else I'd just gotten used to.

I leaned up against her, expecting her to push me away. She stood still as I touched her. Then she relaxed slightly. "You're too comfortable with me," she said.

"Probably," I said. But neither of us moved. "I don't think I can tell you enough how happy I was to hear you were going to stay with us. I genuinely believed you would take the chance immediately, and that's why you asked."

She didn't respond at first. She leaned more into me, ever so slightly. "As I said, I want to return home, to those for whom I care."

"Final chance," I said, a bit more hesitant than I wanted. "We leave soon."

"If I did, I'd disappoint them," she said, nodding at the sleeping team. "I…" She trailed off, as if her pride refused to let her say the words.

Of course, I understood. I nodded, lifted myself off her, and patted her shoulder. "You would. But they'd understand. Still, we all appreciate you staying."

She nodded as well, and I returned to my packing. Gradually the others woke up, and we moved to the kitchen. Smells already emanated from the room, and we saw Dalila cooking a hearty breakfast for us all. She heard us enter, smiled and waved at us with spatula in hand.

"Sleep well?" She asked. "I'm sure you're all nervous about your journey." Her eyes fell upon Annie and Rose and noticed them holding hands, and her smile brightened. "I've packed some extra food. The bag is in the living room with Ronald. Breakfast should be ready soon."

We thanked her and moved to the living room. Ronald sat on a small sofa chair reading a newspaper. I noticed the headline: "PRESIDENT MONROE FINALLY COMMENTS. CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS FAMILY"

Ronald heard us and set aside the paper. His eyes were dark from lack of sleep. Either another night of restless work or inability from worrying about us. He smiled despite it, stood up, and hugged Stacy.

"Could we not convince you to stay just one more day?" He asked into her shoulder.

Stacy shook her head. "I'm afraid we're on a strict time limit."

"Of course." He couldn't hide his disappointment. He pulled away and pointed out the bag, a small handbag decorated with pictures of the Quill family. Stacy grabbed it and flipped it around, searching each picture. "The boys worked on this all week. We scoured our albums for anything about your parents. I hope you like it."

Stacy stared at her mother's joyful smile and blinked back tears. "I love it," she whispered. "Thank you, uncle."

"Thank the boys, if they wake up," said Ronald. "Of course, I pointed out the best ones." He looked to me. "Remember what I said. You bring her back to me."

"I remember, and I will."

Eventually, we all sat down around the Quill's table and ate. It was a quiet meal, melancholic, but delicious as always. And we ate slowly, savoring each other's time as well as the food. But it came to an end, and as the plates soaked in the sink, we all lined up outside.

It was a beautiful day, the sun shining across a light-blue sky. Ronald, Dalila, and their children hugged every one of us in turn, staying the longest attached to Stacy, and we all waved goodbye. We waved and waved until my team rounded the corner and the Quills disappeared.

We faced the busy main street. Life had gone on in Celadon City, despite the war. People were falling back into routine. The clothes were far less divided; mixtures of colors overlapped. The overt sense of tension that filled the city before the war had been replaced mostly with sorrow but also with a sense of hope. The city survived, and it would rebuild.

We all traveled together, ignoring anyone who would look our way. We certainly stood out. People probably connected the dots. I didn't care. I refused to send anyone into their cramped Moeballs as we left the city. It wouldn't feel right not to leave together.

As we approached the western torii, I decided to call Quinton one more time. He picked up immediately.

"Hey, Quinton, I'm heading out," I said.

A pause. "Okay, Arthur. Hey, don't be a stranger. If you get nervous out there, let me know. We'll see if we can't meet up."

"Right. Good luck against Erika," I said. "We'll probably see each other in Fuchsia City, okay?"

"Probably."

Yeah, probably. "Alright, man, take care."

"You too."

Click. I sighed and tapped the celadon wooden torii. "We're finally done. We were here way too long."

"We can finally move on," said Christine. "With what really matters."

"Yes," said Rose, holding Annie close. "Each other."

Christine shrugged. "Not what I meant, but that's good too." She grinned and patted my shoulder. "Hey, Arthur, four days, right? That's the plan?"

"More or less," I said. "It looks like everyone else is looking to take that long."

"Good. Lots to talk about, then."


Despite Christine's words, we traveled through Route 16 without much discussion. Stacy and Christine flew ahead to scout out the area, and they'd point out weak Moemon nearby that the team could easily defeat. I advised them against battling too often, as my supplies were limited, but they all fought in enough battles to satisfy themselves.

Thick forests filled the north and south of the route, leaving a several-mile-wide path of small ponds, patches of long grass, and manmade paths. Directly through the center, a four-lane highway stretched across. Aside from the occasional vehicle traveling toward and away from the city, we encountered nobody that first day.

As the sun set on our first day of travel, we approached the crossing point of Routes 16 and 17: a massive gas station. I truly mean massive. Forty lanes of pumps that stretched for a good quarter mile, and a building that matched its size. I noticed grimly that it was a Donavan gas station; although, there were a few other companies whose logos emblazoned across the building. One looked to be a restaurant, another a hotel, a third a rental company.

"Parked perfectly after a day's travel," I said. "Definitely not a coincidence." I looked at the girls. "What do you think? Sleep in a hotel tonight after a warm meal, or are we camping?"

"Who else is in there?" asked Olivia. "We should be discrete."

"Yes, our departure from Celadon was less than ideal," said Rose.

Nobody was at the pumps. There were a few cars parked outside the hotel portion, and a couple outside the restaurant. I was sure that the back would be filled with vehicles thanks to the rental company.

"Well, want me to scout it out?" I asked. "Who wants to join me?"

Christine's arm shot into the air. "You owe me this," she said.

I couldn't argue with that. I held out my arm and interlocked it with hers. "We won't be gone long."

The others found a clump of trees to rest behind. Christine held me tight and led me into the station. Despite its size, most of the shelves were barren, the fridges were half-stocked, and nobody except a lone worker was inside.

"Welcome," the worker, an older man, balding, overweight, said.

"Hi," I said, my eyes wandering around the store. "Hey, what happened?"

The worker raised an eyebrow. "You haven't heard about the Second Celadon War?" His eyes fell on Christine. "You and your Charizard just fly in from Johto or something?"

I didn't like that tone, or that his eyes wouldn't look away from her. "Yeah," I said. "But that was in Celadon. Several days ago." He didn't answer, so I snapped my fingers.

He finally stopped ogling Christine and looked to me in annoyance. "And we had hundreds of refugees stranded, and we were the only source of food in the region. We haven't had time to restock, so this is what we've got. Pumps are nearly out as well. The restaurant is just as barren. Hotel and rental agency are closed."

"Closed?"

"As in not open for business. You've got the pickings in here and maybe some sandwiches from the restaurant."

I slowly nodded and led Christine to the back, near the soda fountains. "Let's at least get everyone water." I grumbled to myself, "What a waste of time. Jackass."

"Could we have visited here earlier?" asked Christine, mirroring me as I filled a few water cups.

"Apparently this has existed the entire time," I said. "Not that anyone ever told me. Quinton certainly didn't, despite being out here several days longer." I stuffed a lid onto the cup so hard it nearly bent the plastic. I stepped away and held my hands together.

Christine sensed my frustration, and she placed a hand on my shoulder. "What is it?"

"I'm kind of frustrated, honestly," I said. "Quinton didn't tell me about the TM shop either. I had to find that out by wandering around yesterday. He seemed happy to help me talk about strategy, but…" I paused. "He's been the most helpful person to me this entire journey. Always told me exactly what to do. Why's he been holding out on me?"

"He wants you to be independent," said Christine.

"I think surviving in that war made me plenty independent. Not telling me about a couple things like that is just… petty? I don't know. Frustrating. We'd be a lot weaker if I hadn't explored. Would Quinton have just let us leave without all of those moves?"

"It's a competition."

"And, despite it all, he's stuck with me as an ally. Would he really start competing against me now?"

"I don't have the answers for you," said Christine. "You know him more than me." She patted my shoulder and smiled. "And, if he has, then we'll just beat him."

"That means killing all of his Moemon," I said.

"Doesn't have to come to that. We could just outrace him. We're already ahead of him."

She pushed a few cups into my hands and held a few of her own. "This is more a topic for the others. We're camping tonight."

We walked up to the counter. Water was free, so the worker just pointed us out. We walked out without a word and returned to our Moemon nearby. As we handed out the cups, we told them the bad news.

"Yeah, most of that hotel's lights are out," said Bailey. "There's no movement in most of them."

"She teleported up to them," Olivia explained.

"And Stacy flew," added Annie, giggling slightly. "Soared above the whole building."

"I saw nothing of importance," said Stacy.

"I hope you had a nice discussion," said Rose.

"No, actually, Arthur asked me questions that I couldn't answer," said Christine sadly. "I hope our next talk would be more enjoyable. He's frustrated about Quinton withholding information from us."

"I'm sorry, do you expect him to direct you through the entire competition?" asked Stacy.

"It's what he's been doing so far," I said. Hearing it from Stacy just made my frustration seem pathetic in retrospect. "I just didn't expect it to end so quick."

"We're no longer traveling together," said Olivia. "It's only natural."

"It didn't end that quick," said Bailey. "It ended when he lied."

"Yeah. That," I said. Ever since then, there had been a barrier between us. Something had changed. Shifted. I've noticed it for days. Hated having to admit it. "It hurts, you know."

Christine looked to Stacy. "Maybe you can answer: Do you believe Quinton would have let us leave without discovering the TM shop?"

"That was more rhetorical," I said quickly.

"Then you know the answer, I'm sure," said Stacy.

I nodded. "Yeah. He would've."

"He's an enemy like all of the others," said Bailey.

Hearing that, I winced. "I don't want to think of him like that."

"He thinks it of you," said Bailey. "Staying in denial would only hurt you when you two fight."

"We won't fight." A weak statement. A lie for all I knew.

Thankfully, Annie nodded and moved closer to me. She placed her hand on mine and smiled. "That's right. You and Quinton may be competing, but you're still friends. He won't fight you."

"Oh, little Annie," Rose shook her head. "I wish we could share that optimism."

Annie frowned at her. "We've had a lot of fun this past week! He didn't look like an enemy when he helped feed us, when he shared rumors with us, when he talked with us."

"And now he's gone," said Stacy. "Away from us as we travel alone. You didn't know him much, but the other one, Garrett, also traveled with us. We've traveled with many of the others. All of them are gone now."

"Thanks everyone," I said. "I get it." I patted Annie's hand and moved mine away. She walked back over to Rose and cuddled with her. "Thanks for not getting upset with me. I'm still processing this."

"As you said, we're all here to learn from each other," said Olivia. "There's no reason to be upset. So long as well understand each other."

"Of course. It just hits harder than Garrett did. I might need a while."

"Then these few days away from everyone should be good for you," said Christine. "Maybe don't talk to anyone until we get to Fuchsia?"

"Don't look at their status either," said Bailey.

"Good ideas," I said. It was nice to know, but it'd just bring those memories back. "Let's get a fire going and cook something."

We collected dried grass and branches and stuffed them into a pyre for Christine to light. I pulled out a pot, ducked back into the gas station to refill on water, filled the pot with water, let it boil and filled it with rice.

As the rice cooked, Bailey and Stacy went out to scout. A bit later, Bailey appeared. But as I looked at her to ask what she found, I realized immediately that this Banette was not my Bailey. It wasn't her clothes – soft blue linen robes – but her face that I recognized as off. The cold, distant façade hiding caring and warmth wasn't there. Instead there was calm, smug superiority.

I stood up as soon as I realized, and naturally my other Moemon recognized the stranger just as quickly. To confirm it all, Bailey reappeared at my side, glaring at the woman.

"Sister Belle," I said. To my side, Bailey gave me a side glance.

"This is the Belle you mistook me as," she said, looking back at the Moemon. "I see no resemblance.

"Neither do I," I replied. I could feel my Moemon getting ready to strike. I myself was in a defensive position, ready to run or battle if necessary. I realized that the Banette before us could be powerful enough to take on my entire team. I couldn't risk that. I stood straight and placed a hand over Bailey's. I kept my gaze firmly on Sister Belle. "What do you want?"

Sister Belle barely heard me. Her gaze fixated on something high in the trees. After a moment, a faint rustling sounded from above, and she followed the sound as it passed through the trees.

"Your Staraptor is getting ready to make her last mistake," she noted. She glanced at me with a smile. "I don't come to attack, you know. Call her off, please, so we can talk."

"Stacy," I called, motioning for her to approach. "Not yet."

A few seconds later, Stacy landed at my side, kicking up a bunch of dirt around her. Rose placed herself in front of the pot and took most of the dirt.

"We'd like to inform you where we stand, since we haven't spoken in a few days," said Sister Belle. She slowly sat down in front of the fire. With a smile, she motioned for us to join her.

"I hadn't realized anything changed," I replied, staying standing. My Moemon joined in my defiance. "I've been as vague as possible when describing everything to my Challengers. The only ones I've told were my Moemon here, so if that's why you're here-"

"We're well aware," said Sister Belle. "Challengers never stop talking to their Moemon. We expected them to know. That won't matter."

"Is that right? In your Moemon-centered world? My Moemon's knowledge won't matter?"

Sister Belle pointed at me. "Careful, Challenger. Make too many points like that, and I will attack. We're welcome to this truce between us, but that can break at the slightest word. No, it won't, because they'll be dead long before that. This world won't be centered around Moemon's strength anytime soon. Humans – trainers especially – will lose their power soon. You may even see that before you're eliminated."

"How soon?"

"Probably not in time for you to complete your circuit around the region," said Sister Belle. "It won't interfere with your only purpose here. But it won't be long." She smiled. "Are you up to date on current events?"

I recalled the front-page article. "The President."

She nodded. "Up for reelection very soon, and his brother and nephew were involved in a Civil War. The former died nobly; the latter became a monster whose image ruined his family."

I recalled an article from the Cerulean Library. Ages ago, it felt. "I thought that link was supposed to be a secret."

Sister Belle snorted. "Maybe you aren't up to current events. President Monroe's half-brother has been known to be Kevin for years."

"The journalist who wrote the articles I read died because of what he found."

"Then he died to create a link between the President and the Kanto Kings. One fell, and so will the other. Normally, the President chooses his successor-"

"Which would've been Mayor Porter," I said quietly.

Sister Belle nodded. "But, with that link in question, the President will step down, and a secret panel will decide the new leader."

"Which will be a Moemon," I said, more firmly, guessing Sister Belle's confidence.

"If all goes well."

"Mayor Porter wanted the Challengers' support. He invited us into his home and gave us great hospitality in the hopes that we'd agree."

"He probably would've been a great human leader," said Sister Belle, melancholically.

"So, what will go well?" I asked.

"Nothing I can say to you, Challenger, except that our deal still stands," said Sister Belle. "The Mewtwo's Apostles are the best hope for the region. If you're ever asked, a Moemon as President would unite both species." As I opened my mouth, she held up a finger. The tip black like a Shadow Ball. "There's no use saying otherwise. If you do, you won't harm us, and we'd strike your team down. You can continue your journey unimpeded, but don't test your luck against anyone."

I stared at that tip as if it was going to suck me into its infinite void. "Fine," I said. "Am I going to have to see you every time I leave a city, or is this one threat enough for us?"

"That depends on you, Challenger," said Sister Belle, standing up. "Never say a word about this, and you'll never see me again."

"I could only be so lucky."

She smirked at that. "Keep making remarks like that – and I fully expect you not to be able to shut up – and we'll have another reminder. Perhaps the next one won't be as friendly." She eyed Stacy. "The Quills are always a great help to us, you know."

"Don't you dare threaten my family," Stacy seethed, stepping forward. I managed to place a hand on her chest to keep her at bay.

"They're innocent," said Sister Belle. "I was going to say that it would be awful to have to report to them that their last tie to Nigel and Patricia died in a battle."

"That's a low threat," I muttered.

"More a reminder for her to keep you in line," said Sister Belle. "You're all close. Obviously. Keep each other in check." She pointed at me. "Keep him in check." Then she bowed slightly. "Goodbye, Challenger, and good luck." And she vanished.

We stared at her shadow until the tension faded away. Rose poured out the rice – untouched thanks to her bravery – and opened up some ground beef to add flavor. Once she finished, taking over the cooking for me, she passed out plates. I barely had an appetite, but I took the food nonetheless. I had one bite, and it tasted like nothing.

Rose watched me nervously. "Arthur, please tell us how you're feeling."

I swallowed what little I ate and set the plate in my lap. "Sorry. I wanted to enjoy our freedom. I barely even remembered everything I did and said was being watched. Now that's all I can think about."

"It's the same solution from before," said Olivia. "Say nothing about the Mewtwo's Apostles and say nothing about the presidency. If we avoid those topics, then there's nothing to fear."

Annie nodded. "Not like there's much else to say, anyway. That awful war's over, right?"

"And you do not know of any other candidates," added Rose. "Whatever Moemon is appointed is a mystery to everyone."

"All of you are right, of course," I said. "I've nothing against a Moemon winning. I can't really oppose the Mewtwo's Apostles message, either. I just hate that restriction. Feels like I'm being chained and muzzled."

"You can vent to us, at least," said Annie. She smiled. "We'll listen."

"Thank god you can talk back," I said with a sigh. "If I was alone, I'd go crazy." I looked at Stacy. "That was low for her to mention your family."

Stacy glanced at me and nodded. "I will remember that."

"Could you see how strong she was?" asked Christine. "She seemed really powerful. Can't your watch tell for sure?"

I glanced at it, avoiding anything to do with my fellow Challengers. Nothing. "Only if they're in a battle." I moved closer to Christine and held up the face to her, showing her her stats. "I can tell this about you guys, though."

Christine frowned. "Those seem weak."

"About half-way to the end," I said. "Elite Four's Moemon are in their seventies, so we're making good pace."

"Are we?" asked Olivia. "Should we be even with our competition or ahead of them?"

I looked at her curiously. "Ahead. Their Moemon are higher level than us, but not by much. We can take on Janine without too much trouble at these levels."

"Training is slow, and according to Sister Belle, we're on limited time," Olivia continued. "We may want to consider training harder and more often in order to get ahead of the curve."

Stacy nodded at that. "What was that Seviper's level from Pewter City?"

"Hunter M?" I asked, shuddering slightly at that slaughter. Our first taste of the Hunters' power. "Fifties… I think. She slaughtered poor Maggie's Moemon."

"The others?"

"Hunters W were in the low-forties or so. Hunter G was also around there, but they were new. Younger than me, really. The others are probably veterans with much stronger Moemon."

"And we'll be in their headquarters soon," said Stacy.

I nodded. "I wish we could just get in and get out without anyone recognizing us."

"We want to be recognized," said Stacy firmly, staring at me. "We have unfinished business with one of them."

Hunter N. The man part of the group who killed Stacy's mother. "Have you decided on what you'll do with him?"

"I've no reason to spare him," said Stacy. "I've already killed one, and my uncle supports me avenging my mother's final killer. You support me, I hope."

"I'll support you whatever you decide," I said. "I… just don't think I'm going to watch it. But does that mean you expect us to get his attention? We'd get all of the Bounty Hunters on us."

She paused. "I'd hope to isolate him."

"We don't know what he looks like without that ski mask of his. Isolating him… that'd take a lot of planning or luck."

"We may have to come to that discussion later," said Olivia. "Those levels you mention only reinforce my point. We have to train to prepare for such battles."

"That's right," said Christine. "No matter what, they're our worst danger. We have to prepare for them."

"We will," I said. "We just have to balance training with making progress in our challenge with avoiding people's attention with isolating Hunter N with avoiding the wrath of the other Challengers and the Mewtwo's Apostles."

Christine put an arm around me and put her cheek against mine. "Hey, if that's all, then we'll easily win this Challenge!"


Arthur:

Christine the Charizard

Stacy the Staraptor

Rose the Roselia

Olivia the Samurott

Annie the Lairon

Bailey the Banette