There were more whispers when we entered Pewter City's Pokemon Center, and now I had a good idea why.

"I cannot believe that girl has such a big following," I told Lila as we checked in. "Who is she, anyway?"

"I don't know," she said, "But it'll probably be over once you start having Lucky stay in his Pokeball. It didn't seem like those girls knew you, just him." I called Mom to quickly update her, then considered making another call. I steeled myself, pulled the slip of paper out of my pocket, and dialed Ana's number. She must have been busy, though, since it went to her voicemail. I left a short message just saying hello, then ended the call. I sat back, feeling tense, pulse pounding. What had I even called her for? I didn't really have anything super interesting to talk about with a trainer of her level.

I tried to forget about it as I walked back to the room Nurse Joy assigned to us. As she had last time, Lila had claimed the bottom bunk. I laid my bike against the wall. Rather than climbing up to the top bunk, though, I flopped down next to her.

"I know you're right about that Gab girl, but it's still so aggravating! Let me know if you see her; I want to give her a piece of my mind."

"But I didn't-"

There was a knock at the door. Probably Chansey coming to let me know that Mom was calling me back about something she'd forgotten about during our call.

"Come in," I called.

Our visitor was not an ovoid Pokemon. It wasn't a Pokemon. It was a man. I recognized him, but couldn't quite believe it. He pulled his concealing cloak off, and the sheer wall of muscle confirmed it. Lucky started towards him, then drew up short, looking confused. Then he inched forward, sniffing at our visitor.

The man closed the door behind him, holding a massive hand out to absentmindedly scratch Lucky's ears as he sat down cross-legged on the room's floor facing us. My puppy dropped his tongue out in a big doggy grin and eagerly accepted the attention, curling up beside him.

"Good evening, girls. Which of you is Katie Castle?" asked Bruno

I sat, stunned. I flicked my eyes to Lila, to see her staring at him as well.

"You- you are Bruno, right?" I asked.

He sighed. "Yes. Pleased to meet you both, and we can exchange pleasantries if I have time. Katie, can we speak?"

He was still looking between us, so I said, "Uh, sure."

His attention snapped to me. I shied back from the intensity of his gaze.

"Normally I'd ask your friend to leave, but this concerns her as well," he turned to Lila, "As long as this is Lila Raelan?"

Lila nodded silently.

"Excellent, then I only have to go over this once," Bruno said, resting his hands on his knees. "Katie, it's come to the Pokemon League's attention that you're acting as an unlicensed Pokemon Coach. Normally, this wouldn't be something that warrants a visit from one of us personally. After a separate incident yesterday, though, I thought it best to address this myself. Yes?" Something about my expression must have conveyed my confusion.

"Um, that's all interesting, but, uh… what's a Pokemon Coach?"

Bruno sighed again. "Of course," he said under his breath. Even quiet, his voice was a thunderstorm rumbling through mountains. To me, he said, "Coaches have a similar function in the Pokemon League as Gym Leaders, but for a different reason. Gym Leaders help trainers develop their battling by testing and stressing specific skills. But battling isn't Pokemon's only role in our lives. Many people need help building their relationships with their Pokemon. Some people don't have the opportunity to travel on a journey, but still want to help their Pokemon grow. Still others aren't comfortable with the idea of Pokemon battles. Coaches help people and Pokemon reach their full potential in ways that Gyms can't."

I sat, rapt. I'd never considered being anything but a Gym Leader someday, but… this sounded good. Really good. And apparently I was already doing it?

Bruno met my eyes. "Due to the degree of trust people place in their Coaches, and the possible harm that can come from improper instruction, Coaching is almost as regulated as the Gym circuit. There's a certification exam that must be passed either after completing an 18-month course, or after earning eight badges. You have done neither of these. Given your situation, it's understandable you might give pointers to a 'newer' trainer." He glanced at Lila, whose eyes widened.

"But developing a system of training, specialized to the trainer and their Pokemon, and working with them over an extended period on a regular basis, is another matter."

At some point while he'd been speaking, I'd started sweating. "I didn't know! I'm really sorry. What's going to happen now?"

Bruno looked serious. "This by itself isn't an unusual situation. Normally, you'd simply be asked to separate from your student and refrain from similar activities until you'd earned your Coach certification. We would ask you," he looked at Lila, "some questions about the things you've learned from Katie to determine if any harmful lessons need to be corrected. If so," he turned back to me, "your trainer certification would be suspended pending an investigation, or possibly revoked."

I was shaking. I couldn't stop. After Erika's lecture, I'd been nervous about my future as a trainer. But I'd never suspected my problem would come from trying to help someone.

"But that's not fair!"

I was horrified at the outburst. I was in enough trouble without talking back to one of the most senior members of the Pokemon League. Then I realized I hadn't said anything.

Lila continued, "Katie hasn't done anything wrong! All she's done is help me learn to have fun with my Pokemon, which none of your Gym Leaders have managed. Maybe if more people knew about this Coaching thing, I might have gone to an official one, but I've never even heard of them! You can't punish her for that!" My heart lurched to hear quiet, shy Lila defending me to one of the Elite Four.

Bruno's expression softened, going from stony to merely stiff. "It's encouraging to hear that. And like I said, normally, based on our investigation into that exact topic, she might continue at some point once she's properly trained."

He leaned forward, steepling his fingers and somehow looking down at me, despite me being on the bed.

"The key word there is 'normally.' The incident I spoke of earlier, however, has somewhat forced my hand," he said, and pulled out a folded picture. He unfolded it and showed it to me. "Are you familiar with Gabriella Acerra? She has a fashion and chat video series online called 'Gab with Gab.'"

I flushed. "We… may have met."

Bruno assessed me. I shrank under his scrutiny. It seemed to be enough, because he continued, "Yesterday, Gab had an interesting topic; apparently a fan reached out to her with a story about being attacked by the Pokemon of girls matching your description and team composition. She had quite a bit to say on the subject."

Gulp. Wait.

"Why do you care what some jumped-up fashionista has to say?" I asked. Even if I was reckless, or unfit to be a trainer, why was he giving her word any weight? Why was one of the Elite Four here the very next day?

I thought I saw a twitch cross Bruno's face, but if I did, he schooled his features so quickly I could have imagined it. "Regardless of why, the contents were enough to Right now, you should be more concerned with what comes next. Now, why don't we go over the events of the last couple days?" He released a Lucario, who sat cross-legged next to him. "Please be honest. The clearer a picture we get of your experiences, the better we can assess how to proceed. Unless we understand, we have to assume the worst. Now Lila, why don't you start?"

We explained, from our perspectives, the events of the days since we'd left Mt. Moon. Bruno listened patiently, interrupting periodically to clarify something. He asked Lila several questions about my training. Lucario sat motionless the entire time, fists together in front of it. I wasn't sure why Bruno had released it.

I wasn't about to lie to one of the strongest, well-respected trainers in the entire region, possibly the world. Even if he didn't seem like the kind of person who could hear a lie in your heartbeat or something, if this Coach thing was for real, I wanted to get started the right way. So I corroborated the parts of Lila's tale that I could, Mareepishly filled in some of the less-savory parts that she hadn't been there for, or else left out on purpose, and generally hoped that honesty really was the best policy.

When we were done, Bruno nodded contemplatively. Then he turned smoothly towards Lucario, an impressive feat to do while seated without looking silly. Without opening its eyes, Lucario stood and placed its forehead against Bruno's. They stayed like that for several minutes, and Lila and I exchanged nervous glances.

Finally, he said, "We believe that you had no ill intent. We also believe that Lila's training has been mostly positive, with indiscretions that can be overlooked on the basis of your youth and the circumstances."
I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"However," he said, and I felt my body convulse as I tried to suck it back in again and choked. Once I finished coughing, he continued, "You cannot continue as you have. The Pokemon League obviously cannot dictate who you can be friends with, but to prevent further complications, I would suggest you no longer travel together, at least until this gets ironed out. Lila, while it's clear that Katie's methods may have been a good start for you, you will need to check in with a trained Coach."
He pulled a small pack of cards out of his satchel, flipped through them quickly, and handed one to Lila, "This is the information for a Coach named Jasmine. You should be able to find her in Saffron City. Not only is she an incredible Coach, she helped create the position. She used to be a Gym Leader, and happens to be a good friend. While you don't necessarily need to stick with her, please see her for an assessment. Even if she isn't a perfect fit for you, I have no doubt she can find someone who is. Depending on the assessment, you may be allowed to continue the training you're familiar with."

He turned to me. "Katie," he said, "You appear interested in this path." It wasn't a question. He continued, "I will consult with a few other members of the League regarding your possible eligibility. I will send someone tomorrow with our decision. Please stay in Pewter until then."

Once Bruno had left, Lila and I sat quietly on the lower bunk.

"So," I said eventually.

"Yeah," Lila replied.

Then it was quiet again.
Then Lila said, "We really met Bruno."

"Mm-hmm." I said.

Silence.

I shook myself. "Rrrrgh!" I grunted, making Lila nearly jump out of her skin beside me. I released Vola and the others. "Come on out, everyone," I said, a harsh rasp creeping into my voice, "There's something we need to talk about."