Daughter

by walkswithwheels

"The sun was rising high in the sky, and there was still no sign of Holly." Short multi-chapter, companion fic to Holly Rising and future fic Usurping, AU, Erika-centric, fifth part of the Traveler series

12. Remaining Attacks

Welcome back to another chapter of Daughter and the first upload of 2021! This chapter is a little longer (about twice as long as my regular chapters, not counting author's notes), but the reason will be explained after the chapter. As always, I do not own Pokémon and see the author's notes for details.

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12. Remaining Attacks

Almost as soon as Anabel sat back down, Erika heard Giselle's name.

Giselle rapidly stood up, regal authority never leaving her as she made her way up to the witness stand.

Erika noted the stern gaze in Giselle's eyes, and couldn't resist shuddering.

What was the Champion thinking now?

Was she regretful that she had been tricked?

Angry at the one who tricked her?

Sorrowful over everything that happened?

Concerned and worried for those who were involved?

With a jolt, Erika realized that Giselle could have been harboring any of those emotions.

Or perhaps all of them together.

But no matter what, Giselle couldn't display a single one.

Because she had her duty and appearance of a Champion to uphold.

That wouldn't change no matter where she was.

So Giselle couldn't afford to let her negative emotions show, at least as long as she was performing her duties here.

Otherwise, she might look unworthy of them.

And Holly would waste no time seeing that as an advantage and seizing it for herself.

That, above all else, had to be avoided.

Erika's eyes narrowed again.

Whatever blow Giselle was going to strike against Holly, it was sure to be harsh.

Erika focused on the front again has Giselle marched up to the witness stand.

The Champion's stern gaze match her voice as she confirmed what Anabel had said… However, Giselle stated that although she did file a report to the rest of the League, the report never went anywhere because there wasn't enough evidence of what happened... But after that, there was evidence of one thing…

Erika's eyes went wide as regret suddenly entered Giselle's voice.

The regret clearly could be heard throughout the room as Giselle explained that she was essentially tricked by Holly into aiding her, because she was forced to make a decision without context… She had done her duty as Champion and followed all the laws, but it only ended up making things worse by allowing all of this to happen…

Erika tried her hardest not to shudder.

Giselle had dropped her Champion's appearance, if only for a minute.

And there was no denying Holly probably saw that.

What would Holly do with what she had just witnessed?

Would she use it to try and hurt Giselle?

Would she use it to influence the courtroom decision?

Erika had no time to think of a possible answer as changes at the witness stand snapped her from her thoughts.

The judge now faced Giselle, and she met his gaze evenly despite her earlier regret.

His question was clear, but Erika suppressed a shiver.

What would you have done, if you had complete context?

Erika wasn't sure her eyes could go any wider.

Giselle was the leader of Kanto, and one of the leaders of all the regions!

She could have done almost anything, and it would have been seen as within her power!

Erika couldn't even begin to imagine what Giselle would've done!

Erika wasn't even sure she wanted to know!

And yet she was going to know anyway, no matter what she thought.

Erika tried to steel herself for Giselle's response by trying to keep her countenance neutral, yet she wasn't sure how well she did.

Giselle, on the other hand, appeared to be much more successful.

For any regret the Kanto Champion had was instantly replaced by cold confidence.

Giselle sounded like she could freeze the room solid with just her voice as she gave her response.

The Kanto Champion wasted no time stating that she would have taken not just Torracat, but all of Holly's Pokémon off her hands and give them to Anabel… Then she would have made it so that Holly could never own Pokémon or become a Trainer again… Because someone who had tried to murder one of their own Pokémon without hesitation or remorse would undoubtedly try again, if not graduate to worse acts of violence… And that wasn't even getting into how many other people she had hurt in her attempt to become a Pokémon Trainer… The attempted murder would almost certainly land her in a jail cell, but her actions from before then would guarantee it…

This time, Erika's eyes narrowed.

The punishment was harsh, but fitting.

Because what Giselle feared was exactly what happened.

And Erika couldn't imagine what Giselle was feeling knowing that!

Perhaps she was unleashing her anger and both Holly and herself with her reply.

Regardless, Erika's thoughts were directed to another question as she heard the judge speak again.

Who is that Riolu you have with you, and why did you bring it here today?

Erika tried not to let her eyes go wide in surprise.

She hadn't expected the judge to ask that question!

Then again, she supposed that made sense.

The judge must've known that Katerina was Professor Pine's main Pokémon, and Miranda had clearly stated Tapu Fini was hers.

Gracie was acting as an interpreter for the other Pokémon, so her role was obvious.

And someone must've told the judge about Holly's Pokémon, or he must've guessed what they were.

But the judge knew nothing about the Riolu, and it didn't appear to be serving a function in the courtroom.

And if the Riolu was with Giselle, then it clearly wasn't one of Holly's Pokémon.

But it still was clear that hardly anyone else knew about the Riolu either, and if anyone other than Giselle had any information, they weren't saying anything.

So of course the judge would wonder how the Riolu was relevant.

By asking how, he might glean some information important to the court case.

Or at least a bit more information about Giselle herself.

That is, if the Kanto Champion was willing to answer.

But it seemed Giselle was willing as she looked the judge in the eye and spoke with the same cold confidence that she had before.

She explained that Anabel and Holly had found the Riolu shortly before getting to Sable… Yet the Riolu had been sick, and Anabel had wanted to take the Riolu to Sable's Pokémon Center… Holly had at first been eager, thinking that this meant that she could capture the Riolu for herself and have it join her when it was better… But Anabel had explained that this was not the same, because while it was a wild Pokémon without a Trainer, the sickness meant Riolu could not battle and thus could not be properly captured… And since Riolu did not express interest in going with Holly has a Trainer's Pokémon before this, the right thing to do would be to just take it to the Center as a wild Pokémon… Then, Holly could ask Riolu if it wanted to join her later on, but even so, since Holly hadn't formally captured it, the decision would be up to Riolu…

Of course, Holly had been beyond angry… She believe that temporarily putting Riolu in a Poké Ball for medical treatment was the same as claiming it as hers… And that since she would be the one to help it and it would be her Pokémon, she shouldn't have to ask it to join her because it would have already done so… As Anabel argued back that things didn't work that way, this had frightened the poor Riolu, and it wasn't sure wanted to go with Holly at all… So, Anabel took the opportunity to perform the temporary capture instead, and get Riolu to the Pokémon Center… When Riolu heard Anabel and Holly were involved in the case, the Pokémon decided to come along… Giselle agreed, believing it would give Riolu closure with everything that happened… That's why Riolu was here now as an observer, while Giselle told its story to the courts…

Erika resisted the urge to clench her fists.

Holly thinking the Riolu would automatically be hers and she helped it showed just how entitled and spoiled she was!

Then again, Erika also couldn't blame her.

A lot of Trainers thought like that.

That if they came into contact with the Pokémon or helped a Pokémon out in any way that Pokémon should automatically be theirs…

Many times, their wishes were fulfilled…

Sometimes the Trainer had to show proof that they had been taking or could take good care of other Pokémon, or there could be a test of skill.

But these tests were almost always easy, and a single content Pokémon was enough for the Trainer to receive another without a second thought.

To see someone speak or act on behalf of the Pokémon to be given to the Trainer was a rarity… Even more so when it resulted in the Pokémon not being given away, or even having a choice in the matter…

Erika was filled with admiration, and she knew it was for Anabel.

No matter what, she had put the innocent Pokémon first, even though it was not what she was expected to do.

Anabel was truly worthy of her title!

Erika had to admire the Riolu as well.

Observing the court case meant heading into strange place with unfamiliar people and a stressful situation.

And while the Pokémon had come face-to-face with the one that had saved it, the Pokémon had also come face-to-face with the one that wanted to only use its power for herself…

That all took bravery, and Erika imagined that there was a lot of emotions Riolu was feeling.

Or perhaps it wasn't feeling much emotion.

After all, Giselle had said the Pokémon came because it wanted closure.

So maybe it was getting that closure here, and it was preparing to move on.

Erika didn't know, but she did know when Giselle was speaking again.

She had stated that Holly's response to Riolu was fitting, considering how rude and self-centered the latter had been when they met in Sable.

The judge immediately responded by asking Giselle what Holly had said at the time.

Giselle launched into an explanation instantly, saying that she told all of the school she was at helped those that couldn't go on Pokémon journeys, including those with disabilities… When Holly was disbelieving that a disabled person would ever go on a Pokémon journey, Giselle told Holly of a particularly powerful disabled Trainer that she knew... Holly doubted that what Giselle had said it could be real, and Giselle quickly retaliated that the Trainer was one of her best students, if not the best… Holly sneered that that meant the Trainer was the best out of a bunch of weaklings that shouldn't even be Trainers, and other special classes in place of traveling only made them think that they should be, but Giselle states that wasn't even close…

It was true most of the Trainers were in special classes that took the place of traveling for the League challenge… However, what made this Trainer notable was that despite a blatantly obvious disability that normally would have made journeying impossible, the Trainer wasn't in any of those special classes… Instead, the Trainer found a way to travel alone and mostly normally, and was taking classes in order to survive on a journey… And survive the Trainer did… The Trainer was so strong that they didn't even need Pokémon to do things for them, or at least, the Pokémon were not officially seen as that… Holly stated that a Trainer like that couldn't possibly exist because of that were the case, this Trainer would be the Champion… Giselle fired back that this Trainer was offered the Champion position, not just of Kanto, but of all regions… However, becoming leader many of the regions probably would've crushed her, if she wasn't spending time chewing out all of the politicians based on their actions, or otherwise constantly annoyed… Holly thought that Trainer was just scared and stupid, but Giselle quickly retorted that the real problem is that the Trainer was afraid of nothing and was too intelligent…

Holly responded that it couldn't possibly be true and a Trainer like that couldn't possibly get to the League… But no matter what, she would get to the League, become the Champion, and the most powerful authority figure in the region… Giselle rapidly retorted that Holly wouldn't have control over anything because she's a child, and children can't run a region… The Elite Four and the other adults would be the ones truly in charge, with Holly being a mere figurehead… Giselle continued by saying Champions not only receive the title but also because of their ability to lead. And that's not even getting into the idea of a Champion not giving up their title after being defeated in battle… Holly snarled that no Champion would be a figurehead, and any Trainer strong enough is worthy of receiving the title… Holly wondered what made trainers like Giselle and the one she spoke of so different from her, and Giselle responded she could find it with the battle… And that led them to what she and Anabel spoke of before, and eventually, to all this…

The judge's question after this could not be missed.

And despite everything Holly said to you, you still believed her?

Giselle did not flinch at the harsh question, instead nodding resolutely.

She explained that Holly being rude about another Trainer was not enough for Giselle to disbelieve her… And considering Giselle had no proof of the Trainer or even of her existence other than her own words, of course Holly would be skeptical… And so Holly being rude was almost expected, even before knowing how Holly normally acted… And no matter what, Giselle's job as the Champion required responding to the situation, and that took priority above all else…

As Giselle finished speaking, Erika's eyes went wide.

The Trainer from Giselle's story sounded scarily similar to the Mold Breaker Kristine…

Was it possible this Trainer was Mold Breaker Kristine?

But if that was the case…

Then Kristine and Giselle knew each other.

But what exactly did that mean, both in the past and for the courtroom now?

And what did that mean for the future, if anything?

And then there was what Giselle mentioned about Holly being a figurehead because she was a child…

Of course, Holly hadn't wanted to hear that, but it was the sad reality with child Champions…

Just like with Red and Blue, the Trainers that she had tried to futilely compare herself to…

But then…

There was the case of Kristine…

At age 18, Kristine had started her journey at only a few years older Holly was now…

But because of that, Kristine had been considered an adult, and had been expected to rule Kanto when she won the Championship…

And as she continued winning, she was expected to do more and more with that, to the point where people wanted her to rule all regions…

Regardless of what Kristine actually wanted with her training, or even had as an end goal…

And when Kristine chosen not to take the title, the world was shocked…

Even though governing a region was a heavy responsibility to put on anyone, let alone an 18-year-old…

No wonder Kristine refused to take the Champion title…

And the biggest absurdity of the whole thing was that the only factor separating Kristine's situation from Holly's was a few years' age difference…

Granted, Kristine's personality, power, and knowledge might have also played a role…

But those probably weren't the main factors if people didn't know much about the Mold Breaker Kristine's personal life…

And she suspected the public that wanted Kristine in the Champion position in the first place were some of those who didn't know…

Erika shuddered as another possibility popped into her head…

If Holly had been just a little older, she might've been in the same situation as Kristine…

Granted, Holly had nothing notable, was nowhere near as powerful, and her personality repelled many…

But would the public have cared?

Considering people hadn't cared about what Kristine wanted, Erika suspected not.

As long as people got their Champion, they were content.

No matter what effects that had on the Champion or the region.

Erika's eyes narrowed.

The system needed to change!

It had to change!

For the sake of Trainers like Kristine!

Perhaps people like Giselle would lead the charge.

Perhaps Giselle would say more about the situation now.

But as Erika looked at the front, Giselle was already walking away.

The stern confidence never left the Kanto Champion's eyes as she continued moving.

But there was another glance never stopped.

For Kristine held the gaze of clear concern as she locked eyes with Giselle.

The Kanto Champion gave no indication that she noticed what Kristine was doing, but that didn't stop Erika from being transfixed.

If Kristine was concerned and she knew Giselle, then that would make sense.

Of course the Mold Breaker was going to be concerned for an old friend, and possibly, a former teacher…

Perhaps she was concerned for herself as well, and wondering how her past actions impacted the present and the future…

Or perhaps she was wondering if there would even be a future for her after all this…

After all, anything could happen, and whatever happened could negatively affect her…

But it was impossible to know what the Mold Breaker was thinking, and Erika knew from before that it wasn't worth spend too much time to figure it out.

So instead she tore her gaze away from Kristine and faced toward the front.

It was just in time to hear another person's name called.

Kahili, Alola's Champion.

Kahili's gaze resembled the coldest ice, even though her stern countenance showed no emotion. The Alola stood tall with her head held high as she marched up to the witness stand.

Yet Erika could only resist a shudder.

Kahili was known for being one of the strongest but also one of the strictest Champions, to the point where even other regions knew of it.

And it was clear she was demonstrating that power and stubbornness now.

What would she say in the court, and how would it affect the case?

She didn't seem like the type to go on a tirade, despite the fact that she was probably at least annoyed…

Would she?

Was all that sternness really just holding back rage that Kahili would unleash when she got to the witness stand?

Or did the Alola Champion really just control her emotions that much?

Regardless, Erika knew she would soon receive her answer as Kahili took her place at the witness stand.

The chilling gaze never left Kahili's eyes as she spoke of why she was connected to everything… She had noticed Holly escaping shortly after Anabel attempted to arrest Holly at Cerulean and was preparing to transfer her to Saffron… It looked like Holly was going to get away with her escape, but Kahili used her flying Pokémon to take down Holly from the skies… Another Trainer, Lucy, had also seen what was going on and used her own Pokémon to block Holly's way forward in case she managed to fight off Kahili… Together the two commanded their Pokémon to take Holly back to where Anabel was… With that, Anabel was able to succeed with the arrest and the transfer… After that, Kahili found out what happened and decided to join Anabel and Kristine on the journey… Lucy quickly followed suit…

Before Erika could even think about what Kahili, the judge rapidly asked a question.

As the Champion of the Alola, you are tasked with protecting that region. So what are you doing in Kanto instead of Alola?

Kahili didn't hesitate as she responded.

Kahili was well aware of the problems in the regions and had become concerned… She knew that even though her own region had problems needing taking care of, these problems didn't just engulf Alola, and would only get worse if someone didn't do something… Therefore, she felt duty bound to intervene… So she left the region in charge of her second-in-command and close friend, Molayne, and set out for the other regions… Kanto was the closest and she heard that region possibly had the worst problems, so that was where she decided to head... And eventually, those travels led her to Cerulean, where she came upon what was happening with Holly.

Erika stared straight at Kahili as the Alola Champion spoke.

Kahili's reasoning had been valid, and so had the judge's question…

And there was no questioning Kahili's bravery and devotion to her duty with what she had done…

Even if she was no longer in her region…

Yet still…

A question lingered in Erika's mind.

The judge must have felt the same, for he immediately voiced the question Erika was thinking of.

What happens to the Champion seat if the runner up is beaten while you're gone?

Kahili answered abruptly.

Well, it's not like the Champion has to give up their position after being defeated in battle.

Erika's tried not to let her eyes go wide.

Giselle and alluded to something like this before, but never elaborated.

And Erika knew that there were laws allowing Champions to refuse to induct a new one, mainly if the new Champion had treacherous intentions…

Yet even though the idea of the Champion not stepping down could be used for regular battles, Erika had never heard of anyone invoking it…

But of course that would make sense for Kahili.

Erika had of heard Kahili being a strict Champion who tried to whip her region into shape.

As such, it was easy to understand that she would have no intention of giving up her position and title for as long as she could help it.

And the new laws Giselle mentioned would solidify Kahili's desire, so she wouldn't be harassed for it.

But there was still a question on the tip of Erika's tongue.

Once again the judge must have felt the same, as he spoke.

Wouldn't you be afraid of issues with the Grand Champion?

Kahili once again wasted no time with her response.

No, I know this is something the Grand Champion would want me to do. And besides, I can tell just from what's happening in this courtroom that the Grand Champion already agrees with me.

This time, Erika couldn't stop her eyes from going wide.

The Grand Champion was someone who not only ruled over and was stronger than all other Champions, but also took care of all regions. Though the regions were typically left to their own Champions, the Grand Champion wouldn't hesitate to step in if there was something even the regional leaders couldn't solve.

But from what Erika knew, the Grand Champion was one of, if not the, strongest Trainers faced by those who aspired to climb the League ranks. These Trainers were so powerful that hardly anyone became a Grand Champion.

Erika only knew of two Trainers that held the title. One was a former professor of the Galar region called Magnolia. The other was the current Grand Champion, a wandering Trainer from Unova named Nathaniel. Or as some others liked to call him, N.

Yet regardless, Magnolia had chosen to hand over the title to Nathaniel when she retired from being an active Trainer. Nathaniel had requested one final battle, and she had obliged, with him winning the match. After that, Nathaniel worked tirelessly to end the constant conflict in the regions and keep the peace. She was told he was very active in that, working alongside several other members of the League.

But even so…

No matter how active they were, Nathaniel and Magnolia weren't here now.

And Nathaniel hadn't been defeated in battle, or even named a successor…

So who could Kahili be referring to?

From what she knew, none of the people here held the Grand Champion title, or someone would've said something…

Erika resisted the urge to look wildly around the room to see if anyone's reaction had changed.

But she quickly realized she didn't need to.

Because…

There was only one person Kahili could be referring to…

And it was the person whose strength Erika didn't really know about.

Until now.

But even so…

No matter what power she had, Kristine couldn't be that strong.

And even if she was…

Why hide it?

Shouldn't being the Grand Champion, or at least as strong as one, be something to be proud of?

Of course, if Kristine didn't want to use the title and distinction in public, she could have at least used it among friends and family…

But Kristine hadn't even done that, and the high-ranking League officials helped her bury that secret.

Yet why would they, when it was one of the most prestigious titles any Trainer could earn?

Giselle had indirectly mentioned politics would've crushed Kristine…

Was her refusing to acknowledge the Grand Champion title part of that?

Had politics crushed Kristine before her career in them even began?

Erika was torn from her thoughts as she noticed the judge was nodding with Kahili's answer.

But then there came another question.

Are you aware that attacking another Trainer with one's Pokémon for any reason other than obvious self-defense is enough to have severe consequences, including possibly losing your Champion title?

Kahili's stoicism started to break as a frown formed on her face. Erika thought she could see a hint of anger in Kahili's eyes, and wondered if the judge would say something.

But if the judge was annoyed or unnerved by Kahili's reaction, he did not indicate it.

Instead, he simply listened to the Alola Champion as she wasted no time responding.

Kahili explained that she was aware, but Holly was clearly a criminal running away from a police officer… So of course Kahili would intervene… Furthermore, even if she hadn't known what was going on, her duty as a Champion demanded she do something about and diffuse the situation…

The frown on Kahili's face stayed, and Erika wondered if she would say more.

The judge must've thought the same thing, as he asked her if that was all.

Kahili curtly nodded, and was promptly dismissed.

However, the frown and a hint of rage still remained, and Erika's eyes went wide.

Kahili may as well have been lying when she told the judge that was all, because there was clearly more she wanted to say.

Erika thought that this could fall under perjury, but Kahili hadn't distorted or withheld any important information by not continuing.

Or at least, there wasn't any proof that.

But even though Erika couldn't tell what Kahili was thinking, she suspected she knew what the Alola Champion would have said.

Kahili probably would've mentioned how the laws that were currently in place allowed situations like what was going on right now to occur… And if those who were in charge of the legal system prevented people from stopping situations like what Holly had done from occurring, then they were part of the problem… Especially when those laws got to the point to the point of preventing Champions from doing their duties to protect the region…

But saying any of that would mean Kahili was risking getting punished herself… For speaking to the judge that way meant that those in charge of the courtroom would get annoyed at best and Kahili would be jailed for contempt of court at worst…

That was something no one could afford.

But on the other hand, as Alola's Champion, Kahili had both the right and authority to say such things. And she wouldn't have been incorrect…

Perhaps the judge would've just let her go, considering she would have answered his question about the laws and what she felt about them… And Kahili wouldn't have insulted the judge directly, which would've obviously made her eligible for contempt of court…

Not to mention that judges might not like it when people become angry during court cases, but there was no way they could control other people's emotions. With a tense case like this, emotions were bound to run high. It probably wasn't the first time a judge saw something like that happen, or people get angry at them.

But Kahili couldn't take the risk that things wouldn't go the way she wanted. And so she hadn't, if that was what she really was thinking of saying.

And Kahili also couldn't risk playing into Holly's hand by showing that the latter's actions had made her angry.

If Kahili hadn't already done so with what little emotions she did show.

And that didn't even get into the fact that Kahili would show that their fragile allegiances were crumpling, and that Holly had already won no matter what the decision the courtroom was.

Although Erika suspected Holly already knew that.

Because Holly's only goal was to cause as much damage and suffering as possible, and as far as the goal was concerned, she'd already succeeded.

Erika wondered what Kristine thought of all this. After all, she was one of Holly's intended victims, if not the main one.

As Erika's gaze drifted over to the Mold Breaker, there was no mistaking the concern written in Kristine's eyes.

It was understandable, Erika reasoned.

Kristine could be concerned for Kahili, concerned for the other witnesses in the courtroom, concerned for the outcome of the case, or even concerned for herself…

But what Erika did not expect was the flicker of fury flashing in Kristine's eyes.

Erika tried not to let her own eyes go wide.

The Mold Breaker couldn't be angry at Kahili, could she?

Perhaps she was angry at someone else in the courtroom. Being angry at Holly would make a lot of sense, at least.

Or maybe the Mold Breaker Kristine was angry at how the case itself was going. Erika couldn't imagine what emotions Kristine was feeling, but she wouldn't be surprised if one of them was anger.

But at the same time…

Erika couldn't help but wonder if the Mold Breaker Kristine's rage was because of something more ominous.

Something more sinister, more personal…

Something that also made Erika suppress a shudder.

There was a chance Kristine was angry at herself.

Angry for not saving Nidorina.

Angry for not stopping Holly.

Angry that her own journey, especially her vacation, had been stopped.

Perhaps, even angry for being at least partially responsible for what was happening in the courtroom in the first place.

Even if it was only as a victim.

Erika's heart ached as she wished she could walk over and ask Kristine how she felt.

Then, if the Mold Breaker truly was anger at herself, to help her piece things together and work past her emotions.

That way, Erika could comfort Kristine if and when stressful situations came up again and make sure she always had support, even if it was nothing other than someone to talk to.

But even without the courtroom restrictions, the Mold Breaker was so stoic Erika doubted she would throw her emotions on display.

And she certainly wouldn't do so in a public courtroom.

Yet even if the Mold Breaker Kristine was the type to let out her emotions in private, it was unlikely she would display them to Erika.

After all, the two barely knew each other, and Kristine probably saw Erika as an almost complete stranger.

And if Kristine didn't reveal what she was feeling in public, then she certainly wouldn't reveal her feelings to someone she didn't know.

So Erika would simply have to glumly accept that she would never be aware of Mold Breaker Kristine's thoughts.

But Erika was aware of another sensation.

Fire.

Erika hated fire, and wouldn't dare have near her with her Grass Type Pokémon…

Yet now she welcomed it.

Because there was fire right here, and she wondered if it would burn the room down.

But she knew it wouldn't because no one else could see it.

And she was the only one who knew why it was there.

For it was the desire to help, to heal, just like she had been trained to do for many years.

The desire was so strong it burned.

Yet there was nothing Erika could do.

Instead, she could only watch as Kahili sat back down and the Pokémon Trainer Lucy stood up.

The black-haired Trainer seemed to tower over everything as she made her way to the witness stand.

Erika tried not to shudder as she noticed the icy sternness reflected in the other woman's piercing red eyes.

Hardly any other emotions showed in Lucy's gaze as she continued moving towards the front.

However, as Lucy started to turn to take her place at the front, Erika thought she saw fury flash in the other Trainer's gaze.

Erika wondered if anyone the courtroom would call Lucy out on breaking neutrality, but if anyone saw it, no one said anything. Perhaps no one saw, because the rage in Lucy's eyes disappeared as soon as she faced the front.

There were plenty of things to be angry about, but Lucy probably wasn't going to talk about them now. Perhaps there was fury boiling beneath, but if there was, Erika didn't notice

Instead Lucy spoke with an eerie calm as her piercing gaze focused on the courtroom.

She had been in Cerulean when Holly had tried to escape, and instinctively knew something was wrong… She also noticed that while Kahili was attacking Holly from the skies, there would be nothing stopping Holly from fleeing if she managed to fend off the attack and rush forward… So she used her one of her Pokémon, a Seviper, to block Holly's way… Lucy did that by ordering her Seviper to use the move Glare… This move halted and paralyzed Holly, leaving her helpless and preventing her from going forward... After that, Lucy had her Pokémon use the move Warp to hang onto Holly and carry her back to where Anabel was… Once Lucy learned the details of what was going on, she was concerned and joined Kristine's group…

Yet without warning, Lucy changed the subject. She gazed straight at the judge, looking intense, alert, and focused.

The intensity in her eyes contrasted her calm tone of voice as she spoke.

Lucy explained as for the laws involving Trainers attacking other ones with Pokémon, she was aware… However, she was seeing a fugitive run away, so the laws were the last thing on her mind…

Erika almost nodded in agreement.

Lucy had been blunt, but at least she was honest. Then again, it wasn't like Lucy was impolite, and what she had stated wasn't infeasible… Of course, Lucy might have wanted to say much more about the laws…

Erika wouldn't blame her if she did.

But, like Kahili, the black haired Trainer kept her emotions in check, and Erika doubted anyone would know about them now.

So instead Erika focused on one else Lucy had said.

She had mentioned using a Pokémon called Seviper to halt Holly and aid in the latter's arrest. Seviper was a purple poisonous snake Pokémon. While it wasn't the strongest Pokémon in direct combat, it was excellent that using more underhanded tactics. Seviper specialized in crippling opponents by making it so that they either could not attack or constantly took residual damage from Seviper's strikes…

And what better way of doing so than using the move Glare, something that completely immobilized foes with a glance? And then to follow up that devious tactic with the move Warp, a move that prevented foes from escaping and did damage over time despite being weak overall?

Of course, Lucy and her Seviper probably made sure Holly didn't suffer any damage. After all, Lucy had to make sure that Holly was uninjured for the trial, and the black-haired Trainer couldn't afford to do anything that would further implicate her of the crime of attacking others with Pokémon.

At the same time, Erika resisted the urge to clench her fist, and she knew she wasn't angry at Lucy.

How ironic that Holly should be brought down by almost the same tactics she used to bring down Anabel!

At least Holly's attempt had been thwarted, and Lucy's tactics involved not doing damage.

But Erika was suddenly torn away from Lucy had done as a question came from the judge.

Why were you in Cerulean? Is that you would normally be?

Lucy abruptly shook her head before responding.

She was normally in a place called about the Battle Frontier in Hoenn, specifically an area known as the Battle Pike… She was the leader of the latter, and accepted challenges from those who had proven their worth through many harsh fights… However, with all the chaos in the regions, the Battle Frontier wasn't taking many challenges lately, if at all… And all the leaders of the Battle Frontier had a means of accepting challenges even if they weren't at the Frontier, so long as the Trainer had fulfilled the requirements there… So the Frontier not being occupied wasn't much of a problem… All of this left Lucy free to travel around and do what she wanted…

Lucy was also concerned about the current conflict in the regions and how her loved ones would fare… Therefore, she decided to help out the regions and the League as an ally in any way she could... She was friends with both Anabel and Kristine, having known the former from even before the Battle Frontier and having that the latter on her previous journey… Lucy also shared Anabel's concern about the plight of runaway child Trainers… Since Anabel was Lucy's leader in the Battle Frontier, Lucy found it a given to throw her weight behind Anabel's cause… She was not good at traveling around in secret or doing anything the International Police did, though… She instead decided to aid those the members of the League directly… She had heard that Cerulean was particularly tough on runaway child Trainers, after having a former Gym Leader decide to leave home to pursue a different career path… The Gym Leader in Cerulean was also concerned that the recent incident involving a thief in Pewter would spread there… So Lucy decided to help out and headed towards the city... Unfortunately, she ended up tangled in the mess involving Holly, which is what led to where she was now…

Lucy paused briefly, before she spoke about Holly again… She had gone through Holly's items when she brought the latter back to Anabel… However, there had been something strange there… Holly had a fossil known as an Old Amber… Old Amber was sometimes kept in Pewter, but it could also be dug up underground… Holly wasn't known for mining things and didn't have any mining equipment on her, so perhaps someone gave it to her in Pewter… However, Old Amber could also be very rare, so Lucy didn't think it was likely that the original owners were just willing to give it away… There's a chance that Holly just picked it up off the ground and claimed it as hers, or perhaps even stole it for herself… Lucy didn't get the chance to ask Holly, so could've been any of those… But didn't change the fact that the item was out of place…

Erika tried to stop her eyes from going wide.

She knew it wasn't because of Lucy's motivation, for that had been solid and understandable.

But the fact that Holly obtained an Old Amber somehow. Lucy was right about it being rare and where was found, but what she failed to mention was what a Trainer could do with the Old Amber.

The Old Amber could be utilized to revive an ancient, powerful, and sometimes vicious Pokémon called Areodactyl. It was so strong almost every Trainer that knew of it wanted to get their hands on one. But it was a Pokémon only the toughest Trainers could tame, and even they sometimes had problems. So as many Trainers that there were that wished to own an Areodactyl, there were just as many stories of horror and heartbreak when they realized the Pokémon was beyond their capacities…

Stories that Erika tried not to think about.

But Holly wouldn't think about the stories.

Holly wouldn't even care.

As long as she had a Pokémon that was rare and powerful, Holly would ignore any advice against training it.

Because she thought she could train any Pokémon she wanted.

Up until she potentially found out about that the hard way.

But by then it would most likely be too late.

Because Holly's thoughts would turn into a fatal mistake.

Erika's eyes narrowed and she wondered if anyone would see her clenching her fist.

If Holly made that many reckless decisions about training, then maybe she deserved to die because of those decisions.

She almost certainly didn't deserve to live after what she had already done!

And perhaps a quick death would be a kinder option than some of the horrible things that happened to Trainers on their journeys…

Perhaps Holly deserved that sort of cruel mercy, at least.

Erika was suddenly snapped from her morbid thoughts as a question left the judge's mouth.

Was Kristine also your superior during any of this?

Lucy rapidly responded.

Aside from when she was named Pokémon Master, no, and she never enforced that authority, either.

Erika couldn't stop her eyes going wide and barely suppressed a gasp.

Being a Pokémon Master was one of the highest honors a Trainer could earn, but was granted to only a select few.

Erika hadn't even come close to earning the title despite training Pokémon for years and most certainly longer than Kristine never had.

But it wasn't like Erika was aiming for the title anyway.

Something like that was far beyond her capacity.

For these talented Trainers had knowledge of, if not outright captured, almost every Pokémon…

They overcame almost any challenge a Trainer faced, defeating opponents from all aspects of the Pokémon training world…

And when the time was right, they wouldn't hesitate to use their power to defend all regions…

Yet despite all that, they showed unparalleled kindness towards both people and Pokémon, and continued to inspire and teach all future Trainers…

They showcased a standard which all Trainers aspired to, even though few received the title…

It seemed unbelievable that the Mold Breaker Kristine would be that powerful, but here she was.

And yet…

A sharp sensation stabbed Erika as she instinctively realized something was wrong.

Most Pokémon Masters would be beyond proud of the title, showing it off with their heads held high.

Even if they chose not to talk about their accomplishments, there would at least be a public record, and most people would know something.

But Mold Breaker Kristine never used the title Pokémon Master, and Erika never even knew she had the title until today.

Kristine earning the title had never been publicized, even though there had to have been a public record if a wandering Trainer like Lucy knew. Most Trainers had elaborate ceremonies to commemorate the accomplishment, yet Erika had never heard of one for Kristine.

Perhaps the ceremony had been done privately for Kristine, but why would it be?

Shouldn't being a Pokémon Master be something Kristine cherished forever?

A jolt struck Erika as she realized exactly why that wouldn't be the case.

Erika heard rumors that Kristine had traveled around to all of regions, doing almost everything someone associated with Pokémon could do there.

But there had been no explanation as to why.

Some whispered it was because of the pursuit of strength and knowledge, but Erika knew that the pursuit of knowledge and strength with no other goals often ended badly.

With all her experience, Erika suspected the Mold Breaker Kristine knew that too. Or if she didn't, she would have learned quickly…

So that couldn't have been Kristine's reason for traveling so much.

Erika could think of another possible reason, though.

Young Trainers often set out on journeys for the purpose of self-discovery and finding out who they were in life.

Yet often times they came back with more questions than answers, even if the journey itself had succeeded.

Had the same thing happened to Kristine?

Did the Mold Breaker go on the journey she did because she was desperate to find her purpose in life?

Did she do it because there was nothing else she felt she could do?

Had she felt obligated to go on a journey because of all her power?

Perhaps the public had expected or wanted her to go on a journey, and that might've swayed her decision…

Whatever the case, Kristine most likely had not found her purpose or whatever else she was looking for in her journey, or the world would know.

Erika shuddered, and she wasn't because the room was cold.

How horrible that the Mold Breaker Kristine made it to the pinnacle of Pokémon Trainers, yet gained nothing for it!

Perhaps Kristine would talk about some of this today. After all, the Mold Breaker's turn in the courtroom would probably come up soon.

Yet the Mold Breaker was silent now as the only sound was Lucy walking away from the witness stand.

Erika hadn't noticed if Lucy had answered all the judge's questions or otherwise indicated that she didn't have anything else to say, but she must have, because the black haired Trainer was returning to her seat.

A glance at Kristine showed Erika that the Mold Breaker had both concern and sympathy written in her eyes.

Unsurprising, considering Lucy was a friend of Kristine's.

Erika thought that Kristine might be angry at Lucy mentioning the Pokémon Master title. Yet there was no anger present at all.

Perhaps Kristine understood Lucy had no ill intentions.

Or perhaps she was fine with Lucy using the title because of their previous friendship.

Regardless, Erika's thoughts were rapidly jerked away from Kristine.

Another name was called, and the Trainer known as Kalmia stood up in response.

As Kalmia walked to the witness stand, Erika noticed that the young woman's earlier fear and nervousness was gone.

Instead, she held an unreadable expression, although Erika wondered if she was fighting to control it.

Perhaps Kalmia was just trying to show proper neutrality, or maybe she was just putting on a brave face.

Whatever the case, Kalmia made it to the witness stand with little effort.

Yet now there seemed to be a newfound caution, and Kalmia spoke as if she was slowly choosing her words.

Erika wondered if the possible fear and nervousness had come back.

Or maybe Kalmia was just trying to make sure she didn't make a mistake with or accidentally omit information.

The last thing anyone wanted was to make a fool of themselves in front of the court.

Especially if Kalmia had been nervous beforehand.

But regardless of how Kalmia felt, she boldly faced the front as she told her tale.

Kalmia was also friend of Kristine's, having met years ago when the latter was journeying. Now, she was also a wandering Trainer, trying to find her purpose in life after losing a different friend. She happened to be near Cerulean when everything was happening, and had heard Kristine was there after being attacked… So she wasted no time rushing to where Kristine was, and quickly found out she had collapsed from something unrelated…

So Kalmia sent out her Pokémon, Dragapult, to keep Kristine company and later to keep her calm as she awakened… Kristine seemed relieved that Kalmia was there, and Kalmia was also believed that her friend was all right… After hearing what happened before then, Kalmia joined Kristine's group… Later on, Kristine wanted to go to the eastern area Route 9, and there was something personal she had to do alone… The others were understandably concerned, but Kalmia knew from experience it was best not to interfere if Kristine felt that way… Still, Kalmia instructed her Dragapult to accompany Kristine to the route… The Pokémon could help Kristine get there faster, and this would ease the others' worries... Kristine agreed, and set off while Kalmia remained making travel preparations in the city…

Kristine returned back to the city later that day, although Kalmia didn't know what she did during her time away… Dragapult wasn't let in on the details either, because Kristine had asked the Pokémon to stand guard outside… Kalmia respected Kristine's privacy by not asking what was going on, either… Kristine seemed reluctant to talk anyway, so it was probably something that was too personal for others to know… Kalmia suddenly apologized, as she stated that was all the information she had… She was told that was fine and promptly dismissed…

Kalmia's neutrality held, but Erika felt a twinge of sympathy for the young woman.

And she knew it wasn't just because Kalmia was trying to be brave.

For Kalmia was just another young Trainer searching for her purpose on a journey, and unfortunately hadn't found it.

At least, Kalmia's journey hadn't ended in tragedy…

But to think her search for purpose had started only because another's had…

No matter the context, that was just heartbreaking…

Yet…

The fact that Kalmia kept going, trying to figure out who she was in spite of all that…

She truly lived up to her name, and the perseverance it symbolized…

And then there was the Pokémon she used, Dragapult… It was a powerful Pokémon native to the Galar region, wielding the power of dragons and ghosts alongside several others... It was an excellent Pokémon for calming others and standing guard, for its caring nature was second to none… However, Dragapult were also tough to train, starting out very weak even though the power they eventually acquired was well worth it…

So if Kalmia's main Pokémon was a Dragapult…

Then no matter how strong or weak she acted, Kalmia was a good Trainer and most likely a kind one too.

But Erika wondered if Kristine would be angry at Kalmia for sending her Pokémon to intrude on her private life.

But when Erika glanced at the Mold Breaker, she could only see sympathy and concern reflected in Kristine's eyes.

It was only natural that Kristine would feel that way, given that she and Kalmia were friends.

But the tale of someone going on a Pokémon journey to search for a purpose in life, only to encounter tragedy, was probably all-too-familiar to her.

And Erika had a feeling it wasn't just because of what happened to Kalmia.

After all, Kristine had probably seen countless other Trainers in that situation.

If she hadn't been in that situation herself.

If only there was a way to get trainers out of situations like what happened to Kalmia and possibly Kristine…

Erika had heard of measures to try and get Trainers to finish schooling, obtain degrees, and get jobs. However, since that violated the Trainer laws and Trainers were protected by them, nothing ever went anywhere. In most cases, neither did the Trainers' professional lives.

Perhaps that was one more thing Mold Breaker Kristine was the exception in.

For there was talk that Kristine was trained in a profession aside from her Ranger and Pokémon abilities. However, no one seemed to know what that profession was and Kristine herself did not speak of it. What could be gathered was that Kristine's other profession was not illegal, and it was a skill that could be used alongside her Pokémon abilities. However, that meant her decision not to speak of it, or possibly even use it, was a personal choice.

Erika wondered how anyone could gain a skill that required a degree while traveling around. After all, traveling on a Pokémon journey took up a lot of time and energy. So getting any type of formal schooling, let alone a college degree, seemed impossible.

Yet perhaps the Mold Breaker Kristine was using a prototype of something that people were proposing to allow Trainers to get schooling or force them to. If that was the case, then choosing not to speak of her other profession made sense. Erika can imagine the amount of bad press that would happen if that were to get out…

But Erika couldn't think about Kristine any longer, as Kalmia had sat down.

Julia Pine stood up next, although she did so slowly.

There was no mistaking the guilt and grief on the professor's face and Erika wondered if she was fighting to keep herself from shaking.

Erika also wondered if someone would call Professor Pine out on showing too much emotion.

Yet no one did.

Instead, there was only an eerie silence as Julia Pine made her way to the front.

Erika supposed there was only so much emotional control one could display in such a stressful situation.

Or maybe those in the courtroom understood it was only natural for Professor Pine to show such guilt and grief.

She had plenty of reasons to.

Guilt for beginning the study that led to this whole mess…

Guilt for being deceived by Holly and being dragged into her web of lies…

Guilt for giving Holly Pokémon that only suffered…

Guilt for helping her become a Trainer and indirectly causing what happened here…

Grief for those who had been hurt by Holly's manipulations…

Grief for the dead Pokémon, Nidorina…

Grief for her study, specifically the disaster it had turned out to bring…

Perhaps even grief for Holly, and what could've been if things had gone more positively…

And even grief for herself, and her role within the chaos…

Erika couldn't even imagine the true extent of the emotions Professor Pine was feeling.

But she also knew that there was nothing she could do to stop them, or even help the poor professor…

Erika supposed the rest of the court knew that too, because no one tried to stop Julia Pine.

Instead, Julia Pine's grieving, guilt-filled gaze never left. Regret and shock permeated the professor's voice, and she made no attempt to control it. Yet she was able to explain herself anyway.

For Julia Pine told the others everything… How Holly had come to her lab, and she believed Holly had been given permission from Erika to attend the study... The news of what really happened hadn't reached her, so there was nothing to even suggest otherwise… The professor provided Holly with a Pokémon, Torracat, and sent her on her way… After that, there was the phone call from Anabel informing Julia Pine of Holly's crimes and arrest… Then there was the second part of the call, where Kristine and Erika had joined in… Erika had declared that Holly would be removed from the League, and Kristine would take Holly's place in the study…

As Julia Pine finished speaking, a sense of relief washed over Erika.

Despite her shock and regret, the professor had been able to tell those in the courtroom what she knew.

Surely she would have to say anything more now, and could simply leave the witness stand.

Yet Erika's relief was quashed when the judge spoke in response.

You mentioned there were other Trainers in the study. What happened to them?

A deep sorrow filled Julia Pine's eyes and she spoke solemnly.

They failed.

At this, Erika's eyes went wide.

The professor already felt immeasurable guilt and grief over what happened to Holly, but now she probably feeling guilt and grief over what happened to the other Trainers in the study as well!

Erika was astounded Julia Pine didn't have a mental breakdown right here, if she wasn't already completely broken!

But now Professor Pine was speaking again, tearing Erika from the thoughts.

Some of the Trainers' journeys had ended tragically, while others had simply given up… Regardless, the professor had received word of all their failures personally, and thus the study she did was also a failure… Even if new Trainers came into the study, it would not be enough to compensate for the ones that failed, so the study was useless… Holly was the only Trainer from that study who did not fail on her journey, and depending on how things went today, she would fail… If she hasn't already been considered a failure thanks to all of this…

As she listened to Julia Pine, Erika resisted the urge to clench her fists.

The professor's entire study, gone…

Everything Julia Pine had worked for, gone…

All those Trainers and their Pokémon, gone…

And the only thing Julia Pine had to show for it was her own grief, guilt, and knowledge over what happened…

Because the Trainers and the Pokémon had only blended in with the many whose journeys met an untimely end…

And the professor herself became a victim of the system that allowed that to happen…

There was tragedy, no matter what.

Yet…

The professor had gotten one thing wrong…

Julia Pine and stated that Holly did not fail on her journey, but depending on what happened in the courtroom today, she would fail…

But the truth was that Holly had already failed regardless of what happened in the courtroom…

She had failed as soon as she set out on a journey, even before…

Because Holly wanted to prove to Erika that she could set out on a Pokémon journey…

She wanted to prove that she was mature and knowledgeable enough for a journey…

She wanted to prove that she was worthy of the right to train…

But most of all, she wanted prove to the world that she was strong enough to leave a positive lasting impact…

But Holly hadn't done any of that.

Instead, she had only proved that she couldn't set out on a proper Pokémon journey…

She had only proved that she wasn't mature, that she wasn't knowledgeable…

That the right to train wasn't hers…

That she couldn't leave any sort of lasting impact…

Because from the moment she had stolen Erika's Pokémon and run away, she had branded herself a criminal…

And it was only compounded when she did all the things that got her here…

Because criminals couldn't prove any of the things that Holly wanted…

They were only the opposite.

And that would be true no matter what the courtroom decided today.

Yet Erika's thoughts were torn away from Holly as the judge spoke again.

Did you let Kristine into the study because the other Trainers had failed?

Professor Pine rapidly shook her head.

She explained that she only received the information after inviting Kristine in the study but before coming here... Even if she knew about it earlier, she wouldn't have forced Kristine into the study… In the end, the study was Kristine's choice, and nothing would take that away from her…

As Professor Pine spoke, Erika's fists unclenched and her eyes went wide.

It was horrible that Professor Pine received the news that the other Trainers that failed, but even more horrible that she found that out right after she recruited Kristine!

Surely Mold Breaker Kristine would feel horrified as well!

Perhaps she would feel angry or sorrowful.

Maybe even fearful or resigned.

But as Erika glanced at the Mold Breaker, there was none of that.

Instead, the Mold Breaker's gaze was simply expectant as she focused intently on Professor Pine.

Erika resisted the urge to tremble.

Kristine could've been simply expecting to hear that the other Trainers in the study failed. After all, this probably wouldn't be the first time that she had seen many young Trainers fail at once. And with so many left to their own devices, it was almost inevitable…

But…

Perhaps the Mold Breaker Kristine had been expecting something else.

After all, she had been expectant since the beginning, even though Erika could not understand what she was expectant about.

And the subject of Trainers failing had not even been brought up…

So I'm most likely couldn't have been that.

But what was there to be expectant about?

Was it because of something more?

Something ominous?

Something sinister?

Something that Kristine knew that no one else did?

Suddenly, Kristine's gaze changed from expectant to concerned and sympathetic.

Erika wondered what had prompted the change in the Mold Breaker, but then noticed Professor Pine was leaving the witness stand.

Erika nodded, although didn't seem like anyone could see.

Of course Kristine would feel sympathy and concern for Professor Pine, considering what happened.

Some of the concern was probably for herself, too.

There wasn't anyone else left to speak against Holly, so Kristine would clearly be next.

This would also make her the last, and her testimony was probably one of, if not, the most important.

After all, she was always main victim and was involved in almost everything. She knew almost everyone in the courtroom too, and probably even had some experience being in a court.

So perhaps the Mold Breaker Kristine was nervous, saddened, expectant, or even impatient.

Perhaps it was a mix of all those.

Erika figured she might find out soon.

But nothing could have prepared Erika for what happened after Professor Pine returned to her seat.

For a single word pierced the air.

Holly.

Erika's eyes went wide and it took everything in her power to prevent her mouth hanging open.

She heard the sound of someone getting up and some shuffling near her, but she paid no attention.

Instead, Erika just stared at the front, seeing nothing.

The judge had skipped Kristine…

Erika had heard of court cases being delayed because of a witness being sick or otherwise being unable to show up, but never a witness being skipped entirely!

Especially when that witness was clearly able to make it to the courtroom and was standing right there!

And even in the case of a witness being unable to show up, there were a lot of procedures go through to make sure there was a good reason for skipping court!

But it didn't seem like there were any procedures at all, and that this had just come out of nowhere!

Why would Kristine be skipped without warning, while Holly was allowed to testify against her and everyone else?

Kristine was probably the most important witness in the room, so shouldn't she be allowed to have a voice?

Kristine hadn't done anything wrong in the eyes of the court, so why wasn't she allowed to speak?

Erika was jolted to more movement as she realized she was not alone in her thoughts.

There were various gazes on the faces of the other witnesses.

Some were filled with burning rage, while others were to about overflow with sorrow. Still others were full of confusion, and Erika thought she could see some gazes of fear. One person was wildly glancing around, as if something in the room give them the answer.

But there was no answer, the room filled with eerie silence other than Holly's footsteps.

Erika felt a chill run down her spine.

If it wasn't for the fact that breaking court rules could end with the witnesses being punished, all of the people against Holly would probably run up to the judge demanding answers.

Or do worse.

But there was one person who didn't seem to want to participate in any of that.

The one who had been skipped, the Mold Breaker Kristine herself.

Instead the Mold Breaker sat quietly, gaze displaying an icy calm. The expectant look had returned to her eyes, the concern from before having completely disappeared.

Erika couldn't stop her own eyes from remaining wide.

Kristine was clearly expecting this, so there must've been some agreement before the court case.

Yet from the reaction of the others, no one else knew of it, or at least caught them off guard regardless.

What would be so important that Kristine would hide it from even her allies, or at least not tell them enough to prepare for it?

And why was Kristine expecting to be skipped?

Was she expecting something else on top of that?

What agreement had she made?

What did that mean for everyone else?

Erika was torn from her thoughts as she realized Holly had almost made it to the witness stand.

Holly stood arrogantly with her head held high. Erika thought she could see a smirk on Holly's face, although it was faint. She supposed it was enough so that the others could see how she felt, but not enough to get her in trouble. After all, there were others that had shown emotions and had not gotten in trouble.

Emotions like the rage that now burned inside of Erika.

She dared not show it, both because she was afraid someone would notice and that it would give Holly satisfaction.

But she wondered if Holly would expect that anyway, and guessed that she was furious.

After all, Holly caused all the anger in the first place, and would gladly continue to.

Erika resisted the urge to clench her fist as as fury transformed into thoughts.

How dare Holly act arrogantly, when she was the one that put everyone else in this situation the first place!

How dare she get to say how she felt while her main victim was forced to remain silent, no matter the reason!

How dare Holly portray herself as an innocent victim, when she was anything but!

How dare Holly act like she had already won!

But Erika forced her emotions down, as Holly was now standing at the witness stand. Holly swept her gaze over all the courtroom, subtle smirk never leaving her face.

Without hesitation, she launched into her own version of the story, and Erika had no choice but to listen… Holly started with finding the letter about the study… Then, Erika wanted to stop her from going, but Holly claimed her adopted mother had no right to… There was the argument where Erika tried to assert her point, but Holly believed it was her right to go on a Pokémon Trainer's journey, and then believed that she had won the argument… While Holly admitted she had taken Erika's Pokémon and run away, she was only exercising her right to become a Pokémon Trainer… And the Pokémon she took were some of the ones that Erika allowed her to have anyway for self-defense, so there wasn't any theft… After all, it was Holly's right to participate in the study, and she needed a means to defend herself…

But aside from Erika, there was the issue of Anabel… Holly acknowledged that Anabel did save her life, but that didn't give Anabel any right to do whatever she wanted with her… Anabel's earlier actions did not give the policewoman the right to supervise Holly without her consent and outright lie to her as to why she was in the area in the first place… Furthermore, Anabel claimed to uphold the law, when she broke one of the most fundamental Trainer laws by stealing Holly's Pokémon… Anabel only went on to break more laws by threatening to arrest Holly, when threatening a child Trainer alone could get Anabel in trouble for abuse of power… Anabel might not agree with what Holly wanted to do at Sable's lake, but that didn't give Anabel any right to steal something belonging to Holly, especially something as valuable as a Pokémon… Anabel may claim she enforces the law, but she's a hypocrite who breaks it whenever benefits her… And in the end, Anabel was not above it, and her actions made her a criminal as well…

As for Nidorina, she was a dangerous Pokémon who nearly took Holly's life… There was no telling how many other lives she would've taken… So Holly had no reason not to get rid of her, and it was a Trainer's right to dispose of dangerous Pokémon… Furthermore, by allowing Nidorina to live, Anabel was needlessly endangering other people's lives, and that was even more reason that the policewoman was in the wrong… So when it came to Mt. Moon, Holly was just disposing of a criminal…

Anabel had broken the laws many times, so she had to be disposed of, for the sake of all honest Trainers… Holly did admit to capturing a Gengar secretly in Sinnoh, but she was at the age of a legal Pokémon Trainer at the time, and should have had a Pokémon of her own anyway… And even though she didn't carry it like a regular Pokémon, the Pokémon that was captured was legally hers… So that meant she could do what she wanted with it, and when she told the Pokémon of all the atrocities Anabel had committed against her, the Gengar agreed that Anabel should be eliminated...

As for the Old Amber, Holly also admitted to picking it up… But no one claimed it or was even looking for it, she just took it for herself… Pewter had plenty of fossils anyway, so they could easily replace what they lost… Given that the city was in a bit of disarray over a theft, no one even noticed…

Holly suddenly adopted the hardest glare Erika had ever seen, and the Celadon Gym Leader quickly realized it wasn't because of the fossils.

As Holly started to explain her feelings, Erika stiffened and tried to hide her own glare.

Holly seemed to know exactly what Erika was thinking as her voice took on an arrogant drawl.

For she spoke of Kristine, saying that the Mold Breaker was someone who pretended to be a kind person and someone whose disability made her special... But in reality, all that was a lie, and she's just nothing, a wandering Trainer who was a helpless and hopeless thug… By helping out Anabel, a criminal, Kristine only proved that she herself was one… Furthermore, Kristine had attacked Holly and started the fight that knocked her unconscious, so why wouldn't Holly defend against an attacker? She couldn't even prove that all that fancy power was really hers, and that she was a real Vessel when Holly challenged her, so Kristine was just proving that everything she had was stolen or fake… So why not take down someone so dishonorable on top of that?

And when Kristine tried to be the hero again by trying to save Nidorina, she was simply helpless as Holly gave her the beatdown she deserved… Of course, she had that strange Pokémon that fought back, but that only incriminated her even further… After all, she had violated the rule of Trainers not attacking each other with Pokémon… And even if her Pokémon attacked on its own, then Kristine just proved that she shouldn't even have Pokémon, because she clearly couldn't control them… If her being unable to do anything during what happened to Nidorina truly was the results of her being weakened by supernatural abilities, then she shouldn't even be anywhere by herself, because she clearly can't take care of herself and doesn't know when to stop… It was even more proof that Kristine was nothing…

And considering how she was somehow completely helpless when trying to save Nidorina yet was able to move and otherwise act normally when she battled Holly before, Holly bet that everything she did was just trying to make herself look good and to disguise the fact that she was nothing… Kristine probably didn't even have the disability that people claimed she did… Because in reality Kristine tries to be a hero, but she's really just manipulating everything while pretending to be innocent and fooling everyone… Holly claimed the fact that Kristine was showing no emotions right now was extremely suspicious, as if Kristine had planned for something to happen with Holly and then for everything after… Holly bet no matter what Kristine tried to say, there would be no way she could defend herself, because all of what Holly said was true, and Kristine knew it…

Holly rapidly finished speaking, and swept her gaze around the courtroom.

Erika thought her face would go red with rage.

Holly being angry at Kristine when telling her side of the story was one thing…

But to hurl baseless lies and absurd accusations at the Mold Breaker Kristine…

To paint the Mold Breaker as a criminal and a manipulator when Holly herself was both…

To call Kristine nothing when the only reason the Holly had any status at all was because she was Erika's adopted daughter, and later turned to infamy when she became a runaway…

And then to attack Kristine personally and repeatedly, when she barely knew her…

This was unforgivable!

Holly's words were those of a monster!

And the worst thing was the courtroom just stood by and let her talk!

While Kristine, her main victim and the person she had done nothing but slander, could say nothing!

It was beyond cruel!

Someone had to call Holly out!

Someone had to stand up for Kristine and put an end to all of Holly's ranting!

Surely those in charge of the courtroom would agree!

But there was nothing.

Instead, the judge let Holly leave like all the others, and the only sound was her footsteps as she returned to her seat.

Erika couldn't bear to watch the monster savoring her victory, so instead she stole a glance at the victim.

Erika thought that would be anger.

Perhaps sadness.

Even shock or fear.

Yet there was nothing.

The Mold Breaker Kristine stood stoically facing the front, focused on Holly as she left.

However, the Mold Breaker's expression was unreadable, with not a hint of emotion piercing through.

Erika resisted the urge to shudder as she wondered if the Mold Breaker was acting like that in order to not give Holly satisfaction.

Or perhaps there were too many emotions to convey properly.

Perhaps Kristine had been through something resembling Holly's verbal beatdown before and thus it was nothing new…

But if that was the case…

What did the Mold Breaker Kristine see and know?

How would it affect the courtroom?

The courtroom…

Kristine had been the only one that had not been given a chance to speak.

Yet Holly had been allowed to present her testimony alongside everyone else against her.

From what Erika knew, when both sides of the conflict had been presented, the court case would proceed.

But the court case couldn't proceed…

Not when one of the main people against Holly and one of the key witnesses had not been allowed to explain anything…

Could it?

What would the judge say?

Would he just hurry the case along?

Would he explain himself?

Would he just not say anything?

Erika was torn from her thoughts as she saw the judge was about to speak.

When he did, three words hung in the air.

A call to action.

A call to speak.

A name.

Mold Breaker Kristine.

---

Author's notes:

-As stated before, this chapter is longer than one or usually right. When I noticed that the chapter would be longer than usual, mainly because a lot of things were added mid-chapter, I decided not to split it up. The reason being that I had already split up several chapters in the court scene, and was getting sick of doing that. The other reason was that I thought it was significant that it ended on Kristine's name being called after she had been skipped, especially after Erika received information from everyone else. I didn't want to diminish the significance of that by dragging out the court is with more chapters, and I also wasn't sure where I would split the chapter and still have that significance. So the chapter was just left as is.

-Giselle's recounting of what happened at Sable was a little bit different originally. Originally, Giselle was going to state that if she had a complete context, she would have taken away Torracat and given it to Anabel permanently. Holly would have been allowed to continue training and keep all her other Pokémon as a test. However, if Holly acted up again, Giselle would not hesitate in taking away all of her other Pokémon and making sure she could never continue as a Trainer. Then, when I was figuring out Giselle's motivations and combining them with the information I knew, I realized Holly would've failed any test to have a second chance as a Trainer spectacularly the moment the lengths she took to start her journey were discovered. At that point, Giselle would not show any mercy, leading to the harsher response that made it into the final version of the story.

-Riolu's backstory is slightly based off of what happened in the original RP that turned into the story Holly Rising, but with a different way the events could have gone without the original RP's constraints. Riolu being found sick near Sable and needing to be temporarily captured in order to be taken to the Pokémon Center comes directly from the RP and Holly Rising. From there, the stories diverge. In Holly Rising, Holly was required to take the Riolu to the Pokémon Center and was nowhere near as ruthless. As a result, she realizes she needs to temporarily capture Riolu without thinking about adding it to her team, and is able to successfully do that by convincing him to come with her with sympathy. However, in this version, Holly is not required to do that, and is much more ruthless and selfish, so things go badly and the events change as a result. However, Giselle keeping it comes directly from Holly Rising. In that story, Holly doesn't find that out until much later, and by then, because of certain events, it doesn't affect things very much.

-What inspired the change in Riolu's backstory changes, Holly's reaction, and Erika's thoughts afterward was based of something that occurs in canon Pokémon media. Canonically, protagonists can be given or rescue Pokémon from bad situations and the Pokémon will join them automatically. A lot of times the protagonists don't have to do anything, or in the case of a rescue, simply succeeding in the rescue is enough to prove that they can and should have the Pokémon. There are exceptions where someone has to do something to obtain the Pokémon as a reward, but the task that the protagonist (or sometimes the Pokémon) has to perform is often very easy and the Pokémon is still given to them without a second thought.

However, since Traveler takes a more realistic look at Pokémon journeys and other aspects of them, I thought it would be fitting to examine the idea Pokémon as gifts or rewards from a more realistic angle as well. So I came up with the situation of a Pokémon not wanting to go with a Trainer that was given or rescued them, and the idea that rescuing or otherwise being kind to a Pokémon did not guarantee that the Trainer would receive it. Anyone who thought otherwise and was insistent about it would not be seen as worthy, but instead spoiled and entitled. But because of how things are canonically and the high chances of Pokémon as gifts working out like in canon, a Trainer would most likely think that they should receive the gifted or rescued Pokémon, even though they gift is realistically not a guarantee. All this led to the new situation with Riolu and Erika's musings about it after.

-Giselle's explanation about the school she teaches at, disabled Trainers, and Holly's reaction is slightly based off of Holly Rising, but the events were changed due the characters changing. In Holly Rising, Giselle explains the function of the school being to allow Trainers who cannot go on journeys to still have a chance to complete them and get to the Pokémon League (something which it's also used for canonically, although Giselle's a top student there instead). She states that this also includes Trainers with disabilities that would make travel difficult or impossible. Holly acts rudely, and is confused that such Trainers would exist. This results in Giselle telling Holly a story of a particularly powerful Trainer, later revealed to be Holly Rising's version of Kristine. She still tells the story here, and Holly still reacts the same way (although worse), but a lot of things are changed.

Starting with Kristine's involvement in the school itself.

When I first heard of the canonical school Giselle was at, I imagined myself going there. I have a physical disability, cerebral palsy, and cannot walk without a walker or some other form of assistance. This would make going on a Pokémon journey extremely difficult. Therefore, I thought it if that school existed, I would go there to bypass the difficulties of the journey. Then I thought about other people with disabilities having the same problem, and how canon Pokémon media never mentions them. Therefore, I decide to expand the school to include people with disabilities as well, and have Kristine be a part of that. In Holly Rising, she was. I also intended for Usurping's Kristine to follow the same path.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she wouldn't.

Mainly because I wouldn't.

Or rather, couldn't.

Because even though I was physically disabled, I ended up being identified as intellectually gifted early on. As a result, I attended mainstream classes and schools with able-bodied people almost immediately. This is because my parents realize that schools meant for disabled people wouldn't challenge me because I was intellectually gifted and tested out of almost everything. Furthermore, since my disability was a less severe version of cerebral palsy with no secondary conditions, I could adapt and/or modify just about anything I couldn't do physically and do it anyway.

As a result, I wouldn't be in special classes or doing something in place of traveling around because it wouldn't and couldn't work for me.

And since Usurping's Kristine was me with the same disability and abilities, it would work for her either.

However, I still wanted Kristine to attend school and learn from Giselle for plot reasons. So I simply decided Giselle's school would teach other classes aside from classes for Trainers I couldn't go on journeys. Since one of the most famous things about the Mold Breaker is that she survived on her journey and had the skills to, I figured taking survival classes alongside traditional ones (like having a choice of classes at a high school or summer school) would make sense. And so Giselle's story changed to reflect that.

The way the Pokémon are used are changed as well as a result. In Holly Rising, service Pokémon were mentioned, and that version of Kristine was revealed to use them. However, for various reasons, I realized that a different method of using the Pokémon would work better. This method was alluded to in Holly Rising, but never explained in detail. And since Giselle would have only secondhand knowledge of it, she doesn't explain it much here. However, instead of service Pokémon that it could occasionally fight in combat, the Pokémon Kristine uses in Usurping are regular Pokémon that she just happened to realize could perform a service Pokémon duty on top of fighting. Hence why Giselle calls them what she does.

-Kristine being offered the Champion position by not taking it was not mentioned in Giselle's explanation in Holly Rising. This is because of the time I didn't know what titles I wanted Kristine to have. Later on, Holly Rising Kristine's reason for not taking any of the high positions in the League is revealed to be out of spite and disdain for the individuals within. Usurping's Kristine doesn't have that, and I knew I wanted her to get titles within the League or otherwise be considered someone that could be high-ranked.

So the reason she has for not taking the Champion position, among other things, is based on how I feel that politics in real life. I have always had an interest in politics, to the point where people would joke that I would eventually take a high position or become President of the United States (one of, if not, the highest political positions where I live). But even though I was interested in politics and liked being informed, I was not interested in all of the clashes and chaos that go on there. Thus I knew I would never go into politics because I knew it would frustrate me to no end. Therefore, I figured it would be a viable reason for Kristine in Usurping not to do the same.

-Kahili not having to give up her Champion seat if she is defeated and Giselle alluding to that, especially with potential child Champions is based off an observation I made in the games. After the player becomes the Champion, the previous Champion does not give up the title and can still be rematched after defeating the Elite Four again. Galar's Champion Leon is a particularly notable case because he acknowledges the player as the new Champion, but also takes the title of League Chairman and leader of the Rose Tower in addition to being able to be fought as the Champion in rematches. Even in the rare instances where the player is a Champion before anyone else (only in the Alola games, although the Pokémon Trading Card videogames have a variant), they are not required to give up their title after being defeated.

-Therefore, I thought it would make sense if there was some sort of rule stating that a Champion did not have to give up their title or power after being defeated, depending on the situation. This also solves the issue of a government system based on whether someone wins or loses a battle being highly unstable and probably changing constantly. It also makes sense from the perspective of the canon games, because even when the player becomes the (new) Champion, they are not required to do anything different or remain at League. This is the case even when newer games make an effort to acknowledge them as the Champion, and address them differently. While storywise, this could be chalked up to them being a child and not knowing how to run the government, it still happens even if the previous Champion is also a child or if the only Champion is the player themselves.

-The concept of runners-up and second-in-command for the Champion title comes from Pokémon Special. In Pokémon Special, Steven appears to be the Pokémon Champion of the Hoenn region. However, near the end of the Hoenn arc, it's revealed that the Champion is actually his friend, Wallace. Wallace didn't want the Champion title at the time he received it, and Stephen was the runner-up. Therefore, he gave the title to Steven and Steven accepted. However, Steven fears he might die in the final conflict, and gives the position back to Wallace. Wallace accepts, and is considered the Champion from then on.

Kahili's motivation for leaving her region and runner-up come straight from Holly Rising. Monalyne being her runner-up is based off of the Alola games. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Monalyne is a member of the Elite Four. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, he's just a powerful regular Trainer, and the position is taken by Hala instead. It's worth noting that in the games where Monalyne isn't in the Elite Four, he can challenge the player for their title of Champion. Therefore, he is at least as powerful as a Champion, or able to match the blow for blow. However, Hala can take his place there in the games where he is not part of the Elite Four. Therefore, personality wise, Hala seemed like a better fit for the Elite Four position between the two, so Hala is in the Elite Four, and Monalyne is powerful enough to be the Champion, but only takes the position if necessary.

-Grand Champions are my own creation, but it's based on a difference between canon Pokémon media and Traveler. Canonically, even though the Pokémon regions exist in the same world, they all exist apart from each other, and don't really come together for anything (or significant to the story). This is represented by the games and most other media only taking place completely in one region, dealing solely with that region's conflicts, and only referencing the others (if they are referenced at all). In Traveler, all regions are connected to each other and their conflicts intertwine. Therefore, I knew they would need someone that ruled over all regions of there was a problem affecting everyone. Thus, the title of Grand Champion was created.

-The Trainers that have earned the title of Grand Champion are based off of both canon and my interpretations. Magnolia is a Pokémon Professor from Pokémon Sword and Shield. It's not known how powerful she is because she has never seen battling, but many fan there have depicted her as very strong. Furthermore, she seems to know a lot about Pokémon and battling, being widely respected, so those theories make sense. Therefore, it felt only natural for Magnolia to be a former Grand Champion in the world of Traveler However, Magnolia is also much older than most Pokémon Professors. As a result, she retires from being a Pokémon Professor during the games and hands her title and research over to her granddaughter Sonia. So I thought it would make sense that she would be a retired Trainer in the world Traveler.

Nathaniel, or N, as he is known canonically, is a bit of a different story. He's a Grand Champion because he's a powerful Champion level trainer without being tied to actually being a champion of any region. In Pokémon Black and White, Nathaniel is originally the leader of the notorious Team Plasma. He somehow is able to enter the Pokémon League and to defeat the current Champion, Alder. However, he has never crowned champion of the region because Team Plasma invades the Pokémon League after that. After the player defeats Nathaniel at the top of the castle, it's revealed that he is being controlled by Team Plasma's true leader, Ghestis. Ghestis then challenges the player to a battle, and the player must defeat him to clear the story. After Ghestis is defeated, Nathaniel is finally freed from his control, becoming an honest Pokémon Trainer and eventual protector of Unova, and giving the Champion title back to Alder.

In Pokémon Black and White 2, Nathaniel can be challenged after the main game is cleared. He is one of the strongest Trainers the player can fight, and possibly one of the strongest in the entire series. He's also known for his unique battle style, where his team varies depending on what in-game season the player fights him in for a total of four different teams. Additionally, he uses strategies based around change in the weather and battle that were common for competitive Pokémon players at the time.

With his backstory the way it is, I figured he would also be a natural choice for becoming a Grand Champion. Since Nathaniel isn't really evil and is actually quite amicable to the player throughout the canon games, he's not ever part of Team Plasma in Traveler. Furthermore, his name being Nathaniel is based off of the fact that for a long time, his true name was never mentioned canonically. Therefore, I gave him the name Nathaniel in my story notes. When his name was revealed canonically (Natural), I had grown used using Nathaniel and disliked the name he had canonically. Therefore, he is called Nathaniel here.

-Kristine being the Grand Champion was a little bit different when her character was originally conceived. Originally, she was not going to be the Grand Champion despite being considered for it. She would've either lost to Nathaniel or did not challenge him. This would have been gone public, and people wanted her to be the Grand Champion anyway despite not fulfilling the last requirement. However, with everything she had done, I realized it made more sense of Kristine was the Grand Champion, but chose not to take the position. Considering her character, I also thought it would make sense if she earned the title privately, or at least as private as she could make it, and then didn't use it in public. So that led to the information Kahili reveals in the chapter.

-Kahili looking like she was about to say more and Erika's reactions comes with something I discovered while writing the chapter. Originally, Kahili was going to talk about the Trainer laws and the courtroom's involvement with them. However, just as Erika mentioned, doing something like that would put her at risk for contempt of court. And also just like Erika says, the consequences for contempt of court can be severe no matter what someone's standing is. So I chose not to do that and just have her look angry instead, with Erika thinking about what she might've said.

-Seviper is Lucy's main Pokémon in all media, and thus she uses it in Traveler. Seviper as a species as is exactly the same as Erika describes, with Glare and Warp being moves that can learn via leveling up. These two moves work exactly as Erika describes, with one extra detail. In most Pokémon games, Wrap only does a small amount of damage, but continues to do damage as time passes in battle. During this time, the opposing Trainer cannot switch to another Pokémon. However, this only lasts a few turns before must be reapplied.

However, in the first Pokémon games (Red, Blue and Yellow), Wrap worked much differently. In these games, Wrap still did only a little damage, but once hit, the opponent could not move at all. The attacker would also be locked into the move for several turns, and could still be applied after. The opposing Pokémon could still switch out, but if that happened neither Pokémon could attack that turn. This led to some devastating combinations, such as making it so that the opponent could not move faster than the attacker with paralysis, or combining it with something that did damage over time so that the opponent couldn't get away from that. It quickly became one of the most powerful moves available, and thus was toned down in every set of games since. However, Erika still mentions both effects because other Pokémon media (such as the anime) still sometimes use the original effect.

-Lucy being in the Battle Frontier, specifically a leader of the Battle Pike comes from Pokémon Emerald. In that game and material related to it, she serves this purpose. However, in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Battle Frontier is not present. Instead, it is stated to be under construction and Lucy has been recruited as one of the members. However, she is never seen. The player is instead free to battle in the Battle Maison, although it's both watered-down and straightforward. I was originally going to have Usurping's timeline to have the Battle Frontier under construction, but then realized that it would make more sense if the Battle Frontier just functioned normally.

However, I still needed to the reason for Lucy to be traveling around rather than at the Frontier. Then I thought of her being able to be battled remotely and the Battle Frontier not having many challenges, especially in time of crisis, as a realistic consequence for how the Battle Frontier works in the games. In the games, there are many requirements that a player must fulfill before they can even think about challenging the leader of the Battle Frontier.

First, the player must become the Champion and complete the main game. Second, in order to even stand a chance in the Battle Frontier, they have to understand the hidden stats and intricacies in the game (a lot of which the game doesn't even hint at), and raise their Pokémon to very high levels. After they've done all that, the player must win a large amount of battles in a row (usually 50 to 100, when the longest streak of battles required in the main story is five) without losing or changing their party. Only after they've done all this can they face a leader of an area in the Battle Frontier. However, if they lose even one battle (including against the leader), the player must start all over again from the beginning.

To complicate matters is the fact that there are seven different areas of the Frontier, with their own rules and traps to impede the player's progress. Progress in one area is not carried over to any of the other ones, so a player wants to finish all seven they have to do them separately. This also means that players can be stuck at the Battle Frontier for a long time without making any progress.

With all this, hardly anyone would come challenge the Battle Frontier leaders (or even the Frontier itself). While the games don't acknowledge this, Traveler does. Realistically (and assuming even if Pokémon battling makes money), the leaders of the Battle Frontier would have to have jobs and lives outside of the Battle Frontier to survive. Hence, they do in Traveler, even though being part of the Battle Frontier is still important. Since the latter is important, they also have the means to be battled remotely, so they don't ever have to be tied to the Frontier.

-Anabel and Lucy being good friends and Lucy deciding to help Anabel's cause because of that is my own interpretation. While Anabel is the leader of the Battle Frontier canonically, her relationship with the other members is never explained. Since Anabel and Lucy are the only female members of the Hoenn Battle Frontier, I figured it would make sense if the two were good friends.

-The story about the Gym Leader who left the city is based off of Misty, specifically in the anime. Just like in the games, in the anime Misty is still at the Cerulean City Gym. However, she also has older siblings, and the Gym doubles as an area where people can go see water ballet shows. While Misty's sisters run the water ballet shows and otherwise take care of the Gym, they have neither the passion nor the talent for battling. Misty, on the other hand, is the opposite, being excellent at battling with aquatic Pokémon, but not being as skilled in water ballet, and not being particularly happy doing it. When she gets the chance, she joins Ash on his journeys in order to go out and see the world, as well as hone her battling skills (although she originally states that it's because Ash owes her a bicycle after he stole and eventually ruined hers). She does return to Cerulean City at various times in the anime, and shown to at least get along with her sisters despite their differing interests. Eventually, she returns there permanently and takes over the Gym, but by then she has become a skilled battler and doesn't mind being at the Gym.

In Traveler, the circumstances are different and there's less issues. However, the idea of leaving because of being interested in a different career is still the same. Therefore, I thought Cerulean would be strict on runaways after having a young Trainer leave home for a valid reason (or at least without any issues runaways would have). It's worth noting, in the anime, Misty is only 14 years old. That puts her only one year above Holly and well within the age where she could have run away. Traveler will probably end up making or at least a little older, but I thought that her original age and what that means for Traveler's lore makes Cerulean's stance on runaways make even more sense. The problem of a theft in Pewter comes directly from Holly Rising's original RP, and is kept mostly intact here.

-Holly having the Old Amber and how she obtained it is based off how Old Amber is obtained in the games. It had the same purpose in the games as Erika describes, being able to be taken to a lab and revived into Pokémon called Areodactyl (which will then be given to the player). It is possible to gain Old Amber as a rare find by participating in mining minigames, but there is another way. In the Kanto games and the remakes, the player can cut down a tree to access the back room of Pewter's museum. There, the Old Amber is sitting on a pedestal, and the player can just take the fossil and leave. There is a scientist that explains to player character that he believes the Old Amber is the fossilized remains of a Pokémon. However, none of his colleagues believe him, so he asks the player to take the Old Amber to a lab and get revived. However, the player is not required to talk to him or fulfill his request. If they do and then return to the museum, what he says doesn't change. Therefore, I was inspired by that conversation but also a bit more realistic take on what would really happen and on how someone would really react if a Trainer acted the way the player character did during that quest. The answer was Holly getting the Old Amber, and giving the reason she does.

-Erika's thoughts on Areodactyl come from canon media. In all media, Areodactyl is depicted as being aggressive and difficult to train. However, that doesn't stop the player character from obtaining one as a young and possibly rookie Trainer, and then just training it like any other Pokémon. Aside from the anime (where Ash's group and Team Rocket accidentally provoke a wild Areodactyl and said Pokémon kidnaps Ash), Areodactyl is never seen doing anything extraordinarily vicious. However, like a lot of other things in Traveler, Erika thinks about a more realistic take of an already reckless, uncaring, arrogant, and unskilled Trainer gaining a Pokémon that's too much to handle. Areodactyl's power is also from canon media, where it's depicted as very powerful and almost all appearances. In the games, it's one of the most powerful fossil Pokémon the player can obtain, and still remains powerful even as newer games are continuously released.

-The concept of Pokémon Masters and Erika showing respect for them and explaining how hard the title is to earn comes from canon media. The term Pokémon Master is first used in the original Pokémon games, and has been a series ever since. It's something that's held in high regard, shows great power, experience, and skill, and seems to be difficult to obtain. Regardless, becoming about a Pokémon Master is the goal of some of Pokémon's characters, and it seen as admirable to try and go for it. However, none of the Pokémon canon media elaborates on what it takes to become Pokémon Master, despite the concept been around for so long. When asked, the creators of Pokémon stated they never would elaborate because they wanted fans to form their own opinions. Consequently, several fan theories have sprung up, but none of them are without areas that don't make sense.

As a result, Traveler has its own interpretation of what Pokémon Masters are and what it takes to become one. However, the requirements are still ambiguous and shrouded in mystery. A more concrete set of requirements is seen in Diary, but these requirements were tweaked because fulfilling said requirements would be completely unfeasible for most people, even though Traveler has several people that are Pokémon Masters. And since nothing was finalized in Diary, things could be tweaked without affecting the overall story. In reality, the requirements to become Pokémon Master are similar to the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest honor a United States civilian can receive, but there's no concrete requirement for receiving it (or even much of a description of what it is). Instead, the President can reward the Medal to anyone that is seen fit to receive it, and it's generally understood that there are some vague requirements that one must fulfill. Regardless, it's still difficult to get and is still seen as a great honor. So I thought with Pokémon Masters being ambiguous as they are, it would make sense to have it be something similar.

However, there was one major aspect of Kristine's character that was changed when coming up with the definition Pokémon Master.

And that was that Kristine was originally not a Pokémon Master at all.

Originally, she never would've received the title, and would have instead worked towards becoming a Pokémon Master during the study. She would have been under the supervision of someone that was a Pokémon Master, and the process would've been very slow. Eventually, though, she would've realized she wanted to be a Pokémon Master as a career, tying up one of her personal issues and also the idea that people in the problem won't go on journeys to discover who they are and what they want to be in life.

But there was a problem with that.

One was that being about Pokémon Master couldn't possibly be a career because of the ambiguity and it was basically just a title. Furthermore, just like me in real life, Kristine had no interest in pursuing Pokémon professionally (meaning, competitively), despite being pretty good at it. So even if a Pokémon Master could realistically be a career, it would go against her personality, and mine as well.

The other reason also had to do with what I had done in real life.

Because the second reason was that with all the things Kristine had done, it was no reason for her not to be a Pokémon Master.

And of the things Kristine had done along with the journey that spawned from them was based on what I had done in Pokémon games and my experiences with other Pokémon media.

But because of what I had accomplished and experience, I realized I would most likely be considered a Pokémon Master in the context of the Pokémon world.

And therefore, Kristine would be too.

To put things in perspective, I started over 20 years ago with the original Pokémon games (Red, Blue, and Yellow). Since then, I have completed almost everything there is to do in Pokémon. This includes completing everything possible in the main games or close (including all side quests, such as contests), completing all of the side games and watching those I didn't have (along with many of those side games being also completed at 100% or close), completing the Pokedex over 20 times and in every single main game (sometimes multiple times, and to the point where I've at least one of every single Pokémon species in existence), and being extremely active in the Pokémon community (although I've become less active recently). I've even done every single major challenge run to date (many times multiple times) and played fan projects need to be more difficult than the regular Pokémon games, a lot of times completing those. With all of that, being a Pokémon Master if the Pokémon world were real seemed like a given.

And so Kristine was one.

But then I brought up another issue.

While Kristine being a Pokémon Master might tell the world of her Pokémon skills, it wouldn't solve of the problems she had. Mainly, it wouldn't stop the conflict going on in the regions, it certainly wouldn't bring back those she had lost or erase her failures, it wouldn't help with any of her medical conditions (physical or psychological), and it wouldn't solve the problem of who or what she wanted to be and what she wanted to do with her life long-term because it didn't change the fact that she wasn't interested in Pokémon professionally. It also mirrored me in real life, because while I was talented with Pokémon, there wasn't anything practical I could or wanted to do with it. I figured it was also a more realistic take on the idea of being a Pokémon Master itself, because it's portrayed as a difficult and obtainable dream and one that will solve at least some of the protagonists' problems. But it really isn't any of those things, even though canon media never touches on that. With all of this in mind, I thought it would make sense for Kristine to gain the title privately and keep it to herself for the most part. The title wouldn't mean anything (positive) to her, but her Trainer title most likely would. So she uses that instead.

-Kalmia's story was greatly expanded from its original version. Originally, she would've simply stated that she was a friend of Kristine's that was a wandering Trainer after losing another friend. After that, she would have just continued by stating she joined Kristine because she was concerned, and apologizing because she couldn't offer much. However, I thought it was more natural if she was given something to do near or upon joining, and it would make more sense for her to give a witness statement if she actually did something. So the idea of making sure that Kristine could wake up from collapsing unconscious safely, helping her get to her destination quickly, and making sure someone stood guard while she did what she needed to do was added. Additionally, it gave insight into Kalmia's personality, when there wasn't much previously.

-Kalmia's main Pokémon, and what it meant for her personality changed as well. Originally, Kalmia's main Pokémon was going to be Altaria and its form changing Mega Evolution. I didn't have much of a reason for that, other than it would contrast with Zinnia's main Pokémon, Salamance and its Mega Evolution. In that, it would be a more feminine and pretty Pokémon as opposed to Zinnia's Pokémon being a bit more masculine and focusing on toughness. However, I quickly realized this was a problem for several reasons. One was that Altaria and the Mega form was already the main Pokémon of several characters canonically (Winona in the main games, Lisia in all media, and Elite Four Drake in the anime) so Kalmia would just blend in with them. There was also the issue that Kalmia wasn't really feminine, but rather kind and caring despite being weaker in combat than others she knew, and possibly having strengths in other areas. There was also the fact that Zinnia is not particularly masculine, but is just extremely strong and that strength is part of the reason she became self-centered and doesn't care about others as much.

Then, Pokémon Sword and Shield was released before Usurping but while Kalmia's character was still being created. These main Pokémon games introduced the Galar region and the Pokémon Dragapult. Once I saw that Pokémon and learned more about it, I realized it fit Kalmia's character perfectly. Dragapult is known as a very caring Pokémon, but also is powerful in battle and versatile. However, it takes a lot of perseverance and patience to train because it starts out very weak, doesn't really get strong until its final form, and said final form is not obtained until it reaches one of the highest levels for evolution requirements in the history of Pokémon (as of this writing, there is only one Pokémon that has a higher evolution level requirement, and it's only by a few levels). It is also, at the time of this writing, is not being used by any other character as their main Pokémon. Therefore, it quickly became Kalmia's.

-It's worth noting that aside, from elements of remakes, it is not known whether any content after Pokémon Sword and Shield will be used in Traveler. The reason is that even the Traveler uses all regions together, I also want to avoid moving the goalposts with each new canon release and have a static end goal for the series. As a result, anything introduced after Usurping starts (planned to be soon after Daughter finishes, which would be probably early to mid-2021) may not be used. This is because Usurping his plan to use all the regions directly. There may be references to other regions, or even other Pokémon from those regions existing, though. How that would be implemented is unknown at this time.

-The talk about Trainers finding degrees and professions, the difficulty of getting them to do so, and the difficulty of having them finish school and find jobs, as well the consequences that, was not present in the original version of this chapter. It got added in because it was part of Kalmia's character, and talking about it when she was leaving the witness stand was a good way to segue into the discussion. It was also important to the lore surrounding Kristine and Traveler overall, so I felt like it was worth including there.

-The idea of the other Trainers in Professor Pine's study failing their journeys and the study being voided comes from wanting to address something in the original RP that was never addressed. The original RP was built on the premise of several Trainers being part of a study by Professor Pine. These Trainers were the players in the RP, with the RP itself taking place on a small message board of about 15-20 regularly active people. However, only myself and another person chose to join, with the RP's leader choosing not to make a character. This got even worse as more and more people left the message board, destroying the chance that other people would eventually join. As such, the study and possible other Trainers were barely mentioned at all. Eventually, the one other person dropped out, leaving me as the only writer. By that point, I had created a different simple conflict in the study no longer had any impact on the story. Since Usurping was planned to feature a different central conflict with different characters, I knew I had to do something about the supposed other characters from the RP's old conflict. And since Traveler had already highlighted that a lot of young Trainers fail on their journeys, having them all fail was the easiest way to do it and seemed reasonable.

-Erika's thoughts about Kristine being skipped comes from research on real-life United States courts. When I was thinking of the court scenes, I knew I wanted to be Kristine to be skipped from the beginning for plot reasons. However, I first had to look at whether that would be possible in the real life court. I quickly found out that it wasn't, because who would typically happen is that a witness would provide proof that they reasonably could not make the court date (e.g. medical clearance if they were very sick), and the court case would be rescheduled. Not to mention there was never a case of a witness being skipped if they were able to show up in the courtroom and had otherwise not committed any crimes while in there (such as severe contempt of court). However, I also realized that the reason I wanted Kristine to be skipped was something that would also never occur in a real-life courtroom. So, I just decided to have her skipped anyway because the plot that I had mind otherwise wouldn't work. Furthermore, the idea of having some sort of agreement to go at a different time was also based on the fact that while what I had in mind would never turn a real-life courtroom, it would probably current courtrooms in Traveler, so such agreements would probably be in place for that situation. Hence why they are mentioned here as a possibility.

-Holly's speech against Kristine and the rest of the court was going to be at least a little bit longer. The judge is going to ask her how the rest of the court could trust her after all they said she had done. Holly would then retaliate by asking how they could trust Kristine, and then go into a series of personal attacks disguised as questions towards the rest of the court and Kristine (the latter who still couldn't speak). This was taken out because it added little to the court case, and Holly answering the judge's question with a malicious rhetorical one, and then personally attacking a witness outside of her statement could be seen as contempt of court. And that could land Holly in a very bad situation, as especially she seems to understand what actions could land her in contempt of court and that she should avoid it. So all of that was dropped. However, the notes for that scene were completely written out, so they may be used for something much later in the series.