¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··June 10th, 2015

"Hey, man!" Ollie greeted as he entered the arena. "Made'em wait till you were here!"

"Thank you, Ollie," he said to his fellow Gym Trainer.

Tono had a tumultuous history with Ollie Gooch, even more than he did Eddie. At first, Tono thought Ollie did not deserve to be at the Gym. He was a mediocre trainer who used influence to get in, rather than any sort of genuine skill. It was very easy to mock him because of it. Sometimes, he and Eddie went too far, but Kallisto was always there to mediate. That said, Ollie earned some of his respect when he showed humility in the face of Kallisto calling him out. He started living up to his position to an acceptable degree from that day on. And recently, he had been truly seeking to excel. He even managed to knock out the Demon, now a feat that only Tono himself had yet to achieve. It was actually a painful realization, although he was not about to go picking a fight to rectify it.

He sat down next to his fellow Gym Trainers. There was a small crowd of nineteen people who had come to observe. A fair number for a Gym battle during a slow week; non-exhibition day observers were most often people passing by, or those who had heard of a hotshot dropping by. If this Joe was as good as he figured, Tono expected there would be more when it came time for the inevitable rematch. Thankfully, there was a rule about no onlookers except during battles thanks to Miss Overcompensation. It prevented gawkers from loitering around in midst of their training.

"All cool?" the challenger asked. He had pale blue hair styled into a cowlick. With their nods, he turned to Kallisto. "So it's cousin of a Champ against cousin of a Champ."

"Seems so," his best friend replied, cutting a dashing figure. "And I heard from Steven you're good. His most bitter rival, in fact."

"Family rivalry, you know?" Joe shrugged. "Used to give him crap all the time when we were kids."

"Yes, and you still sometimes do," his best friend replied. Joe snickered, not denying it. Yes, a perfect Kallisto challenger indeed.

"If you're done, let's get this started," Volkner requested, tapping a foot.

"Alrighty then!" Joe clapped. His disingenuous attitude was infuriating to Tono. He hoped Kallisto crushed him.

"Let's do this," Kallisto lowly spoke, brandishing a Cherish Ball.

The Gym Leader nodded. "This is a Gym Qualifier pitting Joe Stone against Kallisto Keravnos. Standard Gym rules. Send out your first Pokemon at the same time."

"Hippowdon, go!" declared Joe. A large hippo of the earth emerged, evidently a female one given its black and lighter black body.

"Xurkitree, the stage is yours!"

Kallisto's bizarre wire-like Pokemon, given to him by the government to train. Something had always felt off about his story, but it was not Tono's place to question it. If he was keeping whatever it actually was secret from even his best friend, he must have a very good reason to do so. Joe didn't seem too impressed, either way.

"Okay, start."

A sandstorm starting blowing as Volkner gave the signal, the epicenter being the Hippowdon. What a shame for him Kallisto had an answer.

"Let us begin by laying down a Stealth Rock, Hippowdon!"

"Signal Beam, Xurkitree!" Kallisto played it conservatively.

Xurkitree puts its hands together (apparently a Pokemon without gender) and shot out a buzzing laser. It was a direct hit, although the big hippo was able to lay her trap.

"Let's not beat around the bush, shall we?" Joe asked. "Come on, now. Earthquake!"

The hippo rose to her hind legs. In that interval, Kallisto took advantage.

"Climb, Xurkitree!"

A tactic he had been employing for a while. And one that was very much practical given the ridges on the pillars. The mass of wires clung to the side, rode the shaking out, and slithered to the top.

"Now, Rain Dance!"

This was why Kallisto was such a brilliant trainer. Using a move such as that from an advantageous position was a no-brainer, but few could find a way to do so. Joe and his Pokemon were nigh-helpless to prevent the ritual. Naturally, the purposes of this were not so much to take advantage as it was to halt the sand buffeting its body.

"Quite crafty," Joe remarked. "Knock it down with High Horsepower!"

Perhaps he was mistaken about this challenger. The Hippowdon threw her entire weight into the pillar. This was nowhere near enough to dislodge it, but it did cause Xurkitree to lose its balance.

"Now how about you do that one more time?" Joe asked.

"Xurkitree, be careful!"

Tono clenched. Again, the large Pokemon rammed the pillar. This time, Xurkitree fell off. The risk you take in scaling them...

Joe waved a hand. "Now, let it fall into your maw! Crunch!"

Tono shook his head. His greed would now cost him. He turned to Kallisto expectantly, and sure enough, he was smiling.

"Thunderbolt!"

And it was at that moment Joe Stone realized he had made a mistake. He was experienced enough to know what was happening next. Xurkitree landed, it was crunched, yet it fired electricity down Hippowdon's throat. That was effective, even on a Ground type. The hippo dropped her foe in surprise.

"And now Xurkitree! Power Whip!" A devastating strike right across the bridge of the nose.

Joe frowned. "I expected nothing less from you," he mockingly snarled. "Hippowdon, come back for now."

Not the worst play to preserve your weather-changing ability, Tono thought. He had employed similar tactics with Unira's Electric Surge.

"Hariyama!" Joe declared. "Let us mosey!"

One of those things. Big, fat, yellow, seemingly with a skirt. Basically a sumo wrestler in Pokemon form. A male, figured Tono.

Volkner nodded at the switch, and Kallisto struck first. "Now we can let loose! Thunderbolt!"

"Charge right on through that."

Xurkitree fired a powerful blast of electricity at Hariyama. He cringed, fighting through this with brutish toughness to get into melee range.

Joe chuckled. "Grab hold of it, will you?"

"Twist and turn."

Hariyama tried to grab, but every time he went to do so, Xurkitree would writhe away. It was ridiculous to watch.

"Now, Power Whip!" said Kallisto, after Hariyama was beginning to get frustrated.

Joe snorted. "Then let us try a Body Slam!"

Idiot. He also made his Pokemon look like one when he went up for a belly flop, only to kiss the floor. Xurkitree spun aside, and cracked Hariyama right across the bottom.

"Hey!" Ollie nudged him. "He could've Thunder Waved there!"

"It could have Guts, you fool," he reminded his friend. "I would think you would know, having been embarrassingly destroyed by a Pokemon with that ability in the past."

"O-oh yeah, that." Ollie slapped his forehead. "Don't remind me of that."

Tono snorted. You needed to account for these possibilities in battles. He thought Ollie would have remembered going from being up three Pokemon to losing outright. Learning from your mistakes was the biggest key to improving yourself, in anything.

As Hariyama lay at Xurkitree's legs, Kallisto gave the nod. "Go ahead. A Thunder Punch!"

It was actually performed as a kick while Hariyama was down. Perhaps too much showboating on behalf of Kallisto's Pokemon, as Hariyama was able to reach out and catch the other leg.

Kallisto simply smiled confidently. Until Joe said, "Now start whipping it into the ground."

With this, Hariyama started mercilessly slamming Xurkitree into the ground. There was nothing elegant about how the sumo wrestler Pokemon was repeatedly whipping his foe onto the floor. It was nothing short of thuggish and barbaric.

"We'll have to use Thunderbolt here." Calm and cool as always. The proper response.

"Away with you. Seismic Toss!"

Tono crossed his arms. Joe had gotten lucky. The attack went wide as Hariyama threw Xurkitree away before the move could be executed.

"Thunder!" shouted Kallisto as his Pokemon recovered.

"Finish it with a Brine!"

Much of the crowd gasped, including Tono, although him likely for a different reason than the others. Brine is a move natural in Hariyama. The only surprising thing about it was that he was using it in the first place, given the species' lack of affinity for special moves.

Xurkitree focused with all of its might to execute its attack. As the thundercloud started to materialize, Hariyama raised his armpit. Disgustingly, the blast of salt water emerged from there. Between the rain, the wire-like tree's exhaustion, and training, it was enough to seal the deal.

However, the Thunder was still readied and could not be stopped. As it came crashing down on the sumo wrestler Pokemon, his muscles stiffened. And sure enough, this only served to get his fighting spirit going.

"Not looking good for you now, is it?" Joe asked at his Pokemon's ability being activated.

Kallisto could only smile and shake his head. "The battle is only beginning," he corrected as he recalled Xurkitree. "I think I have a good read on you. Ampharos, the stage is yours."

A brilliant dismantling of Joe followed from there. It was part of what made Kallisto such a magnificent trainer: he had the uncanny ability to turn situations around, and fend off even the most dogged challengers with brilliant tactics from his mighty Pokemon.

Joe eventually adapted and started fighting more conservatively. Yet as it came down to Raitora against Salamence, the battle remained firmly in Kallisto's hands. It had reached the point where the challenger was abusing his Pokemon's aerial advantage. It was the only way he was surviving the onslaught of power and strategy from Kallisto Keravnos. And yet, he was simply wasting everyone's time. He was still not making it through Raitora and Kallisto. Even the renewed sandstorm had halted.

"All right," Volkner eventually muttered. "Five minutes, or the battle's a draw." He pulled out the pocket timer he used for training and set it.

A draw could be a moral victory. But for a challenger, it was effectively the same as a loss. Joe cringed and waved his left hand. "Meh, whatever you say. Dive bomb it with Outrage!"

Kallisto gallantly pointed. "Meet it with Swift Bolt, Raitora!"

From a crouch, Raitora cloaked himself in electricity and rocketed towards his foe. The two collided into one another, both remaining on their feet.

Joe sat back and watched as his Pokemon rampaged. His smug look faded as Raitora started matching his moves. For every claw swipe or tail slam came a bite or a body check. Eventually, Kallisto gave the inevitable order. "Ice Fang!"

"Fly away!" shouted Joe. Tono was impressed the Salamence had the discipline to be able to listen and obey this command through Outrage's effects. But that would not prevent him from driving himself to confusion.

Right as he escaped Raitora's melee range, the inevitable occurred. For a moment, the dragon seemed about to fall out of the air. Until it chewed on something.

"Bitter Berry, booya!" Joe taunted.

Tono snarled as his Pokemon remained flapping in the air. Was he going to attempt to walk away with his dignity intact?

Kallisto smirked. "All right, how's this? Raitora, use Ice Fang! Maximum power!"

"What're you up to?!" shouted Joe. Tono had an idea, but it would take a few moments for his theory to prove correct. "Well, doesn't matter. Take a shot at it with Flamethrower!"

Raitora flashed his fangs, straining and growling as he put everything into the attack. He was left wide open to the dragon's fiery breath. But Raitora was far from defeat, and even if he was, he was as determined to win as his trainer.

"And now!" shouted Kallisto. "HYPER VOICE!"

Precisely the combination Tono had expected. Raitora's low roaring turned into a battle cry. The effect of combining the two unlikely moves was blasting a wave of freezing air at Salemence, almost like a makeshift Blizzard attack. At once, the dragon fell, devastated by the hyper effective move.

"What was that?!"

"That was your end! And this is the finish! SWIFT BOLT!"

Salamence was in no condition to take evasion maneuvers. The electrical dash ran the dragon right through. He rolled over and lay still, utterly defeated.

Volkner gave the ruling. "Salamence can't continue. Kallisto wins."

"Ugh, damn!" cursed Joe as he recalled his Pokemon. "Salamence, you did great. But you! Hoohoo!" He pointed at Kallisto and clapped his hands. "Can see why Steven talked you up so much."

"Same, he's told me about you," modestly acknowledged Kallisto. "You have real talent. But you're too cocky. Case in point, you let your guard down and thought we couldn't hurt you just because you had your Salamence stay in the air. And I don't need to tell you how dirty it is to try that in the first place."

"The hell? I didn't sign up for a lecture."

"You're getting one anyway. That said, I hope you can reflect and improve before our rematch."

"Heh, same here. And next time?" Joe approached and stuck out a hand. "Your ass is grass, buster!"

Not even in his wildest dreams, thought Tono. Kallisto was not invincible - he had defeated him late last year in a private battle, for instance. But as for this Joe fellow? He may as well go home now, because with the rematch declared, he was going to be the latest in a line of would-be Pokemon Masters whose Sinnoh League aspirations were going to end at Sunyshore Gym.

Tono glanced up at Nori Carino, who had been observing from one of the balconies. If his intent was to challenge Kallisto, he had just seen what he was capable of at his best. And Tono did not doubt his best friend would force Nori to experience the full extent of his power.

¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··June 13th, 2015

Every day of Nori Carino's existence had become miserable.

His life had become a routine in which he felt he lived for only one purpose. He could not so much as set foot outside of the Gym without receiving hostility from nearly every human who laid eyes upon him. The few that didn't wouldn't do anything. There were Pokemon, sure. But them alone didn't make him happy. Nothing did anymore. Nothing would anymore. What was the point of living like this?

If he kept going, he'd have nothing socially. Not even someone like Lux. His best hope was in another country, and he was beginning to doubt even that. Yet, if he gave into Kallisto, he could never be happy with himself. There was no way out. No way to be happy.

There was a knock at his door. "Who is it?" the boy quietly asked.

"It's me." Volkner. The only person who would give him the time of day. And only because he had to. He may have claimed otherwise. But Nori felt if he wasn't in contention for promotion to Elite Four, the Gym Leader would've thrown him aside like trash a long time ago.

"What is it?" the boy asked, without opening it.

"Are you okay?"

"No..."

Volkner was quiet. "Well, more mail for you."

The Gym Leader slid it through the bottom of the door. Nori took it, retrieved his pocket knife, and sliced it open. He stared at the tool. Maybe he should just plunge it into himself and have done with it. Or stab Kallisto. He'd go to jail and get executed, but at least the world would be a better place!

Nori slapped himself. What was he thinking? He'd lost nearly everything; was he starting to lose his mind too? He couldn't think like that. He looked at the letter. Unmarked. No return address. He took out and read the handwritten contents.

You're a sorry excuse for a human being. I'm watching you. When you least suspect it, I'm going to slit your throat open.

The boy's laughter alerted the Gym Leader. "Another death threat?" he correctly guessed.

"Yeah." That made four. The first one had bothered and worried him, but these last three were strangely amusing. Maybe it was because he didn't care about his life anymore. Or maybe it was because the writer of the first had yet to follow through on it. And specifically for this, "This one's handwritten."

That cheered him up a little. It meant whoever wrote this could be identified for sure, right? He opened the door to let the Gym Leader inside.

The blond man gave it a quick glance. "Do you want me to send it to police as usual?" he asked.

"After we make a photocopy." He wanted to remember these. "We just need to hope they'll actually do something about it."

"I think they will." Volkner took the letter and took a preliminary step out of the room. "Oh. Just so you know, next few days are going to be very busy."

"Why, what's happening?"

"Kallisto's birthday. The 17th."

Nori glanced at the calendar and sighed. Of course. "How big of a celebration?"

The man answered his question with one of his own. "Do you want to stay in a hotel?"

The boy tapped his chin. "No, you don't need to do that on account of me." Much as he was going to hate Wednesday, he would be fine riding through it in his room. Although Volkner reminding him that was this month made something devious came to mind. "But, can you make two photocopies? And one of the others, too?"

The Gym Leader smirked. "Is that going to be your present for him?"

The boy silently nodded. Maybe this was taking a page out of Kallisto's handbook. The gift of showing him what he'd done, though without directly telling him to change. He was also considering a bit of research into something to help make his case, but he didn't have to do that right away.

"By the way, any luck with schools?"

"Negotiating with one on the east side. We'll see."

Some good news, at least. Maybe he'd be able to stay in Sunyshore yet. Assuming nothing happened to make things even worse.

¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··June 17th, 2015

It was Kallisto Keravnos' eighteenth birthday. The head Gym Trainer of Sunyshore Gym had finally hit the age where he would be considered an adult in almost every part of the world. It promised to be a day of mass celebration, particularly given the efforts of Tono and everyone else at Sunyshore Gym.

The day had started with Kallisto being honored at their school, where he was eventually called to give a speech to their peers about the future. The auditorium's stands were stuffed beyond full capacity. There were numerous camera crews present on the floor, front rows, and very back; some were privately filming or with the media, but most were broadcasting to other schools around the nation. Footage of the event was already racking up hits on various video websites.

However, that paled to the festivities at the Gym in the afternoon. It was a celebration the likes of which no one had seen before. It was a day of food, drink, presents, speeches, people speaking with Kallisto, skateboarding, and of course, battling. Within an hour, it had gotten to the point where Volkner threw up his arms and canceled Gym activities for the day, as there were too many people just standing around in the arena.

The one person absent, for obvious reasons, was Nori Carino. He had still made his presence felt by catching a janitor having sex with one of his old teachers upstairs just before dinner. It was some Billy Ordride character who was on his first day of work. The former MC's public firing and subsequent ejection from the Gym by security was one of two dark spots on the day.

The public left at 7pm when Volkner closed the Gym early. The party winded down considerably afterward. After 9pm. the four Gym Trainers went to the trainers' lounge. For over ten minutes, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. They wanted to discuss the second dark spot on the day, also something Nori Carino was responsible for. But no one knew where to begin.

"A'right, I'm just gonna say it." Eddie was the first of them to speak. "Put up with this bullshit before, but this is getting way too fucked. He's a kid, for fuck's sake. His life's getting fucked up."

At once, Kallisto was on his feet. He marched over and stood over Eddie. "Are you taking his side?"

"What?"

"Do you want to end up like him?!"

Eddie got in Kallisto's face. "Are you threatenin' me, man? The hell?"

"Take it back, Eddie, please!" Ollie begged.

Tono Takuma could not believe what he was seeing out of his best friend. He had never lashed out at them for having an opinion before. "Kallisto," he sharply spoke up, as to draw attention. "I know you are upset about Nori Carino. But you do not have to take it out on Eddie. You are acting ridiculous."

He crossed his arms and gave his friend a stern glare. Kallisto raised a finger, and for a moment, he seemed about to protest. However, he ultimately lowered it.

"Sorry, Eddie, I just...ugh! Gods!" He took a few steps and pounded the side of the chair. "What am I supposed to do?! First he tries to turn you against me," he said glancing to Ollie, "And now this!"

Tono stared at the ceiling. This was difficult. He wanted to support and stand by his friend, but had to agree with Eddie. Much as he had done in the past, Nori had given Kallisto a birthday present which was primarily a handmade card. The similarities ended there, however. For one, Volkner had been the one to deliver it to them. Second, there was a bitter terseness engraved in the words. Most of all, there was something extra within: death threats he had been receiving. There was no doubt they were the direct result of Kallisto's decisions.

"I don't get it!" Kallisto ranted. "He's quiet the past two weeks, and then he gives me this! What's wrong with him?! Was he trying to ruin my birthday?"

If he was, bravo: mission accomplished, thought Tono. He hated seeing his best friend like this. It hurt badly. It was why he could not completely take Nori's side in this matter. That said, Kallisto had been acting differently even before this. This conversation would have inevitably happened with or without the twisted present, although perhaps not to this degree.

"What do you guys think?!" he suddenly asked.

Eddie answered right away. "I think he still wants to see you go down. Plus, what's he got to lose right now?"

"He's crazy..." Ollie worriedly remarked.

"Yes, both of your remarks sum up my own thoughts," Tono agreed. "That said, I must admit, do I have a strange new respect for Nori Carino."

"What?" gasped Kallisto. "How?! Why?!"

Ever since last exhibition day, Tono Takuma had a complicated opinion of Nori Carino. Today's events had cemented that opinion. "Simply his pride and willpower. No matter how foolish he is, I can admire his dedication to himself." He had to admit, a lesser person would've given in - or given up - a long time ago.

His best friend snapped. "Gangs, cults, and Teams are dedicated to their cause. Do you respect them too?!"

Tono crossed his arms. "No. I am simply saying I can respect Nori Carino, in spite of some of my reservations against him." He shrugged. If he wanted to die on his hill - perhaps literally, as uncomfortable as it was to think about that - that was his choice.

"You actually respect him?!" His best friend strained, refraining from screaming. Tono gasped, hardly able to believe his ears. Kallisto had never spoken to him like that before.

"Cool it, Kallisto," Eddie spoke up in his defense. "You know damn well you can respect a guy without liking him."

"Sorry, you're right. I'm sorry, Tono," his best friend admitted right away, burying his head in his hands. "Gods," he sobbed.

Tono exchanged glances with his fellow Gym Trainers, all thinking the same thing. They all moved in to give their friend a group hug. Kallisto looked up, whispered thanks, and threw his arms around all of them. He had been there for all of them so many times in the past. It was time to return the favor, even if all they could do was offer emotional support.

Ever since that fateful day in May, Tono had believed Nori was justified in his ire. He was certainly going about expressing it in the most immature way possible, that said. And yet, now it seemed the hatred was starting to become mutual. He wasn't going to say it at the moment, but he could only hope Kallisto reevaluated his decisions. It was the only way this was going to end.

¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··¨··..··June 18th, 2015

Nori had stayed in the garage area for most of Kallisto's birthday, mostly so his Pokemon would have some room to move around in. It was a little dull; he wished Betsy-Ann was still around to talk with. When everything had settled down, he went to his room. The day passed without incident.

School was uneventful the next day. After returning to the Gym, he stuck around in the back until just after six. At this point, he decided to go find the Gym Trainers. They weren't in the arena, but Volkner told him they'd gone upstairs to have dinner.

As he went upstairs, he spotted several Gym Pokemon having their meals in the halls. A few waved to him, such as an Elekid he'd seen many times before. After acknowledging them, he opened the door to the trainer's lounge. Sure enough, Kallisto was sitting at the table with Eddie and Tono. As he stepped inside, the head Gym Trainer hastily stood.

"Thanks for the meal, Eddie," he said, picking up his bag. "But I should get back downstairs in case there's a challenger."

"Kallisto," Nori called out to him.

"Sorry, Nori. Gotta do Gym Trainer duties. And Ollie's getting some dental work done, so I need to get back down there." He excused himself and left through the opposite door. Nori didn't bother to follow.

That answered some questions, but it raised many more. As he was pondering this, Eddie waved him over.

"Yo, I made beef stew," the Gym Trainer said. "Want some?"

"You made this?" Nori had to admit, the rich scent was enticing. His stomach grumbled to remind him he'd only had half a sandwich today. He'd had stew a couple times at Claris' home, and his mom had attempted to make it once with little success. With a shrug, he grabbed a bowl and served himself up. He even sat down to eat with them.

"Would you like crackers?" offered Tono, sliding a package over. Beside the nerdy trainer's bowl was a paper towel which had several pieces of celery that had been picked out of the soup.

"I'll have some without first." He dipped his spoon in, got a good scoop with a chunk of meat and carrot, and took a bite. Thick and savory. He smiled and nodded. "This is pretty good. I didn't know you could cook like this."

"Once in a blue moon thing here, so don't get used to it," came the almost flippant reply.

Nori had a little more, including some of the celery. He didn't get what Tono's deal was, it was perfectly fine. Maybe he was a picky eater. Although the food was delicious, he had come here for another reason. These two weren't Kallisto, but they were the next best thing.

"So," he spoke up, the two exchanging a quick glance as if they had expected this. "What did Kallisto think?" he asked, certain he wouldn't have to say what he was talking about.

Eddie looked to Tono, who shrugged and answered. "We were not aware you had been receiving death threats. He was uncertain what to think about it."

Nori leaned back. It was a reasonable reaction. "I guess I should ask what you guys thought, too."

Eddie shifted uncomfortably. Tono sighed. "I will admit. The fact that Kallisto's denouncement of you has led to this makes me uncomfortable."

"Yeah, this is too fuckin' much, man," Eddie agreed. So at least they saw the problem with this. "You sent'em to the cops yet?"

"Yes, but I don't know if they'll do anything."

"They are threatening an Official," said Tono, taking a sip of his cola. He usually had something called Dr Spice. "Future one, but there is little difference. I would like to hope they will take action."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense." He wanted to believe that. But even if the police did take action, could they stop these people? Even with having Pachi out all the time in public, he wouldn't be able to react to a gunshot in time.

Tono continued, "A lot of people dislike you because of what Kallisto said. But that does not mean they are reasonable in their actions. Threatening to kill you is going too far."

That was obvious. "So what do you guys think about what Kallisto did?" he asked. He thought he'd know the answer, but wanted to be sure.

They unexpectedly went quiet. Eddie wavered. "Yeah, thought it was fucked up," was his sad answer.

Tono reluctantly concurred. "I do not want to disparage, but I did believe it to be somewhat out of character for him."

"What about Ollie?" he asked. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Getting a false tooth put in," Eddie explained. "And he thought about the same as us."

This was actually not the response he was expecting at all. Although their resigned tone had him worried. "So do you guys support this?"

"Kallisto has thus far stuck by his decision," said Tono, crossing his arms. "We have made our opinions clear, and not pressed the issue beyond that."

Nori nodded. It sounded like they'd tried to, but he stuck to his guns. "All right. One more thing, then. I want to challenge him for exhibition day."

"He anticipated you would do so, and his answer is no," said Tono. "He already has a challenge lined up, and he is not in the right frame of mind to face you."

"So he's ducking me?"

Tono shook his head. "I am well aware your motivation is to hopefully catch him off-guard, and in the highly unlikely event you emerge victorious, hold that over him forever. Do not think of that as a proper victory. It would mean nothing."

"By that, you mean it'd mean nothing to everyone else?"

The glasses-wearing teen chuckled. "Point taken," he amazingly conceded. "Whatever makes you happy, I suppose."

"I don't have a lot I can be happy about these days," he self-deprecated.

"I have been to that place before," Tono said with a sympathetic sigh. "But you will pull through. It simply will not happen through a hollow Pokemon battle."

Nori blinked, suddenly taking stock of the situation. Here he was, talking with the Gym Trainers like friends would. It was strange. "What do you guys think of me?" he asked.

"You're all right, just a dumbass," Eddie said with a mischievous chuckle.

"You are Nori Carino," Tono said with a sly smile. "And you of us?"

He sat back, eating a couple more bites of the stew before giving his answer. He thought about how to word this. "Maybe I could be friends with you if not for Kallisto. Which is really weird, since I thought the opposite the first couple months."

His remark took Tono by surprise, although Eddie took it in stride. "Still a chance we could be," the latter said.

"That's all up to Kallisto," Nori replied.

"I suppose that is a fair assessment," Tono noted, finishing up his meal. "Anyhow, we should get going as well. It was nice chatting, Nori."

"Yeah, same here."

He bid them well as they left for downstairs. That was an informative and productive conversation, Nori thought to himself. But there was no mistake he was never going to forgive Kallisto. Things would never be the same between them again, no matter how much anyone wanted them to. It wasn't like with Volkner or the others; there was no going back from some of the things Kallisto had done to him.

But could he get along with him and the other Gym Trainers again? Could they make peace in some capacity? Today proved the answers to both those questions was yes. It all hinged on Kallisto.

A/N: Happy holidays! I had originally planned a double update for Christmas, but things came up and I couldn't edit the next chapter in time. Things are reaching a boiling point! Look forward to the next couple chapters!