TEAM: Twigs (Rillaboom) & Zap (Toxtricity), Spike (Drednaw) & Tilda (Vileplume), Hook (Galarian Slowpoke) & Cress (Vikavolt)

Flare's POV

Alright, let's do this.

Feeling more pumped than ever, I sped back through Glimwood Tangle, back to Ballonlea, and into the Gym lobby while the feeling was still fresh. The feeling, as well as the knowledge, because I felt like I was all quizzed up for the quiz part of the challenge.

There I was, in the flashy pink place of the lobby, where I quickly got in line and prepared for my turn. I say quickly, because there weren't as many people queued up as I expected. I felt as if recent events had something to do with that, but I didn't let that idea break my stride.

Shortly after, with a giddy pace, I met back up with my team. "Okay, I just got registered. Here's hoping they call on us soon!"

"Trust me, we're in no rush."

On second thought, maybe I needed to get better at spurring my team for moments like these. I would've sighed if I didn't find the situation at least a bit amusing. My rallying cries mostly fell upon deaf ears as most of my team were scattered around the lobby, paying attention to other things. Spike and Tilda were busy playing cards on the floor nearby.

My big bulky Drednaw slowly planted a heavy leg on a card, carefully sliding it closer to him. "Don't mind us, just letting time pass by with a quick game."

It was… amusing and confusing to say the least. Where did they even get those cards?

Tilda, who looked like she was concentrating all of her energy into the few cards she was holding, stood up. "I stand!"

Spike just calmly blinked at her. "We're playing poker."

"Oh." Tilda studied her hand of cards once more as she sat back onto the floor. "Then go fish!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Go figure." His eyes trailed up to look at me. "Hope you don't mind if this will take her a while. Unless you're… not planning on using us for a Gym for once?"

His passive aggressive remark, I had to admit, made me feel a bit embarrassed about the streak he and Tilda maintained. But I was already planning on changing that. "Actually, I had something else in mind."

For a second, Spike looked surprised, which surprised me too because it was surprising seeing him be surprised for once. "Well, that's news to me. Carry on, then." He looked back to his game. "Oh, I lost. I demand a do over."

I let them get back to their game of… whatever card game it looked like they were playing. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, not when I was still determined to get my quiz on.

I might still have a bit of time…

Before I could properly get ready, I knew there was something I had to do first. I looked to where Hook was waiting in the lobby, staring out a window with Cress perched on his head like usual.

"Hey you guys," I called out to them as they turned around to see me. "Cress, how're your wings?"

"Oh, I'm healing up just fine, actually," she cheerfully replied, briefly hovering with a rapidly fluttering thrum that was starting to grow familiar. "Thanks for asking."

"I'm glad. Don't worry, I won't be asking you to do any battling yet." My smile grew tender at the mention. "And Hook…"

"I know, I know…" He nodded at me, sounding surprisingly calm. "I'm not going to the Gym either, am I?"

I nodded back, though I was still reluctant to see how he'd react.

It was then that he softened into a smile. "It's alright with me. I've realized now that I don't need to participate in one of those battles to prove my worth. I know I'm strong."

There was a moment of relief and genuine pride as I heard him say that. I always knew Hook had it in him, and with everything that happened, maybe all we needed was some big event for him to realize that. "One more thing." Slightly more excited now, I took the Eviolite out of my bag, which was now attached to a string.

"What's this?" Hook asked, raising a perplexed eyebrow as I put the lump around his neck.

"It's an Eviolite. I got it as a gift, but I knew I had to give it to you." I looked him right in the eye. "I want you to know that even if you haven't evolved yet, I still believe in you." And I truly meant it. "I always have."

It was strange to see my grumpy Slowpoke where he was now, surrounded by a caring team with not a trace of a scowl on his face. But I meant what I said. A part of me always believed in him, and while I don't believe I played that much of a part in helping him turn around, I was still proud.

I knew that despite all he said and likely still says, he's been using his power to help keep us safe. Like with the way he learned Surf against the giant Slurpuff or took it upon himself to stop the Copperajah on his own. I hoped this Eviolite gesture would let him know that I'm still looking out for him too. And it must've worked out, because the restraint seems to have melted off his face as he looked up at me.

"I appreciate it. And we wish you luck with today's challenge. Give the kid our regards too."

I nodded at Hook, waving goodbye to him and Cress as I left them be. The triumph of that exchange added a bit of skip to my step as I looked over to where Zap was.

A monitor on the wall was playing a live feed of someone else currently doing the challenge. And there Zap was, on the edge of his figurative seat, watching with wide eyes as if it was his favorite show. He was excitedly hopping around as if he was the one battling, slightly hunched as he did several low jabbing motions and puffed his cheeks like a Croagunk. I didn't need to think long to know why.

"Still stoked after seeing Jamico's performance, aren't you Zap?" I think chuffed was the right word. I gave him a little pat on the head, careful not to touch his electric frills which roared to life with his energy.

"Yes, yes!" He turned to me and nodded, looking more determined than ever. "Look! Poison Jab!" He curled his digits and punched the air.

I liked the energy, though I still found myself smiling at his attempt. "You don't know that move yet."

Zap's gaze fell. "Pbbthooey."

"But today, we'll get to see more of that move Tilda said she taught you!" My mention of that sprang him back to excitement again.

"You know, I was waitin' for the day you'd finally use me for a Gym, but I never expected it'd be like this…"

I turned around to see Twigs standing behind us. It wasn't like her to look or sound this uneasy about something, especially with as much as she tried to hide it.

"Things will be okay, Twigs." I reached up to her shoulder to try and comfort her, which was a bit awkward with how much taller she was. "With those Shiinotic that Zap battled last night, he's now caught up to everyone's levels. Plus, you'll be here to fight with him, too."

Zap stood by me to back me up. "I can fight now, Mama."

"Well, if you say so." Twigs cupped the side of Zap's face with her hand. With a reassured smile, she looked at me. "We're goin' to take up the brawn. Can we count on you to be the brains, lass?"

"Oh, you bet!" It helped to stay in the mindset for our big moment. And just in time, too. We looked up towards the ceiling intercom as it spoke out my challenger number. "We're up, guys." I cast my reaffirmed gaze towards the doors in front of me. "Look out, world! Because I'm ready!"

I heard Twigs chuckle. "Was that… an attempt at a catchphrase like what Leon does?"

"... maybe."

This wasn't what I expected. The room I was led into wasn't nearly as large or extravagant or even as vibrant as the other challenge rooms from the other gyms. It looked more like the plain backstage area that the challenge room was supposed to be without all the… highly advanced room-enlarging smoke and mirrors. Probably because that's actually what this place was.

"Yeesh, you may be ready, but I dinnae think this place was ready for us." Twigs had to keep her head low in the narrow corridor.

Seeing as this place clearly wasn't Rillaboom-sized, I let my Pokémon rest in their Pokéballs for a moment. Right afterwards, the guide led me to a part of the wooden backstage where a stagelight could be seen. And there I saw the silhouette of someone waiting for me.

"Ah, there you are, my dear Gym Challenger." There Gym Leader Opal stood in all her visible… experience. She cast a heavy gaze over me in a way that made me feel small. As she did, she brought a pair of reading glasses to her nose as she glanced at a piece of paper in her hand. "Challenger Clare… Eon? Quite intriguing. Though you are really lacking in the color pink."

I couldn't help but feel a bit dejected at that last comment. As if she didn't sound judgemental enough, it wasn't like I could wear pink when I had to follow the white League uniform. "Why the pink?" My glasses frames were pink, so that had to count for something, I hoped.

"As you must know, I'm looking for a successor to take on the role of Gym Leader here. So my Gym mission serves as an audition of sorts, too." Opal spoke slowly, as if her words were familiar and she's said them plenty before. She walked ahead as she held her closed parasol, and although she didn't say anything, I felt beckoned to follow. "It's simple enough. All you need to do is battle my three Gym trainers and answer the questions along the way."

"Right, the quiz." I was prepared for this moment, I was confident!

"Think carefully before answering, though, child." Opal looked back at me with a watchful eye. "If you get the wrong answer, the stats of your Pokémon will get lowered. Oh, but if you answer correctly, your Pokémon will get a stat boost. Just think of it as a little… Fairy magic to make things interesting."

The way she put it was just enough to make me feel a bit uneasy. Why did that sound… cruel?

Focus, focus. Couldn't let her get to my head. Opal is supposed to be the spiteful type, so I should expect something crafty.

I stepped onto the actual stage area, and while it still looked a bit incomplete, it seemed pink and open enough to look like a battlefield. Opal walked off the stage and behind a table, where she sat and took a sip of something, keeping her eye on me the whole time.

Okay… I almost buckled under her stare. I know I was used to battling under the eyes of other people, but a Gym Leader?

Across from me stood who I assumed was the Gym trainer I had to fight, an older lady in a pink and blue uniform. Not as older-looking as Opal, of course, but I felt a bit weird about having to battle someone who looked like they could be my grandma. Come to think of it, I think I remember my grandma Lilac having a Clefairy…

Focus. Opal was watching. I was on stage. My Luxury Ball was in hand. If it was a show she wanted, she was getting one.

"Zap!"

"Spritzee!"

The little beaked fairy sprite flitted around the stage. With how small it was, I knew this should be an easy fight for my Toxtricity.

"First question!" The lady in front of me suddenly spoke out before I could call out my move. "What are Fairy types weak against?"

"Oh, that's easy!" I already knew about my type advantages. "Poison types!" As if to demonstrate, I pointed forward. "Now Zap, Venoshock!"

A purple aura surrounded him, and out the attack came, a rushing poisonous blast that overwhelmed the Spritzee and sent it hurtling to the ground. As Zap did that, I noticed another sort of flaring red aura engulf him. I wasn't sure if it was a 'trainer and Pokémon being in sync' thing, but I could feel his boost in energy alongside him.

I chanced a glance at Opal, who looked to be slowly nodding. I must be doing something right, which was good.

"Go, Slurpuff!"

I froze. "W-What?" The breath instantly vanished from my lungs.

There it was, standing in front of us, standing in front of me. It wasn't going to come closer, was it? No, it was small. Even Zap was taller than it. It wasn't going to grow large out of nowhere, was it?

I shut my eyes. I couldn't see it, but I could still smell it. That nauseating sweetness.

"Zap!" I called out in desperation. I didn't know what I wanted him to do. I forgot what my thought process or strategy was. I just wanted him to get rid of it, do something, anything , to make it stop.

The splatter of poison. A Pokémon returning into its Pokéball. I could breathe again.

There was a deathly silence as I opened my eyes to find myself back on the stage. The spotlight was still on me. Opal's face was unreadable. Only the slightest hint of an eyebrow raise. Was she intrigued or disappointed?

Zap was staring at me, visibly worried. I awkwardly cleared my throat as the next Gym trainer walked onto the stage. Another battle with an old lady, I could do this.

First came Swirlix, which wasn't so bad, Zap easily took it out with another Venoshock. I needed to remember what I prepared for. Then came an Aromatisse, so I-

"Next question!" The trainer called out to me. "What was the previous trainer's name?"

"Um." There wasn't anything that could've prepared me for this question. "Was I supposed to ask?"

In response, a blue aura enveloped Zap out of nowhere, and just like him, I started to feel slow.

I blew out a sigh as I withdrew him back into his Luxury Ball to get rid of the stat drops. "No biggie, I'll let Twigs handle this."

Thankfully, surprising question aside, it was still an easy fight. Twigs was really strong now, and it was easy for her to beat the Aromatisse around with her Drum Beating tree tendrils.

I tried to regain my breath as I noticed my victorious triumph against another trainer. Twigs was strong, Zap was strong, I was strong.

Next trainer, a Morgrem. It was a bit fast, and its tricky pointy hair made it dangerous to approach, but Zap was still able to catch up to it. All that tag with Jamico must've paid off.

"Question!" The trainer called out as she sent out her Gardevoir next. "What do I have for breakfast every morning?"

What.

"Um…" Couldn't lose my composure. I really wish I paid more attention to that cookbook. "Super Sour Gigantamix Curry?"

"Omelets."

Darnit! I know I sounded unsure about my answer, but this wrong answer streak was embarrassing. I let the stat reducing aura do its thing before letting Twigs handle this instead. I wouldn't have used Zap against a Gardevoir anyway.

"If it makes you feel any better, there was no way for you to know that anyway," the trainer called out to me.

I didn't want to lose my stride just because of some streak. I gladly accepted that encouragement. "I'm too used to growing up on cornflakes, myself."

"You oughta try some Iapapa pie." Twigs looked back at me and nodded.

The Gardevoir spoke up too. "Might I recommend aaaaaaaaaa-"

A tendril popped out of the ground to grab it by the leg, knocking it over and dragging it aside before it could finish.

"Exit, stage left." Twigs had a smug grin, twirling the sticks in her hands before she played a little beat on her drum. "Badum, tss."

At a moment like this, I couldn't help but chuckle and roll my eyes. "Time and place, Twigs." That Gardevoir could've told me about something cool, too.

"Come on, I have to convince you to bring me to more of these somehow."

If that was Twigs' attempt at lightening the mood, then it worked. The weight of the spotlight and Opal's gaze felt lifted from my shoulders, almost like she wasn't there anymore.

I glanced at the table. Oh, she really wasn't there anymore.

"You've beaten the three of us, so now you can proceed." The trainer ahead of me stepped aside and looked for wherever her Gardevoir was dragged off to. "Miss Opal is waiting for you in the stadium."

"O-Oh, of course she is." I tried to put it as naturally as possible, even as I kept staring in disbelief. "I'll try not to keep her waiting."

I cast one last glance at the empty table before making my way ahead. If she left then I could've sworn I would've have seen someone like her getting up and leaving.

Past the rather small backstage corridor was the familiar hallway that led to the open stadium. Twigs and Zap walked by my side as we continued approaching the pitch.

"It's my first time actually bein' with you for one of these," Twigs remarked. "Do you have to go through this anticipation every time?"

I chuckled in an attempt to ease the nerves. "Well, it is a long hallway."

Zap kept his eyes glued ahead, holding Twigs' hand as he did. "That's… many people. I've never seen so many people."

"Oh, and they're all gonna be clapping for you Zap, don't you worry your wee little head." Twigs gave him an affectionate pat on the head. She looked at me with a confident nod. "No reason to dilly dally, then. Let's pick up the pace and show that old coot what for."

I nodded back. "Couldn't have put it better myself." I really couldn't.

We pressed onward, drawing closer to the weirdly pink open stadium. The sudden appearance of sunlight caught me off guard as I stepped into it. I looked up to be greeted by a vast open view of the thick trees making way for the blue skies above. And around us, patterns of pink and blue swirled around the battlefield as if it was a piece of art.

And at the center stood Opal, silent and contemplative in her presence, as if she was always there. There was no mistaking her hat or her parasol or her thick purple scarf. It was like she somehow teleported here.

I had to know for sure. "Did you actually-"

"Fairy magic." She stirred so suddenly, as if my being here next to her was a disturbance. "I've gotten a good look at how you handled those quizzes."

"Right, about that, was I actually supposed to know-"

She lifted a finger, and I was silent. "I suppose it's a bit late to introduce myself, but… I'm Opal, the Gym Leader. The last part of the mission is me… Let me have a look at how you and your partner Pokémon behave."

It was very clear she was doing this for a long time. She was so refined, yet so unreadable. We both turned away to walk to our respective sides of the pitch. The announcer said his words of introduction, and it was go time.

I sent Zap forward, and Opal sent forward her Weezing, with its weird but distinct hat pipe thing. Fighting poison against poison sounded iffy, but I was confident in how much stronger Zap had gotten.

"Venoshock!"

"Sludge!"

Zap darted around the pitch, chasing the Weezing with approaching poison blasts, but it had the same idea too. In a field as large as this, both our Pokémon were forced to stay at bay as they continued pelting blasts of goo at each other.

If only Zap could just get closer… "Zap, Nuzzle!"

He sped forward, weaving what poison blasts he could and trudging through the ones that hit him. Zap was strong, and fast, so I believed he would pull through.

"Question!" I heard Opal's voice booming through the speakers. "You… Do you know my real nickname?"

I was caught by surprise. Questions? At a time like now? I tried to think of something. I could properly strategize afterwards, I just needed an answer. "Master of a fantastic theater?" It was what that website introduced her as, so-

She huffed disapprovingly. "So my wizard's spells are just theatrics to you, is that it?"

Oh no . And there came the stat reductions, right when Zap was getting closer to the Weezing. I couldn't switch him out for Twigs, not now. I had to bank on sheer belief alone.

You can do this, Zap! He had to duck when the Weezing swung its large hat at him, and once he did, Zap lunged ahead. He landed his electrical headbutt faceplant, and with the Weezing paralyzed, I knew we had a better shot.

I pointed forward with more confidence. "Venoshock!"

The Weezing tried fighting back with a barrage of Sludge blasts, but Zap was closer this time. And with a lucky paralysis turn, Zap managed to land a direct hit. Weezing down.

"Hmm." I heard Opal tap her parasol against the ground as she recalled her Pokémon.

"Okay Zap, tag out for now." I called him back to my side to revert his stats back to normal and sent Twigs forward. Zap had taken a few more Sludge hits than I would've liked, so I pulled out a Hyper Potion for him. Opal had sent out a Mawile now, which I assumed would be no problem for Twigs. The Intimidate stat drop was a bit worrying, though.

"Relax, I can handle this." Twigs had already planted her drum on the ground. Before the Mawile could approach her, Twigs' tendrils swam through the ground before grabbing the Mawile's leg and flailing it around.

"Question!" As I made sure Zap was properly healed up, Opal's voice boomed again. "What is my favorite colour?"

Okay, this one is definitely a no brainer. It was one of the first things she commented about me, and it was also on the website, this should be easy. "You said you like pink, right?"

I looked to see her response. Even across the field, across the splotches of poison and roots on the field, I could see her disgusted look and the way she clutched at her scarf. "That's what I like to see in other people, but it's not what I like for myself."

What.

My view quickly jerked back to the battle. With that stat drop, the Mawile managed to bite through Twigs' roots and was on its way to actually biting Twigs. We were too caught off guard to see the Crunch coming.

"Ack!" Twigs shook her arm around, trying to swat away the jaws stuck to her. "Get off me, you-"

Okay, Zap should be all healed up now. "Now, Spark!"

He leapt forward, with such speed and precision that his electrified tackle knocked the Mawile away and to the ground. It was just enough to finish it off. Mawile down.

I called Twigs back to my side to heal her up. "You know, maybe I should actually try getting these questions right for once," I admitted with a sigh.

"Aw, don't sweat it." Twigs reassured me with a smile, though she flinched when I sprayed the marks on her arm. "Keeps me on my toes, y'know?"

I looked towards Zap and saw the opponent he would be going up against next. A Togekiss. He had never really fought any Flying types like that, but I still believed in him. I just had a feeling he had gotten strong enough for something like this.

The soaring enemy, for how big of a target it was compared to Zap, was surprisingly good at evasive maneuvers. Zap's Venoshocks were weaved around with such grace I couldn't react to. It retaliated with slicing Air Slash attacks which Zap resisted, but I could tell he wouldn't hold under continued fire.

"Question!" I was prepared for this. This was getting predictable by now. I caught the vaguest hint of a smirk from the large monitor. "All righty then… How old am I?"

"Oh, this is easy!" I was confident, I studied for this, I knew the answer. "88!"

And on the monitor, Opal was… unamused. "Well, you're not wrong. But you could've been a little more sensitive."

Okay, so I wasn't wrong, so- But then the stat aura around Zap was still a depressing blue. Oh, come on, she said I got it right so-

"Now, Draining Kiss!"

That must've been a distraction ploy. The Togekiss had stopped swerving around the stadium and was starting to divebomb directly towards Zap. This isn't good. If there was anything I learned while training him, it's whoever lands the weird faceplant move first wins.

I could just swap Zap out, but there was no way I was sending Twigs in against a Togekiss who knows Air Slash.

But what if… the Togekiss coming closer is just what I'm looking for?

I looked at Zap. Even if he wasn't looking back at me, I could tell he was determined to stand his ground, stat drops or not. I just had to believe in him too.

"Go on, Zap! Give it all you've got!"

At first, it didn't look like he was doing an attack. He strummed on his chest, once, twice, and then all at once. The air around him shook, with sound waves that roared to life around him in the form of crackling electricity. The shredding noises he made were kicked up to overdrive, shredding the air around him in a way that was loud and powerful. Figuratively and literally, the Togekiss was immediately blown away by Zap's new move.

I blew out a sigh of relief, though I couldn't help but laugh with glee as Zap gazed back at me with the proudest grin on his face. Togekiss down.

"Well, this is certainly a peculiar series of events." Opal spoke through the monitor once more. It looked like she dozed off for a second, only for her eyes to widen with excitement. "My morning tea is finally kicking in, and not a moment too soon!"

I knew there still wasn't much time to celebrate. Out came Opal's last Pokémon, an Alcremie. Even with the stat drops, I kept Zap in. Alcremie was Opal's last Pokémon, so even if it was one of the shortest members of her team, I knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Alcremie was already being returned into an even bigger Pokéball. Opal's stare was cruel. "Are you prepared? I'm going to have some fun with this."

I followed suit. "Do you want a show? Because we'll be sure to give you one!" I could do cool one liners too.

Quality of witty phrases aside, a glance at the monitor told me my back was still better equipped to hurling such a heavy ball, but we were both still successful. Ahead of me stood Zap, who was now tall enough to reach the many onlookers in the bleachers. And ahead of Opal stood the formidable several story form of her Alcremie, in all its… sweet glory.

The sudden scent of overwhelming sugar reached my senses. I had to focus. I wouldn't be swayed… right?

I was unsure. I looked up and Zap was unsure too, I could just feel it. This was his first time being Dynamaxed and now I could see he's struggling to deal with the shift in size. Can I even call out a move in this state? Can he even use anything in his disoriented state?

"You lack pink! Here, let us give you some." And there was Opal's remark. "Now it's time for your curtain call! G-Max Finale!"

The various glowing segments on the giant cake glowed, and out from them came the modified Max Starfall. Out from such a rigid Alcremie came glowing missiles that sailed towards Zap and exploded into… cake?!

It was a sugary disaster that brought with itself the signature Fairy mist that engulfed me until I was lost in its depths. So misty, so sweet smelling, overwhelmingly so. I wasn't going to start smelling blood alongside it, was I?

"Final question!" Oh no. "What is the purpose of your journey? Why have you continued being a trainer in the face of such perils?"

Why? That was something I was still figuring out myself. I've seen danger, but I've also seen triumphs. And I've made friends, and I want to see them triumph too. I've been lying dormant in Postwick before all this, but now I know what I want.

The mist started to clear just as I felt the clarity in my body and mind. My words blazed ahead like my adrenaline did. "I want to be strong. For myself, for my friends, for all of our successes! Because I believe in them, I believe in my Pokémon, and I believe in myself too!"

I looked to see Zap standing his ground, despite the nauseatingly unrelenting barrage of cake missiles. He was struggling, but he was still standing strong. I sensed the growing strength he had and continued to believe in him.

"Now, Max Ooze!"

On my word, I started to feel the battlefield rumbling as energy started to course beneath its cracks. And with a stomp from Zap, an overwhelming amount of poison started spewing out like a leakage out of control. A spews and sprays all culminated into a forceful geyser that towered over the Alcremie like a wave before it crashed down. Once the poison got rid of the cake smell, I saw the Alcremie's form start to shrink, as if it was melting, but fortunately that was just it returning back to normal.

With a sigh of relief and triumph, I ran towards Zap as he shrunk back to his short self. The spontaneous size adjustments were clearly throwing him for a loop, because he couldn't stay on his feet for two seconds before falling over.

"My head is spinning…" As was his gaze, but he still managed to look up at me. "We won, right?"

With the battle over, I could now focus on the sounds of the crowd all cheering for us and the announcer surrounding our victory. "I'm pretty sure we did."

"We're a right dream team, that's what we are!" I heard Twigs' ecstatic voice as she bounded up to us. "I knew you could handle this right from the start, Flare. I was even doin' this thing where I proudly observed your Dynamaxin' from a distance. It's a thing I learned from the daycare, dinnae worry yourself."

I chuckled, taking a good second to really soak in the victory of my moment. And shortly afterwards I met Opal again in the middle of the pitch.

She still stood as rigid as ever, but she seemed to nod approvingly as I approached her. "Your pink is still lacking, but you're an excellent Trainer with some excellent Pokémon. It's not often someone shocks the parasol out of my hands. A definite victor in my challenge, maybe not so my audition."

"Right, the audition…" I had a sheepish grin as I recalled that part. Almost forgot this doubled as a successor trial. "I guess my answers didn't help too much, did they?"

"Well, it was a good try. Not bad, not bad at all. Still, not what I'm looking for." Though Opal was quick to reassure me with a hearty laugh. "... Oh, don't worry yourself about it, child. It's just a matter of my preference. I'll find the next Gym Leader elsewhere. Too bad about the audition, but here's a Fairy Badge for your efforts."

She stepped forward and offered me her hand. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I accepted, trying my best to be firm while not being too hard on her… experience.

Though when I pulled my hand back, there was no badge. "Wait, where's-" I quickly pulled out my ring of badges from my bag, only to see- it's already there. There it already was, a new badge attached with a pink emblem and everything. "But how-"

"Fairy magic," Opal said bluntly. At first, I thought she was projecting her voice from somewhere far, only for me to quickly notice she was just walking away already. "Of course it's not good to neglect your elders, but old folk like me should also know when it's time to step out of the spotlight."

She glanced back at me as she said that, almost like she wanted me to hear it. Whatever the case, I understood the sentiment. It was a bit sad considering her display of skill and cunning, but I still wished the best for her retirement, whenever that would come.

But as for me, I just needed to figure out where to go next.