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

Flare's POV

We all found ourselves happy with Zap's Gym battle as we walked back into the lobby. Well, it was mostly Tilda who sang the loudest praises, but I could tell from how the others looked that they felt the same way too. I proudly watched as well, mostly just focusing on where the next leg of the journey would take us.

My eyes scanned over to the eastern side of the map on my phone. Okay, so it looks like we need to head to Route 7…

Twigs happily stepped over to my side. "Hey, any chance we can get Zap a victory smoothie? A dessert for a dessert, you know?"

I chuckled at her amusing albeit fitting suggestion. My gaze trailed to the side for a bit as I thought about it. "There should be a café back in Hammerlocke… which just so happens to be where we need to be, actually. We better get everyone else onboard for smoothies."

Everyone else was still congratulating Zap on his victory. And by everyone, I meant Tilda kept throwing him into the air while going "hip, hip, hooray". Thankfully Hook was there to telekinetically catch him whenever Tilda under or overshot him. Which happened more often than I expected.

After talking everyone out of their game of makeshift catch, I recalled them back into their Pokéballs and stepped outside. The foliage of Ballonlea was as thick as ever, and now that I wasn't in the stadium, the sunlight was sheltered from me once more. I wonder if it's possible for me to call a Flying Taxi here…

Thankfully Mr. Pilot's services did extend to a place as remote as this, though he said I should be prepared to wait a bit. I didn't mind hanging around these glowing mushrooms for a little while longer, anyway.

"... You know, you've quite fascinated me, child."

"Gah!" I almost leapt.

Out of the shadows, right by a nearby house's shady nook, Opal stepped out. I genuinely did not expect to see her outside of the stadium, and a part of me tensed up in anticipation of another question. Yet here she was, in the flesh. Or was it in the bone?

I was still befuddled to just see her here. "How did you- wait, I shouldn't ask that. I already know what you're going to say."

"Don't be so alarmed. I'm on my break, so I only approach you as a… dashing, if not friendly, damsel." She slowly nodded with a smile. At least I think that's a smile. "I've got a few errands to run in Hammerlocke, and alongside that, my Alcremie needs new sweets. She gets finicky when they've been tainted in battle, you see. Anywho, I couldn't help but overhear that Hammerlocke is your next stop, so might I join you for the journey?"

I blinked in surprise. Despite how wild today had been, I never expected to have a Gym Leader ask me to ride in a Flying Taxi with her. Granted, I would've preferred if it were someone like Nessa or Bea asking me, someone tall or strong like them. Still, even if Opal was neither of those things, I wasn't opposed to helping out the elderly, so I obliged.

Thankfully, I didn't have to handle the awkward silence alone for much longer before Mr. Pilot descended from the skies on his Corviknight, heavy taxi cab and all.

"Here we are…" Opal opened the door before stepping aside for me. "Please, allow me. They say two's company, after all."

I was flattered by the gesture, though I was a bit surprised when I noticed some… residue on the seats. I think I noticed it on Cinders' wings when she landed here, too.

"O-Oh, hope the snow ain't botherin' you all lot too much," Mr. Pilot spoke through the intercom. "Weather's been real wack recently, and the Delibird have been making all sorts of ruckus in the skies. You know how it is, awright?"

"Er, awright," I tried replying to the best of my ability. But that accent really was thick.

"Hmm." Opal kept her arms semi-folded, keeping her parasol on her lap as her gaze was fixed upwards. I didn't think it was my place to guess or anything, but she looked… bothered by something other than the snow.

I briefly wondered if I was sitting too close or something, but still, I found the caution to ask. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, there were just some matters on this mind of mine." Opal slowly turned to me with a calm look. "Humour me, child. You said your name was Clare Eon, right?"

"Uh…" I hesitated for a second with how her eyes seemed to bore into me. "That's right, though you can just call me Flare. It's a nickname thing." I partially expected her to point out the obvious nickname surname joke, which I was used to already thanks to Hop.

"Fascinating. Eon…" Her gaze didn't waver. "Does your mother's name happen to be Judith, by any chance?"

My eyes widened just a smidgen. "That's… right. Did you know her?"

Opal seemed delighted at my response. "It's been too long since I've seen her. But… You could say we're acquainted, yes. Either as the Gym Leader she battled or her former superior. That latter part's not so important, I just found it amusing since she had to battle me on her Gym Challenge, and now you just did the same." She turned away with a lighthearted chuckle. "You live in humble Postwick now, yes?"

"That's right."

Opal let out a long sigh. "Ah, what a sentiment. As someone who has pledged her loyalty to Ballonlea, I understand her intentions." Is she… wistful? "Did she tell you much about her journey?"

"Surprisingly… no," I admitted, feeling exasperated about all this new stuff I was learning about my mom. "She… really hasn't told me much about her life. I spent my whole life not knowing we're a town away from Sonia, and it was only then I learned my mom was good friends with her and Leon too!"

Opal slowly nodded. "Given what I know about her, it would make sense how secretive she'd be about… certain matters. You could say she was… very pink."

At that point I was confused if she meant that figuratively or literally. I just shook my head as I thought about it. "She does keep saying it wouldn't interest me, but at this point I'm not so sure."

"Oh, pay it no heed. Perhaps in due time you'll learn. During Judith's time in the Gym Challenge, I noticed she was particularly close to a certain individual." Opal had an inquisitive look. "Tell me, your father…"

"Vincent Eon." I quickly finished on her behalf. "And before you ask, no, I don't know much about him either. He was around for a bit when I was young but he left before I could remember anything about him. All we have at home are a handful of old family photos." My answers fell flat as I spoke them and I couldn't help but sigh.

"I see…" Opal's tone quieted down a bit into something gentle. "Pardon me for asking but… was he on bad terms with your mother?"

"No, actually." My gaze was downcast, but I breathed out a chuckle in an attempt to stay optimistic. "My mom keeps reassuring me that he's a good person, and that one day he'll come back. I still don't know where he is or what he's doing, but I'll just have to take her word for it." There were a lot of things I didn't understand anyway, so I mostly grew up spending time with Hop to keep my worries away.

"Hmm." Opal cast her gaze aside, looking deep in thought about something. There was a bit of silence between us after that, which I felt was a bit unsatisfying.

Just like my attempts to get answers about my parents- ah!

A sudden clanging against metal shattered the silence and startled me out of my funk. An irritated Opal was poking the cab's ceiling with her umbrella.

"Hurry it up, will you?!"

"E-Er, sorry 'bout that, there's just been a bit of turbulence, yeah."

Opal gave me a surprised look when she caught me staring at her and quickly calmed down. "Trips to Hammerlocke shouldn't be this slow, so I just needed to let off some steam. Apologies for the noise."

"Right…" I glanced out the window for a second. I guess trips like these usually don't take this long… I just felt bad for Mr. Pilot. "Apologies for… not being much for conversation." I brushed off my statement with an attempt at a chuckle.

"Oh, nonsense." She reassured me with a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Please, allow me to lighten the mood. How would you like to hear about how your parents did at my successor evaluation? I remember all those results quite well."

"Well… sure."

I don't think I did particularly well on my audition, but I didn't mind the idea of hearing everyone else's results. I didn't expect Opal's successor auditions to go all the way back to my mom's Gym Challenge. Or rather, the Gym Challenge that crowned Leon, as Opal put it.

Thankfully, the audition part was graded based off of both quiz answers and battle prowess, which meant I didn't fail entirely. I could at least take pride knowing I was definitely a good battler by now, mostly thanks to my team.

Considering how tricky Opal's questions were, it came as no surprise to me that my parents were majorly stumped by the "trivia" Opal trounced them with. What I didn't expect to hear was all this talk about how capable they were at battling.

"It's quite a shame, really." Opal let out a sigh. "They both seemed to have dropped out before they could reach the end of their journey. Didn't even make it to the Wyndon Stadium tournaments. Their talent would've brought them very far indeed."

"They… dropped out?" This was the first I heard of it.

Opal nodded. "It was a fairly common occurrence. You mentioned Sonia earlier, didn't you? Now there's a challenger I remembered. She had such intelligence and wit, and was even the only one to land a perfect score in the trivia criteria! Unfortunately, her subpar performance in battles couldn't bring her far."

Ouch. If Opal went this in depth about her complete evaluations, then I could pass on hearing mine. Still… "A perfect trivia score? If Sonia did that well, now I wonder how Leon did."

"His case is… peculiar, to say the least." Opal sounded amused about it. "The boy's talent for battle was remarkable, which was unsurprising given who he was trained by. He got zero questions right, which was also remarkable, but in a different way."

"Wait." I was dumbfounded. Not a single question. "Not even one?" My disbelief was paired with a bit of escaped laughter.

She nodded, joining me as well. "His sense of direction was so poor he couldn't even make it onto the audition stage."

I blinked. "You mean… the one through the straight corridor?"

"Yes." Opal's eyes were just as wide as mine. "For someone who would then become the undefeated champion, he isn't undefeated in certain aspects, that much is true."

It was still too bewildering to think about, but I thought it made enough sense. Growing up, Hop had told me all about Leon, like his battle strategies and all his sponsorships, but as well as his endless collection of hats despite his inability to look good in any of them. I was even told he ended up giving most of his hats to a friend of his just because he had that much. And that doesn't even cover all the awkward commercial takes that Hop had exclusive access to. All those winter promotions, choked soda commercials, and everything else made Leon feel very… human.

An undefeated, yet very flawed champion. What a concept.

With the pressure of conversation feeling significantly lighter, I managed my own impulsive remark once I calmed down. "Well… I have to admit that some of those questions were unfair. Maybe a little bit." Definitely not a little bit.

"Unfair, you say?" Opal raised an eyebrow. "Well, even if you've gotten most of those questions wrong, this endeavor did serve as a learning experience."

"A learning experience?" I know I studied a whole bunch before I went to the Gym, but… "Was I supposed to learn anything in particular?" Other than how I really should've taken into consideration how Opal "likes compliments".

"Well…" Opal calmly folded her hands over her lap. "Sometimes, life is unfair. I'm sure you've faced a great deal of misfortune, and I might have contributed to that. Those questions were unfair, leaving you struggling with unfair odds you had no chance against, and might've left you feeling helpless, even. But despite all that, you were still strong enough to prevail, weren't you?"

"I…" The last thing I expected was an answer like that. "Did you just… turn all that into something profound?"

Opal chuckled. "Take my musings to heart or not, I'll leave it up to you. Perhaps one day you'll be pink enough for my standards."

Right, again with the pink. I legitimately wondered if Opal didn't notice what colour my glasses were or something. "Okay, I have to ask. What exactly is this pink you keep mentioning? I thought you meant it literally but I'm having second thoughts."

Opal raised an eyebrow. "Think of it as an… unfair question. A question with no concrete answer, but an answer that people look for regardless." She paused with a hum. "Keep thinking about the right answer, and eventually you'll create the right answer."

Eventually I'll… huh?

Opal's stare perked up back to life as she looked out the window. "Oh, it looks like we're here! It's truly lovely to finally arrive."

As we stepped out into the familiar castle streets of Hammerlocke, Opal not-so-subtly kept hurling passive aggressive comments at Mr. Pilot. I felt a bit bad for his unfair treatment, but maybe this was just another intentionally profound thing by Opal? At this point, I couldn't tell. All I could figure out was that she was really iffy about being punctual.

"Hammerlocke—always such a dusty town. Though I suppose some Pokémon prefer it that way." Opal cautiously looked around herself before making her way towards… wherever she said she was going.

I stood a bit confused for a bit, taking in my surroundings before deciding to do anything. I hadn't stopped by the Pokémon Center yet, so I decided to make my way there first. It took me until then to realize I had yet to heal them after the Gym.

Create the right answer…

I was never the best at coming up with profound sayings, or finding the answers to anything, really. Still, Opal's words bounced around in my head. Maybe a bit too much. With everything she told me, I kind of forgot why I was here in the first place.

Oh right, smoothies.

It took me longer than I'd liked to remember that the next Gym was to the east. Then again, I supposed I never really took the time to explore Hammerlocke properly with what happened recently.

I figured a bit of tourism would do us some good, like it did with Nikki. Didn't take much for everyone to agree to a bout of sightseeing anyway. It wasn't until Tilda wanted to see the Dragon Gym's lobby did I realize this city didn't have a traditional stadium lobby and that I should be going to the next actual one. At least she found some Raihan trading cards at the Raihan gift shop in the Raihan museum, so she wasn't too disappointed.

It's really hard to keep track of everything… maybe I should just stick to the Gym Challenge like Oleana said…

It was then that I noticed that I almost walked right past a Battle Café. Trying to keep myself focused on smoothies, I briefly wondered if this place had a "one Pokémon per person" policy and returned everyone into their Pokéballs. Though, a glance through the windows almost made me want to keep my Pokémon out for protection.

Helping the pastry man by the counter was… a Slurpuff. I was starting to see them so often it wasn't even funny. Definitely a coincidence, if not a scary one, right?

I took a deep breath of the fresh—okay fresh was kind of pushing it, city air. As long as it wasn't nauseatingly sweet, that was good enough for me.

I can do this. I tensed up and mentally prepared myself for what'd come next. I can do this. I just needed to order a few smoothies to go. I can do this. All I had to do was walk through those doors.

I pivoted on my heel, a quick side turn that set me on my way to those glass doors, and- I immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw that familiar pinkish jacket.

I didn't know what to expect, so I was just frozen in place. There Bede was, staring through the window, hands in his pockets, looking glum about something. Well, I could think of many reasons he would be upset, but the way he stood there with his eyes through the window made me think he wanted a dessert as well.

I wanted to speak up, but his shifty gaze shifted over to me and suddenly he froze in place too. Though he quickly cleared his throat and his grumpy demeanor was back. "Oh, it's you. Come to gawk at me now that I've had my Dynamax Band taken away and my Gym Challenger status revoked? Can you really afford to waste time like this?"

Nice to see you too… That flame had simmered down by now. Once again, Bede's hostility put me back on the spot, but I wasn't coming here for a fight. "I'm not looking for trouble, Bede. I was worried."

"You… you were…" He was stricken, as if he didn't expect my answer. "No. Impossible. You wouldn't help me. You're a Gym Challenger, and I'm not. You're clearly better than me now, what with your fancy new Vikavolt and whatnot, and now you're here to rub it in my face."

I saw this defensive behavior before. I was all too familiar with it. Normally I would've let him cool off or have someone else talk to him, but this was different. I had to be that someone. I wouldn't let him rile me up or push me away. "I'm sorry about what happened in Stow-on-Side, with everything that happened to you." I never forgot how powerful Cress' Thunderbolt was, for better or worse. "Is… your Hattrem alright?"

"Fringe?" Bede paused for a second, but I could tell he was loosening up a little. "She's perfectly fine. We just needed a visit to the Pokémon Center. Why, did you think she was-" There was that panicked pause. "No, she's fine and healthy. She's- we, we're stronger than that."

It didn't seem like he was lying, so I let out a genuine sigh of relief. I looked back down at the streets as I did. "I'm glad, then. I'm glad you and your Pokémon are okay."

"Such cruel irony…" Bede's tone was quieter now.

"Huh?" I looked back at him to see his lingering frown.

Bede held a Great Ball in his hand, clutching it tightly. His voice was drained. "When they took away my belongings, they took away my Pokémon too. Fringe was the only one who cared enough to fight back. Now she's the only one I have left." He scoffed with a creeping smile, shoving the ball back into his pocket. "And with no items nor money for items, I'm back to where I started out in life. No family, nowhere to go. I find the irony very cruel, so you have permission to laugh at me."

Laugh, what? No, of course I'm not going to laugh! At that point, I was getting riled up, but for a different reason. I wasn't angry at Bede, but for him. I was angry at Rose, for all that stuff Oleana told me, and all that destruction for what?

My blaze turned into conviction. I had to get straight to the point. "Bede, you were set up by Rose. He used you."

His eyes widened again. "That couldn't be true." His voice wavered with evident disbelief. "He… he raised me, helped me get back on my feet. He endorsed me. This isn't going to last. I'll just ask him to endorse me again and take me back in. He wouldn't have made me do all that just to take it all away from me… would he?" His voice was shaking, and so was he.

Bede was looking directly at me now. He looked like he still had a bit of hope left, like he was looking at me for an answer. But with how his situation spoke for himself, the only answer I could give him was one that would extinguish that hope.

I tried to lay it on him as gently as I could. "I'm so sorry, Bede."

In that moment, I saw the horror in his eyes. Like everything he knew was a lie. All he could do was mutter to himself. "I… I have nothing."

"Bede." I had to grab at his shoulders to keep him stable. Even with his coat, I could feel him shaking. "You don't have nothing. You still have Fringe, and… you have me. Let me help."

"You…" For once, it looked like he was out of words. All his eyes could do was look away from me.

I caught him glancing back through the window and did the same. Inside were all sorts of happier people, indulging in pastries and beverages of all kinds. "How about we talk this over some dessert? You have nothing to lose." I tried reassuring him with a gentle smile as I loosened my grip. "My treat."

"... Very well."

Bede turned away, but for that brief moment, I saw the light return to his eyes.

I could tell that stepping in the Battle Café was a challenge for both of us. Still, I got myself to perservere. I could endure this. I willed myself enough to step inside and bring Bede to a table with me. He was silent, I was silent, and it made things a bit awkward when we had to order all our beverages. We weren't planning to make the most out of the battle part of the café, but in a way, we were still fighting our own battles as we sat here.

Still, the main reason I was doing this was to remind Bede that he wasn't going to fight this alone. I'd have to stay true to my word on that.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Bede suddenly spoke up, though he kept his eyes down at the table. "Is this your pity again?"

I shook my head. "This isn't pity. I just wanna help. You seemed lost, so I wanted to give you a helping hand."

"I've… never understood that about you." That got Bede to direct his stare towards me. "Why do you insist on helping me? You couldn't possibly understand my situation."

"Maybe I don't." That much was true… "But I still want to help you. It'd be better than just leaving you be. We're not rivals anymore, Bede. We're friends, and I care." I made sure to look back at him with a sincere smile. "And I'm sure you have some care somewhere in there too."

"Not for the Galar region, according to the chairman." Bede scoffed and frowned, trailing his eyes elsewhere. "To think he would… toss me aside like this. What love do I have to give when he holds none for me?"

"Well, clearly you're doing something right." I looked to the seat next to him to see his Hattrem focused on her drink. "Fringe still cares about you, doesn't she? There's definitely still hope for you as a trainer."

"Is there?" Bede looked down at his iced tea in disdain. "Chairman Rose has single handedly ruined any chances of me succeeding in anything. Even if he did set me up, it'd be me against the region. Nobody would hear me out."

I flinched at the thought. He did have a point there. Oleana said the same thing, too. I just stared at my dark hot drink in dejection. "If only there were someone more important who would listen to us… someone like…" And that's when a breakthrough struck, springing me back to life. An actual idea. "The Champion! If we filled Leon in on this, we could get the public to listen to us and clear your name!"

His eyes briefly lit up at the mention, but that classic skepticism returned. "With all due respect, I doubt the position of champion could compare to that of the chairman. And even then, I know you've been endorsed by him, but surely he'd be too busy to indulge in such commoner drabble."

Bede was seriously overestimating Leon, but even then… "I'll become champion, then!" I slammed my hands on the table with newfound certainty, though that quickly faded. "Wait, that doesn't sound right. I know! I'll let Hop and Marnie know about everything, so that when either of them become champion, they can help you out!"

My surprising burst of energy must've caught him off guard, because he shrunk back into his seat. "You certainly have a debatably irrational belief in your friends. I've beaten them both, so what if neither of them are strong enough to become champion?"

That already sounded off to me. "You never battled Marnie."

"You don't know that."

"She told me she's never even seen you."

"Drat." There was that scowl, the kind that showed I figured him out.

"Besides, believing in my friends is what I do." I nodded with confidence. "And that includes you."

"Then…" Bede hesitated. "I suppose I owe you all a good deal, then."

Normally hesitation would be a bad thing, but I felt like this was a sign that he was properly loosening up. He was reluctant, but I could tell he was being sincere.

Bede sighed. "This is a grand undertaking. Though… if we're- you're going to involve your friends, I owe one of them an apology." The restraint in his voice started to come back. "I haven't forgotten what you told me back at Stow-on-Side. Believe me, I would never try to take away the life of a person, a Pokémon, anything of the sort. Such disgraceful and messy behavior doesn't suit me."

It was obvious he was dancing around the topic, but I could tell he was being truthful. His care for Fringe, the way his spirit fell during our last battle, even the desperation in his voice when he tried to recall Copperajah. As spiteful as Bede usually came off as, I had a feeling I could tell when he was being genuine.

But I had to raise my eyebrow at that. "Did I… make you think you killed Hop's Pokémon?"

He looked up from his drink with a confused frown. "Was that not what you implied? That I spilled blood on the streets of Hammerlocke and sent him on his way while utterly crushing his spirit as an insult to injury?"

I shook my head. "That's not the full story. Yes, you beat him and said a lot of mean things, but his Pokémon were fine. They didn't die from that bartle. Hop went back to train in the Wild Area some more, but that's when the Dynamax Storm happened." I let him figure it out from there.

His eyes widened in surprise, but it was like a pleasant surprise. "So my conscience is clear? The loss was not of my doing?"

As much as I wanted to let Bede off the hook, I narrowed my eyes at him. "You still discouraged him plenty, you know."

"Right, right, so I did." It was clear he was more ecstatic about the fact that he didn't have any blood on his hands. "Please, next time you see him, do give him my apologies and regards. Even if I'm no longer in the Gym Challenge, maybe there's a chance we can all still see each other as rivals, perhaps equals."

It looked and sounded like he was trying to say something else. "You mean friends?"

"Friends, friends…" He seemed to test the sound of that unfamiliar word. His smirk returned, but for a moment, it looked like he softened into a smile. "Yes, I'd like that. And instead of a battle, I'll repay you all with… visits to the café, just like this!"

Bede was starting to sound a bit weird, but I figured it was just him trying to funnel his competitive spirit into a nice gesture of sorts. It was clear he was somewhat misguided, but he had the spirit. I just smiled and nodded.

I took another sip of my hot beverage and stirred the drink around. "In the meantime, let's just enjoy our drinks now."

"Agreed." Bede picked up his glass. "I needed some time to cool off, anyway."

Right, cool off. I shivered a bit with how air conditioned this place was, even with my jumper shirt. If it were any colder I might've needed a coat of my own just for that extra layer. Thankfully, I ordered a cup of hot chocolate because I remembered how much I liked the way Chloe made them. It did fog up my glasses whenever I tried to sip, but it kept my hands warm and the strong smell helped take my mind off of things.

And speaking of taking minds off of things, it looked like Bede was starting to feel better. As better as a trainer could feel with no family and only one Pokémon, anyway. He looked like he was going back to his old self, silently communicating with Fringe and nodding in between sips of his iced tea. Even if I couldn't tell what kind of telepathic conversations they were having, the usual shady stare and smirk were a good sign, I supposed.

This really was an ordeal and a half, and for a moment I wondered how Cress had so much patience dealing with someone so similar. At least Zap was sitting beside me, happily slurping away at his well deserved victory smoothie. This visit would be worth it for that, if anything.

Small talk with Bede proved to be a bit challenging. I would bring up how my Gym missions went, but his responses were few and far in between. That either meant he was actually a really good listener, or he wasn't that interested. On the other hand, when it came to talking about himself, he seemed like he had a lot to say. The dullness in his purple eyes started to shine as much as his pride did. His smirk slowly perked up into something less crooked. A genuine smile, right when he was talking about something that wasn't about his time with the chairman.

"... The matter of tea has always interested me, you see." He lowered his face to peer through his glass, which was almost empty. "I've found myself attached to any form of it with its name. I think it's because it reminds me of a simpler time."

Funny you should say that. "You mean like standing in the path of a Pokémon's Simple Beam?" I spoke in jest with my own attempt at a smirk.

Bede rolled his eyes at me. "I suppose I had it coming. Truth be told, my mother had a fondness for tea that passed on to me. Though I've yet to find any tea that was made the way she made it, it's one of the few things I still remember about my original family." He shook his head, but his smile was fond. "The irony isn't lost on me. In a situation as grandiose and complex as mine, I still find myself yearning for those simpler times."

It looked like his smile started to fade the longer he mulled over it. The way he smiled over that tea was too good to pass up. I thought it was obvious what he should do. "If that's what you want, then perhaps you should stay true to yourself."

He looked from his drink to me, a hint of intrigue in his lingering stare. "Perhaps I should. With my ties to the chairman cut, I needn't worry about preserving my image, for better or worse. I just need to… rid myself of this coat the first chance I get. And this stupid watch, too." The scorn in his face returned as he looked over those respective items.

"It'd be for the best." I nodded at his decision. "You're more than your connection to him. I'm sure that's what Fringe believes, and why she stays so loyal to you."

I looked at her to see if she could back me up, but also because I never got to hear her actually speak. I would've had my chance if she wasn't sound asleep on her seat.

Bede cast a look at his sleeping Hattrem as well. "She was due for some rest after spending the better half of the day looking out for me." He returned her into her Great Ball and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

It was weird to think that with all that happened, this kind of time we're spending right now would be considered a luxury to Bede. Of course, knowing personalities like him, he likely wouldn't directly admit that. Given how all our drinks were pretty much finished, I let Zap rest in his ball too. "So where will you go now?" I looked at Bede worriedly.

"That…" His stare trailed off. "I'm going to need to clear my head. Given everything you've just told me, I'll need some fresh air to process it all."

I nodded as we both got up from our seats. I was due for a walk away from the air of pastries, anyway. Well, after I got the rest of my team's smoothies to go.

"Wait." Bede stopped me before I could head to the counter. He was looking down, sounding hesitant again. "My… my hands are dreadfully cold. May I hold yours?"

"Oh." It was an admittedly strange request, but I figured it made enough sense. There was still some ice left in his glass, and I had hot chocolate. And I was here to help, so who was I to deny him? "Sure." I nodded with certainty, hoping it would catch on to him as well. Was he usually this uneasy about this kind of contact?

Seeing how hesitant he was to extend his hand to me, I took the initiative and took it myself. It surprised me at first how chilly his fingers were, so I tried having a somewhat firm grip in hopes that it'd help warm him up. He still vouched to look away from me all flustered like, so I thought I was doing something wrong. But when I asked him, he had no objections, so I just went with it.

With a bag of smoothies in one hand, and Bede's hand in the other, we stepped out back into the city air of Hammerlocke's streets. As I walked alongside Bede, I couldn't help but glance at him a few times to see his downcast frown. He looked unsure, clearly still troubled and mulling over something.

When he caught me glancing at him, his eyes shifted elsewhere. "Apologies, I'm not used to gestures like this. While the chairman did raise me, he was also… distant, in a way." He sighed. "That's not to say he wasn't a good person. I know very well how he picked Oleana up from an unfortunate spot and helped her get to her position today. The Galar region reveres him for a good reason. But… it was like he changed, somehow. Unless he was always ready to throw it all away like this. Like he secretly wanted this all along."

"You have to stop focusing on the chairman." I stepped in front of him to make sure he was paying attention. "That's… all past stuff now, you have to move forward."

Bede's brow furrowed. "There's nowhere for me to go. I'm definitely not going back to that orphanage, so all I can do is hope the Nurse Joy here is accommodating enough to let me use the spare rooms again. There's no denying my situation is an embarrassing one."

I thought about it for a second. "Um…" I freed my hands so I could search for something in my bag. I pulled out the bulky cylinder that was my Pokémon Box Link. "Maybe you could stay at my house with the other Pokémon I caught? My mom makes some good tea, so it could work out for the time being. Just one thing. Do you know if Pokéballs work on humans too?"

Bede's frown deepened, like he was taken aback by my suggestion. "That's even more embarrassing."

Yeah… he's not wrong.

"Hm? That boy, there he is…"

As I tucked the Pokémon Box Link back into my bag, my attention was caught by some intrigued muttering. "Did you hear something just now?"

"Now that's what I would call pink! So sincere and straightforward and yet so twisted and misguided… I like it! That's the kind of thing that gives people some depth!"

Bede's eyes widened as he hastily looked around. "I think it's talking about me!"

Wait… pink? Wouldn't that mean-

The realization both had us slowly turn towards the Battle Café. Right next to the building, we saw the rigidly standing figure of Opal across the street.

"Time for my Gym mission, child!" She shrieked.

She dropped her parasol and made a mad dash towards us, running faster than someone her age possibly should. It was like she was teleporting with her speed, but at the same time, she was clearly running at us as if it was a marathon. Her approaching eyes were excited, frenzied even. It was such a sight that I froze, as did Bede, and we had no idea what would happen next.

"Pink! Pink! And pink!" Opal approached Bede with blinding speed, rapidly swarming around him. She clutched at his coat, his sleeves, his face, and spoke with such admiration as if he was a work of art. Bede could only stand shocked and frozen as a statue, only able to move his eyes as we both tried to keep up with how or why Opal was like this.

At last, she crept up behind him, peering over his shoulder with the stare of a maniac. "Congratulations, child!"

At this point, I wasn't sure if I was staring at Opal or some kind of creepy demon, but the way she was hounding Bede seriously unsettled me and made me feel defensive. I broke out of my petrified fear and brought the Pokémon Box Link out, hefting it with both my hands before chucking it at the weird old lady.

She weaved away from the capsule, quick enough like she teleported to dodge it, before suddenly reappearing in front of me and handing it to me. I stood wide eyed as I accepted the Pokémon Box Link back into my hands.

"Apologies for my… sudden outburst, child." Opal was quieter now, though her smile looked more delighted than before. "It's not often I find such a… troubled and spiteful individual."

Bede broke out of his shock as well, clearly unhappy about it. "Can someone please tell me what just happened?"

"While I was getting new sweets at the café, I happened to have heard everything." Opal nodded, which was when I noticed that her parasol was somehow back with her. "You were used by Rose—am I right? You worked hard to gather Wishing Stars for him, only to have him throw you away like rubbish once he was done with you..."

Bede frowned, still cautious. "Yes, that's right…"

"Come with me, child. I'd be willing to shelter you for the time being. I might be able to help you out with your situation. Of course, it all depends on how much hard work you're willing to put in, too." Opal turned to walk away, beckoning him to follow. "I'll personally escort you to Ballonlea, while we're at it."

With everything that just happened all at once, Bede and I both just stood there, absolutely dumbfounded at it all as Opal walked out of earshot. Some fresh air to process things was definitely what we needed. And as I took in what this all meant, I felt relieved.

I looked back at Bede with a smile. "Looks like you found your way out."

"Indeed." He looked back at me with a smile as well instead of his usual smirk. "I'm… unsure of what to make of Miss Opal, but this gives me hope."

"I'm glad." With how nice of a smile Bede had, I felt pretty proud of myself for drawing it out. "I was really worried about you, you know. At least now I know you'll be safe." Okay, given what we saw of Opal, being safe was pushing it. "Now you won't have to be alone anymore."

"I suppose I also have you to thank for clearing my head. And of course, for the beverages too." He tucked his hands back into his pockets. It looked like he was trying to play it cool, but I could tell he was being genuine. "As well as the matter of helping clear my name."

"It's no biggie, really." I wasn't used to hearing such sophisticated flattery, especially from Bede of all people, so I felt a bit flustered hearing his words. "I'm your friend, it's just what I do. I couldn't just leave you feeling helpless, either."

For a second, it looked like Bede had more to say, what with the way he kept shifting his arms and looking here and there and everywhere. He hesitated, then slowly held his arms out. At first I thought he was doing that grandiose gesture Chairman Rose does at every league initiation, until I realized what he was trying to do.

I walked into Bede's waiting arms, wrapping my own around him as I accepted his embrace. He froze for a moment before properly leaning into the hug we shared.

"Thank you, Flare… for believing in me when no one else would." His voice was calm, at peace. I couldn't see his face with how he was leaning over me, but I could tell from how he spoke that he was smiling.

I hugged him tighter, trying to make him feel warm from beneath his thick coat. If he were any cold-hearted before, I was confident I'd melted that ice away now.

Of course, when the time came for us to pull away, Bede was back to tucking his hands in his pockets, playing it cool with a smirk.

"Good luck with your Gym Challenge."

I nodded at him, playing along. "Good luck with Opal."

Bede chuckled. "I'll need it. You won't, though. Just speaking from experience."

I felt my face heat up at that. Now I was really sure I wouldn't get used to Bede's confident compliments. Not that I was complaining. As flustered as I was, I still kept up my smile as I saw him off.

We decided it'd be best to part ways before Opal noticed he wasn't following her. A manic Fairy type Gym Leader running at us was a sight we agreed we'd only need to see once in our lifetimes. Still, my worries about him and Fringe could rest easy as I watched him disappear past the streets.

That was definitely more excitement than I bargained for. I took a second to catch my breath. In the commotion that happened earlier I almost dropped the plastic bag of smoothies I got. Thankfully they were still nearby and nothing spilled. While I was at it, I figured I'd let the rest of my team take their smoothies as well.

We found a nearby bench to lounge around as I handed the drinks out. My smile still lingered as I watched my team enjoy themselves. Cress sat next to me, needing my help to hold her drink because of her crazy long mandibles.

"You seriously must have some experience with boys or something," Cress remarked in between sips. "I never expected you to make someone like him to leave with a smile."

Hook was seated next to Cress, telekinetically holding his drink. "I concur." He gave me an odd look. "Do you happen to know your way around such uptight folks like him?"

I chuckled, spending just a second longer looking at my formerly grumpy Slowpoke. "You could say that."