Author's Note: Hey everyone. I decided to start fresh and delete all my past stories. This is a sequel to one my old stories and you don't need to have read the first one to understand this one. My plan was to expand the world from that story. Even if the original story was available, it would probably be best if you didn't read it. I used an online grammar editor to help fix my grammar mistakes but some of the suggestions seemed off, at least to me. Feel free to leave me criticism and feedback. I'm out of practice so hopefully this is readable. Thanks and please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Time is a strange thing, isn't it? To think it has been a whole year since the fall of Cyrus and a new era for Orcca. We have a new champion, Emelia, who is a user of electric types. She can be sarcastic at times, but it's clear to anyone that she is the opposite of Cyrus. Under Emelia, the league has seen more registrations and the Orcca Region is experiencing a population growth.
Although some things have changed, it seems like everyday life continues on as it always has. Snowpeak City is as beautiful as I remember it to be with the trees dusted in powder snow carried by the wind from the surrounding Graupel Mountains. Challengers still come into the gym ready for a battle to claim the Frost Badge and I eagerly await to test them. Salamander and Aresia come by the gym when they get the chance. They are busy with their own gym responsibilities, but I'm always glad to see my friends. Occasionally Ruby comes over to my house for the weekend and we spend the time chatting and watching movies. I love my friends dearly but as I laugh alongside them I wonder if it is truly okay to do so. We've grown closer since Cyrus' plan and they trust me as I trust them but yet they don't know the real me. No one does. In this time of peace, I've been doing a lot of self-reflecting. Do I need to keep putting up a front? Before I can ponder it further, I hear a knock on my door.
"Candice? You there?"
Ah, that's right. Blue was coming over today for some training. We were supposed to meet in front of the Snowpeak gym, but I must have lost track of time. I grab my keys and open the door to join Blue outside.
"Yeah. Sorry Blue, I didn't realize what time it was. Let's head to the base of Mt. Graupel, there should be plenty of space there."
We walked together in a comfortable silence. Over the past year, Blue and I became fast friends. We would see each other at league meetings and exchange a quick greeting but we didn't interact much beyond that. Once more challengers came, however, Blue realized that he needed to revamp his team to cover their weaknesses. Weekly we hold training sessions to improve our teams' coverage. Water and ice are quite similar after all. We also bonded over having a more popular namesake and getting constantly mistaken for them. Eventually, we arrived at the base of the mountain and once we found a clearing I threw my training bag to the floor.
"Let's start off with a practice match. We'll see what we need to improve on from there." Blue nodded and set out his Poliwrath. I sent out my Weavile.
"Alright. Poliwrath use Superpower!" Poliwrath was slower than Weavile. Weavile may have the disadvantage, but I'll make up for it with speed. I could risk a Revenge, but Superpower could knock out Weavile.
"Weavile dodge it and then counter with Ice Punch!" Weavile waited until Poliwrath closed in before running in between his legs and hitting him on his back. Blue ordered Poliwrath to use Earthquake, causing Weavile to momentarily lose her balance. Taking the opportunity, Blue commanded Poliwrath to use Superpower.
"I've got an ace up my sleeve. Weavile now use Psycho Cut!" Weavile hit Poliwrath in his face just as Poliwrath punched Weavile. Both staggered for a bit before Weavile began lifting her arms and releasing another Psycho Cut. Poliwrath was slower to recover, and it hit him in the center of his stomach. Before I could confront Weavile, Weavile collapsed so I instead called her back. "That's enough. I need to battle with Weavile more often to prevent that from happening. I'm glad it worked in our favor, but we need to further build our trust. Thanks, Blue."
"It was nothing, really. I have a favor to ask, if you don't mind. I was wondering if you could help me teach Poliwrath Ice Punch. It would counter his grass type weakness and your Weavile seems to have a good grasp on the move."
"Sure, it would be my pleasure! Water types tend to learn ice type moves more easily and with you as his trainer, I'm positive that Poliwrath will learn it in no time. Plus it'll give me a chance to work with Weavile more. It will have to be another time though, Weavile needs some time to recover." And I need to get ready for my date.
"No worries. Thanks so much Candice! Let me treat you to dinner, to show my appreciation." I looked up at him and Blue had his hand behind his head. Is he embarrassed?
"Oh, uh, no that's okay! I was going to train some more in the gym before heading back home."
"Let me join you then. If you're still up for it, we can get something to eat afterwards."
In other circumstances I would have found it endearing. Right now, I found his insistence slightly annoying. "But I already made plans with…" I mumbled.
That seemed to do the trick as his smile fell a bit before he swiftly recovered. "Another time then. See you, thanks for the help." He gave me a quick wave of his hand before running towards the train station. I sort of felt bad for waving him off, especially since he was just trying to be nice but I decided to drop it for now. I still needed to take a shower and get changed. Once I arrived home, I let Glaceon out while I took a quick shower. She seemed uninterested, letting out a yawn as I tried on different outfits. Normally I wouldn't care what I wore, but tonight was different. I was going to go out with Sal today! Okay so maybe he didn't necessarily say date but a girl can dream, can't she? Although we haven't seen each other lately, Salamander and I sent texts weekly. Ever since Cyrus' failed attempt to conquer Orcca, I've started to see Sal in a different light. He wasn't just my friend anymore; he was my hero, he was my knight. He was the one who came to my rescue so was it so odd to start developing feelings for him? Eventually, I settled on a burgundy blouse with black pants. Fancy but also casual enough to pass off as a regular outfit. Glaceon, seeing that I stopped fussing, looked up. I could tell she seemed displeased with the colors. She jumped off my bed and pulled out a royal blue blouse from the closet. I picked it up and put it back in its proper place. I merely turned off the lights and reassured Glaceon that I made the right choice.
Twenty minutes later I arrived in front of the train station located in Firerage City, where Sal's gym is. I looked around and upon noticing he wasn't here yet, I sat down on one of the nearby benches. After about another ten minutes, I heard laughing and I looked up to see Salamander and Aresia walking towards the train station. Then it wasn't a date. Regardless, I still get to see two of my best friends so it's fine. I stand up and wave to get their attention, their smiles widened and they make their way towards me. We greet each other with hugs before walking towards the restaurant downtown. We got a table and began talking while we waited for our order.
"Hey Candice, which do you think is better: a strong man or a smart man?"
"Huh, Aresia? Why the sudden interest?"
"Yeah Sia, why does it matter?"
"Oh hush Sal! You already know my preference." At that she lightly punched him in the arm and he flashed a grin at her. "But I want to know Candice's. Don't tell me that someone hasn't caught your interest as of late?"
"Well...I guess if I had to choose one then I would say a strong man. He needs to be able to protect his loved ones, after all." Salamander gave me a thumbs up, signaling that he agreed.
Aresia cocked her head to the side, as if she didn't understand my answer. "That's not what I was expecting. I thought you were more into smart guys, not buff ones. Blue isn't that buff so-"
"Wait, wait let me stop you right there! Blue? Why are you bringing him up? I don't have a crush on Blue!"
"Oh but you do have a crush on someone though! I just assumed it was Blue since you two have been spending a lot of time training together. Aww but now I'm curious! You have to tell me who's the lucky lad!"
Sal seemed to gain interest too. "I won't tell anyone. But if you won't tell us, at least tell me if I know him." Oh yeah, you know him real well. Not bold enough to say that, I just excused myself to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face to fight off my blush. Once I deemed myself presentable, I walked back to the table. As I made my way there, I noticed how happy Aresia and Salamander were laughing on some new topic. Once I was within earshot I realized that Aresia was retelling a gym battle she had and Salamander was listening intently with a certain look on his face, a look I haven't seen him wear before. There was no way I was that delusional to not notice what was going on. With a heavy heart I made up an excuse saying that I had a gym battle scheduled early tomorrow morning so I needed to leave. They both tried to convince me to stay, but I reassured them that we could hang out later and that they should still enjoy their night. As I took the train back to Snowpeak, I felt like my mind was in a daze. As soon as I got home, I threw off my clothes and changed into my comfortable pajamas. Glaceon didn't need to ask, she has been my partner since I was a young girl. She merely jumped onto the bed and curled up next me as we both drifted asleep.