Just a little more.

Chapter 16: Letting off steam

"I figured I'd find you here."

He narrowed his eyes. Company was not something he expected, especially at this time of the year. He believed people would be occupying themselves with more interesting things than caves and waterfalls.

"Sabrina?"

As the steam clears, he could barely make out what the figure behind it was. She was a familiar sight, and the only other person he could think of that would be aware of this location. That said, it was still quite a surprise.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Sabrina approached the hot springs with grace. She hadn't been here in a while. It had always done its job of calming her in the past, and she would like it to do so again. "Mt. Silver certainly is unpopular for a place so prominent."

"You know that better than anyone." He replied, unbeknownst of what her intention was still. It would not be unreasonable for the psychic just to come here to soak herself within these springs, but there had to be a reason. "Are you here to find me?"

"Perhaps a part of me wanted to see you again." Sabrina settled her belongings next to another spot. The two's are separated by a large boulder. He could not see it, but it was reasonable to assume that she was getting ready to enter the water. "Mostly though, I am here for the springs."

"I see." He sighed. He was not against the idea of having a conversation partner. After all, it had been months since he had spoken to anyone that was not one of his Pokémon. It did get somewhat weary, but he knew perfectly well what he must do. His resolve alone kept him here. "Any particular reason as to why?"

"Red." She prefaced, then turned silent for a brief moment. It was almost as if what she wanted to think through and keep things as vague as possible. Predictably, it would mean that it involved her private life. He was fine with it, as he had nothing to do with it in the first place. "You've been here since the end of spring, I take it?"

"That's right." He was none other than the Kanto regional champion, disappeared from sight months ago. Very few knew of his current whereabouts. Concisely speaking, that list consisted of no more than Sabrina herself and his family. It was a necessity, as Sabrina was the one who introduced him to his place, for he had not yet had the travels needed to figure it out on his own. "I haven't seen a soul since summer began though."

"How do you feel being out here all alone for so long?" Sabrina continued the question. She was not even sure what they were getting at, but at the same time she felt like she must know. The two really had not been keeping contact at all. "At your age, you really must not be used to this."

"I guess if it was two years ago I'd agree with you quite wholeheartedly." A sigh was heard. It was not because of any feeling in particular, more of an indication of content. He stretched himself, as if it was not something he did often. "Travelling around alone as a minor made quite a loner out of me though."

"I guess." Her voice seemed sympathising. It didn't last though, since neither of them particularly needed any in the first place. "You were too talented for your own good. The average trainer needs about five years. It only took you two."

"It would have been one if I didn't have to deal with Green." Red smirked. It was the true. The both of them stifled each other's progress with every battle, as far as timing for their badge acquisition was concerned. It did make about every other fight a cake walk though. "To be fair, so would he."

"I met him the other day." It was hard to have known that such a meeting would become a fitting conversation topic at a time like this. Though looking back, what happened that day was definitely not to Sabrina's liking. "As it stands, he will be taking over the Viridian city Gym."

"Is that right?" Red had a lot on his mind hearing that. A lot had happened between them for the last two years. Their friendship was tarnished in the process, and they had not even talked to each other since then. There were regrets on both sides, and it hadn't been easy trying to let go. "If you ever do again, give him my congratulations."

"He also told me about what happened between the two of you." Sabrina continued. She decided to omit the encounter between Green and Giovanni altogether, as she simply wanted to see Red's raw reactions. "About the champion battle as well."

"Ah, that." Red was almost chuckling. It was so surreal, as he had to remind himself of it every single day, yet it seemed so unimportant now, being said by someone else. Perhaps he's too young, but it was still quite the goal. "He probably told you the truth. It's also the reason why I'm here."

"Training, I presume?"

"Right." There was a hint of doubt in his words, but Red was fairly comfortable in speaking of his intentions. "I owe him a battle. I want to make absolutely sure that I can beat him, so that I can go back and rightfully take my spot as champion."

"You know what, Red?"

"Yes?" He was curious indeed.

"No one has challenged your title." Said Sabrina, gradually. "You're only doing this for yourself."

"What…" It was a bit of a hit. He was not sure what she was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"This whole running away thing, is what I mean." Sabrina was entranced in this speech. "Green was never going to tell anyone, and this was only between the two of you. I'm not here to question your decisions, but it was you who forced yourself to stay here."

"That's… not really wrong." Red was at two minds of this. He was missing something from Sabrina's words, and he wanted to know. "But that's why I'm here, to get stronger so that we can settle the score."

"Training is one thing; willingly separating yourself from other people is another." She was not going to stop. "I never told anyone I knew where you were, but I will tell you this. You're not here because you though it was fair play to wait for the final match, but instead because you thought you didn't deserve the title."

Silence.

"I'm very aware that I'm making a great accusation." Sabrina, having heard no reply, decided to go on. "It's also perfectly possible that you just wanted to dodge the official businesses. However, you haven't even thought about that yet have you? Your responsibilities, now that you've become the League Champion, have not mysteriously disappeared."

"I…" Red was speechless. This decision of his was made on a whim, and he suddenly felt helpless. He was incapable of defending it to someone who knew the full story, and perhaps he never was able to do so to himself. "I didn't."

"I thought so." Only Sabrina was aware of how much self-projection she was putting forward at this point. Having said that, it meant she also had the appropriate answer. "Well Red, no one likes responsibility either. You can always try again next year."

"Are you telling me…?" He spoke cautiously. "That I should just resign?"

"I am." Sabrina's trip to Mt. Silver was never supposed to be her lecturing people, but somehow it turned out that way. It was something she considered off the top of her head, but she really did believe it was the right thing to do. "With your age, you can certainly afford to wait a year or two. Besides, Green will be there once you tried to go for eight badges again."

"Is it that easy?" Red was seriously considering this proposition. He had no desire for the title anyways, as indicative of his recent behaviour. It might very well be best for him to just go back to doing what he loved: adventuring, instead of sitting in an office somewhere dealing with bureaucracy. "Can I really just walk out?"

"No." Putting it bluntly, Sabrina had truly gone back to her roots. Red might not be thinking of it, but she was still a psychic. Manipulating human behaviour was nothing too far from her day job, though this was easier than usual. Perhaps he just needed a little push. "It's never that easy. However, it's possible."

"What must I do then?" Hints of doubts were surfacing. After all, this was still a split-second emergent, and with how care-free Red was before, he was trying his best to consider everything. "If it involves too many things still, I'm not sure if I would be able to do it."

"Well, seeing as you're pretty useless at this kind of stuff, that's a good sign." It was a clear mockery, but Sabrina seemed genuinely happy. "It might not have gotten through to some people yet, but it's rather obvious you're not fit for this kind of position. You're a dumb 12 years old kid, and people should treat you like one. Go back to Indigo Plateau, and try to do your job. See if they can take it."

"I guess…" Such a solution could never have occurred to Red if he had time to think about it. In fact, it was a Sabrina trademarked way of solving a problem. "I don't know why you decided to help, but I really appreciate it."

"Why indeed…" Red spoke the truth. She had nothing to gain. Perhaps it was just because she was swept up in the moment. He was a very respectable trainer, but a child otherwise. She could relate. "Maybe I saw a little bit of myself in you."

…

"So this is the second place."

Today has been the most popular Mt. Silver has been for quite some time, at least during the holiday season.

"I'm somewhat ashamed to say that ever since I've been in Kanto, this is the first time I've been visiting its locations."

"This isn't in Kanto though."

"Oh."

Penny lightly nudged Ren on her hips, as if pushing her out of the awkwardness.

"Come now Ren, don't be so down." A healthy amount of laughter was heard. "This is Johto, you're not that far off."

"Ok…" Ren was displaying some obvious retraction from this setting they're surrounded by. It was nowhere near what she was usually around. There was no pristine decors and straight hallways, instead dark caves and rhythmic waterfalls. "I'm not really sure what to do at a place like this."

"Well you looked quite uncomfortable when we went over to Surge's house too." Looking back, that whole encounter turned out to be much better than she thought it would be. Surge was surprisingly quiet about the situation, even if she was there to handle it herself. "So I figured I'd bring you here. It's a stark change of pace, but I'm sure you'd learn to enjoy it."

"Well, the conversation between me and Surge was in English, so I suppose you don't really understand our discomfort." It was true. Frankly, Penny, with all of her travels, didn't know a bit of English. "I have nothing against American in general, but there was something about his military upbringing that bothered me."

"A lot of people say the same." Penny simply took it in stride. It was one of the few times she had ever introduce Surge to anyone, as he certainly was not the friendliest of people. "Well I may not understand you two, but I can guarantee that he did not mean any harm. He might be crude, but you could chalk that up to being a soldier I suppose."

"I know." Sighing, Ren decided to let it go. She could not point out just what was getting her upset, so it was better to talk about something else. Maybe it was better to just focus on how all the bugs around were bothering her greatly. "I'm not sure if my attire is proper for walking in a place like this."

"Well, it's true I probably should have taken that into account." A moment of ponder. Ren - in her female butler suit, also being a general airhead - would probably find it hard to navigate dirt roads and narrow openings. "You could always wear less of it."

"What?" A swift and almost embarrassingly loud retort. It was only after the fact that Ren realised she was clearly overreacting. It was amusing nonetheless, at least to Penny's standards. "Sorry."

"Hah." Penny was trying quite hard not to laugh herself. "I mean you just don't want as much clothes that restrict your movement, especially since we're going to do a bit of climbing."

"I see. Of course." Still red in the face, Ren decided to just lose some of her suit. They had borrowed a few equipment in preparation for this trip from the local shop before setting out here, so at least she could stash them somewhere. "Would you mind… not looking for a moment?"

"What, you're just taking the suit off right?" Penny was somewhat surprised at how reserved her companion was being. Then again, she reminded herself that she never had to wear a butler suit before, so perhaps it was a little bit more complicated than originally thought. Regardless, it didn't really hurt, so she complied. "Alright, I'll just be over here."

With that, she left Ren to her own devices for a moment. She brought them both here with the intention of finding Sabrina. As far as she knew, this and Surge's house were the only places that her daughter could possibly frequent. She remember bringing her daughter here when she was so young to enjoy the hot springs. It was on one of the few outings that she ever had with Sabrina's father. It brought back memories, fond ones at that. It also gave her a chance to recount her adventurer side, as she had been holed up in trips for too long. Sometimes a walk around would do a lot of good.

"Penny." Hearing her name, she assumed that Ren had finished with changing by now. She was correct, although she did not quite expect her companion to look quite like that. Having discarded the jacket and tie, as well as the gloves, Ren's attire consisted of a shirt and a pair of trousers. Aside from the long, luscious blonde hair as well as the marginally-sized chest, Ren could be easily be mistaken for a man. Her body was built like one, apparently, and it was quite unique. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry for staring." Penny had to laugh it off. She never noticed it before, but the blonde girl was quite a looker. She thought it would be somewhat rude to comment on it though. "I'm just kind of surprised."

"Is it because of my body?" Considering how prudish Ren was acting before, that was quite a direct question, as Penny noted. "Do not look so staggered. I know that I'm not very feminine looking. At the very least, it helped my job."

"Oh no, you look great." Penny was serious about it too. Ren didn't appear to have expected such a whole-hearted argument, so she also didn't know how to take it. There was awkward silence between them. "… we should probably get going."

"Of course." Ren hurryingly picked up the bag. They brought some Repels, due to the obvious fact that they were here for a lot more than random encounters. Still, it did take Ren a while to be able to even enter the cave.

"I wonder how you'd do had I not agreed to go with you." Joked Penny, as she deliberately keep pace behind her companion, forcing the female butler to find the way on her own. Penny had been here enough times to know the cave structure inside out, so she'll give a nudge or two whenever they're getting hilariously lost, but otherwise it was an entertaining walk. "I mean you did quite terribly trying to make a first impression when you showed up at my doorstep. I could only imagine what would happen if you had met Surge the same way. It would have been disastrously funny."

"I'm not really sure if this what we should be talking about." Ren was obviously embarrassed. She knew everything about being a butler, but not a lot about anything else. Trying to find her way through the dark tunnels and the occasional stray Pokémon was hard enough, so she could certainly use the focus instead of being constantly made fun of. "It's not really making this easier for me."

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure we don't get lost." Evidently, they wouldn't have enough Repels if Ren was the one leading the way the entire time. "You just focus on not stepping on something weird."

"Would you mind showing me the way then?" The endless teasing was getting tiresome. Furthermore, it was definitely not something Ren was used to. Her afternoon was usually spent reading a book, or two, and handle the occasional report, and this is about as far removed from that as it got. "Since you know this place so well."

"Oh don't sell yourself short. All you need is a little motivation." Penny had just the thing. "If you need one, I'll be here to remind you that the sooner you can get this over with, the faster you can return to your mistress."