Hey there, boys and girls. I hope your summer has been going smoothly so far. Unfortunately for me, my schedule for this summer would allow me to sneak an update at an irregular monthly basis. I'm sure most of you have been tolerant about this, but for those that have more… impatient tendencies, it would help to learn how to be more patient.
As for those that wanted to know how Tale of Stardom would've ended that don't have an account, this is where I have to offer up a thousand apologies. For the personal respect of my brother, as well as not wanting to use up space, I will not be sharing how the rest of the story would've finished in public. When I said PM me or request in a review as a signed-in account, I meant it.
I can only offer my condolences to you if you don't have an account I can message, but I have standards to uphold…
Nevertheless, enjoy the chapter.
The next day…
"Now use Ice Punch back to back, Medicham!"
Block them all! Then follow up with Aura Sphere!
Quick to the call, Medicham sent in a barrage of Ice Punches. With the ferocity it had, it would be capable of taking down a Machamp. This, however, wasn't the case with its current opponent, who moved with just the same amount of swiftness as the Meditate Pokémon can.
Mienshao skillfully used the elongated fur on its arms to whip away each oncoming Ice Punch without showing any sign of fatigue. At the same time, the Martial Arts Pokémon rivaled Medicham in terms of fancy footwork and reflexes. At the end of the fierce attack, Mienshao smirked victoriously, much to Medicham's suppressed frustration.
Within a quick second, Mienshao conjured its commanded attack between its hands.
"Get ready to knock it out of the park! Oish!"
"Shaow!" Mienshao grunted as it tossed the Aura Sphere.
Almost instinctively, Medicham readied an arm and smacked the Fighting-type special attack high into the air, where it gradually dissipated the further it flew away from sight.
"Whoa! Your Mienshao's just as sharp to the punch as ever, Anabel," Greta remarked.
"I'm glad you think so too, but I've still got to hand it to you, Greta," Anabel replied. "These daily sessions are really polishing off our techniques and battling styles."
"On top of that, you were really in synch with Mienshao this time around despite it not being one of your Psychic-types," Greta added eagerly. "You didn't even call out a Calm Mind to establish a mental connection with it."
"Our bond now transcends past mentality and into a more emotional basis, just as it should be."
"We're really going to give these Champion wannabes a run for their money now, although I can't say the same for Thorton."
"Are you giving him hard time because of who he's going to face tomorrow?" Anabel asked knowingly.
"Hey, you know just as well how strong his assigned opponent is," Greta justified, holding her palms up in defense. "You said that he's capable of rivaling Ash, given with the typical training regimen you told me he puts his Pokémon through in addition to hanging with that tough Gym Leader chick. Plus, I actually want to see that know-it-all Factory Head get knocked down a peg."
"He was wrong about his analysis on Ash and Lorelei's battle yesterday morning," Anabel mused as an afterthought. "Though, he was right that it could've gone either way with those two."
"Well, it was the way he said it that I didn't like, so there."
"I think it's time to end our training session, Greta," Anabel suggested with a light laugh, recalling her Mienshao into its Poké Ball. "While you are exhibiting a lot of leftover energy, it won't do any good overexerting yourself with extra training."
"I guess you're right," Greta sighed, recalling Medicham. "Let's head back to our room and see if Lucy still wants to do that 'girl's night out' thing tonight with Dahlia and Argenta. Personally, I'd rather lie on my stomach and stuff myself with kernels in front of some badly written chick flick about some teenager falling in love with a shiny Golbat human than get my nails painted in bright colors."
"Which will probably happen if you're in the same room as Lucy," Anabel pointed out. "I actually enjoy her holistic methods of cleansing and rejuvenating the body, almost like some sort of mini spa."
"Yeah, but would you take a battle girl seriously if the first thing you noticed was the color of her toenail polish matching her under-armor?" Greta offered sardonically.
"Well, at least she'd have pretty toes."
"Not the point here!"
"Look, Lucy's activities involve more than nail polish, massages, or avocado masks," Anabel explained, settling her temperamental friend down with a calming gesture of her hands. "Lucy shared with me that she does this at least twice a month, if not on a weekly basis, to help her relax into a better state of body and mind. It helps her be a better challenge for Trainers seeking the Battle Pike."
"That's all fine and dandy with her, but not every girl can be classified as prim and proper," Greta replied, folding her arms and turning her head away stubbornly. "Just because I'm called the 'Arena Tycoon' doesn't mean I swim in gold coins every day or eat under high-class ice-crystal chandeliers for dinner, as cool as the latter would be on some occasions. I'm not afraid to get down and dirty, especially when it comes to proving I have guts. That's my approach to the title of Arena Tycoon."
The audacious Arena Tycoon suddenly felt an arm being clamped by both of Anabel's hands. She glanced at her friend in surprise; all the while the Salon Maiden bore a good-natured smile as she essentially dragged Greta along out of their secluded area in the forest and through the park.
"We're going," Anabel announced. "I'm sure Lucy is back in our room now."
In the Pokémon Center…
"Welcome back to the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy greeted with her famous cordial smile. "Are you here to retrieve your Pokémon?"
"Yes, thank you for taking care of them. Our last battle was very decisive, even though we barely walked away with the win this round."
"Oh, you actually have to thank this young Pokémon Doctor helping us out for healing your Pokémon," Nurse Joy answered. "There's always a lot of work to be done for competitions and tournaments like these that it's very gracious for us to receive help in taking care of Trainer's Pokémon at this time."
"Nurse Joy, I'm happy to report Seviper's, Milotic's, and Steelix's conditions to be healthy and in tip-top shape," a voice called from the room behind the counter.
The sound of cart wheels resonated with the radius, growing louder as the one pushing it emerged through the doorway. The cart, filled from top to bottom with occupied Poké Ball trays, was the first to be seen coming out of the room. The good Doctor, notably garbed in his professional white coat, was next to appear out of the room, only for him to react peculiarly upon seeing the Trainer whose Pokémon he was about to return.
Not too surprisingly, the said Trainer felt heat rise up to her cheeks upon seeing him for the first time face-to-face in a long time.
"Lucy, my elegant Pike Queen, it has been far too long since we've laid eyes on one another."
"Hi, Brock," Lucy replied meekly, having been rendered speechless by the young Doctor for a couple of reasons. For one thing, he held her slender hands in his while the other reason was his mention of the word, eyes. He had certainly grown the last time they met, to the point that Lucy had to look up slightly to maintain eye contact. That or she shrunk in height.
"Might I say that you handled your last opponent with the grace and skill that only a regal figure like yourself could only possess?" Brock continued, clearly love-struck as ever. Lucy was reduced to blinking several times while the red blush on her face refused to fade away as she continued to look into his eyes.
Those gorgeous squinting eyes, further built up by his kind and nurturing personality from helping the Nurse Joys in the Pokémon Center, had possessed her, as willing as she would admit to herself.
"Yow!" Brock suddenly yelped before falling backwards, jarring Lucy out of her trance. "What a stunning… star… s-s-sensation…"
"The only one that's possessed around here is you, lover boy," Misty began, harshly holding Brock's head up by his right ear.
"So consider this an exorcising intervention by the professionals," Max continued, yanking Brock's other ear.
"Croa-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho," Croagunk chuckled throatily, appearing right in front of the confused Lucy as he carried up his Trainer's legs on his shoulders.
He, Max, and Misty then carried off the temporarily paralyzed Brock while Lucy and Nurse Joy, who watched the whole scene with a sheepish grin, saw them off. Lucy still felt the warmth of Brock's hands on hers as she briefly looked at them before smiling to herself. She then helped herself on reclaiming her Poké Balls from the tray Brock left out for her before they had their 'moment.'
"I wish you the best of luck for the remainder of the Champions League, Lucy," Nurse Joy said. "By the way, have you had the chance in trying out the new Meloetta Café that opened up yesterday?"
"I haven't, actually," Lucy admitted.
"It's a lovely place for Trainers to relax outside of the competition," Nurse Joy explained. "Aside from serving desserts and light refreshment, it holds occasional opportunities to have a tag battle either with a stranger or with a friend. And to live up to its namesake, the Meloetta Café allows free-style karaoke for anyone that loves to sing."
"That really sounds fantastic, Nurse Joy. But right now, I'm so caught up in training to survive in the tournament and make a good impression for the Battle Frontier that I don't know if I'll actually have the chance to check it out."
"Well, that's fine too. But just so you know, it's also a cute place for young couples to hang out."
"… Young… couples?" Lucy repeated, feeling her blush gradually return to her face.
"Serving Trainers and their Pokémon have taught me to be observant to every detail when it comes to helping Pokémon back to full health," Nurse Joy shared. "I can tell how you really feel about Brock despite how much your outer personality tries to mask it."
"Am I… really that obvious?" Lucy asked self-consciously despite appearing good-natured about the topic.
"Brock has been a hard worker and really helped us all out since the Champions League began. I can tell that he deserves a break, so just a friendly suggestion from your neighborhood Pokémon Nurse: if you ever do have spare time from battling, training, and even from the Battle Frontier, take him along with you to spend the day."
"Thank you for the advice, Nurse Joy, but why are you helping me with those kind of things?"
The Pokémon Nurse merely winked in response.
"Let's just say that there are many reasons why I love being a nurse. I see these cases almost all the time, including the case with one of your colleagues. I won't share who, but I think even you might know."
"It's gladly appreciated either way."
The two women shared quick giggles before Lucy went on her way. As she was about to head through the exit, she noticed Brock again sitting alongside a small group of his friends. She recognized May and Max, but the rest were strangers to her. What intrigued her most was that Ash, her former challenger, wasn't among them, and as far as she knew, never even had seen him with them since the tournament began.
The Pike Queen managed to recall from a few of her colleagues about how much he had changed since any of them had last seen the Pallet Town Trainer. The thought had been recent in her head as a result of being Anabel and Greta's roommate as they've discussed about his last match. Anabel, in particular, was pretty open in sharing her desire of helping him, but Lucy didn't know what Ash needed help with in the first place. While she knew it was not really her business to know, she could tell that Brock and the rest of Ash's friends looked a bit worried over him. She had seen their faces time to time from the past few weeks, their expressions occupied in thought, if not worry.
As much as she wanted to help them and Ash, she didn't know what was going on. On top of that, it would really be none of her business to meddle in. If Anabel and Greta were to share what they knew about Ash, then she would gladly step in to help take care of the problem. But now, she would leave it up to chance that things would be better before the Champions League would end. After all, luck had been a major theme for her, not simply because she was the holder of the Luck Symbol.
But before she could go back to her room, meet up with Anabel and Greta, and prepare for their girl's night out, Lucy still had her responsibilities as a Frontier Brain. The mental note she made to herself resurfaced upon reaching the outside. She was obligated to find her last opponent and invite her to try out the Kanto Battle Frontier challenge.
"Lucy, I'm home! You've got some explaining to do!" Greta bellowed, kicking the door open. "… Uh, Lucy?"
"It looks like we beat her here," Anabel commented as she slipped by her friend to get into their room. "She's probably getting her Pokémon back from the Pokémon Center. That was a nice match she had with that Trainer, Jeanette."
"She's a bit of a flowery showoff, that Jeanette," Greta inputted abruptly. "Heaven knows that girl wouldn't stand a chance against me, much less she did against Lucy."
"I thought she had potential taking on the Battle Frontier since her last Conference was in Ever Grande City as part of the Top Eight," Anabel continued. "She had a strong bond with her Bellsprout, though with a bit more training, she could be better."
"You're certainly optimistic over every potential Trainer we face," Greta remarked offhandedly.
"I just want to help give the Battle Frontier some good publicity, considering that things have been really quiet before we were invited to the Champions League," Anabel clarified with a shrug.
Both Frontier Brains left their shoes to the side of the door. The layout of their room was relatively simple and shared with the rest of the rooms in the Trainer Spires Hotel, the place where anyone, mostly Pokémon Trainers competing in the Champions League for this season, stayed when visiting New Island. The room was fairly spacious and had a sort of luxurious air about it. Typically, there were three single beds at the side for the occupants. A simple round table, along with a few wooden chairs, and a large red sofa were stationed at the farthest corner of the room, close to the large window. From the other side of the beds, the door to the bathroom stood. It was a standard room, sufficient for most occupants' needs, considering that food was available on the first floor of the hotel, as well as the Pokémon Center close by for a change of scenery.
Anabel watched with an amused smile as Greta immediately flopped onto her designated bed, landing face first into her pillow with a relieving groan. The Salon Maiden opted for a more delicate manner in reaching to her bed by simply walking along. Despite being as fatigued as her colleague from their earlier training session, Anabel didn't drag her white dress socks along the carpet as she reached her bed, which was conveniently next to Greta's, leaving the bed on Anabel's other side designated as Lucy's.
"Hey, please tell Lucy I'm not up for tonight," Greta mumbled out after turning her face at Anabel's direction.
"You know she's not going to let you go easily," Anabel replied, kneeling at her bed as she appeared to be pulling something from underneath.
"That's why I'm asking you, as a friend, to talk her out of getting me involved."
"So… you're basically having me deal with your problems while you hide behind my back the whole way through?"
"… Tch, no fair rewording my words to making me sound like a coward," Greta grumbled, muffling her face into her pillow once more. "… Even though bravery has some relations with having guts…"
"Hey, someone's got to be the brains between the two of us since you insist on being the brawn," Anabel said, giving off a brief, lighthearted giggle.
"… Not funny," Greta sighed, inching her head to the side slightly in her friend's direction. "Fine, I'll do it myself then."
"Found it!" Anabel exclaimed, much to Greta's sudden astonishment from the outburst.
"Oi, at least warn me ahead of time if you're going to use your 'extra loud' voice."
"Sorry, but I needed to get something out of my luggage."
Out of curiosity, the Arena Tycoon rolled close to the edge of her bed to see what Anabel was up to. True to her word, she had pulled her small roll-on luggage out from underneath her bed. Greta observed Anabel unzipping the larger compartment and gingerly sliding in a hand inside. Her face lit up when an idea immediately came to mind on what her colleague and friend was up to now.
"You're pulling out that old thing again?" Greta asked shrewdly.
"It's not that frequent that I need it, considering what I've been through the past week," Anabel replied without facing her. "And before you ask again, it's been more than training with you and watching various battles in the Champions League."
"Oh…"
The object that Anabel held in her hands now appeared to be a medium-sized scrapbook of sorts that's partially filled up with many papers. Anabel took her seat on her own bed and folded her legs in before opening the scrapbook up. At the meantime, Greta supported her head on her hand leaning on her elbow, watching the Salon Maiden with a rare fond smile.
She knew that Anabel, prior to joining the Battle Frontier, had a minor hobby of being a photographer. It was a simple, pleasurable pastime for her. She didn't restrict herself to Pokémon, nor was she perfect in taking snapshots. But whatever caught her interest whenever she had her camera on her, she was determined to capture it. Greta remembered some stories Anabel shared on how she worked as a casual photographer on days that she wasn't training her Pokémon in order to capture snapshots of certain Pokémon or places of interest. She knew how Anabel sounded so happy and nostalgic when she shared her memories with her, but that had been long before people had started to pick up on her relation with Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Greta knew that it was not intentional, but the rumors and comparisons kept rising up. Anabel was normally a level-headed girl, but the remarks about her not living up to her brother's standards did get on her nerves as a result of accumulation and suppression. It sadly came to the point that she had to make more time training and less time take snapshots in order to quell the restless masses of joyless Lucian followers.
Her talent was eventually recognized by Scott while the Battle Frontier was still being formed, thus landing her where she is now, as the Salon Maiden of the Kanto Battle Tower. While Greta would admit to being proud of the accomplishments Anabel earned to be a recognized figure in her own right, she would also admit to be feeling sorry for her for doing these things under a lot of pressure.
The pressure that came from being the sibling of a respected Elite Four member…
The pressure that increased as her reputation as one of the strongest Brains in the Battle Frontier continued to skyrocket…
And as Greta finally understood from their training sessions, the pressure of wanting to make things right for those that she cared for…
She knew that Anabel had her reasons for wanting to become stronger while still competing in the Champions League, but now that she thought of it, maybe the dainty Salon Maiden was onto something about Lucy's girls' night outings.
As Greta allowed her head to collapse back on her pillow and look up to the ceiling, Anabel continued sifting through old memories. As though in a hypnotic trance, she quietly turned the pages at a certain rhythm, viewing past snapshots she took in her early days as a Pokémon Trainer. Since the Champions League had begun, she had the need to look back to when days were simpler and carefree for her.
Anabel eventually reached a page that had a magazine article with a picture attached. Her lips formed a straight line while her lilac eyes glazed over somberly. This page marked the day she began her sedentary career as a Frontier Brain for the Kanto Battle Frontier. During that particular day, Lucian showed off another flawless victory in a battle. She would normally be proud of her brother's accomplishments, but at the same time, she was sick of being belittled and compared to him by many bystanders. And so, she kept that article and picture of Lucian's battle as a reminder to herself that she wasn't going to fall into his shadow. With the Champions League going on now, Anabel finally received her opportunity to declare herself as her own person, not simply be recognized as the younger sister of Lucian any longer.
The Salon Maiden skipped through a few more pages. Since her time at the Battle Frontier had been time-consuming, she had practically no time to go off and photograph Pokémon, people, and places. The pages that followed Lucian's were filled with Pokémon magazine articles that interested or inspired her. Anabel finally reached a page that dated a few years back. For very personal reasons, she considered the article that this new page had as a favorite of hers as it was about the Sinnoh Lily of the Valley Conference.
It was an article that talked about the Top Four in the Sinnoh League of that year. Among the revered Trainers discussed in that article was none other than Ash, who notably received the most praise from the editors for being the first known Trainer to have defeated Tobias's Darkrai and revealing his Latios.
"Ash…"
The past week…
Espeon was sent forcefully rolling on the ground. Despite the dirt marks covering her body, the Sun Pokémon was still able to stand and continue. Her opponent was not holding back, and she was glad that he wasn't.
Pikachu stayed in a defensive stance. He had a few scratches on his body, though they were virtually unnoticeable. Espeon was breathing heavily, preparing her next attack as mentally dictated by her Trainer. She was quick on her paws as she enacted a Quick Attack.
"… Iron Tail!"
Despite the head start Espeon had in her attack, Pikachu proved to be just as quick in retaliating with his favored Steel-type attack. The momentum she built up from Quick Attack was enough to counter the initial force that Iron Tail threw her way, but Pikachu adjusted his angle midair and sent Espeon darting off to the side.
"Espeon, no!" Anabel cried out.
Pikachu landed back on the ground with ease, filling a bit regretful for overdoing the force of Iron Tail. However, he and Ash knew of Anabel's wishes the moment she accepted the latter's invitation to train.
"… Let's call it a day," Ash announced, beckoning Pikachu to return to his side.
Anabel hesitated for a second before deciding to check on her friend's condition. She ran to Espeon's side, finding the Sun Pokémon to be exhausted with a few bruises on the side. She then glanced back to Pikachu, who didn't even appear to be scuffed up from their training battle. She remembered from their last battle years back that he and Espeon were practically on even terms. But now, Pikachu's proven to be in his own league.
"This training isn't even half of what you'd normally do," Anabel pointed out, recalling Espeon into her Poké Ball. "Is this how you've become so strong, Ash?"
"… It has, though not without consequence," Ash replied, looking away rather gloomily.
Anabel noticed Marowak, who was another Pokémon she noted that Ash kept out of the Poké Ball, tapping on his Trainer's leg with his club in an attempt to comfort him. She kept an amused smile to herself from seeing another resemblance between Trainer and Pokémon.
"Ash, on who you are, you're no different than the boy I met years ago," Anabel assured, walking to him. "You're still true to your convictions. Not only is that evident with the bonds you share with Pikachu and the rest of your Pokémon, but it's also in your heart. I can read into it well now since you've confided with me your story."
"… Thank you," Ash mumbled, lowering his head with a small smile before a sudden expression took over. "… Anabel?"
"Yes, Ash?"
"… Can I ask you… one more thing…?"
"Sure."
"… What's your reason on being a Pokémon Trainer?"
The question, as clear and blunt as it was, was sudden and unexpected. Anabel merely looked at Ash for a few seconds while the latter glanced back with a mildly bemused expression of his own.
"Do you mean why I became a Trainer in the first place?"
"… Yes. … Why do you battle? … What do you hope to accomplish where you are now…? … … You wanted nothing to be held back during our battle…"
Anabel had to admit that Ash was more perceptive than before. The only thing that mystified her was how he hadn't noticed her desire of helping him as a result of contained feelings she harbored for him since he left the Battle Tower. Brushing that thought aside, Anabel felt it would be right for her to share a bit of her history with him just as he did with her.
"Very well," Anabel answered. "Do you remember the announcer from my last match mentioning my relationship with Lucian of the Elite Four?" Ash gave a slight nod. "It's true that he's my older brother. It's kind of hard to explain, so please bear with me. I don't really seek to become stronger than him, even though my intentions may come off as this, but I want to prove myself separate from him, if that makes sense."
"… …?" Ash looked puzzled.
"People, including my own parents in the past, have compared us almost all the time," Anabel explained dismally. "You know where he's at: he's one of the strongest Trainers in the Sinnoh region and has defended his title as an Elite Four member well. That accomplishment easily overturns my own title and hard work."
"… But it shouldn't matter what others think about you or Lucian," Ash intervened, causing Anabel to look up at him. "… You should be proud of your accomplishments because you gained the power to earn them, not by comparing yourself to someone else."
"I know that, but it's just that… the expectations of people that mattered to me followed along the same crowd that saw little worth in me because of my brother overshadowing me was a lot for me to handle. Do you even know what it's like to live like that? That one wrong move would lose the respect and admiration people have for you all because you couldn't live up to their hopes? And to add more insult to injury, your own worth having value as a result of being dependent on the reputation of another?"
Anabel struggled not to break down after a surge of those related memories suddenly flooded her head. She felt completely robbed of everything, from her pastime to her own identity. In her despairing state, she certainly did expect two firm hands to be placed on her thin shoulders. Her watery lilac eyes received a full view of a familiar pair of passionate dark-brown eyes. This was the closest Anabel ever gotten to actually see Ash's eyes since they reunited.
"… Let me tell you of a saying my mom once told me," Ash said steadfastly, his words vibrating in Anabel's ears and softening her heart. "… Within my first days as a Trainer, she gave a saying about in few situations about a Pidgey laying Spearow eggs… At first I didn't understand… and that I also had a bad run-in with Spearow…"
Anabel bit down hard on her bottom lip to not laugh. She wasn't sure if Ash actually tried to be witty with that remark.
"Pikapi," Pikachu sighed, recalling their first day as well.
"… I want to be the best for this reason," Ash continued. Anabel continued to stare into his determined eyes, drawing in every word and sentiment he had to offer. "… I might not have had an impressive start or background, but I was able to draw out my inner potential and surpass many Trainers now… So I'm saying that it doesn't matter what other's see of you because of what they know about your background… Not only do you know your own background better than them, you have your more impressive talents and gifts that make you who you are… You decide your own destiny."
Anabel was speechless. Ash was able to take her situation and somehow relate himself through it with an anecdote of his own. Despite of their differences in style and personality, she saw how much alike she was with him and how they were no different in their goals of making something out of themselves.
"Thanks, Ash," Anabel managed to say, quickly sealing the gap between them by pulling the Pallet Town Trainer into a surprise hug. "I needed to hear that."
Ash blinked a few times before slowly reciprocating the hug by wrapping his arms around her slender back. At least he knew that she was sincere and earnest in her desire in becoming stronger. Though while they were in the hug, another though came into his mind.
"… Anabel?"
"Yes, Ash?"
"… … Why do you wish to help me?"
"… Eh?"
"… I noticed that you wanted to seek me out at first when you found my friends. … And when we did run into each other, you've made it a point to spend time with me. … I'm curious to know why…"
"… Um… Can we talk about this another day? I just need this hug right now."
"… Okay."
Ash said nothing more as Anabel buried her face deeper into his chest, trying to hide her blush from his gaze. She would've like it if he had actually picked up on the fact that she liked him, yet his responses and posture indicated that he had no clue on her feelings. And at her current emotional mood, she was in certainly no shape to confess any time soon.
Pikachu and Marowak, on the other hand, exchanged deadpan glances with one another.
"… Anabel?"
"… Hm?"
"… Hey, Anabel! You awake in there?"
"… Uh… Huh?"
Anabel's head jolted up reflexively, blinking a few times before four figures appeared in her line of sight. The closest one grinned as she sent a hand in to ruffle Anabel's hair while the three behind her gave off endearing smiles.
"You seemed to have spaced out, or at least dozed off for a bit while looking through your scrapbook," Greta surmised. "Anyway, Lucy, Dahlia, and Argenta are here. Are you ready to join us?"
"… You're actually going to go through with it?" Anabel inquired, having been rendered into disbelief by the Arena Tycoon's new attitude over the girls' night out.
"They're actually not that bad after much thought," Greta replied, still grinning. "Besides, we all need to unwind a bit before our battles. It's just going to get tougher from here on out."
"I've got the cream, oils, and nail polish," Lucy announced.
"I've got the snacks," Argenta added, holding up two stuffed plastic bags in her hands.
"And I've got the music, so no need to worry!" Dahlia sang out, striking a quick pose.
If there were any considerations for Anabel to note, one would be that she was grateful for making it this far in life and to have such wonderful friends and role models in her life.
Well, hopefully this should add some more to Anabel's character in this story now. Now let me make some interesting notes in case you were wondering:
I'm a bit of a LuckShipper (Brock x Lucy) so I threw that moment in. It won't be frequent, but it's nice to write about other characters for a change.
Anabel having photography as a hobby is a reference to the Pokémon Battle Frontier manga, where she was disguised as a photographer. I don't read manga, but it's as I said in the first few chapters that I'll pull in whatever I need to make things work, and that includes adding something for Anabel's background here.
The saying that Ash shared with Anabel about Pidgey laying Spearow eggs (or something along those lines) came from the Japanese version of the second episode of the original season, from when he came into Viridian City for the first time when he called his mother. I honestly didn't find out about that until I discovered someone making a comic out of it… or maybe it was some random blog spot I stumbled into a while ago. Probably both.
Finally, have you noticed that this story has a cover now? (If it hasn't shown up, it must be taking its sweet time loading.) I just want to give credit where credit is due. The talented illustrator behind the cover is none other than fellow Pokémon fan fiction author, True-InTha-Blue, author of the ongoing story, From One Side to Another, which was slightly based off of my brother's previous works. Anyway, I'll give you my personal recommendation to check his stories out and support him in his endeavors since he did me a remarkable favor of creating a cool cover, which might be a bit of a future spoiler, but then again, I'm over it.
It's time to measure up my writing skills. Please review!
L-ater!