He'd been staring at the screen for so long he could hear the quiet buzzing from the monitor inside his head.

An open document sat there on Larry's computer. Preliminary battle reports from the Kitakami festival to go along with an open proposal to Blueberry Academy that Geeta and some other party had commissioned Rika to write up.

He had to input data numbers into the program. He needed to create new entries in the League's database for the various Pokémon species found in Kitakami who aren't native to Paldea.

His fingers wanted to tap on that keyboard.

And yet… he was just sitting there. The motivation to work just… not coming to him.

Larry racked his head trying to figure out why.

I don't get it. I cut out all the distractions. I took everything off my mind. So why am I still unable to concentrate? This is so ridiculous.

Larry sipped from his hot coffee and hovered his fingers over the keyboard, ready to just forget it and start typing…

Then he threw his head back and groaned loudly. This caused everyone in their nearby cubicles to swivel their heads and look at him.

"…Sorry," he apologized meekly.

He slouched in his chair, still looking at the screen, as if he expected the numbers and words to just magically appear in the document. He let his hand fall off the armrest and lay open in his monotony.

Cupping his palm, he felt… he felt the sensation of something warm cupping it back.

A hand.

Katy's hand.

He thought back to last week. Sitting on that couch with her. Waiting for the words to come out. And having his hands be grasped by hers… as she smiled at him… that sweet, gentle smile… that always seemed to want to say "Hey. Everything's going to be alright. You'll see."

Larry smiled as the memory replayed in his head. He could almost feel a chuckle coming on.

-ERRT!- -ERRT!- -EERT!-

The loud noise of the copier being used across from his station brought Larry back to reality, to the reality where he was just a miserable bachelor with an office job again.

With a scoff, Larry got up from his chair.

Maybe a walk will clear my head.


Larry paced through the floors of the complex. The hallways were so wide and so empty minus the occasional passerbys that he could hear each an echo with each squeak of his shoes on the waxed floor.

His expression was mostly blank, but with a dour air over it, as he tried to assess where his mind was at.

I don't get it. I broke up with Katy because I couldn't afford time for a relationship. So now that I have all this time to get caught up on my work, I still can't get on track because she's dominating my thoughts. What else do I have to do to get over this silly crush I had and go back to my life?

Coming to a stop, he leaned over the railway overlooking the wide, windowed wall and looked outside at the mountainy and grassy terrain overlooking the League building. He could almost hear the wind from outside. Being as high up on the cliffs as this building is, there was always at least a mellow breeze in the air.

Larry was so used to the wind and whistles from training his Flying team that such constant wind was one of the few things about this insipid location that brought a level of comfort to him.

But that's only when he's outside, either coming to or heading out of work. Inside, the glass just impresses upon that feeling of being inside a prison.

He saw movement on the ground below and looked downward to see two little white things bouncing down on the grass below.

It was rare to see Tandemaus standing more than a foot apart from each other. It looked as if they were both sniffing the ground for something. Eventually, they came together again and held each other's hands.

Well that's more like it.

The two of them squeaked together and rubbed noses. The sight was rather cute, but looking at it strangely made Larry feel almost… jealous.

Suddenly one of them sounded a cry with its large open mouth. Two even tinier white faces poked up from behind a nearby rock, and the little children ran up at the call of their parents.

So not a Tandemaus at all, but a full Maushold.

The family reunited, all four of them took each other in for a big group hug.

Larry felt his palm squeezing on the railing.

"Do I… not get to feel happiness too?" he seethed.

Watching the happy mouse family down below seemed to fill him with nothing but resentment.

"When did it get to the point where I let other people be in complete command of my life? What stopped me from being able to make choices for myself!?"

Larry heard a noise and was brought out of his self-loathing when he turned around and saw that Hassel was awkwardly hanging out from the door of the restroom.

"I— umm…"

Larry sighed. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear any of that."

"Oh no, it's quite fine," Hassel assured him. "As a matter of fact, I—"

But Larry shoved his hands in his pockets and hustled away embarrassed before he could finish. With a sad sigh, Hassel grasped the open door.

"…I completely understand."


"Well first off, I definitely wish you'd told me a lot sooner that Geeta was filling your head with such poisonous thoughts," Tulip simmered, while contouring her face. "I always knew I was picking up a bad aura from her…"

Katy sat in a white chair in Tulip's dressing room. It was a room large enough that it could be called a studio in its own right, with racks upon racks of clothing lining up the dark space behind Katy. She watched her friend at work meticulously perfecting her appearance on the brightly lit vanity.

"Perhaps I was feeling secondhand how she was secretly bewitching you. Like a vengeful rooted plant sapping life from the more vulnerable flora around it. That's what I feel like she's always been."

"What she used to tell me made a lot of sense at the time," Katy admitted. "But… ever since what I told you Larry said to me about my battling style and how it would affect things, I've been doubting it too. So I don't know, I… I tried to just ignore it and get back to what I was best at before?"

"AGH!" Tulip yelled suddenly, causing Katy to look up. She held up a pair of tweezers. "…Sorry. Had to pluck a rogue lash. Continue."

"But it's like… you actually sort of hit the mark, like something's sucking up my energy. I don't know if it's just that I can't stop hearing Geeta's words in my head, or if I'm just… a demon to my own thoughts, and my confidence is just so far gone that I can't muster it up again."

"I see, I see," Tulip responded, applying her mascara. "So the true dilemma here is… how much of your problem is external, or is it now entirely internal?"

Katy nodded.

"If it's just about proving myself to Geeta, that's the easy part. If it's… the other way around. That this is all about my own self-doubt and inadequacy complex… that, I don't quite know how to deal with. A Gym Leader… can't function like that."

"Yesss… Although it's strange that you would call confronting Geeta directly the 'easy part'," Tulip mumbled. She had several shades of gray lipstick swatches on a board, and was holding them up to her own face to compare.

"Hmmm? What do you think, dearie?" She leaned her head so Katy could see her in the mirror. "I quite like this new darker shade down here I've just developed… but I'm feeling like maybe it clashes too much."

Katy peered to look at them more closely.

"You're right. You usually like to go for much lighter tones, I think that dark a shade of gray would stand out too much."

"I think I'm right too. Hmmm. Now that I'm looking at it, this color more suits Dendra's aesthetic, her 'spunky bullfighter' look. I might have to find a way to kidnap her and bring her here for… deep analysis," Tulip said with a mischievous smile. "So the lighter shade it is. We'll go for a mono-starlet look. Very perceptive!"

Katy played miserly with her hands. "I guess it's just… I told Larry this already, so I'd like to hear your opinion too, but… I just, I just don't want to drag the rest of you down if I really am too ill-suited to be a Gym Leader anymore."

Tulip didn't answer for a few moments. Katy kind of glanced awkwardly in her direction, unsure if she was contemplating or… just finishing her coat.

The latter seemed more the case when Tulip finally spun around, fully made up in her new look, and addressed Katy in a tone as if she was responding immediately.

"Katy, my sweet butterfly! Banish such ugly thoughts from your beautiful head!" She stood up in front of Katy and grabbed her cheeks. "You are such a sweet gem, one of the brightest shining stars I've ever met! You couldn't let all of us down even if you tried with all your might!"

Katy giggled in admiration. "You always know how to make me sound like an irrational idiot, Tulip."

"Not an idiot. Just the smartest one in the room." Tulip winked affectionately at her, and sat back down at her chair. "Here's the real shake of it, Katy. You already bring the rest of us up with your kindness and your spunk. That's the secret of your beauty. And… you don't actually need to go on being a Gym Leader to inspire everyone like that. You weave so much magic on your own, that you could keep on shining no matter what! Gym Leader or no, you'll always be Katy."

"I guess you're right," Katy shrugged. "Even if I threw all my passion into baking instead… I know everyone loves that."

"Exactly! And you've talked about your fears of Cortondo fading into dust with no spectacle, well… you are very intelligent and creative! I know even if you weren't a Gym Leader Katy, you'd find some extraordinary way to bring life back into your pretty little town." With a giggle, she noted, "And… of course, if you ever need some pizazz, you always have my number, darling. You know how much I can light a whole room."

Katy laughed. "Well I get what you're saying. All the outside factors don't matter, so the only thing to consider is whether I personally still have the passion for it."

Tulip held a finger up. "The passion… and the most important thing of all. The commitment. So many people come into this world with a head full of talents and their hearts with wonder and they think that's all it takes to succeed. But too many times, that's their costly mistake—"

"I know, I know," Katy interjected. "Your favorite saying about how some people should've never had the slightest bit of talent to begin with."

"I've had so many people call it a harsh way of looking at things, but it's true!" Tulip declared. "The real harshness is making it that far and discovering you never had the ability to see it through at all. That's why I caution people not as a form of pity, but as salvation! There's more to be said about embracing mundanity than most people will give it credit for. The truth is, not everybody has to be special. And not everyone is born to be. When you stop always looking to the stars, there's… so much beauty to be had down on Earth, living an ordinary but fulfilled life. Helping others. Living happily. …Just as you do, Katy."

Katy smiled brightly at her friend.

"I know you'll make the right decision. It's all about what might make you sad now… but happier, in the bright and beautiful future."

Katy got up from her seat. "Thank you, Tulip. Thank you so much. You've given me a lot to think about." Tulip got up and motioned for a hug, which Katy accepted. "You really are one of the best friends I could ask for."

"It's what I'm here for, sweetheart. And you know my door's always open when more of these evil clouds are sprouting in your head." Tulip broke off from the hug and noted, "…Just as long as my schedule is cleared, obviously."

"Obviously," Katy giggled. She turned to head out.

"Oh! And Katy?"

"Yeah?" Katy turned back around.

Tulip had a somewhat coy smile. "Once you've resolved that dilemma… I'm also here to help you win him back, if you need it."

Katy chuckled sadly. "I appreciate that Tulip, but… unfortunately, I fear that ship has sailed."

Tulip just giggled. "Don't be so sure. I can see the sparks still lighting in your eyes. No doubt… he's seeing them too. I think all it would take is a little push to make him see reason. Or he might even just call you up tomorrow hoping for a second chance."

Katy rolled her eyes. "You've been reading too many bookstore romance novels. And since when did you become so invested in Larry anyway? I thought you used to dislike him for being one of those non-commital types."

"I did, very true," Tulip nodded. "But then… the last time I met him, I saw something… much, much different in him."

"What did you see?" Katy asked curiously.

Tulip smiled back.

"You."


"Go Rajah! Squash that Cloddy flat with your Heavy Slam!"

"RAHHH! RAHHHH!"

"ORRRWUUGH!"

Rika picked up her iced coffee and took a huge slurp from it.

"Rika! Rika! Are you watching me?" Poppy called out. "My Pokémon are on… they're on... a lot of forms today!"

"You mean they're 'on full form'," Rika giggled. "And don't worry kiddo, I'm watching. They wouldn't call me 'four-eyes' if I couldn't see in two places at once!" she joked, briefly jostling her work glasses.

Both girls were hard at work inside the room normally reserved for Elite Four battles. Poppy had out her Tinkaton and Copperajah in a double battle against Rika's Camerupt and Clodsire. Rika was sitting on a bench nearby, legs crossed, iced coffee next to her, and her work tablet on her lap.

The door opened. Rika hastily uncrossed her legs and looked up from the tablet. She made a soft phew when she saw it was just Larry and resumed her relaxed pose.

"Suh, dude."

"…Rika."

Poppy waved excitedly when she saw Larry entering the room.

"Yay, Larry, you're here too! You get to wi—winness—you get to see me become the ultimate trainer in Paldea by squashing Rika's Pokémon with my friends!"

"Uh… huh."

He took a seat to Rika's right.

"So what's going on?"

Rika chuckled. "She found out in her class last week that Steel is really weak to Ground-types. So she's made it her goal to defeat my entire team with just her Steel-types. It's good training for her, so I'm encouraging it."

"Who are you betting on?"

"Well… I instructed my Pokémon to just treat it like a training session and go easy on her. But… she's been going all in on my Clodsire for some reason. Camerupt's just sitting there, so I'm worried she forgot that Fire is also good against Steel and… I feel like that's going to be a rude awakening, if ya know what I mean." She said that last bit in a hushed tone as if to convey dread.

"I see."

Larry sat still for a bit. Rika eyed him to try to read his body language. She'd noticed a shift in his mood this week: he looked a lot less sleep-deprived and was slouching less, meaning he was at least getting his tasks done a little better and sleeping closer to his usual routine.

But… he also seemed more despondent. And distant, like he was even less attentive of his surroundings than usual. Hassel had confided in her the local gossip that he and Katy had broken up, since nobody had seen the two of them together anywhere all week. Rika feared this was probably true, especially since she remembered him fretting over having to give something up after his big panic attack.

She didn't want to press on Larry while she was vulnerable, but… even if he didn't acknowledge her as a friend, she still felt a duty to make sure he was okay.

"Hey… you doin' alright?"

Larry shrugged. "Yeah. I'm… fine. Just thinking about some things, is all." He noticed her working on her tablet and said, "How's that proposal letter coming along?"

"Oh, I scrapped that for now, my head's not in the right place for the boss's little punishment assignment," Rika answered. "So I'm just going to do it at home tonight or something."

"In that case, the Kitakami collation thing can wait until morning too."

Rika chuckled softly. Larry decided to sit back as he watched Poppy's grueling battle. His soul-searching the past hour had led him here, now it was just a matter of airing it out.

"…How do you handle it so well?" Larry eventually asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"All of this, I mean. Between all your roles in this building, being an Elite Four member… and looking after a kid? Feels like… your stress levels should be comparable to mine. And yet, you're so laidback. To the point that it's nauseating."

Rika made a face at that last remark.

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment. But umm…" She put down her tablet and composed herself as she thought. "I don't know. Tell ya what though, Larry. You might think I don't look so stressed, but you're right. It can be a very stressful routine. I just wear a mask every day to look like I have it so well put together."

"Hmm."

"Well… mostly. Me trying to keep a happy demeanor is something genuine, because just a smile a day can take you all the way."

"Is that one of your therapist's sayings?"

"No! It's all mine." Rika then chuckled. "I guess it does sound like a saying. But it's like I told you before, just keeping a positive attitude goes a long way even when you feel like you have plenty of reasons not to be. And trust me I've… I've had my share of troubles too. A lot of this was… well, it was very much foisted onto me."

"That much, I can relate to," Larry replied.

"To be honest… sometimes, it… it still gets to me. Not only having all this sudden responsibility to help support a child but… especially so soon after losing someone who was a genuine friend in that… accident," Rika began to trail off. "I just wish I had some form of closure as to what… happened to them."

Larry noticed her hands beginning to tremble.

"You okay?"

Rika took a deep breath. "Yeah. Sorry." She chuckled again. "See? I told you I wear a mask."

"So what do you do? … I mean, to always stay so positive about it? Even when you feel like you have so many responsibilities and not enough time to tend to all of them?"

Rika took off her glasses and thought on that one for a good minute.

"Well… I guess, I guess it's all about learning not to psyche yourself out about the things you can't control, and… figuring out how to take stock of the things you can. Y'know? Focusing on the things you can change instead of fretting about the things you can't. Figure out your limits and all that. And maybe some of the things you think are really important… aren't as huge a deal as you make them out to be."

Larry soaked in these words. Then, Rika gasped.

"Think of it this way! What are the things that matter to you now, versus… the things that are going to matter a year or even five years from now? You get what I'm saying?"

After pondering it for a bit, Larry nodded. "I think so?"

"Good." She smiled and said, "I hope that helps with… whatever you're trying to figure out."

Larry sat in silence again for a little while. As he watched Rika's Clodsire faint from the onslaught of attacks from a Terastallized Tinkaton, he thought of something else.

"I have another question," he said.

"What's what?"

"Do you feel like you…" he squinted his eyes. "…belong here?"

Rika titled her head. "Like… in this building?"

"No, like… this," he said, gesturing to the whole Elite Four room.

Rika thought about this for a second.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd say so. It's a fun distraction, makes it a joy to see new types of battlers… and gives me more time to spend with Poppy outside of work."

"Hmm."

Rika turned to him and gazed for a bit.

"…Do you?"

Larry was about to answer, when suddenly a huge burst of orange light hit them.

"CAMMMMMERUPT!"

"Wha—? NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Uh oh," said Rika. "Here come the tears. You probably don't want to be around for this."


A day later.

Pen in hand. A sheet of paper lit by candle fire. A tall red envelope underneath it. And a very still hand.

Katy sat at a small table in the middle of her kitchen. Lit by a single candle, she had been attempting to compose a letter.

She had gotten as far as the words "Dear Geeta," but beyond that, she sat still, experiencing severe writer's block on what to put next. She went over several candidates for a first sentence in her head, none of them sounding right.

Her Venonat strolled up to her, a cup of tea in its paws. Katy graciously accepted it.

"Thank you."

Even as she sipped her tea, her mind seemed to be at a stand-still.

This needs to be done so delicately. I have to find the right words to properly convey to her my state of mind on this. But… what can you even say to a woman like Geeta that'll get her to see your point of view? Larry's not wrong in complaining about how stubborn she is…

Katy sighed sadly at Larry having come up in her mind.

"Larry would know the right things to say, I bet…" she mumbled.

Venonat chirped curiously as it waddled closer to Katy.

Katy affectionately rubbed its head. "You miss your friend too, don't you?" Venonat gave a despondent chirp in response. "I do too. Even just having him here right now would help out a lot." She felt her heart warm up. "That man is so good at helping me keep my mind level. And… that's what I wish I had right now more than anything…"

Katy gave a resigned sigh as she picked up the pen again, hoping this time she could think better.

But just at that moment, her phone started ringing. Rotom nestled itself out of Katy's bag and hovered over to her.

"Answer."

-BZZT!-

"Hello?"

"Hi, Katy. …It's Larry."

Her pen dropped out of her hand.

"L-Larry? Hi."

"Hello. … How have you been?"

"I'm… alright. How are you?"

Katy was admittedly delighted to hear his voice again, but also curious. They hadn't talked to each other for a whole week since their breakup.

"Umm… Well, I've been spending most of my time thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things. I've been considering my place here, here at the Pokémon League, and… …and I've been thinking about last week. How I approached things."

Katy's eyes lit up.

"I want to apologize. In the benefit of hindsight, I'm thinking I was acting too rash. And now I think I've come up with a better idea. If it's okay with you, I'd… like to come over and talk to you about something."

Her eyes widened even further. Tulip, are you an actual psychic?

"Umm, y-yeah, sure! I'm… free for the rest of the day."

"Oh. Great." Though that response would sound dull to anyone else, Katy detected a hint of excitement in it. "I get off work in a bit, so, I'll come over then."

"Sounds like a date! I mean, sounds great. I'll see you then. Bye, Larry."

"Bye, Katy." He hung up.

Katy felt her hands shaking and her heart thumping. Now, beyond most other times in her life, she was feeling more anxious than ever.

Venonat chirped curiously again.

"Ohhh, Venonat! Do I dare assume…? I wonder what kind of… thing he's planning." Her voice trailed back down, as she found herself looking down again, and remembered what she was doing before.

She held up her still mostly empty letter to Geeta. After staring at it for a few more seconds, she decided to fold it for now. Underneath the folded letter was the open Pokémon League-branded envelope with another sheet sticking out of it.

Katy turned over the sheet, an official Pokémon League resignation form. Fully filled out.

After some thought, Katy tucked away both the form and the letter in the envelope.