Katy had her hands to her lips as she processed.
"So… let me see if I'm understanding this right. You've arranged an appointment with Geeta for tomorrow, and your plan is to… retire from the Elite Four?"
Larry paced up and down in her living room.
"Only at the most extreme. This is the conclusion I've come to, and what I'm hoping to lay out to Geeta. I just can't… do all this anymore. All of these responsibilities at once. It's far too much for one person, and I'm finally allowing myself to believe that stretching myself out is… not allowing me to be at my best."
He stopped pacing and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So… I'm giving her an ultimatum. Either I forfeit my position in the Elite Four, or failing that I need a large enough reduction in my workload to let me better focus on training and battles."
Katy took a minute to process all of this.
"I guess I just.. didn't expect that you would prefer to keep your salary job over… being in the Elite Four."
Larry sighed and sat down next to her.
"I mean, I don't love my salary job, Katy," he clarified. "But, unfortunately, it's what pays my bills and it's something I could never talk Geeta into letting me go from. And besides, well… Rika likes to call me a perfectionist about this, but, I've always struggled with this fear that nobody else could do these tasks as well as me because it's been only me doing them for so long. In a strange way, it's… been almost nice to feel so indispensable."
Katy nodded, finding that this oddly related to her and her responsibilities as a Gym Leader for Cortondo. In fact, it gave her enough pause that she looked like she was having second thoughts about something. But she kept her eyes on Larry, not wanting to look like she was focusing on something else.
"I guess what I'm saying is… I feel like I belong there in that cubicle more than I belong with the Elite Four. I already get my fair share of battles as a Gym Leader. And whenever I'm there, with everyone else, I feel like such a square peg. Every Challenger always looks at me when I come out like they don't understand why I'm there. I don't connect with Rika and Hassel at all. Or the girl."
"You sure about that?" asked a confused Katy. "When I was hanging out with you and Poppy, it seemed to me like she adores you quite a lot."
"Of course she does. Little kids love anyone who spends their whole day entertaining them. But being honest, I think if I were to leave now, within a year she'll have forgotten I was ever there."
Katy made a face suggesting she disagreed heavily. Larry saw it and understood how harsh he sounded.
"Look, the bottom line really, is that the only way for me to keep on going is to cut my focus in one area or another. I think… I just think this is the best path forward for me."
Katy took it all in and nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll support you in everything if you're really sure this is what you want…"
Larry smiled. "I am, Katy. Because, the real important matter in all of this is…" Katy was startled when he grasped her hand in his. "More than anything else, I missed this. I missed… us."
The two of them looked into each other's eyes. They saw the same things they had seen in each other the first day they met. Larry saw the sparkling radiance of a kind soul in her teal eyes. And Katy was reminded of how fixated she was on Larry's unique square gray pupils when she first locked eyes with them. So many lifetimes had passed since that magical moment.
"Oh, Larry…"
Katy wanted to smile with him. A part of her even wanted to lean in close to his warm body. However, the more rational part of herself made her pull away.
"I want this… just as much as you. But…"
"But what?"
Katy sighed. "I need you to make a promise to me."
"What's that?"
"I just need to know that… all of this… you're not doing it just so we can get back together again." She took a sharp breath and continued, "I missed you too, and I would love more than anything to go back to what we had before. But… I can only do that with a Larry who's truly happy, not just on the outside, but on the inside too. Not like before, when you were giving so much of yourself you were wasting away. So this time… I need you to look at me and tell me that you're not just doing this for me, but for yourself too."
Larry took a moment to breathe in.
"I'm doing this for myself. I swear it," Larry solemnly told her. "Having time for a relationship is just one part in all of this. I also want to take back control of my life, and, and feel like my own person again. That's what this is all truly about."
He put his hand around her face to help her feel assured. This made her smile, and Larry smiled in return. Larry never smiled much when they first met. But every time she saw that grin now, it made her feel like a chocolate mountain being melted down by the sun.
Once they had settled though, he threw his head back on the couch.
"Now what's wrong?"
"Well it's just… In a weird way, it feels like I'm still on the easy part, even though this took a lot to figure out. But truthfully, the hard part will be going up to the boss herself."
"Mmm," Katy agreed, her eyebrows raising up as she thought on the prospect of dealing with La Primera.
"That woman is like a wall of steel. Unmoving. Unflinching. Almost impossible to bend."
"I… take it this would be your first serious time trying to negotiate a change in your position with her?"
Larry nodded. "Geeta is stubborn as all heck. I don't know how many people have successfully walked out of a meeting with her having gotten everything they wanted. But it can't be very many."
Katy nodded too, knowing full well what Larry meant. She remembered when Geeta first posited her suggestion to tone down her Gym Battles, and how even though she insisted it was only a suggestion, her body language and manner of speaking felt so stonewalling that it made Katy feel like she wasn't taking no for an answer on it.
Especially when she threw open that alternative option that in some ways offended Katy even more…
Katy tried to think of what she would've done differently in that scenario. What sort of things her parents and her mentors used to teach her.
…What was that one trick Kofu showed me?
Then her eyes lit up. And a wry smile began to cross her lips.
"You know… I think I know a way to help with that."
"What's that?"
"I'm going to teach you what Master Kofu taught me about… the art of negotiating," she said rather craftily.
"…Okay?"
"First, I'm going to need you to stand there in the middle of the room."
Larry looked puzzlingly towards the spot. "Why do I need to—"
"Don't argue. Just do it."
Larry sighed. "Okay."
He got up from the couch, planted his feet at the center of Katy's living room, and awaited further instructions.
Katy stood up and walked up to address him eye-level. She stifled the temptation to giggle now that she was on this end of the lesson.
"Okay. So this is important. Right now, for the sake of this exercise, pretend that I'm Geeta." Larry scoffed in disbelief. "As hard as that might be," she smiled.
"When trying to negotiate, remember to always be straight. Always be prompt. And always be focused. Don't lose that focus no matter what, even if your opponent does something that seems very distracting."
With that, Katy suddenly walked off and into the kitchen. Larry maintained his focus, even though he was very confused. Katy flipped on a radio on the kitchen counter, and he couldn't help but look even more bewildered to hear slow music playing.
Katy rushed back in and stood in the same place.
"Very good. Now to start off, let's see that firm handshake."
Larry held out his left hand, and Katy took it in a firm grasp. All seemed well… until Larry tried to take his hand back. Much to his surprise, Katy wasn't letting go for some reason.
"Umm—"
"Hey, eyes up here, remember?" Larry did what she said, even though he was getting more flustered. "Now. We'd better make sure you can shake with the other hand too, okay?"
Larry gave her a face, but Katy just kept looking at him insistently. So, not wanting to argue, he held his right hand out. And, as he feared, Katy was holding firm onto that one too.
"Now what?"
Katy chuckled. "Now start negotiating. And put your best foot forward."
"I… okay." He cleared his throat. "Hello… Geeta. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I need to discuss something with you."
Katy cleared hers. "I said 'best foot forward'." She pointed down to Larry's foot.
Larry gave her another look, but stepped his right foot out. Katy drew hers back.
"Ummm, Geeta I need to discuss something with you."
"Well I don't have all day," Katy said in a snooty tone, suddenly stepping forward with her foot and forcing Larry to retract his. "So it'd better be something important."
"It is… uhh…" Hesitantly, he put his foot forward again. "I'd like to negotiate a contract change to withdraw from the Elite Four."
"Withdraw?" Katy repeated in mocked shock, foot forward. "What a startling demand! Why ever would you want to despair me with this?"
Larry put his foot forward. "I can't stretch myself to work under both roles and do all the assignments you need me to do any longer. I need to achieve balance and—" Katy, still holding both hands, started forcing him to sidestep to the right. "What are you doing?"
"The topic of the conversation changes fast when negotiating! You have to be ready to move with it! Now why should I grant these terms upon you?"
Larry side-stepped to the left along with Katy. He smirked as he finally started to get an idea of what was happening.
"Because, I've been thinking long and hard, and I think this is the best way that the both of us can maintain our professional relationship going forward."
"Oh but…" Katy let go of one hand and did a spin on the floor as she wailed, "But how ever could the Elite Four manage without you as one of its tentpoles? You're supposed to be the light that guides all Trainers!"
"Alright, you're getting a little too good at that…" Larry muttered. And since when was Kofu a master of ballroom dancing? "The Elite Four can manage fine without me, Geeta." He let go and did a flashy pose with his outstretched arm as he caught Katy. "It has in the past. You'll find someone else who can dedicate themselves to it far better than I can."
"Oh, I just don't know!" Katy spun herself a full 360 multiple times. "I think you're going to have to persuade me extra hard on this."
"Well," Larry smiled mischievously. "I think you'll find…" He grabbed Katy's hand and did a full dip, his whole body shadowing over hers. "…that I can be very persuasive."
Katy was breathless, and beginning to sweat. "Well, I—I—I think we can safely discuss terms then."
Larry held her in that pose for a few seconds, before they finally broke off and threw their heads back laughing.
"Tell me…" said Larry, who was actually wiping a tear from his eye. "Why hadn't we ever done that before?"
Katy responded, having not dropped the snooty voice, "Well my office has always been open, Larry. All you had to do was knock."
"Okay, you actually need to cut that out before I start feeling weird about our boss," Larry laughed, waving it off.
Katy laughed as she playfully waved her arms around.
"So, how do you feel?"
"Well… to tell you the truth, I don't know how much that actually improved my conversation skills, but it felt great."
"Good! You probably feel some of that anxiety and self-doubt writhing away too! Right?"
Larry raised his eyebrow and chuckled. "Are you seeing the same therapist as Rika?"
"Tell you what, big guy." Katy walked over and put her hands on Larry's shoulders. "When you see Geeta tomorrow, you just remember our little training session and keep that energy with you, and you'll be able to talk off a mountain. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Larry chortled. He wrapped his arms around Katy's shoulders too. "And… after that, then what?"
"Then…" The two began to slow dance again. "Maybe we can really start with some hard negotiations, if you know what I mean."
Larry snickered, and the two of them found themselves giggling like a happy couple in the middle of Katy's living room.
The Paldean sun beamed brightly over the tranquil land of Cortondo that next morning. Starly were chirping in the air, flocks of Mareep were grazing, children were playing outside…
And a very eager chef hustled down the streets with a spring in her step and a beaming smile on her face.
She greeted every single person she saw on the street. They all happily greeted her back.
Katy swung open the doors of Patisserie Soapberry, where the staff was busily setting up for another busy day in the bakery.
"There's the star of the show!" one of the chefs, a young tan-skinned girl named Rebecca with dreads called out.
"Morning, Chef!" called out Krista.
"Good morning, everyone!" Katy warmly greeted back. "Everyone ready for the breakfast crowds?"
"Ready and willing!" called out Rebecca, moving trays out onto the counter.
"What's got you so happy today, Chef?" Damien asked, wiping down tables.
"Oh, I'm awaiting some news, Damian. Some very, very good news, I'm hoping."
"Gonna bust out the champagne?" asked Krista.
Katy giggled. "That's not actually a bad idea, my little prodigy! But you know what they say about putting the cart before the Mudsdale!"
Katy hopped into her little "dressing room" to put the rest of her accessories on. She briefly glanced at the wall where she'd ripped the photo frame of her younger self from. It made her frown for a second, but she quickly shook it off, knowing she would have plenty of time to reassess all that later. Today was about nothing but hosting good vibes and hopefully broadcasting them across the mountains to where Larry was probably locked in battle at this very moment.
The breakfast rush kept the staff at Patisserie Soapberry busy, and like most mornings there was barely any time to breathe before dozens of people on their lunch break rushed to the shop wanting something sweet to eat to take their minds off the monotony of day-to-day work.
Larry had often been among this crowd the past few months, but Katy wasn't surprised to not see him there today. She knew that even if that morning's meeting had gone well with Geeta, that he'd have a lot on his plate to deal with in the immediate aftermath.
The crowd of young people that had been driven to Cortondo after Iono's stream had also all but dissipated by this point. In some ways, that was a blessing, as the Soapberry was better able to manage their stock with the demand now. Katy knew her staff was also getting annoyed about the youths who were clearly only there to see Katy and try to score some clout by photographing themselves with her sweets (and only sometimes actually eating them) and livestreaming inside the store itself.
But on the other hand, once Iono had asked her frothing Ionites to grant the couple their privacy, hardly any of them stayed around in Cortondo for even a day afterwards, lest wanting a Gym Battle with Katy or sampling the other shops in town. As one could imagine, this left Katy with mixed feelings on her already damaged self-esteem and her preexisting worries over the town's withering legacy.
She knew she needed something to take her mind off all these brewing anxieties. As the lunch crowd began to thin out and the Soapberry entered its quieter hours, Katy thought back to Larry and what he was trying to accomplish today.
Feeling confident that her negotiating "tips" had given him enough push to succeed in at least negotiating his load of paperwork, which would be enough cause for celebration on its own, Katy suddenly felt inspired in that moment.
She reached up to open the top cupboards above her kitchenette and took out several jars of vanilla extract.
"Hey, Rebecca!" she called out to one of her chefs.
"Yes, Chef?"
"Can you check if we still have some Oran and Kelpsey Berries in the freezer room?"
A bag of goodies shook vibrantly in Katy's hands as she strolled down the road back to her house after a long day's work. She had a hopeful look on her face, expecting to hear some good news from Larry when she had a chance to call him.
She'd also been doing a lot of thinking while hard at work today, particularly about her anxieties regarding her Gym Leader position and the… action she's been considering taking.
Katy ultimately decided that whatever decision Larry and Geeta came to was going to help give her some perspective on what to do next and that she would maybe even ask Larry for his opinion once all is said and done.
Especially on dealing with Geeta, a prospect Katy still couldn't begin to imagine doing directly right now.
Katy made it to her house and opened the door. She almost dropped her bag in shock when she walked in and immediately saw Larry standing in her living room, affectionately playing with her Venonat.
"Veno! Veno!"
"Oh… sorry," said Larry. "I should've called first, but I kind of just… wandered here and let myself in. I figured you wouldn't mind."
"Well, of course I don't mind, but don't go giving a girl a heart attack!" she laughed. "This definitely saves me the trouble of calling you. So, don't hold out! How did it go?"
"…"
Larry looked to the floor instead of answering. Katy's smile immediately faltered.
"Uh-oh… did… nothing change?"
"Well, it did, in a way…" Larry answered kind of half-heartedly. "Let's sit down first."
"So are you… still in the Elite Four?"
"I am," Larry nodded. "Still working all three roles."
"So what's the change?"
He looked at her with a blank expression. "I'm going to be moved to a new office. …All my own."
Katy was confounded. "Oh. … And the amount of work?"
Larry sighed. "Still the same. But… I'm being given an assistant."
"Oh! Well that's… good?" Katy tried to ascertain. "It sounds… a lot like a promotion?"
"A promotion usually comes with a salary increase."
"Yikes. Will that at least… help you with getting your work done faster?"
"That's what Geeta claims. Because having all the work Rika had been ghost-writing diverted back to me, on top of having to spend time chasing down some young woman, approving all her documentation and correcting all of her mistakes. Yeah, that's going to give me soooooo much more free time," Larry lamented, dripping with as much sarcasm as he could muster.
"Uh-huh…" Katy replied, looking crushed for Larry. "So this… this really is the result of you laying down everything for her, huh?"
"Oh yeah. I went through it all. Talked about my stress levels, about how I'm on the verge of a breakdown, I even went further than I should've and told her about our relationship. And this is what she gives me. A ton more on my plate, a pat on the back… and one last condescending remark that she 'expects' me to just get over my stress and get my work output back up to shape! No more excuses," he seethed.
Katy was stunned and downtrodden.
"I never… expected the boss to be so unemphatic to all your concerns," she said, shaken.
She stared off into the distance in disbelief, trying to grapple with what she was hearing.
"I don't suppose then… that in regards to us…"
Larry's head drooped down with a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, Katy. I'm so sorry. But… I think with this development, we're back to square one now."
"Maybe not!" Katy replied in desperation. "You could always see her again! Explain to her why this won't work! About how much more it puts on you! You could just, you could—"
"Katy. Katy." Larry said repeatedly, trying to interrupt her. Finally he shouted "KATY!"
She went quiet.
"Look…" He grasped Katy's hand and held it in both of his. "I've done all I can. I got the best deal I can get out of Geeta. And in a weird way… I think this is more hopeful." Katy shook her head defiantly. "No. It is. Who knows, maybe in a year's time… or two, after I've gotten used to this new routine, maybe I will find a way to divvy up my time better… and who knows by then."
He chuckled softly. "Or… maybe we'll both find someone who fills that hole in our hearts again." Katy once again shook her head indignantly. "But no matter what Katy… there's one thing this doesn't change. I'll always care about you. And… we'll always be friends. No matter what."
Katy gave a smile. But it was a half-hearted one. And Larry knew that. He smiled back at her as best as he could. Then he finally noticed what she had set on the coffee table.
"What's in the bag?"
"Oh." Katy's attention was drawn to the bag, which at first made her smile again but then it became an awkward frown. "Well, this is something that I had… well, I baked them for the both of us, they were going to be a celebratory thing."
She grabbed a plate and started laying them out. They were tan-colored cookies with white glittery frosting, and pieces of fruit sprinkled on top.
Venonat ran over and took a big sniff, then started hopping up and down in excitement.
"They're vanilla cookies, with Oran and Kelpsey Berry bits on top. I frosted them to look like—"
"Just like your Terstallized cupcakes!" Larry realized.
"That's right!" Katy beamed. "The miracle cupcakes that brought us together in the first place."
Larry chortled at the connection.
"Well, I'll tell you what." He grabbed a cookie. "Even if it's not cause for celebration… at least something good happened to me today. Thank you, Katy," he said, sincerely smiling at her.
"Ohhh, you're going to make me blush," she replied, shuffling adorably. "Well, don't just sit there. Tell me what you think!"
Larry didn't hesitate. He popped the cookie straight into his mouth. A few months ago, Katy would've been surprised to see him wolf the whole thing down instead of just taking a bite. But she knew him by now and could only snicker.
"Katy…" he said, with a full mouth until he swallowed. "This is amazing. It's a similar flavor to your old cupcakes, but having the fruit pieces on top instead of baking them inside causes their essence to pop out in a much different way. It's like… sweetness meets tartness in a thrilling new combination!"
Katy broke into a laugh for a second. She had grown to love hearing Larry's long diatribes about food by this point.
That laugh gave way to sadness again after a while, as reality hit Katy. She realized how much she had been taking moments like these for granted… and how much sparse they were going to be in the future.
The two sat on the couch along with Katy's Venonat munching on the cookies for a bit, but Katy eventually resorted to leaning on her windowsill, watching as Combee fluttered around outside, and groups of Smoliv congregated together.
To live the simple life of a Pokémon sometimes…
Larry looked worryingly at Katy. He couldn't see her face, and thus couldn't tell what she was thinking. He decided to say something that might cheer her up.
"You know… I don't want to speak too soon, but maybe after a few weeks, when everything's settling… I could arrange for a day off."
Katy didn't respond.
"I could come down and see you, when you're not busy either. We could do something fun like… hitting the auction house in Porto Marinada again. Find a new restaurant to eat at. Or… maybe even have another friendly battle."
…
"It's not completely hopeless."
Katy remained still at the windowsill, holding her cookie but not eating it. She looked up at the sky and thought back on the fun adventures she and Larry had had together.
Except… she wasn't thinking about the day at the markets, or their friendly battle at the Treasure Eatery. Those things they did early on in their friendship.
She thought about all the things they did as they grew much closer and spent more time with each other.
Confessing to each other in Larry's apartment.
Going out on a picnic date in the Tagtree Thicket.
Spending a whole day playing games with Poppy.
Seeing the waterfall above Alfornada.
Saving Katy's hat from a herd of Tauros.
Laughing at videos on the Internet together.
And just… seeing Larry get to smile and laugh so much the more she drew him out of his shell. And how much he made her laugh. Those precious moments when neither of them had a care in the world.
These memories all replayed in Katy's hand, swirling around like a mixture of happiness and nostalgia, but also of something… taunting…
The more she dwelled on them, the more she felt she was being taunted. Memories of a wonderful life and a relationship that felt like they were being torn away from her now. The more and more she tried to see these memories for the bright, warm colors they brought to her life, the more she felt like she was beginning to see nothing but red.
It wasn't fair…
None of this was fair…
None of this is fair.
Katy's eyes squeezed further and further shut, and her fist began to clench so much she didn't realize she was crushing her cookie into pieces.
Finally, with a huge crunch, her fist closed tightly. Her eyes snapped open wide as saucers, and she drew a sharp breath, like something in her had cracked.
"Guh!"
"K-Katy? Are… you okay?"
From Larry's perspective, Katy was still motionless at the window. Before, he thought her form looked serene. Now it was almost… unnerving.
Despite that, Katy turned around with the brightest smile on her face.
"Yes! Yes, I'm fine, Larry. I just… it's a pity, because I just remembered I need to go do something," she answered blissfully. "Umm… the Artisan Bakery down the road. I was supposed to go there after work to stock up on bread for the shop, and it totally slipped my mind! You don't… mind too much if I head out, do you?"
"Uhh—no. No, I don't mind at all," Larry replied. "Are you… leaving right now?"
"Afraid so!" said Katy, slipping her shoes back on. "I'll just have to grab my bag here and be on my way."
She went over to a shelf near her coat rack and picked up her brown satchel bag. Venonat saw her doing this and reacted with a very curious "Veno?"
Katy got up to the door and was halfway out before she turned back around.
"Oh! Were you staying or going?"
"Umm…" Larry relaxed his back a little on Katy's couch. "Would it, be too much of a problem if I stayed here for a bit longer, actually? This place has become… quite comforting to me. And I don't know the next time I'll be able to sit here again."
"Of course," Katy smiled. "Stay as long as you need. My exceptional man."
The door closed behind her. Larry seemed very bemused.
"Well that was… a hasty goodbye."
Venonat hopped up to the door and titled its head.
"Veno…" it said in a concerned tone.
"Hmm? Did something about that seem off to you too?"
Katy was striding along the road with a bounce in her step again. All the townspeople she had greeted that morning stopped to wave to her once more. And she waved back to all of them.
"How's our Sugarbug doing this afternoon?" a kindly man shouted at.
"Doing great, Florence!" Katy said very happily. "Got an errand to run!"
"Evenin', Katy!"
"Good evening to you too, Mr. Whipple!"
"Our sweet battling sensation Katy!" the female shopkeeper of Artisan Bakery called out as she scrubbed the windows. "You whip up any action today?"
"Not today, Margaret," Katy chuckled as she walked past.
A few of the local kids were playing on the big field where the Gym Test happens, and ran up when they saw Katy leaning on the town's exit sign.
After calling a number on her phone, she beamed with delight as she greeted the young children, rubbing one boy's head and agreeing to one who asked for her autograph.
When the Flying Taxi pulled up, the kids all waved goodbye to her. She made a humongous wave back at him, and climbed into the cab smiling all the while.
Only of those kids would swear that when he watched Katy get in, it looked like she was balling up a fist as she got in and the cab started flying over the mountainside.