Note- I was hoping to have this one out to you before the end of August, but I'm happy it didn't take much longer! As we blast through the dog days of summer, the hints of fall are on the horizon. Or at least, that's what I'm telling myself. This heat has been unrelenting and the dry conditions have been brutal on my allergies. Even so, I know we're turning a corner!
And speaking of turning a corner, we've arrived at the final battles of the 2nd round of the tournament! Chris, Waz, and a couple others have already punched their tickets into the quarterfinals. We still have some major players fighting to join that group as well. We'll get a peak at both groups in today's installment of Heart and Soul!
Please consider dropping a review and follow/favorite for notifications about future chapters!
Chapter 68
The stream of fire slammed into Kangaskhan's stomach. She doubled over, waving one arm at the growing flames around her. Through the steaming haze, Magmar looked to be charging a golden orb between his hands. The Normal-type fought to stand back up, but the effort only sent her down to a knee.
"Let 'em have it!" Mitch roared.
The Spitfire Pokémon brought his arms forward. The ball of energy leapt from his open palms and swung toward his immobilized opponent. Only, she wasn't there anymore.
"Ele'!"
The Electric Pokémon charged through the flames, his feet stomping out the licking embers. He stormed ahead, undaunted by the approaching Focus Blast. That was the courage Luke had leaned on over these past few months. It was what they needed now to have a chance to make it to the finish line.
"Thunder and lightning!" Luke called.
Sparks poured from Electabuzz's fists as he brought both arms up. His stomps shifted to shuffling, feet sliding to the left, then right.
"Right!"
The golden orb swung into range and Electabuzz twisted toward it, his right arm lashing out. The jab caught the orb squarely in its center. Electricity rippled across the ball of energy, sparks surging out in every direction. Luke gritted his teeth, now realizing his maneuver might cause the orb to explode in his teammate's face.
"Electa'!"
The Electric-type gave a loud grunt. He turned his body, left shoulder pulling back. His arm swung down and the violent orb followed. It spun into the ground several feet away, energy erupting from the collision. But Electabuzz had used his twisting momentum to spin closer to his opponent, his posture returning back to a boxer's stance: body squared, arms up, feet shoulder length apart. Just like they'd practiced.
"We'll meet ya head on!" Mitch howled, his drawl on full display. It sounded a little too similar to Luke's father. "Fire Punch!"
Magmar bent his knees and brought his right hand up to eye level. Flames burst to life around his claws as he clenched them into a shaking fist. Pretty soon his whole body shook. Whether that was from rage or exhaustion, Luke couldn't tell. It would have made him feel a lot better about his teammate's wild approach had he known. Magmar had seen quite a bit of action in this battle, with plenty of success along the way. He'd taken out Luke's Hypno and brought Kangaskhan to her breaking point. The latter would be his last hope if the Spitfire Pokémon managed to knock out his battle-worn Electabuzz. Luke couldn't let it all come down to that one-on-one.
Electabuzz uncorked a left hook the moment he got within striking distance. Magmar moved to the left, staggering as his tired legs tried to keep up and hold his weight simultaneously. Electabuzz's punch sailed through the open air he had just occupied, and it was Electabuzz's turn to stagger. Magmar found his balance and threw a hook of his own. Electabuzz ducked, but the fiery punch nearly took off his head antenna. The Electric-type roared, pain and fury mixed together. He brought his left arm up, along with the rest of his body, in an uppercut that might have launched Magmar into the sky had it landed cleanly. The Spitfire Pokémon pulled his head back, leaving the punch to glance off the top of his torso. Magmar let out a hiss that could have been mistaken for the scalding air rippling off his body. His next punch looked to be more of a jab, snapping out much quicker than Luke had expected.
'Bob and weave' he tried to say, but the words all ran together. Somehow, Electabuzz did just that though. His right shoulder dipped, leaving Magmar's punch to swing just over his left. Magmar tried another jab, but Electabuzz avoided it with a pivot to his left. Luke's eyes went wide as the Electric Pokémon's body continued moving left, to the point where he nearly went parallel to the ground. His legs were nearly gone. And why wouldn't they be? Electabuzz had toppled Mitch's dizzyingly fast Beedrill and the Sharpedo that had defeated Charizard. That second knockout had been pivotal in regaining the momentum and helping Luke overcome the shock of seeing his starter fall in battle.
"Let's go, Electabuzz!"
"Send him flying, Magmar!"
Electabuzz's right haymaker found Magmar's left. Flames burst up from the collision, pushing beyond Magmar's fist and washing over Electabuzz. Sparks simultaneously exploded from the Electric-type's fist and bolts of electricity lanced up Magmar's arm. Both creatures stood their ground, their arms nearly at full extension, clenched hands pressed tightly together. The two creature's glared at one another through slitted eyes, teeth barred in a snarl or grimace or maybe both. The two could not have looked more different from their trainers. Even from just his peripheral vision, Luke swore he could see Mitch's wide eyed, open mouth expression. His face couldn't have looked much different. The roaring crowd he'd tried to block out had made that job much easier. They sounded as stunned and nervous as the trainers.
A grunt echoed out before Luke or Mitch could attempt a follow up. Electabuzz shook. His free hand went up to his face. He took a wobbly step backward. Magmar moved forward to pursue, his arm swinging down. Then his body followed.
Luke breathed out a long sigh as Magmar flopped to the ground.
"Nothing gets me more hype than seeing your Electabuzz knock somebody out with a Thunder Punch," David said, smacking his fist into a palm. He caught Chris's eye and gave a sheepish grin. "Typhlosion's is a close second though."
Chris shook his head. "That's alright. They've been doing it a lot longer than us."
"Those punches have saved our skin more times than I can count." Luke leaned forward on the bench, his hands running through his longer hair. He took in the locker room, before settling his stare on Chris. "The final eight."
"Final eight," Chris repeated.
Just qualifying for the Silver Conference carried a level of prestige. Most trainers who set out each year did not come close to collecting the eight badges in time. And to advance beyond the pool round and reach the finals put someone in rare company. It was an accomplishment any trainer could boast about for the rest of their career. But making it to the second weekend—winning multiple six-on-six battles on the biggest stage—was a big deal. That leap separated the talented from those with the potential for greatness. Chris had only ever had three people in his life who could say they made it this far.
"Final thirty-two," David said, his voice completely monotone. That got Chris and Luke snickering. David cracked a grin. "What are we going to do with our newly acquired fame? Start a global corporation? Take over the world? Maybe both?"
"I don't think we've quite reached that level," Chris said.
"Not in popularity or power," Luke added.
"Speak for yourself," David said, pausing to open his Pokégear. "Guess who offered yours truly a position this coming fall?"
Chris's Pokégear began to vibrate. "Shoot, I'm sorry."
"What?" David asked.
"My dad."
"He's here?" Luke asked.
Chris grimaced at the near nonexistence reception his device showed. "I have to go boys. I'll catch up with you later!"
"Take it easy, killer!" David called after him.
Chris took the steps three at a time, bouncing off the walls as he took the hallway turns at a full jog. A mass exodus of people in the lobby brought him to an almost complete stop. His Pokégear had stopped shaking now, but the crowd and poor service would ruin whatever call back he attempted. Chris gritted his teeth and shuffled into the churning river of people.
It still seemed surreal that his father had actually made it. If work wasn't going to keep him away, Chris would have thought the long flight to Viridian City and the bumpy bus ride over would have done the trick. His father wasn't the most patient man, especially when his mother was involved, but he at least remained much more composed when it was just the two of them.
A message flashed onto his device's screen: a confirmation text from his dad.
Chris squeezed between a large party and then scrambled around a laughing couple. He power walked through the exit and made for the first open space he could find. Sliding open his Pokégear, he tapped the icon to call back his father. The dial tone didn't even complete a full ring before he got an answer.
"Hey, my man. How's it going?"
"Going well. Sorry I didn't answer earlier. I just made it outside. I'm standing…" Chris paused to take in his surroundings. "I'm beside a noodle shop. The Spicy Seviper."
Laughter filled the speaker. "Well, well. I'm sitting beside that exact same restaurant."
"Really?"
"On the right side of the building I believe."
Chris took off, his eyes wheeling around as he tried and failed to avoid the crisscrossing crowd. He fought his way around the outside of the restaurant, but the sheer volume of people only seemed to grow. He looked for a bench, but it was impossible to see something that low to the ground over the tumult. That's when he caught sight of a waving hand. Moving toward it, he found it attached to a man with thinning brown hair and a tan, smiling face.
"Dad!"
His father rose slowly from the black bench, making it to his feet just as Chris brought him into a hug. Chris felt that familiar squeeze on his shoulder and pat on his back. He went to tighten the embrace, but it proved challenging with his father's protruding gut.
"Good to see you, my man."
Chris stepped back and beamed up—well, down—at his dad. Even after passing him a couple years prior, it still felt strange to be taller than his old man. "Did you have an alright trip over?" he asked.
"Not terrible," he said, reaching one long arm down toward his left knee. "The company got me a pretty nice plane ticket. Plenty of legroom."
"Glad they're finally giving back. Did they cover the bus ride too?"
"No, but that one didn't cost a whole lot."
Chris watched his father rub one knee, then the other. Maybe not financially. "I don't want to keep you standing around in this mess. Have you eaten yet?"
"I ate a late lunch, but I could probably be persuaded to eat again," his father said with a grin.
-\/-
Ben Aedan was a very straightforward man when it came to food. No breakfast. PM foods included cooked meat, some starch, and a splash of vegetables. And of course, some chocolaty form of dessert. That meant, despite the crowd, they didn't have too difficult a time finding somewhere to eat.
"You guys looked great that last battle."
"Thanks," Chris said, fiddling with the food on his plate. His lunch with David had been hours ago, but he still felt fairly full. He knew if he didn't order something though, his father would have never stopped offering his own food. "It felt good to whip up on somebody who beat me in a previous tourney."
"He did?" His father continued to chew his food, but his mouth twisted into a messy grin. "Bet he loved some of that humble pie."
"I don't think he took it well."
"Most competitors don't. Is he from Johto?"
"Sinnoh."
Ben nodded. "Good people up that way. Hard working."
"Any good fishing up that way?" Chris asked.
"Oh plenty. Not that I've seen any of it recently." Ben laughed. "I took one trip up that way many years ago. Only made it as far as Lake Verity."
"Is that the trip you went on when I was super young?"
"It was."
"The one you left early?"
"I missed you guys." Ben's throat quivered and he stifled a cough. Chris leaned forward, fearing he might be choking, but his father waved him away. "Should have chewed that piece longer," he said. He coughed into his napkin before turning back to Chris with a watery smile. "I loved my home and my family too much to leave them for long. I still do."
"I know," Chris said. "What else could have pulled you away from work?"
Ben laughed, dabbing his eyes with his napkin. "Sad but true."
"Has it still been rough over there?"
"They keep finding new ways," Ben said, shaking his head. "They've been in a hiring frenzy these past couple months. You'd think that would take some work off my plate, but they seem to have a fascination with hiring unskilled laborers. Which was fine when they were bringing in people to work our deliveries at the docks or coordinate with the Machoke lifting crew. But they've started incorporating them into the tech side of things. My team has spent more time attempting to train these people than doing their actual jobs."
"They don't have any experience with technology?"
"Well that's kind of the strange part. A lot of them do have some experience. Some even have quite a bit. But it's like they all decided to take a sabbatical from tech for five years. They have no experience with any of the current stuff we're using."
"So not a great talent pool to find your replacement in?"
"Ha! With how frustrated some of them get, I don't think they could manage a convenience store."
Chris let out a sigh. "I'm worried about you, dad. I want you to have time to enjoy yourself. Time you can relax back home with mom."
"No time to relax when there's work still to be done. And besides, you've got enough to focus on here. Isn't there a chance you'll be battling that one girl you said had your number?"
"It'll be her."
"Oh, she's already won her battle?"
"No. But it'll be her."
"It won't slow down."
"What won't?"
"My heart."
Sarah's grip tightened around Seth's arm as she slowly guided him down onto the locker room bench. He kept his hand over the pounding organ—the change in posture seemingly having no effect on its erratic beating. He tried to breathe in, but it felt like something had lodged in his throat. His exhale came as a weak wheeze. He tried again with the same result. Then faster, but it made no difference.
"Slow that down."
"I can't fucking control my heartbeat."
"Not that. Your breathing." She grabbed his other arm and turned him so they were staring at one another. "Deep, slow breaths." She looked to be trying to model it, but her tight jaw and fierce stare belied any attempt of someone relaxing. Still, he tried to match her breathing. His intakes still sounded like someone resurfacing after holding their breath underwater, but they had slowed somewhat.
"Stars in my eyes," he hissed.
"Let's not worry about your vision yet. We've got enough already to deal with. Slower breaths."
The weight in his throat had lightened somewhat. His inhales and exhales now felt somewhat productive. He pressed his hand tighter to his chest and felt his heart thumping against it. It seemed a little slower at least.
Sarah placed a bottle in his hand. "Drink."
He tilted back his head and downed its contents. Water. Not cold, but it did strangely make him feel a bit better. The stars in his eyes only seemed to shine brighter though.
"Shit."
Sarah grabbed his shoulder with one hand and a trash can with the other. "What? Are you going to throw up again?"
"My dad, Sarah."
Sarah let go of the trash can. She plopped down on the bench beside him and rubbed at her temples. "I know."
The call had come before dawn. He slept through it, but he found his mother's urgent message soon after getting up. His father had woken up in the middle of the night very ill. He'd apparently been having less serious fits like this over the past year. This time he'd passed out and banged his head against the side of the bathroom counter. During Seth's last conversation with his mom, she said his dad had woken up and was stable. His old man had even relayed through her that he wanted Seth to stay where he was. So he had.
He turned to Sarah. "What am I going to do?" he asked.
"Hey," she said, her jaw muscles working hard, "you've been preparing for this situation. I know you have a couple of options, you said. And that sponsorship money will still be there for at least another month or so, even if you…"
"Fuck." Seth grabbed a fistful of his red hair and pulled till he felt a sharp pain. "Fuck."
They had lost. The result would show a close battle, though Seth wasn't sure it had been. His opponent, a veteran trainer from somewhere in Unova, had pushed a relentless pace to the battle. He—or maybe it had been a she—had switched teammates in and out with a frequency that made the already discombobulated Sinnoh native feel like he was hallucinating. The whole affair had lasted well under an hour. In a way, Seth was grateful for that. With everything going on, he'd take something quick over a dragged out defeat.
"Deep breaths," Sarah reminded him.
Those had become difficult again. He tugged his shirt away from his skin and held it there. For some reason it felt nice to give his chest space to expand and compress.
He gave Sarah a nod. He was fortunate to have her. Despite that cold Sinnoh exterior, he knew she cared. She loved her family, even if she tried to make her sister think otherwise. Her Pokémon were very much included in that circle as well. And Seth knew he was no different. From their first meeting outside that shack of a home he and his family had first lived in, Sarah had treated him with dignity—had made him feel like an equal. She provided him with an honesty she rarely showed others. He could have used a bit more of that now, but he was still thankful she had come to see him.
"Your pre-battle interview," he began, his dry mouth struggling to form words.
"I'm not worried about that stupid thing. You skipped yours and they still let you battle."
"And look how that turned out."
"Shut it."
He tried a smile, but it felt more like a grimace. "You do have to check in though."
Her face wrinkled, pursed lips frowning. "Yeah."
"Go ahead. I want you focused and ready for this battle." He took a deep, ragged breath, but managed a smooth exhale. "I'm going to try to eat something before I call my mom back. I'll be alright."
She eyed him with that cold, calculating stare. The stars hadn't fully faded from his vision, but Seth could have swore he could see her mind processing beneath that light brown hair.
"Okay," she said. "But we're meeting back up later. You're not leaving without my blessing."
Seth leaned back against the lockers and forced his shoulders to relax. The cold metal felt good against the sweltering heat around his neck. His heartbeat had calmed back down.
"You think I'm going to cut out right before you kick some ass?"
Sarah was calm. It didn't make sense, given the setting and what had occurred only minutes prior. The late morning sun pounded down on her head and back. Sweat poured down her neck and dripped off her nose. Her friend's father had just experienced a close brush with death. And now she had reached the final stages of a battle that could send her packing. But now she felt a comfort that had eluded her the previous two battles. It was a feeling she normally only had in moments where she knew she was in control. Today has been anything but that, she thought. Sarah took a deep breath and triggered the return mechanism on the capture device in her hand.
The judge pointed her flag and called for Sarah to send out her next teammate. Sarah nodded back and put away the ball containing her defeated Drapion. The Ogre Scorpion had struggled through the majority of this battle, but his most notable contribution had been as important as anything else her team had done. The Kingdra across the battlefield gave a very noticeable wince; the purplish wound in his side looked to be in rough shape.
"Let's bring this home."
She tossed out a Nest Ball and Heracross materialized onto the battlefield. He eyed the Dragon-type across the battlefield. He wouldn't miss the wound left by Toxic Spikes.
"Begin!"
Her Heracross stayed low on his Aerial Ace approach, but Sarah tried to keep her focus on Kingdra. He'd been on the battlefield for nearly ten minutes. That poisoning had to be bothering him. The opposing trainer had been very liberal with her switching up until this point. It had kept her other poisoned teammates from the amplifying effect of prolonged open air exposure, but it had also allowed the poison to spread to a couple extra Pokémon.
"Why isn't she…" A quick glance at the scoreboard answered Sarah's question. Her opponent only had one Pokémon left behind Kingdra: a Yanmega that Sarah's Mamoswine had nearly dropped from the sky earlier in the battle. Still, she has to know my other Pokémon will be well equipped to handle him.
"Laser Focus!" her opponent shouted.
Heracross's wings beat faster as he got within striking distance. He didn't let the shimmering aura around Kingdra's snout keep him from burying his shoulder into it. The Dragon/Water-type's head snapped backward, followed by the rest of his body. He did a full flip, but managed to land on his rolled up tail and stay upright.
"Megahorn!"
Heracross's horn took on a brilliant green glow as he lowered his head and charged forward. Critical hit or not, whatever move their opponents would counter with wouldn't be enough to stop the powerful Single Horn Pokémon. This would take care of Kingdra.
"Draco Meteor!"
"Draco Meteor?" Sarah repeated. Kingdra had seen plenty of action and not once had it used the explosive dragon move.
Spheres of purple energy appeared a couple dozen feet above Kingdra. They swelled as Sarah's oblivious Heracross marched on, his face pointed at the ground. It was too late for her to call off the attack. They needed it to land first.
The purple meteors swirled higher into the air before swinging back down in a wide spread barrage. Kingdra seemed to know he needed to aim for where Heracross would be, not where he currently was, even if it looked like the violent precipitation would be pouring down on him as well.
Heracross's horn found Kingdra's torso. A powerful thud reached Sarah's ears a moment later. The collision launched the Dragon/Water-type, his body going fully horizontal to the ground as he flew. Sarah shouted her warning an instant later, but it did no good. The meteors struck simultaneously against and around Heracross. Dirt and rocks blasted into the air. Plumes of purple energy rippled out and slammed against the protective barrier around Sarah's box, making her flinch. She kept her face blank as the smoke cleared to reveal the most unsurprising double knockout of her career.
"Heracross and Kingdra are unable to battle! Will both trainers please send out their final teammate!"
Her opponent had to be happy with that double knockout. She had gone from being down 3-to-2 to creating a coin flip victory situation. Or at least, she might believe that to be the case. As Sarah returned her defeated teammate, she felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lip. She glanced down at the Poké Ball in her other hand, then back over shoulder. She had to hold up on her end of the ass kicking agreement.
Infernape flipped out of his opened Poké Ball and landed in a squat. The Life Orb swayed around his neck, never fully stopping as the Fire/Fighting-type rocked back and forth. Yanmega faced him down on the other side. The creature looked much more beat up than Infernape, though Sarah knew better than to derive confidence from that. The creature's wings were still a blur. They had protected the Ogre Darner Pokémon from the Toxic Spikes. And after one Speed Boost, those wings would somehow be moving even faster.
"Begin!"
"Mach Punch!"
Infernape darted forward, his figure distorting into a white streak. He, like his trainer, knew they couldn't waste a second.
"Detect!"
Yanmega's red eyes flashed bright enough for even Sarah to see. It looked like somebody had shown a flashlight through them. As Infernape's punch rocketed toward his face, the Bug/Flying-type's long exterior bent outward, forming an upside down 'U'. The creature's front two legs snapped forward to suddenly surround the approaching fist. With a speed Sarah couldn't follow, Yanmega pulled his attacker under and past. She blinked and now found Yanmega had flipped his long body completely around to face the back of her staggering teammate.
"Air Slash!"
The whoosh from the bug's wings didn't reach Sarah's ears until the blades of wind were nearly on her teammate.
"Dive to the left!"
The two slices of wind stabbed into the ground, ripping out large chunks of dirt where Infernape's feet had just been. The Flame Pokémon rolled safely away, coming up crouched right as Sarah issued their next attack.
"Flare Blitz!"
Blue flames engulfed her teammate as he pounced toward their nearby opponent. But even with his speed and close proximity, Infernape's flaming tackle couldn't find the mark. Their opponent's Ancient Power counter did though. The Fire Starter did manage to get his arms up before the glowing rocks slammed into him. Sarah winced, but she found time for a quick inhale and exhale. No glow surrounded the Ogre Darner Pokémon's body. They hadn't gotten the incredible but rare boost from their last move.
"Stay low and use Mach Punch!" Sarah directed. She watched as Infernape charged in once more. He kept his torso parallel to the ground, his knees bent very low as he drew back his fist. Sarah's eyes stayed trained on that fist, watching to make sure he hadn't begun to throw the punch. She waited another beat, then swiveled to stare down the opposing trainer. I know you want to, you greedy bitch. Do it.
"Detect!"
"Punch the ground!"
There was no way to make it look pretty. Infernape's punch did indeed find the ground just in front of their hovering opponent. However, his torso had been leaning in front of his legs, causing the rest of the Fire/Fighting-type to topple forward with his punch. Infernape's low approach did allow him to land on his knees, preventing a full blown wipe out. He slid, body twisting right, then left, but he somehow managed to keep his torso upright. His momentum carried him underneath and then just past his braced opponent.
Sarah knew what was coming next.
"Air Slash!"
The dragonfly twisted his body around in an instant. His buzzing wings had gone beyond a blur, to the point of being invisible. The concentrated wind bursts would strike before Infernape could counter. And if they caused the Fire-type to flinch, Sarah knew they would be in serious trouble. That wasn't going to happen though.
"Overheat!"
The two, thin air blasts slammed into each of Infernape's shoulders, snapping his upper body back. Somehow, Sarah's starter managed to keep his head from suffering the same fate. There was a split second where she waited for his body to spring back forward and nothing happened.
Fuck. Did he actually—
Infernape's mouth opened to reveal a swirling stream of orange flame. It smashed into Yanmega's underbelly, then swirled up to swallow the rest of him. Roars poured down from the crowd as the fiery vortex rose higher and higher above the battlefield. Sarah could see sparks and the wisps of flickering gold flame mixed in Infernape's fiery crow. They hadn't been far off from needing his Blaze ability to close this out.
Yanmega had only just flopped to the ground when her trainer triggered the return mechanism. The judge also didn't waste any time declaring the battle over.
Sarah let out a sigh, but it wasn't a long one. She felt good, all things considered. She waited for the energy field to fade, then strode for the battlefield's center. Infernape rose to his feet as he watched her approach. She tried to keep her eyes on her starter, but she had to watch where she stepped. Her starter's last attack had left flames scattered across the battlefield, still burning hot enough for her to feel from a distance. She gave his shoulder a quick, but firm pat, then continued on.
Not locked in the heat of battle, it still didn't feel normal to have this many eyes watching her. She really only cared about a few pairs. She could feel Infernape's eyes on her back. Those mattered. Seth might have been in the crowd or still watching from the locker room. Either way, she could sense his gaze. Somewhere to her right she knew her sister had also been watching and cheering her on. And even if she was reluctant to admit it, a part of her appreciated having someone else here to support her—as annoying as that person might be.
As she reached the battlefield's center, a strange feeling mixed in with the rush from the crowd's adulation. That feeling soon turned icy and a chill ran across the back of her shoulders. She felt a sharp prick on the back of her neck. Among the thousands of eyes here, and the thousands more watching elsewhere, she felt a familiar stare on her. Sarah fought to keep from turning toward the crowd and instead forced her gaze up to the massive screen displaying the updated tournament bracket. She hadn't seen him at all today. It was impossible to know if he was actually even in the building. But she knew he was.
These are the days of feast and famine. All or nothing. We see it on the battlefield and are reminded of even greater challenges off it. Seth now finds himself in the thick of it all. Meanwhile Luke and Sarah have secured their spots in the final eight and given themselves a moment to breathe. They join Chris, who now has his biggest supporter in attendance. But even the best support can instill added pressure. With several of these trainers on a collision course with one another, what strain will their relationships experience? How will these trainers handle the tightening tension? And what comes next for those trainers whose Silver Conference is over? I'm so excited to write and experience this journey with you all!
Please drop a review and follow/favorite if you are enjoying. I'll see you in the next installment. Take care!