In a day full of firsts, Cassius hadn't anticipated adding bubbly champagne to that rapidly growing list. That he was sharing it with the same man he'd been battling earlier today was just the cherry on top.
"Thank you all for being here!" Milo Yarrow stood, raising a half-filled flute. Everyone present did the same, including Cassius. "First, a hearty congratulations to all of our victors here, who all earned their first wins as professionals in the circuit these past three days. It's a long road to get here, and an even longer one to make it to where I'm sure you're all aiming for, so treasure this milestone as a testament to your drive and fortitude, and as a step toward your dreams!
"Second, a massive thanks to the parents who could make it today. Support means everything when you're on the road like this for so long, and that goes beyond even what words can say. Thanks for being here, and thanks for supporting your young, up-and-coming superstars.
"And finally—I'm finally done with the circuit for the year, so that's cause enough to celebrate!" That drew a small round of laughter. "That's enough from me. Congratulations again, and cheers!"
"Cheers!" The group answered, the sounds of glass clinking against each other following shortly after. Cassius returned to his seat and took a sip from his flute, surprised that it wasn't as bad as he was expecting. Certainly better than a vodka shot, that was for sure.
His mother had far less reservation than he did, taking a larger swig of her flute. "Mm, that's good," she noted. "We'll have to come back here, Will. I like this place."
"Conversation for later, love," his father replied, ever the voice of reason. "We're here for Cassius."
"As if I could forget!" His mother cooed, pinching his cheek. "My little champion! You should think about taking a girl here, once you find the time."
"Mom," Cassius groaned. "Definitely not the time."
What a merry band they made up. His parents flanked him on either side, as he sat across the circular table from Milo. Hop sat to Milo's left with his mother, while Gloria was to Milo's right with hers. When Milo had offered to treat them to dinner after their battles were over, he hadn't thought that included their parents too. Even if he hadn't meant it that way, there hadn't been any way Cassius was going to be able to separate himself from his tearful mother and proud dad, who had been the first to find him after the battle ended.
After he won, he reminded himself. That brought a tiny smile to his face. After he'd gotten his first ever win as a Pokémon trainer. Hopefully, the first of many.
"Hear that, RiRi?" Gloria's mother teased. "They're already callin' Cassius little champion. Wager you ain't the favorite to win it all anymore."
"Piss off," the girl in question scoffed. "I won more handily."
"Oh, don't be like that, s'not a competition," though it in fact was. "If nothin' else, you're still my little champion," she rustled her daughter's hair, drawing a few incensed shouts from her and chuckles from everyone else.
"Almost forgot," Milo spoke up. "Cassius, how's your Sizzlipede? Doing well, I hope?"
That sobered Cassius up a little. "Yeah, she'll be fine." Just as the referee had suggested, he'd taken her to the Pokémon Center as soon as he could manage after the fight. "They're gonna keep her overnight to evaluate her and let her rest. She seemed better when I let her out and explained what was happening to her." Still generally woozy-looking, but she'd at least been able to interpret and understand what he'd told her. That was a step in the right direction, at least.
"That's good," Milo seemed genuinely relieved. "Sorry about that, by the way. While it's just the nature of battling, I still like to try and avoid anything excessive if I can help it. Battling with Dynamax Pokémon and Max Moves can present a lot of challenges in that way."
"You're fine, really," Cassius quickly waved off. Milo couldn't have known that was going to happen, especially when he'd used that move so many times in his prior matches and not caused anything remotely similar to what had happened to Sizzlipede. "It's just unfortunate. We'll be okay."
On that topic, though... "Is, uh, Gossifleur gonna be okay?" The image of its defeated, singed body had been lingering in the back of his head since he'd met up with Milo again.
He was relieved to see the leader smile. "Yeah, he'll be alright. Nothing he hasn't dealt with before. He's more stubborn than he looks—though I reckon he'll be looking for payback next time he sees you."
Maybe not the most relieving sentiment, but that would be a problem for future Cassius, if it came to that. "Glad he's okay. This is my first time with Dynamaxing and all that. Don't wanna overdo it."
"Ah, you'll be fine," Milo assured him. "It can definitely be a bit daunting for new trainers, doubly so for ones originating from out of the country. Pokémon are tough—what happened to Sizzlipede, while unfortunate, is an outlier. You won't have to go and get your Pokémon evaluated after every fight that involves Dynamaxing, if that's what you're concerned about."
That was good. "Glad to hear that. I'll, uh, try to keep that in mind for the future."
"And speaking of the future... Nessa awaits you all in Hulbury next," Milo grinned knowingly. "If I know her as well as I think I do, she's been studying each of you three's matches since the second they all ended. You've got your work cut out for you, I'd say."
"We'll be ready," Hop spoke up from his side of the table. "I'm sure she's tough, but so is everyone else we're gonna have to fight from here on out. Nothin' to do but power through it all."
"That's the right mindset to have," Milo nodded. "I've a strong feeling you three will go far in this league. Personally, I can't wait to see what kind of trainers you all blossom into." His gaze turned to Cassius. "Not to imply a preference, but I was especially impressed with your quick thinking on the pitch today, Cassius. Very creative, I must say. That stunt with using the Max Strike to propel your Rookidee into the air was particularly noteworthy. Was that planned, or on-the-spot?"
Cassius felt a sudden spotlight fall on him. "Ah, well... spontaneous, really. Korvis hadn't flown before today, so it was definitely risky, but I figured it was worth a shot. It's something she's wanted to get down ever since I've known her, so I'm sure she's happy to have finally gotten past that hurdle."
Milo seemed to approve. "Well, I'm happy for you both. This challenge is as much a journey for your Pokémon as it is for you. They'll learn many new skills, experience plenty of great battles, and make tons of new friends and teammates along the way, all alongside their trainer. And you only get your first run of the circuit once—be sure to treasure it!"
He took a quick sip of water. "But enough about battling! Hulbury's a wonderful place this time of year, and there's plenty to do. Part of the challenge is getting the privilege to travel all over the region on the league's dime as you enjoy the sights, so live it up! I'm sure Nessa can give you a few pointers here and there about things happening in and around the city, too."
Hop raised a hand. "Are you sure we can just... approach her? I haven't met her personally, but I remember Lee telling me that she can be a little... frosty, when she's prepping for her turn in the circuit."
Linda Dande's expression darkened. "My, I was unaware I raised such gossips in my house."
"Quite alright, Miss Dande," Milo quickly calmed her down. "They're not exactly rumours if they're true. Yes, Nessa can get a little intense this time of year, but I assure you it's nothing personal. She has plenty to juggle in her personal life outside of battling—she still takes on modeling gigs during her turn in the circuit, has plenty of other endorsements, and that doesn't even include whatever other obligations she has to the city that pop up, as they often do. I'm of the mind she should probably cut back a little, but that's just the kind of person she is."
An idea seemed to strike him. "Tell you what. I'm sure you three already gathered as much, but Nessa's still a close friend of mine, so I can easily put in a good word for you. Though I'm almost certain she'd never admit it out loud, I'm sure she's curious about you three personally, considering the collective hype around you all. Nessa's always been the kind of girl who likes to size folks up face-to-face too, so this works out!"
"Oh please, you don't have to go out of your way to do that," Hop quickly declined. "You've done more than enough for us already, and I wouldn't want to take any time out of Nessa's busy schedule."
Milo wouldn't have it. "Think nothing of it! If it makes your journey even a little smoother and more enjoyable, then it's well worth it. And besides, it's hardly much on my end. I'd just be calling or texting her, and I'm sure she'll be calling me soon anyway to check in on me now that my turn in the circuit is over. I can just casually mention you three as an aside, and set something up. Maybe even see if she can show you around once you three make it there."
"Sure she'd go for it?" Gloria asked, clearly skeptical.
Milo didn't appear to have any reason to doubt his idea. "Don't see why not. Contrary to what the rumours might say, Nessa's pretty normal past her looks and status, if a little stubborn. She's really good company once you get to know her. You three are good kids, so I'm sure you'll all get along swimmingly."
"I guess it's just weird to be so open and familiar with leaders in the circuit," Hop admitted. "I've watched so many of yours and everyone else's battles, so it's a little jarring to suddenly go from that to treating you like we're all chummy."
"Ah, I get that," Milo conceded. "Was the same way when I was comin' up, too. I remember shakin' like a leaf when I met old Kabu for the first time as a fellow leader. Definitely daunting, but it's important to remember that us leaders were once in your shoes, looking to make a name for ourselves in the league. Why not rely on folks who have been in the exact spot you were for knowledge and camaraderie? We're here to challenge you, sure, but we're here to help you grow, too!"
Milo really was too nice. Here he was, sharing a dinner with three trainers who had beaten him, offering advice and going out of his way to help them plan their next stop. They'd seriously lucked out having him as their first opponent. "Thanks Milo," Cassius said before they could move on. "You've been a seriously huge help."
"Aw, don't sweat it!" The big man grinned, blushing slightly in humble embarrassment. "I meant it when I said I think you'll all be mainstays in this league for a long time. Think of it like I'm taking the time to connect with you in advance, before you three get too big and famous for this little Turffield farmer."
"And on the subject of connecting..." Milo revealed his phone. "What's say we exchange contact info, yeah? I'll try not to bother you all too much, since you three will be busy on the road and all, but if you have any questions for me at all, or even anything you'd like for me to bring up to the league in your stead, don't hesitate to shoot me a message."
"And the league won't mind current challengers having a direct line of contact with one of their leaders?" Gloria asked.
"Not if we don't tell them," Milo winked jokingly. "But in all seriousness, it isn't like I'll be divulging any secrets to you three about any confidential league info, or any of the other leaders. I'm happy just to be helpful every now and again, or even have a casual chat. What's the league need to know if we're just having perfectly normal conversations between fellow trainers?"
Gloria seemed to ponder that for a moment, before shrugging and taking Milo's phone. "Works for me."
As they passed around the device and put in their contact information, Milo continued speaking. "I won't lie, a part of this sudden access to us all is because of the nature of your sponsorship. You're the first trainers Leon's ever gone out of his way to sponsor, and one of you is quite literally his flesh and blood brother. We were all interested the second we heard about his plans to sponsor trainers, and even more so once we got to lay eyes on you at the opening ceremony—well, all of us except Piers evidently, but that's just how he is."
That gave Cassius some pause. "Interested... how?"
"Well, for me, I was just curious to get a feel for you three. You're probably the highest-profile trainers to come through the circuit since I became a gym leader, so I naturally wanted to see what you all were like from a personal standpoint." Milo paused to think for a moment. "But I can't really speak for everyone else. I'm sure some just want a good estimation of how you'll handle battling—we're a competitive bunch, you'll come to learn." He laughed knowingly. "I'm sure this is the first time that Raihan's ever been upset about being the eighth gym leader, since that means he gets you three last out of all of us."
How comforting. "And where would you say Nessa falls on that spectrum?" Hop asked. Milo could only shrug. "Who can say?"
Their food arrived not long after, the group eagerly indulging in the fancy eats. Cassius was mildly surprised by how much his parents were getting along with Hop and Gloria's respective mothers—the way they talked, he could have been convinced they'd been lifelong friends.
"Wouldn't you know, the shared experience of having professional trainers for children gives us plenty to talk about," his father said after Cassius had subtly asked him about it. "They've been a huge help with managing everything that comes with having famous kids. Certainly doesn't hurt that this is Linda's second go-'round with the circuit." He sent a teasing look to his wife. "If it weren't for her and Meredith, your mom might have passed out two separate times before the fight even ended."
"Like you were much better," his mother shot back, scandalized. "Don't think I didn't see that white-knuckle grip you had on your seat, William dear."
"Surely it wasn't that bad," Cassius laughed. He never thought such a day would come, but he kind of missed his parents' bickering.
"Honey, it was our first time we've ever seen you fight, and it was in front of tens of thousands of people who all wanted you to lose. Whatever you're thinking, it was probably worse." His mother shook her head. "Honestly, some of the things I heard come out of those people's mouths... barbaric."
"Oh, it gets worse," Linda Dande added from her side of the table. "Just wait until you get to some of the more passionate cities. To this day, I still make a point to avoid Motostoke if I can help it."
"Yes, apologies for that," Milo frowned regrettably. "We do make a point to discourage and punish the more obscene fans, but there's only so much security can do compared to thousands of offenders. For as much as the sports culture in Galar can be applauded for its passion, it can be similarly chastised for the many who take it too far."
Cassius didn't even remember it being that bad outside of how generally loud it was while he was on the pitch, but then again, he'd been a little focused on winning to pay attention to anything nasty coming from the crowd. "I mean, that's just kind of sports fandom in general, isn't it? Always a few bad apples in every group." That seemed a good enough answer for everyone else, though Hop's mother shot him a sad look before she returned to her food.
"Regardless of any of that," his mother spoke up again. "I want to remind you that your father and I are so incredibly proud of you. Not everyone could have done what you did out there today." The implied nature of their specific circumstances went unsaid. "My little boy's a full-grown professional trainer now. Honestly, you looked so in your element out there!"
He had, hadn't he? It was good to know he came off that way to the spectating eye. There had been a few moments out there he'd certainly felt like an amateur.
"If only your grandmother could see you now," Lila continued. "I know she'd be overjoyed." That brought a sad smile to Cassius' face. To see her grandson taking up battling in her stead, with Hyla by his side... he was sure she would have been thrilled.
"I'm sure she would be," he settled for saying. "I'm just glad I had you two here to cheer me on in-person."
"As if we'd miss this for anything," William said. "Never mind the bragging rights it gives me over the guys at work. Not much they can say to me when my son's winning major battles on national TV."
"I'm glad I can help you ascend your work hierarchy," Cassius rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Is mom bragging to all the neighbors too?"
"A little hard to do that when two of them also have kids in the circuit," she answered, shooting a glance to the women in question. Meredith scoffed. "By all means, please take down my daughter. She could use the humblin'."
"I'm not sure the Dande house could handle two champions," Linda laughed. Both answers drew immediate responses from their respective children, some more annoyed than others.
"Outside of showing off, everything been good at home?" Cassius asked. That drew a little more subdued answer from his parents. "It's been good. Your father's really settled in at work," Lila responded. "I've been holding down the fort. We actually had our first reporter come by a few days ago."
Their first... what? "Huh?"
"A reporter. Wanted to ask for a few quotes about you. Took a while, but he eventually left after I politely told him to leave."
Cassius felt a surge of worry pulse through him. How had they even found out where his parents lived? "And he hasn't come back?"
"No," she shook her head. "I like to think it was because he got the message. That's another thing the ladies have been helping me out with."
"It happens to all parents eventually," Linda admitted. "Most respectable publications have the decency to send inquiries via email, but some of the more unscrupulous sorts will try harassing in person to force a quote, or settle for taking pictures once you're off your private property."
"And that's happened to you?" Cassius prodded.
"Since Lee first started getting his name out there. I remember when Hop was still in school, some particularly determined media members would stake out his school building and try to corner him once class let out. We had to get security escorts for a brief stretch." It was clear she didn't look back on that time fondly. "Unfortunately, there's only so much you can do about it."
Now Cassius was really growing worried. "They haven't done anything to either of you, right?" He asked his parents.
"Nothing to me," his dad shook his head. "Granted, I'm at work most days, and security has never been much of a concern there. I imagine it's different for your mother at home."
She similarly didn't seem very concerned. "I've noticed some gossip nearby when I'm out in Wedgehurst for groceries, but outside of that one instance at home, nothing more than that."
"It helps to travel together," Meredith interjected, perhaps sensing the worry from Cassius. "We offer to go out together with each other when we need to run any errands. Safety in numbers, 'nd all that. That way they have to confront a group if they want anything, instead of just one person. Easier to feel less overwhelmed that way."
That was smart. And very kind of them. "Thank you Miss Meredith, Miss Linda. I appreciate you helping my parents out throughout all this."
"Think nothin' of it, love," Gloria's mother smiled. "Us parents stick together. And the last thing we wanna do is add any worry to you while your plates're full enough as is, with the challenge 'nd all."
"Security's not such a bad idea," Milo added. "It can seem a little intrusive, but having them keep a general eye around the premises is often enough of a deterrent. That's how it is on my family's farm—haven't had any incidents in years."
He'd have to consider that. "I mean... it's your decision," he deferred to his parents. "I'm not gonna do it if you don't think you need it." For as much as it could have put his mind at ease, he knew how much his parents valued privacy. Having strangers in suits standing outside 24/7 didn't particularly help with that.
True to that, his parents declined after a brief moment of debate. "We'll be fine for now. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know, but it really hasn't been bad at all. Don't worry about us, dear—you just focus on winning the circuit, yeah?"
It would be a little hard to put that out of his mind now that he knew of the potential danger that existed, but for now, there was little else he could do but take their word for it. "Alright. I'll hold you to that."
"We know you will." His mother planted a kiss atop his head. "You're sweet to worry, but you have seven more gym leaders whose asses need kicking. That's all you should be worried about."
"No pressure," William added. "Just, you know, my ability to retire early and all."
"I thought you liked your job," Cassius shot back.
"I like trains as a hobby, not so much as a job. You'll get it when you're older."
Easy conversation eventually returned to the table, thoughts of reporters vanishing from everyone's minds. And to Cassius, that was for the best. Tonight was about them—lest he forget, he'd won a big fight today, and that was a pretty damn big deal. He could spend plenty of time worrying about that reporter stuff later, if it even came to that. For now, Cassius Hargreaves was a winner, spending quality time with good people celebrating that fact. Things were good. He was happy.
He smiled softly, as he continued eating and drinking. Yeah, he was happy. And as the night wore on, and as their celebratory dinner ended and their group eventually split and retired for the evening—not after one final group photo to commemorate the moment—he still felt that happy, even as his head hit the pillow and all the day's exhaustion finally caught up to him.
And that had to count for something.
The next day saw him met with a surprise call, which then turned into a surprise meeting. Next Level's branch building in Turffield wasn't quite as big and shiny compared to their tower in Motostoke, but it still loomed over Turffield's more modest architecture. Which only served to amplify the sudden anxiety building in Cassius' stomach.
Caroline McCullers wasn't smiling when Cassius entered the private office, but she still had the courtesy of greeting him and shaking his hand. "Hey, Cassius. Thanks for making it."
"No problem," Cassius replied, quickly taking a seat opposite of his agent. She felt a lot more intimidating when he didn't have Hop and Gloria flanking him on either side. Feeling a bit of tense energy in the air, he tried his best to ignore it and pressed on. "So… what's up?"
"Cassius, I'm gonna be straight with you here." Caroline took a seat, hands clasped before her as she leaned forward. "We're in a bit of shit."
Oh. "I—okay, wow. Uh… I'm sorry?" What did someone even say to that? "Is it… is it because of me?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Procuring a remote, she motioned to a projector screen to his left, playing a video. It was a clip from his battle—specifically, of his Rookidee hovering over the battlefield a safe distance away. "So. What do you see here?"
"That's Korvis," he answered, careful not to sound like he was being purposefully obtuse. "She's... flying."
"Yes, that's true. I want you to note how long she's flying up there, specifically." The seconds on the video trickled by, turning into an entire minute as Korvis continued flying. Though, Cassius was more focused on the clear view of watching her figure out how to fly, well, on the fly. 'For as nervous as she looked, she sure figured it out quick,' he thought, as he saw her expression morph from uncertainty, to concentration, and finally into confidence. Despite the context, Cassius was genuinely proud of her.
So lost in his thoughts, he almost missed what Caroline said as she paused the clip. "So, I'm sure you can guess what the problem is by now."
Not really, but he'd give it a stab. "I guess people are mad she was up there so long."
"Got it in one."
"But there's nothing we could have really done about that," Cassius immediately defended. "I mean, that was her first time actually flying. It was gonna take her a moment to get the hang of it."
That seemed to surprise her. "No kidding? She looked like a natural out there. I don't mean to sound like I don't believe you, 'cause I do, but I'm sure you can understand how irregular that sounds."
Cassius supposed to anyone who didn't know, it would sound weird. He'd been the one who'd helped her train, so he'd simply taken it as another facet of her style that he'd work to improve upon. And really, it hadn't even concerned him that much when Korvis seemed to excel in pretty much everything else. "Yeah, I guess I can."
"You don't remember anybody asking you about stalling in your postmatch presser? I remember watching it, I'm almost certain they did."
They had, but he'd been a little too occupied with the fact that he'd managed to win and remain in the circuit to pay much mind to any of the questions the press had asked him. The entire presser had been little more than a blur—his answers had been generic at best, and anything particular they'd asked him was met with a few sentences at most for an answer. Virtually all of the questions had been about his general strategy and how it felt to get his first win, which weren't really the most difficult questions to answer anyway.
"Well, you understand the crux of the issue, at least," Caroline continued when he didn't have an immediate answer. "Folks are mad about you stalling in the air for that long. All the usual complaints—takes away from the momentum of the battle, doesn't require any skill, trivializes a fight with a gym leader, the works."
That sounded needlessly harsh. "... how many people?" Cassius asked at his own peril.
"Mostly just the battling purists," Caroline sneered, like she had some longstanding grudge with these people. Which she very well could have, given her occupation. "You know the type. The kind of people that think there's a 'right way to win a battle,' all that nonsense," she added air quotations for effect. "Just old, spiteful losers who can't accept that there are trainers who win battles without using the outdated tactics and strategies trainers used back in the day."
"Then why do we care?" Cassius asked, confused.
"Because those spiteful losers make up a decent demographic of Galar League viewership," Caroline explained. "The largest viewership age demo for the league is in the 18-34 range, but the most lucrative demo are viewers aged around 45-60. Those are your older fans that tend to have more disposable income than their younger counterparts, and of course, a vast majority of them have kids for whom they'll spend money on merchandise and tickets for, in addition to whatever they get for themselves. If younger fans are the ones that drive the majority of the hype, then the older fans are the ones that drive the majority of the profit."
"And I'm guessing that a fair number of these battling purists are in that age range," Cassius surmised, to which Caroline nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."
Cassius took a brief moment to think. "I guess I just don't fully understand why we have to go out of our way to cater to them."
"I wouldn't call it catering to them, more so than not alienating them too much," Caroline corrected. "Of course, practically no one fights the way those kinds of purists would prefer, but I'm in the business of making you money, and they're not going to be spending money on merchandise or tickets if they feel like the way you fight is a direct insult to them."
"But if Milo didn't seem upset with it, why are they?" He argued. In fact, Milo had gone so far as to compliment the way he'd planned to get Korvis in the air to begin with.
"Yeah, you could burn Turffield to the ground overnight and the most Milo would give you is a stern talking to. He doesn't get mad. But the public certainly does." She leaned back in her chair. "You don't have social media, right?"
He probably never would. "No."
"Then you probably aren't seeing what some of the particularly incensed folks are saying about you. Which is good. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, it's nasty stuff."
He didn't doubt it, and the thought made him shiver a bit, but still… "I mean, that sucks, but it's just talk, right? Can't we just… you know, ignore it?"
"Cassius, I wish it was that simple. Really, I do." Caroline stood up, leaning against her temporary desk. "Reality is, it isn't. You're not just a trainer anymore—you're a brand. A symbol. More than just yourself or your Pokémon, you represent Leon, Macro Cosmos, and on a wider scale, pretty much the entire country. There's more to battling than just winning and losing."
She took a breath. "Look, I don't like bearing down on you like this. I'd much rather we talk about how much money you'd make on an ad campaign, or how your name generated millions of viewers on TV—that last part is true, by the way. But it's my job to worry about who you are in the eyes of the public."
Caroline nodded again toward the projector screen. "And right now, a very vocal portion of the viewing public sees you as some fraud who stalled their way to a win on national TV."
That word. Fraud. Cassius' heart sank, and his blood ran cold. It was hurtful, and demeaning, but in a literal sense, it was right. He wasn't the trainer everyone thought he was, and he did have to apparently cheat his way to a win. But that didn't invalidate his win, did it? Did that one moment discredit every strategy he'd planned and executed with all three of his Pokémon? It shouldn't have, right?
It took more effort than he'd like to get his mouth moving again. "Okay… okay. So what do we do? How do we fix this?"
"In this business, winning cures all. But I'm sure you've learned that how you win plays a big part in that." Apparently. "So, that means in your next fight, we gotta go clean, and we gotta go big."
"And that means…?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. You don't have to change the entire way you battle, but you need to play a good, mostly clean fight, and blow Nessa out of the water—literally." She extended her arms. "So long as you don't do anything overtly controversial on the level of stalling, then you should be good. Leave no doubt, and make those stubborn geezers eat their words."
That sounded really ambiguous. "And if I don't manage to do that?"
"Let's not think about that," Caroline declined to elaborate. "Sorry, I know it's a lot. For what it's worth, outside of the stalling, people were eating up your fight. The last exchange between Rooki—sorry, between Korvis and Eldegoss specifically has been making the rounds on social media and highlight reels since it finished. You did really good, Cassius. It just sucks that there are people trying to act like that never happened because of something that happened earlier."
It did. "I guess I just need to give them a reason to believe it wasn't a fluke, then." Even if he didn't know how it was he was going to go about that.
"That's the spirit. Now, on a much happier note," Caroline reached into a drawer in the desk, revealing a slip of paper. "For you. Congratulations on your victory, Mr. Hargreaves."
"Thanks...?" Cassius took the slip warily, a little taken aback by the sudden change in tone. Carefully opening it, the slip revealed a thinner piece of paper, with a host of words, and one very important, very large number inscribed upon it. "Holy... is this...?"
"Happy payday," Caroline smiled. "We'll almost always just do a direct deposit when it comes to pay, but for our challengers' first official payout, we like to give a physical cheque to remember it by. Just don't lose it, kiddo."
"I'd never," Cassius quickly assured her. "It's just... wow. I didn't think it'd be that much."
"And that's before any sponsorship money you'll make past the third gym," she reminded him. "To be honest, I planned on doing this with all three of you, but given the nature of what I called you in here to talk about, I figured it could help make today not be entirely doom and gloom. Not that I think you needed any more incentive to keep winning, of course." She handed him two more slips. "For Hop and Gloria. I'm sure I can entrust you to give them their earnings on my behalf. Send them my regards, yeah?"
"For sure," like Gloria would ever let him make off with her earnings without telling her. "Thanks, Caroline."
"Just doin' my job, kiddo," Caroline offered a sympathetic smile, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "For the record, I don't enjoy policing the way you battle any more than you enjoy hearing it. But you're young, and new, and we gotta establish yourself the right way for the long run. Lee wasn't any different. Everyone does it, and there are always growing pains."
She gave him a meaningful look. "You wanna last in this industry, right? Then we've gotta make sure we build you into something the people can't get enough of. By the time this circuit's over, even the most stubborn of battle purists will be wearing your kit."
From how these people sounded, Cassius wasn't sure he wanted them wearing anything of his. But, like Caroline said, he did want to last in Pokémon battling. He didn't want to be a flash in the pan. He wanted to keep winning, to go as far as he and his Pokémon could go. And if he could help it, he'd prefer to have more people cheering him on rather than booing against him.
'But I don't really want to sacrifice how I battle to achieve that kind of popularity,' he thought. But then again, did he even have to? Korvis fully knew how to fly now (hopefully), so it wasn't like he had any more incentive to stall in future battles. As for battling itself, had he even battled enough to have his own style of battling that he could deviate from?
"I can tell you're overthinking in that head of yours," Caroline snapped him back to the realm of the living. "And I'd like to remind you that's my job. You just take your time on Route 5, enjoy the sights, and get to Hulbury before your fight." That apparently reminded her of something. "Speaking of, any estimate of when you'll get there? For scheduling purposes, of course."
He didn't know. "We haven't talked about a specific date yet," Cassius said. "Probably closer to the end of the month."
"Figured. No rush, just asking. About a ninety-nine percent chance they'll schedule your fights for the end of the month again, so no harm in making your way there leisurely, even if the route's long. Just get me a day you all think you're getting there once you have a chance to talk amongst yourselves and decide, yeah?"
"Will do." Cassius politely made his way to the door. "I'll, uh, get out of your hair. Thanks for the talk. And the pay."
"No problem," Caroline grinned. "Congrats again on winning, Cassius. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. You know I'll help you however I can."
"I know, will do. Thanks," Cassius nodded as he left, shutting the door as he left. For as disheartening as that talk had been overall, he'd choose to focus on the positive—he'd gotten paid, and he'd been paid handsomely. So had Hop and Gloria. That was something they could all celebrate. And, if nothing else, that helped to distract him from how he felt a little less elated about his win compared to how he felt last night.