Yo! We're almost to the World Championships! Only a few chapters left til it begins! But first...

Start Chapter 38

Bianca was doing just about everything in her power to avoid Cynthia the following day. She understood, in concept, that that was foolish. She wanted nothing more than to be by her side.

But her thoughts still hadn't calmed since the previous few day's events, and she needed more time.

So, she took it.

She headed off into Mt. Coronet, which bordered Celestic on the western side of town. Bianca wasn't the hugest fan of the mountain, and she felt she had fair reason, given the entirety of creation had almost ended there, but it was quiet, lonesome, and a perfect place for her to walk around and consider how she was feeling.

There were a few trainers within, and some challenged her to battles, but Bianca declined. She just wasn't in the mood.

They would be leaving for Solaceon later that day, and planned to be in Alola by the end of the week. The very idea of that would've seemed impossible to Bianca just a few months ago; that she'd 1. be riding along in a private jet with a rich businesswoman who she was rapidly realizing she'd fallen head over heels for, or 2. that she'd have eight gym badges, and be prepped and ready to go for the World Championships at the end of the year.

Gods but her life was getting complicated.

She wasn't at all begrudging the fact, more laughing at the sheer absurdity that less than a year ago, she'd been depressed, unhappy, and – she'd felt like at least – trapped within a job she no longer wanted to work at.

How quickly things could change.

It was as that very thought crossed Bianca's mind that her foot hit an errant rock on the side of the wall she was walking by, and she nearly stumbled to the floor. She managed to keep herself up, albeit barely, and turned to see…

Her eyes widened somewhat as she peered down at the oddly shaped stone beneath her. The more she stared, the more she began to realize that this was no rock at all.

This was a fossil.

It wasn't one that Bianca immediately recognized, and she couldn't tell if it was of Pokémon origin or not. Still, it seemed fairly prominent in terms of shaping, and she felt like she could've maybe taken an educated guess on its identity if she had a chance to sit around and stare at it.

Technically, she did, but she was trying to think about other matters.

For the time being, she placed the fossil inside her bag, and kept walking.

She paced around the lowest level of Mt. Coronet for about an hour and a half, during which time she stayed entirely silent, and simply thought.

She thought mainly, of course, about Cynthia, and how her own feelings were seemingly returned by hers. That sounded insane to her; that Cynthia, of all people, could look at Bianca and somehow find her… worthy? That sounded kind of pathetic when Bianca put it like that.

Still, she'd always had image issues, and a year working on them by becoming a stronger and more open person hadn't fully fixed that. No, it would probably be a good idea to take Cheren up on his suggestion, and go to therapy when this was all over. Gods knew she had a lot of stuff to talk about.

In the end, she decided that she'd spent long enough pacing. She left Mt. Coronet, and hiked the twenty or so minutes back to Celestic. It was a gorgeous route to get there, and Bianca found herself ambling somewhat as she took in the sights and sounds of nature.

She'd lived in a small town all her life, but she'd have never said she was one for the small-town lifestyle. Still…

She felt she could get used to this.

When she made it back into Celestic, she found that Cynthia had been waiting for her. She was surprised, but waved to her, and received a way back.

"Thought I'd go and get you," Cynthia chuckled. "But it seems you've eliminated the need for that."

"What's up?"

"There's going to be a snow storm this afternoon. We're going to want to start making the hike back to Hearthome early if we want to make it to Solaceon before it sets in."

"Alright. Is your grandmother not upset?"

"Her?" Cynthia laughed. "No, she's fine. I think she was just curious as to what I was getting up to these days. She also wanted to meet– ah, well, enough about that. Shall we get some breakfast, and then get a move on?"

That sounded alright to Bianca.

/

It was a day of travelling, a thing that Bianca had grown quite used to.

She and Cynthia were able to converse far more amicably than they had just a few days earlier. Time to themselves had most certainly helped. Unfortunately for Bianca, a few days for herself had also resulted in the thing she now wanted most being to 'see Cynthia more'.

Which was a nasty side effect.

Well, not really. Being beside Cynthia was lovely, and she did… she was starting to accept the fact that she felt very strongly about Cynthia.

It wasn't hard to see why. She'd been there for months now, a constant in her life, and had encouraged, pushed, and helped Bianca in so many ways that she'd almost lost count. It had been her to help Bianca grind her way out of the hole she'd seemed stuck in for years.

It had been her who'd helped to save her.

Surely, Bianca knew that she couldn't have helped Bianca if she hadn't wanted to save herself, but it was a lot harder to give oneself credit than someone else.

"Are you alright?"

She turned to see Cynthia gazing at her.

"I'm alright. Just thinking about things."

"Any things in particular?"

"The fact that this is all really happening, I guess? That I'm really going to enter into the Pokémon World Championships, that I've really come this far, that you're really here with me, standing beside me…"

Bianca looked down and away, her face somewhat red even past her smile.

"It's simply a little hard to believe."

"I suppose. I hope it's becoming less so as time goes on, however."

"It is." Bianca confirmed. "At this point I'm… I guess adjusting?"

"Mm. Good."

They walked on a while longer, hitting Solaceon around the time that the sun was setting. They decided this time to simply hike the rest of the way to Hearthome, knowing it wouldn't take them too terribly long.

They arrived around midnight, a little after it had begun to snow, and immediately went to bed. They still weren't sharing the same hotel room again, but Bianca was fine with that as long as they were talking.

The next day, Bianca awoke bright and early.

That day, they would be heading to Alola.

They got up, ate the complimentary breakfast that the hotel offered, and then trudged through the snow on the ground towards the airport so they could board Cynthia's plane. She apologized to the pilot for snapping at him the other day – he seemed just as apologetic to have gotten in their way, but he didn't say anything – and then they hunkered down for the flight.

It wasn't a short trip. Alola was half a world away from Sinnoh. Still, Cynthia's jet made it far more comfortable than it had any right to be.

During the ride, Bianca and Cynthia discussed nothing of import, and they pointedly avoided any serious topics. Neither discussed their burgeoning feelings, and instead stuck to much easier topics, such as what they'd be doing once they arrived in Alola.

"We've likely got a week or two left of decent beach going weather." Cynthia explained to her. "The winter cold doesn't really set in on Alola until later. Now, I'm not sure if you would want to go into the water, but that's your business."

Bianca chuckled. "I'll probably abstain. Though I might sunbathe? We'll have to see. It seemed nice when you were doing so at Sootopolis."

Cynthia smiled. "It is nice. Relaxing, too. You've just got to make sure you don't fall asleep."

"Or else you get sun-cooked?"

"Exactly."

They discussed Bianca's Pokémon, of which she had nine, Cynthia's grandmother, who'd ended up being a nice, if somewhat old-fashioned woman, and the hotel they'd be staying in once they arrived in Alola.

"There aren't any cheap hotels in Alola. Pretty much at all." Cynthia explained. "There are a couple of cheapy hotels further inland, but they're mostly local-only places. If you're a tourist, you're relegated to the beachfront hotels."

"And relegated to their absurd pricings?"

"Indeed." Cynthia laughed. "Luckily for you, I'm doing quite well in the money department. We haven't really gone all out in terms of hotels since Sootopolis, have we?"

"That was your friend's condo, wasn't it?"

"Mm. But I think this time we'll do something similar." Cynthia left it at that, being cagey on purpose. Bianca smiled. She must've had a surprise of some kind planned.

"I'll take your word for it."

Finally, some few hours later, they touched down in Alola.

Bianca had been there once before, but only for a single week's time, and she'd gone specifically to the Aether Resort for Pokémon research. However, they'd had a couple of days to themselves to go and relax afterwards, her alongside some of the other researchers, and Professor Juniper.

They had, rather unsurprisingly, stuck to one of the cheaper beaches. Even then, the number she'd heard from the Professor on how much they'd spent had been… rather exorbitant, come the end of that week.

They departed Cynthia's jet at the airport, and Bianca got a good look at the Alolan lands surrounding them.

There were tall mountains, and vast amounts of palm trees. There were Pokémon flying overhead, alongside people riding on great gliders that soared along the sky. Bianca let out a noise of amazement, and Cynthia smiled.

"Welcome to Melemele island, Bianca." Cynthia exclaimed. "The most populated of Alola's islands, and the most common tourist destination. Scenic sights and wondrous fun await you on this island of paradise."

Bianca snorted. "You sound like you're reading off a brochure."

"I am." Cynthia held the brochure up, and Bianca laughed.

"You got me there."

"Mm." Cynthia was grinning. "The tournament's being held here, even if a lot of hardcore Alolan's proposed that it should have probably been held on Akala Island. I don't know if you've ever heard, but they have a very upscale resort in and around there that some people felt should have been the sight chosen."

"Can't say I have?"

"That's fine. But basically, Melemele Island, and Hau'oli City in particular, is the most common destination for tourists, and the committee running the event is being subsidized by Alola's tourism. So, they're looking to draw in the most amount of people, and get them to spend the most amount of money. Melemele was, therefore, chosen as the perfect place for that."

"Sounds complicated."

"It very much is." Cynthia laughed. "That's why I've never once been into marketing."

"Actually, that reminds me. I've never really asked; what parts of business are you actually involved with?"

Cynthia thought for a moment. "I'd say… relations, so to speak. You know that I work alongside a lot of Pokémon trainers, gym leaders, and champions?"

Bianca obviously did.

"Well, I work with and alongside a lot of them on my jobs. I travel to big tournaments and play a crucial role in making sure they get the… proper pomp and circumstance they deserve, I should say."

"So, you're sort of marketing, then?"

"Something like that." Cynthia smirked. "Now c'mon, we can check into our place any time after three, and it's running on five now."

Bianca nodded, and the two of them traveled towards the coast of Melemele island.

As they did, Bianca kept her attention towards the sky. It was a bright blue, the kind of clear that someone growing up in Unova had only ever heard of. The clouds were sparse, and small. The sun beat down upon them, and the humidity made it feel like it was quite a bit hotter than it actually was – likely hovering a little above room temperature.

Even so, Bianca was smiling as they walked along one of the paths leading to Hau'oli city proper. Surely, they'd flown in, but that didn't mean they were near the actual city itself.

As they crested the top of a hill, however, Bianca got her first good look at the city that would be playing host to the Pokémon World Championships…

And she wasn't disappointed.

Hau'oli City was massive; easily the same size as Sootopolis City had been, if not larger. There were towering buildings that made the place seem entirely urban, but also grand vistas of green that made it seem rural. At the edges of the water, there was a beach that stretched for miles and miles, upon which it seemed well over a million people currently resided.

She couldn't think to blame them, either. The water was sparkling and clear, and the weather was, even this close to winter, still balmy and warm. She supposed this was what had been meant when it was said it took longer for the temperature to drop in Alola.

Cynthia whistled off to her side, and Bianca echoed the notion.

"It's beautiful." She said, almost dumbfounded.

"Hah, it is. I've been here… three or four times? But it's like… every time I make it back, I've forgotten just how majestic it is here."

They made their way down the walking path, which they took for another hour or so. They weren't in a hurry, but even so, Bianca was starting to grow rather hot.

It didn't help that she'd been dressed for Celestic, and even if Cynthia had told her to dress less warmly, she had still assumed it would be chilly in Alola.

Instead, it was nearly perfect out, with the sun shining right down on her.

So, yes, she was hot.

Luckily, around that time, they entered into Hau'oli, and they got their first good looks at the crowds; at the overwhelming amount of people that practically covered the streets of Hau'oli.

"It's a bit…" Bianca tried to find a nice way to say it. "…Hectic?"

Cynthia laughed. "Yes, it very much is. Even a month or so's time out from the tournament really ramping up into full force, Alola is still the world's most popular tourist destination. Especially around this time of year; where it's starting to get colder just about everywhere else, but it's still nice and tropical here."

Bianca grunted in acknowledgement, even as they fought their way through the crowds to be able to get towards the beachfront properties, where the hotel they'd be renting out for the next few months was – which was insane, in Bianca's eyes, but Cynthia was loaded enough that she hadn't even considered that weird.

Apparently, renting out a hotel room in a super expensive hotel for multiple months was just a normal thing rich people did. Bianca didn't have any idea what she was supposed to say to that.

She also didn't even know if it was a hotel room. Cynthia had hinted that it was going to be a nice surprise, after all.

So, they made their way there. Bianca followed behind Cynthia as she scanned addresses, evidently looking for their building. After a while, she made an "Ah!" noise, and then began walking towards what was, without doubt, the single swankiest place that Bianca had ever seen.

"Uh… are you sure this is ours?" She had to bring up, because… well…

"Oh, it's ours." Cynthia smirked. "And we've got the penthouse suite."

Bianca's eyes must've bugged out rather harshly, because Cynthia started laughing, and didn't really stop until they'd arrived at their destination; the top floor of the hotel, where a singular room rested.

And within…

Wow.

Just…

Wow.

It was one of those places that one might see if they looked up 'world's most expensive hotel rooms' or something along those lines. It was a massive place, likely the size of Bianca's childhood home despite being, ostensibly, a single piece of a larger building. On the one hand, however, they did have the entire floor to themselves, so Bianca supposed they could afford to make it somewhat large.

The wall directly ahead of them was made almost entirely of glass, with a glass door that led out to a patio that overlooked the ocean. There was a pair of deck chairs outside which looked far too high-tech for just sitting there and relaxing.

Bianca wouldn't have been surprised if they had a massage feature.

On the left wall was a massive flatscreen tv, alongside a collection of expensive-looking wines all stored in one of those big display stands. There was a couch there that looked far comfier than anything Bianca had sat on, and a collection of chairs – which all looked to have built in massage modes, by the gods.

On the right side of the room was a kitchen. It probably classified as a kitchenette, given it wasn't its own room, but at the same time, it was as large as Bianca's kitchen in her home, easily big enough for a whole family to move around one another without getting in anyone's way. There was a large dining table with ten or so seats, alongside a bar that looked to be able to seat about that many people as well.

And that was just the first room!

There were two separate bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a gym attached for exercising, and even a spa room, like she was back at Janine's place! It had a central section that could raise or lower depending on whether one wanted a spa, or a large bath.

Bianca was in love.

She could also hear her own wallet crying at such a brazen waste of money – and it wasn't even her money!

"Uhm… Cynthia?" She asked her as she exited out of the spa room, entirely shellshocked. "…How much did this all cost?"

"I don't know." Cynthia answered, smiling widely. "It was covered for me by my sponsors."

"That…" Bianca shook her head, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I just said I wanted a nice hotel room, and they went ahead and got us this." Cynthia laughed. "Can't say I'm complaining. What do you think?"

"Well… it's a little, uhm… much?"

Cynthia's expression fell somewhat, and in that moment, Bianca had a thought.

…This surprise…

Had it been…

No…

It couldn't have been… for her, could it have been?

"…But I think it's wonderful." She smiled, because it was the truth. "And if you're not the one paying for it, then… I see no reason not to indulge!"

Cynthia's expression recovered easily at that, and she laughed along with Bianca as they decided to go on a quick tour across the suite's many different features. They sunbathed on the patio for a while – and yes, the chairs did massage them as they did so – before both relaxing in the spa, albeit at separate times.

Things were still a bit touch and go between them in terms of more… dangerous matters.

Not dangerous physically, of course, more…

Well, they weren't comfortable being around one another with just a towel separating their modesties.

Still, come the evening, Bianca was more than ready to retire, and enjoy herself.

But Cynthia seemed to have other plans.

"I actually happened to get given a complimentary service when we booked this hotel room," Cynthia explained to her as she exited out of the bathroom. "Apparently, if you book the penthouse suite, you can dine at a rather fancy restaurant in the area. I've never been myself, but I've heard good things from some of the people I talk to. It's good for two people, so I thought… why don't we go together?"

Bianca was, internally, entirely thrilled at the prospect. It would be a nice dinner at a nice place with a nice person who she thought was nice.

Also internally, however, Bianca was panicking.

Because…

Is this a date!? She mentally screamed. It kind of feels like a date!

"Bianca?"

"H-Huh!?" She was almost certainly red in the face. "Oh, uh… what did you– no, right, going out on a d– to a restaurant together!"

Cynthia was now just as red as she was, likely having picked up on Bianca poorly hidden switch-up at the end there.

"I uhm…"

…She was hesitating, and yet, when she thought about it…

Why?

Why was she hesitating? Because she was scared? Because she was afraid that she wasn't good enough? Because she didn't think she had what it took?

Weren't those all of the same emotions she'd felt about herself at the beginning of her Pokémon journey?

And who had it been to help her past those same emotions? Who had been with her from minute one, helping her to improve her self-image, then her willingness to trust and love others? Who had been there to help her to get out of her shell, and to really show up when it mattered? Who had helped her to accept what she wanted, regardless of talent or skill? Who had helped her to realize who she was, irrespective of those she looked up to?

It…

It had been the woman standing across from her, looking right into her eyes.

The woman she…

Bianca was hesitating, but…

She'd hesitated before, and where had it got her?

So…

"I think…" She licked at her lips, swallowing to make her throat just that little bit wetter.

"I think I'd love that."

End Chapter 38

Bianca and Cynthia are going on a date! These bitches gay! Good for them. Good for them.

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