The ointment and bandages stung, but not nearly as much as the guilt.
When Cassius had woken up, he'd found himself lying on a bed back at Professor Magnolia's place. Alive, thankfully, but still covered in cuts and marks. The most notable of which being the long gash along his right arm, which had been effectively treated and wrapped.
Physically, he felt better than he thought he would. Professor Magnolia had said the worst he'd get was some scarring along his aforementioned arm. The bandages could come off in a week. "The marvels of modern medicine," she had remarked with a small smile. The older woman—bless her soul—had even started working to knit back together the ruined sleeve of his jacket.
Hyla didn't look any worse for wear. Though she'd certainly seen better days, some rest and a bit of Pokémon medicine had done wonders for her health. Her fur, which had been bloodied not more than a few hours ago, looked as prim as it usually did. She had returned to slumber at Magnolia's insistence, and she'd be evaluated again tomorrow morning before they left.
When they left tomorrow, and continued on this journey throughout the region. Battling and fighting and hurting, Cassius realized. And it would only get harder from here.
The reality of what had happened set in once he was finally alone in the guest room. He'd been attacked by some wild Pokémon—a bird, barely the size of his fist, and had been seriously injured. Hyla had tried handling the situation herself, but in both their inexperience, they'd been soundly beaten by a wild animal. If his plan hadn't worked, and if Hop and Gloria hadn't arrived when they did, he would have likely walked away with much worse than a scar on his arm. If he walked away at all.
He closed in on himself. That was just one wild Pokémon, and Gloria had mentioned this part of the region being particularly weak in comparison to what was to come. What would it be like in places where the wild Pokémon were even stronger? Where he couldn't hope to sneak in a lucky punch and pray that he could somehow catch whatever it was that tried to harm him, or Hyla?
Cassius was scared. For himself, and for Hyla. Forget the public's perception, his own life was at stake.
The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts. Hop entered, quiet and courteous, as if he thought Cassius would run at the first sudden movement. "Hey, Cassius. The professor mentioned that you were awake, so I thought I'd drop in."
He took a seat near the bedside as Cassius kept his eyes on him, acknowledging his presence. "Feeling better, mate?"
It took a moment for his voice to work. "Yeah," he replied simply. "I'm fine." Hop looked like he didn't buy that for a second, but the Galarian didn't press. For a moment, the room was silent. Hop looked like he was looking for the right thing to say. Cassius wasn't really in the mood to say anything at all.
"Hey," Hop finally broke the silence. "I'm still kinda out of the loop on this. I figured you'd left during Gloria and I's bout, but I'd appreciate it if you filled me in on what happened on your end." His eyes widened, and a somewhat panicked look overtook the teen's curiosity. "I mean, only if you want! I'm not gonna force you to talk about it if it bothers you."
Honestly, it did bother him. A lot. But Cassius felt like he owed it to Hop for helping to bring him back to the professor's. "It's fine." He recounted what had happened, from the moment he and Hyla had encountered the strange creature, to his last second of consciousness. He omitted the particularly gory details, and he kept his sentences relatively short, but he figured Hop got the picture well enough.
"Arceus," Hop said after he had finished. "That's unreal." He took a look around the room. "If you don't mind me askin', where'd you put the Poké Ball?"
Cassius pointed over to a nearby nightstand. Along with his bag, an occupied Poké Ball sat quietly, containing a Pokémon that had tried killing him. Hop eyed the ball wearily, before slowly making his way over to inspect it.
Cassius was worried that Hop was going to release it, but the Postwick native quickly dispelled that notion. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna open it. Just... feelin' it out, I guess."
Hop seemed content to do just that, feeling and observing the ball like it was some sort of kind of ancient artifact. It wasn't long before he asked another question. "You said you'd been attacked by some bird, yeah? Blue and yellow?"
"Mhm," Cassius affirmed.
"A Rookidee," Hop mused aloud, returning to his seat by the bed. "That's... huh. You said you tried using Roar on it, yeah?"
Cassius nodded. "Yeah. Didn't work."
"Odd," Hop palmed his jaw as he skimmed over some information on his Pokédex, after placing the ball back on the counter with caution. "Rookidee are territorial as a group, but they don't normally go out looking for trouble. 'specially individually. I've never seen one go out of their way to attack someone before."
"Well, it happened," Cassius, bandaged on multiple parts of his body, stated. It didn't matter if this "Rookidee" thing normally didn't go looking for someone to hurt. This one had, and he and Hyla paid the price.
"I'm not denying that," Hop quickly reassured. "It's just kind of weird to me that this specific one did, for one thing, and that it was somehow experienced enough to not be scared away by your Deino's Roar. You don't typically find Pokémon like that around these parts."
Again, that provided little solace to Cassius. "So, now what?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I do with it?"
"The Rookidee?" Hop didn't seem prepared for that question. "Well, uh... that depends on you."
Cassius' eyes fell on the ball. He supposed that made sense. He had been the one to catch the thing, so technically, he had full control over what to do with his assailant.
Would the bird Pokémon even listen to him? If it hadn't been affected by Roar, that meant it was just as strong, if not stronger, than Hyla. Didn't Pokémon disobey weak trainers? In any case, the bird might have been too focused on killing him to actually bother listening to any kind of command he issued out.
It had hurt Hyla indiscriminately, in any case. That alone gave Cassius pause, giving way to a simmering anger that had been stewing since the whole affair had started. A darker, more extreme side of him that thought about what would happen if he had the chance to inflict the same kind of hurt onto it as it had to them.
He must not have been concealing his emotions very well, because Hop placed a hand on his shoulder not long after his silence had stretched on. "Hey. I know it hurts, but don't get drastic. That won't fix what happened and you know it."
And how was that fair? He'd been scarred, Hyla had been maimed, and this Rookidee thing got to walk away scot-free? What would stop it from doing the exact same thing again if it didn't learn not to mess with them?
He knew Hop was right, but it didn't sit right with him. This whole time, he'd been on the wrong side of "fairness." When would he get the benefit of fortune? When would he catch the break he was so obviously owed?
Cassius removed the hand atop his shoulder. "I won't. Don't worry." He didn't have it in him to do something as drastic as personally beating up a Pokémon that had hurt him anyway. That was cruel, even for all that had happened. For all he knew, this bird was simply acting on instinct, like all wild Pokémon did. It might have been a simple matter of wrong place, wrong time.
But, for now, there was no clear idea of what to do with the Rookidee. Objectively, it was strong, and that would serve him well on his journey. If he ever managed to make it obey him, which seemed like a long-shot at best. He'd have to sit on it for the time being. "I think I'll just keep it on me for now. Pokémon can't break out of their Poké Balls, right?"
"In properly functioning ones, no. Even faulty ones only have that happen occasionally." Hop moved back to his seat, relieved. "And you're right, we don't need to make a decision now. Maybe once Hyla gets a little more experienced, we can have the two fight. If nothing else, it'll serve as a good bar of progress to see how much you've improved." Cassius was slightly apprehensive about that, but that would be a conversation to be had much later.
Hop stood up. "I'm glad you're doing better. Seriously. If you're ever in trouble again, holler for me or Gloria, and we'll come running. I promise." Cassius wasn't too sure about Gloria, but he supposed it was the sentiment Hop wanted to convey more than anything. "Thanks."
"Oh, and before I forget," Hop whipped his phone back out, typing something for a brief spell. He looked to Cassius expectantly. "Give me your number."
Cassius obliged—establishing a means of contact with one of his only lifelines was the sensible thing to do—but not without questioning him. "What for?"
"Easy contact, for starters. I also wanna send you something that'll kick off your crash course." After reading off his number to Hop, a ding sounded from his phone not too long after. An unknown number, which was obviously Hop, and a link to some website. Clicking the link, he was assaulted by a series of charts and graphs. 'An Overview on Pokémon Types," the website read. "Species, Moves, and Effectiveness."
"Your first task will be to memorize this," Hop explained. "I'd planned on showing this to you tonight. I know you're feeling a bit rough right now, but this is crucial information to know. You won't go very far in the Challenge if you don't familiarize yourself with both Pokémon and move typings, and which are effective against which."
It was a veritable waterfall of words on his phone's screen. "That's... a lot."
"I know. I'll help you along with it when I can. We'll be on the train for a while tomorrow, we can go over some of it then. The plan is to have you memorize this information before we get to Motostoke, which is our next destination." Hop seemed to have really thought this through. "It's also where the Opening Ceremony will be held, and where you'll make your international debut. You won't be fighting, don't worry, but you will be showing your face to the public for the first time."
His debut, in front of the millions of people who thought he was the next big prodigy in Pokémon battling. Cassius' grip on his phone became a little tighter.
"Don't think about all that right now," Hop quickly reassured him, to little effect. "For now, baby steps. I won't have you memorize every Pokémon's typing. Learn the general typings and go from there." Hop made his way to the door. "We'll be eating soon. Get some rest tonight—we leave early tomorrow. If you need anything, let me know." The door clicked shut softly, and Hop was gone once more.
Cassius' eyes lingered on the door for a moment, before returning to his phone's screen. The wall of text was daunting, and it didn't get any better as he skimmed through what was on the link. Charts and graphs, with words and numbers he wasn't familiar with, flooded his sight, and though he tried to retain what was being presented to him, it was more than what he could simply store in his head after one read-through.
Fire, Water, Grass. That made sense, he supposed. But then there were more. Dark, Psychic, Bug. Ground and Rock—weren't those the same thing? And what even was a Fairy?
He tried to keep his focus from waning, but it was too much. After what had happened today, and all that was likely going to happen tomorrow, he just wanted to go back to sleep. Back home. Turning his phone off and placing it by his bedside, he retreated to the safety of the guest room's sheets and closed his eyes. Sleep, predictably, did not come easily.
Dinner had been a quiet affair, his return to bed afterwards even more so, and not long after the sun had risen once more.
Cassius, up uncharacteristically early, got to work on his morning routine, which now included the very fun and enjoyable process of replacing the bandages along his right arm. He was thankful he could do at least that much—it would have been incredibly embarrassing having to wake up the professor (or worse, Hop or Gloria) and ask them to re-treat his wound.
As the medical wrap released its hold on his arm and fell off, Cassius got a good first look at his formerly bleeding arm after treatment. He was thankful to see a lack of stitches, but the angry red scabbing that traveled along his skin didn't provide much in the way of comfort. It was almost morbidly aesthetic, a perfectly curved line that started a few inches above his elbow and ended just below his wrist. If he had the humor to place two dots above the cut, it would have looked like a basic smiley face along the inside of his arm.
Alas, he did not. 'Kinda looks like a Tommy John surgery gone really, really wrong.' Regardless, the scar that would remain would probably stay there forever. A morbid reminder of the time he'd almost gotten killed by a tiny bird.
With that happy thought, Cassius packed his things, double-checked his luggage, and made his way downstairs to make breakfast. To his surprise, someone had already beaten him to the punch.
He hadn't expected Gloria to even bother talking to him, after she'd elected not to say a word to him last night, but whatever it was that prompted her to leave him alone seemed to have come and gone during the night. "And so he lives. Good to know I can trust you not to go and kill yourself while you're sleepin', at least."
Disregarding the comment, as he'd become accustomed to doing in the past few days, he noticed the girl's current position in the kitchen, standing over a stove. He also noticed the frilly white apron she was donning. "Are you making breakfast?"
"No, I'm just makin' eggs so I can throw 'em out the window later," she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm makin' breakfast. There a problem with that?"
"Not at all," he answered quickly. Out of the three of them, he figured Gloria would be the least likely to know her way around a kitchen. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. "Can I have some?"
"It's a waste of eggs, but I was already makin' some for all of us. Hop included, if he decides to wake up in time for New Years'," she returned her attention to the pan she was operating on. "Why don't you go make yourself useful and wake him up, yeah? Probably can't mess that up, I hope." Cassius didn't have the energy to get in a fight this early, and with a grunt of acknowledgment he returned up the stairs to find the couch Hop had probably slept on.
Sure enough, there the young man was, slumped in what had to have been the most uncomfortable sleeping position Cassius had ever seen. His left leg was folded in on itself, his back was twisted in a way that made Cassius cringe, and half his person was hanging off the couch. 'There's no way that's comfortable.'
Deciding to put the poor man—and Cassius' own eyes—out of his misery, he gently shook the Galarian awake. "Hop, wake up." The snort that came from the half-asleep trainer would have made him laugh in any other scenario, and before long, Hop was awake. "Hnrk—Cassius? Whattime izzit?"
"Time for us to eat and get going." Cassius at least tried to sound enthusiastic about leaving. "Gloria's making breakfast downstairs. You should get up and moving." She'd probably kill him if he came back downstairs without Hop in tow.
"Alright, alright, I'm goin'," Hop slid off the couch, fumbled around his nearby pack for a fresh change of clothes, and lumbered into the bathroom with all the urgency of a Snorlax. Awkwardly waiting outside of the door for him to finish, Cassius stood for a good five minutes before Hop emerged with a grin, almost an entirely different person. "Whoo. Okay, all freshened up and ready to go!"
A part of Cassius envied his quick turnaround. Following the boy downstairs, he returned to the dining area to see Gloria conversing with Magnolia, accompanied by four plates of eggs, grilled tomatoes and beans. Hop gave a quick greeting to the two, sitting down beside Cassius as the four got to eating. "Not quite a full English, but good as always, Gloria," Hop teased, unperturbed by the scowl Gloria sent his way, though it was accompanied by a small thanks. Cassius took small nibbles of the slices of tomatoes, unaccustomed to such a side. He didn't think it was particularly good, but he wasn't going to turn down free food.
"Alright, you three," Magnolia quickly gathered the attention of the trainers in the room. "What's the plan for today? I imagine you're heading to the Wild Area today, if not Motostoke."
"Right as always, professor," Hop confirmed. "I figured we might as well get some training and sight-seeing in at the Wild Area before we head to Motostoke for the ceremony. It'll be Gloria and Cassius' first time, so it'll be a good time for sure."
"You've gone before?"
"With my brother when I was younger. Don't remember a ton of what we did, but I do remember the sights." He took on a nostalgic look. "Pokémon and wilderness, as far as the eye can see. Doesn't get much better than that."
"Well, be sure not to get too absorbed. You do have somewhere to be." She smiled, attention turning to Cassius. "Cassius, I assume you're unfamiliar with the Wild Area?"
More than just the Wild Area. "Can't say I've heard of it before."
"It's exactly what the name implies—a vast stretch of land inhabited by scores of Pokémon. What makes it unique is the diversity and unpredictability of the ecosystem. It can be a scorching desert in one spot, and a chilly stretch of snow in another." That didn't sound possible, but Pokémon logic hardly ever bent itself to established reason.
"We won't be exploring the entire place, obviously," Hop continued between forkfuls of egg. "That would take a month, if not longer. We're to attend the Opening Ceremony on the first of September. That gives us about five days to explore, train or whatever else before we head to Motostoke to officially register for the Challenge. We'll attend the ceremony the day after."
The first of September. That seemed like a frighteningly little amount of time to mentally prepare himself, but even a year's time might not have been enough. Cassius nodded in understanding, maintaining his poker face. "What's the ceremony like, anyway?"
"A whole lot of grandstandin'," Gloria muttered, finishing off her beans. "The league boasts about its popularity, shows off the gym leaders, and the crowd goes wild. Really, it's just an opportunity for the chairman to advertise Macro Cosmos."
Macro Cosmos? He'd heard the name fairly recently, but he was a little foggy on the details. "What are they? Like, a sponsor?"
"Parent company, more like," Hop picked up. "Macro Cosmos is a conglomerate that owns pretty much everything in Galar. Tech, media, energy, even daily living, Macro Cosmos has their hand in it."
Well, that would explain why his dad was willing to take the new job. "My dad actually got his new job with Macro Cosmos Rail."
"Well then your dad's living right," Hop acknowledged. "Regardless, that only further proves my point. Macro Cosmos exists in pretty much every corner of the region, and they would naturally involve themselves with the region's most profitable and popular event."
"Helps that the chairman is the head of both," Gloria added from the kitchen where she was washing her plate.
"Now, let's be fair," the professor chided softly. "Chairman Rose might be a bit... dramatic, but there are plenty of worse traits for someone in a position of power to have. He genuinely means well, and I believe your brother would attest to that, Hop."
"Well, Lee's almost never badmouthed anyone," Hop admitted. "But I suppose you're right."
"You'll likely be meeting him personally, in any case, considering the collective attention surrounding you three," Magnolia reminded the trio. "Chairman Rose makes it a point to establish early contact with the more prominent trainers undertaking the challenge. He was much the same with Leon. I imagine you'll be hearing from him sometime during or after the ceremony, if not sooner."
Gloria returned to her seat. "You've met him before, yeah? What's he like?"
Magnolia's face was unnaturally stony. "He's... a difficult man to describe. I'd like to say I know him well, after all our many years as partners, but I've yet to get a solid read on that man. I'd wager the only one who truly knows what he's like is that secretary of his." Her face scrunched slightly. "Though, she's an enigma herself. Quite scary, too."
Cassius shuddered. What was it with the women in this country and their proclivity for being the scary type? Gloria, Sonia, and now this secretary lady. 'Well, not that I was in the market for a girlfriend, but that definitely seems off the table now.'
"We can worry about that later," Hop, thankfully, decided to end the conversation there. "For now, let's just worry about getting to Motostoke first."
"And enjoying the Wild Area."
"Yes, Gloria, and enjoying the Wild Area."
"Eager as ever," Magnolia laughed softly. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. You've the adventure of a lifetime to attend to and whatnot."
She reached into a bag beside her, pulling out two items—Cassius' fixed jacket, and a white wristband infused with a black touchscreen. A blue button whirled idly in the middle of the screen. Professor Magnolia slid both items across the table. "For you, Cassius."
His jacket was good as new and an easy fit, the Dynamax Band even more so. He could barely feel it on his wrist as he slipped it on. "Oh. Wow. Uh, thank you ma'am. I can pay you, if you want."
"No need. Your future success is all the future payment I need, young man." A wry smile overtook her wrinkled visage. "Though, do try not to rip the jacket again, would you? I'm not as steady with my hands as I used to be."
"I'll be sure not to, ma'am."
"So formal. We'll have to fix that, in time," the old woman sighed. "Alright, on with it then. That Gym Challenge isn't going to win itself, now is it?"
"It sure won't." Hop gave the professor a hug. "Thanks, professor. Seriously. You've no idea how much this means to me."
The professor smiled. "If you're anything like your brother, I could hazard a guess. Say hello to Leon for me when you beat him, would you? It gets rather lonely around here, and I could use his youthful vigor every now and again."
Hop laughed. "Of course. He'll be here before too long. That, I swear." And Professor Magnolia didn't doubt a word of it.
The walk through Route 2 was, thankfully, uneventful in terms of battling or Pokémon. Hop was surprised to see Cassius so talkative, however.
"So, is this thing just purely touchscreen, or does it have a voice command?" Cassius asked, angling his wrist to get a full view of the new piece of very powerful and expensive technology he owned. "I don't want to accidentally turn this thing on and make it do... whatever it is Dino-maxing does."
"Dynamaxing," Hop corrected. "And, to put it simply, it makes your Pokémon very, very big."
"Like, literally, or in the sense that they just get more power?"
"Both. But mainly the really big part. You'll get the picture whenever we get to Motostoke Stadium." Hop flashed a look to his own band. "Regarding the first part of your question, it's just a touchscreen, and it literally only allows you to Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon."
Wait. "Gigantamax? What's that?"
"Some Pokémon not only get bigger when they Dynamax, but they change forms and get special attacks. That's called Gigantamaxing. We can go over the whole list of which specific Pokémon do that later. For now, just hook your Dynamax Band up with the Pokémon you've caught, and you can Dynamax them whenever you're battling on a Power Spot."
Cassius slouched slightly as he walked. "Do I even want to know what a Power Spot is?"
"Considering it's the only place where Pokémon can Dynamax or Gigantamax, yes," Hop answered. "Don't worry, Power Spots only exist either in gyms, or very visibly obvious places in the wild. You're not gonna accidentally walk over one and turn Hyla into a skyscraper."
That was a relief. "Can I ask something?"
"You've already asked plenty, what's one more?" Cassius didn't know if that was a signal to go ahead or a complaint that he was talking too much, but given Hop's friendly smile and his overall nature, he settled on the former. "Why Dynamaxing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... Mega Evolutions are a thing, right?" Cassius remembered the hype that swept the world when Mega Evolutions became viable in Kalos. It was unavoidable at the time, especially among kids his age. "That seems a lot more practical in terms of battling than just making Pokémon... bigger." Probably safer too, when he thought about it.
"Maybe, but Dynamaxing has its perks," Hop countered as Wedgehurst entered the three's view. "To me, there's something alluring about Pokémon being larger than life. Really adds to the spectacle of it all."
"Battlin' isn't about spectacle," Gloria finally spoke up from the rear. "It's about winning. I think it's dumb."
Hop had heard this spiel plenty of times before. "Yes, Gloria, I'm well aware of how you feel about Dynamaxing. There's nothing we can do about it, though."
"If it were up to me, there'd be no gimmick at all. Just straight, to-the-point battlin'. No need for tricks and showmanship and whatnot."
"Then can I assume you won't be Dynamaxing the entire circuit?"
Gloria snorted. "Fuck no. Just 'cause I think it's a stupid gimmick for primary-schoolers doesn't mean I'm gonna give my opponents a leg-up like that."
Hop smiled cordially. "I thought as much."
While the two finished their banter, Cassius felt his steps slow as the three approached the station. "Uh... I don't think that was there yesterday." Hop's smile quickly left him. "No, it certainly was not."
When the trio of trainers had traveled through Wedgehurst yesterday, there had barely been any people out and about. That might have been due to how early they had left, but Wedgehurst was relatively sleepy most of the year anyway. It was a far different story this time—a large crowd had congregated outside of the train station, aimlessly looking around for... something.
Hop was quick to notice the gear a majority of the crowd was carrying. Cameras, boom microphones, and plenty more. "Reporters, it looks like."
"That can't be for us, right?" Cassius asked warily. The uncertainty in his voice made it clear that he doubted his own words.
"It definitely is," Gloria confirmed. "We're the champion's sponsored trainers, in case it slipped your mind. Of course there'd be press followin' us for a scoop." She snorted, but there was little humor to be found in her tone. "It'll only get worse from here, once we start travelin' to the bigger cities."
"That's comforting," Cassius sighed.
"I'm not seeing any other means of getting into the station, so we're gonna have to go right through 'em it seems," Hop adjusted the bag on his back. "Voice your alternatives now if you have any."
"Flying taxi?"
"Too expensive, and there's only one spot in the Wild Area where they can land. It's too crowded—we'd be waiting hours."
Gloria sighed, defeated. "Fine then. Let's just get this over with."
"Stay close Cassius," Hop urged as the three started moving once more. "And don't answer their questions. Head down, keep walking. Got it?"
Cassius would be lying if he wasn't a little apprehensive. He'd never been on TV before. "Uh, yeah."
They made it about five meters before the first media member noticed them. "Hey, it's the trainers! They're here!"
Cassius struggled to imagine how a collective group of people could move quickly, with the cameras and microphones and wires everywhere, but he was proven wrong when the group caught them in their view and mobilized. It was almost impressive how they managed to swarm the three of them so quickly. Before long, he had people standing not farther than a foot from his person as they attempted to get into the station.
The flashes from the cameras were blinding, and the noise from the multitude of questions being yelled at them was near deafening. Cassius would have looked down, but the dozen or so microphones being shoved in his face made that a little difficult.
"Cassius! Cassius Hargreaves!" One particularly loud female reporter yelled at him from the inner circle of the media group. "Is it true that you came to Galar to compare the strengths between Galar and Unova?"
Did he... what? How did they even know he was from Unova? 'Head down, keep walking. Head down, keep walking. Head down...'
"Hop! You're the projected favorite to win the Challenge in the pre-circuit rankings," another reporter called from the front of the group. "What's your preparation like heading into the Challenge?" Hop's mouth was sealed, but he maintained a cordial smile as he finally managed to make his way to the ticket booth.
The transit worker behind the glass frame, to his credit, didn't seem outwardly put off by the swarm of reporters following the three teenagers. "How can I help you today?"
Hop had to nearly yell for the worker to hear him. "A private compartment for the Motostoke line, please."
"Of course. Will you be paying with cash or credit?"
Hop pulled out a small slip of paper. The blinding light from a particularly close photographer almost made him drop it. "I actually have a voucher, sir."
"Smart," the man behind the glass whispered under his breath, before receiving the voucher and inspecting it. After verifying its authenticity, the worker handed Hop three tags. "Right then, private compartments are located in the first and second cars. Take any you like. Your train will arrive in two minutes. Thank you for your patronage, and happy travels!"
The three couldn't move quickly enough. Sliding through the electric turnstile with a quick swipe of the tags, the trainers were finally granted reprieve from the paparazzi, if only for a moment. "How'd you know to bring a voucher for a private compartment?" Gloria asked.
"Lee actually gave one to me before I left," Hop answered. "Said I would be needing it."
Huh. "Good bit of foresight on his part."
"I'll say."
Their train indeed arrived two minutes later, donning the words 'Outbound for Motostoke' in big pixelated letters. Hop made his way onto the second car, Gloria and Cassius not far behind him. Making sure they hadn't lost anything, the three settled for the nearest open compartment they could find, shutting the door behind them as they all but slumped onto the padded seats.
"I can still see the flashes," Cassius lamented softly, attempting to blink away the damage. Gloria looked to be having a similar problem, if her squinted expression meant anything. Hop sighed—he had anticipated their first public media run-in being hectic, but experiencing it in real-time was a different thing altogether.
'And it'll only get worse from here,' he mentally reminded himself as their train started moving. And if that wasn't an encouraging thought.
At least they'd be in the Wild Area soon. Their journey would finally begin, after everything that had happened. They could all look forward to that, right?
A quick look at his companions' irritated and slightly blinded expressions told him otherwise.
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I'll be heading out on a week-long trip today, so I don't think I'll be able to squeeze out a chapter next Sunday. Apologies for the delay. I'll be back at it the following Sunday.