As if to make his day even worse, the bad news only continued when Cassius made his way to pick up Sizzlipede. "Two weeks?"

"Two weeks," the nurse repeated, handing him Sizzlipede's ball back. "No exercise, no training, and absolutely no battling. Concussions leave smaller Pokémon very sensitive, and in the event they re-injure themselves, it can lead to longer-term effects. Sometimes even permanent ones."

So it had been a concussion, then. "Will she be good to go for our next battle in Hulbury?"

"Provided you allow her proper time to rest, most likely. But only then," she emphasized. "And I would strongly recommend you have her officially cleared medically before returning her to physical activities." The look she gave him was one of scrutiny, likely born from having to explain the same thing to countless other trainers who went and immediately disregarded her advice.

Cassius wasn't eager to add himself to that list. "Of course, got it. No physical stuff until we're sure she's good to go."

That took out some of the heat in the nurse's gaze. "Very good. While I understand every trainer must deal with the pressure that comes from having only a few weeks to prepare for these battles, I would think it common sense to not jeopardize your Pokémon's long-term health for the benefit of having them fight or train while injured. Unfortunately, that sense is not as universal as I would have hoped."

He could only imagine. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No need for apologies. So long as you allow your Sizzlipede time to recover, then you'll be markedly better than those who actively ignore my and other experts' advice." Her look shifted into one of knowing. "Many trainers forget that rest and recuperation are equally as important as training. Something I've noticed in my years of close proximity to the sport is that the best trainers almost always have their Pokémon looking rested and physically prepared right before a battle."

Was she giving out free advice? "I'll, uh, keep that in mind. Thank you."

"That's all I'll ask of you." Her ramrod posture relaxed slightly. "I'll admit, I found I rather enjoyed your fight last night. My opinions on Pokémon battling aside, you provide a very... entertaining watch, I'll say. I believe it would be a great shame to lose a trainer like you due to poor management of your Pokémon's health."

Before Cassius could say anything in response, the nurse shooed him out of her office. "Now, off you go. Little rest for those in my industry, as you trainers like to ensure. Have a good rest of your day, Mr. Hargreaves." The door politely shut behind him, and Cassius was left standing in a very busy wing of the Pokémon Center. Rather than stand around doing nothing while in everyone's way, he decided instead to make himself scarce and head for the exit.

'An entertaining watch...' her words echoed in his head. Maybe more importantly, not a fraud. That stuck with him as much as her advice did.

"She said that to you?" Hop appeared a little shocked as Cassius recounted his conversation with Caroline, even as he clutched his battle earnings in his hand. "That sounds a little... harsh."

"I don't think it was her opinion," Cassius defended. "I think she was just telling me how it is. I'm not gonna get mad at her for doing her job."

"I suppose not, but still. If it were me, I'd have that lingering in the back of my head. Even more so since I'd have to change how I fight for the purpose of not angering this small minority of people." Seeing Cassius' expression drop a little, he quickly backtracked. "Or, uh, not! You'll be fine, I'm sure." He wisely decided to turn the attention elsewhere. "How about you, Gloria? Any thoughts?"

She'd been a little occupied with the brunch on her plate—and the check that Cassius handed to her, which sent her to a level of mirth just below evil cackling—but she had enough stake in their conversation to look up. "Fuck 'em." Gloria, as always, put it delicately and eloquently. "Buncha limp-dick old sods who were never any good at battlin' anyway. Can go die inna ditch for all I care about their worthless opinions."

"I'd like to agree, but recent circumstances have forced me to kind of care about their worthless opinions," Cassius contended. "They're where the money's at, and they're still a good portion of battling viewers. If I alienate all of them, I'm just putting a giant target on my back."

For once, Gloria didn't have a snarky comeback. Which was surprising. "So then, what was her solution?"

"She wanted me to win 'clean and big'."

"And do you think you can do that?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, then that puts you at quite the crossroads." She returned to her brunch. Cassius snorted. "Yes, very helpful."

"Let's move on," Hop quickly intervened. "How's Sizzlipede? You said she'd be out for a few weeks?"

"Yep." The Pokémon in question looked up from her spot on the floor next to him at the mention of her name. Thankfully, she was much more responsive than she had been at the end of her fight, though Cassius could still see some general lethargy from her posture and gait. "No training or battling. Gonna take it slow with her and get her checked out officially once we think she's ready to go."

"And how's she taking it?"

"Fine." Sizzlipede chittered unhappily at his answer, which was expected. They'd known each other for less than a month, but Cassius already knew Sizzlipede was far and away the most energetic and free-spirited on the team. Forcing her to sit around and rest all day would naturally be unappealing to her. After getting her back from the Pokémon Center, it had taken a very stern talking to for her to at least understand the risks involved. Even then, he was sure he'd have to keep a close eye on her.

She couldn't be feeling too bad, as she still possessed her appetite. He tossed her a bit of bacon as a show of goodwill, which she immediately took to devouring, losing the displeased look on her face. Yeah, she'd be fine. Probably.

"Oh yeah, while you were gone, Sonia called me and said she'll be meeting us in Hulbury," Hop added. "She's still there on gran's behalf, and she said she'd be there long enough to catch our battles. Exciting, yeah?"

"I'll be watching." "Yeah," Cassius managed. "Totally."

"You sound nervous," Hop noted. "What, you find Sonia intimidating?"

"You're just now picking up on that?" Cassius thought it was obvious. "You two were ones talking about how smart she is. If people are already picking apart and criticizing my battle, then I figure she definitely has already. What if she's already found me out?" He whispered that last part, even though they were speaking in the safety of Hop's hotel room. Better safe than sorry.

"I doubt it'll come to that. Sonia hasn't been much into the scene since she left the circuit and went into research, and I figure she's plenty busy with whatever gran tasked her with in Hulbury to give a critical eye to your battle." Hop seemed pretty confident. "And even in the off-chance she does find out, so what? You won, and that's what really matters."

"I'd really prefer to just avoid the problem altogether and make sure she doesn't find out in the first place," Cassius grumbled.

"Well, if she does, we'll be right there with you to talk her down from doing anything extreme. Won't we, Gloria?"

Gloria shrugged noncommittally. "Sure."

How reassuring. "That makes me feel so much better."

"If we think too much on the future, we'll miss all that the present has to offer! Which is our departure to our next stop, Route 5! Lovely little road." Hop seemed intent to focus on the positive. "Calm, quiet, and scenic. A perfect chance to unwind and train, with no distractions!"

Both Cassius and Gloria groaned as he finished, the latter turning a glare toward him. "Well now ya fuckin' jinxed us, prick," Gloria growled.

"Come on! The Wild Area was a bunch of interpersonal drama between us—that we fixed," Hop quickly added. "And Route 4 and the Galar Mine were matters of circumstance. Route 5 is as breezy as it gets, and all the other trainers still in the circuit are probably halfway to Hulbury by now. Really, I'd be shocked if anything of note happened."

"Dude, please stop talking," Cassius practically begged. "You're going to get me mauled by some freak Pokémon at this rate."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic! Like we'd ever let you get seriously hurt."

With the straightest face Cassius had ever mustered in his life, he lifted the sleeve up from his arm, flashing the scar left by Korvis when they'd first met. That same arm sported a few lingering burn marks from his initial encounter with Sizzlipede, who in a rare show of humility, had found a really appealing part of the floor to stare at.

Hop froze, pursed his lips, and then made for the door. "Well, better get a move on while the sun's still out! Wanna enjoy the sights and all while we can see 'em! I'll give you some time to pack and check out, meet me in the lobby!" The door shut very slowly behind him as he escaped in the direction of the elevators.

Gloria was silent, for only a moment. "He left his bag."

"He sure did." His wonderful, supportive traveling partners.

Hop had been right about one thing; Route 5 was scenic. A wide dirt road that twisted at soft angles along the ground, surrounded by trees and other forms of fauna on both sides. A small hill dropped off to the side in the distance, revealing a little clearing filled with flowers, Pokémon, and what looked like a few people. That was much further down, though, and Cassius was willing to take in the sights in front of him in the present, as Hop had encouraged.

He was going to miss sleeping in a bed, and having a room with a readily accessible bathroom, but part of him was genuinely relieved to get out into the open again. The routes helped to cultivate a privacy he couldn't otherwise find in the towns and cities, which would be harder to find if he planned to keep climbing the circuit ladder, which in turn would only build upon his growing celebrity status. He could train in relative peace, with a much smaller chance of being spied upon unknowingly from prying eyes that existed in largely populated areas. The only ones who ever braved the routes on foot were trainers, and they normally had enough sense to leave their peers alone if they were training. Or so he'd been told.

He would need all the training he could get with his new directive from Caroline in mind. If he was going to blow Nessa out, he had to study and improve at such a rate that made him substantially prepared to beat her. Even with the newfound confidence instilled from having won his first bout, it was something completely different to overwhelmingly dominate an opponent on the level of a gym leader. To his knowledge, Gloria and Marnie (and Bede, unfortunately) had been the only ones to do so against Milo—and Nessa was going to be a much harder challenge.

For all Hop's promises of a quiet, leisurely stroll down the route, it had taken all of maybe five minutes for them to get accosted by random strangers. "Cam, Cam! Get the camera! They're here!" A reporter had quickly dashed over in their direction, propelling herself as fast as she could in heels. A cameraman followed not far behind them, lugging a camera over his shoulder with a grunt. "Hi there! Gillian Croft with Battle News Live, a pleasure to meet you three. Could I trouble you with a few questions?"

Hop, as he usually did when it came to the press, took the lead. "Sorry, but we're focused on the circuit right now. You're free to direct any inquiries to our agent." Polite but firm. A staple when dealing with pushy media types, according to him.

This lady in particular, however, seemed especially determined. "Oh, I don't mean to interrogate you, promise! Just some thoughts about your win over Milo, now that you've all had some time to think about it. I'll be out of your hair before long."

Cassius somehow doubted that, and Gloria did too. "We're busy," she said curtly. Her face remained even, but her tone was less so. Not enough to implicate her of anything with a camera rolling not far away, but enough to get the point across.

Still, the reporter didn't relent. "Tell you what—we can battle you for it! Make it worth your time, get you some practice. You don't get to be on-air talent for a battling media group without knowing a thing or two about the sport!" She slipped a Poké Ball in her palm from Arceus knew where. "Beat us, and we'll leave you be. In the slim chance we catch you on a bad day, however, you'll honor us with a few questions. Just a few!"

"We?" Gloria seemed unimpressed. "Your mate gonna manage while filmin'?"

"Cam's a good multitasker. Aren't you, Cam?"

"Mhm," the cameraman managed, sweating a little. "Sure am! Haha!"

Gloria seemed to debate it briefly, before sighing. "Fine. Whatever. S'pose Scorbunny could use the exercise."

"As could Grookey," Hop joined in on the brewing double battle. "If that's alright with you, Cassius. I'll back out if you want in."

"Go for it." He wasn't particularly eager to battle on live TV again so soon after his gym fight. "I'll be here, I guess." The two newspeople thankfully ignored him, understandably more focused on preparing for the battle they were about to conduct with two of battling's biggest new celebrities. Walking a safe distance away, Cassius found a nearby fallen trunk and took a seat.

No surprise on Hop and Gloria's side—Scorbunny and Grookey materialized upon the road, shooting each other a quick glance as they did so. The two had a little rivalry going, as Cassius had learned from Hop, being as they were both starter Pokémon from the same batch selected by talented trainers. There would naturally be a little bit of one-upmanship, especially given their natural temperaments, but for now they seemed willing to suck it up and work together. On the other side, Cassius could only recognize one of the two Pokémon that entered the fight—a Klink, native to his home region. There had been a kid in one of his high school classes who had one. The other Pokémon was some smaller mammal, with floppy black ears with yellow tips and a similarly yellow face and torso. Faint sparks of electricity coursed across its body. At the risk of not revealing himself as a new trainer, he kept his hand from scanning it with his Pokédex, choosing to watch the fight instead.

A few more words (general rules, declaring it a straight two-on-two with no switches), before the impromptu match promptly kicked off. Gloria, as always, was first to move, as Scorbunny made a beeline toward Klink, seeking to capitalize on the type advantage. The other Pokémon might have made a move to stop it, but Hop quickly cut it off with Grookey, apparently content to divide and conquer their opponents.

"Quick Attack," was Gloria's first attack order, arms folded as she watched Scorbunny ram into Klink at high speed. It didn't do much damage, given its typing, but Cassius suspected Gloria already knew that, and was simply trying to feel out how her opponent would respond to being on the back foot so early.

Cameraman Cam (there was no way that was a coincidence) didn't take too long to answer. "Metal Sound! Force it off!" The Steel-type quickly spun its conjoined gears together sharply, making a dragging sound that grated on the ears. Annoyed, Scorbunny leapt back at Gloria's command, retreating a suitable distance. Only for a second, however. "Get back in close."

"Charge Beam!"

"Ember," Gloria countered almost immediately. Without breaking stride, Scorbunny produced a wad of fire and kicked it right at the Klink, who was forced to abandon the longer-startup Charge Beam for the sake of dodging the super-effective attack. Gloria's style on full display—control the timing of the battle while disrupting her opponent's. Though Cassius could note Hop handling the other Pokémon across the clearing, Cassius couldn't take his eyes off of Gloria's battling. Which had become annoyingly common recently.

Scorbunny, much faster than Klink, had closed the gap quickly. Her opponent opted for a new approach. "Bind! Restrict it from moving!" To Cassius' surprise, Gloria let it happen, watching as both of Klink's gears briefly separated and clamped down on Scorbunny, grinding against its fur painfully. Though Scorbunny tried valiantly to wear it, it still let out a wince and a grunt of pain.

Not for too long, however, as Gloria quickly adapted. "Ember. Keep 'em trapped, Scorbunny." Powering through the pain, Scorbunny almost seemed to light itself on fire, wreathing itself in a small layer of flames. It wasn't much, but to a Steel-type, it absolutely was, as both gears began stuttering noticeably.

"Disengage!" The cameraman called out. Klink tried valiantly to do so, but Scorbunny had wrapped its legs around one of the gears, preventing the other from reconnecting to it. 'Using its own body structure and move against it,' Cassius noted mentally.

The trapped gear eventually managed to produce a small amount of electricity to force Scorbunny to let go, but the damage had been done. Even as the two gears rejoined each other, they were spinning noticeably slower than when they had at the start of the battle. The gear that had been trapped looked much more beat up than the other, still stuttering slightly as it tried to match its partner's pace.

Gloria sensed blood in the water and made to end it. "Charge in again." Scorbunny hadn't lost a step since the start of the fight as it dashed forward once more. Cameraman Cam ordered a retreat, but Klink barely floated a few paces back before the gear faltered once more, forcing it to hover lazily as it tried to recover.

It was all the opening Gloria needed. "Let's go for the new move. Double Kick up, Scorbunny." Sliding down lower to the ground, Scorbunny kicked beneath Klink once, then twice, launching it into the air. "And Ember." With a parting shot, Scorbunny landed an Ember as the finisher, content to watch as Klink fell to the ground, defeated and unconscious.

The entire battle between them had lasted maybe a minute. That final exchange had taken seconds. Though Scorbunny's fur was a little matted from the Bind, it looked little worse than it did before being summoned to battle. "Very good," Gloria smiled, apparently pleased with Scorbunny's performance. The prideful Fire-type preened under her praise, puffing its chest out as if to say, "What else did you expect?"

Hop wrapped up things on his side not too long after, Grookey having exerted itself just a tad but more than his rival, who took great pleasure in lording over as much to him afterwards. The four trainers joined in the center afterwards.

"That was amazing!" Gillian beamed, evidently not super concerned with having gotten the brakes beat off her. "I suppose it's only natural, but what a battle! You two were absolutely magnificent!"

"Thank you," Hop accepted with a smile. Gloria opted for a grunt, but Cassius could make out a tiny thanks from it.

"I'd say we got more than we could have gotten with simple questions alone," the reporter continued. "I saw that new combo you pulled off, Miss Victoria. A double super-effective chain to finish off an opponent? Spectacular! Cam, you got that on tape?"

Cam patted his camera. "That's m'job."

"Then we have all we need! Thanks for the time, trainers. As promised, we'll be out of your way now. Best of luck in Hulbury! Thanks again!" The two almost teleported away, entering a nearby parked news van, where they went to do whatever it was newspeople did. Edit footage or whatever.

Hop seemed satisfied. "Quick and easy, and no one else seems to be lining up for an encore." True to that, there wasn't anyone else in the vicinity, not counting the van. "I'd say that was a good spot of practice, eh Gloria?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Cassius gets the next one."

Cassius hoped there wouldn't be a next one, but he wasn't entirely opposed to the opportunity to get some run against trainers he could probably handle. That was progress, right? "Fine with me." Gloria nodded in what might have been acknowledgment or even respect, before following Hop down the dirt path. Cassius did the same.

The route remained mostly the same as they continued chugging along, with little changes in scenery. A few passersby popped out every now and then, most recognizing them and either congratulating them or asking for something or other (some were bold enough to ask for some questionable autographs, but thankfully no battles). It was nice enough out that the trio opted to let their Pokémon out to walk with them, sans Sizzlipede, as Cassius wasn't sure if an extended period of crawling counted as exercise and didn't want to risk it.

"There's a Pokémon Nursery not too far—Grookey, put the stick away, please—not too far down the road," Hop explained. "That's about it for notable destinations. The bridge overlooking the Wild Area provides a nice vista, but I suppose that doesn't really count. We can camp out near the lake in the clearing below, and there's enough space down there that whatever trainers are left shouldn't bother us. Weather should hold up, so barring anythin' unforeseen, we should have ample time to train and camp out."

Korvis perked up at the mention of training, while Hyla did the same at the mention of camping. She'd really taken to the outdoors better than he thought she would, given her relatively cushy life prior. "Sounds good," Cassius said. "What is it that a Pokémon Nursery does? I've seen a few, but I've never really taken the time to think about how they function."

"Pretty much the same thing normal nurseries do, within reason. You'll get plenty of baby Pokémon that need watching when their trainers have work or other responsibilities to attend to. They're trained to behave and allowed to play and exercise with other Pokémon, allowing them to get used to interacting with others and growing into their own power. There are obvious exceptions, and you need to be careful about what kind of Pokémon you can handle—you can imagine the danger that comes from letting a baby Rhyhorn play with a baby Minccino—but for the most part, it's just letting them have an outlet for their energy and teaching them basic behaviour."

Seemed reasonable enough. "Cool. Don't they take in stray or disowned Pokémon too? I think I heard that somewhere."

"Sometimes. Not every nursery is an orphanage, but most orphanages can also be nurseries. Again, it just depends." Hop thought for a second. "I can't remember if this one takes in abandoned Pokémon or not."

Regardless of that, nurseries sounded like a pretty vital component of raising Pokémon. A widely provided service that often went overlooked or under-appreciated, like childcare or schooling. He could respect what it sounded like they stood for. "I suppose we can find out."

"You planning on visiting?"

"If we have time, sure. Couldn't hurt." He was already thinking about using it to give Hyla some enrichment time that didn't involve training, or having Korvis continue to get used to playing nice with other Pokémon, or maybe even having Sizzlipede get some easy exercise through some light frolicking and play. "And hey, maybe we could use it to boost our rep a little. A picture together with orphaned and baby Pokémon would look good on social media, wouldn't it?"

That earned a stare from Hop. "Jeez, mate. Caroline might be rubbin' off on you a little."

Cassius flushed slightly. "It was just an idea."

"And it was a good one. You're right in that it couldn't hurt, and that it would be a good opportunity for a photo op. I'm in." Hop turned to their third companion. "Gloria?"

Surprisingly, she seemed receptive to the idea. "Sure," she agreed without argument. "S'fine."

Gloria had seemed a little... more mellow recently. Not that he at all missed her constantly snapping at him, but he had become so accustomed to her sudden bursts of creative insults that it was noticeable when she wasn't doing it. He'd admit that it was nice to not have her down his neck at all hours of the day, but a part of him wondered what had brought on such a change. Maybe something was wrong, and she was hiding it from them?

Normally, Cassius wasn't one to pry. But his relationship with Gloria had improved over the last few weeks. While that improvement was essentially going from irreconcilable enemies to tolerable acquaintances, it was an improvement nonetheless. Maybe bothering her about her personal problems would ruin that progress entirely, and maybe it would have been smart to leave it to Hop, but if he didn't make an effort to ask now, then when?

Slowing his steps slightly, he fell back to beside Gloria, who was occupied by her phone as she walked. Scorbunny's annoyed huff and Yamper's excited yap alerted her to his presence, which she greeted with a cordial nod of the head. "'Sup."

"'Sup," Cassius repeated, probably unnaturally. Korvis, perched on Cassius' shoulder in an apparent show of dominance, returned Scorbunny's huff with a glare, while Hyla fell in step beside Yamper, the pair sniffing each other as they trotted along. "Just, uh, wanted to say that was a good fight. Earlier, I mean."

Again, not much of a reaction from her. "Mm. Thanks. Wasn't too hard, guy was pretty much a normal bloke with a 'Mon."

"Well, yeah. His day job is being a cameraman. I wouldn't expect someone with a full-time career to be on you or Hop's level when it comes to battling."

"Ah'know," she responded. "Not blamin' him for it, just the way things are. Folks who train at this professionally are gonnae be better than normal folk. You understand, I'm sure."

He did? "Yeah. Definitely." Had she actually gone out of her way to imply he was a professional? Was she... complimenting him?

Fuck it. He had to ask now. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

That drew her full attention, as she looked up at him and pocketed her phone. "Should I not be? Am breathin', walkin', 'nd nae bladdered, so why would I not be okay?"

"I dunno," Cassius tried to play it as casually as he could. "You just seem a little low energy. Figured I'd ask." Never mind that the last time he had asked her to open up they'd ended up verbally jousting.

Gloria scoffed. "Didn't think you'd miss me making fun of you so much. You a masochist?"

That sounded more like her. "Guess you really are alright."

A sigh escaped Gloria's lips. "Look, I told you I amn't good a'this. I can't treat you like I do Hop. You two're different."

To put it mildly. "Very true."

"'nd I'll admit the way I treated you wasn't very fair. I was a pure bitch."

Cassius' gaze drifted slightly. "I mean... well, I maybe wouldn't go that far—"

"Oh fuckin' can it, we both know I was." Cassius made no move to confirm or deny that, instead letting Gloria continue. "I literally called you a pussy right before the biggest fight of your life."

"If it's any consolation, it kinda worked?" Cassius offered.

Gloria rolled her eyes, but it seemed to have been done good-naturedly. That lifted the mood a little. "Sure, whatever. Point is, I shouldn'ta did that. S'not right."

"You had a lot on your mind." Cassius threw a subtle glance to Hop, who was a bit too engrossed in keeping Grookey from throwing its stick at random targets to listen in on their conversation. Gloria had still been pissed at Hop before Cassius' own fight, which Cassius had figured led to her choice of verbiage in her impromptu pep talk she'd given him.

"'nd I was projectin' that on to you, which still wasn't right." Gloria sighed. "Look, you don't need'ta pretend I wasn't. We've had, what, two or three conversations between us that haven't blown into full blown arguments? 'nd we've been travelin' together for how long?"

Cassius didn't say anything this time. Gloria kept going. "Look... my main gripe with you was that you weren't takin' this seriously. You trained your arse off, 'nd you won your first pro match, so that complaint's bollocks now. Pretendin' otherwise would be me bein' stubborn."

Maybe in the back of his head, Cassius had already thought all of this. But to hear Gloria actually come out and say this of her own volition was something else entirely. "I... I'm not sure what to say, to be honest."

"Nothin'. Let's just agree I was a bitch. Simple as."

Even if it was true, Cassius still felt a bit bad admitting to that. Mama Hargreaves hadn't raised him that way. "I think we can both agree that we just got off on the wrong foot. Things were kind of crazy when we first met. And I think we've both changed since then."

Gloria seemed to concede the point. "I did say you take some getting used to. Maybe I've just... gotten used to you."

That drew a small laugh from Cassius. Scorbunny, who didn't seem very intrigued by the cordial conversation taking place, scowled atop Gloria's shoulder, giving up its sudden staring contest with Korvis. The Tiny Bird Pokémon, for her part, looked similarly over it, turning to direct her superior gaze at the surrounding foliage.

"Maybe," Cassius agreed. Further ahead, Hyla and Yamper had taken to chasing each other, his Dragon-type leading the Electric-type by a few paces, the latter's stubbier legs trying valiantly to keep up. They looked like they were having fun. "Maybe."

"All that aside," Gloria moved on, clearly done suffering through this conversation. "You've nae gone over your fight with Milo yet, have you?"

He'd done so plenty of times in his head, technically. "If you're talking about having gone over the film, then no, I haven't."

"Mm," Gloria acknowledged. "I was watchin' pretty close. It was... interestin'."

Uh oh. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"Well you won, so good. Mostly." She sounded more like her usual self now, without the targeted insults. Which was a compromise Cassius was happy to live with. "I'll admit, you're a better improviser than I thought you'd be. For someone with no prior trainin', you think on your feet when you need to."

Compliments from someone who had steamrolled her first pro match meant a lot in Cassius' view. "Thanks. Trust me, it surprised me too."

"But there's still plenty for you to work on," Gloria quickly tacked on. "Hyla should be your strongest 'Mon, given her species and the fact you've had her for the longest, but she's still got a long way to catch up with the rest of your team. Your Sizzlipede is still too reckless, and your Rookidee can only fight for so long against Pokémon that are bigger than itself. And more than any of that, you've got film on you now, so your opponents can now start gameplannin' against you in advance."

Ignoring Rookidee's incensed warble, Cassius felt his brief high crashing down, especially after that last point. He wouldn't be completely surprising people anymore. "Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," Gloria declared. "Lucky for you, I have a solution."

Cassius' eyebrow quirked. "You do?"

"Mhm." She pointed a thumb at herself. "Right here."

He didn't get it initially. "... you?"

"Yes, me," Gloria repeated. "It hit me when I was watchin' your fight, specifically your Rookidee. You get creative, sure, but you also showed me you can move quickly. Decisively. With purpose and pace. Remind you of anyone?"

Pace... "I'm assuming you mean yourself?"

"Correct." She gestured to herself to drive the point home. "Get what I'm sayin' now?"

He thought he did, but he wasn't sure he'd believe it until he heard her say as much from her mouth. "You don't mean..."

"I do." She folded her arms in challenge. "As an apology for my bein' a bitch to you, I've got a proposition for you—lemme help train you."

After a brief break, we're back! The gang's off to Hulbury, the site of the second stop in the circuit. It promises to be a smooth and easy trip to the coastal port town, of course. And these coming chapters will surely reflect that.

Thanks for your patience, everyone. That and your feedback mean the world to me. I'll try and get this next chapter out sooner. Thanks again, and I hope to see you all again soon!

~Slalem