Chapter 39: Gym of the Gentle Blizzard! Echo vs Yukina!
Afternoon of the next day…
Echo and Hibiki were walking around the town as they waited for their turn to fight Yukina, seeing no point in taking the spot of other challengers. "Man it's weird walking around with just the two of us. First time that this has happened in a while." Hibiki commented as she stretched.
"Yeah, it has been a while. Weirdly have gotten used to the company of Cherry and Sigma as well as their chatter." Echo said. The two passed by several shops with various people walking in and out as they debated about going to look in them.
"God, I really underestimated how much I took our opportunities to get gym battles easily for granted." Hibiki told Echo in a somewhat exasperated tone.
"Right?" Echo responded.
"Like seriously, all it takes is one time to realize that we've been pretty lucky so far." Hibiki continued.
"All things considered, yeah we have been pretty lucky." Echo said, rubbing the back of her head. HIbiki nodded and they continued to talk til they reached a small hill that overlooked the town. "Hey Hibiki, mind if I ask you something kind of a personal question?" Echo asked, a slight blush appearing on her face.
"Sure, what is this about?" Hibiki responded.
"Well… how do you feel about Sigma?" Echo questioned, rubbing the back of her head.
"We've been over this, he's a cool guy, especially after-" Hibiki began to say before being interrupted by Echo.
"No, not in that way. I meant more in an attractive way." Echo clarified.
"Oh… in that case, I just consider him a friend. Have you not told him how you feel yet?" Hibiki said, turning to look at her sister.
"Not yet, mainly because I'm waiting to see if he feels the same." Echo responded.
"You know he's as thick as a tree right?" Hibiki pointed out.
"You're probably right, but let me believe for a bit." Echo told her sister.
"Fair enough, a girl can always dream." Hibiki said with a sad smile forming on her face.
"Well what about you, anyone got your eye at the moment?" Echo asked. Hibiki immediately shifted and turned to face away from Echo as she blushed profusely. "Ok, that tells me that you do, who is it?" Echo said with a small smile.
"...Adagio." Hibiki said in a soft voice.
"What was that?" Echo inquired, tilting her head.
"I kind of have a crush on Adagio…" Hibiki told Echo, trailing off as she looked down.
"Somehow I kind of figured that would be the case." Echo admitted as she walked up to her sister.
"Seriously, am I that much of an open book?" Hibiki questioned aloud. Echo simply smiled as she patted her sister on the back before walking in front of her.
"So how long have you had this crush on our champion?" Echo inquired.
"I would say that it started about… three years ago at this point. It was during the championship finals of that year when I won a backstage pass with the champion." Hibiki explained as she walked to a nearby tree and leaned against it.
"Oh yeah, so it was then?" Echo said.
"A bit after, but that was what got me thinking about her a lot. Just with how nicely she treated me and me just noticing how attractive she is." Hibiki said.
"Does it feel weird being attracted to an older woman?" Echo questioned curiously.
"Oh trust me, I know how weird it is and that's part of the reason why I haven't said anything to her about it yet. As much as I would love to have a girlfriend, I would definitely want it with someone my age." Hibiki told her sister. Echo nodded, knowing how messy some relationships can get.
"I see… you're sure you don't have anyone else on your mind?" Echo asked. Hibiki stayed silent as her eyes darted from side to side subconsciously, telling Echo that her small hunch was spot on. "You don't have to tell me who, just if you do. I'm not mom, I won't pry for every single little detail." Echo told Hibiki in a reassuring voice.
"In that case, yeah I do. Just not sure if they feel the same." Hibiki said in embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Ah, nervousness, I completely get that. Don't worry sis, I'm sure they'll reciprocate your feelings." Echo said with a smile. Hibiki nodded as Echo looked down at her phone to see a message from Cherry. "Come on, we're up." Echo said as she turned to walk away.
"Right." Hibiki said as she followed Echo to the gym. Hibiki mentally breathed a sigh of relief, a tad worried that Echo would keep pressing the question, but shook off the worry as she got into her trainer mindset. After a few minutes of walking, the two arrived at the gym and entered to see Yukina, dressed in lighter clothes, waiting for them.
"Ah, there you two are. I was wondering when you two would be available, now who am I fighting first?" Yukina said with a small smile at the two.
"I'm more than willing to go first." Echo offered quickly. HIbiki made a pouty face at not being faster on the draw before smiling and patting Echo on the shoulder, nodding for her to have good luck.
"Echo huh? Well this will be fun." Yukina said as she got in position.
"Same, always wanted to see what you could do in a battle." Echo responded as she did the same. Yukina simply nodded in agreement as the two got out their Pokeballs and got ready to battle.
"The battle between Challenger Echo and Gym Leader Yukina will now begin!"
"Let's go Shock!" Echo yelled as she tossed her Pokeball out.
"Bring us victory, Froslass." Yukina said as she did the same. When the two Pokemon appeared on the field, the two looked at each other as Shock mentally panicked a bit.
"Use Shadow Ball Shock!" Shock nodded as they calmed down and launched a Shadow Ball at Froslass.
"Dodge and follow it up with Ice Shard." Froslass gracefully dodged the attack, keeping her eyes on her target before conjuring shards of ice and launching them at Shock, her attack being too fast to dodge.
"In that Case, use Shock Wave and follow it up with Thunderbolt." Shock shook off the attack as it sent out a burst of electricity that Froslass had no chance to dodge, taking a bit of damage as Shock charged up a bolt of electricity.
"Use Snowscape!" Froslass nodded as she breathed in and crossed her arms as she conjured dark clouds that began to loom over the battlefield. She quickly breathed out and twirled as Shock let loose the Thunderbolt as snow started to fall across the battlefield, Froslass disappearing into the snow as Thunderbolt missed its target.
"Oh great, a bulkier and more evasive Froslass, just what we needed. Shock, set up defenses with Reflect and Light Screen." Shock did as it was told, setting up two screens to make itself bulkier as it kept an eye out to see if Froslass popped up.
"Froslass, use Icy Wind!" A sudden chilly wind blew past Shock, damaging him a bit can causing him to slow down as he turned and looked where he felt the wind come from just in time to see Froslass disappearing into the snow.
"Ok, stay still and use Double Team to wait for the snow to run out." Shock sighed before nodding in agreement with that plan, not really seeing any way out of their current situation as it split into several copies and waited for Froslass to make a move.
"Like you think I'll just let you do that. Use Blizzard!" Froslass emerged from the snow above Shock and quickly gathered a ball of icy wind in her hands before launching a fierce storm of ice at Shock.
"Protect and follow it up with Shadow Ball!" Shock immediately put up a defensive barrier around himself as the clones all fell to the biting cold wind before turning to look at Froslass and launching a Shadow Ball right at her. Froslass attempted to disappear back into the snow, but was too slow and got hit by the attack, knocking her back onto the ground. "Keep the pressure on! Use Shock Wave before she disappears again!"
"Protect and then use Aurora Veil while the snow is still up." Froslass surrounded herself in a barrier before a wave of electricity washed over her, protecting her from harm as she inhaled and breathed out a stream of air that formed a rainbow veil around her. "Use Disable and follow it up with Blizzard!" Froslass quickly disappeared into the snow as she sent a mental wave towards Shock, which hit its mark as Shock was about to go for another Shock Wave.
"Protect!" Shock quickly put up another Protect to block the Blizzard, not seeing where the attack came from this time.
"Shadow Ball!" Froslass quickly emerged and launched a Shadow Ball at Shock, who went wide eyed as the barrier fell just as the attack was about to hit it. The attack hit and Shock flew back as he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Rotom is unable to battle!"
"You did a good job, Shock. Take a well earned break" Echo said as she returned Spark to it's Pokeball.
"Not a bad first round, though you really should get that Rotom of yours into one of its other forms." Yukina said.
"Yeah, I just forgot to do that before our battle." Echo said as she got out her next Pokemon. Yukina gave a small smile out of both pity and smugness as Echo briefly observed the field, nodding to herself. "Let's get through this Specter." As Specter appeared on the field and stood there, the snow that was falling and on the ground around Spected started to melt as steam came from the area.
"Use Sunny Day and follow it up with Taunt." Specter nodded as it gathered fire around it before slashing into the air, launching two sword waves that dispelled the clouds and shone a bright sun onto the battlefield. As the snow faded and Froslass came into view, Specter locked eyes with his opponent and simply motioned for Froslass to bring it, which she easily fell for as she looked back at Yukina.
"Well, figured that it wouldn't work forever. Probably time for a more offensive approach, use Icy Wind." Froslass quickly responded in kind as she blew a fierce, frosty wind towards Specter.
"Use Shadow Sneak!" Specter disappeared into his shadow as the wind blew over the area he was standing before quickly dashing behind Froslass and emerging to slash at her back, yelping in pain despite the damage getting mitigated by the Aurora Veil she had put up earlier."Follow it up with Shadow Claw!"
"Counter it with Shadow Ball!" Froslass quickly turned and conjured a ball of shadow in her maw, launching it as she was struck by the Shadow Claw from Specter. Being at point blank range of the attack, there was a small explosion of energy as the two pokemon were fung away from each other, both feeling pain from the attacks.
"Bitter Blade!"
"Water Pulse!" Specter ran up to Froslass, his right arm being enveloped in a ghostly fire as it turned into a flaming sword as Hibiki as Froslass conjured a ball of water in her hands before launching it at Specter.
"Dodge it with Flame Charge!" Specter proceeded to envelope his body in flames as he jumped over the attack and continued to close the distance between the two.
"Use Chilling Water and follow it up with Blizzard!" Froslass conjured another ball of water, this time in her maw, launching the attack at Specter before crossing her arms and sending a Blizzard to follow it up.
"Phantom Force." Specter smiled as he skidded to a stop and conjured a ghostly portal in front of him before jumping through, leaving the two attacks to fly into the barrier. Froslass was on guard, knowing that if this attack landed it would probably knock her out. Eventually, a portal opened behind Froslass, something that she was ready for as she quickly turned.
"Hit him with a Shadow Ball!" Froslass quickly opened her mouth and launched a ball of shadow through the portal, but was shocked when she saw no one emerge as the portal closed.
"Shadow Sneak and end it with Bitter Blade!" From Froslass' shadow emerged Specter with a quick slash to her back before following it up with a flaming slash that connected and absorbed some of Froslass' vitality. Froslass yelped in pain as it attempted to turn to Shadow to continue fighting, but quickly fell to the ground unconscious.
"Froslass is unable to battle."
"You did good girl." Yukina said as she returned Froslass to her Pokeball.
"So, what did you think about that?" Echo questioned, a small smile on her face.
"Using Phantom Force as a cover to have your Ceruledge sink into the Shadow with Shadow Sneak… not a play I see often, but I respect it whenever it does happen." Yukina said, thinking back to previous battles. Echo smiled as Specter gave an approving nod and Yukina got her next Pokemon ready. "Don't think I'm just going to let you off easily though. Let's show her what we got, Walrein!" Yukina yelled.
Echo gave a brief gasp as Walrein appeared across from the two, letting out a cry as he appeared on the battlefield. "Ok, war of attrition it is then. Specter, use Swords dance and see if you can land a Will-o-Wisp on him." Specter quickly entered an offensive stance as his swords grew sharper before launching spectral balls of fire at Walrein.
"Whirlpool!" Walrein cried out as it conjured a vortex of water above himself and launched it at Specter, deflecting the Will O' Wisp in the process.
"Cut through it with Solar Blade!" Specter nodded as he raised his hands and charged a ball of light that quickly formed into a sword in the harsh sun before slashing through the whirlpool and striking at Walrein who looked like it didn't take much damage.
"Not bad, then in that case, use Rock Slide." Walrein nodded as he slammed his tail on the ground hard enough to cause rocks to fly into the air and hurl towards Specter. Specter, seeing the rocks coming towards him, decided to close the distance and dodge the rocks as he did so. "Surf!" Walrein slapped his tail down again as he conjured water beneath him before creating a large wave that surged towards Specter.
"Protect!" Specter quickly skidded to a halt before crossing his swords and putting up a barrier around himself as the wave surrounded him, Specter sighing in relief as Walrein flopped in front of him.
"Now, Hydro Pump!" Walrein opened his mouth as he looked at Specter, firing a torrent of water that broke through the barrier and launched Specter back. He skidded to a stop as he got out of the attack, panting as he was in a lot of pain from that attack.
"You good to keep going, Specter." Echo asked. Specter simply nodded in confirmation as he got to his feet and his fire burned brighter. "That's the attitude I like from you. All right, use Flame Charge to get in close." Specter dashed forward as he was engulfed in flames once again, wondering what plan Echo had in store.
"Finish it with Rollout!" Walrien curled up into a ball before jumping slightly and rolling towards Specter, slowly picking up speed as he did so.
"Dodge!" Specter quickly jumped in the air over Walrein as he saw his opponent turn around to take another shot at him. "Use Bulk Up and stop him in his tracks." Specter nodded as he concentrated and grew a bit stronger before using his swords to clash against Walrein's Rollout. At first it seemed like Walrein would overpower Specter, but Specter let out a loud yell as he managed to slam Walrein into the ground, disorienting him a bit.
"Close Combat and use Shadow Sneak to get away." Specter launched a flurry of blows at Walrein while he was still in the air, causing the defending Pokemon to try out in pain as he landed before Specter slinked into the shadows and rushed away, putting a good distance between the two.
"Walrein, Use another Surf!" Walrein nodded before doing a similar maneuver that he did before, slamming his tail down and creating a big wave, bigger than last time.
"...Protect!" Specter did as it was told, but was a bit confused as he put up the barrier around himself and he was once again enveloped by water.
"Freeze the water with Blizzard." Walrein hopped off of the wave before launching a fierce blizzard from his mouth, freezing the water around Specter as he realized what their plan was. "End this with Rollout" Warien cried as it proceeded to do another rollout and slowly burrow through the ice to get to Specter.
"Huh, didn't expect something like that. Can you hear me Specter?" Echo called out. Specter gave a nod as he nervously looked at the approaching Walrein. Echo paused for a moment as she thought of a plan before looking at the situation and deciding on a fairly risky one.
"Ok then Specter, as much as I don't want to do this, it's do or die. Use Overheat to melt the ice and hit Walrein head on with Flare Blitz." Specter considered not doing the order, but realized that it was the best course of action. He concentrated and gathered fire around himself before letting out an explosion of flame that melted the ice in an instant before lunging forward covered in fire.
"Don't back down Walrein! If they want to meet us head on, let's give them what they want." Walrein kept on its attack, now going fast as the ice was no longer blocking his path, and the two just headed straight for each other. After a few seconds of travel, the two collided with each other and caused a massive explosion that clouded the two in smoke, making the two trainers worried both Pokemon were alright.
Eventually the smoke cleared and in the center was Specter on the floor unconscious with Walrein standing over him. Walrein panted and gave a victory cry before immediately flopping on the side, falling unconscious himself.
"Walrein and Ceruledge are unable to battle!"
Echo and Yukina both looked at each other before they started to smile and laugh as they both recalled their Pokemon. "Man, I have to admit, I didn't see that play with Surf coming at all. Trapping Specter under the ice while you used Rollout to close in on him was genius." Echo told Yukina.
"Same with you and that Overheat plus Flare Blitz combo. I knew you would probably find a way out of that situation, but I definitely wasn't expecting a kamikaze attack from your Ceruledge." Yukia responded.
"Man am I glad I went first." Echo said, before looking over at Hibiki. When she did, she saw Hibiki give a bit, a very obvious begrudging smile and a hint of regretting her decision to let Echo go first.
"Don't worry Hibiki, I still have plenty of tricks to show you. That being said, your sister and I still have a battle to finish." Yukina said as she got her last Pokemon out. Echo did the same before the two tossed out their Pokeballs.
"I'm counting on you Psy!"
"Bring it home Baxcalibur!"
As both pokemon appeared, Hibiki was surprised to see Psy was now an Alarian Gallade, not knowing that Echo had evolved Psy before coming to the gym. "Ok Psy, for all the marbles. Use Swords Dance and follow up with Psycho Cut!" Psy nodded as he put his arms out, running electricity through them to sharpen them, before launching a powerful psychic slash at Baxcalibur.
"Use Dragon Tail to deflect it and follow up with Dragon Dance!" Baxcalibur roared as his tail glowed and he swung it at the incoming attack, causing it to shatter on contact with Dragon Tail. He then began to rush forward as draconic energy surrounded him, making his eyes glow a deep purple and slowly increasing his speed.
"Dodge and Low Kick!" Psy quickly stepped out of the way of the charging Baxcalibur before giving a swift kick to one of his legs, causing the charging Pokemon to fall on the ground. "Thunder Wave!"
"Protect!" Baxcalibur quickly put up a protective bubble around itself, blocking the attempted paralysis as he turned to look at Psy. "...Snowscape!"
"Shit, use Tant quick!" Psy attempted to quickly taunt Baxcalibur, but failed to do so in time as snow started to fall around them before a fire lit in Baxcalibur's eyes. "...Ok, no big deal. Use Bulk up and follow it up with Brick Break." Psy nodded and focused himself and delivered a solid chop to Baxcalibur that doesn't even look like it phased him in the slightest.
"Earthquake!" Baxcalibur roared before sending a sturdy stomp into the ground, causing the earth around them to tremble and shift violently, causing parts of the battle field. Psy was hit square in the stomach with a piece of earth that sent him flying back in a lot of pain as he stood up, ready to continue as he rubbed his stomach.
"Use Magnet Rise so you aren't hit by another Earthquake and set up an Electric Terrain!" Psy painfully nodded as he channeled electricity into his feet, making him float off of the ground slightly, before discharging a bunch of electricity to make the earth get covered in an electric field.
"See if you can get an eye on Gallade before using Scale Shot." Baxcalibur nodded as he lumbered forward through the shifted earth, staying guard for Psy to appear at any moment. He quickly found Psy and swiped his tail towards his opponent, launching several scales towards Psy.
"Protect!" Psy quickly turned to see the scales coming at him and put up a barrier around him, blocking the scales that they clattered to the ground. "Agility and follow it up with a Dazzling Gleam." Psy dashed around the rocks, gliding through the air with his enhanced speed, before letting out a bright light that blinded Baxcalibur, causing him some pain.
"Blizzard!" Baxcalibur prorated before the spines on its back turned a bright blue and he expelled an icy breath from his mouth that turned into a fierce Blizzard that Psy breathed, panting in pain from the Earthquake he took earlier.
"Sone Edge!" Gallade quickly dropped to the greyhound and delivered a swift punch that caused rocky spikes to emerge and quickly strike Baxcalibur in the arm. "Follow it up with Close Combat!" Gallade then floated over to Baxcalibur, quickly delivering a flurry of punches and kicks that caused Baxcalibur to cry out in pain.
"Now that he's close, use Glaive Rush!"
"Endure it." Psy noticed that Baxcalibur was quickly cheating draconic energy and, seeing no chance to dodge, braced for the coming attack. He was quickly met with the force of a stampeding dragon that grabbed him and charged through several pieces of earth before slamming Psy against one last slab, tossing him over himself as he gave a triumphant roar, assuming he had won.
"He's now done yet, end it with Dragon Claw!" Baxcalibur turned to see Psy getting with very heavy panting as Baxcalibur roared before attempting to swipe at Psy with a claw of dragon energy.
"Teleport to dodge!" Psy disappeared almost immediately, causing the dragon claw to whiff as Psy reappeared on a piece of land overlooking Baxcalibur and had fully stood up with a long inhale. "Ok then, something big to end it off. …You know what, go big or go home." Psy was a tad confused on what Echo meant, but immediately remembered the move he had been practicing and took a stance low to the ground.
"I don't know what they're doing, but we're ending this here. End this with Glaive Rush!" Baxcalibur nodded and roared as he charged dragonic energy, the snow starting to fade as he charged the attack. Psy gave a hard glare at Baxcalibur before closing his eyes, breathing in and concentrating, gathering electricity into his right hand.
"Let's give it all we got Psy, use Voltage Impulse!" Psy's eyes quickly snapped open before sashing forward, running towards Baxcalibur as the gathered electricity formed into a sharp blade and chirped like birds. Baxcalibur roared as he attempted to grab Psy, but was unsuccessful as Psy quickly dodged and thrust his right hand forward, stabbing Baxcalibur as the electricity surged forward and shot through the opponent.
"Go!" Psy screamed as he pushed forward and forced Baxcalibur back, the Pokemon getting tossed back as he screamed in pain. Baxcalibur slid to a stop and attempted to get into a fighting stance, but instead fell forward as he fainted from all the pain.
"Baxcalibur is unable to battle! The winner is Challenger Echo!"
Echo screamed in excitement as she jumped and saw Psy slowly walk towards her, a small smile on his face. "You did an amazing job at the end Psy!" Echo said. Psy nodded weakly before stumbling forward into Echo's arms, earning a reassuring and comforting pat on his back. "Take a rest, you earned it." Echo told Psy as she returned him to his Pokeball. As Echo looked at the Pokeball with a happy sigh, she heard someone running up to her and saw Hibiki jumping towards her to hug her.
"Echo, you are a genius sister. That was an absolutely amazing battle from you." Hibiki said in an ecstatic voice.
"Aw thanks sis. I didn't think it was anything that good, but hey I won against some bad circumstances, so that probably means something." Echo responded in a sheepish tone of voice.
"That means more than you would think Echo. You took some risks with your battle strategies and came out victorious, not many people would be able to pull that off as well as you did." Sigma commented as he and Cherry walked up.
"And what would you know about that?" Echo questioned curiously.
"Hey, that psychiatrist studying does come in handy sometimes." Sigma said, a small smile appearing on his face.
"I do agree with what Sigma said. It does take considerable knowledge to come up with strategies for any situation on the fly with your Pokemon." Cherry added.
"They're not wrong, you wouldn't believe how many trainers just go all out on offense or fail to adapt to situations. Not that those strategies don't win on occasion, but they usually don't get much further from my experience." Yukina said as she walked over.
"Really?" Echo asked.
"Guilty of that myself." Hibiki said as she rubbed the back of her head.
"We'll see about that after you battle me." Yuikina said. Echo nodded as she patted Hibiki on the shoulder before stumbling forward a tad as she felt a little woozy.
"You ok?" Hibiki asked Echo in a concerned voice.
"Yeah, just a tad tired. Didn't have the greatest of sleeps." Echo responded in an assuring tone.
"Well, don't feel like you have to stay and watch me. Go get some rest and I'll let you know how I beat her." Hibiki told her sister. Echo simply nodded as she waved goodby to the others and walked out of the gym. Once outside, she took a moment to shake her head and look around before heading to the town to find a place to sit. As she walked, she made sure to carefully keep her footsteps as quiet as possible, which led to her hearing snow crunching behind her.
"All right, you've been following us since we left for this place, you can come out now." Echo said as she stopped and got out Leaf's Pokeball. She called out Leaf next to her as she turned around to see Solion following a good distance behind her. "Yeah, I figured something like this was going on." Echo sighed as Leaf took a defensive stance between her and Solion.
"That should be my line, what gave away the fact that I was following you?" Solion questioned in an annoyed tone.
"Simple really, we figured out your identity thanks to Sigma and kept an eye out for you following up. The thing that gave you away was trying to find out if we had checked into a hotel when we got into town last night." Echo explained casually.
"Knew I should have been more discreet about that." Solion commented as he snapped his fingers in annoyance. Echo paused for a moment as she thought of a question to ask him before a perfect one popped into her head.
"Why are you even following us to begin with? We figured that you would want to get Wind back given he deserted with valuable intel, but that doesn't seem as likely given you're here with us." Echo asked.
"Boss' orders, simple as that. Speaking of, have something I'm supposed to give to you." Solion responded as he reached into his pocket. Leaf got ready to block whatever Solion was about to throw, but Echo put a hand in front of her to tell her to stop as she took a step forward. Solion simply smiled as he got out a card, walked up to Echo, and calmly handed it to her despite Leaf giving him a nasty side eye. "Don't worry, there's nothing on the cord or rigged to it, you have my word at that." Solion said.
"For whatever that is worth… what is this?" Echo inquired.
"Oh, just an invitation to the Tranquil Resort of the lake to the east of here for our own little party." Solion said with a small smile as he began to walk away. Echo stayed quiet as she processed that information in her mind before letting a possibility sink in.
"You know that this is a very risky move right? You're holding people hostage for Meloetta and how do we know if they'll be safe til then?" Echo pointed out, anger lining her voice.
"Very risky, but one that I know your sister will more than likely accept in a heartbeat because of her helpful nature." Solion responded.
"...I hate that you're right." Echo sighed. Solion giggled a tad as he proceeded to keep stepping back. "You still haven't said if they would be safe." Echo said in an agitated tone.
"Well what would you have me say?" Solion retorted. Echo was about to respond, but went silent as she opened her mouth, prompting a smug smile from Solion before he sighed and rubbed the back of his head and turned around to walk away. "...How about this then: It wasn't me that killed your grandmother." Solion said.
"...What?" Echo questioned, a bit surprised by the sudden answer.
"Figured I should at least say something to help you believe me and that was the first thing that came to mind." Solion told Echo.
"But why that specifically? You realize what implications that has?" Echo asked in a serious tone. Solion paused for a moment before turning his head back and looking at Echo with a sorrowful look.
"Then maybe I do still have a conscience in me after all." Solion said in a sorrowful, reminiscing tone. Echo remained silent as he turned his head back and walked away, leaving Echo and Leaf alone. Leaf was about to start going after Solion, but was stopped by echo putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't bother, something tells me we can trust him." Echo said. Leaf looked a little unsure but ultimately nodded as she started to shiver a bit. "Sorry about calling you out for nothing." Echo told Leaf as she returned her to her ball. As Echo put Leaf's ball, she thought about the brief interaction before heading to the hotel to contact IPP headquarters.