Stretching out on a public bench, Sam looks over at his partner, smirking as Marshtomp continues to ignore the glare his friend’s partner Mudkip is giving the ‘mon.
Ever since they’d invited Nu– Amelia to tonight’s activity, Mudkip has been irritated with his partner, upset and worried that the ‘mon he idolizes so much will be a threat to her little crush he assumes, but that’s just him guessing.
Even odds to whether it’s a romance crush or one of the weird pokemon ‘fight on sight’ crushes, but he’s watched movies, the line between those two are weirdly thin at times.
The sound of clocktower bells echoing off the hills as they chime the hour reminds the trainer of the hour and he sits up fully with a stretch, looking at the rest of his traveling companions where they’re sitting scattered nearby. It’s eight, so they’re supposed to be heading out now before the twilight completely fades, but they’re missing their… new addition.
It’s clear everyone else is thinking the same thing, because Tyler gives a fake cough to get everyone’s attention with a sly smirk.
“Well, last call for bets? I’m giving two to one odds on cosplayer. Three to one one her ‘mon being an overweight ditto.” He reminds everyone, which earns him a glare.
“Shhhhut. We’re not betting on this.” Kate hisses, a statement that has everyone else subtly wince, Sam included. “...Also it’s not a ditto, you saw the eyes, that was a real chansey.” She adds.
“Suuure.” Tyler drawls. “Just a normal chansey, just a really small door, and a trainer. I got seven to one on her being a real Joy with a battle chansey. You sure you dont wanna buy in– ack!” His disbelieving smugness is cut off by Grovyle cuffing his partner’s ear.
“Vyle. Gro grov.” The ‘mon growls from where he’s lazing pressed almost flat against the top of a wall to soak in the residual heat.
“Alright, fine. I believe you.” The trainer mutters, rubbing his ear. “The second the sun goes down and you get cranky, I swear.”
With that the group falls back to silence, watching as the other trainer groups slowly trickle into town from wherever they’d been camping in the forest to get away from the absurd hotel prices in town. Already Sam sees a few of the groups of older trainers drinking ‘soda’ from suspiciously unlabeled cans, moving with purpose while others wander in and out of every building that’s still open.
When she’d left a few days ago, he’d honestly expected to see Amelia coming back to make camp with them once she realized what every hotel this tourist trap of a town was charging for rooms. Apparently she’d either decided to set up camp somewhere else or her –possible– last name meant there was some Nurse Joy specific thing instead.
…He’s still on the fence about her actually being a Joy. Sure she’s got a chansey and she’s working at a pokecenter, but the cosplayers can look pretty convincing and she never said her last name.
Not that there’s any reason a Joy couldn't be a trainer, she beat him after all, but it’s just… unexpected.
Soon enough the minute of the hour ticks by, followed by four more, and there’s no sign of Amelia. Once the clock ticks over to seven minutes past the hour Kate stands up.
“Well. She knows where we’re going, but we need to get going if we want to–” She cuts herself off at the sight of a flash of pink appearing around a corner on the other side of the public space, followed by a much larger blob of the same shade following shortly behind. “Oh.”
Seeing her, Sam waves at the approaching acquaintance as she doesn't slow down in her dead sprint towards them, a wave that begins to slow as he realizes she really isn't slowing down, at all.
Like… at all at all.
It’s when he feels the ground thudding slightly with the chansey’s every footfall that he chooses to take a few steps to the left.
“I’m here! I’m here!” Amelia shouts as she skids to a stop, barely sounding out of breath and either ignoring or not noticing how everyone stepped out of her path as the giant ‘mon thuds to a stop one step behind. “Sorry I’m late! I had a– a thing. Work ran long.”
Now that he’s not worried about getting flattened, Sam can get a better look at the new arrival and internalize how weird a Joy looks without her uniform.
The fact that she is a Joy is also perfectly clear, that’s not a wig and he’s seen what attempts to recreate the color with dye can do and it’s not even close, not to mention the face and eyes.
“...You’re fine.” Sam says, waving off the apology as he realizes no one else is talking. “You ready to go?”
“Yep!” The Joy nods. “Whenever you are.”
—--
They didn't get moving along the trail immediately, even behind schedule there was still a minute or two spent introducing Amelia to Tyler properly, as he’d been challenging the gym when she’d first met everyone else. But as Sam stands by during the introduction and follows the group when they get going, he notices Tyler’s partner, Grovyle, behaving strangely.
When the ‘mon isn't in a battle or training he normally moves and acts like he’s made of wet pasta, lazily allowing himself to shift and wobble as if barely spending enough effort to keep upright. But right now, as they walk down the trail to the hotspring, illuminated by flashlights, the ‘mon walks as if every movement was precisely considered beforehand for there to be no wasted movements.
He can only assume it’s because of…
Sam glances over his shoulder, seeing the shine of pink eyes and vague outline in the light of dusk.
…that.
He’s heard all about the ‘really big battler chansey at the nursery’ from his partner. He’d not just expected the description to undersell it… that much.
Looking back to the front as the hike continues, he slowly realizes it’s not just Grovyle, his own partner is acting weird too.
Not to the same level as Grovyle, as if he’s trying to move only what he needs to so he can keep walking while also appearing at least somewhat natural.
“So is your Taillow still in his pokeball? Or did he not want to come?” Kate asks, filling the small silence and drawing the trainer from his thoughts.
Amelia shakes her head.
“Oh no. He’s around, he’s just following us in the air.” She says, gesturing at the sky.
“You’re not worried he’d get lost?” Sam finds himself asking, glancing up at the almost dark sky.
“Hm?” Amelia squints, then shrugs. “Nah. If we turn off all our lights and get really quiet he might lose us? But he’s not losing track of all the light Lavaridge is throwing off, so worst case he’d just go back to the hotel.”
…Hotel?
Sam sees the same thought mirrored in everyone else's expression, but before anyone can say anything they come to the top of a shallow rise and see the cozy electric illumination of the late night hot spring bath house.
“Oh hey! We’re here!” Amelia chirps, speeding ahead of the rest of the group and coming to a stop at the entrance.
Following behind, Sam habitually takes a look at the rules, sees the bolded one at the bottom stating that the unisex onsen is for ‘swimwear patrons only’ and points to it.
“Huh, they do have unisex…” He trails off, slightly embarrassed by the next implied question before saying it outright. “I brought a swimsuit? Did…”
“Yea.”
“Yep.”
“Got mine.”
“Ditto.”
Sam exhales at the relief that he’d not been childish by grabbing his swimsuit before stepping forward to the ‘suggested donation’ box and pulling out his wallet.
—--
–_–
—--
Shaking himself dry, Grovyle hesitates to step out of the bath area, prompting his partner to look back questioningly.
“Everything alright?”
The ‘mon nods, waving for the human to keep going.
“Fine.”
His friend hesitates for a moment, then nods, walking through the door and around a corner leaving the ‘mon alone.
Grovyle stands still in the silence, feeling the remaining droplets of water drip off and splash to the ground.
In the days since he’d come back from the gym, only for Marshtomp to say that Chansey had been there and that she was going to ‘talk’ to him, he’d been dealing with an ever-growing anxiety in his chest about when that moment would come.
He’d dealt with the worry, managed it like he manages his instinctive panic every time he’s forced to charge into pillars of fire to attack an enemy where just one hit means an almost guaranteed knockout and searing pain. He’d learned to control his emotions when it matters, directing fear into a motivator to try harder instead of freeze.
It was those skills that allowed him to convince himself that ‘talk’ might not even mean something that bad when he’d learned that the meeting was today.
Sure Chansey was never one for… any kind of conversation back at the nursery, but things change! She could want to talk about literally anything!
Those justifications lasted up until the exact minute their eyes met, and Grovyle knew he was doomed.
Feeling a rise of anxiety at the memory, the ‘mon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
No.
That’s silly.
The ‘mon opens his eyes and makes his way to the exit to the hotspring.
Sure Chansey has always been… intense, but she’s never done anything without a good reason. Grovyle hasn't even seen Chansey since he’d gone off with his partner, she’s got no reason to be upset.
And so what if she is upset! He’s not a hatchling anymore, he’s gotten much stronger and he’s evolved. He’d held his own against her after she’d evolved, with a little help, so even if she has gotten stronger the gap between them must be sma–
“Grovyle.” A terrifyingly neutral voice says from behind as the ‘mon exits the bath house and steps onto the cobbled path leading further into the forrest.
“Gh– C-Chansey!” The ‘mon chokes back a scream as he spins around, having to look worryingly far up to see the cold sparkle of Chansey’s eyes. “Why…”
The question trails off as the ‘mon realizes he should not be asking questions right now. The silence lasts a few seconds before Chansey breaks it.
“I prefer to keep serious business and relaxation separate.” She says simply. “But, seeing as this is probably the only time I’d have a chance to catch you alone, I thought this is the best compromise so I may give some recommendations.”
“Recommendations?” Grovyle echoes faintly, to which the ‘mon nods.
“Yes. Simply put, your repeated attempts against this gym, combined with your disadvantageous nature, leads me to believe you’re… allowing stubbornness to overcome good sense.” She says simply, waving an arm as if to gesture the shape of her point. “This path just has you beating your head against a challenge you’re uniquely unsuited to beat, I’d recommend… reassessing your priorities to see if there’s a more efficient path to achieve the same result.”
Grovyle finds himself nodding before he’s even unpacked what Chansey said, but the instant he does that agreement freezes as well.
She wants him to… to give up? To walk away from a challenge without even trying? Just because the challenge seems unbeatable she just wants him to give up?
That doesn't make any sense!
Grovyle blinks at the thought, digging at it.
Because it doesn't make any sense, and even if it’s sometimes strange Chansey always makes sense, so he must be missing something.
As he thinks, Chansey continues, this time speaking as if half to herself.
“Keeping a close eye on the actual objective of a task is vital to success, if you forget the point, what is the point?” She says, her normally stoic face echoing with a ghost of a smirk.
…What’s the point?
Grovyle blinks at the thought, before his eyes widen as a thousand connections form at once.
Because he’s been here before, at the nursery, throwing himself over and over at an invincible, tireless, and freakishly strong happiny. What was the point of that?
At the time he would have said to win, but looking back he realizes that he’d stopped expecting to win.
…Until he’d started teaming up with the others.
His mind flashes to memories of the rest of his partner’s team, how when Shroomish and Shroomish are trying to train Grovyle went off to train by himself to beat an impossible problem, something he should have learned at the nursery was a bad idea. Even worse, his partner got caught up in this bad idea, focusing almost all his attention on him, missing the entire point and trying to beat down the challenge with only one third strength.
Because it’s not just him challenging the gym, it’s him, his partner, and his team.
That’s the point!
The realization has Grovyle scrape his claw across his eye ridge and down the snout with an embarrassed snort.
“Ugh…” He groans. “I can't believe I missed that. Sorry Chansey.”
No wonder Chansey looked so irritated, he’d somehow managed to forget the most basic thing he’d learned about beating challenges as a team, which was a topic that comprised about half the conversations that happened in the nursery.
“Hm. Yes. Well.” Chansey starts, for some reason sounding a bit embarrassed herself. “Let’s not waste any more time then. I wouldn't want anyone worrying where we are.”