Dawn was just breaking as I stepped through the opening of the Ice Path. Brushing the snow off my worn parka, I shielded my eyes from the first rays of the sun, as I took in the sight of Blackthorn City being blanketed by the morning light in the distance.

  A soft purr draws me to turn around as quiet, almost soundless footsteps disturb the snow behind me. One of my partners, Lyra the Sneasler, approaches from the mouth of the frigid cave with her usual grace before coming to stand by my side.

  “We’re finally here,” I said softly, my voice worn from the trek through the frozen cavern. “One last gym badge and we qualify for the Silver Conference.” I forced a cheer despite the exhaustion dragging me down.

  Lyra cooed with excitement as we continued our journey toward civilization. With every step I felt a tug of nostalgia, back to the day I left the slums of Goldenrod City four years ago. My starter’s old, rugged and scarred Poke ball shook on my belt. “She must’ve been feeling nostalgic too.” I murmur, cupping the worn container. Lyra giggled into one of her paws.

  We paused in front of the beautifully carved stone archway that marked the transition from the road to the Ice Path into the inner city. Two statues of the famed Dragonite flanked it, and etched on the arch were the words:

  Blackthorn City, the City of Dragons. Home to the esteemed Blackthorn Clan.

  I glared at the imposing stone effigies of the Dragon type Pokemon that was synonymous with one of the ruling families of Johto.

  My fists tightened unconsciously as a familiar anger crept up my spine—the kind I thought I left behind all those years ago, it tugged at a wound I didn’t want reopened. I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm myself, my hands began to tremble as my emotions stirred.

  I might’ve spiraled further if not for the sudden smack to the back of my head that jolted me out of it. “W-wha-?” I hissed, rubbing the sore spot to relieve it of the pain as I looked down to Lyra, her expression was tight with concern, her long arms crossed over her chest.

  We stared at each other for a long moment while the last of my emotions simmered down. I wiped a hand across my face to rub out whatever remained, then gave Lyra the best reassuring smile that I could muster.

  “Sorry, Lyra. I must’ve worried you.” I murmured, giving her a few gentle pats on her head. She purred at the contact but immediately pushed my hand away and hissed and grumbled in embarrassment while she smooth her fur back to place.

  Her flustered expression made a laugh slip out of me before I could stop, right until her forearm hit me square in the stomach. “Ooh– yeah– I deserve that.” I grunted, clutching my ribs.

  “Okay… okay… let’s go to a center and get settled.” I said as I straightened up and slowly walked into the city. I took in all the traditional buildings around us, as we scanned for a Pokemon Center.

  After leaving some of my Pokemon to be healed and requesting a room, I handed my Trainer ID to Nurse Joy behind the receptionist desk. “One room for Loki… no last name?” She asked as she returned my ID along with a room keycard.

  I sighed internally at her question, already having dealt with it for many years in different establishments. “It’s not relevant anymore.” I answered, retrieving the two cards. I felt relieved that she didn’t probe further, only giving me a friendly nod.

  “No worries,” She replied with a warm smile. “We’ll give you a call once your Pokemon have finished healing.” She finished with a bow.

  With a quick word of thanks, Lyra and I made our way to our room. I opened the door to the oh-so-familiar accommodation of every Pokemon Trainer, dropped my backpack beside the desk, scooped up my laptop and powered it on to start on research for the battle for my eighth Gym Badge.

  It was rather simple, really, seeing as how the ever-prideful Gym Leader dynasty of the Blackthorns upheld a tradition of rejecting any challengers with six badges and fewer. From Blackthorn’s first leader to the one that reigns today.

  Clair Blackthorn, The Blessed User of Dragon Pokemon. A scion of Johto’s oldest noble family.

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  I almost laughed upon reading her name, though there was no humor behind it. I latched onto the only distraction I had, diving into battle preparations before complicated emotions could surface.

  The hours slipped by as I poured over hours of battle footage, noting down patterns, habits and game-changing moments I could use to my advantage. I let out a frustrated sigh as I skimmed through my notes. “There’s barely anything I could use.” I complained to no one in particular.

  Her style of battle was reminiscent of the Dragon Masters before her. Where strength equaled might, but unlike those crude meatheads, she and her Pokemon transformed brutality to something mesmerizing. Destruction wrapped in beauty.

  Some challengers managed to win on sheer luck, a few relied heavily on the Fairy typing’s advantage over Dragons, and the rest won using strategies I couldn’t reuse.

  I groaned, titling my head back to stare at the ceiling. “Well, just as expected. She is the final hurdle to the Conference after all.” I vented. I sat back up to continue combing through footage when Lyra’s claws settled on the armrest beside me.

  “Yes, Trouble?” I asked, placing my pen down on the notebook. She immediately grumbled at the nickname, causing me to snort. Lyra chirped, annoyance clear as she yanked at my sleeve, pointing a finger at the door. The realization hit me then. “Ah, I did promise to look around once we put down our stuff.” I sighed and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry, Lyra. This whole Gym battle’s got me on edge.”

  Standing up from the desk, I grabbed a hat and my wallet and patted the impatient Sneasler, who gave me a blank stare. “Yeah-yeah, I get it.” I said, the two of us making our way to the door. “Explore first, Gym crisis later. We have to sign up for the battle anyway.”

  She let off an excited trill, practically bounding ahead of me, skipping toward the door.

  “And no pranks on anybody.” The Fighting-Poison type froze, letting out a mischievous chirp, but I knew she’d behave. She was even feigning innocence, giving me cute little Lillipup eyes. “Don’t even think about it.” I said, rolling my eyes.

  Still, her act was helping me ease the tension I was feeling in my chest.

  “Alright, Trouble.” I said, locking the door with the keycard and putting it away. “Lead the way.”

  My partner for the day jumped excitedly, chirping a song as she strutted toward the exit. I could only smile and shake my head as I followed behind her.

  After following Lyra around from morning to afternoon, the troublemaker was fast asleep in her Heal ball, having eaten herself into a food coma. I stepped into the lobby of the Blackthorn City Gym. Honestly, from the outside, the League building looked more like a prestigious college’s campus with two Dragonite statues flanking the entrance, rather than a battle colosseum. But hey, I wasn’t an architect to judge on design choices.

  There were no other trainers around, most were probably stuck at their seventh or lower Gym challenge or out training for their battle with Clair. With a few months left in this year’s circuit, everyone was doing everything they could to secure a spot in the Silver Conference.

  “Good afternoon.” I greeted the woman receptionist at the front desk with a polite smile. “I’m here to schedule a Gym challenge.” I said, handing her my Trainer ID proudly displaying the badges from the seven previous Gyms.

  “Of course.” She replied, carefully taking the ID and retrieving my information from the League’s system for verification. Just standard procedure. When–

  The staff door of the gym burst open, with the confident clacking of heels coming from inside getting closer. The familiar sight of Clair, the Gym Leader, emerged. Her eyes were sharp, piercing even. Her sky blue hair cascaded in a high ponytail, with two dragon-tail-like bangs framing her beautiful face.

  My breath stuttered in my chest as she walked past me to talk to the receptionist about something important. I pulled the front of my cap down low to shadow my face, before she turned to spot me.

  ‘Arceus, not now.’ I thought to myself, panic crawling up my spine. I kept my gaze down pretending to read a pamphlet on the wooden desk.

  That’s when I felt her gaze sweep around the room and land on me. For a heartbeat, she stood motionless, I couldn’t tell if she was studying me, or just passing a glance at the unsuspecting-looking-quite-suspicious Trainer in her Gym. Before finally she nods at the receptionist and walks away, vanishing back into the staff doors, which magically close by themselves once she enters.

  A large gasp of air escapes me, I clutched the counter to steady myself. The receptionist glanced at me, amusement written all over her face. I could probably guess what she was thinking. ‘Nervous because Leader Clair was so close, are ya’?’ I wish I was only starstruck, it would have been much simpler.

  “Looks like everything is cleared. There’s an opening a week from now, is that alright for you?” She asked, handing me back my Trainer ID.

  “That’s fine.” I blurted out the words way too quickly, scooping out the card, muttered a quick thanks, and hurried out the lobby.

  I exhaled hard as soon as the Gym was far behind me. 'That was too close for comfort.’ I thought. My cap stayed pulled low to continue shielding my face. ‘I wasn’t ready to face you– not yet.’ I sighed again as I made my way back to the Pokemon Center in silence.

  Pokemon mentioned in the chapter: