Chapter 168

Author Note:

This chapter has been edited and reworked as of July 1st.

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Typhlosion could barely stand. Even now, facing the very last opponent for this fight, she wobbled in place. The only reason she wasn't falling unconscious was due to sheer adrenaline. If she didn't do at least something to maintain that, she was going to fall.

But her opponent was a baby Pokémon.

A Togepi.

It seemed like such a simple knock-out that Sam couldn't help but be suspicious.

He was confident that he had seen a Togepi before, but his memories of it were slim. He couldn’t remember if it had been Brock or Misty with that baby Pokémon back in Ilex Forest. Both seemed to have the heart needed to care for one so dearly, but Sam had been a bit scatterbrained back then. He couldn’t say he had been focused on them, nor could he say he had been in the best mental state.

Here, Xavier’s Togepi wasn’t being protectively carried in someone’s arms. Instead, it was out on the field on its own, prepared to fight despite its small stature. Rocking side to side, it finally managed to return to its feet after falling from its previous practice punch. Once standing, it threw another arm forward for what had to be a Pound, and it just barely managed to maintain its balance to not fall to the ground.

It had no clue about Typhlosion’s immunities. Its Normal Type Pound would do nothing to the Ghost Type Typhlosion. Yet, the Togepi just chirped, prepared to battle. It wore a determined expression on its face that didn’t quite match its small size.

Also, it was sweating. Already. Just the lingering heat from Typhlosion’s previous attack was making it tired.

Sam only knew anything about Togepi thanks to his read-throughs of the New Pokédex. The threat the Pokémon posed was nil, yet Sam stared. A certain entry from early on in Togepi’s learnset came to mind.

It can learn Metronome.

His heart was already pounding in his chest, but he felt its beat pick up. Even with the vast difference in strength, he could still lose here. It didn’t matter how strong his final Pokémon was compared to Xavier’s; a Metronome could randomly call up something just strong enough to finish off Typhlosion.

But not even a second had passed. Sam’s mind was drowning in far too many disparate thoughts. He looked to the referee for the match to continue. Yet, as he looked over, he managed to catch the very last expression he'd ever expect to see on Xavier's face right now.

A smile.

“Resume the battle!” the referee shouted.

Despite the difference in strength, Sam didn't hesitate to give Typhlosion a command. Some would be upset at him for calling for an attack against a baby Pokémon so readily, but this was the Conference. This was how battles worked. Xavier wouldn’t have released Togepi unaware of that, and even with everything going on, Sam wanted more than anything else to win.

“Flamethrower!”

Typhlosion inhaled, but her move never finished. Instead, she was stopped by Togepi.

Not because it shut her down, but simply because she became far too bewildered by Xavier’s command to actually follow through.

“Use Growl!”

Togepi squeaked.

This move was nothing. It wasn't even an attack. And the noise Togepi released made it sound like a child trying to protest a punishment. The Growl even lacked any Normal Type energy to it. It was the most basic of basic attacks, unable to subject Typhlosion to anything but noise.

However, she still choked on the flames of her move because of that.

“Peck!” Xavier called out next.

Togepi charged, dashing toward Typhlosion. Its run was lopsided, its balance still horrible, but no one would ever be able to deny its hustle.

It closed in on her, taking a dozen seconds to get halfway across the field. Sam took one look at its incoming pace and gave Typhlosion the order she needed to hear.

“Just... step to the side.”

Togepi wasn't able to control its momentum enough to change directions as Typhlosion dragged her feet to shift to the left when it got close.

“And pin it,” Sam said.

A few groans came from the audience as Typhlosion flopped forward. She had to use three of her limbs just to keep herself up, but she was able to push Togepi with her free paw to press it against the ground.

Immediately, Togepi squeaked in alarm and fell, and the difference in both size and strength saw the egg-shaped Pokémon squirm under the pressure. Stomach on the floor, it wiggled, trying to escape, but it possessed not even a single thought of using any move to assist its attempts at freedom.

Thus, now was the moment of truth: was Xavier going to call for a Metronome or not? Sam knew that a Flamethrower or even just an Ember could win him the fight here, but he didn't want to risk calling for it.

Typhlosion was exhausted, and he needed her to be ready with a Detect, just in case.

The arena was silent. Though no words were shared, everyone seemed to lean in just to watch this outcome. Despite how unknown Togepi was as a species, there was a palpable expectation in the air that people thought there was something it could do.

Sam held his breath.

Xavier watched his wiggling Pokémon.

Typhlosion breathed heavily, but she was in tune with Sam enough to have her Detect ready, understanding his plan.

But as the seconds ticked by, no shout for Metronome ever came. Togepi just continued to squirm and wiggle and fail to escape Typhlosion's grip.

Finally, Sam turned to the side of the field and locked eyes with the referee. The older man nodded, recognizing the need to make a call.

Xavier sighed.

No more orders were shared.

With that exhale, he acknowledged his defeat.

“Togepi is unable to battle!” came the referee’s announcement. “Trainer Xavier has no more usable Pokémon! Trainer Samuel wins!”

Togepi might have been conscious, but it couldn't move, and Typhlosion had every contingency covered. Detect, a defense she'd already demonstrated, could save her from any attack, and she had enough speed and power left even in her exhausted state that she could properly faint this Togepi if she needed to.

But she didn't.

Though the audience roared even after such a “simple” end to the match, Sam watched as Xavier gained a gentle smile on his face even after his defeat. Togepi, unaware of the situation, was still struggling in its attempts to escape. Its expression briefly turned elated when the pressure on its shell disappeared, but that was just due to Sam recalling his exhausted Typhlosion.

And then, that expression disappeared when Togepi was returned as well.

It had taken everything from Sam to win this battle. Every Pokémon. Every trick. Specifically, everything they expected to need to use against Xavier. The only things Sam had held back were the things that he knew wouldn't help. He still had one or two unrevealed moves on his team, but that had only happened because they hadn't felt necessary.

Overall, even with Typhlosion's final Blast Burn knockout, Gengar had been the MVP of this match. After Annihilape's faint, Gengar had frustrated Xavier’s Noctowl just enough to let Sam’s side regain their momentum.

And somehow, they had used that inch to pull off a win.

Approaching the side of the field to shake Xavier's hand, Sam could see that the other trainer was still staring at Togepi's Pokéball. Xavier’s expression was bittersweet, but it seemed to lack a certain heaviness to it even with his loss.

“Thank you,” came Xavier’s voice, but he wasn't speaking to Sam. “Togepi. You were brilliant. A bit more, and you would have won.”

He clipped the ball back to his belt, looked up, and met Sam at the side of the field.

“Good battle,” Xavier said.

“Yeah. Good battle,” Sam repeated, staring Xavier in the eye. “Xavier, are you sure you—”

“Not here. Not now.”

Sam frowned but still nodded, and they split off and waved to the crowd. The amount of attention on Sam almost felt overwhelming, but he was proud. This battle was his proof that no matter the opponent, his team would inevitably stand at the top.

He would be moving on to the next round, and that thought echoed throughout his mind.

He had won.

Against Xavier.

Achieving that made it feel as though he had already conquered the entire Conference, but someone else was still due to win alongside him. However, Sam couldn’t focus on her just yet.

As he walked toward the tunnel that led off the field, Sam sent one last look over his shoulder, checking on Xaiver before they both disappeared into the building. And, upon laying his eyes on the other trainer, Xavier looked strange.

Unlike every other time he had left the battlefield in this Conference, Xavier held his head high. Even though he had lost, his gaze was no longer on the arena floor.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Why did you send out Togepi?” 

Sam found Xavier again later in the day. At this point, both of their teams had had the chance to be healed. Time had passed, but matches were still going on. Sam knew that he should have been watching them to take more notes, but after spending days doing exactly that, he couldn’t bring himself to continue with his current level of exhaustion.

Besides, he had already stuck around for just long enough to see Redi win.

“You asked,” Xavier answered Sam, and the other boy didn’t bother to look up at him. “You wanted me to send out my sixth Pokémon, so that's what I did.”

Breathing out, Sam deposited himself next to Xavier on this park’s small hillside. They were hardly within the bounds of the city itself, making this place exceptionally quiet. Though it was technically a park, there were no public battlefields set up for practice. All there was was nature stretching out into the distance and a small, hillside path meant for people to pass by and take in the view.

No one else was out here.

It was peaceful.

Quiet.

The only movement came from the wind rustling the foliage and Xavier’s Pokémon below.

Sam could see Xavier’s Noctowl perched on a rock, its eyes closed as it ignored the Honchkrow attempting to scoot closer to it. A Yanmega rested at the edge of a small pond, and within that pond, a Poliwrath floated on its back and stared up at the sky.

Then, in a flat section of grass between those two pairs, Xavier’s Donphan walked in small circles. It slowly defended itself with its trunk while a certain Togepi tried its best to land punches as part of a “spar.”

Despite its overwhelming loss earlier, the tiny Pokémon looked no less cheerful. More than eager to practice, Togepi tried to land blow after blow against the Donphan’s tusks, but its weak Pounds only ever landed when the Donphan let them.

Still, it cheered after every success. Sam had never seen such a bright smile on a Pokémon’s face.

“Have you trained your Togepi?” he found himself asking. He hadn’t realized it, but minutes had passed. Neither he nor Xavier had spoken while watching the ongoing practice.

“No,” Xavier answered, “I haven’t.”

He then leaned back, and he looked more relaxed than Sam had ever seen him before.

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to train her,” Xavier said. “Because she hatched on my team, and because she deserves to be happy. I didn’t want to put any unfair pressure on her. I wanted her to be comfortable, and I wanted her to have a pleasant life.”

He let out a single laugh, and it was a bittersweet noise. Genuinely, Sam was unable to tell if Xavier was glad or full of regret.

“But,” he continued, his voice soft, “I might have just been projecting. I didn’t want her to experience harsh expectations like that. But battling isn’t pressure. Not for a Pokémon. If I had just stopped and recognized that she wanted to fight, if I had trained her even slightly, then she would have been able to do something. In the end, that was what cost us the match.”

Despite his words, Xavier was smiling, and he adjusted his lean to bring up his head, holding it with interlaced fingers so he could better watch his Pokémon. At a certain point, his Honchkrow’s advances became too irritating for his Noctowl, and the owl Pokémon flew over to land on the Donphan’s back. She started to hoot out small bits of advice to the Togepi, and the baby Pokémon giggled while trying to follow whatever it was hearing.

Xavier continued to speak.

“My parents are... I’d call them complicated,” he said, keeping his voice perfectly neutral. “They’re busy. Always working. Constantly occupied with the tasks given to them by their roles in the company. They’re always... somewhere else, and if they cared, that never showed.”

A laugh.

“I’d get gifts. Tutors. Training. Presents and so many other things, but when it came to showing up in person... All I ever got was expectation.”

“They pressured you?” Sam asked. It made sense, given what Xavier had said about Togepi.

But Xavier shook his head for the negative, moving to sit up uncomfortably.

“It was more that they only ever said anything when I achieved something, and if I failed, then the next time I’d see them, I’d get a thin look and a disapproving comment,” he said, his voice quiet as if he wanted to whisper. “I think I just wanted them to say something. To be proud of something I did on my own and recognize that more than just a thing attached to them. I wanted them to talk to me themselves and not just send me messages through the people they hired.”

Sam could barely comprehend that kind of life, but then he thought of the person he had seen in the hallway before their match.

“People they hire?” he repeated.

“Maids. Servants. Assistants.” Xavier waved him off, speaking of the topic as if it was nothing but idle fact. “It says a lot about my parents when I mention that their staff rotated out frequently. But those workers were the same ones who first trained Yanma and Phanpy. After all, my parents wanted to give me a ‘gift’ to start my journey. Trainers like trained Pokémon, right? If I wanted to be a trainer, why would I ever want to train them myself when I could just efficiently skip that process and pay someone else to do it?”

Scowling, Xavier wrapped his arms around his legs.

“They thought I’d eventually stop wanting to be a trainer. They thought it was just a fleeting interest. But I wanted...” A spark entered his eyes as he stared at his Pokémon. “But I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to be a trainer. I wanted to train the two Pokémon they gave me, make them my own, and then reach the top despite their attempts to give me their gifts.”

“I wanted to take what they gave me and make a proper team and prove that I could be someone,” Xavier said. “And that’s... probably why I was so mean to you on that boat.”

He looked over to Sam.

“Sorry. Again,” he said. “When you told me your Cyndaquil was a gift, I assumed you were the exact kind of trainer I hated. Someone being carried along by gifts from their family rather than through any effort of their own.”

Sam heard Xavier’s words, and he went quiet in thought. Not because of anything Xavier had said or done, but because Xavier had touched on a point that he’d been thinking about for quite some time recently.

“You weren’t wrong,” Sam mumbled.

It was rare for Xavier to look so bothered, but as Sam said that, the other boy actually looked offended on Sam’s behalf.

“No,” Xavier snapped out. “I’ve seen how you fight. I’ve seen how your Pokémon act. There’s no way you were being carried—”

“It’s not that,” Sam interrupted. “I have a book. An... old Pokédex.”

He had to take a moment to breathe in before he could say the next part.

“When my grandfather passed, he left me a book,” Sam whispered. “A book that contained a lot of rare and impossible information. Stuff that no one else knew, and stuff that let me get as far as I did.”

Xavier frowned, but Sam continued on before the other boy could speak.

“I definitely had advantages from my family that let me get farther than I would have on my own. I think I would have made it to the Conference no matter what, but my team wouldn’t have been as developed or have as many tricks if it wasn’t for all of the special moves we knew. It even let me make a connection to Morty, of all people, and he’s been a big help. But a Pokédex only has—”

“It only has information,” Xavier said for him.

“Yeah,” Sam replied, sighing. “That Pokédex wasn’t what spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours training and practicing. That Pokédex didn’t spend hours every night talking and planning with my team. That Pokédex didn’t visit so many libraries to continue research, and that Pokédex didn’t travel all across Johto just to find ways to ensure my Pokémon could evolve.”

Gaining a small smile, Sam looked up at the sky, and he thought of just about every moment he’d ever had with his team.

“My grandfather’s Pokédex let me skip a few steps, but I never took that information for granted. We didn’t just float along and let all of that knowledge carry us on its own. We had a starting point that no one else had, but that starting point would have meant nothing if we didn’t put in work. It was an advantage, yeah, but it was an advantage that we fought to make ours.”

“Kind of like how my team started out,” Xavier said quietly after giving a moment for Sam’s words to rest. “And... Hm. That explains why you helped me with Yanmega.”

“I helped you with Yanmega?” Sam asked, sitting up.

“You told me their evolution method,” Xavier replied flatly. “At least, you confirmed it for me.”

“No?”

“You did,” Xavier countered, frowning at Sam. He took a second to give his words some thought. “You outright told me Yanmega’s evolution method back when you were going after Trevenant. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t remember. You said it as an aside rather than as an attempt to give legitimate advice.”

He then paused for a moment.

“And I also suppose that book would explain all the evolutions on your team,” Xavier continued.

Sam shrugged, humming noncommittally. He knew that was probably true for Annihilape’s evolution, but he had the strangest feeling that he would have done enough research to learn of Hisuian Typhlosion eventually. And, that kind of research would have likely brought him to Morty, too. The New Pokédex had let him skip a few steps, but it wasn’t the sole reason for his team’s success.

Xavier didn’t say anything else, and he cast his gaze into the distance. His stare was nonspecific, and he wasn’t directly watching his Pokémon anymore. Instead, he was staring out into the forest past the edge of Silver Town, and Sam could see that he was staring straight at the trees.

With that look, Sam was able to tell exactly what Xavier was thinking about:

That one moment in the woods, when they were going after Trevenant. The moment when a certain Quilava had done her best to help and lit up an entire burned grove, giving her the chance to finally evolve into a Hisuian Typhlosion.

“I’ve had a lot of time to consider it,” Sam said, finding himself talking once more, but he was speaking to himself more than he was speaking to Xavier. “I got a lot out of the New Pokédex, a lot that most people would never get the chance to have. I know that kind of knowledge is an advantage, but I also can’t stomach keeping all of that to ourselves forever. When I get the chance to do it properly, I’m going to share my grandfather’s book—and soon. It’s too much to keep secret. More people deserve to know what’s in it. More people deserve to have a better start.”

Xavier’s gaze flicked back to him, and then he raised an eyebrow.

“But you’re waiting until after the Conference?” Xavier asked, incredulous.

To that, Sam let out a genuine laugh, and he couldn’t help but try to defend himself.

“Hey! I train Ghost Types! I’m allowed to be a bit selfish!”

And then Xavier laughed, too.

Neither of them had anything else to say from there. And soon, below, Xavier’s Togepi let out a sudden, excited chirp. It pulled back its arm from where it had landed a Pound against one of Donphan’s tusks, and it stared at a small mark, the tiniest scuff possible, located right where it had struck with its fist.

The Donphan said its name in congratulations, and a smile was obvious in its voice. With its praise, the rest of Xavier’s team excitedly sent Togepi their congratulations. Xavier didn’t hesitate to stand up, and he hurriedly shuffled down the hill to join his team, crouching right next to that baby Pokémon.

“You’re amazing, Togepi,” he said proudly.

Togepi looked up, its eyes watered, and it jumped right at him to embrace his chest in a hug. The sudden leap was enough of a shock that Xavier fell back, but he just laughed and laughed and laughed as his Togepi did its best to squeeze him in return.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “Thank you for being a part of my team. And... Thank you, too, Sam.”

Still holding Togepi, Xavier sat up so he could look at where Sam was sitting. There was half a hill between them, but it was quiet enough out here that Sam could hear Xavier without any trouble.

“I’m glad I lost to you,” Xavier said. “Winning would have— No, I can’t even imagine what winning would have done to me. But I don’t need to worry about that. I don’t need to worry about any of that. I don’t need to think about the tournament any longer, and all I need to do is keep going and keep training my team.”

He paused briefly

“...And I should probably find some way to keep supporting them. And go through that packet the nurse gave me. And find some way to set up everything so we can keep traveling together, I should also...”

He held up his Togepi.

“I should also make sure somebody finally learns how to battle.”

To that, his Togepi chirped excitedly.

As Xavier’s team moved to surround him, Sam chuckled at the scene. He considered what Xaiver had just said, and as he did, a certain plan started to form in his mind.

“You know,” Sam started, watching the Togepi giggle as Xavier held it in the air. “Rustboro City in Hoenn has some pretty great schools that can help with that kind of stuff. If you want to keep going, but if you really want to get some distance between you and your parents...”

He let his words trail off as Xavier went on to hum.

“Hoenn, huh?” Xavier mumbled. “I was thinking of taking on Kanto next, but now that you mention it, Hoenn doesn’t sound bad.”

He looked up at Sam.

“Tell me more.”

Xavier’s time in the Conference might have been over, but his journey would continue, and he was better off for it.

As for Sam, he had more matches and more preparation to get through, but right now, he needed to start focusing on a certain trainer set to fight him next.

_______________________________________________________________________

That night, Sam stood in the Pokémon Center lobby and waited to hear the news he already knew. With his Pokémon so exhausted, he was alone where he leaned against the wall, and he was alone when the screens above the main counter changed to show the next matchups taking place.

Above his head, the monitor displayed the matchups set for the incredible group of trainers that had somehow made it into the top sixteen. As a first-year trainer, his position was unfeasible, practically untenable to some. Other trainers in the room sent him envious looks when they recognized him as they walked past. An incredibly small number of trainers ever made it this far—literally only sixteen out of hundreds—and it was even rarer that any of them were trainers without at least one other Conference under their belt.

But this year, there were at least two of them.

Sam knew he could partially attribute his team’s victories to the New Pokédex, but he wasn’t going to dismiss his team’s efforts like that. He couldn't argue that the information within that aged book had helped him, but he and his Pokémon had spent so long fighting just to get to this moment. This was something they had been waiting for all season, and as he saw the grinning picture of who he was about to fight, he supposed he could have been surprised, or upset, or annoyed, or anything else.

But he didn’t feel any of that. He would be facing Redi. He only felt excited.

“Sam,” a voice suddenly said. “You look tired.”

...Okay, so Sam might have felt tired as well.

Redi walked out of a hallway that connected deeper into the building, yawning as she approached and looking just as drained as Sam. As she walked up to him, she didn't spare even a single glance at the hanging screens. She just leaned on the wall a foot away, and just like him, she seemed to already know exactly who she was about to face.

“Yeah, I guess I’m a bit tired,” Sam admitted with a slight laugh. “It was a big battle today. A heavy battle.”

“When isn't it heavy when it comes to that guy?” Redi said lightly, laughing as well.

She was quiet, and they spent a minute just standing there, appreciating one another's company. However, Redi had come out here for a reason, and she spoke up before too much time had passed.

“I guess I could make some big statement,” she said quietly. “I could cause some big, dramatic scene about how it sucks to have a battle against a friend. We spent so long traveling together only to split off at the end. And now we're here. Back together. About to have a battle in the Conference, and about to...”

Her words trailed off. Her smile faded. Sam stated the conclusion she was about to make on her behalf.

“One of us will be eliminated from the Conference tomorrow,” he said. “There’s no fighting that.”

Slowly, Redi nodded her head.

There was so much they could have said, but they remained leaning against the wall.

“Do you remember the Beginner’s Tournament?” Sam asked after a little bit.

“I do,” Redi answered cautiously.

“It was our first tournament, and back then, you eliminated me.”

“...Sorry.”

“Pft. Please. Since I lost back then, it all works out. It’s only right that I get my revenge and eliminate you from the Conference tomorrow!”

Redi snapped her head toward Sam, openly gaping at him, but then she saw his mischievous smile.

Pushing off the wall to properly face him, she grinned in challenge, holding her arms behind her back.

“Oh, yeah? You really think that’s going to happen? If I beat you back then, then that’s precedent! It’s just proof that I can beat you again right now!”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve learned. The Conference is all about facing adversity, which means I’ll beat you in return.”

Their eyes met, and the challenge was set.

But then, they both burst into laughter, recognizing how dumb this whole situation was.

“You know, even if I lose, I'd root for you,” one of them said.

“Yeah. I’d do the same.”

“But I’m going to win.”

“Huh? No, I’m going to win!”

They both snorted, and then they both laughed again, and then they both quietly watched everyone in the lobby move on with their lives. People chatted excitedly about matches they’d seen. Trainers who had lost mourned their elimination among friends. Nurses worked the main counter, taking and returning tired Pokémon.

Here, the heart of the Conference beat on. No one could claim that the tournament was over just yet.

“Well,” Redi eventually said, sending a glance out the windows, “I'm betting both of us already have plans made for our battle tomorrow. We could spend some more time strategizing on our own, or we could just... take the night off.”

“What are you thinking?” Sam asked.

“There’s this party in town tonight—an actual party, not a dumb one like Cassandra's. Some businesses are blocking off an entire street, and all of the competing trainers are invited to come,” she said. “So, I was thinking—”

“Want to go?” Sam interrupted.

A beat passed.

“I do,” Redi said quietly.

“Then let's do it!” Sam shouted. “Let’s go to that party! We could sit here all night and brood about our fight, or we could celebrate the end of the season! Make one more great memory. Have some fun before everything comes to an end, y’know?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Redi said as she exposed her teeth in a grin. “Let’s do this!”

“Let's,” Sam answered, following as she basically ran straight outside.

After spending so long watching every match and filling his journals with notes, Sam greatly welcomed this chance to relax. He and Redi would have their battle tomorrow, but there was no point in stressing about it just to enter it exhausted. Right now, it was better to take this time to rest and recover, and Redi had a point that he already had plans to fight her—Sam had an entire season’s worth of plans, just about.

So for now, he’d much prefer to focus on this party and celebrate everything that had happened in this season so far. And, once it became time for their match tomorrow, doing this would mean both of them would be in the best possible shape for a battle between friends.

But it wouldn’t be easy. Even after Xavier, Sam knew this would be his toughest battle yet. Though he would have plans for Redi, Redi would absolutely have plans for him.

=======================================================================
Author Note:

Next chapter is an interlude. Sam has been pretty insulated from the wider world’s perspective due to his presence in the Conference. I’m planning to include three or four different perspectives to get a more outside view of what’s been going on.

Pokémon included in this chapter:
Donphan
Honchkrow
Noctowl
Poliwrath
Togepi
Yanmega

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