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Chapter Text

Saijou Claudine would never forgive herself for giving Maya her number. After a particularly heated battle, she'd insisted Maya take it so she could call her up and demand a rematch whenever she wanted. Unfortunately, it hadn't yet been used for that purpose. Instead, Maya had called Claudine every so often, usually to chat, but sometimes to trade. Maya didn't have anyone to trade with, so the amount of Haunters, Slowpokes and Seadras that had changed hands between her and that terrible woman was slowly driving Claudine insane. She knew she shouldn't even accept the trades - it was only making Maya stronger to evolve her Pokémon for her - but Claudine was always won over by her smiling face.

The last time Maya had called her, though, the Scyther she'd sent over had given Claudine a letter after it had finished evolving. Maya had left her with a wink and hung up before she could even open the thing, and that only spelt bad news. Written on Mosaic Mail, an utterly hideous choice, the letter itself had been an invitation to dinner. Needless to say, Claudine had definitely screwed it up and thrown it in the bin. After admiring Maya's handwriting, though. She'd sworn, at that moment, to never accept another call from her.

So, why had she picked up this one?

"Good morning, Claudine." Maya smiled through the receiver, then stopped to take a sip of whatever herbal tea she'd made herself. So casual , as if she had no idea what she was doing. Claudine was tempted to smash the screen, but then she wouldn't be able to turn the thing off, either. "I trust it's a good day in Alola," Maya was in her living room, looking enviously comfortable as she leant into the creases of a sofa. The room had been redecorated since Claudine had been there last, and was now wearing it's Autumn skin - soft browns and reds, and lots of blankets for Maya's poor circulation. "It certainly is in Sinnoh." Whilst it was mid-evening for Claudine, the bright, perky light of the afternoon filled Maya's side of the call.

Claudine's shoulders relaxed as Maya reminded her of the considerable distance between them. "So?" She got straight to the point, hardly wanting to go through the formalities with Maya. "What is it this time? I already told you I shan't be trading with you, anymore. Not after that stunt." Just remembering it made Claudine crunch a lump of the chocolate bar she was eating between her teeth, startling the Tailow that she had perched on her shoulder.

Maya laughed as she recalled it. "I didn't expect you to like it so much you'd put in on your fridge." She practically cackled, however, as Claudine whipped around to her fridge to find Maya had tricked her. Maya was making record time at pissing her off. "I can see you're tired, so I'll cut to the chase, Claudine." As Maya said Claudine's name, her Umbreon padded up to the camera, throwing himself onto Maya's shoulder and peering into the camera. "Oh, it looks like someone wants to say hi!" Maya moved out of the way to let her Umbreon yip and yap at the pixelated Claudine. To be honest, she didn't mind it; Maya's Umbreon was much more approachable than her trainer. The 99th class had all been given Eevees as their graduation gift, so she felt an odd companionship with the feline. "It's been so long since Umbreon and Espeon have had a playdate, hasn't it?"

"I'm not about to fly across the planet to let our Eevees cuddle." Claudine groaned, amazed Maya would even try to make such an excuse. "Surely you called me for a better reason." Claudine spied her Espeon looking about the kitchen with an odd look in it's eyes. Surely, it hadn't sensed she was talking to Maya's Umbreon? Claudine hoped not, it'd only make matters worse; she could say no to Maya, but she certainly couldn't say no to her own Pokémon.

"I did, yes." Maya's face switched back to a more serious expression in an instant, all business and less of her usual brashness. "I actually have a request to make of you." Maya waited for Claudine's answer, but after a few seconds had passed in silence, she realised Claudine wouldn't be saying a word until Maya had spelled out exactly what it was that she wanted. "I recently caught a Deino."

Claudine knew exactly where this was going. "I'm not flying out there to fight it, either." Deinos and Zweilous were known as violent, aggressive Pokémon, to the point that even their two heads fought, and Claudine didn't want any of her Pokémon having to face it.

"No, no," Maya's grip on her receiver grew a bit stronger as she sensed Claudine was about to hang up. "I managed to evolve it into a Zweilous with minimal trouble ," Something about that sounded like a lie. "But now I need your help to tame it; the two heads are too busy fighting to give me the time of day." Maya sighed, a flash of fatigue breaking out across her face. "Your competition Pokémon are so well behaved, I'm sure you could work wonders with her."

Whilst she appreciated the compliment, Claudine's shoulders dropped; this wasn't much better. Either have her Pokémon get bitten by an infamously bad-tempered Pokémon, or let herself get bitten. "Haven't you called Mahiru? Or Nana? I'm sure they'd be happier to help out."

"I would, but Mahiru is dealing with Karen and Hikari," Maya's expression became uncomfortable. Hikari had gone missing again , and Karen was staying at Mahiru's whilst they searched. Suspicions were that she'd followed a Nihilego into the Ultra Dimension. Claudine just hoped she wouldn't be trapped in there for seven months, like last time. "and Nana is already here."

On cue, Nana popped into frame with Slurpuff on her shoulder, both of them beaming. It was nice to see Nana well, and Tailow agreed, chirping contentedly at the image of Nana's face. "Hey, Claudine!" Nana's expression quickly became less giddy as she recalled the events of the last few days in Alola, with Maya and Zweilous. "Yeah, Maya isn't lying. We really need some help down here. Zweilous is just biting everything." It had probably been a bad decision to bring Slurpuff considering, but Nana didn't go anywhere without her little baker-friend. Now that Claudine thought about it, it had probably been a request from Maya. "I'm afraid she'll eat Slurpuff..."

"I'm sure it learnt that from Maya." Claudine got her first laugh of the day. Maya really needed her. It was satisfying enough to make her want to go, just to see how dire the situation really was. She always welcomed a challenge, after all. "Fine. You're paying for my flight, though."

“But of course.” Maya’s expression melted as Claudine gave in to her demands.

"By the way," Nana began just before Claudine hung up. "How is the charm working?" Nana was still smiling, but she looked a bit worried.

"Badly." Claudine admitted, falling back into the plush of her armchair as Espeon finally found what she'd been looking for. Settling on Claudine's shoulders, it wrapped it's tail around Claudine's neck and looked at the screen quizzically, perhaps trying to calm her down. "It showed up again last night." Claudine had been preyed on by a Shuppet for the last few months, and whilst it hadn't hurt her, she knew exactly why it kept showing up.

"Oh," Nana pouted, probably sadder that Junna's charm hadn't worked than she was for Claudine. "Maybe you'll find one in Sinnoh when you come visit? I hear Celestic Town is good with spirits."

Claudine made a note of it in her head, but she knew what would work even better: a win in a Hearthome City contest, and a soak in a spa in the Resort Area. As she figured out the details of her trip - with hopefully as little Tendou Maya as possible - Claudine began to look forward to it.

"I'll send your tickets over in a moment, Claudine." Maya took the phone back from Nana. "I look forward to seeing the master in action."

With that, the line went dead, and Claudine couldn't help but feel robbed of the chance to hang up. She dropped her phone to her side and took a breath, finding she was spent after dealing with Maya. Espeon hopped off her shoulders to sniff the phone, still curious as to how exactly she'd just seen her friends through it, and Claudine took the chance to have a drink. She was always left thirsty by Maya's unannounced calls, having to over-exert her vocal chords with social acrobatics, or forcing her tone to stay amicable.

Maya stuck to her word, though; the tickets had been in Claudine's inbox in a few minutes. First class, and departing tomorrow. Tomorrow?! Is she trying to kill me? Saijou Claudine had never had less than a week to prepare for a vacation. Dumping half a bottle of soda in the bin, she darted up the stairs with half a plan already in her head.

Nonetheless, Claudine was on the plane when it departed. She wasn't about to show herself up infront of Maya, even if it was preparing for a holiday. Along with her Espeon, as promised, that sat across from her in a special Pokémon-sized seat, Claudine had brought a small team consisting of her Raichu - having been brought up in Alola, Raichu hadn't had much of a chance to see the outside world; her Delcatty - in case her holiday went as planned; and her Tyrantrum - in case her holiday didn't.

As for her packing situation, she'd given up shortly after realising all this rushing and hurrying would just make her look flustered and unprepared in front of Maya. So, instead, she decided to simply buy everything she needed upon arrival at Sinnoh, and turn the situation on it's head. And Maya would be carrying her new wardrobe, whether she liked it or not. Claudine might not be as rich as Kaoruko - Arceus knows how she gets all that money - but Claudine wasn't a stranger to splashing out every once in a while. Especially if it was to impress someone.

In truth, she was eager to get into her holiday. Sinnoh's cities and forests were a nice change of pace to the beaches and tourist traps of Alola, and even if it was terribly cold in Sinnoh all year round, there was more than enough fun to merit a trip. The first time she'd come to Sinnoh, however, she'd expected it to at least be warm in the summer, and had ended up having to borrow jumpers from Maya's drawers. This time around, though, Claudine was more than prepared, having gone as far as to buy winter coats for Espeon and Delcatty on the way to the airport. After all, if a trainer's Pokémon weren't happy, then neither were they. Able to forget about the daunting tasks ahead of her - both of them - Claudine relaxed into her first class seat, closing her eyes and instinctively reaching out a hand for Espeon's chin.

Maybe it was the change from the stuffy, filtered air of the plane to Sinnoh's fresh atmosphere, but Claudine always seemed to taste something different in the air when she arrived in a new region. Well, perhaps it was the smell of Tendou Maya. Espeon could certainly smell something, judging from the way it's head darted about. Enjoying itself too much with the new setting, it was too distracted to even get into it's Pokéball for inspection. Eventually, though, it obeyed and hopped inside, and Claudine was able to hand them over to the clerk: A moon ball, a premier ball, and two normal pokéballs. Everything was going as expected.

What Claudine hadn't expected, though, was to find Nana and Maya in the main parlor, holding a sign, almost a banner, that read 'Saijou Claudine, Welcome to Sinnoh!', in Maya's perfect serif. They couldn't have just waited for her like normal people. Claudine had been too jetlagged to respond with her usual venom, accepting the bearhug from Nana, and almost one from Maya's Goodra, too; thankfully, she'd demanded Maya to call it off before it ruined her clothes.

"Allow me to be the first to welcome you back to Sinnoh, Claudine." Maya smiled, wrapping an arm around Goodra without a second thought. She appeared to be sporting some stylish goo-resistant leather jacket, however. She always loved to show off the kind of high-tech gear only a Champion could afford. "My house in Canalave is a short way from here," Maya eyed Claudine, seeing she wasn't accompanied by any suitcases and making the only logical assumption. "Unless you'd like to make a stop somewhere, first."

Claudine's little scheme to impress Maya with her frivolous spending hadn't gone quite to plan. Sure, Maya had held the clothes she bought, and Nana had applauded her fashion sense at every chance, but Claudine was far too tired to even pretend to be smug about it. Even Espeon seemed exhausted from the four-hour flight, choosing to nestle into Nana's warm arms instead of follow after Claudine like usual. And after a light lunch, the three and their Pokémon departed for Maya's apartment.

Canalave city was certainly the prettiest part of Sinnoh - that was what Claudine thought, at least. As a port town, it had fresh, salty air that tasted like Alola, and elegant architecture that made the most of the limited space. From the soft grey of the cobblestone streets to the rich blue of the ocean, Canalave was at the pinnacle of the modern fashionings of the Sinnoh region. The city gave Claudine a moment of pause and peace, and she found she was able to enjoy spending time with Tendou Maya.

"So, where is it?" Claudine had expected Maya's apartment to be a wreck, torn up and bitten to pieces by Zweilous, but it was closer to the opposite. Exactly as it had appeared over the phone, the colours were far more vibrant in person, and the late-evening lamplight shining through the bay window gave it all a soft, romantic atmosphere. Maya's Umbreon lay on it's back in the windowsill, and her Lickilicky was enjoying a snack on the sofa, hopping off of guiltily it as soon as it caught sight of it's trainer. Claudine had been hoping to get to work, but the sleepy mood of Maya's house had only made her weariness worse.

"You really think I'd keep her in my own house?" Maya strolled across the room and threw herself down on the sofa, her arms tired from a day of carrying Claudine's new wardrobe around. "She doesn't like being kept in her Pokéball, either, so I had a friend in Oreburgh look after her. Currently, I imagine she's on pest control duty." Maya didn't seem to malign having the Pokémon she was trying to calm down be used as pest control. Maybe she saw it as a form of anger management. "We'll start work tomorrow. As your host, I could hardly force you to go out and work so soon after arriving." Throwing her feet up, Maya's Gliscor dropped down from the ceiling and glided down onto her stomach, almost giving Claudine a heart-attack. As Maya began to pet what was essentially a bat, Claudine wondered how she could enjoy scratching the Pokémon's chitin like that.

"Tomorrow?" Claudine didn't know what to do with herself. She'd been a guest in Maya's house plenty of times, but Maya had never acted so lax around her. Perhaps it was Nana's influence, or maybe she was genuinely tired. Claudine's Espeon wasn't feeling the same hesitance, though, having trotted over to Umbreon and collapsed onto them as soon as they'd met eyes.

Neither was Nana, who had taken to cuddling Lickilicky as soon as they’d arrived, grooming the tuft of hair on his head affectionately. The pink pillow wasn’t much of a replacement for Junna, but Claudine doubted that mattered to her anymore.

“I couldn’t force my guest to work so soon after arriving.” Maya offered Claudine the spot next to her, just before it was taken by Nana’s Aipom, who had been dutifully ‘looking after the house’ for them. Maya tried to wrestle them out of her friend’s spot, but Aipom stayed put, probably waiting for a treat for it’s ‘hard work’.

Still standing in the portal to Maya's living room, her arms full of shopping, Claudine found it hard to relax. But, when Espeon - and Umbreon, for that matter - returned to their trainer and curled around her feet, she couldn't help but loosen up. "Tomorrow, then. Have you had any success with her so far?" She followed Espeon across the carpet and towards one of the cream beanbags Maya had piled up in the corner and dumped herself on it - she wasn’t so cruel she’d steal a seat from Nana’s Aipom. The two cats piled on top of her, and she felt immediately at home.

"Success...?" Maya fiddled with her lip as her Bagon emerged unannounced from inside the pile of beanbags Claudine had just chosen to sit at. It came and threw itself onto Maya's lap instead; a much softer place than where they'd just been, half-crushed under Claudine. "I can't say we've had anything even close to success. If anyone gets near her, she bites them. And if no-one is nearby, her heads just bite each other." Maya hated to admit it, but she was at a loss. Running her hands across the ribs of her Bagon’s bony forehead, a pensive look crossed Maya’s face as she considered the task in front of them.

"Do you even need to tame her, though?" Claudine asked, her hands fully occupied with stroking and petting. At some point, Nana’s Sylveon had escaped it’s Pokéball and joined the group, now competing with the other two fluff-balls for the attention of Claudine’s hands. "You'll evolve her to a Hydreigon, and then she'll only have one head. Problem solved." She hadn't been expecting the spiteful look Maya had shot back.

"Whilst you’re certainly correct,” Maya began, lifting her Bagon up to eyeline and examining the way he wriggled about playfully in her grasp. “At that point, Hydreigon would be too far gone to befriend. I want all of my Pokémon to be my friends; that’s when they’re at their strongest." That Maya loved her Pokémon, and wanted them to love her too, was evident from how well Maya treated the rest of her Pokémon. Whether it was keeping her Lickilicky as well-fed as herself, or investing in a special jacket so she could give her Goodra a hug, Maya didn't make any compromise. "If I can't get along with my Zweilous, then I shall simply release her." For a Champion, Maya was an exemplary trainer - to reach so high whilst keeping hold of her ideals was something to respect in itself. "So, I want to at least try to reach her. Do you understand, Claudine?" She placed Bagon back on the sofa, sitting back as he crawled back onto her thighs.

"Can't you just catch a Ditto, and have it turn into a Hydreigon instead? It'd be easier than this charade , either way." Although Claudine could only approach Maya's insistence with reluctance, she understood why it was necessary.

Her own Tyrantrum had been a challenge, but after years of working together, they'd become friends. Whilst they were a bit too big to play with, the way the eight-foot beast obeyed Claudine's instructions told her they at least had a begrudging respect for her. Nana seemed to have the best method of them all, though; she made sure to only befriend the cuddliest, friendliest Pokémon around, and it worked for her.

"Well, looks like I've got my work cut out for me." Claudine didn't dare ask herself again why she was doing this, because she was sure the reason would be lost on her. A challenge? Impressing Tendou Maya? Right now, all Claudine wanted was a nap.

It seemed she'd gotten her wish; Claudine awoke a short while later, buried under assorted Pokémon, and Nana too, somehow. Waking up, she almost forgot where she was - had the last twelve hours been a fever dream? As much as Claudine might have hoped that was true, it certainly wasn't. And to confirm those fears, Tendou Maya entered her vision, plates of confectionary in her hands, and Nana's Slurpuff on her shoulder. Claudine had no idea how that Slurpuff contributed to baking, but they had a perfect track record, so far.

"You looked awfully comfortable, Claudine." Maya laughed as she came over, reminding Claudine that she had, in fact, been asleep and defenseless in Tendou Maya's house. "I would've joined you, but Slurpuff had a better idea." Thank goodness.

Gingerly moving the still-asleep Pokémon off of her, Claudine managed to stand without waking any of them, including Nana. The darkness outside didn't give her any idea what time it was, but she was sure it was that awkward part of the evening where you couldn't just turn in for the night, especially after just having a nap. She stretched her back and mentally prepared herself for a good few hours alone with Maya. "Nice place you've got here. I never knew you had an eye for interior decorating." Sitting across from Maya, she eyed the sweets her host had made - along with poffins of every flavour was a set of mathematically perfect doughnuts. Claudine was half-tempted to take one, but she would rather have waited for Maya to start. Gliscor had already taken more than it's fair share of the poffins, having swooped down and plucked it's favorites without any hesitation. It might have been coincidence, but most of Maya's Pokémon seemed just as gluttonous as their trainer. They landed next to Maya as she sat down, stuffing a poffin in it’s mouth and giving it’s trainer an approving look - Claudine imagined that was what approval looked like at least, coming from a creature like that.

"I'd accept the compliment," Maya took one of the sweets and popped it into her mouth after staring it down, reassuring Claudine that they were safe to eat with a blissful grin. "But I've got nothing to do with it. Yachiyo came around, and I accidentally left her alone for a few hours. It does look quite nice, though, doesn't it? I'll have to thank her, after all." Picking Slurpuff off her shoulder and carefully placing them next to her, Maya patted the ball of fluff on the head and fed them a peach-colored poffin of thanks.

Claudine crossed her legs and sat back, easing into the flow of the conversation. "You ought to be careful around her, Maya. You know how obsessed she is with Akira." Tsuruhime Yachiyo was a woman Claudine knew painfully well; if she wasn't chasing Yukishiro Akira across Unova, then she was having her Gallade trounce Claudine in every beauty competition across the globe. Picturing her dallying about the very same room she was in, rearranging the furniture and dressing the floor stung Claudine in the neck.

"What, are you afraid of her stealing me away?" Maya chuckled, picking Slurpuff up again and placing them on her lap, treating them more like a cushion than a Pokémon. If she'd been awake, Nana would surely have objected to seeing her Pokémon being squeezed every which way. Slurpuff didn't have any qualms, though, still wearing that dogged smile, even whilst it was compressed to a pinprick.

"It's for your own safety." Claudine huffed, her Espeon slinking into her arms, still half-asleep. Their head bobbed against Claudine's arm as they eyed the plate of poffins hungrily, too sleepy to bother hopping onto the table to take one. "You can never tell what she's planning." Claudine was entirely convinced that that was the truth. Yachiyo had slim eyes and a permanent smirk; she couldn't help but keep her distance. Espeon bumped it's head against their trainer's stomach insistently, and Claudine gave in and handed her a poffin. As with many of her Pokémon, they were terribly spoilt.

As they all enjoyed their snacks, human and Pokémon both, the air grew uncomfortably silent. Whilst Maya didn’t seem to mind - one look at her could tell you she was more than distracted by the doughnuts she’d just cooked for herself - Claudine wasn’t the same. She wracked her brain for some small-talk. “So, Maya,” She hated the off-handed tone of voice. “How’s the life of a champion?” Having earned the title not too long ago, Maya was now ‘enjoying’ a small period of downtime, and trying to think of what to do next.

“Hm?” Maya didn’t respond immediately, too caught up in choosing her next mouthful of pastry. Collecting herself, she recalled what Claudine had just been talking about. “How’s life as a contest champion?” She turned the question around on Claudine.

“The same it’s always been.” She, too, had reached a comfortable peak in her career. And even though the tastes of the public, and the judges, always changed, Claudine seemed to stay on top. That was, at least, if Yachiyo wasn’t involved. But whilst Claudine might have found her match, Maya had been left with no-one to challenge her; even Claudine’s Pokémon practically crumpled under Maya’s team, much to the girl’s chagrin. “But you can’t play this game with me, Maya. I asked first.”

Maya huffed in response, unusually put off. “You know exactly how it’s going.” Sighing softly, her Gliscor seemed to notice it’s trainer’s melancholy and squeaked in response, earning a cuddle for its concern. “Frankly, I’m bored.”

Claudine had guessed as much. “And this Zweilous, it’s supposed to be a challenge?” Maya obviously hated being seen through so thoroughly, throwing what was at least a handful of sweets down her throat and refusing to meet Claudine’s eyes. “So I’m right.”

Chapter Text

Claudine awoke, once again in Maya’s house, to Nana’s Aipom batting it’s tail’s singular, mitten-like hand against her forehead. Had she trained the thing to be an alarm clock? If so, then that Aipom was almost better trained than some of Claudine’s own. It kept trying to wake the trainer up though, going as far as to leap up and down on her stomach once it’s tail was tired. So, not that well trained.

“Okay, alright. I’m awake.” Claudine forced herself up and took stock of the room around her, rubbing her eyes as the dewy bleariness faded. It’s job done, Nana’s Aipom took a seat on the bed and waited for a cuddle, which Claudine reluctantly gave them. She was in one of Maya’s spare rooms at some inordinate morning hour - ten-thirty, actually, once she took sight of the red-eyed digital clock in the corner across from her. Mostly bare, she could’ve imagined Maya was going for the ‘minimalist’ aesthetic, but in truth she probably just hadn’t gotten around to decorating. There wasn’t much to comment on, aside from the black cases and battered boxes arranged inoffensively in the corner and the dresser she’d folded her clothes on last night. It chafed at her that Maya had resigned her to what was essentially a storage room.

After remembering that she actually had to wake up, she managed to throw Aipom out of the room and get dressed, catching the spectacular scent of a Daiba Nana breakfast as she cracked the door open. As she threw on her clothes and led herself through her morning routine, she couldn’t take her mind off the elegant bouquet she’d smelled, and found herself rushing. Claudine was sure she’d messed something up, somewhere, but hopefully Maya would forgive her for looking a bit off-colour, this early in the morning.

“Good morning, Claudine.” Enjoying a slice of heavily jammed toast, Maya greeted Claudine with a tip of the head, her hands more than occupied with breakfast. Having spoken without properly looking, once she met her face, Maya chuckled amusedly. “I don’t think you need makeup, however. Pokémon don’t tend to pay attention to these things.” Claudine had worried that the problem was having applied her makeup incorrectly, but apparently she shouldn’t have bothered in the first place. “I appreciate you going out of your way for me, though.”

Seeing Maya smile at her reminded Claudine of the conversation they’d had last night. After their grim back-and-forth about Maya’s dissatisfaction, they’d managed to move onto lighter-hearted topics; the awful, but successful trial the Champion had gone through to try and catch a shiny Vanillish; the evolution of Claudine’s up and coming fanclub; and even joking about Kaoruko’s - still ongoing - chase of Cresselia. It was rare for the two to get along so well, but Maya had kept it pleasant and managed not to antagonise Claudine too much last evening. She’d clearly turned over a new leaf, since then.

“Ugh, I’d sooner try to impress Nana than you.” Claudine sheepishly brushed Maya off as she entered the kitchen, not having expected to receive a compliment for the rush job. Following her nose, she quickly found the dinner table - Nana was churning out breakfasts at a terrifying pace, piling them onto the table with no regard for whoever was going to eat them. Picking a healthy, yet indulgent, selection from the buffet Nana was generating, Claudine took a seat next to Lickilicky, and across from Nana’s Meowstic, which seemed to be glaring at her. She recalled that all Meowstic do that, but it didn’t make it any less unsettling to be stared at by someone with a full mouth. She swallowed her confusion, along with half a sausage. “But yes, good morning to both of you.”

“I like your makeup too, Claudine!” Nana called from her station at the hob. How she was able to make food that both people and Pokémon could eat with such a commonplace cooker was beyond Claudine, but the taste certainly wasn’t abject to her, and Lickilicky was throwing it down their throat like anything else.

“Thank you, Nana.” Claudine threw her hair back as she began her breakfast, not having intended to impress anyone, but appreciating the compliment nonetheless. “So, Maya. Off to Oreburgh?” Recalling where Maya had left her Zweilous - with a ‘friend’, apparently - Claudine looked over her shoulder at the trainer, chomping a croissant as she did.

“As long as you’re ready.” Maya replied, finishing off her morning tea. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.” Despite this, she seemed completely at peace. Claudine hoped that meant she had a plan, but it was probably just her usual cockiness showing.

Having left Nana to look after the house - instead of just Aipom, this time - Claudine and Maya departed for Oreburgh. Not far from Canalave, the two rode Maya’s bikes to the earth-bound city, taking a moment to enjoy the cool fresh air of Sinnoh’s routes. It’d been a short while since Claudine had been in Sinnoh, so she took as many chances as she had to enjoy the scenery, as well as the regional Pokémon. Having to hold herself back from catching a Shellos in the marshes of Route 218, or stopping to watch a flock of Starly fly above her in 203. Jubilife City, the bustling telecommunications city connecting the two routes, was just as Claudine remembered it, too; she wasn’t a stranger to the town’s TV-stations and radio shows, having appeared on a few herself.

Maya allowed her these indulgences, stopping alongside her and encouraging her to take a picture or say hello to an old acquaintance. Claudine was almost able to forget about the daunting task ahead of her. That was, until they arrived at Oreburgh itself, at least.

“They’re in a small plot of land a few minutes into the city.” After their super repels had worn off - not wanting to have to deal with any cumbersome Zubat in the cave that lead to Oreburgh - Maya stopped to point her around the city. “Not too far from the Pokémon center, either.”

“I’ll hardly need to use that,” Claudine smirked as she took a breather. It hadn’t been pleasant riding a bike through the half-light of a cave, but she wasn’t about to let it show. “We’ll get through this without a scratch.” Trusting in the wits of her Espeon, and the strength of her Tyrantrum, Claudine was more than ready to show off.

“As confident as ever, Claudine.” Maya laughed, slightly worriedly. A nervous habit of most trainers, she fingered the two Pokéballs she had at her waist. She’d brought her Lickilicky and her new Vanillish, despite Claudine insisting she just wanted an excuse to play with her new Pokémon. Maya didn’t intend to use the latter, considering it could knock Zweilous out in a single hit, but after the trouble the dragon had caused her, she didn’t mind having some insurance. “Let’s hurry on, then.”

The plot of land Maya had mentioned was exactly that - a blank slate of dirt a kilometre or-so wide, with a hole reaching into the side of the cliff. Just outside the entrance were the kind of fittings one would find at a building site that would never go anywhere; a pile of bricks and tools, laying forlorn next to a white canvas tent. Maya rode up to the tent and laid her bicycle besides one of the metal lean-tos. “Isurugi!” She called, spurring some brief movement from inside.

Isurugi Futaba joined the two in the clearing, stretching and yawning as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Wondered when you’d be showing up. She gave me a hell of a time yesterday. You’ve certainly got a good eye for strong Pokémon...” Futaba briefly met Claudine’s eyes, and nodded her a hello. “Ah, so Kuroko was the trainer you were talking about, huh?”

Maya was about to continue with the pleasantries, but Claudine interrupted instead, unable to hold her tongue. “Futaba?” She hadn’t expected to see the girl here, but there was a more important question on her mind. “What’re you doing here? Don’t you and Kaoruko live in Unova?” She’d heard plenty of the two’s exploits in the busy cities of Unova; Kaoruko always showing off, and Futaba always picking up the slack. Despite the obvious imbalance in their relationship, they managed to make it work as dual-battlers, competition entrants, and rare Pokémon collectors. It seemed they did something new every week; had they tried their hand at real estate, this time? “What is this place?”

“Kaoruko wanted a source of raw materials for ‘world domination’, and this was the cheapest spot on offer.” Futaba groaned, recalling Kaoruko’s continued insistence of her petty little quest for world subjugation. “But, well, I imagine you can guess how quickly swept the place under the rug after she found out it wouldn’t just mine itself.” Claudine could picture every second of the story. “At least we’ve got something to do with it, now. Maya asked if we had anywhere to put a Pokémon in time-out.”

“Speaking of that,” Maya took a concerned look at the entrance to the caves - she hoped it’s rugged, ruined edges were the result of shoddy workmanship, and not a rampaging dragon. “How did you two get on? Or perhaps, you three?” As she spoke, Futaba lead them into the threshold, tossing out her Jolteon and commanding it to light the place up with Spark. Just as they’d imagined, the walls were covered in scratch-marks.

“Well, I’m still alive, so that’s one thing.” Futaba chuckled grimly as she lead the two down the passageways, passing a few downed Zubats on the way. “It got a bit too much eventually and I had Mightyena use Yawn and put it to sleep before it destroyed the place.” The air became slightly tense as Maya stopped to question if Futaba had really just put it to sleep instead of leaving it alone like she’d asked. Futaba stopped as well, laughing dryly. That wasn’t the worst of the news. “And, well, while it was asleep, I had an idea.” The sudden turn of Maya’s head told Futaba she probably shouldn’t have bothered mentioning it. “I put a leash on it to stop the two heads fighting.” She blabbed out, bracing for some kind of repercussions.

“A leash?!” Maya gawked, and Claudine was tempted to join her. Rarely did trainers use such base tactics, even with problem cases such as Zweilous. Futaba only responded with a bashful sigh. “You’re aware we’re trying to tame it, not antagonise it?” She grilled the girl, her pace speeding up as she rushed in to rescue her Zweilous - how she might do that without losing a hand, however, she didn’t know.

“Well, it worked…” Futaba mumbled to herself as she followed after Maya, aware she wouldn’t be able to change her mind. It was true, though; once the dual-headed dragon had adjusted to the fact that they couldn’t bite each other, they’d seemed to calm down, surrendering to their inability to bicker and fight.

Exactly as Futaba had said, they found Zweilous at the end of the tunnel, after almost ten minutes of walking through the dank passages. With a brace around each neck, their heads were seperated a ‘safe’ distance by a metal beam connecting the two. Despite looking somewhat barbaric, it certainly wasn’t a painful contraption - in fact, it was probably saving the thing some pain. Maya paused when she saw it, forcing herself to admit the reality that Futaba’s plan might have actually been a good one. The dragon was, however, chasing itself in circles, snapping at each other occasionally in an attempt to drown out their aggression. Maya looked on, concerned, as Futaba and Claudine caught up.

“Never said it was a perfect solution, though.” When Futaba had last checked, Zweilous had been sitting still, and almost looking comfortable. She didn’t know if it was possible, but perhaps one of them had insulted the other since then.

“Better than any idea Maya’s had!” Claudine cackled with laughter - usually, she wouldn’t enjoy watching a Pokémon being treated this way, but there was something comical about the expression on Tendou Maya’s face. “Speaking of that, what is your plan, Maya?” She turned to the trainer, waiting impatiently for an answer as Maya tried to get close enough to remove the brace on Zweilous’ neck.

Maya finally gave up on trying to approach her own Pokémon, the dual heads snapping at her hands whenever she tried to get close. She gave Claudine a confused look, and they both immediately knew what that meant. “ My plan ?” She crossed her arms defensively, not able to see Claudine’s expression spoil through the dark of the cave. “My plan was to getyou. You’re the one who needs a plan, now.”

Claudine let the words sink in for a moment. True, she was considered a ‘professional’, but the same word could be applied to Maya, as well. “You seriously just expect me to waltz in and fix all your problems?” Claudine growled, even more bitter than usual. “What happened to challenging yourself?” Recalling their conversation from last night, she had a hard time admitting Maya had given up - or that she even considered this a part of the challenge.

“Well, I tried that.” Maya replied bluntly.

“You’re as dim-witted as ever.” Despite Maya’s genius, she was ever-so prone to moments of bullish stupidity. Dense, perhaps, was the right word.

“Excuse me for thinking you could handle this, Claudine.” Maya baited her with yet more devious words, aware she was in the wrong but not about to admit it. “Clearly you aren’t as capable as I first thought.”

“If you’re going to treat me like that, you might as well pay me.” Claudine choked back a more biting retort, not wanting to walk into any more insults. “But… Ugh. Of course I can handle this,” She took a look at Zweilous and considered taking back that she’d just said. “I just didn’t expect the situation to be this bad.” Taking stock of the picture in front of her, Claudine thought for a moment, trying not to let Tendou Maya interrupt her. “Hmph. Make yourself useful and get out Lickilicky. Futaba gave me an idea.”

Her sour mood fading, Maya did as she was told and tossed out the Ultra ball at her hip, watching as the seal burst and her loyal Lickilicky emerged. “An idea? I knew I could trust you.” The venom she’d spared earlier was all but gone, and Tendou Maya was watching Claudine, awaiting further instructions.

“Don’t get your hopes up yet, Maya. I’m sure you’ll find a way to mess it up.” It was a hurried plan Claudine had rushed together to avoid arguing with Maya anymore, but she had at least some faith it would help the situation. From her Premier Ball came Espeon, as eager for orders as the other Pokémon in the cave. Futaba’s jolteon jumped when they saw them, recognising the friend instantly, but staying back for their own safety. “Make Lickilicky distract Zweilous, I’m going to have Espeon cast Hypnosis on it. I assume he does know Follow Me, right?”

“But of course.” Maya mulled over Claudine’s plan for a second. “I don’t see how having it sleep will help, though.” Assuming her stance and pointing Lickilicky ahead, Maya commanded her Pokémon toward the Zweilous. Although hesitant, Lickilicky wasn’t afraid of Zweilous - it had more than enough meat to take a few good hits.

“Wait and see, Tendou Maya.” Claudine chided, her eyes narrowing as she watched for Lickilicky to make an opening in Zweilous’ guard. “I’m sure my genius will leave you stunned.” The dragon’s jewelled eyes caught the pink teddy in a second, and it leapt forwards with intent to strike. “Now, Espeon; Hypnosis!”

It didn’t take long for Zweilous to clock out - probably tired from all the in-fighting, it fell asleep before it could even sink a tooth into Lickilicky’s belly, much to Maya’s thanks. She took a breath and stepped back, calling the puffball to her side to give her a checkover. “A bit late, Claudine. But well done.”

“Late?!” Claudine coughed, unable to believe Maya had the gall to insult her timing after that. “You’re insufferable.” She eased on the gas, aware Maya was teasing her. “Either way, it’s asleep now.” Approaching the downed Zweilous to ease the brace off it’s leathery neck, Claudine was shocked by the red marks it’d left. Futaba couldn’t be blamed, but it made her heart ache to see that Zweilous would go so far out of the way to attack each other.

“Now, Espeon, use Dream Eater.” Pointing at the downed Pokémon, Claudine’s Espeon padded up to it and closed its eyes. As they worked, Claudine turned back to Maya. “Usually, I’d just give them a poffin if they did what I wanted, but I don’t think that’s going to work here.” She took an unsure look at Zweilous, sure it would bite her whole arm off if she tried to give it a treat. “We need to figure out what Zweilous really wants. And by inspecting it’s dreams, we might be able to figure that out.” Claudine felt like a teacher having to explain this to Maya - especially considering she was more focused on rubbing a spot of dirt off Lickilicky’s tummy.

Maya responded with an impressed smile, once she was done. Claudine’s prediction had been on point - she was, if only a bit, stunned. “Impressive. I never thought you could use Dream Eater like that, but it makes sense.” Maya looked down to Espeon, her brow furrowing for a second. “But, how will Espeon be able to tell you what Zweilous wants? I know you two have a deep connection, but at the end of the day, they can’t speak human.”

Claudine bristled, not having thought that far ahead. “Well-- We’ll figure something out.” She crouched down next to Espeon, rubbing it’s fur as it concentrated. “Espeon and I will do our best, like always. It’s not like the butterball has a better plan.”

Maya looked offended in Lickilicky’s stead.

It was a few minutes before Espeon’s eyes opened again; long enough for Maya to bring out Vanillish and show of the tasteful purple of it’s unique coloring. Futaba was impressed - she and Kaoruko had only managed to scrape together a tiny pile of ‘shinies’ - but Claudine wasn’t having any of Maya’s showboating. As Maya and Futaba jokingly discussed how the shiny coloring might’ve changed Vanillish’s flavour, she gritted her teeth and covered Espeon’s ears, afraid the noise of Maya’s voice would ruin their concentration - it certainly had that effect of her, after all.

As soon as they were done, Claudine pulled her Pokémon away from the sleeping beast, keeping her eyes on it whilst Espeon considered what it’d just seen. The glow of the jewel on it’s head faded, and Espeon hopped out of Claudine’s arms.

“So,” Maya pulled Vanillish back into their Pokéball and turned her attention to Espeon, walking up to them and letting them rub their head into her hand. “Did she figure anything out?” Maya’s tone became distinctly sing-song, almost whispering ‘ aren’t you so smart! ’.

“Step back and she’ll show us.” Once Maya had stepped away, Claudine clicked her fingers, Espeon responding instantly and snapping to attention. Seeing their training had paid off, she couldn’t help but smirk as Espeon slowly, knowingly walked over to Claudine.

That smile faded, however, once Espeon began hissing and clawing in Maya’s direction, much to the trainer’s dismay - even if it was for charades, seeing the adorable feline angry at her broke Maya’s heart. “Hmm,” Claudine crouched down, trying to catch what Espeon was trying to get at. Her eyes darted between them and Maya. “Maya, did you do anything to Zweilous?”

Maya was, frankly, shocked. “Why would I--?” Unable to find the words, she chose instead to huff and cross her arms, becoming irritable as the frustrations of the past few weeks caught up. “I took her straight to the Pokémon center after I caught her. I’ve been nothing but kind to her.” Her gaze flittered over to Zweilous, still rather asleep on the floor of the cave, feeling a pang of confused compassion for it.

“Well you’ve done something to make it mad, of course.” Claudine stood, ready to confront Maya for the second time today. “Maybe you fed it something it didn’t like?”

“I don’t think I’ve been able to feed it anything.” Maya tried to recall a time Zweilous had eaten something with her in the room, coming up with nothing. Espeon had stopped hissing, but every time one of them caught it’s eye, they lunged a paw at Maya to reiterate it’s point; Zweilous was not one of her fans.

“You’ve really been at a loss without me, haven’t you?” Claudine would’ve been amused by Maya’s awful circumstances if she wasn’t currently a part of it.

“You haven’t made much progress, either.” Maya bit back, getting caught up in Claudine’s acid. “You’ve trained your Espeon so well, you’d think you’d be able to keep up with them.” Unable to see fault in Espeon’s performance, she placed the blame entirely on Claudine.

As the two bickered, Futaba looked down at Espeon, who had began to swipe at Maya with yet more fervor, almost in time with Claudine’s snapping. “Oh,” she laughed. “I think I get it.” Satisfied she’d won their little game of charades, Futaba leant back, watching the two and making a bet on how long it’d take for them to figure it out.