The vibrations froze her hand, and the announcement turned her head here, there, wherever the speakers were hiding. Funnily enough, it was her second gym battle with an announcer, but at least she’d been able to see Balder’s. Narrowed eyes betrayed her brief confusion, but she picked herself up in short order.

“This’ll be a double battle, with four Pokemon in total.” She gave the voice two seconds. It may not have been freezing in the room, but the climate and the trouble she’d gone through to get that far had her tapping her foot. “…Confirm?”

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[player]http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/31im16wmt1/Hack_Your_Way_CrossCode_Original_Game_Soundtrack_192_kbps_.mp3[/player]
Annie could be heard long before she was seen. When half a sentence first reached the gym leader’s ears, it would be clear that she’d been ranting for some time.

“-for some new-name gym leader to show up out of nowhere and take Annie Mei’s specialty for themselves! Seriously, who else around here does ‘Whatever the weather’ teams? Nobody! Except me! That was my one thing, besides being young, talented and cute as hell!”

At least he knew that she was coming. FERNANDO SILPH had taught her to book appointments for gym battles, but a prior visit had apparently done nothing to quell her emotions.

“So I was thinking, ‘who the heck does this guy think he is? Besides a gym leader, I guess!’ And I knew that I had to come alllll the way up this mountain myself. Who’s trying to muscle in on the future champion’s turf?”

She stopped in the challenger’s position. It was a shame that she couldn’t afford better clothes, because the tracksuit didn’t help much with establishing her presence. What she lacked in attire, however, she more than made up for with the fire in her eyes, the cocky grin on her face, and the conviction in her heart.

“Let’s find out.”

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Annie was only there for the free food. But, she’d reasoned with herself, there was no harm in trying to find new friends and rivals while her and her Pokemon helped themselves. They had to at least try to blend in between bites, especially since she was struggling to see anybody her age in the hall. If anybody asked her if she’d lost her parents again, she’d sic Trixie on them.

The little devil arrived at the table before her trainer did. Or rather, dived headfirst into the pile of poffins, Emolga be damned. Judging by Annie’s lack of reaction, that was business as usual for it. And judging by the presence the girl (seemingly thought she) held, and the authority she injected into her tone and eyes, her opening lines weren’t as uncommon as they should have suggested.

“Trainer! State your name, age, purpose for being here, favourite type of weather for fighting in, and your argument for who would win a fight between a Drampa and a Galarian Darmanitan, because I think mine are about to go to war, and I need to know which one of them to hold back.”

She plopped herself onto her seat as she spoke, clasped her hands together and stared down her target.

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Even Annie got tired of walking eventually. Most people would, when it took up the majority of their day. It was why she’d opted to start her safari trip atop her darling mare. When it came to running speed, few in Annie’s camp could match Celeste, but turning the world into a blur would do little to help them find elusive Pokemon. So they travelled at a trot, the trainer acting as a scout, hoping to find yet another Eevee in the brush.

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‘Nothing else was important.’ That was what Annie had ordered. So it was with noticeable hesitation that Bolt purred her attention to another Applin. A green Applin, which was a new sight for her. The little beauty would go well with Snack. Her nod gave the lion his go-ahead to pounce on a surprisingly well-disguised Applin, to anybody but the Gleam Eyes Pokemon. One swift Ice Fang disabled the fruit, leaving it ripe for Annie’s picking.

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Annie realised a little late that she didn’t much like the helmet. A costumed hero was a cool idea, and she couldn’t deny that it had its uses, but the human element was somewhat missing. She couldn’t see his face; read it, and see how he’d taken her answers. She’d had plenty of chances to refine it, but her honesty drew out looks of pity she’d rather not see.

On second thought, maybe the helmet helped. The last thing she wanted was yet another person feeling bad for her.

“…You remind me of Oreo,” she said eventually, bending down to watch the water. Her voice drew a little quieter, if only for a moment. “Not the whole costume part, but the, what’s the word… Humbleness? These things don’t ‘just happen’. You make them happy, by doing good things. Or trying to. If somebody asks me how or why I’m here, I’ll tell them. It’s because I’m strong. I want them to know it, and see it too. Guess that’s the difference between people like me and people like you.”

A bittersweet smile showed itself, but only for a few moments. Before she could continue, he made his proposal, and surprise took over her face. Then suspicion. Then a cross between the two, both fighting for dominance. Not just because he’d offered her a place to stay, either. He’d shown his face, and more importantly, it was a face she knew. Where did she know that face from?

There were more pressing questions. He’d already shown that he wasn’t joking, and he’d given his reason, and yet… “Why?” She furrowed her brow. The streets had taught her to be cautious of anything ‘free’, but the man had yet to give her a reason to suspect him. Realising that she’d said as much moments before eased some of the doubt on her face. Some.

“I’m not… totally homeless, you know. There’s a guy in Rustboro, Mister Fader. If I spend the day working at his bar, he’ll let me spend the night in one of its rooms.” It was a start. Evan was a surprisingly nice man, and the work rarely strained her, but the time it took her to earn the night’s roof stopped her from venturing far from the city. Still, it was an option, and to keep that to herself seemed disingenuous. “Besides that, people don’t usually apologise by offering me a house.”

Beneath the surface, Tox was in her element in more ways than one. The Wide Guard did little to sway a Pokemon that knew how the move worked – and knew its weaknesses. She followed suit after Torpedo, slower than the living jet but no less fierce. A Mareanie’s body found itself bashed away from its snack by a Liquidation-enhanced Tox. The last sea star only had to look at the two attackers and realise it was seconds away from a beatdown to decide it was done snacking. Its legs moved in unison to pull it the hell out of dodge.

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Bolt wasn’t complaining, she told herself. In fact, all but the greenest of her Pokemon seemed content with their lifestyle. As content as one could be whilst huddling up for warmth in yet another cold night. Making the best of what they had was a mentality she’d been forced to learn, and one that she’d successfully instilled in the Camp. Perhaps that was why she was the only one that had started to tire of it.

Her partner seemed more than happy to act as her guard, intimidating an Applin into bouncing away from them. Most of the other wild Pokemon that approached received the same treatment. Which wasn’t bad, she reminded herself. Obedience and happiness were the marks of a well-cared for Pokemon. And yet…

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If not for the watchful gaze of the workers, Selene would have slithered away as soon as they’d entered the city. She had her own special way of trapping prey, and it didn’t involve firepower or redirection. Alas, she had a job to do, and Annie had made it very clear that it wasn’t an opportunity to find a new man. That wouldn’t stop her from trying, but first…

Her fiery friends’ efforts had set their targets up for a quick takedown, but a direct attack wasn’t her style. Not until they’d been toyed with a little, at least. Without waiting for a command, she reared her head back and opened her maw. Toxic gas spewed out like rolling coal, shooting straight to the plant’s ceiling instead of any of its inhabitants. The smog fanned out once it had no higher to go, rushing to embrace the squatters (and Taka, if he wasn’t careful). Some of the steel-types assumed that nothing could poison them – an assumption that would cost them dearly, thanks to Selene’s corrosion. The rest were formed to dive lower still to avoid the poison. Their choice didn’t matter much to the Salazzle. Either they were easy pickings for the pack, or they were about to be.

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