FSE

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A day passed since Cassidy had earned Anistar's City's badge. Violet had taken a beating even though she had a type advantage; it was apparent that Cassidy's opponents were providing more of a challenge— becoming more robust as she neared the League. Snowbelle would be her eighth and final gym. It used ice types, so Fenny and Añu would be ideal counters.

Cassidy stood in her yard, leaning against the wall while watching the cloudless evening sky. She had to tell Fenny and Añu what to expect. She wouldn't them to get injured severely. It came with the territory, but she avoided it when possible. It was part of the reason she trained her party so hard.

She went into the house minutes later and pondered on how to approach. It would be best to tell them individually and tailor advice, which was what Cassidy ended up doing when she had Fenny in her room that night. He sat on the right side of her bed while she took the center near her pillow.

"Think of it as… a huge warm-up battle."

'But it– it's the last gym.'

"Right, but we should have an optimistic outlook. We will train throughout the week, and I'll have you spar with Añu tomorrow so I will have an idea of what to focus on." She lay on her back, resting her head on the pillow. "I'll tell Añu in the morning."

Fenny sighed. '...If I fail this gym battle or come close to it, that would mean I'm not ready for the League, right?'

"I mean, ouais." She sat up. "But that is the point of training; you are stronger than you think. Don't let doubt weaken you."

---

As soon as the next day arrived— after Cassidy told Añu the news, she spent hours training them. She was closing out an afternoon sparring session on Route 19 between Fenny and Añu off the trail by its trees. Cassidy stood back and between them.

Fenny stood many feet from Añu to simulate a real battle and had traded several weakened attacks; however, it was clear as day that Añu was more efficient in every single aspect. He still stood determined and with a competitive glint in his eye. Meanwhile, Fenny struggled to keep either.

"Okay, Añu, I want a bullet punch!" Cassidy stood back and between them. She turned to Fenny. "And I want you to dodge and iron tail!"

Fenny focused on Añu. Knowing what was coming made no difference. That riolu saw battling much differently. He was on layer four while Fenny sat on layer two at best, depleting the confidence he wished to uphold.

Añu brought up his fists and dashed at Fenny, though not in a straight line. He zigged between steps before hopping off his paws and pulling back his fist.

Fenny watched but didn't move an inch as Añu landed before him and instead watched the riolu's paws.

Añu stopped short and weaved, approaching underhand from the right and drawing his fist up.

Fenny stumbled back and dodged Añu's strike. It was sloppy, which took Fenny an extra second to regain his balance and instantly dart at Añu with a half-hardened tail— who was now at the end of his recovery.

So, Añu reacted to the opportunity and rolled out of the way, causing Fenny's tail to miss.

'Ugh.' Fenny looked back at Añu, who stood behind him and had a free opening to bruise him up.

"Fini!" Cassidy stated. "Good job. Both."

She gave them both water she'd bought from the market on the way, returned Añu, and they were on their way home.

Cassidy took a breath and wiped her brow. "After all of this, I'll need a bigger break. I want to do nothing for a while."

'You'd deserve it.' Fenny rolled his shoulder with a grimace.

She glanced at him. "Do you want to keep walking? I'm tired, but I do not want to go back yet."

'Of course.' Fenny kept beside her.

"You did good versus Añu, by the way, especially toward the end. That was a good peek into high-level decision-making.

He shrugged. 'I guess. I did better than I thought, but I got destroyed in a real battle.'

"You need tuning on your movement and reactions, yes. If you were sharp, you would have punished Añu for that bullet punch, but you still put yourself in the situation through his eyes and read what he would do in the first place. You should see it as an opportunity to expose yourself to competitive situations and learn to deal with them in practice.

If you cannot win, go back for more. Añu lost like every pokémon had to, but he lost enough that he learned what was needed. I had him and Violet spar a lot... An important rule they carry is always to live in their opponent's head. No movement they enact should be without instilling confusion or wonder in their adversary's head. Your opponent should always be guessing... or better, under your control."

He looked down. 'That's true...'

They entered Couriway but passed the residence and sat under the town's railway far north under the shade. They neared the ground's edge, the water from its many falls resting under them.

"I'm making progress." She gazed at the clear, rippling blue that showed her reflection.

'What do you mean?'

Cassidy glanced at him. "Now that I'm nearing the end— with your help, I'm starting to look at myself more, but I hate it."

'Hate it?'

"Stopping. I don't like it. What am I worth if I have done nothing?... If I'm doing nothing?"

'Everything to me. You could do nothing, and I'd still love you the same. It's not about what you've done for me.'

"How?"

'Because, uh, you have an amazing personality to me. You'd still mean everything to me if we just snuggled and ate together every day.'

She shot her eyes away. "I could never."

'But– well, you said you'd need a break, right?' Fenny eyed her.

She nodded curtly.

'Dahara?'

"Dahara?" She shot her eyes back to him.

'...Dahara. Have you been?'

"Never had a reason to go. No relevant gym, its capital is too big for my taste, and it's fifty miles out east."

Fenny folded his ears and sulked a little. 'But it'd be awesome to go, and we went to the village, right? Maybe you'd like it? Maybe after we win the League?'

Cassidy brought up her knees and set her elbows over them, crossing her arms and resting her chin atop. "Mh."