Alain, Luciana, Mitchel, and I were the final four in the tournament. It felt so weird standing next to them. I was the oldest of the bunch, but not by much. Luciana and Alain were closer in age to me than to Mitchel, but I still felt out of place. Professor Sycamore and Lida talked to us as a few lab assistants set up the prize table and battle area. I watched as Araceli's Darmanitan stomped around and flattened the ground. A Whimsicott restored the trees and flora while Machoke and Conkeldurr put together sections of a small stage.
"Last two things," Professor Sycamore said, drawing my attention. "Prizes and matches. With the major prizes being stolen, we'll have to come up with appropriate compensation."
Lida cleared her throat. "Most of the participants have either one or two Gym Badges, and we were planning on this tournament counting as Lumiose City's Gym Challenge. For eighth place and above, I will give the Current Badge. Except for you, Alain. You already have three Badges, and should not have taken part in the tournament."
"That's not fair. I signed up, and they let me in. I made it this far, so I should earn the Badge as well," he countered, anger lacing his words.
"They should not have allowed you to participate. Us allowing you to continue in the tournament and get a reward at all is more than fair. Besides, I'm the Gym Leader, and I decide who earns the Badge, not your father," she dismissed him flatly.
"Those who placed sixteenth through ninth will get a cash prize of 45,000$," the Professor intervened, his face neutral. "They will also get a TR of our choice. Eighth through fifth will get 55,000$ and their choice of select TRs. Now, the prizes for the top four will differ, but we went to offer you more choice since the evolution stones, TMs, and battle items we had are no longer available."
"Those are prizes usually reserved for larger tournaments," Mitchel commented. "Why such large cash prizes and valuable items?"
"Because we want to do a better job of preparing the average Trainer," Lida answered with a smile. "The people who win these tournaments tend to have advantages others don't, so we increased the number of people who could win to give something to those unlucky Trainers."
"Why not give everyone who participates something?" Luciana asked, frowning deeply.
"I wanted to do so, but we didn't have sufficient funds to reward so many Trainers," the Professor said. "But many of those Trainers will stop soon after this tournament, if they weren't already discouraged from losing so quickly in the tournament. We want more Trainers to grow stronger, but we also want to ensure competent Trainers are advancing. We don't Trainers who will give up in the middle of a dangerous situation, since that will make things worse when they happen. It is a tough line to walk, but we try our best."
That made sense, but it also fed the narrative that Team Flux was pushing. "You realize that Team Flux will probably use this to poach those Trainers who give up on their journeys, right?" I asked.
Lida and Professor Sycamore nodded. "Yes," Lida responded, her tone much more serious. "This sounds terrible, but we would rather those Trainers be manipulated and improve than be told they are adequate and die in the wild areas."
"That's…" I paused, collecting my thoughts. I locked eyes with the Gym Leader. "That is a tough point of view to uphold, but it is realistic and gives you an opportunity to help them in the future if they don't commit horrible crimes. You need a strong character to accept it and move forward."
Her shoulders visibly relaxed. It must be taxing to be a Gym Leader while dealing with threats like Team Flux. It must've been worse for Calem, who'd apparently taken over as Champion at seventeen. Taking care of an entire region and its citizens while struggling to become your own person as an adult, I knew that couldn't be good for him.
"Can we go back to the prizes?" Alain snapped. "If won't get my fourth Badge, I would like to know what is available."
Professor Sycamore sighed. "I guess the conversation has been derailed enough. Fourth place will be given 120,000$ or the equivalent of 100,000$ in preferred items, including TMs, evolutionary stones, or Pokémon care materials. Third will be given 150,000$ cash or 120,000$ in items. Second place gets 180,000$ cash or 150,000$ in items. First place gets the same amounts as second place, as well as a coupon for a Day Care or Fossil Labs services, including any eggs or fossils for sale."
Alain's hands tightened into fists. Mitchel's eyes widened, and Luciana grew serious. I guess that coupon was worth it. I looked at the Professor and Lida. They were studying us.
"That being said, I think it's time we get the last matches going," Lida said. She turned to the Professor. "What are you thinking for the pairings?"
Professor Sycamore's lips raised slightly. "I think we should have Alain versus Marco, and Luciana versus Mitchel."
I looked at Alain, whose predatory smile spread widely. "That's a fantastic idea, Professor Sycamore," he said.
"I can go for an easy round," I shrugged, keeping my tone nonchalant. Seeing his seething rage almost made me laugh, which I would've done if I wanted to be really petty. I heard Mitchel cover a chuckle with a cough. Luciana didn't even bother hiding her snort. "When do we start?"
"The arenas are almost finished, and we've already sent out notifications about us handling Team Flux, as well as an announcement for the battles," Lida answered, an eyebrow raising in thought. "I think we can start in twenty minutes!"
"Une seconde," Professor Sycamore cut in. "I think we need to give them time to rest and eat. Let's make it une heure."
"That would be great," Mitchel said. "I want to get lunch with Araceli."
"Merveilleux! Let's start the break now."
Alain walked away immediately, rushing out of the plaza like he needed to find a restroom. I turned to the rest. "Anyone up for some sushi?"
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[Unknown POV, Nadia's Restaurant]
"Finally, Espace Aromatique is open for business!" Nadia exclaimed, clasping her hands together with a pop. She stood behind the counter, several spices toasting on a pan while two soups simmered softly. Loaves of bread quietly baked in a domed wood-fire clay oven. The aromas mixed and wafted throughout the restaurant, slowly leaking out to the street and into curious noses.
One person walked in, eyes closed as she inhaled deeply. "Wow, that smells comme à la maison."
Nadia's face lit up. "Bonjour, allow me to introduce Espace Aromatique! I hope to make the food our mamans made that brought us joy and warmth."
The woman smiled, her tanned face lost in nostalgia. "Let me bring my wife. She will adore the smell of your kitchen."
Nadia waited, proud that the smell of her cooking promised customers. When the woman came back, it wasn't just with her wife. She brought a family of ten. The grandparents talked with energy that fit the children's movement throughout the restaurant as their mothers tried to wrangle them into seats. A teenager sat with her grandparents, listening to the stories of all four.
Nadia walked over, the joyous energy calming the nerves of serving her first customers. "Bonjour! Thank you for joining me this evening. Seeing as the entire family is here, I would love to serve you a dinner my mamie made for us for gatherings."
One of the older women nodded. "Nous serions ravis, my dear."
"Great! We start with onion soup, followed by scallion and Lechonk ham quiche et salade, three cheese snack, and your choice of Berry. I will bring you iced water, but we also have Pinap juice, Pecha soda, Paldean coffee, and a variety of teas available as well. Just let me know if you need anything!"
Nadia walked back, wondering how much it would cost to hire a server as she poured water into cups. She turned on the three screens her brother installed. The channel was livestreaming the New Trainer Tournament, a casual event for the people of Lumiose. As she poured onion soup into several bowls, she thought about her moment in the spotlight.
Standing third at the end netted her a Water Stone, a Charge Beam TM, and 35,000$. After using Charge Beam on her Rotom, she exchanged it and the Water stone for a Tart Apple. The 35,000$ went towards the first Cable Link she needed. By the team she hit Gurkinn's Gym, her Flapple and Gengar were ready for anything.
She held back a wave of emotions as she served the soup. She missed Boo. The wave of nostalgia and guilt intensified as she cut the scallions and ham. The cooking was automatic and subconscious, more a medium of meditation than a job. Honey released herself from her ball, the Dachsbun walking to the clay oven as Max, Nadia's Machamp, pulled the bread from the oven.
'It is not your fault," a deep, resonant voice echoed in Nadia's mind. 'Please do not blame yourself again.'
Nadia paused her whisking, momentarily forgetting what she was doing. "I'm not blaming myself anymore, Nabu. I just… I miss her."
'We all do, my friend. Maybe we'll find her again. Maybe not. But living in the past is a sure-fire way to ruin your future.'
Nadia turned to the floating, yellow humanoid, his long, yellow mustache snaking in the air. Her Alakazam stared into her eyes, concern evident in his loving eyes. "It's hard to live out those words, but you're right. Let me focus on this dinner, then."
She plated the salad as the quiche finished cooking, removing it from the oven and letting it cool. Once she cleared the family's table, she served them their main course. On one screen, the tournament's semi-final battles were playing. When she noticed Marco fighting against Alain Beaumont, she couldn't help but worry. Alain Beaumont's father did not like it when his son received bad publicity, often resorting to smear campaigns or actively interfering with whoever his son had poor relations with.
But then she noticed how the battle was going. Marco had a new Pokémon, a Fire-Type that she didn't recognize. Marco was down one Pokémon, which she assumed was Tetsu. Alain, however, was down to his last Pokémon from his initial four. Alain's Bastiodon shrugged off most attacks. Marco's Pokémon couldn't but could heal up with what looked like Slack Off.
Nadia watched in amazement as Marco handled Alain's Bastiodon with ease. After being pelted with enough Embers, the Bastiodon got Burned. Alain's Pokémon flinched after a Bite, giving the little Fire-Type time to Dig underneath and hit Bastiodon's stomach. With the Rock-Type on its back and unable to flip over, Marco ordered a flurry of attacks. The little red croc wasted no time using Incinerate, sustaining the attack far longer than they had any right to. Bastiodon and Magmar were the only reason Alain received any Gym Badges, and Marco took them down without resorting to Nautilus.
She smiled. It was great to see him doing so well. He and Nautilus enjoyed her food so much that they constantly told her to start her own restaurant. And here she was, in Lumiose City on the grand opening of her restaurant. 'I have to thank him for giving me the confidence to do this.'
Just as the battle ended, with Alain skulking and brooding over his loss. Nadia smirked. She'd never liked him, even when they were peers at the Laverre Trainer School. He was infuriatingly arrogant, despite having decent battle skills that needed to be honed. The moment he discovered he was good at battling, Alain stopped training and asked his dad for better Pokémon and gear after losses. She knew the only reason he was allowed to participate in the tournament, again, was because of his father.
And Marco, a no-name amnesiac with few resources and fewer connections, beat him soundly. Maybe she would take him up on that offer for free advertisement.