Looking back, Nova realized just how much Gilbert's little tricks had shaped the whole day. During the tryouts, Gilbert had made sure Meowscarada never got to fight, using the competition rules as his excuse, and kept it away from Nova for two and a half hours straight. Then, during the actual Gym battle, Nova, without really planning it, had sent out every other partner who hadn't fought in the tryouts, leaving Meowscarada as the only one of his seven Pokémon still sitting on the bench.
Meowscarada had felt it immediately, that sting of being the one who couldn't help. Worse, it remembered that the last time it had been unable to fight, Nova had simply left it at home to watch the house instead of bringing it along. The thought alone had been enough to set off a rush of panic. From that moment on, Meowscarada refused to accept the idea of losing, and all of that worry and devotion to Nova poured straight into its performance on the field. By the time it stepped up to battle, it fought like a Pokémon determined to prove it belonged, hitting harder and enduring more than should have been possible for its level.
Nova had to admit, looking at it plainly, that the match had never really been in doubt. Even if Gilbert had sent out his strongest team from the start, the outcome would not have changed. Driven by that same fear of being left behind, Meowscarada had been almost unstoppable in their single deciding battle.
Waiting outside the therapy room while Meowscarada was treated, Nova finally put all the pieces together and felt a twinge of guilt. "I really am the worst," he muttered to himself.
Some of what happened that day had been an accident, and some of it, if he were honest, had been a little less accidental than he wanted to admit. Either way, the result was the same: he had leaned on Meowscarada's devotion to him, and used it to push a Pokémon that never wanted to evolve onto the battlefield anyway. That had never been his plan from the start. He never expected that leaving it outside the stadium for two and a half hours would hit it so hard, not for a cat that still had plenty of growing up to do.
Still, Nova believed things would work out. As trust between them grew stronger, Meowscarada would eventually understand that even if it lost every single battle, even if it really were the weakest of his team, Nova would never think about giving up on it. He would go on spoiling it exactly the way he always had.
That was exactly why, even though a fired-up Meowscarada could shrug off almost any hit and refuse to go down in a one-on-one match, that wasn't the kind of victory Nova actually wanted. He worried that if he kept pushing Meowscarada into that state again and again just to win, it might do real harm to it in the long run. Winning battles above his weight class might look impressive, but Nova would rather grow his own strength step by step instead of depending on Meowscarada to carry him through fights he wasn't ready for. Just this once, though, he decided a guaranteed win was worth it.
An hour later, Gilbert's Whiscash finished its treatment. The old man took the Poké Ball back from the nurse and turned to Nova. "A great deal happened today," he said. "I imagine you have plenty to think over as well, so I won't keep you any longer tonight. You'll be staying at the hotel beneath the Layered Peaks Gym, and we'll speak again tomorrow."
It was the same unyielding tone as always, the kind that left no room for argument, as though Gilbert had already decided everything on Nova's behalf.
Nova's stubborn streak kicked in at once. Oh, so I'm just supposed to show up tomorrow because you said so? I already have my badge, so it's not like you can drag me back if I slip out tonight. What are you going to do, hunt me down across the whole city?
Gilbert seemed to catch the sly look flickering behind Nova's polite nod, and he gave a short, knowing snort. So the direct approach won't work on this one. Fine then. If I want to reel in a slippery Magikarp like this, I'll need better bait.
"Your performance today was impressive," Gilbert said. "So tomorrow, I intend to prepare something special for you as a reward. Be at the Gym's office building by eight in the morning. Don't be late."
The scheming look vanished from Nova's face instantly.
"Understood, understood! I would never keep an Elite Four member waiting, sir! I won't even sleep tonight, I'll just be counting the hours until I can hear what you have to teach me tomorrow. Oh, are you heading out already? Please take care, and I'll see you first thing in the morning!"
Walking out of the battle arena, Gilbert let out a quiet sigh to himself. This kid. Just like they say, money can move mountains. He must be scraping by on nothing. Mention a battle and he looks like he just swallowed something rotten, but bring up a reward and suddenly he's all smiles, practically glowing like a Gimmighoul that just found a pile of coins. He'd probably do anything for the right price.
Then again, that worked out well enough. The Layered Peaks Gym wasn't short on money, if nothing else, and a kid this eager for gold wasn't likely to wander off. Worst case, Gilbert figured he could offer him a fat salary and every benefit under the sun, and that ought to keep him plenty loyal.
True to his word, Nova barely slept that night. It wasn't because he was lying awake dreaming about tomorrow's reward. He just couldn't get comfortable enough to drift off.
The hotel beneath the Layered Peaks Gym was the finest in all of Sand River City, and Gilbert had made sure Nova was treated like an honored guest. The room they gave him was spacious and comfortable, more than large enough for his Pokémon to move around freely. Nidoking, Corviknight, and Lapras were far too big to stay indoors, so the staff had set up separate quarters outside suited to each of their sizes.
The bed itself was perfect, not too soft and not too firm, and Nova sank into it gratefully. After two exhausting months on the road, he was more than ready for a proper night's rest in a real hotel.
But only a few minutes after lying down, Nova noticed something was off. The blanket beside him was shifting. He froze. Something underneath the covers was curling and stretching against his side, and for one panicked second his mind went completely blank, certain some strange creature had gotten into his room.
He yanked the blanket back at once. "Meowscarada! What are you doing in here?"
Meowscarada blinked up at him sleepily, clearly confused by all the fuss. It had fought a long, hard battle and evolved twice in a single day, and exhaustion had caught up with it completely. All it could manage was a tired little "Meow" before its eyes started drifting shut again, leaving Nova to guess at what that was supposed to mean.
Meowscarada's expression said it plainly enough: it was late, everyone was tired, and they always slept close together like this anyway, so what exactly was the problem?
Nova felt a headache coming on. That's not the same thing at all. When you were still a Sprigatito, sure, curling up together for a nap was fine. But have you looked at yourself lately? You're not exactly small anymore, and there's no way I'm getting any sleep with you taking up half the bed like this.
Meowscarada didn't seem to care either way, and within moments it had drifted fully off to sleep, curled comfortably against the pillows as if the conversation had never happened.
Nova stared down at his now-sleeping partner and let out a long breath through his teeth. Fine. You win. You're the hero of the day, so I suppose you've earned the bed. The room's big enough anyway. I'll just take the sofa.