A little trick

If life had a color, Candice was certain that, at this moment, it was green.

Snover often ignored her and paid her no mind. This time, Snover had even run away from her outright, forcing her to search more than half the forest before finally finding her Pokémon. Even then, Snover still refused to acknowledge her.

Candice even felt that Snover would find it perfectly normal to simply abandon her as a Trainer.

Yet now, Snover was behaving so obediently in front of someone the Pokémon might have known for less than a day-or even half a day.

Snover had refused to come out no matter how she called, yet after just a few words from this "Qingliu," who looked about her age, the Pokémon had walked straight out.

Snover still seemed unwilling to communicate with her, but at least there had been some response.

Such stark, obvious favoritism dealt Candice a heavy blow.

Even someone as normally energetic as her could not help sinking into dejection at that moment.

I was here first. I'm Snover's Trainer. Why...

Could my dream of becoming a Gym Leader be cut short when I've barely even left home?

No, I have to pull myself together! Show some spirit!

Candice clenched her fists and quietly gave herself a pep talk.

Standing beside her, Qingliu watched Candice swing between despair and renewed enthusiasm, utterly lost in her own baffling world. His brows drew together.

Snover happened to look over as well, wearing an expression that said, "See?" Then the Pokémon sighed helplessly.

No wonder. It would take someone pretty eccentric to drive even a mild-mannered Snover into running away.

Candice's baffling behavior also brought more memories of her to Qingliu's mind.

Having Abomasnow launch a sneak attack upon their first meeting, occasionally spouting melodramatic declarations, and even deliberately tearing off her clothes during Gym battles.

Those... really weren't things a normal person would do.

Anyone unable to keep up with her flighty train of thought would naturally struggle with her pace. Spending time with her would probably be exhausting, and judging by Snover's behavior, that seemed to be the problem.

As it turned out, things were exactly as Qingliu had imagined. Candice's behavior had left Snover deeply troubled.

Most Gyms were hereditary. All someone had to do was pass an assessment administered by an investigator dispatched by the League, and they could inherit the Gym from a family member or relative.

To prepare her for that assessment, Candice's father, the current Snowpoint City Gym Leader, had instructed her to go out and gain experience.

Perhaps because she had grown up surrounded by it, Candice was also very interested in becoming a Gym Leader, so she had set off on a journey after graduating from Pokémon School.

Her Starter Pokémon was Snover.

At first, Candice's spirited nature and Snover's gentle disposition meant there had been no conflict between them.

Later, however, as they passed through more cities and places and met more people, Candice, a typical follower of the trends sweeping the Sinnoh Region, gradually developed an appreciation for fashionable items.

Everyone was entitled to their own interests, and there was nothing wrong with that, but Candice had truly maxed out her talent in this particular area.

It was one thing to stop in her tracks at the sight of fashionable outfits on the street. When she really got carried away, she would rudely stop strangers and bombard them with rapid-fire questions for a full half hour, leaving the passersby she stopped feeling painfully awkward.

Of course, she was Snover's Trainer, so the Pokémon had put up with all of that.

The final straw had come yesterday, when they had gone to Hearthome City, known as "the place where hearts meet," intending to challenge its Gym.

Since the Gym Leaders knew one another, Candice's father had booked an appointment ahead of time with Fantina, the Hearthome Gym Leader, who was always fond of leaving her Gym behind to travel.

But on the way there, Candice had spotted a long dress from a recent collaboration and refused to budge. Left with no other choice, Snover had gone to challenge the Gym alone.

Unsurprisingly, Snover had been thoroughly beaten up.

The more Snover thought about it, the angrier the Pokémon became, and so Snover had run away, until Qingliu happened upon the Pokémon today.

Between Candice's account and Snover's occasional additions, Qingliu learned what had happened.

He could not help giving Candice a strange look.

There was nothing wrong with chasing fashion, but taking it this far, even letting Snover challenge a Gym alone, was simply... unheard of. No wonder Snover wanted nothing to do with her.

Noticing Qingliu's gaze, Candice instantly flushed red.

It certainly was nothing to be proud of. In fact, it was downright humiliating. After recounting what had happened, Candice lowered her head to Snover and apologized.

"I know I was wrong, Snover. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Sno-ver!"

Snover firmly shook that leafy head, looking unwilling to give her another chance.

Watching the pair, Qingliu first looked Candice over, lingering on the tears in her shirt and knee-high socks, as well as the faint, easily overlooked cuts on her arms.

Then he glanced at Snover, standing haughtily with arms folded and occasionally casting a sideways glance behind.

Qingliu had a rough idea of what was going on.

Then he slowly asked, "Rather than apologizing, I think changing your behavior might do more good. But since this has happened so many times, have your attempts to change failed?"

Candice nodded dejectedly. "I've loved these things since I was little. My dad doesn't really restrict me much, but being at home was still different. Now that I'm out on my own with nobody holding me back, I feel like I can't quite control myself around the things I like."

"You're over ten, right?"

The sudden change of subject caught Candice off guard, but she still nodded. "Yes. I'm eleven, almost twelve. I already meet the League's standard for an adult who can travel with Pokémon."

"It's normal to have your own interests, but as an adult, the first thing you need to learn is self-control."

Qingliu paused before continuing, "Self-control. Do you understand what that means?"

Seemingly sensing that Qingliu was implying she had none whatsoever, Candice nodded awkwardly.

Before she could say anything, Qingliu spoke again.

"It's something very basic, and something you absolutely must have. That goes double for a Gym Leader. If you can't even manage that, I think your father would rather have the Gym struck off the register than hand it over to you. Do you know why?"

The barrage of words left Candice's mind somewhat blank. At his question, she numbly shook her head.

Looking at Candice, Qingliu said, enunciating every word, "Because you're not qualified. To put it simply...

"You! Don't! Deserve it!"

At those words, Snover, who had been standing nearby with arms folded and refusing to acknowledge Candice, could not help looking at her with concern.

For a moment, Candice's expression went blank.

Hearing someone speak that way about her goal instinctively made her angry, and she wanted to argue. But when she was about to speak, she realized she had no idea how to refute him.

There were a few differences, but the reality ultimately was not much different from what Qingliu had said. She simply did not want to think about the issue and had tried to solve it by avoiding it.

But avoidance could not solve anything. It only hid the problem away until it could deliver a fatal blow at some later moment.

Lies did not hurt people. The truth was the sharp blade.

And so Qingliu had ripped the wound open.

Just as Qingliu was about to continue his attack, Candice spoke.

"No... that's not true. I..."

Clasping her hands tightly together, her body trembling slightly, Candice said, "I'll definitely... manage it. Even though right now I... I know I can..."

Partway through, her voice began to choke up.

But Qingliu had no intention of going easy on her. He slowly opened his mouth, ready to mercilessly tear down her claims. "No, you can't. You don't have the ability, either..."

Finally unable to watch any longer, Snover stood up and stepped in front of Candice, staring straight at Qingliu with large green eyes.

Qingliu understood the message in that gaze.

Don't... keep hurting my Trainer!