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((Oh yeah, here: Tournament Line-up))

"What do you think of these accusations?" was the question asked as the microphone was shoved into Amber's face. She maintained a pleasant smile. "That I am firing a woman for utilizing center supplies in order to feed a single person? I shall admit to these accusations, but I would like to say that you are missing context."

"Would you care to elaborate, miss?" shouted a second reporter.

"Very well. Recently our funding has been cut by the Pokemon Association. These things happen in time, for example, as more people turn to training they stop paying taxes associated with having a real job. Because of this, less money can be given away to such places like the Pokemon Center which exists for trainers, which partake in nothing more than recreational sport, a sport I might add, that is difficult to maintain as an adult, or a source of income."

She took a breath, photos snapped, flashes blinded her or put spots in her vision. Still, she maintained composure. Questions were fired a mile a minute as the situation changed, and only the bigots of morality stuck true to the idea that she was evil.

"Because of this we are left with limited money for limited supplies. We offer a free service and every rookie trainer brings in an injured Pokemon. The cost to heal a single one is worth quite a lot and with the recent attacks from groups like Team Plasma we are left healing more Pokemon than we should. In fact, and I can show you if you like, our numbers are up three hundred percent. We are strained to maintain this free service as well as accommodations and courtesies such as food and drink to our trainers, all of which are free.

"So allow me to ask you, world, if you are given limited supplies for an entire household, if one person takes the entirety of something for a single person, what would you do? I am saddened to see the nurse go, and I am saddened to see that she would resort to the petty tantrum of getting the media involved, but I cannot change my stance based off of a belief that she was being kind.

"You tell me she taught a Pokemon to make chocolates? For its trainer? I would question such a thing. Pokemon are kept by trainers as tools and pets, this sort of compassion is something I would find myself worrying, for the Pokemon. Human and Pokemon relations are, after all, illegal in Unova, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and a dozen other regions. Now, you tell me she taught a Pokemon to cook and thus it's a commendable act? I would agree, however, not in the circumstance in which it utilizes materials that we keep for trainers, all of them, for the injured, for the sore. For those that cannot afford them.

"Now you tell me, is it more commendable to keep chocolates for a single trainer for a sentiment that might be illegal, that might get the trainer arrested? Or is it more commendable to give the chocolates to all of the tired trainers who might pass through my doors, to all of those children who work hard in the wilderness despite terrorist attacks, who brave routes and gyms? I would, without a moment of hesitation, help the many over one trainer who shouldn't be."

And there was applause and cheering. She'd won over the media, now it was time to gather her documents for the court case that would, inevitably, be won in her favor.

Somewhere, in a floating castle in the sky, held up by the power of dozens of Claydol, a man in a business suit sat. He clicked off the television set, and sighed.

"Director Heartfield?" the man's secretary asked from the doorway. "The press wants a response from the Pokemon Association."

The man stood, shaking his head and looking out his office window at the ground below.

"Tell them we stand by the decisions of the Head Nurse," Director Heartfield responded. "In fact, if need be, have Nicole set up a press conference.

"The stress of Unova's recent recognition to the Pokemon Association has severely drained our funds until the next Pokemon League," he replied, pressing his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose. "They are lucky we don't charge for use of the Pokemon Center's facilities... Not that we can, not with the legal issues surrounding the management of the healing units installed in each Center.

"But honestly, I can't believe this is making the news," Director Heartfield replied. "Did you know that this beat out headlines for an explosion of an unused lab facility just a city away? What is the world coming to..."

"Training? With a guy? At 10pm at night?" Eunmi rolled her eyes and pushed off the wall. Right, that had to be true.

"I'm fine," Eunmi replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, pressing her hands on each side of the door jam as she put her weight into her arms.

"This is more than about you," Eunmi said. She didn't elaborate on what she meant by that, instead placing one hand on her hip and raising a brow at the girl.

"Are you finished in here? I need to take a shower."

Eunmi would appear like she was in a bad mood.

Eunmi frowned, her brow furrowing slightly.

"What's wrong with you?" Eunmi said, brushing past her and slipping into the bathroom. She then placed her hand on the girl's back and pushed her through the doorway.

"Stop making weird faces at me," Eunmi said, shutting the door.

The bathroom quickly filled with steam, and Eunmi pressed her forehead against the tiled wall of the shower as the hot water washed over her body. Her hair was longer than it looked, reaching past the middle of her back weighed down with water. She felt a conflicted.

The tournament was going to be difficult, she already knew. Gorm had knocked down Henrietta in a flash - she wasn't even sure what happened, but the girl had been wiped out from it. If she was going to fight him, she was sure she'd have to make it further than the first round if they weren't paired against one another already.

But she kept playing it over in her head. Why had she stopped practicing Taekwon-do? She really loved it, hadn't she? Was it because of Sam? She couldn't think that he had done anything wrong.

"He was always so supportive. I don't remember him ever starting a fight with me."

At the same time as worrying, she couldn't understand why she felt so... mad. She had agreed to enter the tournament - Henrietta hadn't even asked her to. But now she felt angry towards the girl. But why?

Eunmi realized after a while that she didn't know how long she had been standing in the shower with her face pressed to the wall. She looked up, the water hitting her face, causing her to shut her eyes.

* * * * *

The teenager stepped out of the bathroom, running her fingers through newly red-highlighted hair. She had quickly applied temporary color to her hair, but with her proficiency at being a fashionista, it looked professionally done. She was wearing a white tank top and black shorts, arms raised as she finished tying her hair up.

Eunmi sighed, dropping her hands from her hair and placing them on her hips, tilting her head to the side.

"Would you think I'm mean if I left you there?" Eunmi said, her expression hard to read.