Adventures Beyond!

Chapter 82: Third Stage II- Versus

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Ionic Stadium, Sinnoh

Oliver soon joined Sophie and Akari, who were waiting for him at the entrance into the spectator stands. The Oshawott looked between the girls, holding his notebook tight in his paw. His mind was still on Pixen, and how he felt about his upcoming fight. He couldn't imagine what the little Pichu was going through, faced with the impossible odds he was.

"Is Pixen okay?" Akari was quick to ask, noticing that Oliver had gone over to talk to him.

The Water-Type glanced away before answering, "The matchup he ended up with isn't too good... I hoped he would take my plan, but this is something he wants to do on his own."

"I see..." Sophie muttered, looking over at the Pichu, who had gone over to talk with Jacob, "Guess some don't feel as though getting help merits themselves."

Eventually, the trio began to scale the steps of the spectator stands. Seeing as Akari and Sophie both didn't have any parents to speak of, they decided to tag along with Oliver on his way to meet with his parents. Sophie wondered what his mother was like beyond that one call she met her through, seeing how she had already met his straight-laced father. Akari, meanwhile, still had snacks on her mind, wanting to find some to eat somewhere around the stadium.

It wasn't long before they made it to the Kanet spectators, who were all delighted to see the Oshawott. Especially his mother.

"Oliver!" The Primarina lunged over, wrapping her large body around the Oshawott, "I missed you so much!"

"...Missed you too, mom." He replied, his voice muffled.

Olivia pulled away, putting her flippers on her son's cheeks, "Arceus, you already look so different! It's only been around five months... Have you been taking out your contacts before you sleep?"

"Sometimes..."

"Sometimes!?" The Soloist Pokémon repeated loudly, "Don't you remember that they can harm your eyes if you keep them in for too long?"

Oliver nodded, "I know, I just get busy sometimes..."

Erika peered over at the two, a faint smile developing on her face. Watching her best friend reunite with her son was an endearing sight to behold. It made her more excited to finall meet up with Jacob after he finished his fight. Win or lose, she would greet him with the biggest hug she could muster and take him out for some food. Mother and son. It would be a nice day.

"How busy can you get that you forget to take your contacts out?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Suddenly walking up from behind Oliver was Sophie, who kept her eyes on the ground.

Akari poked her head from behind the Snivy with a snicker, "It gets a lil' wacky sometimes!"

Olivia's eyes lit up at the sight of the Zorua, "Is this a new friend of yours, Oliver?" She asked, earning a nod from her son, "Oh, and it's nice to see you're well too, Sophie."

"We made a few new friends since that call while we were in Sapphire," Oliver turned his head to look at the center of the stadium, where Miles and Chloe's fight was still unfolding, "It isn't just me and Jacob travelling together anymore."

"Oh, how many of you are there?"

Oliver and Sophie froze the moment Olivia asked her question. Normally, the answer would be simple. Them, Jacob, Logan, Miles, and Akari. But as of late, something in their dynamic had shifted. Aside from before his fight, Oliver hadn't had much of a conversation with Logan since before the two months they all spent training for the Ion Cup. Since then, Logan's bond with them seemed questionable at best. There was no telling what was in his mind.