Returning to Veilstone City was the course of action Eliza eventually took. They couldn't take on the Canalave Gym. Not yet, at least. Someone had died, and it proved to Eliza that they needed more training. She couldn't risk it. She wouldn't, she COULDN'T lose anyone else.

She quickly told the team this, and they all nodded and gave their affirmations before they split up, much to her confusion.

Everyone was taking this chance to do different things, she eventually recognized. For instance, Blair and Kuro were focusing on training. With precise commands that Eliza had eventually mastered, the two managed to take down opponents quickly. Eliza was refining her techniques with them, and she knew why they were doing this; to protect their family members, at all costs. They were not about to lose anyone else. If they could protect them to the end of their lives, so be it. They would fight to the bitter end. 

They kept on going, no matter how much their bodies screamed for rest.

Marylin and Eugene stationed themselves in the hotel, which Eliza was really grateful for. Viva had refused to leave her Pokeball ever since the death, and the two had taken it upon themselves to watch her and try to convince her to come out after Eliza attempted and failed to get her out. It broke her heart, seeing how pained she was about the loss of her friend. It wasn't as bad as Volt's per se, but that had been because they had spent time together for a shorter period of time. Viva and Volt had been friends for way longer. 

Chomps the Gabite was now part of her team, so she had to train her up. Thus, the Gabite bonded with Blair and Kuro as they worked to get stronger together in order to ensure no more losses. Their main practice gym? The Pokemon Gym of the city. Battles against Maylene and her Trainees taught Eliza more tricks than before, reminding her to have an open mind in every battle; that the tables could be turned around faster than one could say "No!". She got humble, and understood that everyone lost friends, but moving forward was the most important, the crucial part of being a Trainer. 

However, her Pokemon put her on a break once she began to run on nonexistent fuel, so her next choice was to spend time with her Pokemon. After all, Maylene had a great relationship with her team, and they shared a goal, a bond. 

The first one ended up being Blair, and it had been completely unplanned. The two had been walking back after some training, watching Chomps and Kuro rush ahead back to camp as they chatted excitedly. 

"Infernape," she suddenly felt a tug on her shirt, and looked down to see the Infernape point sideways. They were nearing camp, anyway, so they wouldn't be in danger. 

"Alright then," she understood that he wanted some alone time with her, so she called out, "Kuro, Chomps, go ahead! Blair and I will catch up!" 

"Thim!" 

"Bite!" 

Once she heard them say okay to her words, she spun around and followed him to the riverside, where she joined her starter Pokemon in dipping their feet into the river. 

"In..." Blair suddenly spoke up. 

"Zap?" Eliza repeated. "What... what about Zap?" 

"Infernape, nape nape fernape," she answered. "Infer, Napenape, fer.... In."

"I know..." she closed her eyes. "You're fighting for them, aren't you, Blair?" 

"In..." Blair said. "Infernape infer." 

"You... you think that maybe the sacrifices were not worth the pain?..." she asked. 

"In..."

"...Maybe... it is, but you know... we can't turn back time. We can only step forward and become better and better," she lied down on the grass as she looked up to the sky. Before she had set off on her journey, it was a habit of hers to look up and count the stars, admiring the view from her home. 

Now... it was a solace, and a reminder that those who had passed were up there, watching over them as they fought. 

"You know, just because they're gone, it doesn't mean that they're forgotten," she said, unaware of the shocked look Blair was shooting her. "On the contrary, they're never forgotten. Each of them is. Zap the Shinx, Crystal the Ralts, Eclipse the Murkrow, and Volt the Pachirisu. We will never forget them." 

She then pushed herself up and turned to Blair, a smile on her face as she said, "So let's fight. Let's move forward, not just for us, but for those who are watching over us. Are you with me, Blair?" 

Blair's eyes widened, but she was soon sniffling, reaching out to hug Eliza. 

She had always thought that as the oldest, she had to keep up a strong face. She was the backbone of the team; without her, the team would fall apart. 

But maybe...

It was okay to admit weakness. She had a wonderful family who loved her, so it was okay to not be okay. 

All that mattered was how she picked herself up again. For those who had fallen, she would persevere and fight to the end. 

And thus, Blair let the frustrations, the tears out as she hugged and sobbed into Eliza's shirt. 

Eliza could only hug her back, smiling despite the heavy heart she had.

Sorry, Blair... I'm a liar... 

You're not the only one suffering...

I'm sorry that I'm not being honest. 

But you're more important to me than my own feelings, so I won't let it out... No matter what. I can't worry you any more than I have. 

Eventually, Blair fell asleep on her, so Eliza carried her back to camp on her back, allowing her to finally rest peacefully after unending nights of nightmares before she too fell asleep once dinner was over. 

The next day, she got up bright and early, and noticed Kuro flying out of the tent, so she pulled herself gently away from the pile of sleeping Pokemon in the tent and clambering out of it unharmed. She then called out, "Kuro, wait up!" 

"Thim?" Kuro turned around, eyes wide. Huh, did he not expect her to be up? She was usually up around this time, though. 

"Where are you going?" she asked, finally shaking off the sleepiness by stretching a bit. 

"Mothim thim," he answered.

"Berry hunting? Sounds fun! Can I go with you?"

"Mothim!" he nodded. He sounded excited, so Eliza took that as a good sign. 

Once she wrote a brief note saying that she and Kuro were off to get some berries, the two were off into the woods, searching for berries to restock. She had been using them for a lot of things lately... 

Hm, maybe she could try making some poffins later! Everyone liked them, so it would be a great way to bond with the others. 

"Hey, Kuro, what do you think of making poffins later?" she decided to ask him.

"Mothim!" Kuro answered. 

"Alright!" she pumped her fist into the air, feeling a lot more energized than before. "Let's go berry hunting then!" 

"Mothim!" Kuro agreed. 

The two then set off for the deeper parts of Route 215, treading carefully through the grass so as not to set off any sleeping Pokemon. 

They didn't get too far, though, as they encountered a wild Lickitung. Since the others were back at camp, Eliza chose Kuro to fight it off. 

"LickiTUNNGGGGGG!!!!"

"Dodge and use Bug Bite!" she commanded. 

"MOTHIM!" he lunged, only for the Lickitung to dodge it and use a Wrap on the Mothim. 

"Dang it!" she growled. What should they do...? They didn't have anything that could--

She stopped as she noticed that Kuro was... was struggling. He was trying to get out of the Wrap. And it seemed to be working!

Eliza knew what she had to do now, "Go Kuro! Break out of the Wrap!" 

Feeling the power, the determination, and trust his trainer had in his victory, knowing that another loss would kill her, Kuro refused to give up. 

As his wings slowly unfurled, the Lickitung was sent back and he broke free, a ball of energy beginning to form in front of him. 

Her eyes widened. Was this...? 

But she trusted her instincts at that very moment, and yelled, "Kuro, use Energy Ball!" 

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMOOOOOOOOOOOTHIM!!!!!!!" He roared as he unleashed the attack, hitting the wild Pokemon and KOing it in an instant. 

"We... WE DID IT! KURO, YOU LEARNT ENERGY BALL!" Eliza jumped and hugged Kuro, making the Bug/Flying-type hug back, feeling pride over overcoming that hurdle for Eliza.

After a while, they finally set about getting the berries they needed and headed back just in time for the others to wake up. Marylin immediately took the duty of washing the berries, and said, "Float float zel zel." 

"You want me to take a walk with Viva?" she asked. 

"Zel!" Marylin confirmed. "Zel zel zel!" 

Marylin was right. Viva definitely needed some fresh air, "Okay then." 

Viva had finally started coming out a few days back, so she went to the tent and poked her head in to look at the curled up Weavile, "Hey, Viva, let's go out for a walk." 

"W-Wea...?" Viva looked up. Her eyes... were still shattered. Eliza felt a pang from seeing those. She felt horrible for Viva... Why force her out when she didn't want it? 

But... at the same time... if she didn't, she would never break out of this slump. 

Thus, she strengthened herself and said, "Come on, it's not a bad idea. The weather's not bad. Cloudy and all that. Plus, the air's really fresh!"

".... W-Weavile," Viva ultimately relented, so she was slowly helped up and the two began walking to Veilstone City. 

The sights weren't all that bad, and Eliza was always there to guide her to see them, encouraging her to breathe deeply every once in a while. 

And eventually, she began to feel better. 

Of course, both of them knew that the pain left behind by Volt's passing would never leave. It would always be there. 

But Volt would have wanted them to keep fighting, so that was what they would do. No matter how hard the challenges might be, they would reach the end of the road and come out on top. 

After they came back, Eliza went to check on Marylin, and she saw the Floatzel finishing up at the same riverside she and Blair had had their talk the night before. 

"Hey, Marylin!" she called out, prompting her to turn and wave as she set the rest of the berries in the basket. "You done?" 

"Zel!" she answered."Floatzel zel?" 

"You want to swim with me?" Eliza repeated. 

"Zel!" 

"I don't see why not," she laughed and took off the thicker clothing before she slid into the river.

They spent around an hour there, just relaxing and soothing their sore limbs while admiring the clear water and the beauty of the sky above. Time seemed to slow down as they let the worries out with deep breaths and playful games here and there.

They did get out though, and dried up once they got back to camp while hearing Blair chastise them with his Flamethrowers. However, the anger didn't last long as he noticed the smiles on their faces. 

It was then that she decided to ask everyone who wanted to help her make poffins, and Chomps was all too eager to do that. Eliza could already tell that he was going to eat up all the poffins, but oh well. She didn't mind. She could always go buy food later on in Veilstone. 

The process itself was actually really fun. Chomps helped crush the berries (even if he ate some of them too) and then helped her stir the pot of the filling while she worked on the other components. The finished result was really good, and the scent alone was enough to attract everyone to the table, sparkly eyes activated as they waited for the food...

Only for Chomps to eat it all up in one gulp. 

That resulted in a HUGE fight from the rest of the team, tag-teaming against him to get revenge for the sweet, beautiful, amazing poffins that could have been theirs had Chomps not eaten them. Viva was particularly vicious, though they all had smiles on their faces, bringing a smile to Eliza's own despite the heaviness in her heart. 

Eugene eventually came out of the pile, saying, "Toxicroak..." 

"You're hungry?" she chuckled. "Alright then. Wanna come with me to the Center to buy some supplies and food?" 

"Toxi!" he agreed. 

Thus, the two left the mostly playful fight (they were definitely not happy about their poffins being taken, she later reflected upon seeing the amount of scratches Chomps had gotten) behind as they headed to the city. Once they got there, they headed to the cafes and bought dinner for everyone before heading to the Center to get Pokeball seals. They were always useful and gave her Pokemon boosts.

As they walked back, the Toxicroak talked to her, telling her about this weird dream he was having about being chased by a Seviper, making her laugh at the story. 

She knew that she would never recover from the losses of her precious friends, and sometimes it drove her mad. 

But after spending time with all her friends, she realised that she couldn't give up. The torment would always be there. The scars left behind might never leave, yes.

However, she had her friends by her side, and together, they would become the champion, for all those who had sacrificed themselves for her dream, selfish as it was. 

So Eliza looked to the road ahead with a determined look.

It was time, she knew it. 

It was time to take on Gym No. 6. 

venusaura I'm quite sure you were anticipating this one. Sorry for the long wait, and here it is! It's really long, more than 2k! XD Have fun!