In the aftermath of the fallout after a miserable experience pokemonning their gym, Ri and Two collect themselves and prepare to decide what to do about their new problems. Discussions with their friends bring them to confront the Champion of the Indigo League -- their boss, essentially -- and their own insecurities as they muster the courage to take their lives into their own paws.

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Part 2/3 of a series of short-ish stories, part one here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46971017/. Usually I'd just write them all out as one long story, but I thought I'd try something new, dividing it up into shorter, more digestible stories. It allows me to release content more regularly, and it feels like it makes the stuff I write a little more approachable, which feels like a good thing. It allows me to hopefully write the whole thing to a higher standard, as it's a lot easier to handle 50 pages at a time than it is to handle the probably ~150 or so it might end up being if I wrote it all at once.

As an aside, I'm terrified of where I'm going with this story. It feels like Ri and Two could be crushed under the weight of all the changes that are happening in their lives, and... I really don't want that to happen. Whether or not they're ready for it all is a question they have to find the answers too -- and something I have to figure out for myself as well. It's super exciting at the same time too, because Ri and Two are doing a lot of growing. It's risky -- but I hope Ri and Two are strong enough to persevere and stay strong so they can enjoy themselves and each other at the end of it.

Oh, and as usual, this is available on my Ao3 as well!

- Ri