Hey yeah remember when I made the first chapter of this like, a year and a half ago? Me neither.
Anyway yeah, I'm gonna try and pick this up, hopefully get more than one chapter out this year. This will be a casual thing, of course, since I work a full time job. I don't really have a specific pace for it. It's mostly a way for me to improve writing and drawing, and motivate me to actually do some art.
She'll start to gain some weight in the next chapter or so. This is probably gonna be a real slow roll at first.

In this chapter, Maybelle has that press conference, and sets off with her partner for a trip. Maybelle's still unsure about the whole thing, but with some support, she'll make the best of her time off.

Part 1
Part 3

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“Miss Cloudwell! What are your plans going forward with all this newfound free time?”

“Who do you think will take your place as champion?”

“Any final words to the fans?”

Maybelle was sitting at a press table, a small crowd of reporters all staring back at her. The occasional flash of cameras paired with the lights already aimed at her made it hard to see who she was even talking to. She'd done plenty of press conferences before, but it was usually the case that she would just give a generic statement and be done with it. 'My opponent was tough, but I pulled through. I just focus on the fight and do my best.' Simple statements that anyone could say. She never got the point of such innocuous statements, but she knew it was important for attention on the League. Today though, with good reason, those wouldn't be satisfactory kinds of answers, as the spectators were clearly hungry for why she would so suddenly stop her career when it was at such a high point. Maybelle was bouncing one of her legs in anxiety, something only Mr. Becker, who was sitting next to her, could see. He looked at her with a reassuring smile, and a very slight gesture, hinting to address the crowd sooner than later.

“Well, uh … for my time off … I haven't really thought much about it.” She began, leaning into the half dozen mics spread in front of her. “Spend some time focusing on, uh … personal life. My partner and I want to travel a bit. And n-not for fights, for once. Maybe I'll ... go fishing? A year is a uh … lot of time to do things, I don't think I could list everything I'd do. As uh … As for who I think will be the next champion …” She glanced to Mr. Becker for a moment, not wanting to say something wrong. “I-I don't know. There's a lot of skilled people I've gone up against, and … I think there's a few people who could take that title. I hope that whoever takes the title, uh … I hope that you show them the same appreciation you did for me. As for a final message … well, I guess it would be to just keep at it. Whatever you're doing. Eventually you'll be really good at it. Maybe even the best.”

Maybelle felt a hand on her shoulder from Mr. Becker. He leaned over, and spoke up, his voice much stronger than hers. “Alright, folks, how about we let Miss Maybelle start her vacation? I'll take a few more questions from here.” The crowd of reporters seemed only more pushy in asking her questions, but Mr. Becker didn't seem to pay them any mind. He leaned over, and whispered in her ear. “Y'did great, May. Go on back, and I'll see y'off from there, alright?” He gave her a reassuring pat on the back, and then addressed the crowd of reporters once more. “Alright, yes, you there, with the blue tie!”

Maybelle took her cue to leave without a second thought. She went through the nearest door, into a small changing room. Jordan and Jacob were there, both were happy to see her.

“So … it's official now, right?” Jordan asked, as they quickly came to her side.

“More or less, I think so. I've got a year off.” Maybelle said, before briefly embracing her partner. It was clear that in the short time since she departed the crowd of people, the anxiety from before had quickly begun melting away. “Mister Becker wanted to see me before we go, so it'll be just a bit longer, okay?”

Jacob extended his hands to Maybelle. “So this is it, then?” He said, seemingly in a state of shock.

“You make it sound like I'm going away forever. We're still friends outside of our professional relationship, you know. Once I'm back from this trip, we can get together, maybe do some non-fighting related stuff. We can watch a few movies together some time.” She replied, holding one of his much larger hands in hers.

“I-I wouldn't mind that, Maybelle. Might be nice to do things outside of a professional capacity more.” He nodded. “For now, I-I hope you two have a good time on your trip.”

“I'll make sure she does!” Jordan stated, almost proudly.

“Well, that's a good thing to hear! I sure hope you show her the vacation she deserves!” Mr. Becker stepped into the room, his smile as warm as ever. He approached Maybelle, and gently put his hands on her shoulders. “May, I know this goes without saying, but don't be a stranger, alright? You might not be a fighter, but that doesn't mean y'can't come to watch a match. Maybe next time we have some business talk? Could even enjoy a proper drink, too! If you're open to it, of course.”

“Well, uh, we'll see. I might take you up on that. I'll definitely have more time for business proposals, anyway!” She lightly joked.

“Well, my door will always be open for you, alright? But I'll do my best to leave you be while you're away.”

“I appreciate that, Mister Becker. I'll still try to keep in touch.”


After she finished up her farewells, Maybelle found herself in the passenger seat of Jordan's car. Normally, she was driven most places by someone else, and it seemed this was still the case, as Jordan was insistent on driving them to their destination. Despite Maybelle only telling her partner the night before, Jordan had already arranged a trip for them, having gone as far as to pre-pack bags for the two, and having their vehicle ready to leave as soon as possible.

Jordan hadn't told Maybelle much in regards to where they were going, only that it would be a few hours of driving. Jordan had the tendency to try and keep plans like this secret. One time, they had forbidden Maybelle from going into a room in their house for a full month, because she had hidden a birthday present they were working on in there while Maybelle was home. Maybelle knew these surprises were usually harmless. Jordan wasn't the type to hide important things.

Maybelle spent a good deal of time in the car thinking over the events of the last day or two. It still hadn't clocked with her that she was no longer going to be stuck to such a rigid schedule. It had only been a day, after all. But her mind repeatedly wandered toward asking a question she had no way of knowing the answer to yet: Did she make the right decision? The thought troubled her, but it was not too long into the car ride that Maybelle ended up dozing off.


“Belle, wake up! We're here!”

Maybelle sat up with a bit of confusion. She looked around, to see that the car was sat in the parking lot of what appeared to be a small hotel. Sitting atop a ledge a short walk from the ocean, it had a quaint feel to it. Still a bit drowsy, she rubbed her eyes and stretched her limbs, stiff from the car ride. “How long was I asleep?”


Jordan giggled a bit, and took Maybelle by the hand, and slowly walked towards the front entrance. “I think you were asleep within half an hour of us leaving. I don't know how you can sleep so easily while on the go. I'm lucky if I can sleep on a train.” Jordan led them both inside, and approached the reception desk. There was a Nidoqueen behind it, looking through . “Hi! Room for two, under Cloudwell?”

The Nidoqueen looked to a ledger in front of her, and drawing a finger to a certain line, nodded her head. “Yup, I've got you right here. Beach-view room. Give me one second.” She got up from the chair she was sitting on, and retrieved a key from a shelf, before leaning over the desk, and handing it over to the Jolteon. “You're in room 209. Upstairs, all the way to the end of the hall, last door on the left. Come back down here if you need anything, alright?” She smiles as she points to a set of stairs down the hall.

Jordan accepted the key and thanked the Nidoqueen. The two retrieved the bags that Jordan had packed, and began to make their way up to the room.

“Hey, Jo? How come you put the reservation under my name? You know people like to snoop when they find out stuff like that.” Maybelle asked as they worked their way down the hall.

“Huh? I always do, Belle, you know that. I get you don't like the attention, but sometimes you worry too much about it. This is a small town, anyway.” She reassured, taking the key, and slowly unlocking the door. “Besides, if anyone tries to bother you while we're on vacation, they'll have to deal with me!”

“Oh, right, you do. Well, I'll count on you for that, Jo.” She couldn't help but smile briefly at Jordan's enthusiasm, though she was quietly surprised at her own forgetfulness. Perhaps she was still half-asleep. Though that question of whether or not she made the right decision still hung on the edges of her mind.

The door clicked open to reveal what most would expect from a hotel room. There was a large bed for the two to share, a bathroom, a desk with some drawers, and even a couch against one wall.. The most apparent feature, however, was the balcony that looked over the nearby beach. Jordan tossed her own belongings on the bed, and slid the glass door open, letting a gentle breeze into the room. “You can hear the waves from here! Isn't this nice?”

Maybelle took her time, gently setting her things down, and stood behind Jordan, embracing them. She stayed silent, absorbing the moment before she responded. “Yeah. It feels nice. You can smell the saltwater a bit from here, too.”

“I had a feeling you'd like this.” Jordan leaned into Maybelle as they watched the waves roll onto the shore for a few minutes. Then, Jordan broke the silence. “Hey Belle, is everything alright?”

“Huh? Well, yeah, I'm alright.” She confirmed, a bit perplexed. “Why are you asking?”

“Well, you just seem kind of out of it. Did you not sleep well last night? Or is it because of all the excitement from this morning?” Jordan turned themselves around in Maybelle's arms, looking with a hint of concern.

“No, nothing like that. Well, I mean, sort of.” She sighed, “I guess I'm still just processing all this, you know? It's one of those feelings where you're not sure if you did the right thing.” Maybelle took a step back, then sat on the couch.

“Oh, is that what's on your mind? Well, I might be a bit biased, since I'm benefiting from your choice, but I think you made the right one.” Jordan sat down next to Maybelle, and gave her an encouraging smile.

“Well, if I had to put money on it, you're probably right. It just … doesn't feel like that. I left my phone back home, but I'm sure it's currently blowing up with everyone else telling me one way or another.” Maybelle thought aloud.

“Belle, you need to make the decision for you. Not anyone else. Do you think you made the right decision?”

“I don't know. How am I supposed to know?” Maybelle slumped back into the couch. “Fighting is so much easier. You know you made the right decision in seconds.”

“Well, how about you think of it like that, then? If you're worried about regretting taking time off, then how about you do things to make it enjoyable? If you make the best of this time, then you won't feel like you wasted it. If you spend this whole time just wondering if it was the right decision, then it's not gonna feel like time well spent.” Jordan reached a hand over to Maybelle, and took her hand. “Hey, there's still some daylight hours left. How about we go swimming for a bit? Maybe see if there's any food trucks or something along the beach?”

Maybelle slowly started to smile, before she leaned over and gave Jordan a kiss. “You're right. Thinking about it like this is not gonna help me much. I like that way of thinking. You said you want to go swimming? Let's do that.” Her grin grew more confident. “After all, you said you'd make sure I'd have a good time, right?”

Jordan perked up, and leaped from her seat.”You know I will! I've been wanting time for us for ages, I'm not gonna let this go to waste!” She pulls her shirt over her head, to reveal she had a swimsuit on underneath. “I'm ready when you are.”

“Have you had that on since this morning?” Maybelle snorted, and burst into laughter. She knew Jordan had prepped all of this, but she still found it amusing that they were so eager to go swimming. She got up, and looked through her own bag. Even if she was unsure, she knew in this moment, the deed was done. She should at least try to enjoy herself.

Part 3