[color=1a7b30]"Hey. Don't act like that. I'm not sure what happened to you last night or this morning or whenever, but you can't let that get to your right here, right now, when you have this big battle coming up. You gotta keep yourself focused, don't let yourself get psyched out, ok? Remember what I had told you yesterday about your pokemon? You gotta focus on that and think about how you're going to show that little brat what's what, you got that?" [/color]

He blinked. Margo was so trusting and encouraging. Would she still be, if she knew the extent to what he had done? [color=8882be][i]Stop, just breathe,[/i][/color] he told himself. Whether she would hate him or not was irrelevant-- she had a point. [color=8882be][i]Focusing's the only thing that'll get me through this battle, not moping around.[/i][/color]

But it was difficult for any teen to quell their emotions and Indy was no exception the rule. He only tried to focus on what Margo was saying.

[color=1a7b30]"Come on, Indy. I'll be right there on the sidelines, and Dan is supporting you too."[/color]

[color=8882be][i]Dan... I mean, he's going through a ton too. And I feel like it's worse for him than me. Do I even really get to be sad, after what I've done? I've got to pull it together. Dan, I seriously wish you were here right now...[/i] 

"Got it. Margo, thanks. You have no idea how much I appreciate it, seriously. To be honest, I did something pretty terrible. And I'm not trying to be dramatic about it. I don't even know if I deserve to really feel bad when I knew better."[/color] That terrible pain that had risen when he'd abandoned Hero was proof of that. [color=8882be] "But you're right. I'll focus on one thing. But just... One more question. If I lose, it'll be okay, right? Winning isn't everything, right? It's just that it feels like it's the only thing that matters sometimes..."[/color] 

After some final words of encouragement from Margo, Indy squared his shoulders and made his way outside. Already, a sizeable crowd had formed. 

[color=8882be]"Hey there, Jack. How are you?"[/color] Indy called out, trying to be friendly, and gauge Jack's attitude. The crowd was chattering so excitedly, Indigo was both baffled and annoyed. [color=8882be][i] If only they knew how awful he was...[/i][/color]

[@Balthazar007]