And Still, I Climb - A Pokemon Fanfiction

After surviving a turbulent year in Sinnoh, Grace Pastel travels to Unova hoping for something she's never had before: a chance to breathe. Between promoting Poketch's expansion into the region and taking on the League Circuit at her own pace, she expects little more than a working vacation.

Unova has other plans. Beneath its gleaming cities and booming economy, political unrest is growing. Pokemon rights activists clash with powerful corporations; a charismatic movement calling itself Team Plasma is gaining momentum, and every step Grace takes seems to pull her deeper into a country on the brink of political revolution. When Grace crosses paths with a small grassroots organization fighting to change the system, she expects to lend a hand and move on. Before long, however, she finds herself entangled in a conflict far larger than she'd ever intended.

So much for a break.

For most of her life, Cecilia Obel knew exactly who she was supposed to become. Daughter of one of Unova's most influential families, she's been raised to inherit a legacy built on power, prestige, and wealth. But after traveling through Sinnoh, surviving the world's end, and forging herself anew on the anvil of freedom, she must learn to be her own person, step by step. She returns home, beginning her own League challenge under the watchful eyes of a nation that already knows her name with all the scrutiny that implies, especially considering her father ruined her reputation before she'd even stepped foot in Unova.

Under the guidance of Professor Juniper, she begins her own League challenge alongside three first-year trainers: Bianca, Cheren, and Hilbert—with a single goal in mind. To clear her name from her father's vilification, to claw her way to the top of Unovan society once more, and to dismantle to her brother's reign as Unova's Champion in the hope of enacting meaningful change.

This story is the continuation of my first fanfiction I Will Touch the Skies, however I am writing it to be readable to anyone, whether you know what happened in Sinnoh or not. There will be moments where you'll notice characters referring to past events or existing relationships that began in Sinnoh, but you won't need to know the original story to follow this one. Anything important to the plot or a character's motivations will be explained naturally throughout the narrative.

(This time around, there are two characters in the synopsis, but for those who are coming here from my first fic, rest assured. This work will remain Grace's story first and foremost. There will, however, be a decent more Cecilia chapters to go around.)

Warning: this is a slow story, the content warnings are here for a reason, and expect a more serious take on the world of Pokemon. The story is not actually grimdark—nobledark would be a more accurate way of putting it. If you've read the first story, you know what to expect.

Proofread by Suzuka1111