Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

Heading out on my journey did not happen immediately, not even with a full team of six. In fact, I had to cut down on training time to focus on finishing up some other projects and making sure we were stocked up before we could set off. Plus spending time with Arven, he's been practically glued to my hip when not doing that stuff.

Still, even with all that, I tried to spend at least an hour every day going over some basic training plans for my new team members and polishing up Moves my older Pokemon had yet to master.

"Notch, you've come a long way with your Fairy Type energy, but we still need to get Moonblast working during the daytime." They tilted up, glaring at the sun, ears lying flat, as if the celestial body had offended them personally. "Maybe try focusing on the fact that the moon is always around the planet, even if you can't see it?"

They gave a chime of agreement, mixed with maybe a slight resignation? Hard to tell when they hop to any order I give with the same effort. Oh, Misty Terrain first to try and boost your connection to Fairy energy, very good. I made a mental note to praise them for their initiative at the end of the session before moving on to the others.

"Ok, Zorua, practice your agility. Work on jumping backwards to try and avoid attacks, and see if you can weave in a Shadow Sneak as you do so." My little fox gave a quick yip and got to work, seeing it mostly as a game. Which is fair, most battling for her up to this point has been just a game. Even tournaments and Gym Battles are mostly just a slightly more serious and formal version of that.

Her attitude was not shared (or appreciated) by my newest team member, Riolu, who turned her nose up slightly. Nightwing stuck her tongue out at the Fighting Type, swooping over her head and causing the canine Pokemon to growl lowly at the mischievous Pokemon drifting above her. I just sighed at the all-to-common sight.

Riolu isn't overtly brash or mean-spirited to my Pokemon, but her attitude makes it hard for her to get along with the others outside of Dun. Which is unfortunate, as she's already a highly effective fighter. There's only a few areas she needs to work on personally, and those will mostly be polished out in time. What she needs now is to learn to work with others, getting a hang of how battling as a member of a team works.

Whistling, I called Nightwing down, pulling some plastic balls out of my bag as I did so. Passing two to her and two more to Nightwing, I said, "Okay, you two are going to practice juggling these two while going up and down the beach. Oh, and each ball you have to pass to each other. Got it?" The drill is mostly just to help Nightwing get used to her new body and speed, but hopefully it'll help Riolu get along with the others and learn how to handle their tempos.

Almost the instant that they began, Nightwing threw too hard and pelted Riolu in the face with one of the balls, her laughter eliciting a Vacuum Wave empowered shot back. Ugh, looks like we have a long way to go there. At least I didn't start them off with the iron balls.

"Keep at it, everyone!" I tried to call out encouragingly before whispering to Dun. "Keep an eye on them, please." He nodded, trying not to look too smug at not being the problem, Pokemon. "You ready, Miles?"

"DJ Mixmaster is in the house, bzzt!" Miles declared boldly.

I was surprised at their enthusiasm. "Sounds rocking, should that be your stage name?"

"No, in fact, please don't ever call me that." Raising an eyebrow, I saw Miles form plasmic blush spots. "I regretted it the instant I said it, bzzt."

Laughing, I waved the others goodbye as we headed to the music studio. With my 'growing talents,' my parents had converted one of our spare rooms into a room filled with musical instruments and recording equipment. It was quite the overhaul, but given Mom's contacts, it happened pretty smoothly.

"V-Star sent over the tracks, right?" I asked, and Miles confirmed it, heading over to the computer in the room to begin going over the audio file while I checked over one of the guitars.

"Bzzt, he did indeed!" They played the file for me, and I took it in. Hmm, it's good, really good. Guess that's too be expected, with all these incredible artists helping me.

When I was finally convinced to make an album, my parents were enthused and wanted to throw as much money and connections as they could at the project. I'd been hesitant at first, but as the prospects of how large a project it was loomed over me (as well as moving up my own timetable with the need to go on a journey), I conceded to their requests.

V-Star, E.X., Techno Color Group, and many other artists had been called on to help with the project. Not all of them had the time or the right flare to add to a song, but half the album had different artist names featured in it.

I still made sure to do my part in all of the songs though! I'm the one with the vision for what I want the songs to sound like, so it helps the more I take charge. Honestly, I hope that none of Hassel's friends felt I was too demanding. Money talks, and my parents had plenty of it, but Hassel's connections were invaluable too.

"Hey Miles, do you think 'I'll Grow Up Tomorrow' would be a good fit for V-Star?" I asked after the Rotom finished overlaying the tracks.

They blinked before buzzing positively. "I think it could work, but won't that mean you can't sing it yourself?"

I shook my head. "I'm just focused on getting the music out there. I think I did decently on this album, but hearing the skill all these great artists have... I'll never be that good."

Miles' plasmic eyes narrowed, and they got up in my face. "Don't say that, Nemona! I think you're incredible, and you've got plenty of time to become that good."

Their sudden vehemence was surprising, but I just smiled and shook my head. "Ok, ok, I'll stop putting myself down. But it's true that I'd need more work to be on their level, and I'm going to be pretty busy as a Trainer and exploring the mysteries of the world. And honestly, just kinda burnt out on this, I'll be happy to take a break once this is done. Maybe I'll get more into music later." It's funny; I have way fewer responsibilities from my old life, but I feel like there's so much more to do, so I have even less time.

With a wistful sigh, I sat down on the stool in the center of the room, pulling a microphone stand in close. "Bzzt, well, I plan on making plenty of noise still," they said with a wink, and I chuckled, getting the reference to their new Boombox form. "And I hope it helps to know that I think this is going to be great, bzzt." Rotom's praise wasn't as effusive as my parents, but it brought a smile to my face.

"It does. I'm also so thankful for your help, I never could have done this without you." There's that blush back. Do wild Rotoms do that too, or is that an entirely learned habit? "You sure I can't credit you as a co-writer or-" They gave an immediate negative buzz with a subvocalization of 'That's not right!' that I could only barely pick up with my enhanced senses.

"Nice copy of Lacey," I snickered before remembering I should probably send my friends advanced copies of the album once it was done. Another thing on the pile. "Still, you basically did at least as much work as I did on this, Megalovania was mostly made by you on the synthesizer."

Seeing Miles stubbornly shake their phone case body, I rolled my eyes, making a waving motion to indicate I'd given up on the argument and for them to get the recording ready. I can one hundred percent get wanting to stay out of the spotlight, but this is too much. I'll at least make a note in the album foreward of all the hard work Miles did.

"Ok, I think we're ready. It's been a long time coming, but here we go, final song." Miles grinned from behind the recording booth and electrokinetically flicked on the green light. I began strumming before singing softly.

"Keep you in the dark, and they all pretend...'


***


That was not the end of it though; it took at least another month, mostly filled with getting a drumming section from the Kubfu Fighters and much work done on promotional materials and hyping the project up. With it 99% done and ready to be released on Rotunes in a week, I was finally ready for my biggest challenge: Shopping for clothes.

There was plenty of other shopping I'd needed to do to get ready, stocking up on healing items, berries, general supplies and the like, as well as getting a few more Battle Items to match my new team's needs. That stuff was all fairly easy compared to the daunting task before me, especially with the 'help' I had.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" I asked once more, as my sister dragged me from boutique to boutique. "This is the weekend, you've got free time better spent on something other than buying me an outfit."

She giggled, as if I had said the silliest thing in the world. "But this is your chance to declare yourself to the world; 'here is Nemona!' Your outfit will speak for yourself before you even open your mouth, and you need something that says you're going to be a Champion. And I can hardly trust you to dress yourself," she muttered under her breath.

"Hey! I dress myself perfectly fine.

My big sister rolled her eyes, boldly pushing through the door to another shop. Making a quick beeline to the headware, she began pulling off accessories and holding them up in front of a mirror. "Yes, you dress 'fine.' There are thousands of people who dress fine; you need to dress fiercer than that."

"You didn't need any special outfit when you did your gym run." I pointed out, which only caused her to grip my hand tighter.

"Well, I had a school uniform because I didn't decide to not go to Uva, like a traitor," she said in a perfectly sweet tone. Placing a pink sunhat on top of her head and glancing at it in the mirror for a few moments, she put it in her bag and, with a delighted smile, added, "You should just be grateful I'm taking the time out of my day to help you."

I glanced over at the bag looped around her arm and all the clothes in there for her and how I still didn't have anything yet, but wisely decided not to point that out. To be fair, part of that is my 'fault' for being too 'picky.' Though to be even fairer, it's not as if it's my fault that a dress or skirt simply isn't going to do in a journey all across the land!

After a minute, I said, "I am happy, and I do appreciate this." Mostly spending time with her, but it's nice to have someone helping me with this fashion stuff. I'd like to look nice, but putting in all that effort to follow trends and everything just feels like too much.

"I'm glad to. Feels weird, like I'm going to be seeing you less just because you're going out on your journey, even though I'll still be in school." She said as we found another store, throwing a few clothes at me to try on. I took the jeans out of the pile (they felt too stiff) and marched to the changing room.

"Are you planning on taking on the Elite Four?" I asked while trying on the outfits.

My question provoked a groan from her. "No way; battling the gyms was way too tough. I'm just going to focus on studying this year." I remembered her being over the moon when she came back with her eighth gym badge and how determined she was to get it, even challenging Thyme multiple times over the summer to earn it. On the other hand, I get trying to just throw yourself into some goal, just wanting to get it 'done.'

Stepping out of the change room, I flapped the overly long sleeves of the sweater I was wearing. "Bit much?" She asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, it looks like I'm cribbing Iono's fashion. But I like the pants," I said, sticking my leg out and looking at them. They were pretty simple black with a white lightning bolt-shaped stripe running down the outer sides. Cyan beamed, pouncing on the opportunity.

"Perfect! Here, I've got some more clothes for you." I groaned and tried them on, going through a long montage of outfits that were rejected either by myself or my sister.

Eventually we settled on the pants I liked, a white t-shirt, and a red and white hoodie designed to look like a Pokeball. There's tons of symbols and pictures of different Pokemon, but I think that something more general like that is a good 'image' to put forward. Though I do wonder why my sister is so worried about that.

"Cyan, I don't need many accessories, this'll be good." My sister pouted, pointing out something I hadn't considered.

"We need you to be wearing something gold, or Mom and Dad will pout." Grimacing, I nodded. They would, they really would.

"Ok, fine. Maybe just a gold necklace?" My sister waved her hand back and forth as if that were iffy. "And it can have a solid gold ornament on it. Maybe of a Dudunsparce?" It would have to be custom made, but honestly, that's not a big problem for us. All these clothes are going to be altered and fitted closer by tailors too.

She nodded, satisfied. "That should work. Make sure to get some golden hairbands for when you tie it off in a ponytail."

"Actually, I was thinking I'd get it cut short." Cyan gave off a shocked gasp that turned into a squeal of delight. I've been overly picky with my hair and style, wanting to keep it comfortable and close to canon Nemona, but it's past time that I moved on. And what better way to show your past something than a haircut?

I called Miles up to look into that, immediately getting sidetracked by the maps and routes I had pulled up before. Peering over my shoulder, Cyan said, "Wow. That's, uh, certainly a complex plan."

Looking at the different lines I had digitally drawn on them and all the different paths I could go through, I couldn't disagree. "Yeah, but I think this will give me a good challenge, as well as let me explore tons across Paldea." Well, I plan on challenging all the Gym Leaders to eighth-badge-level Gym Challenges, but I still think Kofu and Larry will give me the toughest challenge. They're the most experienced and toughest Gym Leaders right now, so I'll leave them for last.

Part of that was due to how many new Gym Leaders there were. Grusha had just taken over for Martha in the Glaseado Gym, with Brassius doing the same for Artazon. Katy only had the last year under her belts as well. Not that I plan on underestimating any of them.

She shrugged, "If you're sure you have enough time."

"Enough time for what?" Cyan can't possibly know about my plans to confront Turo or the Paradox Pokemon, right?

"To become the youngest ever Champion-ranked trainer in Paldea," she responded. "Isn't that why you're doing this now?"

Laughing, I shook my head. "Champion rank is nice, but no, I'm not aiming for that before my tenth birthday just to make a record. Besides, the time traveling across the land will be good for training too. Riolu is strong, but she still needs to evolve, and Zorua needs to get accustomed to battles and evolve as well."

"I hope she still looks cute when she evolves," Cyan mentioned, and I tried my best not to act suspicious. I think Hisuian Zoroark looks awesome, but 'cute' is not exactly the word most people would use.

My sister continued. "You sure you can't tell me where to get one like her? I know I'm aiming to be a Water Type specialist, but I can make an exception."

"No, you know that I signed an NDA and that she's the only one of her kind anyway." That was what Friede and I had settled on, and so far it seemed to work. "Besides, if you're looking for a Pokemon outside of your chosen Type, why not pick something that can learn a bunch of Water Moves?"

I don't know for certain what Moves Zorua can learn. Obviously she has a predilection to Normal and Ghost Moves and a decent degree of Dark energy she can use, but I'm not certain as to her full Move list. And I can hardly check the Pokedex to refresh my memory here since it's even more blank than I am on the topic.

"What Pokemon learn the most Water Moves out of Type?" Cyan asked, mildly curious. I knew that she'd become a bit of a celebrity among her other classmates and would now try and keep Pokemon tidbits I could feed her to impress the other students. Not that she doesn't know a fair bit herself. Even if I'm still more skilled than she is, Cyan worked hard to get those badges.

"Well, Smeargles, technically. They can learn every Move, potentially."

"Potentially? That feels different than your usual spiel about how 'every Pokemon can be strong if you just believe in them,' and 'don't let yourself be limited by whatever anyone tells you a Pokemon can or can't do.'" She mocked me, and I crossed my arms.

"I don't sound like that, but yes. See, Smeargles only learn Moves via copying them. But unlike something like Copycat, they can permanently copy a Move by Sketching it out, able to use it forever. You might actually like them; they're great artists, so you could get along great."

My older sibling scratched her chin, clearly thinking about it. "Interesting. Being able to throw Salt Cure around like Tyme did to me would be fun…" She trailed off, cackling maniacally.

"If you do get a Smeargle, let me know. I have certain plans involving one," I said, steepling my fingers in a totally non-suspicious manner.

Cyan frowned and replied, "I don't like that look on your face. It looks like you're plotting something evil."

"Oh, like you're one to talk!" I fired back, happily bickering back with her all the way home. The road beckons, but I'm gonna miss this too.


***


My alarm clock woke me up, and I snapped to awareness. "Today's the day."

"It is indeed, bzzt."

"I'm going to take my first step on my journey after the Professor gives me my starter."

"Bzzt, uhhh…"

Swinging myself out of bed, I marched over to my desk and looked at the Pokeballs laid out on top of it. "Oh, but who to choose? This decision has racked many a player's minds for minutes on end, until they just choose the Fire starter."

"Nemona," Miles said flatly, while the rest of my team, all standing behind me, chimed in.

"Rua!"
"Iolu."
"Li li li!"
"Dudun."
And even a few faint chimes ringing out from Notch.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I said with a laugh as I turned to face my less than amused team. "I'm sorry, it's just so... surreal." I've lived here for years; I truly feel at home here. Yet at the same time, some part of me can't help but feel how strange it is, like this is the start of a game. But it's real, all the trials I'll face and all the adventures I'll- no, that we'll experience together.

"Alright, who's ready to take the first step on our journey?" I asked before my stomach answered, rumbling loudly. "...After breakfast, that is. And I guess I should get dressed too."

My new outfit had arrived, several sets of the same clothes that I had packed into my Silph Co. bag. I'd think it was excessive to have nearly a dozen copies of the same outfit, but if this is to be my signature look, I'll need extras to deal with the wear and tear of the road.

Breakfast was a long affair, with Leah pestering me with questions about everything I'd already packed and me answering in-between mouthfuls of food (though she did help me remember my toothbrush, which I was grateful for). There was also my parents and Arven busy hyping me up and asking repeatedly what I was most excited about finding on my journey. A difficult question to answer considering I haven't seen anything yet.

"Well, cool Pokemon for sure. Beyond that and hopefully becoming a Champion-ranked Trainer, though? Probably Grusha."

Arven's brow furrowed in concentration. "He's that snowboarding guy, right?"

"Yeah. I talked to him when he was recovering from his injuries, over a year ago. I'm curious to see how good he is now that he's a Gym Leader." Finishing up the last of my (quite sizeable) breakfast, I stood up from the table. "Alright, I think it's time."

We headed out the front door, standing (and posing for a few photos taken on Rotom Phones) in the garden. "I'll make sure to call you all as soon as I reach Cortondo," I assured Arven and my parents, not that it stopped their wailing.

"Oh, we'll miss you so much!"
"Such brave Glitterati stoicism, trekking out into the unknown!"

"I'm barely going farther today than I usually do for training!" But the day after that, and then further after that... I wiped away at the wetness welling in my own eyes. "I'll talk to you guys tons, and make sure to watch my battles!"

"We will!"
"Have fun out there!"
"Show em' who's boss!"
"Please take care of yourself, Young Miss."

More comments like that from the rest of the staff to go along with Leah, Arven, and my parents waving me off. Turning around with determined strides, I marched off, out the gate, and took my first steps on my journey.


***


Despite still traveling through the same familiar fields and hills I had often traversed in the past, my spirits were soaring well into the midafternoon. My stomach grumbled noisily, however, reminding me of physical necessities. "What do you think we should have for lunch?"

Phantasm, running by my side, yipped loudly, looking around at the river running to our side. "Zorua!"

Chuckling, I shook my head. "The fish in that river are looked after by the Psyducks and Marils there; they'd probably be upset if we took some. At least not without giving them something in exchange." Or perhaps a battle... nah, let's just stop at Los Platos and grab something from a restaurant. I don't think any of these Pokemon will even be a challenge for Phantasm.

She was the only Pokemon I had out right now, not wanting to frighten the local populace of wild Pokemon with my whole team and hoping to get her some battling experience. The few encounters we'd had against Fletchlings and Nymbles proved lacking, however. Phantasm was way stronger than them, and while the Marils could be a bit tougher, I knew they'd be no match for her either.

Settling in at an open cafe, I got some food for myself and my team. As I ate, I observed the interactions each of them had, the team dynamic having grown quite a bit more complicated with a full team of six.

Riolu sat closest to Dun during mealtimes or breaks but didn't look directly at him, an odd mixture of both shy and comfortable around him. Occasionally, she'd talk to Notch, asking the Fairy Type questions or getting into debates with them that always left her frowning slightly, meditating.

Not that they got into any of that, too busy with their food. Notch nibbled slowly at theirs, lamenting the lack of diamond dust in their meals now that we were leaving home. Still amazed, my parents agreed to that. A shame it didn't work out, but even in minute portions over six months, the amount of diamonds Notch ingested had to have been greater in quantity than any other Carbink would find in the wild. That's clearly not the path to becoming a Diancie.

Growling and hissing sounds drew my attention to Nightwing and Phantasm, the two of them fighting over Poffins. "We're in a restaurant for crying out loud, bzzt! Can you not behave?" Miles rhetorically questioned them. The two of them launched into a flurry of angry words that were likely them trying to blame each other.

The Rotom Phone hovered over them aggressively, electricity crackling in the air. "Bzzt, it doesn't matter who started it, I'm ending it." I like seeing how much more assertive Miles has grown. Then again, it was probably trial by fire with this bunch, or everyone would have walked all over them.

Thankfully, Pokemon in general recognized listening to someone stronger than themselves, and Miles definitely qualified, being stronger than everyone bar Dun. Then again, it helps for Miles to be a neutral leader that they don't try and steal food like Phantasm does.

The Zorua in question slunk away from Nightwing and her long barbed tail, flicking about around her bowl of Poffins. She ended up sitting down near Riolu. The two of them had been quite confrontational at first, until somehow they smoothed things out. Now it feels like Phantasm looks up to Riolu like a big sister. I hope that continues once they've both evolved.

Evolution was a dramatic change for Pokemon, both in body and sometimes in mind as well. I remembered how in the first anime Ash had a lot more difficulties with Charizard's behavior after his evolution. Riolu was cognizant enough (or possibly worried) of that to decide to forestall taking any name until after she evolved.

After lunch, I told Phantasm, "Since you're having so much fun with illusions, why don't we practice them in battle a bit?" She winced minutely at my allusion to her misdeeds at lunch, trying to take Nightwings food. A nice try, but she'll need more work before she can fool even my eyes, let alone a full-fledged Flying Type like Nightwing is. Then again, most of my team has pretty good awareness, Miles and Dun from all their training, Nightwing naturally, and Riolu with her Aura.

"Do you think you can conceal Moves?" I inquired, but she shook her head.

"Zo, ua." She barked out, giving an example by Snarling, a wave rippling out through the air around her. It wasn't dark in color, like the Move usually would be, and even looked nearly transparent, but the disturbance was still obvious, especially with the flashes of Dark Type energy that shone through, getting more apparent as the Move spread out before it faded out of existence.

The motion scared away a few of the wild Pokemon hanging out nearby the road we were walking down, but I spotted a few Surskits hanging out down past the road, walking atop a large pond.

"So you're saying it's harder to make illusions outside of your body?" She yipped an affirmation, so I continued. "Well, I know that your evolution can do things like that, so it would be good to get a start on things."

The Hisuian Zorua looked down at that, sighing heavily. "The foundation you build now will pay dividends in the future. That being said, baby steps." Pointing at the pond, I said, "I want you to spar against those Surskits. Don't try to conceal your Moves, but instead, make them seem larger or more numerous. You know, like your Double Team."

Flashing me a vicious grin, she zipped off, her stubby feet carrying her faster than I could keep up. She's going to be quite the speedster some day. Her and Riolu will make for solid sweepers.

As she got to work, challenging the Bug Types and unleashing a barrage of Swift stars upon them, forcing the small pack on the defensive, I considered team alignment and plans for larger battles. My battle with Hassel was one of the first large enough for Switches to be a deciding factor, and that's definitely something I need to consider. Baton Pass is a good Move, and even if it does cost one of my Switches to use it, the Move might be a good one for some of my team.

Phantasm's illusionary attacks were mixed with copies of herself spread out around the pond. Double Team usually needed quick movements to make, but with her illusion powers she could conjure them without any movement on her own, freeing herself up to attack. But it does make the images have a bit less fidelity, something that-

"Look out, above!" I shouted, and Phantasm heeded my warning, jumping away from an Air Cutter that sliced through where she had been standing. Hovering above, a Masqurain glared down at her.

The evolved Pokemon had come from over the cliffs looming in the distance. Why did they come from all the way over- oh, that must be one of the Surskits parents! Masquerain is tough enough to deal with the other 'Mons up there, but Surskits are rather standard Bug Types, so sorta weak to live up there. The parents must find spots like this pond to leave their Eggs so the babies can grow up with relative ease, but unlike non-Pokemon bugs, they still look after the kids, and Phantasm must have seemed like an unknown threat-

A loud buzzing took me out of my theorizing, and I saw greenish waves of noise battering my Pokemon. "Phantasm!" The Hisuian Zorua howled out in pain, her legs a little wobbly from the blow. "Remember what Riolu taught you, Aerial Ace!"

With a determined nod, Phantasm stood back up, glaring at the Bug flying above the pond. With a mighty leap, Phantasm jumped over the Masquerain, flipping around and stomping down on her with all four feet.

The Masquerain gave out a pained screech, falling down a bit before recovering and hovering lower to the ground. A Quick Attack on Phantasm's part brought her back to the grass and stopped her from landing in the water.

That Move should have done more damage for a Super Effective hit. Ah right, Intimidate. Masquerain was glaring over at Phantasm, an effect amplified by the eye patterns on their antennas. Well, two can play at that game. "Fake Tears!"

Phantasm pulled off the Move immediately, conjuring up faux tears with her illusion powers, but surprised me by going a level beyond that and in a flash turning herself into a spitting image of one of the Surskits quivering off to the side.

Masquerain for her part had been charging in before stopping, horrified. Her four wings let her pivot on a dime, turning around to check on her children and confirm that she wasn't actually about to attack them. That was all the opening Phantasm needed to conjure a Shadow Ball and fire it point blank into the Masquerain, the blast knocking her backwards and out of the fight.

The three Surskits were looking nervous as I approached but still bravely stood around their mother's body. "Sorry about that, we were just looking for a little practice. Here, have some berries," I offered, tossing them underhanded towards them, not getting too close to frighten them further.

Calling Phantasm, we headed up the slope away from the pond and started marching on the road again. "That trick with turning into one of the Surskits was diabolical."

My little fox looked down for a moment, the fur at the top of her head flickering agitatedly, the red patch growing a bit brighter. Whoops, didn't mean to make her upset. "That was awesome," I clarified, which had her lifting her head up, amber eyes shining, and teeth bared in a vicious grin. That kinda warms my heart, as I think she must have learned that from me, Zorua wouldn't really smile like we do.

With light hearts and the open sky above us, we marched on, each of us eager for the next challenge.


***


Despite that feeling, we didn't fight every Pokemon along our path - we still had to make it to Cortondo in a timely manner. And even with that in mind, I don't think we'll make it there tonight.

Hiking up the cliffs had been easy enough, especially since I didn't really hike up them but instead just used my Aura to levitate up. It was tiring in its own way, but it saved a lot of time climbing. This whole route will. There's a small overpass above the river that separates the South and West Provinces that makes for a much faster straight line to cut to Cortondo for anyone willing to scale these cliffs.

Riolu's family wasn't far from here, and I'd asked if she had wanted to take a small detour, but she shook her head. From what I could understand, she didn't want to return home so early - or so lacking in accomplishments. She set out to help us win Gym Badges and defeat the Elite Four, I doubt she'd want to return until she's done that. Also, stopping Turo.

She had been shocked at that revelation of my future knowledge, but she was eager to stop this catastrophe from occurring and/or to face these powerful Paradox Pokemon. She didn't have many more questions about it, aside from a few on if I had any knowledge of her personally. Which I denied - the only one on my team I might have had an inkling about was possibly Dun, and the knowledge that she had bested a future Champion ranked Pokemon had her insufferably smug for a few days. At least until Dun beat her in a rematch.

My starter and her had a bit of a rivalry growing (and if my scant Auric vision was to be trusted, a bit of a crush on her part), but thankfully she was disciplined enough to not let it take over her life completely… and only challenged him twice a week or so. Right now, she was taking the time to train alongside Phantasm.

The Fighting Type Immunity Hisuian Zorua's had made it perfect to help her train Detect. Riolu could throw out all manner of punches and kicks from unexpected angles, but even if they connected, they wouldn't hurt Phanasm. It also gave her an up-close experience with Fighting Type energy. Very useful, especially if she has to deal with a Dark Type.

Seeing the pathway looming up ahead, I called for a small break, just as Phantasm avoided a barrage of Vacuum Waves and a flurry of blows from Riolu. "Alright, good job you two," I said, kneeling down by Phantasm. "Riolu says that the Scyther is just on the other side of that bridge, guarding his territory."

The Aura Pokemon barked, confirming that the Tera Pokemon was indeed nearby. She had her arms crossed, looking dismissively out past the curve of the cliff. She's said that Scyther guards his territory much like Leafeon guards this one, but also that he's much weaker than him. Still, a Tera Pokemon should make for a good challenge for Phantasm and help me figure out if she'll be ready for the Gym.

My entire team was eager, but Phantasm in particular had been quite vocal about wanting to fight here, even if I was taking on the Gym at an Eight Badge level. I had some ideas in mind for tricks that might help her even the gap and maybe stand up against one of Katy's Pokemon, but even that would rely on her having a minimum level of strength.

Phantasm eyes blazed eagerly, but I saw some scratches in her fur and some panting. Some Potions and Ethers helped solve that problem for the moment. Together, we strode across the natural bridge, a dozen meters across over the river below. Wow, it looks so pretty, the water sparkling down there.

A rush of wind was the only hint I got, enough time for me to whip my head up and see the giant green Bug racing straight at me, arm blades raised. I tried to move away but knew I wouldn't be fast enough; thankfully, Riolu was there to step in.

Jumping up, she interposed herself between me and Scyther, kicking off from his body. She pushed him back and flipped around, landing defensively in front of me.

For his part, the Scyther was still angrily shaking his blades at us, but slightly more wary now, not approaching immediately. The Bug Type had a crystalline sheen to his body and a giant clear gem atop his head that looked like it would be unbalancing, but he zipped back and forth easily.

"He's a Normal Type right now; your Ghost Moves won't work," I reminded Phantasm as she stepped forward, growling defiantly. The Scyther sneered, looking down on her, but accepted the challenge, moving forward to engage, arms raised to slash down on her.

Slash? Or maybe Double Hit? Don't know, but it's not a Bug Type Move and probably Normal Type, she'll be fine then. "Wait for it, then Taunt."

My assumption was correct, and while Phantasm did attempt to dodge, the armblades swung through her form, her ghostly nature leaving her completely unharmed. Sticking her tongue out at the Tera Normal Pokemon provoked them into a rage, the Scyther swinging fruitlessly at Phantasm, his blades gouging the earth beneath where she stood. I'm glad this bridge is a lot thicker and more stable than that passageway in Kitakami.

"Swift," I simply called out, and my Pokemon conjured wave after wave of glowing stars to pelt her opponent. The blows stung and the Scyther hissed at them, but she wasn't enough to stop the wild Pokemon.

For a moment, I thought they might continue with those attacks even after the Taunt faded, but one of his blades gathered a dull green energy and cut into my Pokemon. She gave a cry of pain, and I worried for a moment but saw the blow hadn't landed too deep. But his follow-up might. Fury Cutter gets stronger each time it connects.

"Aerial Ace, then Detect!" Flipping around the slashing arms, Phantasm leapt up once more, striking down at Scyther and leaving a few paw shaped dents in his carapace.

The return attack as she landed down behind him was easily avoided, my Zorua rolling under one slash to jump over another, all without turning back to face him. Nice, she shouldn't get too cocky, though.

"Double Team and Swift." Duplicating herself all around the battlefield, stars began flying every which way at the Scyther, whittling them down further. With mad slashes and furious wing beats, the wild Pokemon set about destroying every image of Phantasm, only clipping the real one occasionally.

Each time she got tagged, she'd make sure to spend a moment slipping away before pelting him again. Slowly but surely, he was beat down, until finally, the crystals surrounding him shattered, indicating he was near defeat and had lost his Terastalization. Will it recover in time? Perhaps just by resting in this area, the land will fill him with... normalcy? Huh, I wonder what makes an area 'Normal' aligned.

Those were things I could look into later. "You fought well, but we've won." I said, gesturing at Phantasm, who had a few cuts on her, but otherwise seemed hale and ready to battle. "Now please, let us pass-"

Rather than calming down, my words (or possibly just my continued existence) seemed to enrage the Scyther, and the wounded Bug charged at me. Riolu was ready to intercept, but before she could, Phantasm let out a blood-curdling howl, dark tendrils of energy surrounding her, and then appeared around the mad Pokemon, assaulting him.

The power of the attack knocked Scyther off the edge and sent them tumbling down to the river below. A moment of shock hit me before I saw the Scyther, shakily flying away, obviously having caught itself before hitting the water.

"Well, I appreciate that, but try to be careful in the future. We don't want to seriously hurt anyone." The fox-like Pokemon sniffed and turned her head, looking relatively disinterested in that prospect. A problem for the future, but it probably only happened because of how vicious that Scyther was. Which is a shame; I like Scyther (and their evolutions). Still, I'll make sure to have her battle against a few Trainers nearby before the Gym, but for now...

"Phantasm, are you ready to take on your first Gym Leader?" The gleam in her eyes told me everything I needed to know even before her bark of agreement. Look out, Katy, here we come.

Spoiler: A/N:

And here we go, the first steps on Nemona's journey (as well as wrapping up some other stuff). Next up, her first (official) Gym Battle.

Nemona's Current Team:

-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known: Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version), Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known: Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zorua, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known: Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

And here we go!

 

[Skyfyre]

A few days later, I walked into the Cortondo Gym Building. The stark, tall white building stuck out amidst the more pastoral houses and small shops that littered the streets nearby. Considering the Treasure Hunt hadn't started yet, the building was fairly empty, with only a few staffers walking to or fro (and a few lounging about).

Marching up to the front desk, I said, "Hello, I am Nemona-"

"Oh, aren't you adorable!" The lady in a suit behind the desk squealed, looking down at me. "Do you know where your parents are?"

Clearing my throat, I responded. "I am well aware where my parents are. At home, waiting to watch my match against Katy. Speaking of, could I please schedule a match against her?"

She blushed briefly, nodding as she donned a more professional demeanor. "We'll need to see your Trainer ID first." I took the plastic card out of my wallet, passing it to her. Miles has a copy on the phone as well, but I like the solid feel of the physical card.

The receptionist scanned it before frowning. "You're already cleared to use Terastalization, but you aren't a student. How-?"

"Professor Turo gave me a Tera Orb personally," I explained, and she was satisfied with my answer.

"Just give me a moment then." She passed me my card back and made a quick call before hanging up and turning back to me. "You're in luck; Katy is ready to test you right away. Ah, before you face the Gym Leader, you need to complete their Gym Tests. For you, that will be helping Katy out in her bakery."

Right, they really leaned into Gym Leaders having other interests in this game, almost seeming like them being Gym Leaders is almost a side gig. As I left and made my way to the Patisserie Soapberry, I saw that it was swarmed by townsfolk, all eagerly drooling at the sight of Katy's baked goods (or possibly the woman herself).

The crowd was thick enough that I would have had trouble pushing my way through it. Luckily, there was an open side window. Floating up, I drifted in, silently gliding through the kitchen before I landed by Katy's side. "Hello, I was sent to help you."

Her piercing shriek had me covering my ears before she recovered. "Oh? Where did you come from-" The sounds of shouting outside got her attention. "I best calm them down." Exiting to wave at them, she addressed them.

"Today, as an extra special treat, I have a helper." She gestured to me, and I walked out to the counter, waving awkwardly at the horde. "Please have some patience as we whip up something extra special, with some free desserts at the end of the day."

That got the crowd fired up, cheering her (and possibly me) on vigorously. I guess that's part of why Gym Leaders have these kinds of jobs outside of their duties. It helps them deeply connect to the community.

We went back into the kitchen and began work making some of the many incredibly sweet confections for the hungry customers outside. I was no great hand in the kitchen, but I wasn't inept either, so I was able to follow Katy's instructions and make a few dozen treats.

We didn't chitchat much as we worked, as I wanted to show that I was giving this test my all. The Gym Tests aren't that difficult, but failing them or giving the signs that you're not paying attention to them would give the Leaders an easy excuse to refuse a challenge. I need to focus and not get distracted... like I am right now.

After a couple of hours, we were finished for the day, and Katy tasted one of the cupcakes I had made. "Oh? This is quite nice, very impressive."

I bit my tongue, wanting to call her out on that as a lie. Technically, I don't know that. Honestly, it might be quite impressive for a nine-year-old. But she's not feeling overjoyed. My Aura sense could feel that slight twinge of disappointment. No anger or real sadness to go along with it, so I felt it was just that she had overly high expectations that I couldn't quite live up to.

She continued, wrapping up the pastries I made to give away. "You've passed the test. If you'll give me a few minutes, I can meet you on the Gym Court for our battle. This will be your first Gym Battle, correct?" I guess the receptionist informed her of my 'official' record. But I fought Clay at the fifth badge level years ago and went toe-to-toe with an Elite Four, that just won't do.

Rather than answer, I said, "I'm aware that my culinary skills don't hold a candle to yours."

She frowned and opened her mouth like she was about to deny it or give me an empty platitude as if I were upset. Why would I be? I'm not as skilled as a grown woman who has trained her whole life to do this? That just makes sense. "Battling is a different story, however," I continued. "Please, face me at the Eighth badge level, or this won't be a challenge."

That got a response from her, a steely glint forming in her green eyes. "Oh? Be careful you haven't bitten off more than you can chew," she warned. I said nothing, simply turning and striding cooly out of the Soapberry.

Or at least it would have been cool if I had a cape like I wanted! And if I hadn't forgotten I was still wearing the apron she lent me and had to head right back and give it back. Why can't life be cool like an anime? I fumed silently, slapping at my crimson cheeks as I tried to push aside that prior embarrassment.

It didn't take long for me to get to the Gym Battlefield. It was fairly similar to the one I had seen in Artazon when watching my sister's match, though there wasn't a giant windmill nearby. Also, far fewer people are about to watch this, but that makes sense. The Treasure Hunt hasn't started yet, so it'll mostly just be locals who happen to be interested.

Seeing a few more people heading towards me, all surrounding Katy, I pulled Miles out of my pocket. "I want you to record the fight for me."

"Bzzt, are you sure?" They said, recognizing that it would put me at a slight disadvantage. Not that great a disadvantage overall, though. Yes, Oven Form would be best here, but even without an appliance to possess, Miles will have the Ghost Typing, giving them resistance to Bug Types. Plus…

"I'm sure. Phantasm has come far, to say nothing of the rest of the team." After we had arrived in Cortondo, we headed back out to the surrounding fields almost immediately (at least after getting a hotel room and resting up). There were a decent number of Combee swarms and even a Vespiqueen for Phantasm to test herself against, as well as other Trainers on the roads.

The battles were fairly easy overall, but they helped us hone some techniques and practice strategies that I hoped would pay off here. Looks like we'll see one way or another now.

A League referee stood at the side of the field as the Gym Leader took her place on the other end of the arena, a strand of green hair sticking out from underneath her chef's hat and blowing in the wind. "This will be a five-on-five battle for your first Gym Badge, Nemona Glitterati. Each of us is allowed three switches and to Terastalize."

She leveled an odd look at me when she said that. Does she think that I just bought my way into getting clearance to use a Tera Orb and that I'm some rich brat who thinks that alone is enough to face her at full power?

The fact that it wasn't six-on-six made me wonder if Katy only had that many Pokemon at an Eighth badge level or if she had more for challenges beyond it. I'm leaning towards the former here; she hasn't been a Gym Leader all that long yet.

"Do you have any questions, challenger?" She questioned in a booming voice that carried over the field, and I shook my head. "Then let us choose our first Pokemon."

The two of us raised our Pokeballs, and, on the count of three, released them.

"Go, Lokix!"
"I choose you, Dun!"

With dual flashes of light, our two Pokemon appeared on the field, to much applause (mostly for Katy's Pokemon, but a few cheers for me too). The sleek, dark Bug Type stood proudly, looking down on the Dudunsparce before them. For her part, my Pokemon turned back, glancing nervously at me, and I nodded reassuringly.

"You've got this, just watch out for his range; those legs can flip out far," I warned her, and she turned back without a sound. Lokix is one of her weaker Pokemon for this level, and ironically isn't all that great for us to go up against first, but we both know the plan. This should still work.

The referee counted us down. "Three, two, one… begin!" The first command Katy was about to give died down as she saw what I was doing.

Pulling the Tera Orb out of my pocket, I activated it immediately, my arm shaking slightly from the force going through it. "Shine on with haunting beauty!" I shouted as I tossed the Orb over her head. My other hand was clenched in a white knuckle grip, as I prayed that this would work and would be convincing.

The crystal blocks surrounded her for a moment before breaking to reveal the shining Pokemon. They had a violet, ghastly figure attached above the head of the snake after a moment. Gah, there was a flicker there. Did Katy notice?

The Bug Type Gym Leader frowned from the other end of the arena before shaking her head. "Using Terastalization so early... I understand wanting to rush to dessert, but patience is necessary when baking any meal."

"Yeah well… Curse." I finished lamely, not able to come up with a witty response. Luckily, my Pokemon made up for it, a spectral nail stabbing through her body and conjuring a nasty pool of distorted purple energy beneath Lokix. The Pokemon clicked angrily at the status effect.

"First Impression!" With an odd skittering motion, her Pokemon threw himself forward at her command, trying to strike into the long snake. Yet somehow, the attack missed, my Pokemon pulling 'herself' away from the blow with surprising speed.

Honestly, just glad the angle was off. I think Phantasm is hiding her true self in about the middle of where Dun's body appears to be. If Lokix hadn't gone for the head, that might have connected, and given the gleam of his eyes, I think he has Tinted Lens. Those Moves will hit hard even with her resistance to Bug Type attacks.

"Lunge and get out of there." That was our codeword for U-Turn, and Phantasm launched into the Move.

"Pack a sour surprise with Sucker Punch!" Katy called out, timing the Move well to counter our own attack. Lokix used his back legs to flip out and launch him forward, but once again the Move 'missed'.

Katy blinked her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Which is fair; a Dark Type Move shouldn't be phasing through a Ghost Types head. In that moment, Phantasm had slammed into Lokix with her real body, disguising it as a tail slap before 'slithering' away. The pain from the super-effective Move was compounded with the ghostly pain ailing our foe.

"Swift and keep your distance," I called out, happy with how things were proceeding but still on my toes. She's not going to let this get her down so easily.

"Astonish!" Her Pokemon jumped, flashing his arms out to shock Phantasm, even as the stars she was commanding slammed into him. My Pokemon gave an overdramatic cry of 'pain,' but pushed through it remarkably fast, moving to keep her distance. That Lokix is much stronger than the Scyther we faced before; if we weren't fooling her with these illusions, we'd be toast. At least the Swifts are hitting them hard, though Lokix is pretty frail. With that and the curse dragging him down, Phantasm might get her first Gym Pokemon win.

Just in case, I added "Use Detect if he gets too close, and keep on firing Swift." Unfortunately, the command proved to be the tipping point, and seeing her Lokix writhing in pain from the invisible curse plaguing him, she recalled her Pokemon.

"Switch! Kofu taught me that variety can be the spice of life, so let's change it up. Go, Spidops!" With a press of a button and flash of red light, a green and brown upright spider-looking Pokemon had taken the field, and she waved her many arms menacingly at us.

"Hex!" I called out another code word command. She gathered a similar-looking, if slightly wild, ghostly energy like Hex would create. But this was more than debilitating spite of that Move, but a bone-chilling hatred, honed to cut through an enemy's very being and sap their power. Bitter Malice, her signature Move.

I frowned at seeing the top of 'Dun's' head glowing a faint red as she used the Move, the Illusion slipping a tad, but I couldn't draw attention to it for her to fix. Besides, Bitter Malice did its job. Spidops recoiled back in pain, launching out a bunch of webs that missed by a mile - or it might have seemed like they did, for someone who hadn't studied Katy's battles.

Sticky Web might slow my next Pokemon down, but Phantasm can slip around it for the moment. "Hex again!" I cried, and she went to work, trying to slam more ghostly energy into Spidops.

"Skitter Smack," Katy tried to turn the tide, her Pokemon dropping to all-eights and ramming past Phantasm, then into her from behind. The blow knocked her back a bit, but her Typing and the previous Moves she had used against the Spidops took away much of the sting from the attack.

Too close right now for another Bitter Malice, but I think we can trade in melee at this point. "Aerial Ace." This was a difficult one for Phantasm to pull off, as she had to mimic Dun's wings and flight rather than the acrobatic skills she was actually using to pull off the attack.

Katy's face lit up. "Silk Trap!" The Gym Leader gleefully cried out, and I realized my mistake as Spidops held up a thick web in front of it, catching Phantasm in it and absorbing the blow. Dammit!

"Caught like a bug in a web," she cackled. "Go for a Throat Punch!" Spidops raised back an arm covered in Dark energy, punching it forward... and going well over even the illusory body of Dun, who was stuck in place. Her and her trainer had wide eyes as they wondered how she could have missed a stationary target.

I didn't even try to hide my smirk as I called out, "Swift, cut yourself free, and cut into her. Then Hex." That Lax Incense is working wonders alongside the illusion; I really thought Phantasm might be beat there, or at least that we might have to use Curse again, which would knock her out.

Spidops valiantly tried to pursue, but his follow-up attacks were getting weaker and weaker, much to Katy's consternation, the Gym Leader frowning at the sight. Sighing, she called for a withdraw.

"I'll withdraw Spidops from the battle." Not a switch? Well, she already used one, and Spidops already slowed 'Dun' as well as set up the arena hazard, makes sense she might want to conserve those. "You are quite the vexing recipe, aren't you? But I think I've got just the right ingredient here to balance things out. Heracross!" Seeing the powerful blue-shelled Bug crying his own name out proudly on the battlefield, I knew it was time for Phantasm to end her run.

That Heracross might not be as powerful as Kotetsu's, but he's still a powerhouse. Still, doesn't mean we won't go without a bang! "Curse!"

Once more, a ghastly nail sunk itself into Phantasm, and though Heracross tried to race across the field, claws covered in Dark energy, it couldn't close the gap in time, the Curse hitting them and Phantasm falling right before they could connect the blow.

The illusion faded away, revealing the Zorua for a brief second before I recalled her, and Katy gasped, understanding dawning on her face. "Oh! So that's how you- I see, a secret ingredient." There was recognition now radiating from her.

She thinks she's seen the plan in full and respects the use of Terastalization there. Katy will be coming at me full force now, which is a good thing. While Phantasm has come a long way, she's still the weakest of my team by a long shot, and I'm about to show that here.

"Go, Nightwing!" The tall flying scorpion swooped out onto the field, even her long tail not touching the ground to get ensnared by the webs left there. She clacked her pincers together viciously, staring down at the familiar Pokemon. Right, I had her sit out a fight with a powerful Heracross over a year ago. Time to see how much she's grown.

Katy frowned, likely not familiar with Gliscors but easily recognizing her as a Flying Type and the weakness that presented for her Pokemon. Her hand dropped down to the Pokeballs at her side. "Swi-"

"Sand Tomb!" I interrupt, and Nightwing blurs forward, hitting the ground in front of Heracross with her pincers and tail. The force knocks sand into the air, which her wings beat into a whirling storm of sand around the Bug Type.

The red beam from Katy's Pokeball fails to connect with her Pokemon trapped within. With that option cut off, she just calls out "Stone Edge!" Heracross dutifully ignores the phantoms and abrasive sand scraping his chitinous body, dropping his horn low to rip some rocks out of the ground and send them spiking up at Nightwing.

The blows land, smacking her a tiny bit and causing her to idly scratch at her face, but leave little real damage. "Protect," I say, hoping to buy a little more time.

It worked, her skin turning darker purple spreading out from the Toxic Orb that rested on the cord around her throat. All the while, Heracross futilely ripped up more stones, the rocks shattering against the barrier Nightwing has surrounded herself with.

"Fling then Dig!" I shouted out as Protect ends. With a quick slice, Nightwing sniped her own necklace, hurling it around at Heracross, the Orb smacking into him with a crash, covering him in the noxious liquid. Then she burrowed down beneath the arena's surface in the blink of an eye.

Katy was quick to respond with an "Earthquake!" That has Heracross stomping the ground and shaking it up violently, such that even I can feel faint tremors past the barrier.

It did nothing to Nightwing, the Gliscor gal easily swimming through the churning earth; an opening in the ground had me see her lazily waving up at the Bug Type before disappearing from sight again.

All the while, Heracross is in tremendous pain. The Poison was building up as the sands refused to relent, all while shades hound his very being. Crying and thrashing in pain, he slammed around, trying to break free before falling.

Not bothering to worry about if it's a trick or not, I immediately call Nightwing back up. "End the Sand Tomb." My tone was entirely serious, and she responded, swiftly wiping away the storm and letting Katy recall her Pokemon. "Sorry about that, the compounding effects- I didn't-"

"Enough of that," she responds, her voice clipped. "A battle isn't a place for regrets."

"Yes Ma'am." Recentering myself, I wait as she chooses her next Pokemon.

Finally, she pulls out a Pokeball. "You're quite good. I think I'll have to roll things out a bit differently than I planned." The ball opened and out landed her largest Pokemon to date. A massive bear with brown fur, the pale yellow ring pattern on its torso was one of the few signs it wasn't just a regular bear. As well as the power radiating off of it.

My mind flashed through options, trying to think of how I might counter it. I know it can learn Ice Type Moves and has enough power to push through even Nightwing's prodigious defenses. Status conditions won't help if it has Guts, like I suspect it does. Maybe if I get it to- no, I'm overthinking this.

Drawing Nightwing's Pokeball, I return her. "Switch. Show 'em what you're made of, Notch!" The Carbink was released above the webs that littered the field. The damage to the ground made some of the arena hazard unlikely to catch them, and the few that did slid right off their crystal covered body.

Ursaring lumbered forward, raising a claw to slash down at Notch. "Metal Claw/Iron Defense!" Katy and I ordered simultaneously.

The blow hit hard, and I couldn't tell if it had hit before Notch had finished with Iron Defense or not, but the Berry they ate nullified a good chunk of the damage anyways. Part of me was tempted to keep on going for setup, but since the bear was so close...

"Body Press!" Twirling up through the air, Notch hung above the powerful Normal Type for a moment, like a wrestler leaping off the high ropes, before they dropped down. An elbowless piledriver smashed into the Ursaring, sending her stumbling back with a howl of pain. Her return swipe was with steely claws but found little purchase against Notch's body. Partly due to their defense increase, partly due to the fact that their blow had broken the Ursaring's arm.

Katy whipped out her own Tera Orb, not wasting time to say anything pithy, tossing it above Ursaring's head. From the crystals, Ursaring emerged, with two crystalline antennas above her head. With a frown marring her usually soft features, she called out "Fury Cutter!"

Roaring, the claws on her good arm were surrounded with a dull green energy as she attempted to cut into Notch, to little avail. Carbinks can be a bit confusing to fight if you don't know about them, and it does make Body Press weaker. Still, it's pretty obvious Notch is a Rock Type, so let's show her why Terastalizing into a Bug Type is a bad choice.

"Power Gem," my voice rang out over the battlefield, and Notch's gems glowed bright white before firing their beams off. Ursaring recoiled from the shots, but they didn't do quite as much damage as the Body Press earlier had.

"Fury Cutter, again!" Katy commanded, and I decided to stop her before she could build up.

"Protect!" The floating rock surrounded themselves completely in a spherical barrier, weathering Ursaring's blows until she ran out of steam.

Rather than try it again, Katy called out, "Switch!" Once more, she recalled her Pokemon and released the last one I had yet to see. Covered in steel shell, only a few red protrusions and their eyes were visible outside the Pokemon's defensive plating.

"Forretress, Gyro Ball!" Katy yelled, and the heavy steel ball-shaped Pokemon jumped up, looking to crush Notch.

Despite it being a Steel Type Move, I wasn't too worried - Gyro Ball was based on how much slower you were than your opponent, and Notch was only slightly faster than the Forretress. Do I let it hit and set up Stealth Rock a bit? Notch can tank the blows- oh, but Katy will just Rapid Spin out. Better Switch again.

Recalling Notch before they would be crushed, I tossed Nightwing back into the fray. We both have a switch left, so she can't just go back to Ursaring or whatever. Not that I think any of her Pokemon are a good match for Nightwing right now.

"Fire Fang," I ordered, and Nightwing gleefully obliged. Diving down on the Steel Type, her mouth aflame, she sunk her teeth deep into the creature's shell.

"Infestation!" Katy shouted, and out of the tough Bug's shell poured out an innumerable number of small actual bugs. Hopping over onto Nightwing, the pests burrowed into her skin, causing internal pain and discomfort.

She didn't let that stop her, landing in two quick Dual Wingbeats against Forretress' shell before going in for another fiery bite, only to chomp on empty air as Katy switched her Pokemon.

My hand shot to my belt to do the same until I remembered that the Gym Leader's Move left us stuck for a while. We're in a better spot though. For all the discomfort Infestation was causing her, it was offset by the Poison healing her as fast as she was hurt.

Katy's Ace took the field once more, the Terastalization holding through that time. "Ice Punch!" She called out, seeing her last chance for victory...

"Acrobatics," I responded, and she saw that chance slip away. Spiraling through the air, Nightwing struck as Ursaring was still pulling her good arm back, hitting the bear repeatedly as she flew by.

The mighty Ursaring stumbled, dazed, before the crystalline sheen covering it and the 'hat' on her head shattered. The bear fell over, unconscious. Katy stood, shocked for a moment, before she recalled her ace with a resigned look on her face.

"Your strength has risen nicely, like bread in the oven. But allow me to show you my own strength!" She tossed out Forretress, and the ball-shaped Pokemon began spinning about the instant it hit the field. "Rock Slide!"

Angling itself so its red spikes would tear through the ground, it continued spinning towards the Gliscor, the impact sending stones flying up to hit her. She shielded herself with her large pincers before swooping down. "Acrobatics," I began, before I saw the Bug Type below her begin to glow brightly. Evolution? No, it must be- Explosion!

"Protect!" I screamed, and right after, the Forretress erupted, blinding me for half a second. When the smoke from the Move had cleared, I saw that Katy's Pokemon was unconscious, while mine had a forcefield surrounding it. But she's hurt. All those scratches and bruises on her body, no way those would be there if she had gotten Protect up in time. I gotta get better at reading those things; Katy must have given her Pokemon some signal I missed to use that.

The Bug Type Gym Leader was taking her time to toss out her next Pokemon, likely waiting for the Infestation to do my Gliscor in. That won't work. Those bugs have almost run their course, and Nightwing's Poison Heal will keep on working.

She seemed to realize that her strategy wouldn't work or got tired of waiting, throwing in her last Pokemon. Lokix leaped into battle but couldn't match Nightwing's aerial agility. I ordered her to dodge around a bit, gaining time against our weakened foe as her own strength recovered.

"Finish this, Acrobatics!"

"Sucker Punch when they come close!" Katy tried, and to her Lokix's credit, he landed a solid hit on Nightwing as she came in. I'd trained my Pokemon to tank hits and Nightwing had been quite physically durable even before the regiment of training and vitamins I gave her, so she pushed through. In a flurry of motion, she beat the Lokix around with all of her limbs, smashing him into the ground.

For a second, he tried to get back up before collapsing down. We did it, we won! As soon as the referee called the match, I raced onto the field and scooped Nightwing up. "You did it!" I'll have to thank Notch and Phantasm too, as soon as they're healed.

Katy reminded me of her presence, clearing her throat. Looking over, I saw she had recalled her own Pokemon and walked onto the field as well. "You did wonderfully, if a bit savage for my tastes." Seeing my expression, she shook her head. "Oh? Don't mind me; I'd hardly want you to hide in your cocoon for my sake. Not every treat can be to everyone's taste. Please accept this badge."

Reaching for her hands, I grabbed the first (official) Gym Badge I had ever received. Unlike the other regions, all of ours are the same shape: a circle with a gold border and the Gym Leader's Type symbol in the center.

"So small, but so significant," I said as I carefully held the first physical symbol of my team's progress in my hands. Katy seemed to like that, smiling and offering me a handshake. I took it gratefully, grinning broadly as I shook her hand. One down, seven to go.

Spoiler: A/N:

Nemona's first official Gym Battle was a success! Having all the rematch stuff available is nice, makes it a lot easier to plan these battles out for (which is good because we have a lot of them coming up in the next few arcs. Of course, the next Gym is going to be original, due to timeline issues, but we've got some exploration and other adventure stuff before that.

Nemona's Current Team:
-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known: Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version), Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash, Sand Tomb

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known: Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes, Stomping Tantrum

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zorua, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known: Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

Carbinks can be a bit confusing to fight if you don't know about them, and it does make Body Press weaker.

Click to shrink...

You got a +2 Defense boosted Body Press off on a Normal Type before it could Terastalize. How is that bear still up?!

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

You got a +2 Defense boosted Body Press off on a Normal Type before it could Terastalize. How is that bear still up?!

Click to shrink...

Ursaring is Katy's Ace, so she's pretty tough (and I do tend to lean more into anime-esque fight durations than the games ones even if yeah, that'll usually one-shot any Ursaring in game). Even with that though, she got stomped rather hard.

 

[Skyfyre]

"Go, Crabhammer!" I shouted out. Nightwing, Terastalized with a water spout 'hat' above her head, slapped the riverbank hard with her tail, creating a tall splash of water up before it landed back down, joining the river stream. And she left a huge dent in the ground where she hit, very nice.

Dun smirked, using his own Aqua Tail to slam into the ground, making a mark just as large or slightly larger than hers. Nightwing glared, launching back into the training with renewed fervor. While not quite as bad as Riolu, she can be quite competitive too. Moreso, since her evolution.

I wasn't sure if it was some new instinct, but thought it might just have been her reveling in her newfound power, and that clashing with the existing might Dun had. The fact that even with her evolution and the Tera Type change she had undergone before we went on our journey, she still couldn't match up to him.

The two of them escalated, their attacks backsplashing onto me, even as I stood a good distance away. "Quit it, you two!" I barked out even as I called on my Aura to try and dry myself off. It wasn't great since I wasn't that skilled at air manipulation, or at least not in that manner. Aura really is a constant uphill climb. Speed and power for cutting air blades don't really help my precision or the temperature of the wind. And all of that doesn't relate to enhanced vision.

Or at least, none of it had for me. It was entirely possible that there were other, more naturally talented Aura users or with different mindsets that could learn it better. Tulip had mentioned some interconnectivity between her skills, but I couldn't tell if that was due to our different Auric Types or some other factor.

It would be interesting to study, though I do worry that any results I print might influence how others learn. If I say Aura works in one way, does it really work that way, or just for me because I think that way? I knew well that certain academic 'facts' could get entrenched in public perceptions long after they'd been disproven. It wasn't as bad in this world as it was in my former one, but there were still infamous 'Pokedex entries' that plagued the world.

Pushing that out of my mind, I called Nightwing and Dun back, the two of them having stopped splashing me but descended into a small scuffle themselves. Even without using Moves, I can feel the ground shake from the strength each one has.

"If you can't take training seriously, we'll have to go back and spend another day here before we hit the road," I said, jerking a thumb at Cortonodo behind me. That got both my Pokemon to straighten up and get back to serious training, particularly Dun. Honestly, we should probably head back at least for a moment to get the Tera Orb recharged. I don't think we'll need it before hitting Alforando, but better safe than sorry.

After a quick stop by the Pokemon Center to recharge it, we turned right around and headed straight back to the river. It ran around the edge of the city, and past it, a mountain towered above us. With several large flat sections, it felt more like a bunch of cliffs stacked on top of each other.

While not as famous as the Glaseado Mountain, it was still daunting enough that even I felt trepidation at the idea of trying to scale it. Which is why I wasn't doing that! Instead, I began gliding across the river, sliding smoothly through the air to the other side.

Dun was the Pokemon I had out with me at the time, and he flapped his wings hard, flying over the river as well before slithering beside me. We walked on the edge of a long drop to the valley down below, heading to a slim bridge of land where we could cross over. From there, a cave could take us through the mountain and around to Alfornada.

There was another pathway all the way around winding hills to go over the bridge way further down the road leading out of Cortonodo, only to then basically backtrack this way.

Looking down at the ground below, I saw the fields were thinner, with the grass often dead or dying. "Why do you think the plants here are doing so much rougher?" I asked. "The fields around Cortonodo are even flatter than here, so it's not like they're getting more sun. Maybe the Charcadets?" I theorized, but was throwing the idea out of my mouth as soon as I said it. Nah, I can only spot a couple of Charcadets down there anyway.

"Un," was Dun's uncharacteristically disinterested response. While he doesn't often get the point of the topics I bring up, he usually at least feigns interest. I wonder what's wrong?

Thinking so, I decided to ask him. "What's up? You haven't been yourself recently."

Dun responded by looking at me before rushing on ahead, charging towards a wild Arcanine that was lazing in the sun. So fluffy!

The lion-dog opened a lazy eye as my Dudunsparce approached, barking disdainfully. Dun hissed at her, prompting the fiery Pokemon to jump up, grass beneath her feet burning up in an instant.

Walking up, I held my hands up and open, saying, "Hey, can't we all agree this is just a big misunderstandi-" Both Pokemon disagreed, vocally. "Ok, so we're doing this." I don't get what Dun is trying to prove here. Sure, Arcanine is big and intimidating, but-

The two of them squared off, the wild Pokemon making the first Move, covering herself in flames as she charged ahead.

Dun made the last Move, surrounding his tail with water and spinning around. The Aqua Tail smacked into her, sending her tumbling to the ground with a loud crack. -she's no match for Dun.

Wincing at the sound the attack made, I cautiously checked on Arcanine. She'd be fine, but just so there were no hard feelings, I sprayed her with a Potion and tossed a Sitrus berry in front of her before moving on.

"So what was that supposed to prove?" I asked, glaring down at Dun. "I don't like wasting berries like that while we're on the road; our supplies are going to be more limited here."

"Dudun, arce. Un un unsparce." Dun wiggled and let out a loud sigh.

"It's the polite thing to do, to help out a Mon, especially if they didn't agree to a battle in the first place. And yes, I'm practically made of money, but I'd still feel guilty if I had to ask a courier to deliver something while we're out here." Shaking my head, I added, "That's still not answering what the point was.

My starter answered by having his tail to the lad around us. Huh? What is he trying to- oh. Looking closer, I could see all the wild Pokemon that could were scurrying away, not wanting to incur Dun's wrath.

"They're all running away, and all of them are a good deal weaker than that Arcanine." She wasn't Terastalized though. I wonder if that's because there weren't enough Tera Crystals nearby? Doubtful- but back on topic!

"You're upset about not being used for the Gym Battle," I surmised.

Dun shifted, his wings flapping slightly agitated. Agreement, but something more. About where we are? No, the Pokemon around here. "You're upset at not getting a challenging battle," I clarified, and Dun nodded.

I sighed, seeing his point. If it was just being jealous over not getting to fight while the others did, I'd be upset at him being so immature, but this makes a bit more sense. Still though, I put the team that way for a reason. "I get that, but the others are going to need to stand on your level if we're to take on the Elite Four, and well…" My voice trailed off as I looked back, past the city to the towering wall of stone and earth that served as a barrier for Area Zero and the rest of Paldea.

"Dun dun un." They replied resignedly. "Arce?" They asked, and I laughed.

"There are plenty of wild Pokemon you can battle up here that'll be challenging too. Honestly, we should face some pretty soon; the League just likes to keep these areas near Mesagoza clear of some of the more troublesome Pokemon." While you could technically start anywhere for your Gym run, a lot of the challengers are students, and thus heading straight from Uva to either Cortonodo or Artazon.

That perked Dun up, the land snake looking ahead eagerly, a pep back in his… slither. I continued, "And I'll put you in for the next Gym Battle, after Riolu is defeated."

"Ar," he comments, sharing a sidelong glance with me.

"Right, right, 'if' Riolu gets knocked out, then you're up." That was more just a reminder to be careful of my words around her, and not that Dun doesn't agree with me. Not to say that isn't strong; she is. But we're going up against a Fairy Type Gym, and will be facing the toughest team they have to offer. I have a lot of faith in Riolu, but I think eventually that will take her down. Probably not Dun though.

"I hope you're ok with going third in this battle, Miles?" I asked, all of us aware that it was unlikely they'd get much time to battle, if at all in this match.

"Bzzt, that's perfectly fine, Nemona." They rose out of my pocket to face me and Dun. "I was actually just looking up the routes, and there is another pathway to Alfornada, bzzt. If you take the lower caves, there's a long pathway up around the coast which ends up leading into the cavern and shortly through there to the city."

They flipped around the phone case and showed me the details. "Oh, there's even a travel advisory that there are much tougher and more territorial Pokemon here, so new Trainers should be cautious." The excitement in my tone didn't exactly match my words, but it did match the wide grin on Dudunsparce's face.

"Alright, let's go! If I remember right, I think there's even a Terastalized Eelektross roundabouts those waters."


***


There was not a Dragon Type Tera Eelektross off the southwestern shores of Paldea.

"Protect!" I desperately called out, Thunder striking down from the rainy sky upon Dun, doing his best to survive the onslaught from his foe.

What there was, was an Electric Tera Dragonair in the waters right outside the cave.

We had camped overnight outside the lower cave that cut a path straight through the mountains. It was an old thing, irregular in shape, likely due to being constructed by Pokemon. While relatively round, the middle section was elevated compared to the side, the gloom illuminated by a few packs of Salandits and occasional Salazzle spitting fire.

The outside hadn't helped in terms of visibility, rain pouring down heavily. Upon getting outside, Dun and I were soaked, and seeing no reason not to get further damp, we marched down the hills to the beach and then out in the water. But with the rain, we didn't see the clutch of Dratini we got near or the Terastalized Dragonair swimming beneath the surface, and now...

"Yawn, then Hex!" I called out, hoping that those Moves would work well enough in the water. When Dragonair burst out, we made to retreat back to shore, but a combination of a well-directed Surf and Wrap had the Dragon dragging us back to sea.

Their efforts were mostly on Dun than myself, so I was able to scramble to solid ground while Dun was struggling against the Terastalized Pokemon. His Yawn cloud was met by Dragonair surrounding themselves in a faint green spherical energy, a barrier not unlike Protect, but too diffuse to be that Move.

And yet Yawn doesn't seem to have made them drowsy. Hex, however, pierced through easily, the Ghost Type Move causing the slender Pokemon to thrash about, still hurting them.

As I saw the energy field remain around Dragonair without their continued effort, I put together what it was. Safeguard. No point in going for status Moves, and a lot of his Physical Moves are right out too. Fighting in the water was a very different experience for Dun, and one I regretted not practicing enough.

"Hyper Voice!" I shouted over the storm, and Dun's voice soon boomed out in response. Boomburst still eluded my starter, but the sound was enough to send Dragonair diving beneath the waves, their ear-wing things shaking at the assault. He's in a bad position, but Dun still has the strength to win this.

Of course, this was a wild battle, not a League-sanctioned Trainer one. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the braver Dratini's leading the charge to protect their stronger kin, the rest of the clutch trailing behind them. Sweet, but I do need to put a stop to that.

Releasing Notch from their ball, I said to them, "Go and keep the little ones from interfering - peacefully, if you would." Then to my starter, I said, "Coil while you wait, and when they get close, get angry!"

The crystal-encrusted Rock Pokemon floated over the waves before dropping down a powerful Reflect between the battling Pokemon and the group of Dratinis. The wall of force cut through the water like a guillotine, causing the small Dragons to look up and fearfully behold the Fairy Type above them. Despite the barrier not being wide enough to stop them from swimming around it if they really wanted, the Dratinis got the message and hung back to watch the fight.

Dun was doing his best to curl up in the water and still keep his head above the surface, and he did an admirable job of that, using his wings to help keep himself afloat. Dragonair sought to disrupt that, their tail lashing up and around his body, but Dun was prepared. Rather than resisting the pull underwater, Dun went along with it, thrashing into the Dragon with Outrage.

From beneath the churning depths, it was hard to make out what was going on, but the cloud overhead darkened, a lightning bolt striking down into the water and then… a stillness, before Dragonair burst out of the water.

Of course, I was less worried since I could see that Dragonair no longer had the light bulb Tera 'hat' above their head and was breathing heavily, their head hanging low. A few seconds later, Dun erupted out of the water. Though his scales were burnt and cracked in a few places, Dun screeched challengingly at the Dragon.

Slowly the Dragonair shook their head, turning and swimming away, gathering the rest of their clutch as they retreated.

"Woohoo! Good job, Dun! Now, can you get back here so we can get out of the rain?"


***


We traveled a good distance along the coast, not opting to go up the stone 'road' yet. The trek was by no means easy, however. Kilowatrels harassed us with their very presence, flying freely through the storm and generating vast amounts of electricity. The Bombirdiers, on the other hand, targeted us personally, dropping rocks from the cliffside down upon us.

Dun pushed through, blasting the troublesome birds away with Hyper Voice and Hurricanes. Few tried to push through one of his attacks, but the aerial Pokemon were plentiful here. The previous fight, as well as the storm, meant that these efforts were starting to sap even his prodigious reserves.

Luckily, towards the end of the path, there was a large opening to a cave. Finally. It's better than getting caught out in this weather, and I can see the road above would have taken longer to get to shelter, but it's still been at least a dozen kilometers.

Once we rushed inside, we saw that the cave didn't go very far but was quite open and spacious. It was tall and round, creating a nice shelter where several types of Pokemon gathered. Sableyes, Makuhitas, Gibles, and more powerful Pokemon, like Toxtricitys, Hariyamas, and a Gabite. Of course, the most noteworthy of these was a Hawlucha in the center, shining with the light of Terastalization, a set of bug antennas above his head.

Immediately upon seeing us, the bird-wrestling Pokemon spread his arm wings out and began Naruto running towards us with a piercing cry.

"Ughhhh," I groaned, looking to Dun. I asked, "You up for another battle, or mind giving Riolu a turn?"

Dun thought about it for half a second before shaking his head. He made no moves to go back to his ball, however, instead electing to remain out and puff himself up, challenging any other Pokemon that might think about coming close.

"Riolu, I choose you!" I shouted, aiming the Pokeball so my Fighting Type would emerge right in front of us. Which was good, because Hawlucha was only a half step in front of that.

Having heard her name already, even inside the ball, Riolu proved why she was possibly the most skillful of my team, using that short time and the slight surprise on Hawlucha's part to turn the Terastalized Pokemon's charge against him. Grabbing an arm one way, turning her body, and keeping her center of gravity low, she tossed him over our heads and into the edge of the cavern entrance, a picture-perfect Circle Throw.

Dun and I settled into the side, trying to get out of the line of fire and ensure that no one else could surprise us, placing our backs to the wall (though still decently close to the entrance if we needed to flee for some reason). Meanwhile, Hawlucha was tumbling through the air as he fell down, seemingly insensate. However, I saw the bird's eyes glint in the stormy light from outside and knew what he was planning.

"Dancing Sword!" I called out, and she threw herself into an artful evasion right as Hawlucha swooped down, diving almost faster than my eyes could see. She spun around his strike, foreseeing it and flashing her claws as she did so. Her teeth were bared in a vicious smirk as her eyes glowed, and I knew the Move had worked.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" I shouted, and she flipped, striking down with the heel of her foot at the top of Hawlucha's head. Despite making her leap as small as she could, her foe still moved swiftly, ducking out of the way so the blow only glanced off the top of his Tera 'hat.' Still did some damage, thanks to the boost from her new Move.

In attempting to speed up Detect and utilize it in the middle of other Moves if she needed to immediately dodge, Riolu had managed to combine it and Swords Dance. The Move only works now if they're using a damaging attack against her and only increases her attack by one step, but still, it's incredible.

Hawlucha disagreed, letting out a keening cry as they held a hand out and made a 'come get some' gesture. Crud, Taunt. That cuts out a lot of our combos. "Poison Jab," I called out, hoping to debilitate the Tera Pokemon in another way.

Riolu darted up, poison dripping off her small claws as she ran forward. The wrestling Pokemon smirked, dodging her first blow with his superior speed and clamping a hand down on her wrist. Flipping her up and around, she was thrown to the ground before he jumped atop her with an elbow drop.

My Pokemon yowled, in pain from the blow, barely managing to push Hawlucha off before he could grab her again - and clawing his face with her still poisoned paws as she did so. Rolling up into a fighting stance, she threw a few Force Palms at him as well, the blows hammering in but doing little to slow him down as he rushed in again.

"You can't Paralyze him! Vacuum Wave retreat!" I called out as I remembered one of Hawlucha's possible abilities. Jumping up, Riolu blasted the air, pushing herself backwards around the cavern. Hawlucha swiftly pursued, with the occasional wince of pain, the Poison taking hold.

The dodging tactic we employed didn't hold forever. While he had tried dodging the Vacuum Waves that propelled towards him at first, after a minute, he just tucked his head and started rushing through them. With his Bug Tera Type, they did little damage to him, and he swiftly approached the canine-Pokemon, jumping dramatically above her.

"Dancing Sword," was my order in response, the Taunt having worn off. Hawlucha tried to control his dive down upon her, but to no avail; she saw all his motions ahead of time and easily spun around his assault.

Hawlucha landed on the ground gracefully enough despite the miss, but it was still a huge opening. "Copycat!" My Pokemon proceeded to perform the same Move Hawlucha had just tried. The Tera Pokemon looked shocked seeing his Move so perfectly copied, and then he was slammed into the ground by it. Flying Press is a pretty cool Move. It's a shame it's so based on Hawlucha's physiology that Riolu probably can't permanently copy it.

My smile quickly faded as the dust from the impact cleared, and I saw that despite the Move being neutral Type-wise against the Hawlucha and all the power Riolu had behind it, our foe wasn't out of the fight yet. "Watch out!" I cried out, too late for her to dodge the green glowing claws that cut into her fur in an 'X' pattern.

Our foe sprung up, chasing after Riolu and began wailing into her with a punishing flurry of blows. I couldn't even properly make out what kind of Fighting Move it was as she was pushed back, trying her best to defend.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dun slamming his body against the ground, making an Earthquake to ward off a Toxtricity that was rearing up to spit poison at us. Dammit! Have to focus on Riolu's fight and just trust Dun has things handled.

"Detect," I tried, hoping that would be enough to get her out of the way. While not as useful as our new Move, it was faster and easier to use in a circumstance where Riolu was already being pushed back.

Unfortunately, even that wasn't to be, as Hawlucha Feinted right before going left, burying a fist in her gut. She doubled over in pain, and I was reminded of the frailty of my newest Pokemon. She's incredibly skilled, which is a strength she wields well, but she just can't tank hits like everyone other than Phantasm on my team can. Or maybe she can…

As her back hit the wall, I called out, "Endure!" Riolu snapped up a tight guard, weathering the blows that surely would have otherwise taken her out. I heard a cry of rage beside me as Dun was knocked off the Gibles, biting into him, and felt the cold as he spun towards them.

This is her chance! I thought as I saw Hawlucha panting, having finished his devastating combo. On shaky legs, Riolu still stood, much to his surprise as I shouted "Reversal!" Grabbing his own wrist the same way he did to her, she tried to pull him. With greater strength, the Tera Pokemon wrenched his hand back, but that was just what she wanted, the motion letting her secure a grip around his back. Arms around his waist, she pulled, leaning back to smash our enemy into the ground in a powerful piledriver.

That blow did it, and with one last cry of pain, the Terastalization effect shattered around Hawlucha, the Tera Pokemon defeated.


***


With the 'boss' of the area defeated, the other Pokemon backed off, unwilling to fight us but still clearly wary. That eased up a bit when I healed the Hawlucha alongside Riolu, our foe taking their loss in good spirits.

After a bit of charades, I was able to work out a deal with the Hawlucha, where we would get to sleep at a spot by the wall in the cave and the other Pokemon would leave us alone. Just in case, I left Notch outside the tent (after Miles in Heat Form had dried me off) to keep an eye on things.

My Carbink seemed quite happy too, the cave being a comfortable reminder of home for them while also being relatively new and interesting. There were many different species all living together in this cave and the rain outside, both of which seemed to fascinate Notch.

Upon waking up, I stretched, the hard, rocky ground uncomfortable on my back. Though I do have the tent, a sleeping bag, and a thick air mattress to sleep on. Honestly, I might have just gotten too used to the comforts of home. As I left the tent, I saw a few disgruntled Pokemon walking away from Notch.

"... What did you say to them?" I inquired, because they didn't seem aggressive or insulted. Some of those Gibles looked at Notch like you might look at a crazy person ranting on a subway - probably harmless, but not like you want to be near them.

They chimed in response, and I couldn't grasp the nuance, but Riolu nearby shook her head. She must have gotten up in the night and was doing some stretches in the early morning (it was still dark and stormy enough out that I wouldn't have been able to tell it was if I hadn't seen the time on Miles' case). She turned to face me and barked.

"Yeah, I can join you for some stretches," I replied, suppressing a groan. My body didn't want to, but I knew it was important to keep up with practice, even on the road. While the travel might keep me fit, there was something to be said for technique. I'm in awe of Riolu's form, even to this day.

It was humbling to see the kinds of rigors a dedicated Fighting Type would put themselves through. I admired Riolu in particular for her dedication to try and eke the last little bit of perfection on each motion as she went through her katas, constantly working on being the best she could. It's a large part of what lets her keep up with evolved or single-stage Pokemon that otherwise outclass her in terms of sheer power, speed, and resiliency, and part of what will make her a true nightmare to fight when she evolves.

After our stretches, she extended a paw towards me, and I nodded with an eager grin, the prior stiffness shaken off. "You'll have to go easy on me, but a spar sounds great." Riolu gave me a toothless smile in return, taking up a fighting stance.

We traded blows back and forth, dancing around the cave, a small circle forming around as Pokemon, interested in the practice (particularly Hawlucha). Riolu stuck to only defensive Moves and regular jabs and kicks, which was still more than enough to compensate for the reach I had on her.

"Good job," I said after calling for a break, half an hour later. "Dancing Sword is getting quite sharp; you're using the motions of your enemy quite well. I think you'll soon be able to use it and not even need contact with your opponent to pull it off."

"Olu," she responded, her chest puffed out a bit in pride. I could also see the happiness in her Aura. We discovered that Move together when we sparred in the past. When we tried testing out how fast she could switch from buffing herself up to using Detect to dodge and still maintain the effect. She started incorporating my punches into part of her dance, and we had a new Move on our hands/paws.

There were still some limits, sadly. Swords Dance was the only Move we'd found to be compatible with it. It was slower than regular Detect, and without an opponent attacking in close, the 'dance' wouldn't work to get the boost. I wonder if she could still use it sparring against a human that doesn't have their Aura unlocked; as she's mentioned, it works in part by aligning her Aura with her foe's. Though even unlocked, it's not like people don't have Aura, it just has less of an effect on the world around them.

I ran the rest of my team through some drills, with Hawlucha trying to show off as well, much to Riolu's annoyance. Sorry, bud, I don't think she's interested in who can throw the biggest rock around; more about the technique behind that rock throwing. It's probably why she gives Dun all those glances. For all that he can seem like a brute in a fight, Dun actually has incredible control and variation in the Type energies he can use.

Checking the weather, one of my phone apps said the storm would continue for most of the day, so I was surprised when I saw the rain outside suddenly stop just before noon. Not one to question the good fortune, I folded up all my gear and went to leave, stepping out into the bright light - only to have rain pour down on me, like a vast curtain falling down. What? Oh.

Looking over, I saw a large area where the rain refused to fall beside me and a Golduck looking curiously from the center of the dry area. Cloud Nine, Golduck's Ability must be stopping the weather around them. For a moment, I was tempted to ask them if they could help cover us in our trek before waving off the idea.

It's kind of selfish to ask that of them since it's a pretty long climb up from here to the cave that leads to Alfornada. Plus, stopping the rain would do nothing to stop the moisture on the ground, and I don't want to try climbing up a slippery, rocky path hundreds of meters above the ocean.

Trudging back inside, I released Miles into their Heat Form to dry me off once again. "This sucks," I commented as I slowly warmed up for the second time in two days.

"Is it really that bad, bzzt?" Miles questioned, surprising me before I remembered that we had installed vocalizers on their combat appliances in preparation for this journey.

"Well… no, I guess it isn't. We can do some training here, we aren't too far off schedule. And sorry again that you haven't had as much battle time yet."

"Bzzt, it's fine. And you're taking on Brassius after all of this, correct?" I nodded, so they said, "Just put me in against him then."

"I will. Hmm, Brassius... " I paused, biting my lip.

"What is it, bzzt?"

"I'm just trying to think which of your forms will be the best choice. Grass Types have tons of weaknesses, but that means he probably has a lot of counters ready as well." Brassius' high-level teams don't have tons of coverage yet, but I should probably use Heat; unlike some Grass Trainers his teams don't rely much on the Sun for his strategies, so I could possibly use Sunny Day. Though maybe that means that he has counters for it? If he has Rain Dance, that could shut down Heat Form. But if we use it ourselves with Fan Form, Hurricane could hit his team hard, Breloom in particular gets shut down fast by that. On the other hand…

Miles soft chuckles at my muttered theorizing brought me back. "Okay, okay, we can still spend our time here well. It's not that big a delay."

"Sounds good, bzzt. In fact... I think I'll try my hand at strategizing too! I'll try and pick out the Form I want to use for my battle against him. If that's ok, bzzt," they asked bashfully.

"No problem at all! Can't wait to see what you come up with."

In the end, we ended up spending a few more days after the storm had passed, waiting for the pathway above to dry out, as well as sparring against the wild Pokemon, both in the caves and outside. Mostly it was good practice for Phantasm to work on her illusions and generally getting faster and stronger (and learning a few sneaky tricks from the Sableyes in the cave), but there were some challenges even for my more experienced Pokemon. Nightwing was even defeated by a particularly skillful Cloyster, his icy barrage managing to take down my Gliscor.

After a second match, one my starter handily won, I asked if he wanted to join us, but the Cloyster was lukewarm on the idea before eventually declining when they realized how far we'd be traveling from the ocean. I didn't bother asking anyone else; the others seemed generally disinterested in joining us, even if they were up for training against us. The 'boss' of the cave specifically was quite eager to fight and practice alongside us.

Using my Aura Sight, as incomplete as it was, I got the vague impression of Bug energy radiating off the Hawlucha over our stay, growing stronger bit by bit. I think in a week he'll get his Terastalization back. Part of me was tempted to stay longer, but a larger part knew we had to get going. Phantasm has been getting particularly antsy, picking fights with some of the Gibles under illusion and getting the little guys to attack each other while she slips away in the chaos.

On the fourth morning there, I packed up my bags, bidding them all farewell and thanking the wild Pokemon for letting us stay there. There was a small hike up the hill, backtracking our way to the pathway up, which had fully dried out. From there (after a brief lunch almost using up the end of my rations), we had an even longer trek up the small winding stone pathway.

Before that, however, I spotted a boat parked on the shore to the North, where we'd fought the Dragonair. Hmm, no sign of the Dragonair or their clutch there; wonder what's up with that?

I had already spent enough time here, so I didn't bother to go back all that way. Something I was glad of as the sun beat down on me as we made our way up the narrow path. Phantasm was probably even more happy about it, given how she was panting from the tough climb. Hisui was much colder than Paldea. I wonder if that had some impact on her heat tolerance? Though, calling them a 'Hisuian variant' might actually be a mistake since it seems like it wasn't actually the land of Hisui but certain other conditions that caused the change.

"Just try and focus on Ice Type energy," I advised her. "We'll see if you can pick up some TMs that work with the energy in the city, but for right now, just focusing on it will help."

"Zor, orua, zor." She spat out bitterly, and I frowned.

"Hey, no need for that. I think Ice Type is good offensively, but defensively it's quite bad, while you have one of the best defensive Typings out there! Why would you think I'd want an Ice Type instead of you?" She sat down, turning her head away from me. Ugh, I want to ask where she gets this behavior from, but it's probably the rest of the team. I love em, but Nightwing can be a bit bad about getting called out.

Taking out a small bowl and pouring some water from my bottle in it, I gave her the chance to take a drink. Despite her refusal to look at me, thirst won out, and she quickly lapped it up. While she did so, I thought about what could have brought this on. "You're upset about the Cloyster thing, aren't you?"

She sneered at me, conjuring up a caricature of my face, sobbing melodramatically. I don't look like that. Do I? No, of course I don't. "I was not that sad about it. And catching another Pokemon doesn't mean I'm going to stop training you or the like."

My words didn't seem to convince her, and she growled, but I just crossed my arms. "C'mon, you didn't act this way when Riolu joined the team." Of course, when she joined the team, Phantasm was still new to everything, so it was easier for her to adapt to it. That, and we already knew Riolu before we knew Phantasm. Now she's entering a jealous phase.

Scratching the ground for a moment, she surprised me by taking a second to think about it and coming up with an answer, floating an illusory number '6' in front of me. Huh, hadn't expected that. Then again, she's smart enough to know that an overly emotional argument won't sway me, so she's trying to use logic (even if I don't think that's actually the reason why she doesn't like it).

"Yes, six is the maximum you can have on a team for official battles," I agreed. "However, every top-tier Trainer has more than that." Her amber eyes blinked, surprised. "Yup, it's true. No one sticks themselves with just one strategy, often switching it up. Gym Leaders and the like have to have more, to meet the different levels of challengers they face."

Her wispy fur at the top drooped, looking defeated. Oof, not fair, feels like losing even when I win the argument. "That being said, I don't plan on adding a bunch of Pokemon any time soon."

"Zorua?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I do still need to focus on my current team's skills, so I won't catch too many more for the time being. But I hope that you can trust that I won't be neglecting you, even if I do find someone who's a good fit for the team and wants to join."

She barked her agreement out, perking up a fair bit. I hope that tiredness wasn't all an act… though maybe it was so good a one it fooled herself? She is a Ghost Type afterall, some physical exhaustion can probably be ignored.

I kept the discussion light and happy from there on as we continued going up and quietly noted that my hypothesis seemed correct. Her body kept pretty much the same pace throughout it all; the only tiredness Phantasm felt was connected to the mental fatigue of the complexity and size of illusions she crafted.

There weren't many other travelers on our path, but we did find one young woman in denim and a cowgirl hat who waved us down. "Hey!" I walked up to her, happy to meet someone new. "Let's battle! If I win, you have to buy my demo track!"

"Uhh," I could practically feel the sweatdrop on the side of my face. "Sure? Yeah, we can have like a Sky Battle."

"Sky what?" She cocked her head to the side, clearly thrown off kilter.

"You know, Sky Battles, where we both use Pokemon that can fly or otherwise hover."

"No, I don't have no flying Pokemon, just my good ol' Meowth. A regular battle will do us just fine, I reckon." She said brightly, and I facepalmed.

"A regular battle where?!" I stretched my arms out wide, my fingertips almost going past the edge of the pathway.

"Oh, right. Guess I just got a little excited. This is my first time traveling down this path, got a little overexcited. Same for my music career. I'm Mireia," she said with an embarrassed grin, and I shook her hand.

"Nemona." That caused her to gasp and grip my hand tighter.

"Oh treasure, are you the Nemona Glitterati?" She continued rapidly before I could answer. "Ohmygosh, I thought your voice sounded familiar!" She squealed, hitting a note high enough that I could entirely buy her making forays into the music industry. "I have your album, could you sign it?"

It was my turn to be surprised. "You bought the physical copy?" I didn't even know we sold physical copies of the album, I thought it was all just downloads online. I should probably have paid more attention to that stuff, but there was just so much of it, and I was gearing up for my journey…

Realizing she was still waiting for my answer (and worryingly, still gripping my hand), I nodded. "Sure, I can sign it." Thankfully, she let go of me to pull out the CD case from her bag. Pulling out a pen from my own, I signed it for her.

"Do you have any advice for someone trying to make it as a musician?" She asked immediately afterward, thus condemning me to further conversation. Taking a step back, I almost ended up slipping off the edge of the narrow walkway we were on, much to Phantasm's bemusement. Right, laugh it up. Though, I guess it wouldn't really be that bad for me, given my Aura, just tiring.

"Well, hard to say. I had a lot of help in producing it from my family. But um, I'd recommend maybe trying to release your music online first; you can reach a large crowd that way." Almost certainly larger than whatever you'd get by trying to force people to buy your music by beating them in Pokemon battles.

Mireia looked shocked and amazed by what I said, to the point where I wondered if she was distantly related to my family. Probably not given her business sense, but Mom and Dad have definitely looked just like that. "That makes a lot of sense! Wait, but why are you here then?"

I opened my mouth to snap at her about having other priorities before remembering my album had been released not that long ago. I guess most people don't have the same priorities as me. "I'm focusing on the Gym Challenge right now. It might not be as glamorous as going on a tour, but-"

"But think of how many people will see your battles and then check out your music! Of course! I've got to do the same!" With that, she rushed off past me, racing down the path towards Cortonodo.

Chuckling lightly, I shook my head. "Not what I'm doing at all, but whatever works for you," I said to myself before starting back on the climb, only to feel a faint but distinct buzzing from my pocket. "What?" I asked Miles.

"Bzzt, well, it kind of is what you're doing," they said. Floating up, they pulled up some clips from my battles, which my parents had posted online, making music videos with my songs.

"What?! But that's- oh. Wait, they're using The Pretender for my battle theme? It was supposed to be Megalovania!" I pouted. I mean, it's not that bad, Pretender is a pretty bangin' song too, and it does admittedly fit well for Phantasm's fights, but still.

With a sigh and a promise to talk to my parents about this later, I continued my ascent.


***


The sun had just started to set as we made it to the entrance to the Alfornado Cavern. I elected to camp just inside the cavern, the torches planted nearby giving light and the roof above us providing some shelter from the elements.

"Why do you think the 'detour' up to the caverns looks like that?" I pondered aloud, curious to hear what my team had to say.

Nightwing, predictably had very little, yawning sleepily as she was still waking up. She totally can operate during the day, but she prefers to sleep then and be active at night. Those nocturnal traits had only intensified after her evolution, so I'd often leave her out to keep watch then.

Of course, Miles and Notch don't need to sleep in the same way we do, so I like leaving at least one of them out as well. The latter had something to say on the matter, chiming softly, the sound echoing in the cave.

"You think Arceus made it that way?" Notch nodded, and I scratched my chin. "Well, the path certainly is a little unnatural looking; I'll give you that." Looking down at it, it did just seem sort of weird. Aside from this point connecting to the cave, the entire road was separated from the sheer cliff face it ran parallel to. Massive pillars of stone stuck out from the ocean to support the road, but without any sign that they had once been connected to the larger mountain.

"But I don't think Arceus micromanages every little thing. People can do things They don't approve of or would be bad, but only in the worst of situations do They get involved. And even then, it's just like Arceus sending down a human in the right time and place."

That got some curious looks, not just from Notch but also from Riolu, who cracked an eye open from her meditation. "Wha- no, nonono, I'm not talking about me." At least I hope I'm not. Theoretically, it could be that there is no 'protagonist' for this world to deal with Turo's plots, so I was sent in to deal with it, but I doubt it. That's not to say I can't try and fix things here, but…

"I didn't get any mysterious Arc Phone or the like. No mission from Arceus like the Hero of Hissui." No chance to reach the divine llama and get back to my old life either. In some of my worst moments, I could understand Volo's rage against the heavens. But that time's long past. I am truly happy with where I am and who I've surrounded myself with, I thought with a smile as I looked down at my team.

Kneeling down, I said to my Fighting Type "On that note, that makes me think of what item we might get for you. While we're planning on giving you the Expert Belt for this fight, in the future, we can try and find a Fighting Plate."

She cocked her head to the side, curious. "A Fighting Plate is a replica of the Origin Plates, the Plates that can be used to change the Typing of Arceus; or at least, change the Typing of Their Avatar on the planet. The Replicas just give a boost to Pokemon using those Types of attacks."

Riolu was interested, and Notch was practically frantic, chiming and hovering around. "Ok, ok, I'll put out alerts for a Rock Type one for you too." At some more chimes, I clarified, "Rock over Fairy because Rock is the Type for Diamond Storm, the unique Move that Diancie's get."

Progress had still been slow on that front. I had some other plans, but placing pink diamonds on their body to get them to 'grow' the differently colored gems had gone nowhere, as had attempts to get them to conjure diamonds from thin air. Notch can make rocks quite well now, but diamonds are just a step beyond what's possible for them, at least unaided.

"Bzzt, I've put those items on your watch list for the Porto Marinada market," Miles pipped up. I have a few other specialty items on that list, and thanks to my family's connections, we have someone that can bid on those if they show up there. But if I get the chance, I would like to check out the market myself, even if it's not really in the path of any of the Gyms.

"Thanks. Oh, what were we talking about again?"

"The alternate path to Alforanda, bzzt," Miles reminded me.

"Right. So, I think that this path was made by some warlord a long time ago. Well, probably on the orders of some warlord a long time ago."

"Dudun?" My starter asked, half-gazing over at us even as he kept the other eye peering out into the gloom, alert for any threats that might approach us from the dark.

"I don't think it was ever used by some warlord or rival clan or the like, but it's too unnatural not to be specifically constructed. Personally, I think that someone wanted to make an alternate path to attack Alfornada. Someone who was too powerful and important to be denied, but whoever made it didn't want to make something that could work. For whatever reason, be it a desire for peace or just not wanting to spend what it would take to create a viable attack route for an army to march through." The current pathway would leave any troops easy pickings for any Alfornadans defending themselves. Or even just riled up Bombirdiers or the like.

"Interesting theory," a new voice said, causing all of us to whip around to see a young woman with wild blue hair stepping out from the shade and into the flickering torchlight. She was wearing flared blue jeans and a pale blue western-style jacket with short red fringe. On her belt, she had a buckle in the shape of Lunala, and on her left wrist, she had a bracelet that looked suspiciously similar to Tapu Koko.

"Oh!" I said, with a surprised glance over at Dun, who was frowning. How did she sneak up on us? "Umm, Alola," I tried, doing the hand wave to go along with it, earning a bemused smirk from the pretty lady. "Uh, sorry if I made an assumption, just some of your accessories."

"Ah, yes, a few of them have ties to Alola. The stories from that land pique my interest, I must admit. The idea of having such a close connection to those long-lived figures. Oh, the stories they could tell…" She sighed wistfully before shaking her head slightly. "Sorry, I should introduce myself; I'm Raifort."

"Nemona," I replied, noting how her eyes trailed towards Phantasm. The Pokemon in question was sniffing rapidly, staring off past Raifort to the darkness of the tunnel. Isn't that tunnel a little too dark? And Raifort! She's the history teacher at Uva, isn't she? And I think I recall her having a Zoroark as well, though not too much else about her at the moment.

"You want your Zoroark to say hi? As well as your other friends." I offered, causing a small flicker of surprise on her face before she smoothed it out.

"C'mon out," she said, and the unnaturally silent and dark zone faded away, her Zoroark and several humans stepping forward. The Zoroark stepped up to Raifort's side, quickly greeted by Phantasm, who was all but jumping over one of her kin.

The humans were a rather rough-looking group, wearing sailor's clothes. Four guys and a girl, most of them with tattoos and few scars. I mentally designated them as 'Baldy' (a bald man), 'Shaggy' (a younger guy with a cap and shaggy brown hair flowing behind it), 'Shorty' (the shortest person of the group), 'The Girl' (the only girl of the group), and 'Middle Finger' (a man who's right hand middle finger appeared to have a large bite taken out by it).

"Where did you find a Hisuian Zorua?" Raifort asked, looking down at my Pokemon with wonder. This was contrasted by Baldy's leer over Raifort's shoulder at my team. He seems particularly interested in Notch and Phantasm.

"Can't say," I replied with a brittle smile. "She's the youngest member of my team; your Pokemon must remind her a lot of her parents." I added, just to dissuade her from the idea of some ancient secret Hisuian group.

"Did you all come from that boat?" I continued, trying to inquire where this suspicious group came from.

Raifort hmm'd. "My associates did. We're doing a bit of exploring of the lesser-known parts of Paldea. So many secrets hide within these tunnels, just waiting to be unearthed. Ah, you can forget I said that."

To quote a certain game company/series, 'Nemona will remember that.' But there are other things to focus on. Like: "Did you guys have trouble docking your boat there? There was a Dragonair in the area that was a bit territorial."

Shaggy snickered. "Wasn't too much of a problem. Honestly, a bit of a perk-" he began before The Girl elbowed him.

"It's fine," Baldy said in a gravelly tone. "Where did you find those rare Pokemon?"

Middle Finger muttered, "Some of them don't look that rare. Who even uses a Dunsparce?"

"A Dudunsparce, actually. He's evolved," I pointed out before Dun could Hyper Voice them for the affront. Not that I'd be too upset with that. "As for the others, I've traveled a fair bit."

There were some mutters about a 'pipsqueak' and 'rich brat' that they probably thought I couldn't hear. Before I could press them, Raifort spoke up. "Well, it was enlightening talking to you, but I think we best be on our way. So much to do, so little time." Her final sentence appeared to be directed more at them than me, as she turned and left.

I quickly scooped up Phantasm, so she couldn't follow after the Zoroark. And also because I don't like that look in Baldy's eyes and how his gaze lingered before following after her. Without any proof, I finished setting up camp but made sure to have Nightwing, Notch, and Miles all out, patrolling farther down the tunnel.

My precautions didn't make sleep come any easier, which meant when Nightwing swooped into the tent, I was instantly alert and awake. I sent her to go back and round up Notch and Miles while I focused.

Stretching out my hearing with my Aura, I was flooded with sounds of scratching claws and scuffling feet on stone, as well as general Pokemon sounds. What caught my ears was the familiar sounds of humans talking in hushed tones, and I focused on that.

"Should we really be doing this? Raifort told us to keep focused-" Shaggy was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"Shut up, wimp. What she don't know won't hurt her, like those Dratini's we snared." Probably Shorty, he didn't talk last time. "Sides, she's off looking for that thing, so we got plenty of time for a side gig."

"Just think of the payday we'll get for that Zorua! It looked so fluffy, I bet some old rich bitch will pay us tons for it!" The Girl squealed.

"What'll we do with the girl? Do we take her too?" Shaggy questioned. Middle Finger snorted.

"You getting soft, kid? We're gonna off her, of course!"

There was a grunt from Middle Finger as Shaggy retorted. "Oh, shove off! I just meant she might know where a bunch of other rare Pokemon are. Keep the Golden Sirfetch'd and all the Eggs it lays and all that jazz."

The Girl giggled. "Look at you, trying to sound all philosophical and junk. But really, do we keep her?"

There was silence for a minute, save for the sounds of them stomping closer before Baldy spoke up. "Nah, too much risk. We toss her body into the water below; anyone looking into it thinks it was an accident. But all you lot, stay quiet now," he growled. "We catch her sleeping, take her Pokemon, and do this cleanly. Let's not mess shit up here."

Oh. Oh fuck.

Spoiler: A/N:

Some exploration, another canon character introduction and two fights against Tera Pokemon! What a fun chapter, right?

... Ok, so yeah, that ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, and a darker note than the rest of the story has been. Hopefully I've been successful in hinting at the fact that these sorts of things do exist in the world, albeit rarely. Which also means the fic isn't going to take a dive into darker territory after this arc is done. I just hope that people can wait to see the arc as it unfolds before jumping to any conclusions and have fun with the story as it goes. Thank you all for your support.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

"Go, Crabhammer!"

Click to shrink...

Ironically my favorite Pokemon move for no particular reason. Great Chapter!

 

[Valthorix]

Oh. Oh fuck

Click to shrink...

In which Nemona runs into her first real criminals. I've been reading Pokémon Dark Tidings recently and that might be tainting my ability to predict what happens next in this kind of situation but hopefully Nemona and the team gets through this in one piece.

 

[Skyfyre]

Shit shit shit what do I do? Ok, first step, don't panic. A task easier said than done, admittedly, but the sight of Miles and Notch returning with Nightwing helped calm me down. Hypocritically, telling the enraged Gliscor on my team, "calm down," helped too.

She looked out for blood but gave a terse nod. A Pokemon attacking a person violently wouldn't be looked upon well, and I wasn't planning on just tossing them in the ocean below. Not that the thought isn't tempting. Gotta focus on a plan. How far away are they? I listened, but it was hard to pinpoint their exact position in the tunnel. Think I have a minute at least.

Releasing the rest of my team from their balls, I started enacting a strategy. "Phantasm, make an illusion covering," I whispered as we got out of the tent, standing off to the side. "Riolu, Dun, Miles, buff up." Riolu began her Swords Dances, while Dun Coiled around, and Miles smirked, a Nasty Plot forming in their head.

Pulling out a lump of Light Clay from my bag, I shoved it onto my Carbink's body. "Notch, screen duty." They waved their ears and began focusing on the Psychic energies needed to make a Light Screen and Reflect. Then I tossed the Toxic Orb to Nightwing, wasting a few seconds fiddling with the heavy-duty gloves to wrap around the Orb so I could safely handle it.

I wanted to give him more instructions, but my breath caught in my throat as I saw the poachers strolling down the cavern towards us. They were already releasing their Pokemon, a Hypno, Arbok, and Bisharp at their sides, quickly joined by a Butterfree and Beedrill.

Theoretically, Phantasm is covering for any sounds I make, but I don't want to make things more complicated for her. She looked quite nervous, and I wished I could reassure her. The Hypno was already giving odd glances our way.

"Dream Eater the girl in the tent and put her to sleep for good," Baldy ordered. I raised my hand up, indicating for most of my team to get off the ground if they could. The leader's face scrunched up, and he said, "What do ya mean she's not-"

"Earthquake!" I shouted, and all hell broke loose. Dun slammed the ground, shattering both the stones and the illusion that obscured us from view. Nightwing and Miles easily hovered above the shaking ground, while Notch lifted themselves as close to the ceiling as they could and Riolu jumped up.

A few rocks fell from the vibrations, clipping them, which was nothing on what happened to the poachers. The Bisharp and Arbok rolled on the ground in pain, with Hypno and Beedrill not far behind them. Only the Butterfree remained unscathed, but her trainer was not, The Girl having fallen and smacked her head against the ground.

Not wanting to give them a chance, I yelled out quickly, "Hyper Voice! Riolu, Hi Jump Kick the Bisharp, Nightwing Acrobatics the Butterfree, Notch Psychic the Beedrill-"

"Hypno, put those fools to sleep!" Baldy began, pulling out another Pokeball from his belt.

"Shadow Sneak Hypno!" I shouted out, and Phantasm, the only Pokemon able to use that Move, did so, outpacing the swinging of Hypno's pendulum and causing him to cry out in pain. Then everyone was crying out as a wave of sound battered the poachers and their Pokemon. Miles' use of the Move in particular left even my own ears ringing, and the others fared much worse.

Bisharp tried to get up and close with me, but a flying kick from Riolu broke his horn and smashed the Dark Type into the ground with a heavy clang. Nightwing viciously tore into the Butterfree, ripping at her wings, while Notch did much the same to Beedrill telekinetically.

"Don't beat them up too much," I tried to warn them, not wanting any fatalities on my hands. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Arbok, which had actually Protected itself, now slithering up and biting into Phantasm.

"Dammit, Nightwing, Bulldoze the Arbok," I tried to shout over the din of battle. Whether Nightwing had heard me or not, it was a moot point, as some powder flapped from Butterfree's wings had Nightwing's eyes drooping before she fell to the floor.

Some of the poachers were unconscious or insensate from the area attacks, but not all of them, unfortunately. Middle Finger yelled something unintelligible as he released a heavily scarred and bruised Feraligatr from his belt. Baldy stumbled around and clicked the button on his Pokeball to send out a Magneton as well.

The Water Type had a crazed look in their eyes as they lunged towards my fallen Pokemon, jaws stretched wide.

"Thunder!" I shouted, and Miles delivered, conjuring up a quick bolt to smite the giant alligator-like Pokemon, even underground.

While he did that, the Beedrill tried skittering towards us, despite the loss of his wings functionality, only to get Body Slammed into unconsciousness by Dun. I barely gave any attention to that as I focused on Phantasm's fight.

"Bitter Malice! Riolu, Aerial Ace as well!" Phantasm shrieked in hatred and loathing, the Ghostly energies assaulting the Arbok before they were swiftly put down by Riolu's heel striking the top of the snake's head.

Lightning erupted out all around from the Magneton, who had drifted into the middle of our group. "AhhHHHH!" I howled in pain as the electricity coursed through me for a second. The Discharge they had released was also zapping all of my Pokemon, as well as several of their Pokemon and even a few of the poachers as well.

It quickly cut out when Dun whirled around and unleashed a torrent of flame at the Magneton. The fire knocked the Steel Type to ground, its magnet ends spinning wildly as it whirred out in pain, until Riolu stomped the ground, shaking the earth around us. It rose up, particularly around the Magneton, and smacked them around, knocking them unconscious.

Riolu's Earthquake was much weaker than Dun's, but I still needed a minute to get back on my feet. So glad that Notch covered me with those screens they set up. Even with that, the electric shock still smarted, but I wasn't doing as badly as the poachers, many of whom were crying on the ground or moaning.

Not all of them, however. Shaggy had been a bit further back and avoided the worst of the area attack. Recalling his Arbok, he shakily released a Kadabra. Teleport? Like hell you will!

"Miles, Shadow Ball!" Then to Dun, I shouted, "Triple Yawn, put them all to sleep."

The last poacher standing proved my worries true, screaming at his Pokemon. "Get us back to the boat! Teleport!" Kadabra blinked, caught just a bit off guard by the craziness of the situation, which was a split second too long. The ball of Distortion energy slammed into the Psychic Type, exploding.

The force knocked Kadabra out and knocked Shaggy away from the clouds of drowsiness Dun laid down upon the group, putting everyone there to sleep in short order.

After the clouds dissipated, I marched up to Shaggy, the man slowly getting back to his feet. Seeing me, he tried to lunge at me, only to receive a boot to the face that knocked out at least one of his teeth.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?"



***


The rhetorical question/implied threat turned out to be harder to answer than I would have liked. The majority of my team voted for tossing them in the water like they had threatened to do to me, Phantasm and Dun in particular keen on that option. Riolu abstained, while Miles served as the only voice of reason and pointed out that we should take them to the authorities (while I pointed out that their votes were appreciated, but this 'was a dictatorship, not a democracy').

Calling the authorities still wasn't working, even when I stepped just outside the cave. They (or possibly Raifort) must have set up some kind of jamming device. That left me with having to use all the rope in my pack to tie them all up after confiscating their Pokeballs.

Most of them had two or three Pokeballs on their belts, but the balls had odd marks. Like they've been opened up and tampered with. Cracking the shells open along those marks revealed the alterations they'd done to the wiring and I felt sick.

It wasn't information you would find on the open web, but I had researched the dark web for all the ins and outs of the proprietary Pokeball technology. My research had been undertaken out of a need to make sure that my Pokemon couldn't be stuck inside their balls, no matter the situation, in preparation for Turo (and feeling like I didn't have time to go to Johto and learn how to make apricorn balls or the like with how fast the Professor was moving). However, my studies had shown me the reverse as well, techniques that criminals could use to manually 'hack' their Pokeballs such that they could only be opened from the outside.

Details like that made me question my commitment to keeping them alive, but only for as long as it took me to find Zorua's hurt face. Hate comes easy to her variant, but I don't want her to be consumed by it. In the end, hatred is going to hurt us a lot more than it hurts them. I was still dedicated to bringing them in to face justice, however, which meant waiting for them to wake up.

"What-?" Was the general sentiment shared by them as water was blasted onto their faces. "What the fuck was that for!?" Shorty sputtered out as I had Miles blast them all again with an extremely low-powered Hydro Pump.

"That was to wake you all up. Now c'mon, get up." I tried to project strength and confidence into my voice. I beat them; that should be enough to not be afraid, right?

Either it wasn't enough, or a nine-year-old girl's voice simply wasn't threatening enough to scare a bunch of hardened criminals, no matter how confident, as Baldy immediately scrambled towards me, hands outstretched to grab onto my neck.

He didn't get anywhere close, however, both because he was tied to the others in a line and because of Riolu. The Fighting Type had reached him in a single bound, her paw gouging into his ribs and leaving him doubled over and wheezing in pain.

"You, you little bitch!" He spat out while I stared down, unamused. The others tried the slightly smarter approach of reaching for their Pokeballs, only to find themselves helpless. A few tried to slip out, only to find the restraints to be quite tight. Thank you Explorer wilderness training. And Amethio said knot-tying skills wouldn't ever be that relevant, ha!

The thought of my friend clashed awfully with my current situation, but I decided to put that aside, knowing I could call them and laugh about this whole thing soon.

"Alright, we're going to start marching up this cave until we reach Alfronada." I tried again, only to be met with more resistance.

"So you can hand us over to the cops? Forget about it; you can't make us move if we don't want to." Middle Finger raised his one working digit of the 'name' I had assigned to him.

"You're right, I cannot physically drag five unwilling adults at once. However, you may notice that I'm not holding the rope." Gesturing through the dark, they could see the end of the rope connecting them all was tied onto Dun. "You can walk or be dragged, your choice."

There was more complaining, but I tuned them out. They wanted to kill me and take my team. Fuck them. A few of them did try holding things up, but they quickly found out that I was not joking and stumbled forwards as the rope drew taut.

Slowly, we made our way up the winding, rocky path. The light was dim, only a few torches interspersed on the edges to illuminate the path. Usually I'd have Miles or one of the others light up the way ahead of us. Currently I had Notch and Miles floating up and down the line, keeping the prisoners from trying anything suspicious.

Well, trying to keep them feels like they can't help themselves, I thought to myself as I saw Miles give a small shock for the third time as they tried to work together to undo their bindings. I can sorta understand why though; with how dark it is and some of the drops, if one of them slipped away, they might actually be able to get away.

The wild Pokemon gave us a decent berth, for the most part. Medichams led packs of Meditites far away, and only the most belligerent of Shelgons would attempt to confront us after Notch sent a Dazzling Gleam out.

Phantasm kept the rear along with myself, warding off any Pokemon that might try to attack us from the rear. Riolu and Nightwing searched all around, alerting us to any danger or obstacles in our way. Gah, this is so frustrating. I'd love to be exploring this cavern; it's vast with tons of nocks and cranies and huge shelves we could explore above… But now I'm tired and marching these criminals up to face justice.

That wasn't the only issue bugging me, however. The biggest question on my mind was: What is the deal with Raifort? I don't think for a second she hired these goons for anything other than something nefarious or didn't know what they were like. But she clearly has some other agenda she's pursuing here, not just opportunistic poaching.

My attempts to ask the poachers questions about Raifort had been met by jeers, requests to be set free, or stone-walled silence. I can't believe someone like that could become a teacher at Uva. Then again, she had some connection to the Treasures of Ruin, didn't she? I made a note to check my journals on the matter once I had some free time.

"Hey, can we get some water? You're killing us here," Shaggy moaned. While he might be exaggerating things, even I'm feeling pretty tired. My legs are burning, and I don't know how much further we have to go.

"No, we keep on going." I ordered, and the unpopular decision was met with little more than groans as they trudged forward. No matter how tired I get, we have to keep on going. The chances of them escaping skyrocket if they have a chance to regain their bearings.

"Hullo?" A voice called down, and I perked up. Squinting ahead, I made out the shape of a heavyset hiker.

"Hello there! I need-" I began as we approached, only for the criminals to scream over top of me.

"Help us!"

"The girl's crazy!"

"We did nothing wrong!"

"Please!"

As we came into the normal eyesight range of the hiker, I said, "Silence." Motioning subtly to Phantasm, they crafted a quick auditory illusion over the group, simply blanking out the sounds they made. I could still tell from the vibrations their voices made against the ground that they were still talking, but myself and the hiker were granted a blessed reprieve from their nonsense.

"What's going on here?" The man asked nervously and a little confused at seeing our strange group, a hand drifting down to the Pokeballs on his belt.

"These are a bunch of poachers that tried to attack me. I'm taking them in," I stated bluntly. My answer didn't seem to fully set the man at ease.

"You? You fought five adults and won? Sorry, but that feels a little unbelievable-"

"I fought Hassel four vee four and brought him down to his last Dragon," I snarled. Something in my demeanor or voice convinced him I was being serious as he shut up (and out of the corner of my eye I saw Baldy's mouth saying, 'Oh, fuck me' as it finally seemed to click that his group had been outmatched).

"Look, I just need to take them into town so the police or Gym can deal with them." Poaching is kind of a gray area for law enforcement jurisdiction, but I'm sure either group can deal with this. Assuming they believe me, that is.

"Ah, right. You won't mind if I go get them then?" He said, twitching as he stared down at Dun before averting his gaze.

"That would be great, actually. Please do," I said with a small sigh of relief as he scampered back up the cavern.

As we continued our ascent, I had Phantasm cancel the illusion she had placed over us, so I could hear them again. They're annoying, but I'd rather be able to hear what they're plotting, even if it means listening to them swear and moan. I think The Girl managed a good ten minute swearfest at one point there.

Luckily, it seemed the forced march had taken much of the wind out of their sails, as they had little energy to complain or try to escape as we neared the exit. Dawn's light became visible through the opening of the cave and I moved to shield my eyes as we exited.

Of course, this was when one of them made their move. Middle Finger pulled out a knife from his boot and swiftly cut the rope holding him in the line, as well as Shorty who was the final one behind him. Notch immediately whirled around and blasted Middle Finger with a Power Gem that knocked him down with a nasty crack sound.

Shorty grabbed the fallen blade, using it to free himself from his fallen comrade and attempt his own escape. Before I could even order Nightwing to swiftly hunt him down, Shorty found himself gripped by psychic energy.

Turning around, I saw a familiar face on the windswept plains before the city of Alfornada. Standing there, Tulip was frowning down at the situation, Florges at her side, the plant-like Fairy Pokemon holding Shorty in her telekinetic grip. "Nemona? What is going on here?"

"I'm so glad to see you, Tulip. Also, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad, just, I sent for the police or Gym… Wait, no way! You're working for the Gym?!" I squealed.

She gave me a smile that was an interesting mix of bemused and starting to be actually annoyed (and one that I had seen a decent amount of times grace her face). "Yes, I'm working as a Gym Trainer here. Dendra has been busy with her expanded classes, and she thought I should do something more with my free time."

Tulip had excellent control over her body and expressions, but I could pick up on a minute shift in her stance as she spoke. I'm thinking that she had one of her 'battle bets' with Dendra, and Dendra won. That's pretty hilarious considering what happened in the games.

"Hey, can you get us out of here?" Baldy demanded. "This girl attacked us, it was crazy, I should press charges-" He began before Tulip silenced him by raising a single finger. Is that Psychic Aura on her part or just her presence? Though maybe the former leads into the latter…

"What is going on here - one at a time!" She clarified before turning to me.

"These are poachers. I found them in the cavern, and they tried to attack me, saying they were going to kill me and take away my team." I took a deep breath, pushing away the tumultuous emotions that memory brought up. "I fought them, won, and dragged them up here."

"Is this all of them?" Tulip asked. Slowly, I shook my head.

"No, there was another person in their group. Raifort. She has long, wild blue hair and dark skin. Some interesting accessories… I met her before with the group before they attacked. She hired them for 'something,'" I said, putting as much implication into that word as I could. "She left to explore the cavern, then these five doubled back."

The teenage model nodded before turning to Baldy and the others. "And your version of events?"

"We were ambushed-"

"-Nothing wrong-"

"-I want a lawyer!"

"One at a time!" Tulip's voice rang out across the plains, and they all winced. That Hyper Voice really did a number on their eardrums. I should have Dun teach Phantasm how to use that Move; she has a good handle on her Ghostly energies, but her Normal Typing is important too.

A few shared glances between the criminals had Baldy talking on behalf of them. "Ma'am, I don't know what she's talking about; that's nonsense. We're just a bunch of Kantoan sailors who were exploring this lovely land when we were attacked by this girl. All our Pokemon were legally obtained; no poaching here." I mean, decent argument if the dude didn't sound like an axe-murderer.

"What about those Dratinis you captured?" I pipped up, earning a glare from Tulip. It also got the desired response from one of the poachers.

"What about them? We're allowed to catch wild Pokemon," Shaggy whined.

"So you're admitting you caught them?" Before Baldy could immediately deny me, I added, "You aren't denying that we'll find them on your boat, the boat that you have keys to." Tulip raised an immaculate eyebrow but allowed the question to go on, with the clear implications that she would be having words with me afterwards if this didn't go anywhere. Scratch that, she'll still have words with me after this is done; they just might be a little less cutting if it works.

"... Yeah, so what? They're wild Pokemon, we can catch a dozen unowned Dratini if we want. Heck, you're the only one taking Pokemon, you took all of ours!" He declared, giving me a crooked smirk.

"Well, for the first point, you're wrong. You can't catch more than one Dragon Type as a visitor in Paldea. And if you'd legally arrived, you'd know that." Technically, there are some exceptions for this, like Professor sponsored Trainers and the like, but that's not really relevant here.

That factoid had everyone, even Tulip, blinking in surprise. "Really? I'd never heard of that."

I shrugged. "That's probably cause you were born here. My family moved here from Unova, so I know stuff like that." Though honestly, I know that more from my talks with Hassel than remembering the Glitterati's moving to Paldea.

"Nemona?" Tulip questioned, her voice a little worried, and I realized I was spacing out, swaying on my feet. Damn, I'm tired. Aura cycling helped, but it has been a looooong day.

"Oh, right, the second point. Your Pokeballs?" I said, turning to the poachers and pulling out the bag where I had their Pokeballs and holding them up.

"Yeah, give them back!" The Girl shouted, her voice hoarse.

"These Pokeballs have been illegally altered to trap any Pokemon inside them." My words caused all of them to go pale, especially as some police officers who had been walking towards us caught the tail end of that. Damn, really am too tired. Should have just brought that up first, before the Dragon thing.

There were sputtered denials, but I knew we had them now. "Alright, if that's all, I'm gonna find someplace place to-"

"I'll need to get a more detailed statement from you, Miss Glitterati," Tulip said, for the police's benefit. Telepathically, she told me, <I'm going to take you to my home, ok? You can rest up there, and we'll talk more later>.

Sleepily, I nodded, the older girl tossing an arm around me as she helped me walk off to her house while the police took care of things.



***



I woke up from Tulip's couch in time to see the sun just starting to set over the horizon. With a yawn, I stretched before frantically checking on my Pokeballs. All there, all good. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I took in the room around me.

It was quite a nice, picturesque, cozy house. There were little tea cozies and floral-patterned cushions. Or rather, Floette-patterned cushions. Tulip's parents really live up to their namesake, don't they?



There was a note on the table addressed to me. 'Nemona, I've gone to the Gym to handle the poacher situation there. When you're ready, please head over so we can talk about it (and possibly schedule you in for a battle as well).

- Tulip'



That sounds like a good idea- my stomach grumbled, reminding me of an important intermediate step as well as drawing the attention of the owners of the house. Poking his head in a middle-aged man saw me. "Ah, Marjorie, she's up!" He shouted back into the kitchen.

"Hello, sorry to intrude," I began. He shook his gray and violet hair.

"Nonsense, dear, no trouble at all. Our little fashionista has had much to say about you."

"Only good things, I hope?" His smile wavered slightly at my question, answering it, even as he ignored it with his words.

"Please stay for dinner, why dontcha? Marjorie is cooking up a mean casserole."

"Thank you, Mr. Floette-"

"Please, call me Greg."

"Greg then, I really appreciate it, but I should probably get going. My team needs to be fed too." While I do have plenty of Pokechow in my bag, and it's the fancy Type specific types, I'd like to get something better for them. They deserve a reward after all their hard work yesterday.



Marjorie entered the room, looking quite elegant, if not having the effortless air of beauty to her that her daughter carried. "Are you sure? We have plenty of food for your team as well."

"I-" My stomach grumbled again. "Ok then, I mean, thank you." She smiled, and I soon found myself whisked to the dining room. It would be a little crowded to have most of my team inside with me, so I let all but Miles (who didn't eat food), outside to partake their meals, alongside Marjorie and Greg's Floettes.

"That's quite the team you have there. Our Tulip isn't one to hand out praises easily, and I can see she was speaking the truth about you." I 'mmhmm'd at Greg's words, both unsure of what to say and hoping to scarf down more of the delicious food in front of me.

He continued, "I remember going on a journey when I was a young lad, bit older than you are now. Thought I'd be Champion someday till Kofu stopped my challenge dead in its tracks!"

"I think there were some other reasons you stopped as well," Marjorie said with a pointed look at him.

"Ah, yes, meeting the love of my life had an effect on me as well." While they shared a look, I quickly directed Miles to send off some texts to my friends and family, letting them know I was in Alfornada.

"What was your team like, Mr- Greg?" I asked, in between bites.

"Oh, I had a fierce Croconaw and a Tinkatink to go along with my dear Floette. They aren't here," he added, seeing me looking out the window for them. "Hard to keep a full team fed when you stop traveling."

Instinctually, I wanted to grab my team and hold them close. "I don't plan on stopping traveling any time soon. Becoming Champion is just the first step for me." Sure, I know that he doesn't want to take away any of my Pokemon and that I won't ever have to give up my team even if I quit this instant with my family's help, but still.

"Oh ho ho!" He said it with a laugh, and Marjorie smiled kindly as well. They weren't looking down on me per se, but it was clear that they thought my dreams were childish. That I haven't met the realities of the world yet. How can people not understand how incredible this world is, how limitless? For people to just settle down and aim for mundane, boring jobs when there's such magic in the world… I don't get it.

"Is something out there?" Marjorie asked, and I snapped my attention back to her.

"Huh?"

"You were staring intently outside, dear."

"Ah, it's nothing, just thinking of all the places I want to go and all the sights I want to see." It's probably just a coincidence, but my gaze out the window there went to the Great Crater.

After we finished dinner, I helped clean up before they offered me the guest bed. Still feeling tired (but not so much so that I launched myself straight onto the couch like I had this morning), I agreed. It's easier than finding a hotel to stay at right now, but I should find a way to pay them back- Dendra?

I sniffed around and found her scent coming from the bed, despite also being able to make out that it had been washed recently. Ah, right, she'd probably be the one who uses this the most. It's odd having such a great sense of smell in this world. Or maybe it just feels odd that my sense of smell was so bad back in my past life.

Getting to sleep was a troublesome affair, not helped by the bad dreams plaguing me. Visions of my Pokemon being taken away from me danced in my head. No matter how much I tried to run after them, the faceless poachers grew farther and farther away until I fell to the ground. Then, my family - my first family - showed up, taunting me that I had 'abandoned them too.' I tried to refuse and-

Waking up with a start, I found myself pinned to the bed, Dun looking down worriedly at me. "Oof," I said mildly, trying to shift him to the side so I could breathe easier. He does make an excellent weighted blanket, though. "I'm fine, just need my nightmares to stay in their damn lanes."

The door opened up, and Tulip strode in. To the regular eye, she looked as poised as ever. Under my discerning gaze, I could see the extra makeup applied underneath her eyes to hide the bags that were forming. "Are you alright?" I asked immediately.

She arched an eyebrow. "I feel like I should be asking you that."

"I'm fine," I said instinctually before wilting under her glare. "I… will be. Just some bad dreams, they'll pass." Or fade away, just like the memories of my first li- bad train of thought all aboard the new train! Uhhhh is that breakfast I smell? Pancakes! Pancakes sound great right now.

A frown marred the model's face. "I wish I hadn't taught you to flicker your thoughts like that. It makes you hard to read when you go through emotions so fast," she grumbled.

"Heh, I think that's just part of how I work naturally. I tend to hop from idea to idea, really frustrates Cyan sometimes." Which isn't to say my Aura training with her hasn't helped me hone that as a skill.

Finally shifting out from under Dun, I got up. "Shall we get breakfast?" Surprisingly, Tulip shook her head.

"I've already eaten, and they need me back at the Gym. Can you drop by today?"

Nodding, I said, "Yeah. I'll be there after breakfast." The meal was a quick (yet tasty) affair, with me heading out shortly after. Gathering my things (mainly just my bag), I waved Mr. & Mrs. Floette off before heading out into the city.

Getting a good look at it, I was reminded of when I'd come here before to train with Tulip and Dendra and how unique it was. The city was unquestionably beautiful, with almost every building painted in bright colors and fun patterns, garden boxes, and benches on several streets.

All the artistry served as a contrast for the actual design of most of the buildings (sans the modern, sleek Gym Building I was heading to) in the city. From houses to shops, each of them had a very blocky, bulky design. When combined with the wall around the city limits, it gave the picture of the place once being like a fortress. At least until they decided to trade and connect with the rest of Paldea, after it became apparent that no one wanted to scale a mountain to try attacking them.

The thoughts of history and what might have been inevitably had my mind turning towards Raifort. Looking through my journals, I had noted that she was a 'suspicious character,' with the hints dropped in the game. The interest in the Treasures of Ruin was particularly worrisome, though I didn't think that was her goal here.

Unfortunately, I don't remember much more than that from the games. What could her goal here be? I don't believe it's as simple as stealing a Pokemon.

I also investigated online and found that Raifort wasn't a teacher. Neither was Saguaro, Salvatore, Miriam, or so many others. Jacq and Clavell were just listed as post-grads, researchers connected to the school, but no sign of them being teachers (or the future director). Tyme was actually the current Montevenera Gym Leader, her sister not having taken her place yet.

Will this change things so she doesn't become the History teacher at Uva? Then again, I don't think for a second that she was truly unaware of what those poachers were like, so maybe it's not too bad if we don't have her there. Then again, the current staff lets the bullies run rampant, so they aren't great either.

Without any leads to follow up on, I was headed to the Gym. The walk through the peaceful city did a lot to help ease my nerves, just by seeing the happy people walk through it without a care. I still had a bit of twitchyness after my encounter with the criminals, always keeping Miles out as we walked, but it helped. Not every shadow hides something nefarious.

While we walked, I had Miles take a few photos of the city and message my friends. Last night I had told them that I had arrived, but today I actually gave them a bit more of a status report. Mostly.



GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Feeling refreshed and rested now! The small scuffles behind me, I'm appreciating the beauty of Alfornada and the amazing view from the mountaintop.'

MasterChef: 'Are you gonna to chck ut the leaping Tower!?'

AmethystExplorer: 'What kind of scuffles are we talking about?'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Yes, yes, I'll look at the Leaning Tower. Probably after my Gym Match. The Olive Fields were alright? They make very big olives, but they're out of season right now.'

AmethystExplorer: 'Are you ignoring me?'

AmethystExplorer: 'Nemona??'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Aha, sorry about that, must have missed your messages.'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Just, some battles. Fought two Tera Pokemon down on the Alfornada detour; here let me send you some pics. [attached files]'

TooCute4U: 'Nemona, why does it sound like you're hiding something?'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: ':sweatdrop. Umm… wait, Lacey, why are you awake right now? Isn't it like 5 in the morning for you?'

TooCute4U: 'Drilly had a tummy ache. No answer the question!'

TooCute4U: '*now'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Ugh fine. I fought some paochers and had to take them in and it was a long hike up the cavern, ok?'

MasterChef: 'WUT? NEMONA ARE YOU OK!?!?!?'

TooCute4U: 'oh nooooo!'

AmethystExplorer: '...Where are these poachers?'

CyanGlitterarti: 'Nemona, do you need help? I can leave school.'

Best (Worst) Girl: 'Good morning everyone.'

Best (Worst) Girl: '*scrolls back* What the fudge?!'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'Sorry everyone, gotta go, entering a Gym Building which means I'll mysteriously lose all service for as long as it takes everyone to calm down.'

CyanGlitterati: 'How could that possibly be how Gyms work? It makes no sense'

GlitterOnYouCrazyChampion: 'That's why it's mysterious '


Turning my attention away from that, I marched forward, through the sliding doors to the monolithic Gym Building in front of me. The lobby had quite an energy to it, no one moving frantically, but all of the League employees moving about swiftly, carrying documents or the like back and forth. The few police officers and lack of any civilians in the lobby also added to the pressure of the environment.

Tulip was in the corner and made a beeline for me as soon as she saw me. "Ne- Miss Glitterari, it's good to see you." She called over an officer and said, "If we could get your statement now, that would be appreciated."

I nodded, knowing I'd have to face the music. And being prepared means I know what tunes to play, hopefully. They took me off to a conference room to take my statement. The officer, a middle-aged woman, smiled kindly as she said, "Don't worry, dear, this should all go very smoothly. Just tell us what happened from your perspective." Well, hadn't expected them to be so nice to me. Then again, I am a nine-year-old girl, and they are a bunch of scary criminals.

"Well, I had just made it to the entrance of the Alfornada Cavern when this- this woman came down and…" I gave her a slightly truncated version of events. Telling the truth seemed like a solid strategy, though I skimmed over certain details. Like how I was able to hear the poachers talking about killing me and taking my Pokemon from so far away, and how much I may have threatened them to force them to move along.

She asked for a bit of clarification along the way, like details about Raifort (which I had little on), and some of the injuries the poachers had (which was fairly easily accepted as me just trying to stop them from escaping, especially given the stunt Middle Finger had pulled in front of Tulip). Plus, some of those injuries were caused by their own Pokemon or the necessity of battle happening in that enclosed of a space.

The biggest question they had was on how I knew about the Pokeballs being tampered with. "We only saw a few scuff marks on the side of the casing of those Balls. How did you know that they had been tampered with and in such a fashion?"

Right, probably shouldn't mention I've been trawling the dark web to know that. "I mean, the fact that almost all of them had those marks was a pretty clear sign of some kind of tampering. That and I took out the poachers before they could release their full teams, but none of the other Pokemon released themselves to help. Plus, they had Pokemon like Magneton, while Thunder Stones aren't that expensive, not for the kind of operation they're running. Clearly, there was a lack of trust between them and their Pokemon. At least, between some of them."

I'd bet good money that Middle Finger lost his namesake from that Feraligatr. Probably not when it was fully evolved, though. I could definitely see him stealing a regional starter when it was just a Totodile, and then abusing it until it was too scared to fight back anymore.

"Only some of them? Why do you think that?" The officer asked and I blinked.

"It was hard to see in the cave, but some of the Pokemon had scars and other signs of abuse. But others… that Hypno Baldy had-"

"Bald- you mean Mr. Moreau?" The officer asked, and I blushed.

"Uh, is that his name? They never introduced themselves, so I just gave them nicknames in my head." Both the officer and Tulip gave me bemused smiles at that. "Anyway, the Hypno communicated with him telepathically, and the Hypno had a well-brushed mane. Not like, a sure sign of anything, I just thought…"

The officer grimaced, and Tulip nodded. "The Gym can investigate as to any collaborators amongst the Pokemon." She didn't sigh out loud, but I could feel the exhaustion coming off of her. Right, as this is a Fairy Type Gym, she's probably the only Psychic specialist here to help deal with that communication. I hadn't delved too deeply into the law there, but Pokemon choosing to break the laws and work with criminals was a complicated subject.

"Alright, you've badgered the young lady enough now, don't you think?" A male voice entered the room alongside the man himself. The gray-haired man strode in imperiously, his manner aided by his immaculate pink suit and violet faux-fur trim cape trailing behind him.

Wow, his getup is just as 'extra' in real life as it is in videos. Then again, I think all Gym Leaders are like that. Katy had a baker's outfit on for our fight, though I noticed it wasn't the same as the one she used to actually bake with me, so it was probably closer to a stylized costume.

"Leader Oberon, good of you to join us." The officer said in a tone that implied the opposite. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but-"

"But what? We've already found outstanding warrants for the bunch. This young lady did us a huge favor in capturing those rapscallions." Turning to me, he said, "And I hear you're looking for a match against myself."

"That's right, sir."

He grinned broadly. "I see no reason to delay you further then. Usually we'd have a Gym Trial where you'd play Key-p away with some of the Klefkis; they can be quite vicious when it comes to defending their keys. But I feel you've been through enough of a trial in bringing these scoundrels to justice. I'd be happy to face you right awa-"

"Ahem," the officer cleared her throat. "While I can agree we have enough information from Miss Glitterati for the time being, I'd like your assistance in dealing with the criminal investigation. Particularly in investigating this Raifort character - she might still be around town and we have some questions for her." Her smile was sharp and even had Oberon wincing.

"Ah, perhaps in a few days, then." He offered me, and I nodded.

"That sounds good to me. Oh, and it should give you enough time to prepare your A-game, because I'd like to face your strongest team, sir." There was a flash of shock from both him and the officer, but Tulip just nodded her head.

"I'd advise you to take her on that, Oberon. She's a stronger Trainer than I am." Tulip's recognition got a serious nod from the Gym Leader.

"Very well. I shall let you know in a few days time when we're ready. And on that day, you shall face the might of Paldea's greatest Fairy Trainer!"

Spoiler: A/N:

Journeying six years before canon leads to meeting some new faces (and old ones in different lights). In other news, this is the first chapter that was written in the second main google doc I use as apparently, they have a maximum character limit (who knew?). Though admittedly I move each chapter over to a separate doc when it comes time to post, editing it, giving my betas time to review it, and fine-tuning it, which actually adds a fair amount to the word count. If we'd been using those chapters in the doc, I would have capped out at around Chapter 45.

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

This "arc" is weirdly darker but I ain't mad at it.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

With at least a few days before my challenge, I went to the Pokemon Center on the edge of the city to get my team checked out. I'd already tended to them with healing items after our battle with the poachers, but I figured it couldn't hurt to have a professional check them over.

Oh, how mistaken I was, I thought as the Nurse Joy frowned at her scans, then at me, then back at the scans. "Is there a problem?" I asked, trying to conceal any nervousness in my voice with a bright smile.

"Your Zorua… how did you get her?" She asked, and my smile froze. Shit. If it was just an unusual variant she hadn't seen before, I don't think she'd be asking like this. Does she know? I had theorized that the Joy clan might have had something to do with the disappearance of Hisuian Zoruas, so it stood to reason that some of them might recognize mine.

"I came across her not far from the Tagwood Thicket. When I asked if she wanted to join me in my quest to become Champion, she jumped at the chance. She's one of the newer members of my team," I added, holding a hand out for her to return my Pokeballs.

The Nurse Joy didn't seem happy about that, continuing to press. "Did you find any others like-"

"No," I interjected. "Don't think you'll have to worry about any others like her from there either." Ugh, this is annoying. I hope she gets the message that I didn't make her that way (at least not directly or intentionally) and that she doesn't need to worry about people going around torturing Zoruas. It's difficult to get that across though while also sending the message that I know how they are made while also saying that I'm not going to spread that information around. Because if I told her outright without confirming she knows how- just frustrating.

After a moment, she passed the Pokeballs back to me. Either understanding what I was trying to get across or just not having a legal reason to detain me further. Hopefully this won't be a problem later. The Joy clan hardly made up the majority of Nurse Joys in Paldea, but there were a few, and they were intrinsically tied to the Pokemon medical industry.

With my Pokemon back, I restocked my supplies before venturing out from the city, heading off across the plains. Gothitelles and Klefkis wandered about, amidst grazing Deerlings. Psychic and Fairy are weird Typings to place. What makes a location like this desirable for Pokemon like them? The more elemental or animalistic Typings are easier to understand by geographical features, but these can be more varied.

It took a good few hours to trek across the plains and up a few hills to make it to the monument I was heading towards. During that time, I messaged back the friend group chat, called my parents (and Leah), and booked a hotel room to stay in. Grand adventures and stories always miss these little things in favor of- "Whoa."

That was all I could think to say as I rounded the corner and faced one of the Ten Sights of Paldea. Water fell down from atop the cliffs high above, pouring down past the tip of a watchtower. The ancient gray tower was leaning at an angle, sticking out of the pool of water flooding its base, giving the impression that water was falling out of its top.

Off to the side, away from the secluded sight, I saw the rest of Paldea spread out before me. The winding hills led to the largest desert in the land, and past that, the titanic frost covered peaks of Glasedo Mountain. Cutting off my view of the rest of the land was the Great Crater, the rocky barrier between it actually lower than the heights I stood on but concealed by clouds so I couldn't peer in.

Ok, I can see why the tales skim over the boring stuff when you have sights like this to focus on. Releasing my full team, I gestured at the view with my arms and asked, "Anyone up for a picnic?"



***



After a nice relaxing picnic, we got back to work, spending the trip and most of our next few days training. There were plenty of Pokemon and a few Trainers to challenge around Alfornada, as well as hours upon hours of videos and forums to scroll through.

Unsurprisingly, a few days in, and I get a call from the Gym secretary. "Hello, Miss Glitterati, our part of the investigation is over for now." The last part of that sentence was said in a low tone, like one would try to ward off evil. Perking back up, she finished, "So the Gym Leader is ready to face you in battle."

"Perfect. I'll be there in hmmm…" Looking out, I gauged how far away I was from the city, as well as time to heal up and go over plans one last time. "Half an hour? Yeah, half an hour. Should I go to the Gym Building-?"

She shook her head. "You can go straight to the arena - it's the large circular building beside the Gym Building." She hung up without any further clarification, but I could understand why. It was a massive structure, visible from pretty much anywhere in the city, with a large spiral staircase running around the side of it, leading up to a flat top, with odd spiral beams sticking up and out and up, meeting in the center well above the already towering building.

Is it even a building? The outside is heavily decorated, but I don't see any entrances or windows for anything inside. While there would be some mechanical features just below the very top to maintain the battlefield, that still left plenty of space down beneath it.

Caught up in my thoughts, I barely noticed the martial artist beside Tulip as I approached the bottom of the stairs. "Dendra!" I cried out, running forward and tackling her in a hug. The brawny girl giggled, returning the hug.

"Up this way," Tulip sniffed, pointing a hand up the stairs. Rather than immediately go up, I went over and gave her a hug too.

"Sorry, didn't mean to leave you out. I've just been busy training. I really want to do well in this battle." She didn't acknowledge my apology verbally, but she did hug me back, which I counted as a win.

The Gym Trainer nodded. "That's good; there are many people excited to see your battle." At my confused head tilt, she added, "Word got around."

Listening, I could indeed hear a vast crowd chatting above us. Damn, I know the arena is big, but there must be a hundred people up there, and I'm sure the officials are keeping enough room for us to fight there. Looking down, I saw even more people drifting towards the base. Can't believe I missed all of them when I was walking here, guess I got a bit tunnel-visioned, whoops.

"Word about-?" Tulip shook her head before I could finish that sentence.

"Oberon just advertised that this would be an exciting match, not anything that would cause a panic." I nodded, my lips pursed tight. Poachers are a serious problem; I can see why that might cause unrest. Especially since Raifort is still out there. A sketch artist had made a very good copy of the woman, thanks to Phantasm making an easy illusion to sketch, but Raifort's own illusionist Pokemon made that a rather moot tool.

Reaching the top, I saw the crowds gathered there. They cheered louder at my arrival, though I noticed that most of them were cheering with renewed fervor for Oberon rather than myself. Still, I think I'm hearing a few people cheering for me, including a familiar voice? Not that familiar, can't quite place it.

Amidst the throng of people gathered around the edges of the arena, I saw someone familiar, though he didn't sound it. Dressed in a pink t-shirt and shorts, I saw a tiny Ortega, cheering on his dad at the top of his lungs.

The man in question stood on the other side of the arena with his back turned to me. "So you've arrived, young challenger. But dare you take on the King of Fairies, Oberon?" He whirled around dramatically, flourishing his cape with an extra swish of a bejeweled cane. The top of his cane was capped with a Tera Orb, proving it was more than just a fashion choice.

"I dare indeed, O King, and at the end of the day, we'll see who reigns supreme!" I can ham it up too, and I don't even need a cape to look dramatic. Though that was because I was using my Aura to whip a small wind and make my jacket flutter in the breeze I created while standing still with my arms crossed.

My proclamation had whispers rippling throughout the crowd, people wondering at how I could stand up and be so bold. Really, people? I challenged him; of course I'm at least going to step up to the plate. Then again, I vaguely remember the rap kid that challenges Rhyme in the games before immediately giving up, so I guess some people can get cowed easily.

I was not one of them, stepping up to take my place (after passing my phone for Dendra to record the match). The referee took her place on the side and confirmed we were both ready. Locking my gaze onto his pink eyes, I saw confidence. Strength. But deeper than that, there is a need to prove that strength. He's supposed to be the defender of this land, the lord looking after his people, and here comes an errant knight that does his job for him. When challenged to a duel, he'll pick-



***



["...And Oberon leads with Azumarill! Oh, this is gonna be a tough matchup for Blake. His ace, Baxcalibur, will have a rough time here…"

A foot tapping impatiently tore my attention away from the video playing on my phone, the commentators' words becoming white noise as I focused on my Pokemon. Riolu, for her part, seemed unimpressed with it, barking, "Iolu!"

"It's not a waste of time. Studying the matches gives us insight into our foes, which helps us strategize for the battles to come." Something that I imagine I'll be sorely missing once I become a Champion. Then every challenger will be coming up to me with a team I know nothing about while they've intensely studied me. "Besides, what else are we going to be doing here?"

The hotel room we were staying in was quite nice, plush, and richly accommodated. However, it did not make for a good workout room. Not to say that she couldn't go downstairs and do just that if she wanted, but I think we're all tired from today's practice.

"Riolu, luu." She whined.

"I'd be happy to meditate with you; training our Auras is just as important as our bodies. But first, watch this video," I said, rewinding it back a bit to just before she had interrupted. "What does it tell you about this match?"

She cocked her head to the side, staring at it intently before shaking her head, frustrated. It's like she's saying that this is just the same as all his other matches, wondering why I'm spending so much time on this.

"I know how invested you are in trying to make Aura Constructs. It's a useful skill, and one that will serve you well when you evolve. Training Aura takes time though; it rarely comes from just beating your head against the wall. I'm not doing that either, by watching all these videos. Deeper analysis gives us greater answers, which we can use to predict their plans."

Riolu's defensive look was replaced by a more curious one, so I continued. "Oberon is leading with Azumarill here, which shows he's nervous - usually, he leads with Klefki to disrupt his opponent. He wants to use the Huge Power Azumarill has to intimidate his opponents. That means that we should…"]



***



Two red flashes of light hit the field, coalescing in two diminutive bipedal forms. They both stood at about the same height, albeit with Riolu being far slimmer than his blue, long-eared Pokemon.

If the Gym Leader was surprised at me using Fighting Type to lead against him, he didn't show it, standing imperiously. The referee quieted down the crowd before counting us in. "The battle will begin in three, two, one… begin!"

"Belly Drum- wait, dodge!" Oberon tried to correct, but it was too late. The bunny-like Pokemon had begun beating his rotund belly with his paws and couldn't avoid Riolu's charge. She had surged forward that instant the referee's countdown finished, not needing to wait for an order from me to enact the strategy we'd decided to start the battle with.

Grass sprouted beneath her feet as she ran forward, slamming into Azumarill, knocking the heavy Pokemon off his feet. Oberon proved his Pokemon was experienced, quickly recovering, enough that I didn't feel comfortable trying to capitalize on the hit.

"Aqua Jet!" A good thing too, I thought as Azumarill angled himself towards Riolu, blasting water out from his feet and hands to propel himself forward.

"Quick Guard!" Riolu launched herself into the Move before I was finished speaking, which was a good thing as Azumaril rebounded off the brown-colored barrier that Riolu had conjured almost immediately after. I wasn't sure if the Belly Drum had fully empowered our opponent, but the shockwave from the impact had me worried and everyone in the crowd gasping.

The field quickly flickered away, but it was enough to throw off Azumarill, leaving an opening with our foe so close by. "Metal Claw!" I shouted, punching my hand out. She mimicked me, her paw shooting forward and burying her paw into Azumaril's body, causing the other Pokemon to recoil backward.

"Azu!" Oberon shouted, shocked at how much damage our 'Metal Claw' had done. Guess he didn't catch the poison dripping off the end of her claws. Well, the angle was bad anyway for him to have seen the Poison Jab.

He recovered his composure quickly. "Finish this, Play Rough!" The blue Pokemon bounced back, throwing himself playfully at Riolu, but we still held the advantage.

"Dancing Sword!" My Fighting Type aligned her energies and motion with Azumarill's. As the powerful Pokemon lumbered forward, she spun to the side, bopping the top of his head. He would lean over in a big sweep that looked almost like an attempt to scoop her in a hug but surely would have broken bones if it hit… only for Riolu to flip over the unbalanced Azumarill. So on it went for a few seconds, Riolu avoiding Azumarill's attack in an equally playful manner.

The unusual Move caught Oberon flat-footed, the regal manner looking flabbergasted, and I knew it was time to finish this. "Trailblaze, once more!"

So close, and already boosted from the first use of the Move, Azumarill had no chance of dodging the attack. Grass erupted from the ground as Riolu burst forward, driving her shoulder into Azumarill. Once more, the Water Type was knocked to the ground as my Pokemon ran past him, but this time, Oberon's Pokemon didn't get back up.

Everyone was silent for a moment before the referee shakily called out, "Az- Azumarill is unable to battle! Leader Oberon, send out your next Pokemon!" The crowd erupted into a mix of awed whispers and jubilant cheers for myself and Riolu.


"Wow!"

"I can't believe it! Never seen anything like that in all my years…"

"Mommy, can I get a Rolu too?"


Riolu herself looked unflappable, standing coolly with her arms crossed, not even having looked back at her opponent. The Expert Belt around her waist flapping in the breeze... If I didn't know her, I'd believe she was totally unconcerned with her image. But with the work we've done on Aura, I can literally feel how happy she is. That, and I had memories of her stubbornly focusing to stop her tail from wagging in joy whenever I praised her for mastering a difficult Move.

Oberon slowly lifted his Pokeball, recalling Azumaril. "I see you weren't joking about your strength. But my Granbull leaves even the mightiest Pokemon trembling in fear!" He declared as he released his Pokemon.

The large, pink, bipedal pitbull-like Pokemon growled, the noise sending a shiver down my spine. Riolu herself, however, remained unmoved, only shifting her stance to face him.

"Granbull, show them your adorable strength!" Our foe scrambled across the field, a deceptively happy grin on his face as he neared Riolu and prepared to break her bones.

"Dancing Sword," I called out, not missing the grin that slowly grew across Oberon's face as Riolu followed my command. She gracefully slipped around Granbull's attacks, empowering herself with her quick moves.

"Metal Claw," I called out again, with the same jabbing motion to let her know to use Poison Jab instead. I think that trick might have run its course after this time, however. Poison Jab doesn't have any hidden meaning or alternate plans when I called it out, so it shouldn't confuse her.

That was something I had eventually realized when training my team. Even when preparing specifically for certain battles, getting too complicated would end up just backfiring as my Pokemon didn't or only partially remembered the complex orders.

The Gym Leader understood the value of simple plans as well, countering by saying, "Keep on attacking! Don't let up!"

Granbull rushed ahead, taking the Poison Jab to the gut, but he pushed through the pain. With a joyous swing of his head, he slammed hard into Riolu with one of his lower fangs. The Fairy Type attack sent her sprawling, and she tried to acrobatically catch herself, but Granbull continued his pursuit, like a dog with a bone.

As she flipped through the air again, I saw our opening, as Granbull tossed her just a bit too far. "Earthquake!" I shouted, and as she fell to the ground, she readied her foot, gathering up Ground Type energy in it. As she reached the ground, she drove her foot into the ground, sending a wave rippling out from the impact.

The Granbull busy pursuing Riolu couldn't avoid the earth smashing into him in time, which gave Riolu a bit of breathing room. Not as much as I'd like though; even after two boosts, she's not hitting as hard as Dun could. Of course, he's been practicing Earthquake a ton recently, and she's also faster than him regularly. With the boosts from Trailblaze now…

When our foe got back up, Riolu had already darted halfway across the arena and was pelting him with waves of force emanating out from her paws. The glowing blue shockwaves struck at Granbull, lancing into him from different angles with each step he took towards her. As much as he tried, he couldn't close with Riolu, she kept on circling around him.

The distance between them as well as his Typing meant each shot did little damage, but that didn't matter. "Keep at it!" I shouted, waiting for our moment…



***



["Today, I want you to try fighting a Gothorita," I said to Riolu, pointing at some of the black and white diminutive Psychic Types roaming the fields.

She nodded, turning to face her challenger before I clarified. "Wait, there's more. You've already beaten tons of the Psychic and Fairy Types here. They've been a good opportunity for you to face off against those with a Type advantage against you and can hit extra hard when fighting you. You've also learned enough and know enough coverage Moves that you don't need to simply spar one again."

One of the even smaller Gothita's wandering nearby turned to glance at us, fixing me with a strange stare, unnerving Riolu. My Pokemon even started growling at her before I waved Riolu down.

"It's fine, don't worry about what she's feeling. Gothita aren't as Psychically developed as their evolutions, so she's probably just distracted by something else. Those Gothorita are going to be a bit tougher, however, which is why I want you to beat them, but only with Fighting Type Moves."

Riolu blinked, her red eyes narrowing as she stared at me before the spark of my idea reached her, and she barked eagerly. She's quick on the uptake when it comes to fighting, and after our talk last night, she's gotten better at strategizing.

Idly, I tossed around a name idea in my head, liking it. But that's for later; right now I'm waiting to see if she- yes! She already Paralyzed a Gothorita. Even an ineffective Move can be critical with the effects attached to it. Plus, she's just so much more practiced with those Moves that she can use them quicker. This will work nicely.]



***



One of the Force Palms took Granbull in the knee, causing the bigger Pokemon to fall down. I also didn't miss how the Pokemon tried to catch himself at the last second with his arms before his limbs spasmed out. He's Paralyzed!

"Quick Attack into Poison Jab!" I crowed, and Riolu hurled herself forward, blurring into a quick kick that cracked into the side of Granbull's head. Spinning artfully from the first attack, she jabbed down at him with a Poison coated claw.

Her opponent yowled in pain before biting down on instinct on Riolu's wrist. The Dark Type attack did little damage, but it kept her in place, leaving Riolu unable to pry herself free from the powerful Pokemon.

"Detect!/Play Rough!"

Oberon and I gave our commands at the same time, and each of our Pokemon reacted instantly. Eyes glowing blue, Riolu flipped, twisted, and turned as much as she could to avoid Granbull's onslaught. The big dog's grip on her complicated things as he shook her around like a chew toy. Funny when dogs do that to actual toys, but it's them acting on instinct of how they might kill prey.

Riolu wasn't killed from the attack or even close to it, but she was looking a lot worse for wear after it ended. With dodging and even deflecting a few strikes with her own paws, she had avoided the worst of it, but she still seemed to be on her last legs. And Granbull still has a grip on her… Damn, I don't see a way out of this.

"Switch!" I announced loudly, holding up Riolu's Pokeball and hitting her with the red beam, pulling her free from Granbull's grip.

"Challenger Nemona has used her first switch. Nemona, please choose your next Pokemon!" The referee called out. Since this battle is a six-on-six, we get three switches each, so I can afford to waste a few.

"Go, Notch!" I said, clicking the button to send Notch out onto the field, before immediately returning them. "Switch! Go, Riolu!" Once more, Riolu hit the field, giving a defiant Howl the moment she did so.

"What?" Oberon said, his voice echoed by the rest of the crowd. His jaw hanging wide open was probably also copied by them. Who would think to use two switches just to reposition, after all? Still, better make up for the lost boosts from before.

"I told her before this battle that I'd give her a good fight; so far you haven't shown that, so she's gotta keep on going." I taunted in an oh-so-disappointed tone.

"WHAT!?" The suddenly enraged Gym Leader screeched, snapping his own cane in half. Damn, guess he's stronger than he looks.

Clicking my tongue, I shook my head. "Sorry, just not enough for my adorable little battle maniac." She Howled again, and I said, "That's right! Cry your defiance for the world to hear!"

Oberon gnashed his teeth together before his gaze flashed to the field, where he saw Riolu glowing slightly, the power-ups from Howl having left a visible mark. "No matter! We know how to beat her now. Granbull, charge in and latch on with a Bite!"

As Granbull started tearing up the field, I called out "Swords Dance!" We need more than speed here, we need power.

Part of me wanted to back off from this strategy and try something else, but a fleeting glance into Riolu's large crimson eyes told me how much she would resent it if I did. And here I thought Notch could push things too far. Honestly, my whole team is full of battle crazed determinators. Still, I have faith she'll handle this.

The Fighting Type finished her dance just as Granbull latched on. "Show her who's the top dog in Alfornada, Play Rough!" Oberon called out, while I simply said:

"Tough it out." That brought some scandalized gasps from the crowd, and I saw a few parents covering their kids eyes (not Ortega though; that kid looked on gleefully) as Granbull thrashed Riolu around violently, beating her with her paws and against the ground several times, leaving cracks in it.

Riolu hung limp in Granbull's grip before his jaw loosened, and she began to slide down, her eyes closed. "Riolu is unable to-" Her eyes snapped open, blazing crimson.

"REVERSAL!" I shouted out, spreading my arms wide, as if opening a curtain to reveal a grand show. One arm shooting out to Granbull's good leg, she pulled it up while driving her shoulder into his hip. Flipping him up in the air, she grabbed him as he was falling and forced him down even faster. Slamming him into the ground so hard he left a small crater in the arena, she followed up with a snap kick that sent him rolling over to Oberon's edge of the arena.

"... Granbull is unable to battle, Leader Oberon, please send out your next Pokemon." The crowd erupted in cheers and exclamations, many of them even chanting out my Pokemon's name. Through it all though, one boy was booing at the top of his lungs, trying to be heard over the din.

"Boo! Booooooo! No way Father is going to lose to you! This is totally not fair!" He yelled, causing Oberon to chuckle.

"Don't fret, my son, I'll never lose. Certainly not while I have such an ardent supporter like you by my side!" His voice boomed over the arena, and I saw his composure return as he stared at me with steely pink eyes.

"Grimmsnarl, let's get this match really started!" He called out, releasing the hair-covered goblin Pokemon out onto the field. His Pokemon's mouth cracked open into a vicious, fang-filled smirk. Riolu stared up at foe, her legs tensed to pounce towards him.



***



["Alright, that's enough," I said, bringing an end to Dun and Riolu's sparring match. Riolu panted, giving us both a small nod before marching towards me and holding a hand out for a berry. With an apologetic smile, I shook my head.

"Sorry, but you've still got some more training to do." She looked surprised before narrowing her eyes. "Well, both of you do, but Dun's is about how fast he can fix himself up."

To my starter, I said, "Practice Double Edge against that cliff, then Roost as fast as you can. Focus on getting your healing efficiency up as much as you can."

"Dudun," he nodded dutifully, throwing himself against the rocky cliff in spite of the cuts and bruises Riolu had left on him.

Riolu herself was looking worse off, her legs shaking and breathing heavy, if steady. "For you, the goal is a bit different. Your strongest Move is Reversal, and that Move relies on you being low on health. That leaves you especially vulnerable, so the goal of your training will be not getting hit."

Pulling Phantasm's ball from my belt, I released her. "Rua?" The spiteful fox asked sleepily.

"Illusion training time. Try and pressure Riolu here with illusory images of some of the different Fairy Types we've studied; don't be afraid to go faster than you physically can."

With that, I stepped back, taking note of every time she got 'hit,' which was frequently. To be fair, she's fighting a foe moving at literally the speed of thought, but still. A single hit will take her out when she's like that, but Endure + Reversal is one of her better combos, so she needs to learn how to fight like that.

"Try not to rush in," I advised after I saw her get 'tagged' a few times. "When you're in that situation, you need to float like a butterfly, then sting like a bee. In and out, fast and hard, don't get caught up, no matter what."

Riolu took a deep breath, centering herself before launching a quick Vacuum Wave out and darting around one, two, three strikes before darting in when Phantasm paused, thinking of the next attack. While the counterattack slipped through the illusion, I knew it'd be devastating against a real foe.

"Good, let's do it again.]



***



"Force Palm," I said, and Riolu rushed to mid-range, readying her Aura to release a big burst at the Grimmsnarl. While I saw that, I also noticed the fibrous hair around Grimmsnarl's further back arm tensing up.

Before Oberon even called out "Sucker Punch!" I was yelling at Riolu to abort. She dropped into a roll at my words, narrowly dodging Grimmsnarl's fist, which soared over her head.

"Vacuum Wave, keep note of his range," I called out, and Riolu did so, pelting the larger Pokemon with a quick flurry rippling through the air.

He has an answer. As good as Riolu is, she'll get beaten if Oberon takes her seriously here. But if he's more worried about me… I took careful note of the Gym Leader's eyes shifting back and forth, the man thinking in a split second before calling out "Light Screen!"

Yes! The goblin Pokemon spread his arms out wide, crafting a transparent, slightly glowing screen around himself. It was fast, faster than even Notch could manage, but there was still an opening for us to exploit.

"Reversal! Grab him by the ears!" I shouted, and Riolu rocketed in, continuing her Vacuum Wave assault without missing a beat but instead firing the shots behind her to propel herself forward. Latching her hands onto his ears, she lifted her feet up, controlling her Aura carefully to keep a barrier between him and his hair, knowing how easily she could get caught up within the tangled mess.

Ignoring his howling pain, she pushed off with her Aura, a burst from her legs giving her the leverage to flip the Grimmsnarl around and smash him into the ground behind her.

"Give it up," Oberon called out, and the pitiful creature on the ground, with eyes watering, seemed to be pleading with Riolu to stop the onslaught.

So we obliged. "Detect!" I shouted sharply, knowing what this False Surrender would look like. Eyes glowing blue, Riolu got a clear vision of what that future would look like and hopped backwards, putting several meters between them.

The Grimmsnarl blinked the crocodile tears out of his eyes, seeming perplexed at how that had failed before lifting himself back up. "What kind of twisted tale is this? You're not supposed to be defiantly still standing," Oberon groused. "Blast her away, Dazzling Gleam!"

"Dodge it! Jump high!" With powerful legs, she shot up in the air, well above the deadly, sparkly laser beam Grimmsnarl fired at her. He didn't stop with one burst, however, redirecting it up to her in the air. "Quick Attack to avoid it!" I shouted, and she burst around in a few sharp bursts, evading the attack by a hair's breadth.

"Reflect," Oberon added, almost as an afterthought, his Pokemon quickly setting up another barrier. He's trying to set up for the next Pokemon he'll face, and he's right to; Riolu can't go on like this. She was fighting hard, but her body was shaking, despite her Auric control and focus.

"Get in close, finish this!" I shouted, chopping a hand down. She cried out, charging ahead one last time.

"I agree, it's past the point that we ended this farce. Break her spirit!" Covered in glittering energy, Grimmsnarl shot forward, smashing into Riolu. The blow sent her slamming into the barrier beside me, where she hung in the air for a second before I recalled her.

At the same time, there was a shattering sound around Grimmsnarl, his barriers breaking as he clutched his side where Riolu's Brick Break had cut in.

"Riolu is unable to battle, Challenger Nemona; send out your next Pokemon!" The referee announced. Placing my hand around Dun's Pokeball, I spoke up before calling him out.

"You did well; I apologize for what I said before. That was a good fight." Oberon smiled briefly before I continued, "That was a tough fight for my most recent catch." A bit misleading as to her overall strength, admittedly, but only slightly. Only Phantasm regularly loses to Riolu, in spite of all her skill. Though that might change when she evolves. However, there's one who will probably be a match even after that.

As his face grew pale, my grin grew wider. "Yup, I think you've earned the right to take on my starter." Drawing forth Dun's ball, I released him onto the field.

"That's your starter? How… common," he said with a sneer.

"I wouldn't laugh at him if I were you - but don't just take my word for it! Dun, show them what you're made of, Hyper Drill!"

"Spirit Break!" Grimmsnarl met Dun's charge with his own, but this time found himself reeling back as Dun tanked the blow and pushed the Fairy back with his drill. The hair around his body tried to react and tangle up Dun's tail, but he simply spun the drill too fast, tearing off any strands that got close.

"I see you're a strong one, but all mortals fall with time. Parting Shot!" Grimmsnarl turned himself into a bolt of Dark energy, striking at Dun and rebounding back to Oberon's side, letting him switch out Pokemon. The man frowned upon seeing his attack have no effect, however. Dun rose up, roaring in defiance and revealing the Clear Amulet around his neck.

"Not many Trainers are as proficient in Battle Items as you are," he muttered before shaking his head. "No matter, switch in, Klefki!" His keyring-shaped Pokemon burst onto the field with a jangling sound.

I'd seen plenty of these Pokemon out in the plains, and there was little to distinguish this one from them, save for a truly ancient-looking key that hung off its body, but I knew the Gym Leader's would be much tougher. Doesn't matter; the same principles will apply here.



***



[I wonder what the challenge would have been like if I'd had to take it. The Klefkis looked fairly peaceful, floating across the fields. The Pokemon outside Alfornada existed in a pretty stable environment, with the natural barriers keeping out other Pokemon that might disrupt the balance. Klefkis in particular had next to no natural predators here.

That being said, Pokemon were naturally competitive, and the Klefkis kept up with the others, fighting themselves and others to prove themselves. And sometimes, just to have fun. Watching one of them sneak up on a Bombirdier and jangle their keys violently beside the bird's head, causing it to drop the berries it was carrying in its pouch.

The Bombirdier shrieked angrily and attempted to attack the Klefki, but the Steel Type disengaged. As the bird tried to pursue, the Klefki unleashed a quick, targeted burst of lightning, causing the bird's wings to seize up and crash.

"Alright, we're going to practice against them," I told Dun, pointing out the Prankster. "Oberon has one on his top team, and his Grimmsnarl has the same ability. Their status Moves are going to go fast, so be ready for it and use a counter."

Dun furrowed his eyes, using a quick Hyper Voice to get the Fairy's attention. Chiming angrily, the Klefki floated over, gathering up electricity. As they floated down, Dun slammed his body into the ground, making an Earthquake to strike up at the wild Pokemon. He also took the electricity with ease, the attack not affecting him.

"Wha- oh, that's brilliant!" I exclaimed as the Klefki took a hard hit and began flying away. "You used the Ground Type energies of the Move to neutralize the Electric attack! We'll have to work on this, the timing will have to be perfect to use consistently, but that could work quite well."]



***



"Thunder-"

"Earthquake!"

"-Wave," Oberon finished, and while Klefki acted fast, it wasn't enough to zap Dun, or avoid the pillars of earth that rose up and slammed into the keyring Pokemon, knocking it around.

The Gym Leader made a 'tch' sound before calling out, "Magnet Rise, don't let him hit you with that again!"

"Glare," I called out, almost lackadaisically. Seeing the Klefki freeze a little from Dun's hate-filled stare brought a small smile from me. Usually Pokemon throwing out Thunder Waves are Electric Types, so we can't Paralyze them in turn, so that's nice. Still, better keep up the pressure.

"Foul Play," Oberon ordered (with an aborted motion to sweep with his staff before remembering he broke it). The Klefki dove in close, baiting an Earthquake, and as Dun raised his body to slam the ground, slapped my Pokemon across the head with their keys.

"Ignore it, use Flamethrower!" Taking a deep breath, my starter unleashed a gout of flame across the battlefield, scorching Klefki before they retreated.

"Gah! No fair, no fair!" Oberon whined before regaining a hold of himself and acting like the Gym Leader (and adult) he was supposed to be. "Magic Room and Switch!" Klefki followed his command, instantly setting up a distorted field around the arena, far faster than Notch could make Trick Room. Though this one only negates the effects of my items. Must mean he's looking for ways to debilitate Dun.

It was a decent strategy, and part of why I'd chosen to give Dun the Clear Amulet in the first place; he simply had trouble boosting his offenses up as fast as some of my other Pokemon could. The flip side to that is…

Oberon threw Grimmsnarl back onto the field, just before I tossed my Tera Orb above Dun's head. "Illuminate the path to our glory, Terastalize!" My chant (and the subsequent burst of crystals) drew shocked and awed gasps from the crowd.

Without wasting a second, I shouted, "Giga Impact!" The second he broke free of the crystals, Dun stormed forth, a green blur ripping ahead. …That Dun is strong enough to take you out without buffing.

"S-Sucker Punch!" Grimmsnarl followed the desperate command with the same fearful look in his eyes as his trainer. Lashing out, he got a good punch in on Dun's side before my Pokemon plowed into him and pushed both of them to the back of the arena. The barrier rattled out from the impact as Grimmsnarl slammed into it, eliciting a few worried exclamations from the crowd nearby before they saw that it held.

Oberon's Pokemon however, did not, falling unconscious from the powerful attack. Dun's head rested atop his body for a moment where they fell; my starter was too tired for the moment to even lift himself up and let his head flop to the ground when Oberon recalled his Pokemon.

The Gym Leader was clearly stressed out, tossing out his next Pokemon quickly, seeking to make use of Dun's temporary exhaustion. "Hatterene, Play Rough!" He shouted, his voice a little hoarse as the pink curvy Pokemon materialized right beside Dun.

Not wasting a second, she started wailing on him with her clawed dangle hanging off of her hat-hair. It beat into him, cutting a few lines across his scales as he slowly regained strength. Fearing a counter, Oberon switched tactics. "Psychic!"

Telekinetically picked up and hurled across the arena, Dun struggled until I called out-



***



["Ok, you see that Medicham standing there?"

Dun nodded his head.

"I need you to let him kick you around for a while and, uh, survive."

My starter gave me a baleful stare before sighing and slithering up to the wild Pokemon, slapping the Medicham with his tail.

Predictably, after getting over his shock, the Fighting Type kicked Dun across the field. But even as he tumbled across the ground, I saw my Pokemon perform the familiar flapping motion of his wings, as if trying to land, and already the bruise was narrowing in size.

There we go. Dun has such a strong recovery Move, combined with his natural durability, that if he can manage to use it in any situation, he'll be near invincible.]



***



"-Roost!" He settled down mid-air, letting himself be bashed against the arena walls. Despite the force Hatterene was hitting him with, we watched as his wounds started closing up faster than she could make them.

With one final, enraged screech, she let go of her hold on him, chucking Dun over to my side of the arena. He winced slightly as he shook himself off, the Magic Room effect flashing as it faded away. Darn, that last hit hurt his defenses before the Clear Amulet was back online. Whatever, we can still win this.

"Hmm, this is kinda boring; you can just take a nap for this part, Dun." With an exaggerated Yawn, Dun appeared to follow my orders, pretending to sleep. In reality, he was directing the Invisible Yawn towards Haterene, something we had discovered helped improve the Moves' accuracy while retaining its hidden nature. I'm 99% certain that she doesn't have her Hidden Ability, so if they take the bait, we've got this in the bag.

"You've done well, kid, but dismissing us is a grave mistake. Calm Mind," the Gym Leader barked out, and Haterene nodded, closing her eyes as she focused, meditating. She grew more and more relaxed... until her head started nodding and light snores could be heard from the Fairy Type.

"Hex!" I shouted with glee, and Dun's eyes snapped open, Ghostly energy surrounding him before it converged on our foe.

"Whuh-? Wake up! This is no time to be falling asleep!" Oberon exclaimed, to no avail, his Pokemon caught in a deep slumber. She thrashed about as the Hex hit, but even that couldn't wake her up, just causing her to act like she was caught in a nightmare.

"Ancient Power," I tried, hoping for Dun to get the omni-boost from that. The rocks conjured up from the ground pelted her hard, but unfortunately didn't trigger any amazing surges from him. The boost would be nice, but I can't risk fishing for it with the Special Defense drop she got, not even with his Serene Grace. Better to just win the fight.

While he launched his attack, Dun had also been moving closer to land more physical attacks on her. And we know just the perfect one. "Poison Jab!" Lashing out with his tail, he sank a deep blow through her voluminous hair, and from the way she shivered in her sleep, I was pretty sure she had been Poisoned too.

Not that it matters; we're finishing this here. "Hyper Drill!"

"Healing Wish!" Oberon fervently cried, and while I would have thought she'd been too deeply asleep to hear it, her eyes snapped open at the last second as Dun's drilltail spun towards her. There was a quick flash of light on Klefki's Pokeball on Oberon's belt, just before the Hatterene fainted.

The referee once again announced the switch, with the crowd sounding as shocked as ever at how this was playing out. You'd think they'd get used to it by this point. Oberon had the usually boisterous man glancing down, thumbing his unused Pokeball before snatching up Klefki's and sending them out once more. Wanting to make as good a use of his ace as he can, I get that.

Neither of us thought that Klefki would take out Dun, but he was determined to make it as annoying for me as possible, with his newly refreshed Pokemon instantly setting up a barrier around itself.

Light Screen or Reflect? Don't know; he'll set up the other one in a moment anyway. "Earthquake!" I called out, and Dun shook the arena once more. This time Klefki was ready for it, floating up fast, but they still got clipped by the attack before they hovered out of range, a dozen meters above the ground.

"Steel Beam!" I blinked in surprise as Oberon switched to such an offensive strategy. The Klefki unleashed a powerful gray colored beam that slammed into Dun, hitting hard and breaking a few scales.

"Flamethrower," I commanded, hoping to take advantage of the depletion that the Klefki would suffer from using such an attack.

"Light Screen," was Oberon's counter, the keyring Pokemon quickly raising the other barrier in front of themselves to blunt the super-effective attack.

With a heavy voice, Oberon called out once more, "Steel Beam!" So that's your game plan.

"Barrel Roll!" Dun had experience using that maneuver to avoid powerful attacks from Steel Types and once again managed to roll out of the way, dodging the beam. Depleted of minerals, Klefki sank to the ground, defeated.

Oberon just shook his head, almost disbelieving at how far I had come. I knew not to get cocky, however. As much as the odds are in my favor here, I've seen Oberon come back from worse. That's because his last Pokemon is…

"Go, Kingambit," he said softly, tossing the Ultra Ball up to release the powerful Pokemon over the field. She landed on her tail with a heavy 'clang' before waving her gold-plated horn and crying out her name. That was taken up by the crowd, chanting the same.

"Kingambit! Kingambit! Kingambit!"

"Earthquake!" My high-pitched voice rang out, and Dun shook the arena once more. Though the shifting ground hit hard into the Steel Type and she lost her footing, she scrambled forward, head lowered. That motion aimed her main blade right at Dun, and there was no way for him to dodge the blow, cutting a nasty gash in his side.

Kowtow Cleave, we can't dodge it easily, and based on the damage that was dealt, we won't out heal her like we did before. "Debilitate set." Dun followed the order, puffing himself up and sighing a few clouds that drifted towards the Kingambit. The enemy slashed through the air with her side blades, Dark energy lashing out from them to disperse the cloud before turning her face away from Dun's Glare.

Well, if she's going to turn away, that'll give us time to regroup. "Flamethrower, fighting retreat." Flapping his wings to propel him backwards, Dun slithered away while releasing a stream of white hot flames at the Kingambit.

"Protect," Oberon called out, his Kingambit conjuring a barrier that shielded herself from the fire and any other attack we could throw at her for a moment. In that time, Oberon pulled the Tera Orb off the top of the half of his cane he was holding onto. "Let your kingly might shine across the world, Terastalize!"

Throwing it over her, the crystal covered the Kingambit before bursting apart to reveal her sparkling new form, a pair of pink butterfly wings above her head as a Tera 'hat.' She spread her arms out and roared, a pink mist surrounding the field as she did so.

"Drop the debilitation; just go for damage, Hyper Voice!" None of those tricks will work while Misty Terrain is up. Dun screeched, and Kingambit shook her head, the sound waves hitting her hard.

"That's a nice defensive Tera Type you got there, but it exposes her to the Moves she resisted before," I taunted. Oberon removed his own hands from his ears to fire back.

"It's hardly just defensive! Shine resplendently, Dazzling Gleam!" Catching the sun's rays on her golden blade, she reflected a bright pink beam at Dun, eliciting a hiss of pain. I wasn't surprised by the Fairy Type Move she was throwing out - Oberon was famous for having taught his ace Moves they couldn't normally learn. Though I've never seen a video or reference of her using them when not Terastalized, so there might be a trick to it. Of course, he might also just save them for when those Moves would be at their strongest.

Even then, usually such a Move would be fairly weak, coming for the physically oriented Kingambit, but there was a surging strength emanating off of Oberon's Pokemon. It boosted all of his offense to a level of power beyond his natural might. Supreme Overlord, which is why Oberon always saves his ace for last.

Looking at my starter, I saw him wheezing, hurt. Scales were torn up, overlapping with blisters from the beams he'd been hit with, and he still had that nasty gash on his side. My first instinct was to recall him; no one would blame me. He'd done a lot and had been through so much. No one but Dun, that is. Because despite all of that, I can see that he thinks he can win… and I do too. I believe in him.



***



["Thanks for the match, Arven," I said, tossing him a few healing potions. The two of us stood on the beach, on the battlefield outside my house. A cool breeze washed over us, just as the waves did a few dozen meters away, carrying a sharp, slightly salty smell. Ahh, what a perfect day this is.

The young boy groaned, accepting them with lethargic arms. Geez, you'd think that with how he was acting, he'd been the one battling, not his Pokemon. Then again, I did have him join me for half of my warmup before this, so that might be it.

He quickly sprayed them over his Mabostiff, healing the Dark Type up. "I'm glad we can spend time together before you go on your journey, but does it have to be like this?" His starter barked out an agreement, cowering before Notch, who eyed the dog blankly.

"I mean, it helps keep my Pokemon in shape, so I'd have to be doing this anyway, so yeah. Besides, we still play tons of games and stuff too outside of this! And think how much it's helped improve your bond with Miraidon," I pointed out.

That brought a reluctant smile to the boy's face. "Yeah, Miraidon is pretty cool. Riding around on them is fun, and I can get to your house in only a few minutes!" He cheered before pouting again. "But why do you have to beat them up so much?"

As he said that, he released Miraidon from their Pokeball, the Legendary Paradox Pokemon unconscious from our fight prior. He started applying Potions and Revives to them to help heal them up.

"Hey, they give out as good as they get," I countered, applying my own medicines to Dun. "You've gotten a lot better at commanding Miraidon in battle, and they can still beat almost anyone on my team solo. And even Dun can't win against them and then against Mabostiff in a row. They're quite the special Pokemon." You have no idea how much so; I'm not sure even Professor Turo really gets just how strong Miraidon is.

"Ok, but if they're so special, how come we still can't beat Dun?" Arven frowned adorably, and I just laughed, a big grin on my face.

"Well sure, they're special, but Dun? He's one of a kind. The strongest Dudunsparce in the world." And one day, the strongest Pokemon, period.]



***



"Finish this off; cut a path to victory, Kowtow Cleave!" Oberon announced, waving his arms about dramatically.

"We're not falling here, Hyper Block!" Dun turned his tail to his foe, spinning his drill rapidly and raising it up to block the Kingambit's enormous blade. Sparks flew as they clashed, but despite her overwhelming might, Dun held off against our powerful foe. As he resisted, he also screeched, utilizing his three-segment body to twist around and blast Kingambit with the piercing wail he let loose.

"Keep at it!" Oberon commanded, and Kingambit tried again and again to break through, but each time, Dun resisted. Each time though, the blades got a bit closer, and as she started to swing in her side blades, I knew Dun would end up cut down if things continued.

"Ascend!" Was my counter, and Dun lifted himself up, flapping furiously to start climbing through the air. It was a slow process given his bulk, and he had to twist carefully to avoid her blades, but eventually she made it above the Kingambit. "Finish her, starfall!"

"Protect!" That's a smart play if I had to resort to Giga Impact to win here. However, we didn't. Dun was at his limit and instead plunged down, propelled by a star-shaped energy, bouncing off the forcefield Kingambit had made.

It might not be able to break Protect, but Last Resort doesn't tire Dun out either. "Hyper Drill, break through!" Drilling through the remaining fragments of her defense, Dun pierced into Kingambit, her tough exterior making a horrible screeching sound as Dun grinded through.

But it wasn't quite enough to defeat her; the barriers Klefki had made before falling flashed as they gave out, having reduced the impact of our attack. Our opponent grasped my starter, tossing him up and cutting down with her heavy blade. The blow cut down hard onto Dun, sending him reeling against the ground. With a cry, he fell… but managed to hold on, just barely.

Raising his head, Dun glared at Kingambit and Oberon, unwilling to go down. The show of defiance surprised them, but I knew that wouldn't hold for long. "Show them… show them who the strongest Dudunsparce in the world is! Giga Impact!"

With a quick shimmy backward, Dun then shot forward, the green glow surrounding him so bright no one could make him out as more than an indistinct silhouette. He hit Kingambit point blank, the force lifting her up and carrying her off her tail and into the barrier - before even that broke and she was pushed past the arena limits.

Thankfully, she fell short of the edge of the wide tower we were battling on. The barrier had taken the worst of the blow, and no one was hurt by the widespread attack, but there was still a shocked silence until: "Kingambit has fallen unconscious, Challenger Nemona is the winner," the referee said in a softer than usual voice.

That caused an uproar of cheering from the crowd, clapping and shouting while I rushed over to Dun. Hugging him and spraying my starter with as many Potions as I could, my starter basked in the adulation of the people. "You did great, Dun."

He gave a weak yet proud warble, bunting his head into me. Gazing across the field, I saw Oberon looking somewhat shell-shocked, like he couldn't believe what just happened. The little Ortega was crying loudly in a richly dressed woman's arms (likely his mother), one of only two discordant sounds amidst the enthusiasm.

What- something's wrong. It was hard to tell what exactly, but I couldn't shake that feeling. I was sure I heard a snickering sound, familiar, and the scraping of claws on tiles. An old, musty smell? Looking around, I couldn't see anything amiss, just Oberon walking over and recalling his Kingambit, clipping her Pokeball back on his belt with the other four Pokeballs. Wait.

Running across the battlefield, Oberon gave me a wan smile before puffing himself back up, trying to get in character. "Well, aren't you an eager one? I suppose it makes sense for the victorious knight to want-"

"Where's Klefki's Pokeball?" I suddenly demanded, not seeing it anywhere on him. Did he hide it? Conceal it away for whatever reason? I can't think of why, but it's better than…

At my abrupt words, he looked down confused. "It's right there on- what?" Most of the crowd was still cheering, not having noticed what was going on. But one person hitched their breath. Whirling around, I turned to face them. Despite the quality of the illusion making it so I couldn't see the Trainer (and the Pokemon creating it) standing there, I knew who it was.

"Raifort."

Spoiler: A/N:

A nice big battle to cap off our fiftieth chapter... though I suppose with interludes and whatnot this a bit more than fifty, haha. Tried something different style wise here, with interspersed flashbacks to show some of the training and strategies Nemona studied in preparation for this match. Let me know what you think (though, like it or hate it, I probably won't do it again because sweet llama god, was this chapter way tougher than I thought it'd be). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it overall and can forgive me for the cliffhanger I've left things on.

Nemona's Current Team:

-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known:
Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version)*, Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn*, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known:
Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen, Uproar

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known:
Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash, Sand Tomb, Crabhammer

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known:
Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes, Stomping Tantrum

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zorua, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known:
Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known:
Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal, Dancing Sword*, Howl, Earthquake, Brick Break

*Custom Moves

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

Really love the fights but the flashback and forth is a little confusing at first. Can't wait to see Raifort getting destroyed.

 

[Spearow]

uuuuh you added the pokemon info in the end, love it

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Epitome of Eccentricity]

Why would Raifort rob a gym leader??

 

[Skyfyre]

Really love the fights but the flashback and forth is a little confusing at first. Can't wait to see Raifort getting destroyed.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that's fair. It was a bit of an experiment. I liked it, but it was a bit confusing (also took like 3 times as long as usual to write, so I don't think I'll be doing that again). As for Raifort...

 

[Skyfyre]

Immediately, I started sprinting after her, Raifort running down the stairs in turn. My path was unfortunately blocked by Tulip stepping in my way. "Nemona! What is going on?"

"It's Raifort! She's right there!" I pointed at the stairs and slipped past the older girl. "I'm going after her," I shouted, ignoring her calls for me to stop.

"Nemona, wait! Let us handle it!" Tulip tried, but I pretended not to hear her, making it to the top of the stairs. I took a few steps down before shaking my head and throwing myself off the side, floating down with my Aura.

I know that there are adults here, but no one else can handle it. Tulip was completely caught off guard by Raifort, her Psychic Aura is not great for tracking that Zorark. With my enhanced senses, I can get a general idea of where she is.

The woman was just reaching the bottom of the stairs as I released Notch. "Dazzling Gleam, right there!" Pointing at where they were, Notch followed my order, unleashing a burst of light on the spot.

"Agh!" Raifort cried out, clutching her arm as the illusion broke. Zoroark stood off to the side, fast enough to dodge Notch's attack but hissing angrily at us for hurting her Trainer. "That was… surprisingly vicious for a little girl. Sure you aren't on the wrong side of things?"

"I'm certain. Now stop running and give me Oberon's Pokemon back." I ordered. The older girl held up her hands as if in surrender.

"That's fine; I wasn't planning on going very far. You can have them-" I tuned her out, paying attention to where I couldn't hear the wind whistling by.

"It's another illusion!" I told Notch and ran right through the fake Raifort, chasing after the real one. The thief and her Zoroark were running towards the Cavern, trying to get away.

As we ran, I recalled Notch, the Fairy Type a good matchup for fighting Zoroark, but hardly able to keep up with the speedy illusionist. If it was just the Pokemon I was trying to chase, I'm sure I'd be eating the dust already, and even with all my training and Aura, I'm having trouble keeping up with Raifort. The woman was clearly decently athletic herself and simply had longer legs than me.

The illusions had lost some of their fidelity. Either due to the speed they were moving at, being shaken by Notch's attack, or just having given up on trying to fool me after the fake surrender trick failed. However, as they entered the Cavern, I knew that it would be a lot tougher to track them.

The dim lighting and echoey nature of the cave system would make tracking her harder. To say nothing of the wild Pokemon. Nimbly, I jumped around a Deino as I ran, the Dragon Type snapping out with his jaws blindly. I love Hydreigon line, but this is so not the time.

Running down around the bend, I stopped as the cavern opened up in several paths and options. I don't know where they went. I've lost them.

Before anger could overwhelm me, I took a deep breath, calling upon my Aura training to calm down and think clearly. I shouldn't just pick a random direction and hope I run into her, even if I'm losing time. I need another way to pick up the trail. An image of hunting dogs popped into my mind, and the answer came to me.

"Hardly the same thing, but I don't doubt that Phantasm can track them!" I said aloud as I released her. "Hey, can you-" and before the words were even out of my mouth, she was sniffing the ground, picking up the trail.

Down the winding path she led, yipping softly as I followed - until we came to the edge. The path curved down to the side, but Phantasm had stopped at the ledge. Did she drop all the way down? It was a large drop, but she probably had more than just that Zoroark with her, and any number of Pokemon could scale down it quickly.

Holding Phantasm in my arms, I dropped down, floating to the bottom. When I set her down though, she couldn't pick up the trail, the Hisuian Zorua shaking her head sadly. Heightening my own senses as much as I dared while avoiding sensory overload, I tried to sense any sign of her, even an absence.

Unfortunately I couldn't; everything seemed normal down in the dark cave. Dugtrio digging, churning up the earth. Medichams leading packs of Meditites through the gloom, Toxitricity thrumming a few notes…

While I couldn't find any sign of Raifort, I did catch a faint jangling sound farther down. That's a Klefki! They only hang out aboveground usually, so that's probably Oberon's!

Running ahead, pushing through the burning sensation as I pushed my body, I found them. They were looking around confused and agitated, wailing out loud as they hovered over their discarded Pokeball. What? Why would Raifort take a Gym Leader's Pokemon, only to discard them right away?

Looking closer just to make sure it was his, I saw that it was indeed the same Klefki. Same battle-hardened body, same Aura, same two… keys… "Klefki, what happened to your third key?"

That set them off, more distressed jangling, and a few pitiful whimpers. Rushing over, I sprayed them with some potions from my bag. They helped stop them from worsening their wounds, but it would be best to get them healed up properly, so I returned them to their ball.

"Don't worry, we'll get your key back," I promised them, and the shaking of the Pokeball in my hands stopped, the Klefki likely drifting off into unconsciousness. "Now we just have to figure out where Raifort is…"

Scanning around the rocky cavern, I saw no further signs of the thief. "Did you understand Klefki?" I asked Phantasm who shook her head.

"Zor," she said with the same resigned tone she used when I asked if she could clarify what Notch said.

"I never realized how hard all Fairy Types were to understand," I muttered, and she gave me a flat look before responding.

"Rua, oru, orua, Zo." With the help of her illusions, she mimed a finger pointing at her head and swirling it counterclockwise.

"Well, Klefki just got robbed, it's understandable that they'd be a little hysterical." Though I'm going to be carefully reviewing all the times my Pokemon told me they 'didn't understand Notch' as more 'Notch is talking nonsense' and seeing what changes that makes. But after this is done.

There was a massive wall of stone in front of me, with paths on either side to walk. One way leads back up to the city, which also leads back down to the detour I took. Or the other way down to the main passage.

Raifort's words came back to my mind. "I wasn't planning on going very far…" I repeated her words aloud. Craning my neck up, I glanced at the massive outcropping that rose above me. It's not easy to reach, but it's almost directly under the arena, isn't it?

Opening Nightwing's Pokeball and returning Phantasm, I said, "Hey, can you get me up to the top there?" I might be able to climb/float up myself, but that'd be tiring and take a long time. Nightwing wasn't a huge fan of carrying me around, but they knew how serious this was and didn't raise any issue, picking me up and ascending immediately.

Utilizing my Aura, I made myself lighter and pushed her up even more, and soon we had reached the top. The outcropping jutted out far from the cave edge and was close to the ceiling, with plenty of Pokemon, particularly Bagons and Shellgons roaming about here.

More importantly, I heard Raifort's voice, the thief apparently having forgone the need to try and hide at this point, thinking herself safe. Racing ahead, I found her standing near the ledge along with her Zoroark. As the two turned to face us, I pointed at the key in her hand and shouted, "Nightwing, Knock Off!"

She swooped forward, smacking Raifort's hand hard with her large pincer, forcing her to drop the key. Clamping onto the ancient key, Nightwing flew back to my side, the Zoroark surprisingly slow to react. Odd, she's been pretty quick. Maybe tired from all those illusions.

"Ahh dammit dammit!" Raifort cried out, cradling her hurt hand. "Starting to get… really annoyed with you, kid. Did you really have to hit me? Twice?!"

"Haven't taught her Thief yet, so Knock Off had to do. Hardly complaining at seeing you get yours, though."

"That's a shame, it's a good Move; it was so handy for Zoroark in grabbing that Klefki's Pokeball after your match." She was starting to regain her composure, smirking at me.

"You let them go afterwards. Why?" I demanded keeping my eyes locked on her.

Despite being cornered, Raifort smiled, shaking her hand out. "I think you know better than that. If it was, why would I have let the Klefki go?"

"So, working with those poachers was all for this?" Nightwing passed me the key, which I held up. Something about the small raised circular portion she's standing beside feels weird to me; it doesn't look quite natural, like the rest of the stone here.

"Essentially, but so much more than that. Those poachers would have made a useful patsy had things gone to plan." She said casually, as if stealing from Gym Leaders and betraying hardened criminals was just everyday business. Maybe it is for her.

"So then you waited for me to beat Oberon so you could steal that key, when Oberon was weak and distracted. All to unlock… something." As I spoke, I gestured at the unusual platform she was standing beside.

She started doing a slow clap before cutting off after the first beat as her hand obviously still stung. "Very astute." That smug tone really bugs me, like she thinks she has the upper hand. "That 'something' is an ancient vault that has belonged to Oberon's family for generations. Just think of the history stored within!"

"And you thought trying to steal from a Gym Leader would be better than, say, asking him?"

She snorted. "Oh, I've tried."

"Surprised he didn't recognize you when we described you, then." I pointed out and she just kept on grinning.

"Much like the poachers, Zoroark here disguised me when I went to him. Why, even with your unusual ability to track me, I but you can't say that this is what I really look-"

"It is," I interrupted her spiel. "You put way too much detail into this, and Zoroark is exhausted. You aren't wasting their energy trying to fool me again like this." That, and I know what you look like from the games, and you look almost identical, only a bit younger really. That got a scowl from her, but she let the point drop.

"Oberon is hung up on some family oath to not open the vault, despite all the treasures it has to hold. Even with his fortunes turning up dry, he'd rather hook up with a nouveau riche rather than open this." She gestured at the dias beside her as she spoke. "There's even supposed to be a Magearna inside here."

"Really?" My voice slipping out and foot stepping forward happened without thought, and I stopped myself with a glare. Raifort's laughter echoed in the cavern, showing she hadn't missed it either.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I've got the key, so you can't open that vault." I shot back even as my mind was still whirling at the idea.

"No… but you could. No one else is here; who's to say that you didn't arrive a bit late? We can investigate the vault together, plunder its secrets- oh don't frown!" She seems pretty sure of herself, despite how dark it is. Could she have Aura? I don't actually know if Dark Type Aura would let her see through this, but I'm having trouble even with my Flying Aura. Bird-like senses only go so far.

She continued. "I wouldn't take much, just want to study it. And I wouldn't say anything if a certain legendary Pokemon found its way to your hands, either." Raifort chuckled darkly before adding, "Then you can go back a hero! Return Klefki to the Gym Leader, everyone wins. What do you say?"

I said nothing, remaining silent for a long minute. Wish I could say I'm not tempted, but I am. Magearna is incredibly rare, an artificial soul that pilots a mechanical body, much like a prototype Rotom. Even if it was just an empty body, there's so much I could learn from studying it, to say nothing else of the rest of what could be sealed away in that vault, like Raifort wants. To study the history of this world up close, to open an ancient vault…

"No," I whispered before shaking my head and saying louder. "No, I won't do it."

"Huh?" She said, her composure slipping for just a moment. "Why not? Could the potential I saw in you be wrong?" The last part she muttered more to herself than me.

"You ask, who'd know? I'd know, and I'd have to live with that. And as tempting as it is, there are some things better left uncovered. If Oberon was so committed to keeping it sealed, he probably did so for a reason." As I spoke, I released Phantasm, and then Notch and Miles as well, joining Nightwing and me.

Raifort wasn't idle while I did so, releasing a Scizor, Haunter, Grumpig, and Seviper as well, joining the Zoroark on her side, before putting down her final Pokeball without opening it. "No place for Finneon anyways."

"Really? A Scizor? Would have thought a girl like you would have gone for Kleavor."

My words seemed to baffle her. "What? You know how to evolve a Scyther into Kleavor? I should have expected given the Hisuian Zorua-"

I interrupted her. "Everyone knows how. Blueberry Academy discovered it like, two years ago." To be fair, they're still the only ones who know how to manufacture Black Augurite, so anyone wanting one has to go hat in hand to them, but it's not that difficult a process to get them to evolve a Scyther, from what I've heard online.

"Ahh, I don't really concern myself with current events," she sniffed.

"Yeah, I got that," I snarked at her. "Guess there's no point in asking you to come in quietly, huh?"

"Indeed not, you aren't mad enough to try that. Too smart to be a tool and too self-righteous to be a partner, you really are the worst, aren't you?" She asked rhetorically, moving her hand in the darkness.

"Worse than a thief that works side-by-side with poachers? Don't think so."

"Your team is strong, but you've just been through a Gym Battle, do you really want to do this?" I stepped forward defiantly, and she sighed, an angry edge to it.

As we bantered, I kept my eyes peeled for any of her Pokemon trying something but didn't see any movement, until suddenly there was a sensation of claws on the back of my neck.

Whirling around, I saw nothing. What? But- gah! Pivoting back around, I saw Raifort and her team still there. "I detest the idea of going to jail, and while you seem familiar with the idea of using force, I'll spell it out clearly - I won't be the only one going down if you come after me."

"I won't give you the key," I managed to spit out, words failing me as my breath grew short. Don't panic; keep it together!

"Figured that was a lost cause." She started stepping towards the ledge, and her Grumpig's eyes glowed in the dark, along with the barrier she made to step down off of it. "Enjoy your win this time, hero girl."

My mind railed at me, screaming at me to 'do something!' To find some way to stop her, something that wouldn't overly risk my life or… anything. My Pokemon even glanced at me from the corner of their eyes, ready to spring into action at my command. But I did nothing, standing frozen in place until she had descended out of sight.

Why couldn't I think of anything? Everyone says I'm so smart, and look at me! Such an idiot, a loser! A coward.

Cautiously, I stepped forward, looking to see if it was a trick, and she was just waiting to spring back up, but no. They had disappeared into the depths. With the jammers she set up still unfound, it'll take a while for anyone to try and catch her trail.

Looking over at the dias, I saw the key slot in the center, with circular grooves all around. Probably would make a staircase that rises up and connects to the big building above. Must look pretty cool.

With a heavy sigh, I recalled my team, turned on my heel, and started marching back the way I came.

Spoiler: A/N:

While the cavern does run under Alfornado and there is a large shelf that's hard to reach and the Gym Platform is weirdly large and tall with no sign of entry on the ground level for how big and ostentatious it is, there are a lot of things I made up for this. There is no mystery platform on the shelf in the cavern (it's just kinda empty) and there's no mention of Ortega's parent ever having been a Gym Leader, no mention of what Raifort was looking into/doing before she got caught as a criminal and offered a position at Uva and being monitored there in leu of jail time, etc. I thought it was fitting enough with the pieces we had from canon, and cool though, so I decided to give it a shot.

This was... an awkward one, I'm well aware. There's no big battle or climax to wrap up this arc. While Raifort's story isn't over, we aren't going to see her for a while. You can probably tell that this was definitely where I was reaching my burnout point back when I was doing twice a week updates, huh? I feel like if I'd taken more time back then, I might have been able to polish it, make certain things clearer (definitely know I screwed with something because originally I had the next interlude happening right after this chapter instead of having a chapter in-between to wrap things up). Overall, I still don't feel it's bad enough for a rewrite; while it's awkward, the major points are hit and we can move on from here without it negatively impacting the rest of my story, but definitely not my best work. Still, that's just my thoughts, what do you all think?

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

"That 'something' is an ancient vault that has belonged to Oberon's family for generations. Just think of the history stored within!"

Click to shrink...

That doesn't entitle you to the legacy of someone else. It's like showing up to some rando's will-reading and trying to take their photo albums. You're just an asshole and a graverobber at that point.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

After we returned the key to Klefki and the Pokemon to the Gym Leader, I excused myself to get my team looked after. There were a bunch of people wanting to talk to me about my victory and about Raifort, but Oberon shooed them off.

"Let her look after her Pokemon; they're the most important part of a Trainer's life." His voice was subdued as he held onto Klefki's Pokeball as if it were made of the most fragile crystal in the world and could shatter at the slightest impact. "If you would, Nemona, please return after. I'd like to talk to you."

Something about the way he says that makes me think this is about more than taking my statement. I wasn't in any desperate rush to leave right now, so I agreed before going to the Pokemon Center.

When my team was taken in by Nurse Joy, however, there was an unexpected problem. "What did you do?" She demanded, sharply.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

She pointed at the monitor, and I craned my neck over to see the readouts. As the machine healed my team, it showed the amount of injuries in red shading. Phantasm is fine; I didn't even use her in any of the fights! So what's- ah. Following her finger, I saw that Riolu's ball was colored deep red (Dun's was pretty bad as well, but he hadn't fainted and I'd healed him up before our wild chase after Raifort).

"Ah. Will she be alright? She fought hard, but there's nothing permanent, right?" I asked nervously in the face of her glare. She has to be fine. Oberon saw her, and he didn't have anything to say. He's a Gym Leader, he would have called the match if it was getting dangerous, I'm sure of it. Plus, she seemed fine to me—knocked out, but fine.

"I'd like to keep her overnight for observation," she said and I narrowed my eyes.

"That… isn't an answer to the question I asked." I stared hard at before she turned away. Before she could say anything, Riolu popped out of her ball, barking angrily at the Nurse.

"Lu! Olu!" She stumbled backwards, caught in the tight space of the desk and Pokemon Center equipment.

"Wait, you wanted to take her away from me?" I asked, shocked as I translated Riolu's words.

The woman straightened herself out. "I was just trying to help! You pushed her too far-" She cut herself off at Riolu's growl.

"Did I actually?" The question was more for Riolu than her; I couldn't trust her words. My Pokemon turned to me and I said, "Hey, you did a great job out there. You took out two of Oberon's Pokemon and crippled his Grimmsnarl; that was half of his team!"

"Ri, Rio," she responded, puffing out her chest with pride and joy.

The Nurse Joy scoffed. "That's all Trainers seem to worry about. If it had gone a bit further-"

"But it didn't. Besides, she's the one that pushes that far." If anything, my strategy pulled back a bit from some of her more reckless plans, like how far she pushed against Dun right before she joined the team. But is that enough? Should I be keeping her in check more?

Riolu had stopped advancing on the Nurse, now backed into a corner and she straightened herself out. "I apologize if I caused any undue distress. As a medical professional, I simply worried about the care and well being of your Pokemon."

"Olu," the Aura Pokemon snarled, and I got her meaning, especially as she gestured to Phantasm's ball. I'm glad she can pick up on those things Nurse Joy is feeling, my Aura Sight isn't good enough to distinguish between the flurry of emotions she's feeling.

"And back to Phantasm. You really think I would-? Forget about it," I shook my head angrily. With a gesture, Riolu hopped back over the desk, carrying her Pokeball, staring daggers at the Nurse Joy.

The medical professional pursed her lips, but said nothing as we left. Well, that could have gone better. Riolu placed a paw on my hand, to reassure me. "Thanks. How did you know to jump out then?"

"Iolu," she replied with a stifled yawn.

"Ah, my suspicions. Well I'm glad you did, but you don't need to worry about everyone that I'm suspicious of being as bad as the poachers." She gave a small sniff, not dignifying that with a reply, but I was sure she understood. We're all stressed out right now after all of that.

Noticing the fatigue she was carrying, how she couldn't quite bring herself to keep up with my longer strides, I asked, "You want to rest?" She looked hesitant for a moment so I continued. "I'll be fine. You and Dun fought super hard in that Gym Battle, you've earned a break."

With a sleepy nod of her head, she agreed, pressing the button and returning back to the Pokeball. The healing machine helped her recover incredibly fast, but she'll still be tuckered out after all of that. Dun might not, but that's because of his insane stamina.

I distracted myself, thinking of random trivia like that as I walked through town, hoping to wait until Riolu was too deeply resting to pick up on my agitated mental state. Great, in addition to Raifort, looks like I've made an enemy of the Joys. The latter is probably worse; I don't think Raifort has any reason or backing to come after me.

Despite that, the historian had scared me more. "How did she do that?" I softly wondered aloud. "I've faced on all sorts of threats but that… that scared me." Was it some trick with Aura or some other supernatural element? Or just the honest fear of knowing you're facing down someone willing and able to kill you and knowing you can't stop them?

Sure, if her Zoroark had made good on that illusory promise and ripped me open, my team would have done the same (or worse) to her, but it wouldn't change what would have happened to me.

Guess it doesn't matter what the reason behind it was. The facts are, I was too scared to stand up to her. I just… need to get braver. Riolu's ball shook lightly at my side, and I rubbed it soothingly. Easier said than done.

Shaking those thoughts loose I tried to focus on the positives of today, which was actually just as easy said as done, for once. This was in part due to all the people recognizing me, pointing and whispering, talking about my battle against Oberon.

It is kinda nice to have people looking up to us, thinking we're cool and strong. I didn't think I was too vain of a person, but having the vast majority of people look down on me because of my age got old fast.

One man who likely never would again was Oberon, the man's tense shoulders relaxing as we walked up to the Gym building. He motioned us to follow him, and we did, heading through the back of the building then up the stairs.

Oberon walked to his office, opening the door with a bang that went unremarked upon by any of the staff walking past, tearing off his cape and throwing it on a plush couch on the side of the room. There was a small coffee table nearby it, and a large bookshelf covered one wall with elegant portraits and a large TV . hanging off the other.

The man slumped down in the plus chair behind the expensive-looking desk, motioning for me to take a seat in the slightly less luxurious seat planted in front of it. The cheer and energy from our match had completely drained out of him, and he looked tired. More than that, haunted. Despite how someone as tired-looking as him would probably slump down over their desk, he leans back, his hands hovering over his Pokeballs.

"First off, I want to thank you dearly for helping return Klefki to me. They've been with my family for generations, and to think I was so careless as to lose them... He trailed off, and I awkwardly looked to the side as the man seemed on the verge of sobbing. Don't really know what to say here. Hmm, yeah, those portraits do look like they could be of his ancestors, and there is a Klefki floating beside that knight-looking guy. I wonder if clues like that are how Raifort figured out about his vault?

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment to compose himself. "I will do better in the future in guarding them. My performance today, both against you and after, was shameful."

Shaking my head, I said, "No. You did fine; I studied up a lot and well… I'm pretty strong too. Besides, Raifort was waiting for an opportunity like this. It's why she hired those poachers. All so she could get access to the key to your family vault."

My words caused the man to stiffen up. "How did you-?"

"Raifort told me when I confronted her underneath the cavern. She had discarded Klefki and their Pokeball after taking the key; I think the vault was her sole interest." He still seemed a little stunned, so I gave him a minute to take that in.

"That was quite chatty of her. I take it from the fact that you didn't drag her up that she got away?"

"Y-yeah." I fell silent, shame flooding me as I remembered how I was too cowardly to chase her. I'm sure if I told him, he'd be happy, or at least approve of what I did. Try and tell me it was the safe thing to do, sensible. I don't really feel like being comforted right now. I made a mental note to duck out of town before Tulip or Dendra could corner me, knowing they'd want to do the same and be more perceptive than Oberon was right now.

"Well, that was in our favor at least. It will give us a better idea of what that thief," he spat the word out with vitriol. "Will try to go from here. If you can, please give me any other information you have on her." Then his face fell once more. "Though, perhaps you should give it to my replacement."

"What?"

"Look at me! Criminals ran rampant, and I failed to do anything to stop them. You faced my toughest team down easily, and couldn't even catch that scoundrel! How can I call myself fit to defend this city when I can't even defend my Pokemon?!" The man was practically bawling by this point, so I reached over the table to pat him on the shoulder.

"It's-" Fine? No, not really. It'll be ok? True, but he doesn't want to hear it... but I don't have anything better." It'll be ok. Nothing bad ended up happening, so just use this as motivation to work harder in the future. I don't think anyone even knew what happened." Which feels kinda bad, but so long as we get the information about Raifort out, it'll probably be fine. Causing a panic here when she's long gone doesn't seem great either.

That calmed him down, and after a bit I added, "Out of curiosity… how bad would it have been if the vault had been opened?"

He blinked his red eyes and frowned. "I don't know. That key has been in my family for centuries. When the Gym Circuit was being constructed, we lent the top of it out to the city for the Gym, but no one has been inside it for so long. Legend has it there's a rare Pokemon resting inside, waiting for the day when it will be fully recovered."

"Whoa. When is that day?"

"They were supposed to sleep for five hundred years, and it has been… three hundred and ninety-seven." Hah, maybe I'll see a Magearna someday when I'm super old.

Oberon fixed me with an intent stare and said, "I greatly appreciate what you've done for me and will think on what you've said. I hope I can also trust you to keep my family's vault a secret?"

"Of course," I nodded instantly.

"Thank you. I owe you, Miss Glitterati." He extended a hand out, and I shook it firmly.

"Actually, there is something you could do." With a click of a button, I released Notch. "I didn't show them in the battle, but I have a Fairy Type too! We've been trying to turn them into a Diancie. Do you have any ideas on the subject?"

"How wonderful..." he muttered, captivated by Notch, who stared blankly at him until he refocused. "Ah, turning a Carbink into a Diancie?" He scratched his chin. "I've heard their related but never heard about anything like that, sorry." Figures, even as a Fairy Type specialist, this is still a Fairy Type not native to Paldea.

"No worries. Though on that note, we've been trying to learn Moonblast. They're strong enough to do it; it works when the moon is up, but other times…"

"Ah, right. Yes, that's a tricky one to master. The best advice I can give you is to focus on the idea that Notch is summoning the moon themselves. It can be tempting, given Fairy's connections, to think of them drawing power from the moon, but it's more…" He clicked his tongue, trying to find the words. "It's that they are the ones controlling the moon, no matter how vaster it is than them."

"That physics is more a suggestion than a requirement. Their rules are more binding than the laws of the world; reality is theirs to shape as they see fit," I muttered. Oversimplifying it, obviously, but this is very useful. From what I've read and what we've tried, this should be quite handy for my experiments to get Notch to transform.

He offered to demonstrate the Move for me a few times outside, to which I readily agreed. Right before we could leave the building, I was accosted by a small boy trying to beat his fists against me. Thankfully, Ortega was so slow that I was easily able to recognize him and evade his blows. For just a moment there, when I saw someone about to attack me, I was ready to conjure a blade of wind to strike back. That would have ruined the good reputation I made with Oberon.

"Stop bullying, daddy!" Ortega whined as I knocked a blow aside with the palm of my hand. The smaller boy spun off-balance until his father gripped him tightly. From behind his mother, a well-dressed lady sharing his distinctive hair color ran up, looking quite annoyed with her progeny as well.

"Ortega!" He barked out, and the boy wilted, looking confused. "Don't be so rude!" Let's see if I can smooth things over; I don't want one of the future leaders of Team Star mad at me.

"Hey Ortega, was it? I'm Nemona. I wasn't bullying your dad, we were just talking, and I think he's a really good guy." I held a hand out for him to shake, and when Oberon let his son go, he stopped trying to attack me.

He wasn't quite willing to shake it either, staring at me suspiciously. "But then—why'd you beat Daddy?"

"That's just what happens sometimes when a Gym Leader battles - the point isn't for them to win but for them to put up a good challenge for the Trainer and he did just that." My simplified explanation convinced the emotional young boy, and he shook my hand quickly before walking back to his mother.

With a quick goodbye to his wife (who seemed more aware of the situation than their son had been), Oberon and I left. Once out of regular auditory range, I picked up on Ortega's mother beginning to verbally tear into him for his rudeness. He was always the brattiest of the Team Star kids.

Since the Gym was on the edge of town, it was easy to walk over to the fields nearby, where he released his newly healed Hatterene. "I have to thank you again, Miss Glitterati, for diffusing the situation even if it called for a falsehood on your part." At my curious look, he added, "The lie of me giving you a challenge."

I shook my head. "That's not true; you pushed Dun and Riolu quite hard. Even if I had other Pokemon left on my team, it was still good training for the ones that did battle. And I learned a lot! Had to use up two switches to get Riolu out of Granbull's hold."

I could afford it here, but we need a better solution to that problem. Grappling is hardly a common tactic, given how open it leaves the grappler to hits in Pokemon battles, but it isn't unheard of either for tankier Pokemon. Riolu will deal with that better once she evolves, but she'll also probably face tougher foes as well.

The Gym Leader's chuckling snapped my attention back to the moment, and he waved me off. "I could practically hear the gears turning in your head. How long did you spend analyzing my matches?"

"At least a dozen hours," I admitted. Probably closer to thirty. I had a fair bit of down time to use on my travel here, and then in the few days I spent resting up in the city, I hyper-focused on him and his strategies. Honestly, while it was helpful here, I should probably try to avoid doing that in the future, so I don't get thrown off by someone realizing that and deciding to act completely differently.

"Let's not waste any more time. Hatterene, if you would. Moonblast," Oberon ordered, and above us, despite the sun shining brightly in the afternoon, another celestial object glowed above our heads. The hair-covered Fairy Type seemed to absorb the moonlight before letting it out in a pinkish energy ball that traveled a dozen meters before exploding over the brown grass.

Notch studied it intently before focusing, their ears lying back flat as they conjured their own moon above them. The shine was less bright than Hatterene's, but it was enough for Notch to conjure their own pink ball of death and send it rolling through the air.

"Impressive, to figure it out already. You must have been close to a breakthrough." He said to my Pokemon while recalling his own. "I think you'll do quite well from here on out. I look forward to seeing your eventual challenge against the Elite Four." While he had regained some of his imperious bearing, I could sense the man was still a bit off kilter internally.

"Thank you, I'll come back to visit after I'm done." Mostly for Tulip and Dendra, admittedly, but also to see how he's doing. I wonder if this changed things, if Tulip will still be the Gym Leader in the future now?

I didn't know, and there was no way of knowing but waiting to see how the future would turn out. With a wave, I turned and headed out further across the plains while he marched back to the city. A quick message Miles sent had a Flying Taxi heading over to us as soon as I gazed out over the land from atop the high cliffs.

I don't want to focus on the bad stuff that happened, but I want to have an answer to fix it in the future. I mean, I suppose it's unlikely that I'll come across her again, but still. I need methods to protect myself in battle while leading my Pokemon, ways that won't cost me too much effectiveness when my team is battling multiple Pokemon…

My musings were interrupted by the Flying Taxi landing down beside me. I tried to step towards it, only to find my feet stuck to the ground. There wasn't anything I could detect holding them in place, but each step forward felt like I was wrenching myself ahead.

Taking a step backwards, however, was as effortless as anything and revealed what my problem was. Or should I say, who my problem is.

Turning around, I saw a Gothita standing there, staring intently at me. On the ground, her shadow stretched out, latching onto mine. Shadow Tag, that's a rare ability. She reached out, pressing her ribbon-like feeler against my hand.

They learn Fake-Out too, don't they? With that and her ability, I could use her to trap any poacher or criminal. Then I just need to get someone who can learn Follow Me and use them to protect me and- I stopped myself, wincing as I realized what I was thinking. Pulling away with great effort, I marched over to the Flying Taxi. Thinking of 'using' a Pokemon, like they're just tools. What's next, calling myself a Pokemon Wielder?

"Take me to Mesagoza, please, East Entrance."



***


I felt terrible as I marched through the dusty canyon, and it had nothing to do with the scenery, Pokemon, or dry air. Ok, maybe it has a little to do with the air, I thought as I coughed and took a large swig of water from my flask.

After my flight and a day of hiking through the canyon, I found myself regretting how quickly I had left Alfornada. Sticking around and getting some help with my feelings would have been better than just leaving like that.

I'd messaged Tulip and Dendra as soon as I was flying away that I was fine and explained my departure and the bare bones of what had happened when I confronted Raifort. They had both sent relieved (and enthusiastic in Dendra's case) responses back, but there was an undercurrent of worry from both of them, with encouragement that implied they were worried about me.

Part of me feels like I should go back and reassure them, but that would probably also mean that I should return home and tell my parents and Leah all about my woes. I'd definitely be late to the Artazon Fair if I did that, and I agreed to meet Cyan there.

Phantasm bumped her head against the side of my leg, shaking me out of my recriminations. "Thanks," I said, and she gave a small yip sound before a Spoink hopping by caught her attention.

"Try not to be too rough on them!" I called out as she chased after the pig like Pokemon. The battle ended swiftly, with Phantasm's shadow slithering across the ground until it rose up around the Spoink, defeating the wild Pokemon. I tossed them a few berries as we passed, holding back a sigh.

None of these Pokemon are a challenge for even Phantasm, let alone Miles or the others. It's hard to get in good training here. That being said, I could still work on fundamentals. Releasing Miles, I asked, "Can you help Zorua with Hyper Voice? I think she's got the vocalization down, but Dun isn't as great at explaining the Type energy." Probably because of how naturally it comes to him.

"Bzzt, certainly," Miles responded, zipping off to help my youngest Pokemon. The two of them began practicing, Phantasm having to learn not to rely on her illusions for this Move since they couldn't cause the damage it needed.

Both of them being Ghost Types helped them practice as they could fire the Move freely on each other without fear of hurting the other, but after Miles declared her to be proficient to a certain degree, she had to go back to testing Hyper Voice on other Pokemon. We need to see how much damage the Move does after all, though from the way that Stantler is flinching, I'd say it works.

The Stantler tried to charge back at Phantasm, but his Stomps landed without effect, passing right through her. Eventually the screeching noise had the deer-like Pokemon wobble and collapse. She gave a cry of pain as Phantasm wailed at her again.

"Phantasm! That's enough!" I called out sharply. Her red, floaty patch of fur waved angrily above her before she simmered down. Her aggression has gotten worse since Alfornada, but I think that's my fault. She's upset at my discontent - well, all of my team is; she just has the least experience to cope with it.



"Good job on the Hyper Voice, you mastered that Move quickly." The praise helped take the sting out of my previous admonishment, so now she just looked down guiltily. "I get how it's easy to get caught up in a battle, but you don't need to hit others once they're down."

I scooped her up in a hug, and she nuzzled in close. Does she weigh more than before? She's growing quickly. It wasn't always a sign of Evolution about to happen (and there were no studies on her variant species I could call on to help fact-check that), but it was somewhat common.

Turning to the Stantler, I reached around in my bag for berries, only to come up empty. In my rush to get out of Alfornada, I forgot to stock up. "Whoops. Uhh, I could use some Potions to try and heal you?" I offered, and the Stantler reluctantly turned her body to face me so I could spray some Potions on her, which helped.

She got back to her feet, still looking disdainfully at me, though too tired (or too wary) to use the black orb in her antlers to scare me away. "Sorry that I don't have anything better to offer you… Oh! I know, I could tell you how to evolve!" Unlike with people, I don't have to explain how I would possibly know this.

The confused and disbelieving look the Stantler gave me said otherwise, but I chose to ignore it. "Ok, this evolution will make you become part Psychic Type, so you need to focus that Type of Energy around your horns, like a Zen Headbutt. Do you learn Zen Headbutt naturally?"

A quick check of my Pokedex confirmed she could. "Awesome. So make it like a Zen Headbutt, but spread the energy out around you, like a barrier or shield you're using to ram into someone. Oh, and then you have to do that really fast, ok? Once you've mastered all of that, you should be able to evolve!"

I was subject to one of the most deadpan looks I had ever received, which was impressive. Ok, I guess saying 'just master a difficult move, alter it significantly to make a new Move, then do it in Agile Style' is a bit much. "Hey, I don't make the rules," I said with a shrug, to which she rolled her eyes and pranced off.

Continuing to walk across the winding earthen paths, we navigated the canyon. As we trekked across the land, I handled little things like staying in contact with my friends, who had been eager to hear more about my battle. Apparently, people online are saying good things about me overall.

I knew I would get too involved in things if I looked up what they were saying about me, so I tried to stay away from those details. I'm sure that there are detractors too, but it's nice to hear that some random people across Paldea believe in us.

A tune popped into my head, and I began humming it, softly singing some of the words.


"I wanna fly high, so that I can reach the highest, of all of the heavens.

Somebody will be waiting for me, so I gotta fly higher.

Gotta keep going, everything is a brand new challenge for me.

I will believe in myself, cause this, is only the start for me."



"A new song, bzzt?" Miles asked, and I laughed.

"You could say that. It was the theme of your namesake in one of the games. 'Believe in Myself.' Speaking of-"

"I'm ready." They said simply, with a plasmic smile on their face and determination in their eyes. Look how far you've come.

"Excellent. So you've decided what Form you'll be using for the fight?" I'd had ideas if Miles needed them, but they had asked to decide on their own.

"I will use the Boombox Form," they declared, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting choice. You'll need to fire Hex off fast for that, but you're pretty sharp with that Move."

"It'll also help with Hyper Voice, and my other sound Move, bzzt." True, it'll let them output more damage- oh!

"Haha, that's brilliant!" I laughed as I realized their plan. "Guess you won't need a Lum Berry or Safety Goggles after all. When did you master that Move?"

"After you passed out when arriving in Alfornada, I snuck off to practice. Didn't want to disturb you, bzzt." I frowned at that.

"I appreciate the effort, really, but please don't head out all by yourself when there are dangerous criminals about." They and I both knew it was very unlikely that Raifort or anyone would have targeted them, but they meekly nodded, accepting my concern.

Accepting that, I said, "Alright, looks like we have a good plan then. Brassius won't know what hit him!"

"You won't know what hit you if you don't get out of the way!" A shrill voice behind me said, and seeing the Cyclizar galloping towards us, I quickly dodged to the side, rolling on the ground.

Dusting myself off as I stood up, I saw the teenager sitting atop the Cyclizars back had come to a stop in front of me and turned around to face me. He had reddish-orange hair and was wearing an Uva Academy Fall Uniform. "What was that you were saying about Brassius?"

"Oh, just that we're headed to the Gym to challenge him-"

"Ha! You've got a long way to go before you can take on Brassius, squirt. I fought him last year and couldn't win, but I've got two Pokemon this time!"

There was a moment of dumbfounded silence as I just stared at him. He can see all the Pokeballs on my belt, right? I have way more Pokemon than that, and the number of Pokemon you have is hardly the only factor of whether you're strong enough to beat a Gym Leader!

Deliberately looking past the boy, I said, "I mean, not that far away. The road winds a bit, but I can see the Pokemon Center right over there." Pointing past the hill, the red and white Center was indeed clearly visible.

"Gah! That's it," the rude boy said, dismounting from the Cyclizar. "I better teach you some respect. Besides, it'll be a nice warmup before my match," he held a Pokeball out, and I sighed.

Might as well; maybe he'll surprise me. "What are you feeling for, Miles?"

"Bzzt, I think they say this is a dish best served cold."

"Ha, I hardly think he's worth revenge, but sure thing!" The schoolboy had been getting annoyed with me momentarily ignoring him, but that irritation turned to shock and dread as I heaved the refrigerator out of my bag, tossing it in the air.

Miles zipped out of my phone, possessing the refrigerator and hovering in the air. They waved their purple plasmic limbs menacingly for a moment, but the boy shook it off after a second.

"Refrigerator means Ice, right? I know my Types, that means they're weak to Fire! Go, Fuecoco!" He released a small, fiery crocodile-like from his Pokeball and I had to resist the urge to openly gape at that. Seriously? He lost to Brassius with a Fire Type?



Apparently, I spoke aloud, as the boy's face became almost as red as his hair. "Shuddup! He had a Sudowodo! How is that fair for a Grass Type Gym Leader?" He didn't give me time to explain either, simply shouting "Fuecoco, Ember!"

The first stage starter drew in a deep breath, preparing to pelt Miles with fire, something I wasn't going to let happen (even if the risk to them from this Pokemon was minimal). "Discharge."

Before the Fuecoco could release his fiery breath, the canyon around us was bathed in electricity. The bolts zapped all around, striking at the ground and air and many times into Fuecoco. Despite the spread, Miles had enough control to stop the bolts well before myself or the other trainer.

When the electricity cleared, both of us could clearly see our enemy lying on his back, insensate and motionless, save for the few twitches of his body. "Wha- how did you do that?! Ugh, ok, fine, go, Azurill!"

He recalled his starter while releasing his next Pokemon, a small blue ball like Pokemon, bouncing on the end of a tail almost the same size as their body was. Azurill, not a Water Type and looks too sleek and fit to have Thick Fat, so we could use Blizzard, but I want to try that new technique we've been looking into.

Miles hadn't had the same skill with new Moves like Riolu or Dun had, but recently we'd come across an interesting combination that I felt should work well. "Confuse Wisp!"

Opening their fridge doors, a chill slipped out, alongside a multi-colored ball of flame, drifting towards the Azurill.

"Dodge it!" He cried out, but his Pokemon was caught, entranced by the rapidly shifting lights the ghostly flame gave off. Instead of running away, the Azurill flipped itself over, lying on their head, and bouncing the tail end up over their body. This did nothing to help them against the flames as they connected, the Move Burning them.



"Foul Play," I called out, wanting to wrap this up but worried about how a stronger Move might end up seriously hurting the beginner Pokemon. The Burn and their own thrashing about doing some damage as well, until Miles swooped down and grabbed the end of Azurill's tail. Pulling away, they stretched it out before letting it snap back, the ball end smacking them in the face and knocking them out.

"Looks like we're done. Unless your Cyclizar wants to battle too?" I offered. Apparently, with a bit too much menace, as the reptilian ride Pokemon whipped their head back and forth, as if looking for a way out, before running away towards town.

"Hey wait, that was a rental!" The teenage boy cried out, chasing after the errant Dragon Type. I chuckled, watching him run off before I heard a sound above me.

Looking up, I saw a Flying Taxi overhead - hardly an unusual sight. The girl that had just jumped off it riding on the back of a Kingdra, however, was and a familiar familial sight at that.

"Bullying little kids? Tsk tsk tsk," my sister faux-mocked as she descended towards me.

"Cyan! You made it!" I flew up, grabbing her in a hug.

"Oof. Forgot you could do that," she muttered as we floated down, her Pokemon drifting off to the side to greet Miles. "Your battles looked incredible; I'm glad I'll be able to see them in person. Plus, I've got a surprise for you in the festival."

"Oh?" I asked, but she wouldn't say any more (no matter how much I tickled her while casually dodging her counter attempts), so we finished our journey to the city.

It was much the same as it had been the last time I was here; very green, very flowery. One big change, however, was all the streamers and banners hung about the place. Food carts and attraction stands lined the roads, with townsfolk and tourists milling all about. Apparently it's some kind of centennial event, and Brassius decided to help celebrate.



In honor of that, there were many pieces of art on display as the main attraction around town. From elegantly shaped topiaries to paintings to statues and more. The star feature was the 'Surrendering Sunflora' which Brassius had crafted after getting out of his funk, right before he had become a Gym Leader. For the festival, he had made dozens of duplicates of the and placed them all around town.

"I'm gonna go on ahead and try and schedule my Gym Trial in early," I told Cyan. "If that guy I fought was any indication, there's going to be a huge influx of school kids trying to cramp my style." She gave me a light shove but nodded her head.

"Sounds good. I'm gonna grab some friends, we can meet up once you're done." I feel like she's planning something, but not sure what. I didn't have time to ask as she ran off one way while I started walking towards the big circular path in the center of town.

Barely three steps in, and I found myself almost walking into a tall man dressed in maroon. With a distinctive whip at his side. "Brassius?" I asked, surprised.

"Ah, Nemona, it was fortuitous to run into you. Are you here for the festival?" The Gym Leader asked.

"Well, yes, in part. But also here to battle you! I was just about to schedule a match."

He frowned. "The challenges are supposed to be closed for the festival." The artistic man pulled up his phone and clicked his tongue as he saw no mention of that in the online information. "How vexingly imperfect," he hissed. "My apologies; I still find myself floundering in my responsibilities. I was sure I had told the staff to mention that, but it must have slipped my mind."

"No worries, we can have our battle after. The festival is looking really fun; I'm curious to see if I can spot all the 'imperfections' on the 'fake' Surrendering Sunfloras." That's a game the city advertised for the festival. Apparently there are minute differences on the replicas of the original statue, and there's a fun prize for anyone who can find all the statues and find all the differences.

Brassius was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm sure you will. But first, I think I will battle you; the art our clash will create is certain to be a worthy addition to this festival!" With that grand declaration, he turned on his heel, striding towards the heart of the city.

"No Gym Trial? I asked as we walked towards the arena. Brassius shook his head vigorously.

"I would usually have a Trainer be tested artistically, in the hopes that by pushing them creatively in the arts, they'll be pushed creatively in battle!" Ah, guess that explains Katy's reactions back then. I was rigid and by the book in baking, so she probably thought I'd be the same in battle… and then I threw Phantasm disguised as Dun at her.

He continued. "But you and your sister have already proven yourselves artistically! That comic book you entered in the festival has such bold vision! The striking colors! The dynamic action, palpable with each turn of a page, it is truly Ava-"

"She entered it!?" She didn't mention anything about that to me! Guess that must have been her 'surprise'.

"-ant garde," he finished lamely, clearly thrown off a step. "Is there an issue with that?"

I stopped to consider it fully. "Well, no, I guess not. I just wish she had asked me first; we haven't had a chance to remaster our old work." Haven't had nearly as much time together in general with her at school, even if we do stay in touch and got to meet up here.

The green-haired man chuckled. "Ol' Hass mentioned how much of a perfectionist you were." My face grew red at that, but I didn't have a rebuttal. It is true, I tend to overthink things and want every plan to work out perfectly.

At the edge of the arena, Brassius stopped, turning sharply to face me, looking me dead in the eyes with a sense of seriousness that wiped away my embarrassment. "Hass also informed me of your talents. I know you requested an eighth badge level challenge, but from what he's said, I honestly feel that I would not be able to challenge you with such a team. My personal team may be lacking compared to some of the more experienced Gym Leaders, but with your permission, I'd like you to face off against them."

Interesting, Oberon's eighth badge team was his strongest. Is Brassius underestimating himself or did the 'Fairy King' really let himself slip as a Gym Leader? It was a question to ponder for another time, however, as I had a far more pressing one on my hands.

A team I haven't seen before, haven't prepared fully against? Even stronger than the best performances I've seen from him? My eyes lit up as my cheeks strained from the smile that widened on my face. "Yeah, let's go!"

Spoiler: A/N:

We wrap up the Raifort Arc and are back onto the Gym Challenge with some familiar faces. It's interesting how stories develop as you go on. In my first drafts, Cyan had a much smaller role in the story and wasn't as close to Nemona (even as far as when I posted the very first chapter). That quickly changed over time, as well as the Pokemon she'd have with her. A lot of characters and team rosters have changed as I've written this, but of all the changes, I'm most happy with how I've seen Cyan's development go.

Nemona's Current Team:

-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known: Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version)*, Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn*, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen, Uproar

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash, Sand Tomb, Crabhammer

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known: Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes, Stomping Tantrum

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zorua, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known: Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal, Dancing Sword*, Howl, Earthquake, Brick Break

*Custom Moves

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

Maybe Nemona needs a travel companion so she doesn't get lost in her own head too often.

 

[Spearow]

The nurse joy trying to steal her pokemon was a dick move, i would not let it slide like that, i smell corruption, how many pokemons she must have "saved" just to send sell it to a different person? Yeah, there must be some shady shit going on the background, on top of that the gym leader is weak and incompetent.
Feels like we have a corrupt Joy in our hands, hope that there will be a follow up on that encounter.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Dromeosaur]

I just binged this entire story. Wow. I loved it

 

[Skyfyre]

POV - Billy Glitterati



Shrugging off my suit jacket, I tossed it onto the coat rack and rolled my shoulders. Glancing down, I saw that the staff had put out my golden loafers, and I slipped off my shoes and into them. So nice to have people who know what you need.

My darling wife's purse also hung off the coat rack, letting me know she had arrived earlier than me. "Oh, most wondrous light of my life~!" I dramatically declared arms wide as I entered the living room.

I had practiced a trick where my eyes would look close and be almost shut, but I was still paying attention and could see. It was handy for telling what business rivals and contemporaries would think of me after a bold statement. For many, it was incredulity that I'd act this way, or simple exhaustion. Some had derision, but enlightening to see the ones that smirked and thought they could get one over on me.

Here, it let me see for a brief moment O'Nare Glitterati, slumped over on the couch. Her hair was done up as usual, but a strand or two had flopped out of her usual bun. The shades she wore sat on the coffee table amidst a pile of papers.

That vignette didn't last long, for as soon as she recognized my presence, she was leaping up, a delighted smile on her face. "Ah, but it reflects off your brilliant shine!" She returned, greeting me with a kiss. "The day has been long without you."

So a frustrating day at work; nothing more serious we need to get into. What had started as mere attempts to explain the burning passions in our hearts to each other had turned into a sort of secret language shared between us. Though nonetheless true for it. My heart feels as lifted when I see O'Nare now as it did the day I met her.

"The same, my love. Things at the factory are going well." They were indeed. Not necessarily in terms of increased profits, but the Rotoms had generally been much happier about their new living conditions. Some of them liked more shade and gloom, but shutters on the sides of their ground-level living space gave those plenty of shade to rest and plot in, while the others were free to enjoy the brighter, more open living space. The reviews we've gotten about the phones have been slightly better too, with customers noticing an uptick in responsiveness from them.

The sound of a throat being cleared announced Leah's presence in the room. Turning, I found the young lady standing there, her head respectfully bowed. "Glad to see you return, Master Billy. If it pleases you both, dinner is ready."

I'm pretty sure I didn't miss her when I entered the living room, so she must have stepped in silently after my arrival. And to arrange things so everything is ready as we return from work, she's stepped up her professionalism. I wonder if she's after Hamber's old spot or just a result of her duties being freed up, no longer having to keep a Braviary's eye-view on our most troublesome daughter.

We entered the room, first greeted by the scent of a well-cooked roast. A few butlers finished setting aside the other dishes, stuffing and steamed vegetables, and a few bread rolls. With their task finished, the staff left, save for Leah and one other maid waiting off to the sides of the table (in case we needed anything during the meal).

The table itself was a long, elegant thing, and I made sure to sit near the top side, my dear wife taking her place at the head of it. A busy day of work made for a quiet meal as we both eagerly dug in, something O'Nare commented on about halfway through.

"It's gotten so quiet in here."

"Hmm. It's funny; Hamber was never a very loud man, but his departure so soon after Cyan went back to school does leave the house feeling a tad empty." Though we both know that isn't the real reason. Still, we do need a new Majordomo.

"Oh!" Leah said softly, looking mildly embarrassed at her outburst as the two of us turned to see her looking at something on her phone. "I just got forwarded the video of the Young Miss's latest Gym Battle." That had both myself and O'Nare jumping to our feet, the scrumptious half-eaten meal forgotten in the blink of an eye as we crowded around Leah.

"She's taken on another Gym already?" I asked incredulously. We only just finished uploading the final videos from her first battle.

"Ah, she has such an incredible Glitterati spirit! Striving ahead constantly," my wife added, her eyes watery. I felt the same way, so proud yet so lonely with our children already out and taking on the world.

"Yes, that, definitely. Why don't you go back to the table and we can watch it as you eat?" She all but begged us, and we readily agreed. Moving our plates so we were sitting side-by-side, our headmaid placed her Rotom Phone in front of us (and herself behind us, almost as eager to see the footage as we were).

The video showed a decent crowd gathered around to watch our baby girl. The Gym Leader she faced, Oberon, was a man we knew well. He and his wife often ran in similar circles to ours, and we had seen him at a few cocktail parties. I always thought of him as much like Clay. I wonder if he'll give Nemona as much of a challenge as the Unovan Gym Leader did?

We always believed in our little girl, even when she made that bold challenge to Clay, but there were moments towards the end of that fight… Before Dun evolved, I would admit if pressed that I was worried about her winning, no matter how good a show she had put on before.

One difference with this fight was that I was never nervous, even as she still put on a tremendous show. This sentiment was shared by my wife and Leah.

"To go so far with a Riolu, that's ins- incredible," the head maid breathed out.

"Oh?" I questioned, not willing to turn my head away from the screen for even a moment.

"It really is," she reaffirmed. "Unevolved and with a Type disadvantage, yet she's fighting so well."

"Ah," I said distractedly. Nemona's always had a better head for that stuff than the rest of us, though Cyan proved herself to be a quick study as well. Our most troublesome little girl, however…

I recalled Oberon boasting about his might at a party once, cowing a Delibird Presents upper manager when the other man had accused the Fairy Type Gym Leader of 'getting soft.' I hadn't seen someone get beat so fast before that, at least not until now. Our little girl has grown up so quickly.

"I miss her too!" O'Nare wailed, clutching onto my side, her head still glued to the screen. Must have said that last part out loud.

Before I could commiserate, Nemona's first Pokemon had fainted, and we were all brought back to the fight as our girl made a proud boast and sent out Dun. We watched in silent awe as her first Pokemon proceeded to annihilate the rest of Oberon's team.

The video ended somewhat jarringly after the victory announcement, but I barely noticed. Leah was the first one to break the silence again, letting out in a tone only a hair higher than a whisper, "I think the Haxorus might have been less dangerous."

All three of us started laughing at that, at so much of what we had done. Attempting to give a six-year-old a Dragon was, in retrospect, not the greatest idea we'd ever come up with. Nemona had been acting so oddly since we moved. So serious, but always convincing us she was fine, asking for so little, so when we knew what she wanted, my wife and I were determined to give it to her.

Thankfully it didn't come to pass. O'Nare and I greeted her as we returned home on her birthday to find our littlest one hugging tightly to an innocuous, bulbous, yellow, and blue snake Pokemon. "The two of them have always been close; they've both grown so much." Physically, but mentally as well. Nemona always seemed so far ahead of where I was at her age. O'Nare has said the same, and if she's smarter than my brilliant wife…

It was hard to believe at times, but the proof was in the pudding. Or record label as it may be. That sparked an idea so bright I wouldn't have been surprised if there was a Rotom above my head. "Music!"

My sudden shout had the two women around me looking confused before they caught onto what I was talking about. "Ah, how sharp you are, like a Glitterati diamond! We need to make the next music videos so we can dazzle the world with our daughter's work!"

Leah turned to the other maid. "I believe the masters are done with their meal. Let's clean up the table." The staff set about handling that while we raced to the computer room, downloading the file and setting about crafting the final product online. We could easily have the staff do this, and I think we'll get one of the more tech-savvy butlers to come in and double-check this before we upload it, but we enjoy doing this personally.

Listening to her music as we overlaid clips of it on certain sections of her battle was a joy indeed. As was seeing the comments and 'likes' when the footage was posted. Not all of it is positive, but the majority of viewers seem to like it, and as Nemona would say, 'don't pay attention to the trolls.' What a funny phrase.

In addition to her brilliance, our daughter also had moments where at times she just didn't seem to fit in. Most people wouldn't notice, and it lessened as she grew up, but just little things. Like how she hardly ever uses sayings about Pokemon or uses them in her songs, despite how much she adores them.

At the time we were finishing putting the first 'short' together, my wife's phone rang, the caller ID showing it was our other beloved daughter. "Cyan honey!" She answered cheerfully. "How are you? How is school?"

"Uhh, pretty good. It's going fine," she responded in that way only an awkward teenager could. Despite being younger, Nemona was more mature in some ways than even our firstborn, and I doubted she'd be that particular kind of awkward, even as she got older.

"Did you guys see Nim's latest match?" Cyan continued, and we eagerly nodded.

"Yes, we were just about to post some of it for the world to see! Her performance was a shining example of Glitterati might and cunning!" My precious daughter rolled her eyes at that display, either thinking I was too caught up to notice or not caring if I did. "Though it is a shame she didn't have to use her new Rotom Forms."

It was perhaps understandable given she hadn't had to use Miles at all in her Gym Battles yet, but the boys and girls in R&D were itching for her to showcase their inventions to the world.

"She did pretty well. I was worried she'd be shaken up after-" Cyan clamped up immediately, but it was too late.

With a steely gaze and a deceptively sweet voice, O'Nare said, "After what?" It took a few moments of squirming before Cyan replied.

"She had some issues with the wildlife nearby. A disturbance to the environment of a wild Tera Dragonair and her Dratinis. Nims solved the issue, but it was difficult. Still, it impressed the Gym Leader enough that he counted it as her Gym Trial so she went right on to challenge him."

O'Nare gasped beside me. "How bold! Going out and tackling issues without being asked, she has true Glitterati initiative."

"And good of Oberon to recognize that." I've seen him a few times at galas and the like, and he seemed like a good sort. Unafraid to let others' opinions color his actions, like so many of our 'peers'. Nemona is much the same way, it's part of something that worried us.

When we had first moved to Paldea, Nemona had few friends, and her dazzling brilliance unfortunately drove most others away. We had at first assumed she was just getting used to things here and would bounce back, but she never did. Not exactly, at least.

Slowly but surely, she made more friends, and while she'll hardly ever be a social Butterfree, the friendships she's formed with those few are tight. And that's just her human friends, her Pokemon, well she sometimes feels closer to them than us!

That thought sent a slight pang through my heart as I realized something. "Do you know when her next Gym Match is?" I asked Cyan. We haven't gone in person to attend any of Nemona's yet, while we were all there for Cyan's first. Not that I think it bothers Nemona, but still, I'd like to show our support more and possibly reassure her.

"She can be kinda sporadic with her schedule, just taking her journey at its own pace. I did talk with her about meeting up for the big festival in Artazon at the start of the Treasure Hunt."

Clicking her tongue, O'Nare shook her head. "What terrible misfortune! I have an overseas conference then." I could see her debating in her head about canceling it.

On the other end of the screen, our eldest daughter saw it as well and shook her head. "It'll be fine; we know you guys are busy and stuff." Despite, or perhaps because of, how easily she said it, the words felt like an arrow through my very being.

"I'll keep in contact with her and try to arrange a time for all of us to meet up. Maybe when she hits Levincia or Montenevera? But try not to smother or worry about her too much, ok? I know Nims wouldn't appreciate that."

I wanted to laugh at how foolish that idea was; she was a Trainer with a full team and had proven herself capable of handling all sorts of situations even I could barely dream of. I was still worried somehow. I worried about my eldest even as I looked at her, sitting there in her neat room at Uva Academy, dressed in a sharp uniform.

Rather than voice those thoughts and weigh down my daughters unnecessarily, I said, "So, how has Uva Academy been treating you so far?"

"Umm, good, I think. Yeah, it has been good. Not friends with any of the girls who tried to pick on me last year, but some of their hanger-ons are at least nice to me now. And I think I even have a fan club? A small one, but it's crazy. Apparently, they thought I did pretty well in my Gym Challenge last year. That was exhausting though, so not doing it again this year. Not really sure what I'll be doing for this Treasure Hunt yet, still weighing my options…"

Smiling, I leaned back and listened as Cyan regaled us with the events of her life, and I relaxed just a little, gripping my wife's hand. Parenthood has been an intense trip, but like taking my chance with O'Nare, I don't regret it one bit.

Spoiler: A/N:

A small glimpse at how things are going at home after all that excitement. The Glitterati's are pretty interesting characters and their inclusion impacted a lot of the early story and my thoughts about Nemona's development. I like the idea that for all their goofiness, they have hidden depths as well. I hope you enjoyed this too and are having a good day (and if not, we're getting back to the journey soon).