Chapter 1
A light wind flowed through Lumiose City as the sun was rising. The biggest city in Kalos was just starting his daily business, with people slowly making their way through the streets, doing shopping, going to work or simply walking with their pokémon. However, there was someone who was all too energetic, running in the streets at full speed but being careful not to tackle anyone around. It was a girl, no older than 13. Soon, however, she stopped, looking backward as if waiting for someone. She pouted, annoyed that she had to stop in order to wait for him.
"Tsk, Big Bro Clemont is slow as usually!" she murmured.
While Bonnie was waiting for her elder brother to finally show up, she stood in front of the window of a shop, looking at her reflection to see if her hair was perfectly in order.
She had changed, a lot. She was now taller, her physique was leaner. She noted that, lately, her chest was growing a bit, enough for her Dedenne to nestle into it sometimes. She let her hair grow longer to the point that now it was just as long as Serena had it the first time she met her, although hers were blonde and straight, with her signature pearl-like braid and a blue pin in the front. Bonnie put her hand in the dark yellow pochette and held out her still sleepy Dedenne, putting him on her shoulder.
"What do you think about my new outfit, Dedenne?" she asked to her partner.
She was particularly proud of her new clothes: they're were a present of Serena for her thirteenth birthday and she was very fond of those; similar to the outfit Serena wore when they met, the black tank top was the same model while the skirt was yellow and a tad longer but comfortable at the same time. She was given to understand that Serena made that outfit herself, after asking her brother for advice and knowing that Bonnie really liked the clothes she wore at the beginning of her journey.
"De-nene!"
Dedenne gave an approving thumb-up to her trainer. Bonnie smiled, thanking the little electric pokémon. Suddenly, the both of them heard someone approaching with a pant. Turning around, they saw Clemont skidding toward them, almost out of breath.
"You're slow, Big Bro, I'll be late!" she reprimanded him, pouting. Clemont didn't answer immediately, too tired to speak. Finally, he seemed to recover a bit.
"Then why did I have to come too? You can get you pokédex without me! You know that I'm actually busy with the gym and my part-time job?"
"No, you're not! You let most of the Gym challenges to Clembot 2.0. Besides, you have too much fun with your job to not rest a couple of hours and accompany your cute little sister to the beginning of her journey through Kalos!"
"That's not what I mean...nevermind." Clemont sighed, defeated. There was no arguing with Bonnie and, to be honest, he did promise to take her to Professor Sycamore so she could obtain her pokédex, so he really had no ground to complain. And it was also true that his "job", so to speak, was so exciting that he hardly could consider it such.
A year or so ago, as a matter of fact, Clemont was asked by the major of Lumiose City to implement some technological improvement to the city, to help people and pokémon alike live the city in a even better way. After a rough start, he was able to create a number of machines to provide some help, among them a number of automated taxis to better travel through the big city without tiring, several instantaneous pokéfood dispenser with the possibility to personalize the receipt to some extent (useful to feed the stray pokémon that sometimes entered the city so they wouldn't become aggressive) and useful wandering drones that citizen and tourist alike could stop to ask for information and helped navigate better Lumiose City and even had a direct hotline to the authorities, in case something happened.
This kind of work actually was just the start: after it was completed, and Clemont was publicly thanked for his effort, various other companies came to hire him for some time, commissioning him with technological improvement. This caused, however, a severe drop of the time he had to dedicate for both Gym Challenges and his own inventions: he had to reinstate the 4-badge rule for the challengers and had Clembot 2.0 take most of them while he worked. He didn't complain too much, though: inventing was always fun to him, and the income was actually pretty high!
"Can we go now?" asked Bonnie. Clemont nodded.
"Yes. But let's walk calmly, your pokédex is not running away. I made sure that Professor Sycamore had one reserved just for you. The last model, with all the Alola database uploaded nonetheless."
"Really, Big Bro? How did you pull that out?" Bonnie was grateful to her older brother, but also curious about what he just said.
"Well, I'm a Gym Leader, I'm bound to be reserved certain privileges, am I not? Besides, I helped him with the new patch thanks to all the data of the Alola pokémon that Ash sent us. Or, as we should call him now, the new Alola Champion!"
"Yay! That's still so weird, calling him like that…"
She remembered very well the day in which the boy both her older brother and she alike looked up to as trainers finally end up winning a League Conference, a stepping stone he considered necessary to fulfill his dream. It was a battle of the ages, between him and a cool-looking trainer with blonde hair with bangs that covered his right eye and a weird tendency of striking a pose with his hand in front of his face every time he called an attack, a fight fiercer than that with Alain, with both their team giving their all, ended up with a barely standing Pikachu throwing his most powerful and desperate attack, one they didn't recognize, to his opponent, a big griffin-like pokémon that Clemont identified as Silvally, knocking him out cold after a tremendous fight where no punches were pulled and that heated the public like never happened before.
Since the Alola region never had a League before, there was no champion to challenge after the so-called Mount Lanakila Conference, but Ash had to fight nonetheless the newly elected Elite Four of Alola to rightfully gain the title of Champion of Alola. Which he did, as Bonnie saw with her brother and the other Gym Leader of Kalos. As a matter of fact, at the time in which Ash's challenge to the Elite Four was due there was a meeting of the Gym Leader of Kalos, something they felt compelled to attend after the facts of 4 years before. It was a bimestral routine and most of the times they just exchanged regular facts and information about their respective cities so they are kept up-to-date. Sadly, the day of the meeting was already chosen when finally Ash's challenge was revealed but Clemont cleverly pulled some strings and called some favors so that they could actually witness all together the event that was televised in an Alola-specific channel. No one really complained: somewhat, all the Gym Leader were fond of that boy the met, fight and got defeated by, so they all agreed to make the meeting as quickly as possible and then pulled an all-nighter, looking at Ash going through four 5vs5 battles in a row against a burly old man, fat but sturdy with a formidable team of fighting-type pokémon; a tall, skinny fellow that seemed more a tech guy than a trainer (Clemont could relate) with a variety of strong-looking steel-type pokémon; a cute little girl no older than Bonnie herself, with an everlasting cat-like smile and a team of fierce ghost-type pokémon, a girl so energetic and cheerful that after being defeated she briefly danced with a stunned Ash; and, at last, a gorgeous dark-skinned woman with a team of powerful rock-type pokémon which Grant fanboyed over until he was called back to order by Viola with a ear pull. Truly, girlfriends could be so scary!
The two siblings walked calmly through the streets, fondly remembering the times in which the two of them walked through those same streets with Ash and Serena. Bonnie hoped to create new memories like that in the journey she was about to begin with her Dedenne: she didn't know yet if she would have company, what pokémon will accompany her or what will happen, but she was nonetheless eager to begin. She didn't have a clear goal in mind: the only thing she knew was that she had a promise to fulfil. Or it was better to say, two promises, made with Ash and Serena, and she had to give her all.
Bonnie raised her head, looking in one of the maxi-screen of the city, smiling. In the video, there was a slideshow of a pretty girl with honey-colored hair and bright blue eyes dancing on a stage, wearing different outfits and with different pokémon, a Sylveon, a Pancham and a Braixen with a whitish, round stone as a necklace among them.
"She too came a long way, didn't she?" commented Clemont. Bonnie nodded.
"She's now the Kalos Queen. It's quite a feat that she still manages to talk with us, with everything she has to do now, you know? But I'm glad she can." Bonnie paused, then turned to his brother.
"But you're great too, Big Bro! All the stuff you created, for the pokémon and the people too! You're making everyone happy, just like you wanted!" she said, smiling widely to her elder brother.
Clemont was taken aback by his sister genuine appreciation. It was the very first time that she praised him so openly for his achievements; he also noted that she was beginning to be more polite and less direct towards other and, with Clemont great relief, she stopped asking every pretty girl she saw to become his bride. Bonnie was growing into a beautiful young lady and Clemon, as the elder brother, couldn't be prouder!
"Thank you Bonnie. Now it's your turn to do your best!" said Clemont, patting his little sister on the head. Bonnie reveled in her big brother affection for a while: even if she usually hated to be considered a little girl, she sometimes couldn't deny some pampering from her brother. She knew that he wouldn't be around in her new journey and the thought made her somewhat lonely, since they had been together as long as she had memories. Yes, she had briefly traveled without him, but it was just a couple of week and was with two people she deeply cared about. This time, she would be alone, so it was better to get some nuzzling done before parting, she thought.
Soon after, they reached Sycamore's lab and got in, and they were welcomed by a big dragon pokémon that soon came to Bonnie, letting her and Clemont patting its head.
"Hi Garchomp, how are you doing?" the girl asked to the female Mach Pokémon, who chirped in affection at the nuzzling she was receiving. Other pokémon came, chirping happily their name.
"Oh, hello Bonnie, Clemont, it's good to see you!" said a female voice. The two siblings turned to the voice, looking at a tall, young woman approaching. She had dark blue hair, vivid green eyes with glasses and she wore a lab coat on a light blue shirt and a grey shirt. She was Sophie, one of the two main assistants of Professor Sycamore.
"Oh hello Sophie. Where's Professor Sycamore? And Cosette and Alain?" asked cheerfully Bonnie, looking around to see the figure of the tall and rather handsome professor, of her second assistant or of the trainer.
"Well, Professor Sycamore is talking with a colleague of his and his assistant, he should be over in a minute. Cosette is in the field for a research, so she won't be around for a while. As for Alain, he decided to accompany Marin in her journey through Kalos for a while." answered Sophie.
"Alain is travelling again? That's great! I can't wait to meet him and Marin!" exclaimed Bonnie happily.
"I'm sure of it! He won't compete in the League, though. I think Mairin will, her Chestnough seemed very eager to try."
"That means they're bound to come to my Gym sooner or later. I'll make sure to challenge her myself, then." interjected Clemont.
Suddenly, there was an outburst of voice, followed by rumor of explosion that came from the lab's garden. The three of them run into the garden and saw a stream of water heading towards her. Bonnie and Sophie ducked, but Clemont wasn't fast enough and got hit straight in the face, knocking him on the floor with his glasses flying away. Luckily, the attack wasn't strong enough to actually hurt him, but he was soaked nonetheless.
"Hey, big bro, you ok?" asked a concerned Bonnie, helping Clemont on his feet and looking for his glasses. Without them, he was close to blind!
"Here, I think they're his" said someone close to her in a soft voice. Bonnie turned, seeing a young girl handing her Clemont's glasses. She couldn't be much older than her, two years at most, and couldn't help to think that she was really pretty! She was just as tall as her, with very long, straight light blond hair with a big white hat on top, wide green eyes and very delicate features with a fair skin. Her body was lean, almost frail, and she wore a white one-piece dress made up of a sleeveless blouse and a frilly skirt that covered her slim legs up to the knees. On her left wrist there was a peculiar bracelet, quite big for her slim arm with a set of colored crystals. Bonnie recalled that both Ash and his opponent in the Alola League sported a similar bracelet.
"Thank you very much...er..." said Clemont, taking the glasses and wearing them, looking at the girl he didn't knew.
"My name's Lillie, nice to meet you" she said, bowing lightly in a very ladylike attitude that Bonnie found suits her.
"I see you met young Lillie, Bonnie!" said a voice somewhere on her left. She saw Sycamore coming down the stairs, followed by another person with a peculiar attire. He was a bit taller and more muscular than Sycamore, feature that was showed by his lab coat that was open over his bare chest. He sported gray shorts with a green stripe and green sandals and had a white cap with a rainbow on it that covered his black hair.
"Hello Professor!" greeted the two siblings.
"Hello Bonnie, Clemont, I know why are you here, we'll come to that shortly. By the way, this is Professor Kukui, a colleague from the Alola region. And you already met his assistant, Lillie." Sycamore introduced the fellow professor, who greeted them in a rather friendly way.
"Howdy, cousins! You ok?" said him.
Bonnie and Clemont were a little taken aback from the greeting from Professor Kukui, but let it slide: after all, he was from a completely different region.
"My name is Bonnie. This is my Dedenne, and this is my big brother Clemont. We're ok, but Big Bro got hit by a stray Water Gun."
"It wasn't anything serious" reassured Clemont, looking at the faces of the two professors and the girl that started to show worry. "Though, I'm curious about what happened out there."
"It was this little troublemaker doing." Sophie entered the lab with a blue, seal-like pokémon on her arms; she was followed by a black and red feline pokémon and a green owl-like one.
Lillie took the blue pokémon on her arms, sternly looking at him. "You cheeky little prankster, apologize, now!" she said, holding him towards Clemont. The pokémon seemed really sorry and bowed, apologizing with his verse. Clemont accepted the apologies with a light smile. He wasn't really in danger, therefore he had no reason to be mad.
"Wah, it's so cute, what's his name?" cooed Bonnie, approaching the pokémon to pet him, a gesture that was appreciated a lot, since it started chirping happily.
Lillie was about to answer but Sycamore paused her for a second, then he pull out from a pocket on his coat a pokédex.
"I had to give this to you anyway, so the time is good as any. Why don't you try it on that pokémon?" said the professor, handing it to Bonnie.
Bonnie hesitated just for a second. It could seem a simple gesture from the outside, but it meant the world for her: the pokèdex was a symbol, a proof that you were a fully-fledged trainer, and using it meant that she'll become a real one. She felt a hand tapping her lightly on her shoulder: she saw her brother smiling at her. Her hesitation vanished as she realize that Clemont had her back.
Bonnie extended her hands and took the pokédex and pointed it to Popplio.
"Popplio, the Sea-Lion Pokémon. This pokémon can control water bubbles. It practises diligently so it can learn to make big bubbles." recited the machine. Under its bio, there were listed three moves, the one it probably knew: Pound, Growl and Water Gun.
"Nice scan, little cousin! I take you're starting to travel, ain't it?" commented Professor Kukui as Bonnie was pocketing the pokédex.
"Really? Then congratulations are in order! I'm happy for you." added in Lillie.
"Thank you!" replied Bonnie with a big smile.
Professor Sycamore handed her some pokéballs. "The pokédex is already registered at your name. These are for you. If you want to register for the Gym Challenges remember to stop in a Pokémon Center. And good luck on your journey!"
"Yes, thank you!" Bonnie said, taking the pokéballs. Then she pulled out the pokédex, beginning to scan the other two pokémon that were behind Sophie.
"Litten, the Fire Cat Pokémon. It doesn't allow its emotions to be easily seen. Earning its trust takes time. It prefers solitude."
"Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokémon. This wary Pokémon uses photosynthesis to store up energy during the day, while becoming active at night."
"These are the Alola starters, aren't they?" asked Clemont. Lillie nodded.
"Yes. Professor Sycamore asked us to bring a set for the new trainers, for those who wanted to try their hands on different pokémon. Of course, we couldn't expect that going overseas would have made someone that excited" said the alolan girl, looking at Popplio. The pokémon answered with a cheerful chirp and jumped down from her arms, approaching Bonnie with a hopeful look that left the girl confused.
"I don't want to assume, but it seems that Popplio took a liking at you. Maybe it wants to join you." Sycamore hypothesis met Popplio's approving verse.
"I'd like to, but I already have a partner pokémon, I don't want to rob another trainer of a starter!" Bonnie said with a regretful look. Popplio was a cute pokémon and she really wanted to befriend it, but she didn't want to let her egoistical thoughts taking over. She already had a starter pokémon, her Dedenne!
"Ya really kind, little cousin, but think about Popplio's feelings. It really wants to give an Helping Hand to you!" said Professor Kukui. Bonnie crouched and looked at the little water pokémon.
"Do you really want to come with me, little one?". Popplio answered by jumping straight into her arms.
"Well, that was a Quick Attack! Lillie, please give her Popplio's ball." Lillie soon pulled out from a bag a pokéball and handed it over to Bonnie, who gratefully accepted it.
"Maybe travelling out the pokéball it's too hard for you, I will return you, what do you say?" Popplio nodded and soon Bonnie pointed the ball to the Sea Lion Pokémon. A red light soon surrounded it and Popplio disappeared in his pokéball. "Thank you, my new friend." Bonnie murmured. Then she turned to her brother.
"Accompany me to the Pokèmon Center, will you?" she asked. Clemont nodded.
"Of course! Professor Sycamore, Sophie, I'll see you later. Professor Kukui, Lillie, it was nice to meet you" greeted the Gym Leader, bowing to the newcomers, then he followed his sister out of the building.
"She's leaving for her journey, eh? I'm a little envious." Lillie stated, as she saw the two siblings going out. She was truly happy by the enthusiasm shown by Bonnie and some part of her wished to join. She never had a chance to leave for her own journey and, for the longest time, never even thought about it. Since she lived a big part of her life with a terrible phobia of pokémon, she never dreamed to become a trainer a day; even when Ash, Gladion and her friends cured her, she was somewhat hesitant to actually leave her comfort zone. That's why she hastily accepted when both Professor Kukui and Burnett asked her to become their assistant and study pokémon together, since she was an accomplished student. This made her mother pout, as she hoped to take her in the Aether Foundation, but she made her choice, so she wasn't complaining. Not that much, that is.
But, somewhere inside her, still longed for something more: an adventure, a journey, like that of Ash and Gladion.
"Is that so, Lillie? Then why don't you leave too?" The question of Kukui left Lillie dumbfounded.
"But, Professor Kukui, I'm your assistant now, it's not that I can leave like that now, can I? That would be an irresponsible thing to do!"
"Maybe...but that's what you desire. Isn't it? Traveling around, with your pokémon, see where your trust in them will take ya...that's what you really want and never dared to do."
Lillie paused. Yes, she wanted to travel with Snowy and Pippi, meet another species, study them not as a scholar but as a trainer.
"Wouldn't it be a problem for you and Professor Burnet? I mean, you're kind of overworked after the Ultrabeast business and all the mayhem they caused…"
"We'll manage, Lilie, you should trust your heart. Follow your path with Strength and Cut through every difficulties."
Lillie didn't know what to say. Words could not describe how grateful she was to Professor Kukui.
Sycamore approached, holding a pokédex. He quickly opened it and scanned Lillie, registering her as an official trainer. Then, she handed it over to the girl.
"Well, you're good to go. If you run, maybe you get to travel with Bonnie. That would be a cool idea, isn't it?"
Lillie reflected on that for a while but then shook her head. "Maybe. But I think I will travel by myself for a while before joining someone. And I still have to figure out what I want to do at the end. Besides, I'm not really equipped to travel at the moment, I'll need some gear." Lillie said happily, then she turned to Professor Kukui.
"Thank you, Professor Kukui. I'm really grateful for what you are doing to me, I will not forget it!"
Professor Kukui smiled and patted the girl on the head. "Don't mention it, Lillie. You just go and have fun. And if you ever meet Ash around, make sure to say hi. And try not to stutter." He said, winking at the girl, who started to blush and pouted.
"Will you ever stop making fun of me already?!" she cried, then she turned around and left the building, still with her face red.
"Here, your set. Both Dedenne and Popplio have been checked and are okay. Here's your pokédex and your Gym Badges case. You're good to go, then. Have a nice journey, young trainer. And I hope to see you again" said the Nurse Joy, handing to Bonnie her pokédex and a small box with eight empty slots.
"Thanks Nurse Joy!" she thanked, taking Popplio's ball while Dedenne climbed back in her pochette. Then, she reached her brother outside the Pokémon Center while looking at the case. At the end, she decided to challenge the gyms, even if she didn't know whether take the League or not. That'll come later, she guessed. On a bench not far from the Center, she saw her brother checking a small backpack.
"Cooking gear, Berries, basic Recovery Items, tent, sleeping bag, pokémon food...I think that's all" he listed, as he closed the backpack, satisfied.
"How did you pack all that in that small thing?" Bonnie questioned as she approached her brother. That backpack wasn't big, in fact it was smaller than the average, and it was also quite light. The girl wondered how her brother pulled out that, even if he was quite expert at traveling. Clemont's glasses shone white as he pulled from a pocket of his blue jumpsuit a cube made of what seemed to be iron. Bonnie braced herself, as she knew what was coming.
"The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear on! Bonnie, I present to you the Miniaturize Cube for Travelling!" he proclaimed, putting the cube on the ground and pushing a small red button on it. When he did that, the cube buzzed a little before unfolding numerous times. In a span of just a minute, a full-set of cooking gears, including a table with four chairs and even a portable oven appeared. "With this little masterpiece of mine, you'll have the full power of a kitchen always with you in your hand. What's more, when it is closed, is so light it almost float on the water, so it won't weigh down on you. The tent is also contained in a cube like that, with your night stuff in it. I would have done a bathroom too, but I hadn't enough time." Clemont explained, clearly proud of himself.
Bonnie thought that was a bit overboard. True, she liked cooking, something she learned from her brother, but having a small kitchen was too much, she was travelling alone after all! But she was grateful nonetheless to her elder brother. But, also, she was worried about a thing.
"It won't explode in my face, now, will it?" Although she knew that Clemont's invention now were safe, it was like that for certified patents. That did not applied for prototypes, as she recalled that two days ago an invention he was working on caused the Gym Leader's room to tremble a bit as exploded, filling it with soot that she knew was still there.
Clemont's face reddened a little but he managed to not talk back to the younger sister. "I actually have these tested before. You'll be ok, trust me!"
"I hope so" she said, taking the backpack. Then, she looked at Clemont with a serious look.
"Big Bro, I want to have a Gym Challenge with you" Bonnie stated, staring at her brother. Clemont stared Bonnie back, seeing how she was determined. However, it wasn't something that he could give to her.
"Bonnie you know the rules, you have to possess four 4 Gym Badges before you challenge me…"
Bonnie pouted. "But you have a rule for the inexperienced trainer, i know that!"
Indeed he had. When someone with less than four badges requested a challenge, he could take up the challenge, although the challenger, in case of defeat, could only try once again after having obtained the badges required. Up until now, some trainer tried their luck using this rule. No one of them managed to defeat Clembot.
Clemont reflected. A Gym Challenge would have been a nice parting gift for her sister but as a Gym Leader he couldn't do favoritism, even to his own family! Besides, Bonnie wasn't ready to challenge him, he knew that very well. Even though she was actually a very talented and capable trainer (for a rookie), her only accomplished battler was Dedenne. He required at least two pokémon in his challenges.
After some minute of thinking, he came up with a solution. "Bonnie, I can't grant you a Gym Challenge right away. But let's do this: battle me, one-on-one. If you win, the next time you pass through Lumiose City I'll take your challenge even if you don't have the 4 badges. But if I win, you'll have to wait till you get those. Deal?"
Bonnie thought about this. She would have liked a proper Gym Challenge, but she knew he wouldn't budge. As a Gym Leader, he had some rules he had to stick with.
"I'm ok with that. But I don't plan to lose" replied the girl with a determined look that was shared by the boy.
They moved to a battle field, the same one where all those years ago Clemont battled Ash for the first time, and they both positioned on opposite sides.
"Quilladin, please go out!" called Clemont, throwing a pokéball. The round grass pokémon appeared on the battle field and waved happily to Bonnie, who greeted him back. She remembered the little glutton evolving some time ago after a fight in the Gym with a trainer.
"Do your best, Dedenne!" Bonnie said as the electric/fairy type jumped out of her pochette and landed on the battle field with a determined look.
"Quilladin, use Pin Missile!" ordered the Gym Leader. Quilladin jumped and released a barrage of glowing thorns directed towards Dedenne.
"Dedenne, use Discharge to protect yourself!" Bonnie called, and Dedenne started to emit electricity all around him, dispelling the incoming bug-type attack.
"Well, that was a nice one. Quilladin, go physical with Rollout!" Quilladin started to roll faster and faster. That wasn't good, since the more he rolled, the more the attack was to become stronger, and Bonnie knew that all to well.
"Dedenne, dodge!" Dedenne started to skid laterally, but he could that just for so long. He avoided Quilladin two times, but the third time the Spiny Armor pokémon hit him something fierce, making him fly through the battle field. Bonnie gasped but tried to remain cool.
"Try to land on your feet!" she called. Losing footing would mean to be exposed to another attack.
"Don't let them rest, Quilladin, continue with Rollout!" Quilladin rolled faster, making an inversion and following little mouse pokémon landed on his feet but trembled at the sight of the bigger pokémon approaching.
"Don't be afraid, Dedenne!". Bonnie tried to stay calm, but when the pokémon got hit a second time, and quite harder that is, she started to panic a little. She knew that her brother was usually this strong, and she was well aware that he could be even stronger and was actually going quite easy on her. She understood what he was doing: he was implicitly saying to her that she had to improve in order to properly battle him as a Gym Leader.
Quilladin was now doing another inversion and rolled towards Dedenne, who was barely standing; if the small pokémon was hit one more time, it was over. Suddenly, she came up with an idea.
"Dedenne, use Iron Tail on the ground, then step back!" At her trainer command, Dedenne's tail covered in a metallic sheen. The dual type slammed it on the ground with force, breaking it, then jumped back a few steps just when Quilladin was approaching. The terrain, now uneven, blocked the Rollout and Quilladin skidded, finally stopping; rolling that much also made him a little dizzy. That was her cue.
"Go Dedenne, Rough Play! Hit him as hard as you can!" Dedenne executed, jumping forward and starting to hit the defenseless pokémon with powerful punches, kicks and tail slaps.
Clemont was taken aback, he didn't know Dedenne could be that fierce. But, as an expert battler, he knew how to remain calm. "Free yourself Quilladin, Needle Arm!" Amidst the beating he was receiving, Quilladin managed to raise a glowing arm long enough to slam it into Dedenne, forcing him back. Quilladin panted, as he got quite the beating, but so was Dedenne, whose physical resistance was much inferior to the sturdy grass pokémon. Still, he thought that it was quite a feat for that once weak Dedenne to resist that much.
"It's time to end this. Quilladin, Energy Ball!" A sphere of dark green energy formed between Quilladin arms and he threw it to Dedenne.
"Dedenne, use Iron Tail on the Energy Ball, climb it!" Under Clemont dumbfounded gaze, Dedenne charged forward and hit the Energy Ball, propelling himself in the air. "Now, use Discharge!". Electricity surged from the tiny mouse pokémon, hitting Quilladin with a lot of volts and causing a little explosion that raised some dust. When it calmed down, Quilladin was laying on the ground with swirl in his eyes, unconscious.
Bonnie smiled as she hugged Dedenne, who was still breathing heavily. The battle had been hard and he was tired.
"We did it Dedenne, we did it!"
Clemont smiled as he returned Quilladin, thanking him for his hard work. Then, he turned to Bonnie.
"Well, good job, seems that you gained what you want, after all. Though, I'll make it harder for you next time."
Bonnie nodded. "We'll be ready Big Bro."
Clemont smiled to the sister, than remembered something. "Say, you took that from Ash?" he asked, recalling the final moves of the fight.
Bonnie reflected. She didn't really thought about that much when she was fighting, but now that it was over she could see that a couple of her tactics were a copycat of what she had witnessed from his friend. Like using Iron Tail for breaking the ground or to deflect an Energy Ball and using it as footing.
"It seems he influenced me a little" she said, scratching her cheek, a little flustered.
"That's ok, Bonnie. Although i don't think you can replicate his unique style, it's a step in the right direction."
Bonnie smiled, but the smile almost fade away as she looked at her brother. "It's time for me to go." She said, almost regretful. She imagined that day for almost four years now, she longed for it. But now that it came, she suddenly felt the need to postpone again, to stay some more time.
A hand gently touched her head and stroke her hair. Clemont was patting her again with a kind smile on his face. "It's ok Bonnie, you can do this. Go out there and make me proud."
A new resolution filled Bonnie: she hugged her brother, murmuring "Thank you." After a brief moment, they separated.
"Now go, and don't forget to call once you arrive to Santalune City. I take it that you'll start there now, don't you?" Bonnie nodded.
"Yes, i want to start with Viola. After that I don't really know, I'll decide on the spot."
"It's ok, maybe I'll call her to warn her of your arrival." But Bonnie nodded her head.
"I'd like that, thanks."
Clemont laughed a little at the thought of seeing Viola's confusion in the moment in which he would tell her that Bonnie would request a Gym Challenge to her.
"And then...you still have another call to do, don't you?" Bonnie said with a mischievous look in her eyes. They both know who Bonnie was referring to, and that made Clemont rather uneasy. His face reddened as he tried to catch his little sister, but she was too fast for him: she avoided his attempts to grab her and crossed the battle field, waving her hand.
"Bye bye, Big Bro. I'll call you when I get there!" she shouted from the distance. Then, she turned and she stepped on the route. Clemont waved back, until Bonnie disappeared from the sight. Wishing her every luck, he turned, ready to go back to gym.
Well, here we are, it's my debut as a publisher. I wanted to take my chances and chose the region that I liked the most. And I always appreciated Bonnie, it's a well written character and I think she deserved her story. I hope I can makeher justice. Please review in any way suits you and sorry for my english if it seems out of place. See ya next week!
