"Finish it off with tackle!"

Tepig fainted. "No! Tepig!" Lisbeth cried, running to Tepig's side.

Idek grinned. "Nice job, Oshawott. Return."

It had been a long battle, each side fighting hard. In the end, Oshawott's type advantage over Tepig was why Lisbeth lost the battle.

Idek walked over to Lisbeth and Tepig. He crouched down next to her.

"Here. Take this." Idek said.

Lisbeth looked down at his hand. He held a small, yellow capsule. It was a revive. Suddenly she was furious.

"I don't want your damn revive!" Lisbeth burst out, "You think that just because you defeated me that I can't fend for myself? Leave me alone."

"I was just trying to-"

Lisbeth shoved him away. "Leave me alone!"

Idek held up his hands in defense. "Fine. I'm going."

He sauntered away from her and her fallen pokemon. He paused at the top of the steps and turned back to look at her. "If you're going to be a pokemon trainer, you're going to have to learn to deal with defeat." Then he descended the overlook steps.

Lisbeth took a deep breath. It stung what he said, and although she would never admit it, he was right. She would have to learn to deal with defeat if she was going to become a pokemon trainer.

She stood up and pulled her pokeball out of her coat pocket. "Tepig, return. You fought a hard battle."

Lisbeth looked at the pokeball. This was her first battle, and she blew it. She would make it up to Tepig. Next time they would beat Idek.

"Here you go! All happy and healthy! We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy handed Lisbeth back her pokeball. It was warm to the touch.

Lisbeth pocketed the pokeball and exited the pokemon center. She began to walk home. Her mother would be wondering what was taking her so long; Lisbeth had been gone for over an hour.

When Lisbeth got home, she found her mother sitting on the front porch, reading a book. She looked up as Lisbeth approached.

"So how'd it go?" Her mother asked.

Lisbeth smiled although she was still disappointed. She pulled the pokeball out of her coat pocket and held it out to her mom. "She gave me a pokemon."

"Oh, Lis! I'm so happy for you!" Her mom laughed. "You're going to make a great trainer!"

Lisbeth's smile fell. "That's the thing, Mom. I don't know if I will. Idek and I battled and...I lost."

Her mom stood up and grasped Lisbeth's shoulders. "Lisbeth, look at me. You are going to be a wonderful trainer. Your father was the gym leader of this city. It's in your blood. What's one battle, anyway? It was only your first. I know that you'll beat Idek, because you are a natural. From the time you were a feisty little toddler, I knew that you'd become a trainer. One better than your father, even. You can do this, sweetheart. I believe in you."

Lisbeth hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks, Mom."

"Lisbeth!" Someone called from down the street.

Lisbeth pulled back from her to see who it was. It was Bianca running up the street toward her house. When she reached Lisbeth, she was out of breath.

"Here. I forgot to give you this." She huffed.

In her hand was a shiny, red pokedex. Lisbeth took it.

"Oh, Bianca. Thank you so much for doing this for my daughter. It means so much to me." Lisbeth's mom said. "Would like to come inside for a drink?"

Still out of breath, Bianca said, "No, thank you. I have to be on my way. I have to catch the ferry for Castelia before it leaves from Virbank."

Bianca turned to head back down the street. She waved. "Goodbye, Lisbeth, and Lisbeth's mother!"

...

That night Lisbeth began packing for her journey. In her messenger back she packed two spare outfits, including socks, bras and underwear, a bathing suit, a pop-out sleeping bag, her Xtransceiver, the money she had collected from working at the bicycle shop over the summer, toiletries, and the brand-new item bag her mother bought her.

The plan was to set out for Floccesy Town in the morning, hopefully making it to Virbank before nightfall.

She was finishing packing her bag when a three note tune came from her laptop. (The tune reminded her to pack the laptop). It was an email from Idek.

The message read: 'Lisbeth- I'm leaving for Virbank tomorrow. The next time we meet, we'll have a rematch. -Idek'

Lisbeth tried to make herself mad about the email, mad at Idek, but she knew that she wasn't anymore. She was just confused about the mixed messages he was sending her, and was trying to put him out of her mind. He wasn't making it easy for her, though, sending her this email. She no longer knew what to feel about him. She wished that she could go back to how it was before, when they were rivals.

Lisbeth threw herself on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Maybe the best way to save herself from a complicated life was to stay home.

A sudden flare of heat seared against her leg. Lisbeth yelped and scrambled backwards, but then remembered that the source of the heat was strapped against her leg. It was her pokeball. The heat was gone when she unstrapped it, and only the normal warmth was lingered.

Then she realized that Tepig was trying to tell her that she shouldn't stay home. That's why he heated up the pokeball.

Lisbeth knew she couldn't let Tepig down, or herself, for that matter. They would leave tomorrow morning.

You were expecting Lisbeth to win that battle, weren't you? Guess again! But, don't worry, there will be a time for redemption.