Aloha and welcome back to another chapter of my new fanfic! The first chapter got me so excited I decided to pump out another one in case anyone already read the first one and wanted more. I'm ecstatic about this so I'm not going to waste anymore time and just jump right into it. Everyone locked in? Alright, let's ride!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. All it's characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintento.

Chapter 2: Picture Perfect!

After reaching the Pokemon Center in Santalune City, Tadashi gave Fennekin to the nurse who brought her to the back room to be worked on. Tadashi sat in the waiting room while Fennekin was being examined and restored to health. His mind was racing after the battle they'd gone through. Every bit of that fight was intense. Even though it was his first battle, it was invigorating. He still couldn't get the image of the cute little fox staring down at Fletchling like it was dinner. Had Tadashi not stopped the fight after he'd already won, there would have been a barbequed Fletchling on the ground.

A sigh escaped his lips as Tadashi leaned back in his seat. The door to the Pokemon Center opened and a familiar face walked through it. It was the young girl who he'd run into twice before. A proud smirk was fixated on her features as she walked inside with two extra pokeballs in tow. By the looks of things she'd caught a few more and was now coming to the center to make sure her team was healed up.

She didn't acknowledge Tadashi in the slightest as she handed her pokeballs over to the nurse. She seated herself on the opposite side of the center and propped up a leg, grabbing a magazine in the process so she could have something to distract herself with.

"Tadashi?" The nurse behind the counter called, causing Tadashi to glance over towards a stretcher to see Fennekin looking good as new.

"Fen!" Fennekin chirped happily as she hopped off the stretcher onto his right shoulder.

Tadashi picked up her pokeball and secured it to his belt. Fennekin nuzzled her partner and turned to smile at the nurse.

"She's a really energetic one, you seem to have raised her quite well" the nurse complimented.

"Thanks...but I just got her today" Tadashi said with a soft smile, stroking Fennekin behind her ears as he spoke.

"Regardless, it seems as though the two of you have been together for a lot longer than a few hours. Good luck on the rest of your journey" the nurse said with a soft smile.

"Thanks" Tadashi replied, glancing over at the girl who was still reading the magazine, not paying him any mind at all.

Tadashi simply exited the center and looked around. He gave some thought to heading to the Gym, but there was a glaring problem. He noticed it the moment that girl walked in with two more pokeballs in hand that she handed to the nurse. That girl had three Pokemon to work with while he only had Fennekin. That just wasn't going to cut it. According to what he knew, Gym Leaders had at least two or more Pokemon to use in battle. Tadashi might skim by with one victory, but if his Fennekin was pooped out before the second battle, it could end in his defeat. He couldn't take that chance.

"I need another Pokemon..." he said to himself.

Fennekin tilted her head in a confused manner at his comment. Another Pokemon? Was she not enough?

"What do you say we go find ourselves another friend?" Tadashi inquired, earning a smile from Fennekin.

The word 'friend' stuck out in that sentence. This trainer thought of his Pokemon as friends and was clearly different than some other trainers she'd seen walk through Sycamore's doors. The two made their way back towards route four. The doors to the Pokemon Center opened behind them causing them to turn around to see the girl heading in the opposite direction. She was heading towards a building that looked to be a place for art or something. Perhaps she liked that sort of thing.

Tadashi and Fennekin headed towards the route and began their search for more Pokemon. Tadashi and Fennekin searched for quite some time and after about fourty five minutes they decided to take a rest.

"It seems like there aren't very many around here...probably due to everyone out here battling. They must be skittish or something" Tadashi sighed, leaning back in the grass they'd stopped on.

Fennekin simply nestled into his side, closing her eyes to relax. As she was resting, a noise caught her attention, causing her ears to twitch. She craned her head to see what made the noise. Tadashi looked down at Fennekin who seemed to be staring intently at something white moving around in the grass. Before long, a small white bodied Pokemon stepped out from the taller grass into the open. It's body resembled that of a night gown and it had hair that looked like a bowl cut with two red horns, one on the front and one on the back of its head. Tadashi got up quickly and pointed his pokedex at it.

"Ralts, the psychic/fairy pokemon. This pokemon rarely appears before people, but if it senses that a trainer has a positive disposition, it will draw closer out of curiosity. If it senses hostility, it will hide" the pokedex stated.

"Psychic...fairy? Must be a new typing...in anycase, Ralts are rare, this must be our lucky day" Tadashi said to Fennekin with a smirk.

Ralts continued to draw closer to Tadashi until it was right in front of him. Fennekin wandered up to the bi-pedal Pokemon and sniffed it.

"Ralts?" The Pokemon said curiously, tilting its head at Fennekin who looked up at Tadashi.

"Fen...Fennekin" Fennekin chirped happily, turning to Tadashi with a nod.

Tadashi knelt down in front of the Ralts and observed it. It seemed as though it wanted to be friends, but he couldn't be sure.

"Hey there Ralts, nice to meet you. Wanna join my partner and I?" Tadashi asked curiously, getting a confused expression from Ralts.

"You see, I'm on a journey to make many new friends and see the world. I was wondering if you wanted to be one of them? As in, join our team?" Tadashi inquired.

Ralts looked over at Fennekin who walked over and sat by Tadashi's side again.

It soon nodded and walked a good distance from the two and assumed what could be determined as a battle stance.

'So it wants to fight first huh? Alright...Ralts, you're as good as mine' Tadashi thought as he looked over at Fennekin.

"Alright Fennekin, this Ralts wants to rumble, let's show it what we're made of!" Tadashi said excitedly.

Fennekin assumed her battle position and stared back at Ralts who stared right back.

"Alright Fennekin, use ember!" Tadashi commanded.

Fennekin sucked in air and spit fire at Ralts who stayed calm as the flames neared it. At the last second it suddenly began to duplicate itself, moving at incredibly fast speeds as the fire was avoided. Fennekin looked around rather confused, turning her head one way then the next. At that point Ralts came to a stop behind her and its eyes began to glow crimson, creating a scarlet aura around Fennekin. Fennekin was lifted up and tossed a good distance, causing her to skid into the grass.

'So it knows double team and confusion...this is going to be rough...' Tadashi thought as Fennekin got back up.

"Fennekin, charge and use scratch!" Tadashi ordered.

Fennekin rushed forwards quickly only for her attack to be dodged again by double team.

'There's gotta be a way around that...' Tadashi thought as he watched the Ralts continue to rapidly move around Fennekin.

Tadashi watched the grass rustle under the feet of Ralts and an idea sparked in his mind.

"Fennekin, spin and use ember on the grass!" Tadashi called out.

Fennekin blinked as she was given a rather odd command but didn't question it. She charged up the flames in her mouth and spun around, spewing fire from her mouth onto the grass in a circle. As she did this, the double team ceased because Ralts had stepped on some of the flames, scorching its foot. Ralts doubled back in pain which gave Tadashi the opening he needed.

"Ember again and then rush in with scratch!" Tadashi called out.

Fennekin obeyed and fired another ember towards Ralts who wasn't quick enough to defend. At that moment, Fennekin was already too close and Ralts felt Fennekin's claws scratch across its belly. Ralts struggled to stand but fell forward from fatigue, barely concious. Tadashi took out a pokeball and launched it at Ralts. The little one was absorbed into the ball and it soon fell to the ground, twitching a few times before settling down. A satisfied smile crossed Tadashi's visage as he walked over and picked up the ball.

"We have a new friend Fennekin" Tadashi said with a soft smile.

"Fen!" Fennekin chirped happily, glancing around to see what else they could find.

"We've got two for now, why don't we head back and heal Ralts and then go challenge the Gym?" Tadashi inquired, getting a nod from Fennekin who hopped onto Tadashi's shoulder.

Tadashi headed back to the Pokemon Center for a quick heal and as soon as that was done he stepped out to find the Gym.

"Okay...now let's take a look at the map..." Tadashi said to himself, glancing down at his pokedex as he turned to the map section of it.

"According to this...the Gym should be over there" Tadashi said aloud, pointing to a building in the distance.

Fennekin followed his gaze and tilted her head curiously as she saw the building. The two made their way over to the Gym and stopped in front of it, both dawning puzzled expressions.

"This is the Gym?" Tadashi asked to nobody in particular.

"That's right" A voice from behind him said, prompting him to turn around.

A woman with dark green eyes and brown hair stood behind Tadashi. She had a pokemon standing behind her that looked rather timid. Tadashi took out his pokedex and pointed at the pokemon.

"Helioptile, the generator Pokemon. These Pokemon get their energy from the sun so eating food isn't a necessity" the pokedex informed.

"Ah, a new trainer I see. Come to challenge my sister eh?" The woman said with a smirk.

"Your sister is the Gym Leader? Who are you then?" Tadashi inquired.

"I'm Alexa, and as you've already found out, this is my partner Helioptile. I'm a journalist and as of right now I'm looking for a scoop. But I suppose that can wait until later. It'd be interesting to see a new trainer go up against my sister" Alexa said with an amused expression.

"She sounds tough from how you talk about her" Tadashi sweat dropped.

"Well, she is strong. However, about an hour ago some girl came in and stomped her. That girl had incredible command of her team. To think she just started out and already defeated Viola. I'd hate to see how she turns out down the road, she was pretty scary" Alexa said with a nervous laugh.

'That girl...' Tadashi thought as he remembered the battle between the Froakie and the Fletchling he'd fought.

'So she's already ahead of me...I'd better get a move on..' Tadashi thought as he stepped forward into the Gym.

"Eager eh? Can't blame you. Let me introduce you to her then" Alexa said as they stepped inside together.

As they walked in, Tadashi was met by a rather beautiful display of pictures. Pokemon and humans alike were displayed brilliantly.

"These are amazing!" Tadashi said aloud, looking at a picture of a young boy and a Yanma playing in the grass. There were many pictures of bug Pokemon within the walls, alluding to the Gym Leaders preferred typing.

"Thank you, I do my best" an unfamiliar voice said from behind him.

Tadashi turned around, Fennekin looking as well to see who had spoken. He soon came face to face with another woman. She had blond hair and green eyes. She was wearing a white tank top, and cargo pants. She had a camera strapped on her shoulder as well.

"You're welcome..." Tadashi said with a faint smile.

"Oh sis, this is a challenger, his name is..." Alexa paused, sweat dropping as she hadn't asked his name.

"Tadashi" Tadashi said with a soft chuckle.

"Tadashi! Yes, and he wants to battle you, what do you say sis?" Alexa asked with a smile.

"Well...he doesn't look very tough..." Viola muttered, getting a stern look from Alexa.

"But I don't turn down a challenge" Viola said with a smirk.

"This way Tadashi, I hope you're ready because once I have victory in my focus there is no escape" Viola said with a grin.

"Bring it Viola" Tadashi smirked.

The two made their way to the gym floor and stood on opposite sides.

"I'll referee" Alexa said as she stood between the two on the battlefield.

"This Gym battle is between Viola the Gym Leader and Tadashi the challenger. Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon during the battle. This will be a two on two match. Tadashi will have the first move. Ready? Begin!" Alexa called out.

"Alright, Ralts let's get this started!" Tadashi said as he threw out his first Pokemon.

"Surskit, time for a picture perfect battle!" Viola said as she threw her pokemon out onto the floor.

Tadashi had seen a surskit before considering they were seen skating near his hometown. He also knew they could be an annoyance due to their dual typing.

"Ralts let's start this off with double team!" Tadashi commanded.

Ralts began duplicating itself at a rapid pace around Surskit, causing the blue Pokemon to look in multiple directions.

"Starting off with a double team huh? I don't think so...Surskit use ice beam on the floor!" Viola commanded, getting a shocked reaction from Tadashi.

The entire floor was turned to ice within seconds, throwing off Ralts's double team in an instant.

"Now use sticky web!" Viola stated, shooting out a sticky web to ensnare Ralts.

"Now use quick attack!" Viola commanded.

Surskit obeyed and shot across the floor at breakneck speeds, slamming into Ralts and skating off around the arena.

Ralts was now struggling to get back up after a heavy hit. It was now stuck to the ice due to the web, barely able to move.

'Great...now what?' Tadashi thought as he watched Surskit racing around.

"I think it's time we ended this, Surskit, use quick attack once more!" Viola called out.

Surskit raced towards Ralts at intense speeds, ready to deal the finishing blow.

'Think Tadashi...what can you do?' Tadashi thought as Surskit got closer. At that moment he remembered his battle with the Ralts and something clicked.

"That's right, Ralts use confusion!" Tadashi called out, remembering the one move that didn't require Ralts to be mobile.

Ralts looked straight at Surskit and her eyes began to glow scarlet. Suddenly Surskit was slung across the ground by an unseen force and had no control over itself. Tadashi had gotten lucky, the confusion's second effect had kicked in. Surskit was now racing around out of control and soon it slammed itself into a wall, knocking itself out.

"Surskit is unable to battle, the winner of this battle is Ralts!" Alexa stated.

"Wow, that was a lucky break, I thought I had you there" Viola said as she withdrew Surskit.

"I thought I was a gonner" Tadashi said with a relieved sigh.

"Oh, you're not out of the woods yet. Let's go Vivillon!" Viola hollered, tossing her next pokeball out.

The energy expelled from the ball, revealing a butterfly-like pokemon with various colors on its wings. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

'I don't like the looks of this...' Tadashi thought as he stared down the fully evolved Pokemon.

"Vivillon, gust!" Viola commanded.

Vivillon flapped its wings furiously, unleasing a powerful gust that knocked Ralts back into a wall. Due to the sticky web still attached to it, Ralts was now stuck to the wall.

"Now use solar beam, it's time for the photo finish!" Viola stated with a grin, making a picture symbol with her fingers.

Vivillon gathered in sunlight from the light that poured in from the glass ceiling above them. Soon a brilliant yellow beam erupted from its mouth and struck Ralts with devastating force. When the smoke cleared, Ralts had been knocked out.

"Ralts!" Tadashi cried out as he saw his Pokemon in a battered state.

"Ralts, return..." Tadashi sighed, returning his friend to her Pokeball.

"You did great...you deserve to rest" Tadashi said as he looked towards Fennekin.

"It's up to you now partner" Tadashi stated, getting an affirmative nod from Fennekin who hopped down and assumed the battle position.

"Down to your Fennekin huh? A fire typing might have the advantage over the bug typing but that doesn't mean a thing if it's not had good training. Your Ralts just couldn't cut it" Viola smirked.

"That doesn't mean we won't try our best" Tadashi said with a grimace, a determined expression fixating itself on his features.

"Fennekin, ember!" Tadashi commanded, causing Fennekin to rear its head back.

"Blow it away with gust!" Viola countered.

Fennekin shot a blazing ember at Vivillon who blew the flames away with a strong wind, causing Fennekin to slide across the slick arena.

'That's right...the floor is still slippery, Fennekin won't be able to do anything but stand and shoot...if I can't get in close I won't be able to do anything..' Tadashi thought to himself.

"Use double team!" Viola called out to Vivillon.

Vivillon began to duplicate itself at an even faster rate than he'd seen Ralts. It was clear to Tadashi that he'd better do something quick before this ended badly. An idea soon occured to him that might get him out of the jam he was in. He couldn't afford to take a hit from a solar beam, a move he was sure she'd use next. He did the only thing that made sense to him at the time.

"Fennekin, use ember on the floor!" Tadashi called out, getting a confused look from Viola and Alexa.

Fennekin, getting the message, unleashed her flames on the floor causing the area to become rather steamy. It was difficult to see what was going on at that point. Confused, Vivillon stopped its double team and flew out of the fog that had been created.

'Using the fog for cover...clever, but that won't work...' Viola thought as she looked at Vivillon.

"Use gust to blow away the fog!" Viola demanded, watching as Vivillon did as it was told.

A smirk crossed Tadashi's features as she blew away a section of the fog only to find that Fennekin wasn't there.

"Fennekin, now, use ember!" Tadashi commanded.

A blast of fire shot from the fog behind Vivillon, dispersing it to reveal Fennekin had been behind it. The attack connected with a resounding explosion, causing the butterfly-like Pokemon to fall towards the arena, struggling to keep aloft.

"Get in close and jump, use scratch!" Tadashi called out.

"Dodge it!" Viola cried out.

Obeying, Fennekin rushed towards the struggling Vivillon who finally regained its balance and avoided Fennekin.

"Whew...close one" Viola commented.

"Almost..." Tadashi thought as he glanced up at Vivillon who was still managing to stay in the air, but barely.

"Vivillon, use gust!" Viola called out again.

Vivillon flapped its wings and released a blast of wind that still had enough strength to blow Fennekin back into a wall. Fennekin managed to get up but struggled a bit as it was getting worn out.

"Vivillon, it's time for that photo finish, use solar beam!" Viola called out enthusiastically.

Vivillon began gathering the energy for the attack which was just the window of opportunity that Tadashi was looking for.

"Fennekin, close in quickly and jump to use ember at point blank range!" Tadashi commanded.

Fennekin quickly got herself together and raced towards Vivillon with what remaining strength she had. She lept towards the low flying Vivillon and opened her mouth, releasing a blast of flames right in the butterfly's face. At the same time, Vivillon released a solar beam. An explosion threw both pokemon back onto the arena. Fennekin tumbled across the floor and landed on its stomach. Vivillon just crashed to the floor, knocked out.

Fennekin struggled to stand up and then passed out from fatigue. Alexa crossed inbetween Viola and Tadashi and delivered the verdict.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle, but since Vivillon was knocked out first and Fennekin just now passed out, the victory goes to Tadashi!" Alexa declared.

"So he beat me after all...what a shot" Viola commented to herself as she crossed the gym floor.

"Vivillon you did great, return and get some rest" Viola stated, returning her Pokemon to its ball.

"I must say I'm impressed, I wasn't expecting you to get creative like you did back there. A makeshift smokescreen threw me for a loop" Viola chuckled.

"You were great too, your sister was right about you being strong. I thought you had me for a while there" Tadashi said nervously, scratching his head lightly as he looked at Viola.

"Anyway, that was a picture perfect battle. In honor of your victory, I present you with the bug badge" Viola said with a bright smile.

Tadashi reached out and took the badge, placing it inside the box he'd been given by Sycamore.

"Thanks, this was so much fun. I learned a lot here" Tadashi said as he bowed respectfully to Viola.

"I had fun too. I can't wait to see how well you do at the other Gyms" Viola commented.

"Indeed, you are quite talented for someone who just started out. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future" Alexa said with a smirk.

"Thanks, now I really should be going off to the Pokemon Center, it's getting dark and I need to sleep, so do my teammates" Tadashi said with a smile.

"Of course, and thanks for the fun battle. Good luck on your journey" Viola said as Tadashi made his way out of the Gym towards the Pokemon Center.

After a long battle, he deserved to get a little rest. After checking in and healing up his Pokemon, he made his way into his room and released his team from their balls. Fennekin hopped up on the bed next to Tadashi and snuggled onto the pillow next to him. Ralts leaned against the wall by the bed and sighed contently as she went to sleep.

"Thanks you two, you're the best" Tadashi said with a smile.

Fennekin yipped happily, as did Ralts and soon the trio were fast asleep with one thing on their minds, the next part of their journey together.

Tadashi has just defeated Viola after a long hard battle. It was difficult to tell who was going to come out on top but after a few clever moves, Tadashi came out on top. He's made a new friend in Ralts and hopes to make many more. What will happen next? His journey is certainly getting interesting. How did you all like it? Let me know in the review section. Find out what happens in the next exciting chapter!