In a burst of light, the turtle-like Grass-Type appears in front of me, staring at me curiously. "Huh, who are you?" he asks.

"Alright, Turtwig," says the younger girl as she kneels by the Tiny Leaf Pokemon, "this is, um…" She looks up at me, "Sorry, I don't think we've got your name yet. Who are you again?"

"Lira," I reply.

"Ok then," she smiles, "I'm Flora and over there's my brother, Roger. Anyway, Turtwig, I need you to listen to Lira and do what she says for now, ok? She's a trainer, but she doesn't have her own Pokemon with her right now. Do you think you'd mind battling with her?"

"Whatever, but it'll cost you a couple pieces of Pokeblock," he answers, but then chortles, "Just kidding. Sure, no problem, kid; this one seems alright."

While Roger releases his Medicham from its Pokeball, Flora continues, "Why don't you use your Pokedex to check out Turtwig's moves?"

"Right." Why don't I do just that? Seems like this trainer stuff is going to take a while to get used to, or get back to getting used to, as it would seem. Hunting through my pack, I pull out the device and fumble to figure out a way to turn it on. My cheeks burn red with embarrassment from the odd looks I'm getting, so I'm relieved when it finally blinks to life. Surely my dad or my mom one showed me how to use one of these things sometime or another when they were still around, right?

"Are you sure you're a trainer?" Roger asks.

"I'm a little rusty…"

Eventually, I get manage to get it working. Without asking for help, I might add. I hold it out at level to Turtwig and not long after, a picture of him pops up with a small list underneath: Flash, Giga Drain, Leaf Storm, and Earth Power. Great, so if I can just figure out what they do, I'll be set. Of course I've battled Grass-Types before and I've seen Sunflora fight loads of times- mostly with Loudred. But watching them fight and actually knowing what moves are for what and exactly what they can do is a little different. Sure, I won't be the one doing the actual battling this time, but I'll still be the one making the calls on what to do.

"Hey, newbie," I look down at my feet to see Jolteon standing by me. "Lookin' a little nervous there. Just try to keep your cool; I'll be here to give you any tips if you need 'em."

"The girl's got this, Jolteon," Turtwig answers for me, but then looks up questioningly, "You've got this, right?" Unsure of my own voice, I just nod in answer. I can try at least.

"Good luck, Turtwig," winks Medicham.

"Won't need it."

"Medicham, use Shadow Ball!" Roger shouts without warning. Before I know it, a dark, sparking orb is hurdling straight at us, or rather Turtwig. Some part of me wants to jump right in, but I hold myself back. Humans aren't supposed to do that, not in these battles; I'm sure of that much.

So what do I do?!

"Give him an order, girl!" Jolteon shouts.

"T-turtwig, dodge it! Hurry!" I manage to fumble out. And thankfully he does, just in the nick of time too. The Shadow Ball crash lands right in front of us, exploding dust and small pebbles into the air.

"Treecko, on my cue…. Dodge! Now!"

Huh? What was that? I've never gotten visions like those before…

"One more time, Medicham! Shadow Ball!" Ah! No time to dwell on it now! I need to concentrate.

"Keep dodging, Turtwig!" It's the best I can do at the moment. Just until I've come up with some sort of plan.

"What? Are you going to have him dance around the battlefield all day?" Jolteon asks with a snort, "Get in there and make a move!"

"I'm working on that…" I whisper through gritted teeth. But Jolteon's right; we can't keep it up forever. If Medicham was making any physical attacks, we could try to wear her out that way. So far though, that's not happening.

"Ok, Treecko! Now use Giga Drain! Let's go!"

That'll do. I'm not sure what it does, but we might as well. "Turtwig, try to get in close and use Giga Drain!"

It is not the move itself that makes me realize my mistake all too late, but Turtwig's tired sigh. Darting forward anyway, he lunges toward Medicham, encompassing himself with a bright green wave of light. The light bounces from him, creating a beam almost like an aurora, which strikes the Fighting-type before returning to him with a healthy glow. "Did Turtwig just get zap some energy back?" I ask to myself out loud.

"This early in the fight? Highly unlikely," Jolteon answers.

Oops. Think! I need to think! Surely that old trainer's in me somewhere; I just need to find her. And fast! "Medicham, use Hi Jump Kick!" I try to shout for Turtwig to move, but he's too close in range. There's no time for him to get out of the way before the Meditate Pokemon bounds at him. I almost can't look as the attack strikes at full force and I feel my cheeks heat up in shame. This is a lot harder than I figured it would be.

Groaning on the ground, the Grass-type tries to push itself back up on its feet. However, a powerful attack like that obviously has weakened him pretty badly. Roger grins smugly, "Looks like this'll be an easier win than I figured. Alright, Medicham! Let's try to wrap this up! Hi Jump Kick, again!"

"Got it!" She hops once more high into the air, coming down upon Turtwig quick and strong.

"Turtwig use Flash!" I scream at the top of my lungs, holding my fists nervously in front of me and sealing my eyes shut. I don't know where that came from, but I can't look.

Someone cries out and there's a rumbling pound against the earth, followed by a moan. After a moment of silence, I crack one eye open for a small peak. I'm stunned when I see Turtwig perfectly fine, standing proud and tall despite his beat up appearance. And I'm even more shocked by Medicham's hole on the ground, filled with broken up bits of rock and small boulders. She kneels beside it, looking a little worse for wear herself.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" exclaims Jolteon, "Not half bad thinking kid, using Flash to momentarily blind Medicham like that. But you might want to make a move while you still can."

I nod. "Right. Ok, Turtwig, now use Earth Power! Hurry!"

Rearing back on his hind legs first to build up momentum, he then powerfully stamps down with his forelegs. A small eruption of dust and stone forms around him just as the ground begins to crack, trailing a path straight to Medicham. There, the earth shatters away completely, breaking out from underneath her and sending some of the boulders flying upward to crash straight back down at her. "Alright! Nice one!" I cheer.

"We're not out of the woods just yet, kid," the Tiny Leaf Pokemon reminds me.

Just then, Roger makes his next move, "We're not giving up so easily! Medicham, use Psychic on Turtwig!" And then, as her eyes start to shine a light pinkish-purple, Turtwig is lifted into the air with the same glow surrounding him, unable to control his own movements. Now here's something I can work with. After dealing with Mesprit's psychic attacks as a Riolu, I know just what to do.

Psychic-type moves require a great deal of concentration to perform, needing strength of the mind rather than brute force. So if we can just break her concentration… "Turtwig, Leaf Storm! Go!"

It is with much effort that he manages to move his head enough to make the attack. With the wind suddenly spinning in all directions around us, a haze of leaves begin to form, hiding most of the battlefield from view, yet never passing through its boundaries. Turtwig must have some amazing control. He's a lot more powerful that I originally figured. I can barely make him and Medicham out through the mass of swiftly soaring bracts.

"Medicham," I hear Roger exclaim on the other side of the Pokemon-made storm, "Use your Psychic to slam Turtwig into the ground!" Uh-oh, better move fast. I see something blur through the leaves; it can only be Turtwig dropping.

"Turtwig! When you land, I want you to use Earth Power one more time!"

The leaves all fly into the air as one, just at the moment that Turtwig makes impact. With the force of Medicham's Psychic throw right behind it, it practically doubles the power of the blow. Now I just pray that he endured the landing. Dirt and rock soar upward, in a straight, direct path, linking the two Pokemon. It is only when the dust has settled and the leaves float down back to the forest floor that we discover the victor.

Both Turtwig and Medicham stand there for a moment, but as the last leaf falls, as if signaling the battle's end, the latter collapses, unconscious. "Medicham is unable to battle," Flora states with a smile, "Lira and Turtwig win! Great job, Turtwig!"

"Not just great, awesome!" I add, grinning as well.

"You did great too, Medicham," says Roger after feeding her a revive.

"Thanks," she replies then nods to Turtwig, "And congrats. You better be prepared next time though; I might just get cha," then laughs lightly.

"Medicham, you're really tough," I tell her, "And using your Psychic attacks against other Fighting-types will give you a huge advantage at that Battle Royale of yours. Just be careful with your Hi Jump Kick; don't want it causing more damage to yourself than your opponents. Use it only if you have to, or if you have a clear opening."

"Guess I should practice my accuracy then," she nods, "I'll keep trying to improve it."

"Wow, Lira, you had me going there for a minute that you didn't have a clue what you were doing," Roger says.

I make a little nervous laugh, scratching the back of my head and unwilling to admit that it was just that, "Yeah… What can I say? I like going for a big, dramatic finish… Hehe…"

With brief introductions continued, I learn that Flora and Roger are both from the Sinnoh Region and are actually siblings, the latter being the eldest. Their mother, Gardenia, a recently retired Grass-type Gym Leader, sent them both off on their Pokemon journey as soon as they were of age, saying it would be good for them. Turtwig is actually Flora's first Pokemon, having grown up by her side since she was a little girl. She hopes to be a master of Grass-types just like her mom. Roger, however, hasn't any plans yet, choosing just to enjoy his time travelling and battling. I hate having to lie, but I just told them I was a trainer with some combat experience. How do you get around to telling someone that you were once a Pokemon and have been sent on some life-changing experience by a legendary anyway? Yeah. Better not to bring it up.

The time we spend simply talking as we wait for the Pokemon to rest up and heal drags on into midday, the only reason we are even reminded of this being the hungry growling of our stomachs. Of course, Roger's none too thrilled with the continued delay in his journey, but the call of food easily sways him to break just a little longer. Enough time for him to show me what he himself can do as a fighter for the Battle Royale. He's constantly off balance and his punches and kicks aren't much more than what someone would spot during a fight on a playground, but he's not entirely unteachable either. Against people who likely have spent their entire lives training though, like Battle Girls and Black Belts though? He'll definitely face some trouble.

"Try to focus on finding your center," I tell him after we've finished eating, facing off with him once more, only this time person to person. If I feel a lump in my throat from quoting my own teacher, I ignore it.

He gets into position- for the fourth time- and we begin to circle one another. I had already explained to him the importance of looking for a slip up of his opponent's before making a move to strike, so that much we had covered if he could just remember it. This was a crash course after all and I just know what I do from what Ri showed me. I grew up watching and learning the fighting styles of Pokemon, not people. The differences are more than likely very severe.

Eyes glued onto him, I see him make one fatal misstep to the right. In an instant, I'm on him, swinging my leg low to knock him off his feet before placing one foot on his chest right after. What? No one said I would go easy on him. Not like the competition will and Ri didn't for me either. If he had, I wouldn't have been able to learn fast or know just what I was facing; it would've been doing me an injustice, even if I didn't like it all of the time. As he groans on the ground, I explain, "You spread your legs too far apart and made an opening. They're going to take advantage of that. Watching yourself is just as important as keeping an eye on whom you're fighting."

"Do you have to fight so rough?" he asks, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Expect worse when the real thing happens," I shrug.

"This is pointless," he stands once I've backed off a bit, "Even if all of this helps, I've never going to learn everything by the time we get to Rinshin Town. I just plan on going for it. I'll fight 'em head all on; none of this fancy stuff."

"And that's what'll make you slip up," I reply, "I'm the same way most of the time, but it's just like… like…" I try to think of a way to get him to understand, "Pokemon battling. You need to walk in with some sort of strategy as well as be able to think on your feet."

Hearing this, he groans, plopping back down. There has to be some way for him to get it. I know I can't help him much, but I can try. Looking around for ideas, that's when I spot Medicham, meditating alone a short ways away from the group. I sense her peace and calm, despite the unruly and impatient ways of her trainer. I smile: Roger's not a Pokemon, but then neither was I, not really. So maybe, just maybe, he can learn from them as well. Besides, they are going to be fighting alongside each other- literally this time.

"Why don't you just think like Medicham?" I offer.

"What do you mean?"

"A trainer's supposed to be one with their Pokemon anyway, right?" I walk over and stand by her, getting her to open one eye at me in the process before she returns to her meditations. "She's pretty centered already, even though she needs a little help with certain moves. Watch her, and then try to think and act like she does. Try to let her be your teacher."

"Easy for you to say," she chortles.

"I think it could work," I reply.

She shrugs, "If you say so."

"Say, Lira," Flora looks at me, her eyes twinkling with what could only mean she's come up with some idea, "Why don't you come with us? Maybe your Pokemon are in Rinshin Town. Either way, you're a really good fighter. You could enter the costume one-on-one ring matches."

But I know Grovyle and the others aren't there. Still, I come up with some other excuse, "Maybe, only one problem: I don't even have a costume."

"Who says you don't? Put on your mask." I look down to where she points- the loop on my shorts. I had almost forgotten about it even being there; never did really understand what it was for though. Confused, but curious, I put it on and Flora beams at me. "See? You already look just like a Riolu!"

Wait… What?!

"See?" Digging through her bag, she pulls out a pocket mirror and hands it to me. I look and my jaw drops a bit. I really do sorta look like one. The hair, the eyes, the outfit, the mask… All I need are pointy little ears and fur and some kid would probably be trying to catch me. Guess that excuse failed.

"…and the winner of each competition gets a really cool prize!" states Roger, who I just now notice is talking, "A two-way deluxe ticket on a cruise line all the way to the Kanto Region."

Kanto? I search my brain for anything that might come up useful? I think Ri once explained to me that the regions left untouched by humans, the regions where places like Treasure Town and Fogbound Lake could flourish, were actually connected to some of the regions such as Sinnoh and Kanto, blocked off by natural formations and such that only Pokemon could cross. Unfortunately, I don't remember this one- Hoenn I think it's called- being mentioned on the list, but I'm pretty sure Kanto was. I know Grovyle and the others are in those 'unreachable' regions. If I can go to Kanto, and if I can find one of those places to cross back over, maybe I can find them!

Worth a shot. "Alright! I'm in! And Roger, you better bet that we're going to train hard for this."

His face pales just a tad, making his sister laugh, "Great…"

…

Night falls, just when we get within a few miles of the city. It is agreed that we'll head out bright and early to register for the Battle Royale and just make camp. For once since I got to this strange, new life, I feel safe, secure. Maybe things won't be so bad now, now that I have some company.

But I couldn't be more wrong.

No sooner have we fallen asleep that the dreams hit once more, in the dead of night, I find my nightmares have become all too much of a reality.