I opened my eyes. The sunrise painted the sky. Yawning, I stretched my arms. It felt nice to spread my arms out over the morning dew on the grass. I started to drift back to sleep when something lifted my arm up. My eye cracked open. Sylveon nudged its nose under my arm, squirming underneath until we were cuddling. "Good morning," I said.

"Sylveon." It looked at me with eyes that put Mawile's deceiving smile to shame.

As I wondered whether Sylveon was over that brat, I felt something bump my hand. It was a pokéball. "Oh," I said, "you want to travel with me?" Sylveon looked embarrassed, then nodded. "Like I could say no to that face." I scratched behind Sylveon's ears.

"Mawile." She flashed me cute smile.

"Someone's jealous," Liam said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well," I replied, sitting up. "You?"

"Can't complain. Any plans for the day?"

"No."

"Then how about some training?" Liam asked.

I scratched Sylveon's and Mawile's heads. "What makes you qualified to train me?"

"I was a champion in three weeks," Liam said.

"Three weeks?" I asked, stunned.

Liam shrugged. "There were kids who did the same thing in under a week."

"How?" I asked.

"A combination of training and knowledge," Liam said. "Gardevoir?"

"Gardevoir." The bedroll flew slowly into the air, neatly rolled up when Gardevoir plucked it from the air.

"Interested?" Liam asked.

I probably wouldn't get another chance at something like this. Of course, Liam could be lying through his teeth. "What do you guys think?" I asked my pokémon.

"Metang!" He was obviously excited by the prospect. Mawile smiled, more convincingly than usual. Sylveon wrapped on her ribbons around my hand.

I nodded and said, "I'm in."

"Great," Liam said. "Follow me."

Water lapped at the empty beach, with the sea stretching towards the horizon. "My house is on a nearby island," Liam said. "We'll train there."

"How are we getting there?" I asked.

"I'm a pokémon trainer, aren't I?" Liam said with a grin. He whistled a long low note.

A small wave started out in the water. As the wave approached the shore, it started getting bigger. Mawile and I stepped towards the water curiosity getting the better of us. Sylveon's ribbons pulled me back. Whatever that pokémon was, it frightened Sylveon.

The pokémon burst from the water, sending waves onto the beach. A red Gyarados was sitting in the water, close enough I had to crane my neck to see its face. The strangest part, however, was that it didn't make a sound. Nothing. Liam had it trained well.

"Wow," I mumbled.

"Hop on!" Liam yelled. Gyarados moved its tail to the beach, where Liam and his pokémon got on.

Sylveon didn't move. "Sylveon?"

I looked at Mawile. "Mawile." She flashed me a quick smile.

"Lead the way," I replied.

"Mawile!" I've never seen her move so fast.

"We better keep up," I said. Metang hovered onto Gyarados's head while Sylveon and I joined Mawile on Gyarados's back.

"All aboard!" Liam yelled. "Let's go home!" There was a slight lurch as Gyarados started moving. We eventually settled on a swift but calm speed. For all the power Gyarados has, Liam's was surprisingly gentle. My thoughts were interrupted when Liam pointed out to the water. "Looks like we have company!"

I looked where Liam was pointing. "What are those?" I asked. They looked like pokémon, but they definitely weren't water-types.

"Tyrogues," Liam said. The tyrogues were keeping pace with Gyarados. "More students, I'm sure."

"Students?" I asked.

"Tyrogues like high intensity training," Liam explained. "My daily training is enough for them to handle until they evolve and head home."

I looked at this supposed champion. "You run a training clinic for wild pokémon?" I asked

"When you put it like that, I do," Liam said, grinning. He looked forward. "Land!"

I peeked around from Gyarados's head, seeing a small island getting close. Of course, I peeked to far. There was a splash as I slid off Gyarados.

The cold water shocked me momentarily. "Woman overboard!" Liam yelled.

"Not funny!" I yelled back. As I started to swim towards Gyarados, who was turning around, an ominous fin appeared in the distance.

"Zoe!" Liam yelled. "Don't panic! That'll attract the Sharpedo!"

I froze. The black fin turned towards me. Water entering my mouth shocked me back to reality, causing some involuntary splashing. The Sharpedo sensed my panic. The fin tore through the water, faster than I could even imagine. "Sharpedo!" It launched into the air, water flowing out of its open mouth. My head dunked below the water the same time I gasped in surprise. I thought I would die coughing and sputtering.

I managed to cough up the water and keep my head above the waves. The Sharpedo still didn't attack me. I looked around, wondering where it went. "Sharpedo!" I turned towards the sound. The Sharpedo floated in the air, surrounded by a purple orb.

"Gardevoir." It was holding the Sharpedo in the air. A ball of energy started forming in Gyarados's mouth. When it was large enough, Gyarados unleashed a hyper beam, blasting Sharpedo into the distance.

I floated there, stunned. My head dunked under the water for a third time. As the cold water entered my mouth again, a strong hand pulled me out of the water. "You okay?" Liam asked, dragging me onto Gyarados.

"Not really," I said, coughing up water.

"But you didn't die," Liam said. "So that's a plus." Sylveon nuzzled me affectionately while Mawile kept her mouth-horns gently clamped on my leg. I didn't blame her.

The trip to land was short, and the solid surface felt great under my feet. "My house is this way," Liam said. "Which brings you to your first test. Try to keep up." Liam dashed into the forest, leaving me behind. After my brain registered what just happened, I ran to catch up with him, Mawile leading, Metang following, and Sylveon by my side.