Turning Over a New Leaf

"Hanoko, hurry up!"

"Wait up deary, I'm going as fast as I can!"

The sun was shining down gloriously once again on Olivine City. It was Sunday, Market Day, and all across the coastal city people were marching through the cobbled streets, looking through different stalls and stands, hoping to get a bargain on whatever merchandise was being sold. The streets were jammed full of people, and more people were arriving by the S.S. Aqua to take part in this weekly tradition.

But while the streets were full to bursting with people, the beach next to the city was bare. The golden expanse had no people on it, as people weren't allowed to sell things here during the Market. There was a cool breeze today, with the light blue waves splashing gently up against the shore. Coastal cliffs rose up all around, but there were breaks in them for the entrance to Olivine and a large gatehouse with BATTLE FRONTEIR above it in bold letters. It was clearly a quiet, quaint little beach, a small little getaway for the residents of Olivine…

Until now.

"We need to get a move on Hanoko, come on!"

Kris Soul was feeling particularly impatient today. The twelve year old had rediscovered her happiness after her battle against Gold yesterday: despite having lost for the second time in a row, Kris had received a reward unlike any other. She pulled the Enigma Crystal out of her pocket, staring at the Soul Dew as it shined mysteriously in the sunlight. Kris didn't know which legendary Pokemon the item had unleashed, but she was desperate to find out. A small ferry to Cianwood City was arriving in an hour, and she and Hanoko would be boarding it after some light training.

Hanoko was trailing behind Kris, moving as fast as her bad knees and walking stick would allow her. The elderly lady was enjoying spending time for with her granddaughter, even if it did meaning moving more than normal. Leafeon and Glaceon, as always, were by her side, and the two were beginning to feel a bit more active, a bit younger as well.

"I don't think this sand is going to support me!" Hanoko chuckled. She waddled over towards some rocks, flopping down and putting her right leg up. Kris sighed and ran, putting the crystal carefully back in her bag.

"Come on grandma, I really want to train!" Kris moaned. "We have an hour to kill, and I don't want to spend it sitting down!" Hanoko just smiled and patted the rock, signalling for Kris to sit down. The pre-teen groaned and reluctantly sat down, staring out at the waters. There were distant shouts coming from the market, but otherwise the beach was peaceful. Kris actually began to relax as she stared at the waves, crashing spectacularly against the rocks. Grey clouds were moving towards them, so the two focused on the glowing parts of the water: picture perfect blue, with a happy pod of Wailmer bouncing around on the oceans surface.

"I love going to the beach." Hanoko explained quietly. "I would always bring your aunts to beaches like this: secluded, peaceful, where you could just relax and have fun. But that became harder over time, as secluded spots became targets for building new attractions!" Hanoko scoffed, and she spat on the beach in disgust, with Glaceon and Leafeon nodding.

"Oh, that sucks." Kris replied, and she stared behind them. The distant top of a large tower could be seen over the cliffs and trees. "Like this Battle Frontier place?" Hanoko nodded, a nasty look on her face.

"This used to be one of my favourite places to take the girls, but they ruined it when the local council allowed this Pokemon League rip-off to be put up." She explained angrily. "Battle Frontiers are noisy and a waste of space, and they ruin the atmosphere of the areas they pop up in!" Kris decided not to pursue the issue any longer, and went back to staring at the majestic ocean. But her peace and serenity only lasted a few minutes before a loud male voice suddenly filled the area.

"Come on, all I need is about five, maybe ten minutes, just to try convincing him!" The shrill voice was saying. Kris turned over towards the gatehouse, where a men was walking backwards out of it. His appearance was so strange that Kris couldn't look away, and she and Hanoko examined him. His brown hair was strangely gelled up at front, resembling a weird cowlick. He was wearing a pure purple suit: purple jacket and purple pants, topped off with white shoes, sleeves and gloves. A white cape was tied around his neck with a red bow tie, and Kris couldn't help but think of a gay magician.

"Please, I'm begging you!" The man wailed, dancing around another figure leaving the gatehouse. It was clearly a woman by the curve in her chest, but she was doing well to disguise herself: a long red dress with a turquoise jacket on top, thick sunglasses and her brown hair tucked up inside a white hat.

"Noisy little brats, won't they just hurry up and go away!" Hanoko hissed, and glared angrily at them. But Kris felt something come over her: the woman seemed very familiar, even though she wasn't sure what from.

"Eusine, would you just shut up for five minutes?" The girl snapped, and strung her red bag over her shoulders. "I haven't even told the Pokemon League where he is, so I'm sure as hell not telling you!" The man called Eusine huffed, and he followed after the girl, both unaware of Kris and Hanoko.

"Fine, if you won't take me to Suicune, will you at least let me see Raikou?" The girl turned around angrily and raised her fists, making the man cower. "Sorry Leaf, please don't hit me!"

"Wait a minute…." Kris mumbled, thoughts rushing through: Suicune, Raikou, Pokemon League, Leaf… "OH MY GOD, IT'S LEAF OAK!" Hanoko nearly fell of the rock in shock as Kris screamed loudly. Eusine and the girl turned around, and Kris leapt up, screaming loudly. The twelve year old could still clearly remember the battle she'd say before she went on her journey: her idol Leaf Oak battling rival Red Lowe on a beach in the Sevii Islands, their Suicune and Raikou's powerful battle causing a storm across the entire district. Red and Leaf had begun dating afterwards, but apparently Red had since disappeared, with no trace of him left behind.

But their personal lives were of no concern to Kris: she was just over the moon about Leaf being there. Kris was nearly in hysterics as she approached a curious Leaf, who was slowly and nervously taking her glasses off.

"Do I know you?" Leaf asked, looking down at her. Kris blushed at being spoken too, and Hanoko rolled her eyes as she got up.

"My name's Kris, Kris Soul, and I'm a huuuuge fan of yours!" She explained quickly. Leaf smiled and laughed, quickly walking forwards before the Eusine man could start talking again.

"I've heard about you, Professor Elm mentioned his talented new trainer when I popped into his lab." She said, and Kris almost fainted in shock: she did go speechless go, and looked wide eyed and happily at Hanoko, who introduced herself to Leaf.

"These fan-idol moments are lovely in all, but we have some important stuff to discuss." Eusine said, cutting in. Leaf twirled around and stared directly at the pompous man, making him cower.

"Beat it Eugene, I don't have time for you now!" Leaf hissed. Eusine opened his mouth to reply, but Leaf whipped out a jet black can from her bag, and Eusine squealed and fell over. Kris and Hanoko began laughing, and Eusine simply huffed and tried brushing the sand off.

"So, have you just battled Jasmine?" Leaf asked.

"I was going to, but than I lost a battle too this annoying guy called Gold," Kris explained. "so we're heading to Cianwood City first."

"Tell the lovely girl about your legendary!" Hanoko said, giving Kris an affectionate jab with her walking stick. Leaf looked surprised, but Eusine made a strange noise that sounded like a gasp and a squeal. Kris fought back laughter and reached into her bag, pulling out the glowing Enigma Crystal. Leaf stared at in awe, sidestepping so that Eusine couldn't get to it.

"This is… amazing!" Leaf gasped, and reached out to touch it, but quickly withdrew her hand. "You must be an amazing trainer!" Kris blushed again as she put it away, her cheeks going bright red.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm amazing." She mumbled, but Hanoko sighed loudly.

"She is an excellent trainer, one of the best battlers I've ever seen!" The grandmother boomed, and Kris couldn't help but blush more. Leaf looked thoroughly impressed, and quickly checked the silver watch on her left wrist.

"I have some time before I'm meeting with the Frontier Brains, how about a battle?" She asked. Kris' jaw dropped to nearly below her neck, and her eyes stuck out like they were on springs. She began jabbering in nonsense, looking between Leaf and Hanoko in absolute shock. Leaf simply laughed and pulled a PokeBall out.

"I'm taking that as a yes." She chuckled. "We'll make it a five on five, that cool with you?" Kris simply squealed and nodded, randomly hugging Hanoko. "Great, I love battling people, and you seem like you'll be a really good opponent." Kris just yelped and rushed over to her spot.

"Good luck!" Hanoko whispered, and she headed back to the rock, where Eusine was now leaning, much to Leafeon and Glaceon's displeasure.

"Let's get this going then!" Leaf said, throwing her bag and sunglasses into the sand. Kris knew about her last beach battle, and wondered how dramatic their on was going to be. But Kris pushed all other thoughts of her head: she had to focus on this battle, and do her best to prove herself to her idol.

"I'll send first Kris, to give you a slight advantage." Leaf explained. "But I really want you to put your all into it, and then we can see if you truly deserve that legendary." Kris just nodded, and Leaf smiled widely. "Alright then old friend, I'll start with you!" And she kissed her PokeBall before throwing it into the sky. There was a dazzling flash of light, and the energy formed into a large, graceful looking bird: it was different shades of brown, with long wings and a multi coloured plumage.

"It's Pidgeot!" Kris gasped. The magnificent bird flew overhead, calling softly towards them all. Kris wasn't sure which Pokemon to send out first: several of her Pokemon could do a good enough job against the powerful bird. But she grabbed one PokeBall, containing the Pokemon she hoped could do it.

"Go Magcargo!" Kris shouted, and threw the ball onto the field. It burst open, and the energy spiralled onto the ground, forming into Slugma's evolved form. Magcargo looked like a bigger version of Slugma, but with a steely grey shell on his back, glowing red hot from his intense body heast. Pidgeot stopped moving and stared down at him.

"Nice choice, but even rocks won't save you!" Leaf announced.

"We'll see." Kris said with a wink, and Leaf laughed. "Begin this with AncientPower!"

"Fly away, my pretty!" Leaf said. Pidgeot dived down, glorious white energy swirling around her. Magcargo smiled as Pidgeot closer, and his shell suddenly glowed brown. The sand around her rose up, forming large, glowing rocks.

"MAG!" He shouted, and the rocks began moving towards Pidgeot. The bird smiled and suddenly shot upwards, moving at alarming speeds. Sand was sent gushing, blinding Magcargo, and the AncientPower failed: Pidgeot had flown out of reach.

"Nice trick!" Kris huffed. "But let's see how you like my Flamethrower!" Leaf simply shrugged, and they all looked at the sky. There was a white flash, and more wind came whooshing down as Pidgeot soared out of the sky. She was covered with lilac energy, a similar colour to the flames that had engulfed Skarmory's body yesterday.

"Now!" Kris shouted, as Pidgeot got even closer. Magcargo nodded, and he raised his lava-like head upwards. A large jet of red, yellow and orange fire was sent upwards, twirling around towards the flying type. At the last second, just before the attacks hit, Pidgeot twirled, allowing the attack to bypass her. Kris gasped and could only watch as Pidgeot was able to finish her attack, smacking into Magcargo and blasting him towards the waters.

"Mag Gooo!" Magcargo wailed, managing to control himself only seconds before falling into the ocean. The waves were getting a bit more violent as the storm clouds moved closer, and Kris was anxious: how could a Fire-Rock type fight in a flooded field?

"Magcargo, move away from there while using Recover!" She shouted.

"Recovery moves won't save you!" Leaf boomed. "Go down low and use Twister!" Magcargo moved as fast as possible, his shell glowing white as he slid across the sand. He looked happier as his whole body glowed red as well, signalling he was fully recharged. Kris smiled down at him, but then there was a loud squawk: Pidgeot had tucked in her wings and was diving low to the ground.

"What's she doing, Pidgeot will just crash." Kris whispered, and Magcargo nodded. Pidgeot turned her to raise her body up, preventing a head-on crash, but hitting the beach still seemed likely. Pidgeot simply smiled and began rotating: dark blue energy began swirling around her, spinning rapidly around like a spinning top. Soon Pidgeot was completely covered with the energy, and sand began to get absorbed into it as well.

"PIDGEEEE!" She screamed, and the Twister suddenly grew: Magcargo was sucked inside by the powerful force, and Kris struggled to stand properly as the attack acted like a vacuum cleaner. Magcargo wailed as the sand buffeted him, and he spun around as the sandy-blue Twister kept on spinning.

"Keep this Twister up!" Leaf bellowed. "How do you plan to get out of this Kris? Kris thought that this was a strange thing to ask an opponent, but than she realised: Leaf wasn't just battling her, it was a test of her skill as well. Kris smiled at her genius, and looked at Magcargo spinning.

"Duck inside your shell and activate Flame Body, than use AncientPower!" Kris shouted at last. The Twister suddenly grew as Pidgeot began chirping loudly inside, forcing more Twister energy into the already powerful force. As more sand got sucked in, Magcargo ducked inside his shell, which was burning red hot, and then suddenly glowed brown. More sand-made rocks rose out of the ground, getting instantly sucked inside the powerful Twister. Kris felt the stress leave her as the Twister disintegrated, the wind turning to normal. Pidgeot was blasted out of her own Twister by the AncientPower, rising up through the falling sand.

"MAG!" Magcargo yelled, and he began to fall down without the Twister keeping him up. His hot body whacked into Pidgeot, and she let out a yelp: fire suddenly erupted around her from her beak, covering her entire body.

"Damnit, not a burn!" Leaf fumed, and Pidgeot and Magcargo both landed with a soft thud on the sand.

"How are you going to get out of this one?" Kris said with a smile, and she heard Hanoko cackle with laughter. Leaf simply laughed and looked at Pidgeot. The flying type looked back at her trail and nodded, then quickly shook some of the sand out.

"Alright than, use Double-Edge next!" Leaf instructed. Kris needed a way to stop Pidgeot's ability to get to great heights, and to be able to move quickly.

"That's it, try out your new Lava Plume!" She yelled. Magcargo smiled and nodded, and ducked back inside his shell. As Pidgeot dived forwards, white energy suddenly engulfing her, Magcargo was sent flying into the sky, a trail of dark red lava firing him up. His shell began spinning around, spewing more of the lava around. Eusine squealed and ducked to avoid some of it, and Pidgeot was forced to turn around to avoid some of it.

"Aim high and move quickly!" Leaf cried. Pidgeot nodded, and sped forwards into the sky at alarming speeds. Magcargo had produced as much lava as possible, and was slowly falling back to the ground. Pidgeot did a 180 degree turn and soared down, looking like a falling star.

"PIDGEEEEOOOOT!" She yelled, and smashed into Magcargo in the centre of his shell. Magcargo wailed as he was sent spinning like a flipped coin, soaring right over Kris and smashing into some rocks behind her.

"Oh my gosh, Magcargo!" Kris gasped, and rushed forwards. Magcargo was oozing out of his shell, his eyes shut and clearly unconscious. Pidgeot landed on the ground, the burn causing more injury to her.

"Good job." Kris whispered, and quickly brought Magcargo back. She put his PokeBall away and then reached into her pocket: if Leaf had a flying type, she knew just how to counter. "Alright Flaafy, show them your stuff!" She shouted, and the ball onto the field. Rising out of the ball came the adorable pink Flaafy, who looked at Pidgeot happily.

"Flaaaa!" She said with a grin. Leaf simply smirked and pulled two PokeBalls out.

"You think I'll fall for that?" She laughed, and Pidgeot turned into energy and was sucked away. "Ninetales, your turn!" Kris was annoyed about the switch, but than her jaw dropped in awe: Ninetales was the most beautiful Pokemon she had ever seen. It's golden blonde coat seemed to be glowing even in the fading sunlight, and her luscious nine tales seemed to lead to a world of mystery.

"So pretty…" Kris mumbled, and even Flaafy looked entranced. "Pretty, but it must die! Brick Break to start off." Flaafy nodded and ran forwards, her left arm glowing as she raised it up. Ninetales simply smiled as Flaafy whacked her on the head with the fighting attack, and simply blinked her beautiful eyelashes.

"Oh wow…." Kris gasped, as Flaafy looked stunned. "Umm, okay… fight fire with Fire Punch!" Leaf's eyes flashed deviously, and Kris realised she must have made a mistake.

"Flamethrower, now!" She shouted.

"Use your fist to absorb the blow!" Kris yelled quickly. Ninetales opened her mouth, and a fiery jet was shot towards Flaafy from close distance. Flaafy baaed in pain, and raised her flaming left fist, trying to dim the pain.

"Anyone else smell roast lamb?" Eusine smirked. Hanoko looked at him with narrowed eyes, and than quickly whacked his shins with her stick. Kris and Leaf both sniggered, but quickly looked back at the game. Flaafy made a triumphant baaing sound and punched Ninetales in the jaw as the Flamethrower disappeared. However the attack one again didn't do anything. Instead the flames rushed through Ninetales body, making her tales stand up.

"Flash Fire: it absorbs fire attacks and raises attack." Leaf explained, and Kris' jaw dropped. "I think an Energy Ball would help out now, don't you think?"

"Flaafy, as your other attacks aren't doing anything, use Charge!" Leaf shouted. Flaafy began glowing yellow, crackling with electricity. Ninetales smiled and stared at Flaafy as she charged, her expression as if she found this funny.

"Nine Nine." She hissed, and opened her mouth wide. A ball of green energy blasted Flaafy backwards towards the ocean, but she managed to stop herself before she became fully submerged in the crashing waves.

"Thunderbolt now!" Kris shouted with a smile, knowing Ninetales would feel this.

"Flare Blitz!" Leaf boomed. Ninetales shook her entire body, and suddenly her fur had caught on fire. Kris had to shield her eyes from the sudden intense heat, but Leaf simply slipped her sunglasses on and smiled down at her suddenly flaming Pokemon.

"Flaaaaaf!" Flaaffy shouted, and she glowed yellow. However, instead of a powerful bolt of electricity coming out, single sparks were emitted, which didn't go far. Kris gasped, especially when Flaafy suddenly collapsed onto her knees, looking very much in pain. Ninetales ran forwards, looking like a flaming bullet, straight towards Flaaffy.

"WAIT!" Kris shouted, but she was too late: Ninetales smashed into Flaafy with the power of a speeding truck. Flaafy shouted, the fire exploded, and Kris could only shield her eyes from the heat, wondering what was going wrong. The smoke soon cleared, with Ninetales having been blasted backwards by the force of the collision. However, Flaaffy wasn't too be seen.

"Kris, Kris, what's going on!" Hanoko was waddling up, looking highly concerned. Kris was just staring blankly at the water: where was Flaaffy, had she drowned? But her fears were put to rest as one of the waves crashed into the sand, tossing up a clearly unconscious Flaaffy.

"Oh my gosh!" Kris cried, and she rushed forwards. Flaaffy may have fainted, but she appeared to be shooting sparks, and as Kris got down to touch her, an electric shock nearly blasted her backwards. "Something's wrong with her electricity abilities!"

"Maybe this has to do with what happened yesterday." Hanoko mumbled. Kris looked down at the poor Flaafy and realised it was the most logical idea. Flaaffy had produced a very large amount of electricity yesterday while battling Gold, and Kris had been concerned about how powerful that attack had been. Maybe Flaaffy would just need some time to recollect all of her electrical energy?

"Good job Flaaffy." Kris said with a smile, and quickly brought her Flaaffy back. Ninetales had walked back to Leaf while Kris had been thinking, and the strut she'd had a minute ago had gone: the fiery fox was annoyed, and Kris could use that to her advantage.

"I'd give you good luck, but I think I'll need it to pur up with that man." Hanoko mumbled, and the two looked over at the rocks: Glaceon and Leafeon were growling angrily at Eusine as sat in the spot Hanoko was in. Kris laughed and watched her grandmother move back towards the rock, deciding which Pokemon to use.

"Have you decided yet?" Leaf called. She was stroking Ninetales, who was still giving Kris the evils. Kris needed a way to counter fire, and she had only one good move to do that.

"I think I know who to us!" She yelled, and pulled an Ultra Ball out. "Go Miltank!" The ball spiralled through the air, bursting open with yellow light and energy. Golden, twinkling stars encircled the energy as it formed, morphing into the shiny Miltank. Leaf was surprised to see a shiny, but smiled at the fresh challenge.

"MIIIIILTAAA!" Miltank mooed, and planted herself firmly on the ground.

"Alright Miltank, we're starting this off with Water Pulse!" Kris yelled. Leaf gasped and whipped some PokeBalls out.

"Ninetales return, and go Beedrill!" She cried. Ninetales was sucked inside her ball as Miltank made the ball of water in her mouth. Than the next ball burst onto the field: with a loud buzz a Beedrill formed, it's stingers managing to shine threateningly in what little sunshine was left. Miltank hadn't noticed the change and mooed: large rings of water were fired, washing over Beedrill and forcing him to the ground. Miltank stopped and smiled, but faded when she realised it hadn't hit the right opponent.

"Tactical switching is all part of the game." Leaf explained. "Charge up a Solarbeam."

"I'm well aware of that!" Kris huffed back: she did admire Leaf, but she didn't like being talked down to. "Use Body Slam!" Miltank could sense Kris' anger, and she ran forwards at an alarming speed, leaping up into the air. Beedrill simply smiled as light formed between his two arm-stingers, making a glowing, vibrating ball of energy. Miltank soared down, landing on top of Beedrill and completely covering him.

"Solarbeam!" Leaf yelled, unfazed that her Beedrill was flattened. Miltank remained on top, struggling to get back up being so low to the ground, and that gave Kris an idea.

"Remain on top and use Milk Drink after the Solarbeam!" Kris exclaimed. Miltank nodded, and seemed to spread her body weight out more. There was a bright flash from beneath her, and Miltank was suddenly sent flying into the air with the force of a rocket, a tower of green light and energy sending her up. She began glowing milky white as she rose, cancelling out all damage.

"Bee Bee!" Beedrill puffed, and the Solarbeam disappeared. Miltank was now at least two hundred metres into the air, visible thanks to her glowing white.

"Now try and use the colder temperatures from there to power up your Ice Punch!" Kris commanded. Miltank was able to hear her trainer, even from this height, and as she began soaring back towards the ground, her right fist suddenly turned icy blue. Leaf looked concerned, and Beedrill began rising up into the sky, his wings flapping as hard as they could.

"Go up and Poison Jab!" Leaf shouted: Miltank's weight was a huge issue to deal with, as not many people she dealt with used such a strategy against her team. Beedrill began soaring up into the sky, his left stinger glowing a rich purple, almost oozing with poison. Miltank was moving a boulder that had rolled off a cliff, and Beedrill had only risen a few metres when Miltank appeared.

"MIL!" She mooed, and her fist collided with the stinger. Her weight nearly snapped the stinger in two, and Beedrill was blasted backwards, skidding through the sand and leaving a trail. Miltank smiled landed with a loud thud, causing sand to rise up around Leaf. Kris was excited: Beedrill didn't have the same strength as the others, so Milta k actually stood a shot!

"Alright use Milk Drink again." Kris commanded with a cocky smile. Leaf's eyes narrowed, though Kris wasn't sure if she was annoyed or angered.

"Twineedle, let's see what that does." Leaf mumbled. The wind had begun to pick up, and Leaf's long hair began to billow in the breeze: combined with the long dress she was wearing, Kris couldn't help but think of an action movie heroine that was about to kill her next target. And Beedrill's new move represented this: he touched his two stingers together and dived forwards like a bullet. They turned lime green, looking just as poisonous as the last attack.

"Drill Beedrill!" Beedrill buzzed, and he rammed into Miltank's glowing body. Miltank simply laughed as Beedrill bounced off, the attack barely doing a thing.

"Keep using your weight and Body Slam him again!" Kris commanded. Miltank nodded and bounced up into the sky. Beedrill was looking tired, but for some reason Leaf wasn't switching out like she had.

"Let's try Swift." She said. As Beedrill began firing shining stars at the falling Miltank, Kris couldn't help but be confused.

"I don't get it." She huffed, making Leaf raised her eyebrows. "Your meant to be a really powerful trainer with two legendaries, yet your using some really weak moves when you could be kicking my ass!" Leaf simply laughed, the two women not noticing as Beedrill was flattened.

"I dind't want to go too roughly and destroy your entire team in one go." Leaf replied, still laughing. "I also wanted to test your skill, see what sort of strategies you'd be using. I can gather that you're going for a type advantage strategy, which is alright, but that won't always save you. Now use Twineedle!" Kris was surprised that she was being analysed: she certainly had never 'analysed' her opponent's team. Miltank was heaved off of Beedrill with another Twineedle, causing her to flop onto her back.

"Oh, umm… Water Pulse!" Kris instructed. Miltank nodded, and she fired the watery attack quickly, sending Beedrill spiralling into the air. "Use Ice Punch again!"

"I seem to have flustered you: that's always a good way to way a battle." Leaf laughed. "But I think I'll use Poison Jab now." Once again Beedrill soared down towards Miltank, buzzing excitedly as his stinger turned purple. He was flying like Superman with his other stinger tucked behind, and Kris had to fight back a giggle.

"TAAAANK!" Miltank mooed as Beedrill came closer, her fist turning the icy blue colour. It looked like there would be another collision, and Kris didn't want that to happen.

"Duck down and aim for his body!" Kris shouted. At the last moment Miltank bent backwards, Beedrill flying overhead. She than rammed her fist into Beedrill, knocking the bee backwards. He remained airborne for a moment before seizing up and falling down: he had fainted.

"YES!" Kris shouted, and ran forwards to hug Miltank. Miltank let out a loud moo, and Hanoko cheered from her rock. Leaf simply brought Beedrill back, and then reached into her pocket. She pulled out a purple coloured PokeBall and Kris froze: only one type of ball had that colour – the Master Ball.

"I think I've analysed you enough: you use type advantageous moves and seem to have a habit for close range or physical attacks." Leaf explained as she bounced the ball around. "That strategy may work in some cases, but I'm going to show you some other styles, if you don't mind. And one of them is using a powerhouse." Kris and Miltank stared in shock and anticipation as Leaf rolled the ball onto the field. It slowly opened, purple energy rising out in a brilliant, dazzling light. As the energy formed, the clouds overhead roared with the sound of thunder, making Eusine squeal. The waves became violent and the air suddenly seemed thicker. The energy began forming together, but Kris already knew what to expect: golden yellow fur, a long, rich purple mane, long jagged teeth and a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt.

The legendary beast Raikou formed in front of them, looking around with a sense of seriousness.

As more thunder sounded overhead, Kris found herself at a loss for words. She looked at Miltank, and she was nearly turning back in her normal colour from the shock of it. Leaf showed no emotion as Raikou walked around the pitch, making a sort of purring noise.

"I know your under a lot of pressure now Miltank, but do you want to keep battling?" Kris asked nervously, her entire body shaking. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Eusine pulling out a camera, taking pictures of Raikou as he stalked around. Miltank looked at the legendary and nervously nodded, taking a cautious step forwards. As she moved closer, Miltank gained more confidence, and her legs stopped shaking as much. Raikou growled and turned around, staring at her with dark, serious eyes. Kris and Miltank froze up again and Raikou growled at them.

"Aura Sphere." Leaf announced. Raikou burst into white light, which suddenly turned into red energy, swirling around his body. The aura moved up Raikou's body, connecting into his mouth and turning into a ball. Miltank's entire body was frozen, staring at the attack with fear.

"RAAAAAII!" Raikou roared, and the ball was fired like a cannonball. Kris had a few seconds to leap out of the way before it smashed into Miltank. The force was enough to lift her into the air and send her flying through over the sand. Everyone watched as Miltank smashed into one of the cliffs, causing rubble to dramatically fall down over her. Kris' jaw dropped, and she looked between the clearly unconscious Miltank and the mighty electric beast near her, with Leaf smiling triumphantly at it.

Kris was screwed.

"Sorry for the power overload, but I did what I thought was necessary." Leaf explained as she stroked Raikou. The big cat simply purred, acting like a Meowth or Persian instead of a giant ferocious beast.

"I bet you did." Kris huffed and she sadly brought Miltank back. As Kris put her ball away, she realised something: she had lost three Pokemon, and could only use two more. Her options were Bayleef, Noctowl or Espeon, while Leaf still had Pidgeot, Ninetales, Raikou and an unknown Pokemon. All three of her current Pokemon could destroy Kris, but she was going to take a page out of Leaf's book.

"Bayleef, time to shine!" Kris shouted and threw her next PokeBall. With the standard flash, Bayleef formed on the field, smiling happily and nuzzled up against Kris. Raikou looked a bit upset: Bayleef was cowering in front of him like most Pokemon would be.

"I think I'll speed this up." Leaf said, and quickly whipped the Master Ball out. "Return Raikou, and out you go Ninetales!" Kris just smiled as the powerful beast was drawn back inside, and she pulled her own PokeBalls out.

"Bay?" Bayleef asked, not noticing as Ninetales was sent out.

"Sorry girl, but I can use you later." Kris apologised, and Bayleef was suddenly brought back inside the ball. She felt a bit guilty, but was pleased to see Leaf's shocked look. "Ok then Noctowl, now it's your turn!" The ball rose up into the sky before opening up, releasing Noctowl into the battle. Johto's answer to Pidgeot soared overhead, staring quizzically down at the huffy Ninetales. Leaf pondered for a moment, and then smiled.

"Very good, glad to see you learnt from my strategy." She laughed. "But being sky high won't save you: Flamethrower!"

"We'll see about that, use Take Down!" Kris ordered. Noctowl glowed a dim white and dived down, just as Ninetales over her long, glorious face and fired a jet of flames that seemed rather graceful.

"Noooct!" Noctowl tweeted, and twirled in mid air to avoid the attack, and then soared down and whacked into Ninetales: the force was enough to push Ninetales backwards and sending a cloud of sand around Leaf. Kris smiled at Noctowl, who was wincing slightly from her recoil.

"Alright then, if your going to do things this," Leaf huffed. "use Flare Blitz!" Ninetales leant backwards so she was sitting on her tales, and she made a bouncing moment: she was sent into the sky by the spring of her tails, and then she erupted in flames.

"NINE!" She screeched, and moved forwards like a rocket. Noctowl wasn't sure exactly what to do, and Kris couldn't afford for her to get hit.

"I know, use Air Slash to knock her off course!" Kris shouted. Noctowl nodded and she spun around with her wings outstretched: the wind seemed to gather around as Noctowl twirled, and as Ninetales got closer and closer, she chirped and stopped. The air that had gathered around her wing was sent flying like a boomerang, whacking into Ninetales in mid-air. The combination of wind and fire resulted in an explosion, blasting both Pokemon off course: Noctowl remained in the sky, but Ninetales fell towards the ground. Leaf was looking annoyed, and Kris was pleased to have the upper hand for the time being.

"Now use Zen Headbutt!" Kris shouted, and Noctowl nodded, the large trident-shaped marking on her head glowing pink. Leaf saw this and smiled broadly, much to Kris' displeasure.

"Use Ominous Wind on the sand!" She shouted. Ninetales tails all glowed a purple-black colour, and she spun them around wildly against the beach. Black wind formed, billowing through the sand and whipping it up into the air. Kris shielded herself against the sand, which was rising up like a tower. Noctowl was ready to dive down, but the impromptu sandstorm had completely shrouded Ninetales.

"Try and attack now!" Leaf boomed. "Flamethrower again!" Noctowl was still looking for a way in, not hearing what Leaf had just ordered, and Kris needed her to get out of the way before Ninetales struck.

"Prepare for a Sky Attack, but dive into the water!" Kris shouted. Noctowl began glowing white and tipped over backwards, falling towards the rough waters. The Flamethrower shot over her, disappearing into the sky. Leaf cursed as Noctowl landed in the ocean, now out of the way of Ninetales fire attack.

"If she uses Sky Attack in the ocean, isn't that Ocean Attack?" Eusine chuckled from the rock, earning him another whack from Hanoko's stick. But both girls were focused purely on the battle. The sand was dying down now, so they could both see the seriousness in each other's eyes, their desire to beat the other. It had gone from idol and fan to pure enemies in only quarter of an hour: things were getting serious.

"Use Energy Ball to clear away the water." Leaf ordered. Ninetales approached the waters edge angrily, fire burning in her eyes as well. The green ball of energy formed in her mouth, glowing brightly as the dark clouds overhead completely covered the sky, making the battle seemed 10% more serious.

"TA!" She roared and the Energy Ball was fired, slicing through the water easily. Noctowl suddenly glowed brighter from beneath the water as Sky Attack became fully charged. Leaf smiled as this provided a beacon of where the Energy Ball to go, and Noctowl didn't seem to have noticed the attack.

"SPIN AROUND!" Kris yelled desperately. The water suddenly became choppier, and the Energy Ball looked like it would be crushed as water spiralled around the spinning Noctowl. Suddenly her glowing head emerged out of the water, white energy nearly blinding them all. Noctowl was moving like a spinning top, covering her but still her attack shone through. Energy Ball smashed into her head and Leaf smiled widely, but it was short lived: the Energy Ball simply disintegrated upon impact with the water covering, blasting most of it aside.

"NOOOOOCT!" Noctowl screeched and rose fully out of the water like a glowing angel. Ninetales looked shocked and turn to flee, but Noctowl dove directly towards her. Ninetales jumped aside at the last minute, her long tails missing Noctowl by an inch. Instead Noctowl smashed into the ground: the force of the Sky Attack colliding with the ground led to a very sandy explosion. Leaf and Kris were both blasted backwards by the sand smashing into them, rolling through the golden beaches. As the sand began to fall back and they all stopped coughing, they looked around the scene: Ninetales and Noctowl were both on the ground, with a large pile of sand over Ninetales and Noctowl lying in the middle of a shallow crater.

"Ninetales is….." Leaf said as she went to check. "she fainted." She concluded with a sigh, and reluctantly brought her powerful fire type back. Kris rushed towards the crater, as she highly doubted Noctowl had survived the force of the explosion. But Noctowl's chest was rising, and she weakly turned her head around to face Kris. Noctowl was completely wet from going underwater, and she could only manage the smallest of smiles.

"Good girl, I'm really proud of you." Kris whispered, and she stroked her back. Noctowl simply nodded, and slowly began to rise up, wincing as she moved.

"I hate to end this, but we need to keep going." Leaf called from nearby. Kris looked up at Leaf, who had already brought Ninetales back: it was clear that she wanted to win this, and it had gone from friendly to serious. Kris simply nodded and backed away, and Leaf suddenly smiled triumphantly as she threw her next ball. Kris got back to her spot just as it finished forming: Raikou had once again landed there, staring down at Noctowl like it was some sort of fresh meal. High above them the clouds began booming again, and Kris sighed as a drop of water landed on her nose: Raikou's presence was summoning a storm.

"Thunder, finish this." Leaf whispered. Kris reached inside her bag to get Noctowl's Pokemon, but the wise owl simply chirped: she puffed out her chest as far as possible, staring at Raikou, daring him to attack. Raikou smiled at the challenge and he glowed the brightest yellow possible, sucking all light out of the area. Eusine had gotten his camera out again, but Hanoko whacked him.

"I don't think you'll want to be holding that in a second." She hissed. Raikou was charging up energy, the sky roaring more, and Kris and Noctowl were both tensing up, waiting for the attack. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down from the clouds. It was so bright and hot that everyone had to shield their eyes, and Eusine's camera began to melt.

"RAAAAIIII!" The legendary beast roared, and the Thunder was fired, charged up by the bolt. Noctowl didn't even have time to yell: she was unconscious within a second. Kris couldn't even see anything any more, but she felt something hot whack into her, followed by lots of sand sent flying by the attack. A few seconds later Raikou stopped attacking, but it still took a minute for everyone to regain their eyesight. Once Kris' eyes had stopped burning, she looked down at her chest. Noctowl lay on top of her, several patches heavily burnt due to the force of the Thunder, and smoke was rising up as the water was evaporated.

"Good job." Kris whispered, and she quickly brought back Noctowl's unconscious body. She then slowly got up, a bit dizzy from getting hit and her eyes still sore. Sand fell in clumps off of her outfit, and once Kris had finally regained balance, she stared over at Raikou. It was panting from the force of the attack as well, obviously very sore from using such a powerful move. Leaf too had been blasted backwards, and she was currently searching for her sunglasses. Underneath Raikou's feet the ground had turned to what looked like glass from the pure heat of the lightning and Thunder.

"Looks like it's the final leg." Kris mumbled, and she reached into her bag, pulling out her last PokeBall: Bayleef's. Raikou stared at Kris, still panting, but its face showed pity and sorrow for her: did Raikou feel bad for going to hard on her Pokemon? But Kris didn't care: she didn't want to face such a powerful Pokemon and have it go soft on her. It was time to end the battle properly, and it was time for her to win.

"Alright Bayleef, back out you go!" Kris shouted, and she threw out her final PokeBall. Leaf finally sorted herself out by the time Bayleef had formed, and the Grass type was staring around the beach, examining how much it had changed since she'd last been out.

"Bay Leaf Bay Bay?" Bayleef asked Kris, looking at Raikou but simply bypassing its presence. Leaf was surprised, but Raikou looked almost offended at being ignored.

"So your ending the battle with your starter, what a noble thing to do." Leaf said with a smile, and pulled the Master Ball out. "I like how its turned out that way, so I'll end with my starter as well." And Leaf brought back Raikou, who disappeared from sight. Kris was glad she wouldn't have to face Raikou again, but she was confused.

"Wait a minute, isn't your starter Blastoise? He's weak to Grass type moves though." She mumbled, and Bayleef nodded in agreement. Leaf simply shrugged as she fetched around for the ball containing her oldest Pokemon.

"It doesn't always come down to type advantages: it comes down to the Pokemon's skill in battle, and their power to eliminate their rival." Leaf explained, and she threw the ball into the crater. Bayleef moved away as the ball opened, and a large figure rose up. The energy twisted around, forming into a large blue turtle, his shell thicker than rocks, a rough head rising up from it, and two long cannons sticking out of his back.

"BLAST!" The Blastoise roared, and looked down at Bayleef with a heavy smile: he obviously wasn't afraid of battling a grass type, but Kris was ready to bring him down. Bayleef stood her ground and stared up at Blastoise, but as the two Pokemon stared angrily at each other, the clouds overhead rumbled some more, and the rain that Kris had felt picked up.

"Rain's always good for Water types." Leaf said with a grin and Kris cursed at this unfortunate turn. But Bayleef looked at her with a smile: she didn't mind the rain at all, even though it was making her leaf droop. Kris got a boost from this: if Bayleef was happy, so should she!

"Your move." Kris called, and Leaf nodded.

"Let's begin with Hydro Cannon!" She announced, and Kris gasped. Hydro Cannon, Blast Burn and Frenzy Plant were some of the strongest moves a Pokemon could know, and Hydro Cannon was the water equivalent. Blastoise looked like he was made of water, and this watery covering rose up, forming inside his cannons to make two huge water-balls.

"Alright Bayleef, move backwards and use Light Screen!" Kris shouted. Bayleef nodded and took several steps backwards as Blastoise continued to charge up. As the large cannons reached full height, Bayleef's leaf glowed a dazzling white.

"Lee!" She said, and shook her leaf around in front of her: the light spread, forming a large screen in front of her. The rain seemed to bounce off the screen, and Kris nodded at Bayleef's good work.

"TOISE!" Blastoise shouted and the two water cannonballs were sent flying into the sky. The two merged together amongst the rain, forming one large ball that began blasting through the rain. Bayleef braced herself and raised her head up, the screen following. As the cannon came down towards her, Kris prepared for the worst. However, the cannon seemed to half in size as it phased through the screen, but it still managed to force Bayleef back through the wet sand. Blastoise stood in the sand with his eyes closed, having to recharge following the attack.

"Looks like we get a free turn!" Kris yelled in delight. "So go in with Seed Bomb!" The thick leaves around Bayleef's neck turned a yellow-green, glowing very brightly in the rain. Large balls of light shot out of them, and they all collided together as they phased through the screen. They stopped glowing, turning into a single large seed almost the size of Bayleef's head. It exploded upon impact with Blastoise, blasting the large water type backwards. Lead squealed and jumped aside as Blastoise landed moaning and groaning besides her.

"Toise Blastoise Blas!" Blastoise grumbled as he got up. Kris smiled happily at Bayleef and then turned to wave at Hanoko. Her grandmother had retreated into the safety of the trees, and he had taken Eusine's cape him to protect Glaceon and Leafeon, much to the man's displeasure.

"We need to keep this battle going, no time to stop!" Leaf snapped, clicking her fingers, and Kris turned back to her and was about to snap, but realised why Leaf may be annoyed: she was meant to have another engagement, and both of them were being pelted by the rain, soaking them to their skins.

"So sorry, I'll just defeat you quicker: Magical Leaf!" Kris shouted. Leaf simply laughed and looked at Blastoise, who had gotten up and was looking ready to fight.

"Move over there and use Ice Beam!" Blastoise nodded and quickly began running to the left of Leaf, so that when he stopped he was directly facing the water. Bayleef moved to be opposite him, her necklace of leaves lighting up like a rainbow. Multiple leaves formed out of them and shot towards Blastoise, who simply laughed.

"Oise Blas!" He chuckled deeply, and two frosty beams of ice blue energy shot out of his cannons, managing to freeze all of the leaves. They whacked into Blastoise but simply shattered, turning to pieces at the bottom.

"Seed Bomb!" Kris shouted.

"Get down low and use Ice Beam on the sand!" Leaf commanded. Bayleef was losing her excitement for the battle, and she quickly formed and sent another giant seed. But Blastoise lay down on his stomach, his tough shell the only thing exposed. As he fired the Ice Beam the Seed Bomb hit, only achieving minimal damage. The Ice Beam hit the ground beneath Bayleef's large legs, freezing the sand solid.

"If your going to try and freeze Bayleef you might want to actually aim for her." Kris joked, and Bayleef chuckled as well, but Leaf's eyes just twinkled mysteriously.

"Skull Bash." She commanded, and Blastoise nodded. He didn't seem to move at all, but his legs did go inside his large. Kris wasn't sure what would happen next, but figured it would be a good time to attack.

"Magical Leaf again!" Once again leaves were sent flying at Blastoise, and he winced as they hit him painfully in the face. But Leaf didn't look irritated in the slightest: she just looked at Blastoise and nodded.

"BLAS!" He roared, and suddenly two jets of water shot out from where his legs should've been. They propelled Blastoise forwards, looking down so that his head was the main thing they could.

"Headbutt to stop it!" Kris shouted. Bayleef stuck her head down, the Light Screen still in front, and got ready to charge. But she only moved a step before she slid, landing flat on her side thanks to the ice.

"Ba Bay!" Bayleef monaed, and tried to get back up, but Blastoise was coming in too fast. Kris yelped and took a step backwards as Blastoise's giant frame whooshed past her, spraying her with water, much to Leaf's amusemnet. He collided directly with Bayleef and pushed her forwards, the two of them hurtling towards the crashing oceans. They both fell in with a huge splash, and the two figures disappeared under the surface.

"BAYLEEF!" Kris shouted and ran forward: Bayleef had never swum before, and learning to swim during a storm wasn't the best idea. But her head leaf burst was rising up, and her Light Screen came up with it. Than Bayleef stuck out her neck, wailing and struggling to move forwards.

"I should probably help you, shouldn't I?" Leaf said as she appeared from nowhere, the rain masking the sound of her footsteps through the sand. Kris glared at her, sensing some sort of double meaning, and Leaf winked. "Blastoise, clear away the water with Surf!" Blastoise suddenly rose up perfectly onto the surface of the water, laughing as Bayleef struggled to get out of the water. His eyes glowed a deep blue, and the water around them glowed as well. It began to recede backwards, rising up to form a wave Blastoise was on. Bayleef was happy for this and began racing forwards as the more water disappeared, but Kris was close to fainting.

The Surf had fully formed, and now it rose to almost the same height of the lighthouse. The extra power coming from the rain had added to the height and size, which stretched the whole beach. Even Leaf looked shocked at the height it had reached, and she and Kris just stared at each other, both unsure what to do.

"Bayleef Le!" Bayleef exclaimed happily as she got out from the water, but was confused by their shocked faces. She slowly looked around and froze as well. Blastoise didn't seem to realise it was a bad idea, and he clapped his hands together: the wave began descending, curving down towards them all.

"BAYLEEF, SEED BOMD, DESTROY IT!" Kris screeched as they began running up the beach. Bayleef nodded, absolutely speechless. The Seed Bomb quickly formed as they reached their normal positions, and the Surf was only a few metres away from hitting the ground.

"WATCH OUT!" Leaf shouted as Bayleef fired the explosive seed towards the wave. Blastoise gasped as it flew towards his huge wet attack, but couldn't move in time: the Seed Bomb struck in the very center of the wave, hitting it with an explosive force. The wave was blasted apart, seemingly splitting in two and blasting Blastoise into the sky. Half of the wave crashed into the ocean, the other half continuing it's dissention onto the beach. Bayleef was blasted backwards by the powerful wave, while Blastoise fell towards the beach, no longer having anything to hold him up.

"BLASTOISE!" Leaf shoured in fear, and could only watch as Blastoise hit the dark sand, his large body making a dull thud. Silence fell over the battlefield, only the rain and wind disturbing the quiet. Kris and Leaf were looking between their two Pokemon in fear, wondering if either would stand. However, slowly and simultaneously, Bayleef and Blastoise began to get to their feet, wincing as they did so.

"Come on Bayleef, good girl!" Kris called.

"You can do ti Blastoise!" Leaf shouted. Their two starters managed to stand up, but both looked very weak. They stared at each other from opposite ends of the beach, both of them in pain and ready to end this.

That was when it happened.

Both trainers gasped as Bayleef's head leaf began to glow a vivid green, while Blastoise's eyes turned into shining blue headlights. The two Pokemon were a bit surprised by this, but they all knew what it meant.

"Overgrow and Torrent…." Kris mumbled, looking between the three of them standing around her. Leaf nodded, and then her and Kris' eyes met. Even though it was raining heavily, a sort of fiery passion suddenly erupted between the two of them: this would surely be their last moves, meaning their battle would be over. They stared thoughtfully at each other, both of them thinking about their fantastic battle. But Bayleef and Blastoise looked impatient, and it was time for the girls to end this.

"Seed Bomb." Kris commanded.

"Hydro Cannon." Leaf ordered. Bayleef and Blastoise concentrated all of their boosted power energy into their neck leaves and cannons respectively. Energy flowed there, making the glowing seeds and watery cannonballs grow in size and power.

"BAAAAAAY!"

"BLAAAAAAS!" The two attacks were fired at the same time, hurtling towards each other at a phenomenal speed. Kris and Leaf tracked their own attacks with their eyes, watching as the Seed Bomb and Hydro Cannon moved gracefully yet powerfully through the pouring rain.

It was only at the last second that the trainers realised the two attacks were about to collide.

The glowing green seed hit the giant water cannonball, and the Seed Bomb exploded upon contact. A powerful force field of water was generated, and Kris attempted to duck but was too late, getting caught up and blasted backwards by the attack. She heard Leaf shout something, but the roaring water, rain and wind made Kris go deaf. The twelve year old shut her eyes as she was sent rolling through the wet sand, only stopping when her legs collided painfully with a rock. Kris lay there for a minute, breathing heavily, and smiling to herself.

It was a great battle. She thought, and then slowly rose up, the rain seeming to die down as she did so, and went to see what the outcome had been. Kris began wandering through the wet sand, her feet sinking a few centimetres as she moved through. The wind and rain were dying down, but they were still active, and Kris had to shield her eyes from the sharp wind. Leaf was a few metres away with a bottle of Full Restore: Blastoise hadn't fainted, but was lying on his stomach looking rather sore.

"Good job." Kris said, and then turned away before Leaf could reply. Bayleef lay in front of her, unconscious, her leaves all drooping and body rather bruised. Kris got down on her knees and gave Bayleef a hug, wrapping her arms around her.

"You did the best you could possibly do," Kris whispered. "and that's all I would expect of you." She remained holding her for another minute before finally bringing her starter back, and instead clutched the PokeBall instead. There were the sounds of multiple footsteps, and Kris looked around as Leaf, Hanoko and Eusine all moved towards her.

"That was the greatest battle I have had in ages." Leaf said and flung her arms around Kris, giving her younger companion a huge hug. Kris smiled warmly and hugged her back, and Hanoko beamed with pride.

"Thank you for battling me, I've really learnt a lot." Kris explained as she got up. "I think I need to work on which sort of moves I use, and I think I should work on doing some extra effects to my moves like you did." Leaf smiled broadly at this.

"I'm glad I'm managed to inspire you, and the honour was all mine." She replied. "Just learn to work with your Pokemon's strengths and abilities, and I'm sure one day I'll see you conquering the Johto League." Hanoko gave Kris a hug as she went red at Leaf's compliment, and Kris hugged her grandmother back. Leafeon and Glaceon nuzzled up against Leaf who bent down to stroke them, but than Eusine dramatically stepped forwards.

"Sorry to butt in, but your at least five minutes late for your meeting." Eusine explained. Leaf looked at her watch and gasped.

"Damnit, this isn't good!" She wailed. "It was lovely to meet the two of you, and I hope to see you again!" She gave Kris and Hanoko one big hug and bade them goodbye before turning and sprinting, rushing towards the gatehouse. Eusine ran off, not bothering to say goodbye, and they heard him shouting something about Raikou as he chased after, and Kris and Hanoko laughed as Leaf replied with 'Don't make me mace you.'

"That truly was a spectacular battle dear!" Hanoko boomed and gave Kris another hug. "I was on the edge of my seat for the entire battle!"

"Thanks a bunch, but I really think we should think about heading inside." Kris replied, which was emphasised as she sneezed loudly. Hanoko chuckled and nodded, and Glaceon and Leafeon led the way as they rushed as fast as possible back towards Olivine. Kris began recounting all her different emotions as she power-walked alongside Hanoko off the sandy beach. The rain began to pick up again as they finally reached the outskirts of the city, and they had to stop talking and pick up their pace.

The market had been abandoned due to the appalling weather, though some people were still passing their merchandise to people inside the surrounding cafes, shops and houses. The cobbled streets were slippery and the four slowed down to avoid falling over.

"The Pokemon Center is just over there!" Kris shouted, and the four scuttled over towards it. The wind was howling and they were desperate to get in, and Kris instinctively began running. The center doors slid over and Kris could feel warm, cosy air wafting out of it. She was overjoyed and rushed forwards, but the doors hadn't opened for her: a familiar female figure walked over and Kris slid to a stop, slipping over and the woman had to grab her.

"K-Kris, what are you doing here!" Kris froze as the woman lifted her up onto her feet, but then her face turned into a huge smile.

Persephone Soul stood in front of her.

"MUM!" Kris hugged her mother tightly, so pleased to see her after her three losses. There were more footsteps behind them as Hanoko and her Pokemon caught up, and Kris broke out of the hug. "Hanoko, this is my mum. Mum, this is-" But Kris froze again as she looked back at her mother. Persephone's usual beauty seemed to have faded away: she was wearing no makeup, her bandanna was poorly tied around her head, and her clothes were housewifely, ragged and had a strange smell.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Kris asked nervously, as Hanoko's happiness at meeting her daughter-in-law faded as well. "You aren't here to see me, so what is it?" Persephone took a deep breath, steadying herself, but tears formed in her eyes. Kris clutched Hanoko's hand, sensing what her mother was about to say.

"Kris, it's about your father…."