Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and Harry Potter

BloodyKitsune1997: This chapter is a few days early, I got my job and its a bit difficult to get used to. I have to get up earlier than I'm used to, but I'll manage it. It's pretty decent pay-wise too. Anyway, I had some fun with this chapter and hope you enjoy it.

Reviews:

frankieu: Thanks. I am too.

kfawcett1998: I'm glad you like it so much. If you want another good one, I'd suggest Traveler by The Straight Elf. It was actually part of what inspired me to write this.

Twister60: I'm glad you like it.

Lady Kaiki: Thank you.

the lil witch: Thank you.

IskandarVesperia: Thanks! That's the whole thing I'm trying to do with this story. I love the name.

Jostanos: Sure, Ash and Pikachu could 'click', but Vali's Pikachu isn't the one Ash is going to get. I am mentally debating about Ash meeting his Pikachu earlier.

AnonChan1: I'm always glad to get long reviews. So few people leave them. Trust me, I understand the trouble. It takes me awhile before I put up my first chapter of any story. I'm glad you like these so much!

PikaMew1288: You'll see.

comodo50: I think I answered any of your question in this chapter.

DarthLeo: I've read that. I wish she continued writing it.

ThunderClaw03: Yeah, she does need help.

Koshiro Unohana: Oh, your review made me smile! I love that story too!

cerezo. dulce11: They're going to end up being one per month for a while, but I will ensure the quality and length stay the same.

xirons20: Thanks. To answer your question about magic users, you'll just have to wait and see. She does, she is a fire-type master-in-training who has done her research on every fire-type pokemon in existence.

Sn: Three reviews. Review 1: You'll just have to wait and see.
Review 2: You'll have to see.
Review 3: You'll have to see.

akinomatis: I'm glad you like it. Perhaps though it'll be awhile before she finds any animal form(s).

Words: 20,117

Chapter 10

"C'mon, Arwen!" Vali frowned as Arwen reared in an attempt to get the Mankey they were battling off of her back, "Use Flame Wheel to get it off!"

"Shit!" The Mankey's trainer swore as Arwen used Flame Wheel causing Mankey to scream in pain as it was flung off of Arwen, "Mankey, are you okay?!"

The Mankey jumped up with a screech of anger and dove towards the Ponyta as Arwen's Flame Wheel died down. Arwen reared when it rushed towards her before shrieking in pain as the Mankey slammed a fist veiled in dark purple. Arwen was sent skidding to the side, but managed to keep on her hooves though it was quite clear by the sweat coating the Ponyta's body and her harsh breathing that Arwen was on her last legs. The Mankey looked much the same for all of five seconds before being engulfed in the light of evolution. When the glow died down, a Primeape stood in the Mankey's place. Vali cursed, "Damn it."

"Alright, Primate!" The newly evolved pokemon's trainer grinned brightly, "Let's kick that pony's ass! Use Karate Chop!"

"Arwen, Flame Wheel!" Vali shouted knowing that Arwen couldn't take much more of this.

Primeape launched itself forward as it drew back it's glove covered fist as a bluish red aura coated it and Arwen reared before racing forward as flames coated her body. The two collided and the two energies battled for a few moments before sending both pokemon flying with an explosion of smoke. When the smoke died down, Primeape stood up while Arwen was struggling to stand up. Arwen reached the halfway point before crumbling and passing out. The other trainer cheered as he raced over to his newly evolved pokemon while Vali rushed over to Arwen. Dropping down, she began to look over Arwen wanting to make sure nothing was broken. The other trainer cleared his throat, "Hey, that was a nice battle."

"Yeah. Congrats on your pokemon evolving," Vali replied as she glanced towards the guy.

Vali dug out the promise 150 poke and handed it to the guy. He took it, "Thanks. Will Ponyta be alright?"

"She should be since I don't think anything's broken, but a visit to the pokemon center is in order," Vali took out Arwen's pokeball and returned the Ponyta before standing up, "Thanks for the battle,"

"Thank you too!" The other trainer raced off.

Vali shook her head and peered down at Arwen's pokeball. That was the first battle that Arwen had lost since they'd arrived in Celadon, it would be good for the Ponyta in the long run if only ensure she didn't turn arrogant, but it still left a bad taste in her mouth. If only that Mankey hadn't evolved, they might've actually won this battle or tied. She spoke softly, "You did your best, Arwen. Thank you."

Arwen's pokeball shifted and warmed up in her hand before returning to normal. Vali headed to the pokemon center with two things in mind. Get Arwen healed up and call home to see what happened with the whole date thing, she needed some good news to help cope with the loss.

Sirius answered the phone when the call went through, "Hey, Pup! In Celadon, I see."

"Yeah. It's been a lot of fun," Vali said fighting back the urge to just burst out and ask the question she was dying to ask, "I've been waiting to talk with you since I heard that you were home, but it seems like I miss you every single time,"

"It looks like luck isn't exactly on our side," Sirius frowned at her, "Are you alright, Pup? You seem a bit down,"

Vali stared at him in surprise before sigh, "Arwen lost her first battle since we got to Celadon. It was a really close battle and we might've won if it weren't for the other trainer's Mankey evolving. Granted, it looked pretty close and we might've ended up tied," She shook her head, "I know that we've got to lose sometimes and that I should be grateful that it happened during a relatively unimportant battle, but it still stings a bit."

"I can't say I know the feeling since I'm not a pokemon trainer," Sirius smiled at her, "You've got a good way of thinking about it though,"

"So I could use some good news," Vali eyed him with a sly grin, "So did you say yes?"

Sirius gaped at her, "How did you know abou-Ash."

Vali snickered at Sirius' scowl, "Pretty much, he wants us to be a real family not just one by spirit. I do too."

Sirius whined at her, "What is it with you kids and wanting us to be in a relationship?!"

"Because it'll help make you happy," Vali replied as she leaned forward, "Siri, it's time for you to be happy and settle down. You know that's what Mom, Dad, and Mooney would want,"

Sirius smiled lightly, "Yeah, you're right," She gave him an expectant look, "Yes, I told Delia yes."

"It's about fucking time," Vali cheered with a grin, "When's the wedding? Have you made any plans?"

"Not yet, we're mostly enjoying the fact we've made it official," Sirius looked more than a little amused, "I didn't expect you to ask things like that since you're a total tomboy,"

"Doesn't mean I don't enjoy that kind of thing especially when it involves family," Vali definitely felt better now, "So any news on Regulus?"

"He has found a few females and they seem to really like him which means at least one of them will probably end up with an egg from him," Sirius answered earning a grin, "We won't know if he got them at least one of them pregnant for about three weeks once mating season ends in a few days,"

"Well keep me posted," Vali couldn't wait to get a Houndour egg.

"Do you think you'll be able to handle it?" Sirius asked her with a slightly worried look on his face.

Vali would have been offended if it wasn't a reasonable question. One of the hardest aspects of being a pokemon trainer started the moment you got a pokemon egg. Protecting and caring for the egg before it hatched then raising the pokemon that came from the egg, you became a parent of something that had instincts you would probably never fully understand and it was up to you to mold them into a great pokemon. The little pokemon would look upon your actions which would shape its entire future. With something like that hanging over your head, a lot of trainers decided not to raise a pokemon from an egg or chose to abandon the baby pokemon. Vali offered Sirius a reassuring smile, "I should be able to handle it. I did raise Idril after I found her and I'm prepared to adapt. If I need any help, I'll consult the nearest Nurse Joy like I'm doing now with the egg I got from that Ninetales. Besides, I wanted this which means I have to suffer the consequences. It'll be a bit hard at first, but I really think I'll be able to do it."

"At the very least, you've thought this through," Sirius turned his head as he heard a shout, "Ash just got back from school. I got to go make sure he does his homework,"

"Remus would probably accuse you of being an impostor if he heard you say that," Vali grinned as Sirius snorted with an eye roll and heard her name on the intercom, "I got to go, Nurse Joy's calling for me. Tell Ash that I'll catch him later and hope he's had a good day at school. Tell Delia that I said congratulations,"

"No problem. Talk to you later, Pup," Sirius replied earning a bright grin.

"Talk to you later, Siri," Vali said before the call cut off and she retrieved her dex.

Arwen was disappointed in herself for losing a battle even if the pokemon she'd lost to had won because it had evolved. Sure, she knew that they probably would've had a draw otherwise, but that didn't take away her disappointment. The worst part of it was that she'd disappointed Vali of all people. She knew that the leader of this odd herd, or pack if you went by Balto's thoughts on the matter, wouldn't hold it against her. Vali wasn't the type of person to punish her pokemon for losing or holding it against them. And yet, she was angry with herself for losing.

Arwen trained hard alongside each member of the herd save for the hurt one who trained beside their herd leader. She put her all into the training especially once she was tired enough to actually focus on what they needed to do. She knew that losing was a big part of life seeing as she'd seen many of her kin try to take over protecting the herd from the master, but losing due to just how diffrent their power levels were. She too had lost against the master when he'd evaluated her just a week before her current herd leader came across their migration. The only difference was that this time actually hurt her. Not physically though the bruises did ache horribly even with Nurse Joy's assistance, it was the emotional pain that hurt.

The knowledge that she'd failed to win for her herd leader left a bad taste in Arwen's mouth. Vali worked hard to make them stronger and push them to their limits as much as possible. Vali took care of them, trained them, and loved them like kin. Vali only asked for them to work hard, protect their herd, get along as best they could, and fight as hard as they could. And what had Arwen done in return? She'd lost a battle that she would've won if she'd been stronger.

Arwen's ears pinned back and she stamped her hoof on the floor in agitation. Arwen froze when she felt the comforting hand of her trainer on her shoulder. Looking at Vali, she was surprised to see the sad smile, "Hey, Arwen. I guess we lost that battle," She kicked the ground and snorted, "It doesn't feel nice at all," She shook her head, "I know that you're disappointed in yourself. I'm disappointed in myself as well," She looked at Vali in shock earning a smile from the trainer, "You thought I was disappointed in you? No way, you did your best after all and I could think of a ton of things that I could've done to help increase our chances of winning," Vali shook her head lightly, "But the thing is, we kind of needed that loss," She snorted in confusion, "I know that doesn't sound right, but we did need to lose. You were getting cocky since you hadn't lost a battle since we arrived in Celadon. I was getting a bit cocky too even though I tried to tell myself that I wasn't," Vali rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish expression on her face, "Damn, I could've phrased that better or been a bit more clearer," She tossed her head back and nudged Vali wanting her to get on with it, "What I'm trying to say is that we needed this loss to motivate us to work harder. Just because Celadon is a grass-type gym doesn't mean we won't lose if we don't start working even harder, we need to use the our feelings of loss as fuel for our inner flames to become stronger."

Now Vali was speaking her language, Arwen was feeling less of a sting from the loss and even more determined to do better next time.

Now that Celina was fully healed and finished her major growth spurts, Vali took her Pidgeot to the pokemon center recommended saddle maker. While not exactly the best of the world, they lasted for at least a year with hard use and were in the general budget of rookie trainers. Unfortunately, it wasn't close to the pokemon center at all which meant she would have to go to a part of Celadon which she hadn't been too before. With Steven and Zaria doing their own things, she would have to try and navigate through the city alone which would be fun considering just how lost she could get in a city.

Balto walked beside her along with Smaug. They would hopefully keep her from getting too lost though sometimes they were just as bad as her when it came to not getting lost in cities. While Nurse Joy had given her a paper with written directions on it, they would likely get lost at least once if not more during their trip to the saddle maker. Thankfully, the citizens of Celadon were relatively friendly and would probably point her in the right direction if asked. With any hope, they'd find the place before it closed and Balto would be able to follow their scent trails back to the pokemon center.

Thankfully, the weather was pleasant which meant the walk wasn't unpleasant. It was actually nice taking a break and getting to explore the city further. Balto seemed to enjoy the walk greatly if only because the scents of the various flowers. Smaug liked it as well though he disliked the amount of people and pokemon around them. Vali found a few places that were perfect to take pictures in which meant she'd give her pokemon some real time to play around and relax while she indulged in her favorite hobby. She was sure that they'd enjoy the break as would Steven and Zaria if they wanted to join her. With all the training they were going to do, they would need some time to relax and decompress otherwise they'd end up wearing themselves out.

After an hour, they managed to find the saddle maker with some help from a few helpful people and an older trainer that had just left the shop. Entering the saddle maker shop, she was surprised that by the general homely feel of it. It mixed fairly well with the scent of leather and some kind of oil that smelt kind of nice. Balto and Smaug sniffed the air before letting out sounds of pleasure as their eyes went half-mast. Vali bent down, "You two okay?"

"They'll be fine," The man at the counter said, "The special oil we use to make our saddles weather resistant tends to make any pokemon that smells it act like that. It's helpful when we need a pokemon to relax in order to properly measure them up for saddles and make any adjustments we need to for their saddle," Vali sighed in relief and stood up properly, "My names Jacob Barnes and welcome to Barnes and Blues Saddles,"

"Valkyrie Potter though I prefer Vali," Vali introduced herself as she walked towards the counter with Smaug and Balto breaking out of their stupor to join her, "I'm actually here to get a saddle,"

"Not for either of these two right?" Jacob asked earning a snort.

"Not for a long while though I doubt I'll get a saddle when I finally evolve Balto," Vali had ridden Professor Oak's Arcanine multiple times and definitely preferred 'bare back' riding when it came to Arcanine, "My Pidgeot evolved during the last flying competition and she's finally finished healing up. Nurse Joy recommended that I come to your shop since I'm still in my first year and you're saddles are apparently reasonably priced,"

Jacob snapped his fingers, "You're the one who's Pidgeotto evolved during the last round, weren't you?"

"Yes," Vali looked at him in surprise, "Were you there?"

Jacob nodded with a bright grin on his tanned face as his dark brown eyes turned bright, "Yup! I go every time they have that contest since I'm a big fan of flying types. This year was pretty good though that part with the Fearow..."

Vali grimaced alongside Jacob at the reminder, "Yeah, I almost pulled Celina out when I saw that, but I knew that she would benefit from the experience."

"And that she did," Jacob's grin returned full force, "So your Pidgeot's name is Celina?"

"That it is," Vali laid a hand on Celina's pokeball, "How does this work?"

"Since I'm the one in charge of all flying-type saddles, I'm your man," Jacob answered as he took out a pad of paper and a pen, "My brother-in-law is the one you would be going to with a land based pokemon though my little sister is the racer of the family," Vali nodded slowly while making note of who to ask for when Smaug and Arwen evolved, "Now, I need you to answer a few questions before we even begin making the saddle. Has Celina grown at all since evolving?"

Vali nodded after thinking about it, "A couple of inches in height after a few days, but that's pretty much it."

"Which means she's done growing for now though you'll probably have to adjust the saddle next year since Pidgeot tend to grow a bit larger every year though it tappers off a bit after the first six to seven years," Jacob wrote something down on his pad of paper, "Has she learned Agility or Tailwind?"

"Not yet, but she is trying to learn Agility at the moment with Tailwind next on the list," Vali answered as Balto and Smaug leaned into her, "Why?"

"It'll tell me if I have to treat the materials in a certain way to prevent the finished saddle from failing due to quick changes in speed," Jacob patiently explained as he wrote another thing down, "Do you know how old she is?"

"No, but I did catch her not far out from Pallet Town," Vali would have to pay extra to find out how old her wild born pokemon were making it not really worth it until she managed to place high in a Conference, "Since she only knew two moves at the time and it wasn't long after July, I think she's probably 6 months old if not a bit more,"

Jacob wrote that down, "Not too surprising, do you know if she's allergic to anything?"

"Nothing that can found in regular pokemon food or any berries I've found," Vali answered earning a nod.

"Which means we won't have much to worry about for the most part," Jacob smiled as he wrote that down, "That's all I need from you, so let's get started on measuring Celina,"

Jacob led the way to a large room filled with various tools though Vali only recognized the ones that Professor Oak usually used to measure and weigh the pokemon that came to his Corral though far less complicated looking. Vali released Celina when Jacob asked her to and the Pidgeot looked a bit surprised to find herself inside, "Celina," Celina looked at her curiously, "We're getting you fitted for the saddle like I told you about," Celina focused on Jacob and gestured with her wing, "He'll be measuring you and making your saddle."

Jacob spoke as Celina nodded slowly, "My name is Jacob Barnes. I must say that you're one absolutely gorgeous looking Pidgeot," Celina preened at the compliment which pretty much placed Jacob into her good books until he did something stupid, "Now, can you walk over here and stay still so I can get started?"

Celina did as he asked and settled in the place he asked her to. Vali sat down in the chair Jacob pointed out to her with Balto and Smaug settling down beside her. They watched as Jacob went about measuring and taking down the data he needed to properly fit Celina. He fawned over the big bird and made sure they all knew what he was doing. When he finished, she asked, "So how long will it take for the saddle to be finished?"

"We'll need to do a few fittings, but it should be done in a week and a half," Jacob answered which wasn't that bad considering the quality she'd be getting, "It'll also come with its own carrying case that won't weigh more than two or three pounds,"

"How much do you think the saddle will cost?" Vali wanted to make sure she had the money ready and wouldn't have the temptation to use it.

Jacob looked over the information sheet he'd made, "Hmm, it shouldn't be more than three thousand to four thousand poke."

Inwardly wincing at the price, Vali knew it could have been worse, "Well that's not too bad."

"Of course not, I mean if it was for a pokemon like a Rhyhorn, we'd be talking about something close to ten thousand since we'd have to make it extra durable," Jacob snorted as she visibly winced at that price, "Not something anyone other than a serious Rhyhorn racer would go for. Now, give me a few moments to get the Standard Contract,"

Because the League didn't want to get sued by anyone when it came to faulty saddles or other custom made pokemon items, they created what's known as the Standard Contract. It basically said that both parties signing the contract were aware of the risks and agreed to deal with the fallout should there be any. It meant that the League wouldn't have to deal with the paperwork and legal headaches that came from human stupidity. Since only those backed by the League and Nurse Joy approved had the contracts, the people trying to scam unassuming rookies or naive people couldn't lay the blame on the League. More than one idiot decided to try going after the League only to end up in hot water for not having the Contract, it never paid to be greedy.

Vali had no trouble signing the contract after she'd read it. Since the Contracts were all written and tracked by psychic-types trained by the League, they couldn't be faked since the signature on them couldn't be copied by anyone since each one was unique. Jacob handed her a copy of the Contract that she'd be sending home tomorrow with the souvenirs she was planning to send. Once that was done, she left the shop after returning Celina.

"So pretty much four thousand poke?" Zaria asked with a raised eyebrow, "That's a lot, but you do have that prize money you won from the tournament back in Vermilion,"

"Yeah not to mention the money I've been winning during my battles," Vali could make the money back if she battles often and checked out more of the activities that Celadon had to offer, "It'll be worth it since the place is known for saddles that last over a year even with heavy use,"

"So worth it though I don't envy you in the least," Zaria shook her head.

"Envy who?" Steven asked as he walked up with a lunch tray.

"Vali," Zaria answered earning an eye-roll.

Steven looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he sat down beside her and she said, "Celina's saddle is going to cost around four thousand poke. I have more than that which means it won't be too big of a hit. I'm going to be looking into more of the activities available and see if I can make the money back. While I don't think I'll make everything back before it's ready, I'll hopefully make back at least half of it."

"How long will it take for the saddle to be made?" Steven asked as she took a bite from her 'turkey' sandwich.

After she chewed and swallowed her bite, Vali took a drink of her lemonade, "A week and a half."

"You should be able to manage to make back half in that time if you adjust your schedule to fit in a few battles a day," Steven picked up a forkful of what looked like spaghetti though she didn't really recognize what kind of noodle they were.

"By the way, I actually found a few decent parks that aren't too crowded and have a wide range of pokemon in them," Vali said as she remembered the things she'd come across during the walk to the shop.

"Really?" Zaria looked at her in interest, "Any trainers?"

"Not too many and the ones I saw were there to relax," Steven looked interested.

"It would be a good idea to take a break during our training if only to give our pokemon time to recover properly," Vali nodded as that was the main reason she'd mentioned it.

Vali took Celina out to one of the 'fly-zones' in Celadon with Steven and Skarmory. Steven knew how to ride a pokemon bare-back since he did it with Skarmory a majority of the time. Steven showed her how to get onto Celina and where to sit so that she wouldn't obstruct the movement of Celina's wings. When she was settled and had some of the long red feathers that acted as the reigns for Pidgeot in hand, Celina took off into the air. She was pressed into the Pidgeot's body from the sheer force of the wind pressing down on her though it abated once Celina found a height she was comfortable with. Sitting back up, she looked around them and felt a sense of piece fall over her, "I forgot how nice it was to fly," Celina trilled and did a few lazy circles in the sky as they waited for Skarmory to join them, "I'm glad that I can experience something like this with you, Celina."

Despite the difference between the ways she'd flow before, Vali felt more comfortable on Celina's back than she'd ever been on a broom or Buckbeak. She supposed it was because something inside of her understood that Celina would never willingly let her fall. It let her focus on the freeing feeling of flying and just enjoying the moment that she had with her pokemon. The warmth of the sun and the feathered body below her prevented the minor chill in the air from really affecting her. Steven smiled as Skarmory joined them, "How does it feel to be flying again, Vali?"

"Freeing," Vali answered as Celina began to flying towards the edge of the fly-zone, "It feels a lot more comfortable than a broom or Buckbeak ever felt,"

"Oh?" Steven looked at her curiously.

"It's because I know that she'll never willingly let me fall," Vali grinned as Celina trilled in agreement and did a little spin the air, "Hey, Celina. Once you're done getting used to my weight on your back, I want to see what you can do though nothing too big until I have a saddle,"

Celina let out a cry of agreement as Steven snorted in amusement. Feeling a bit childish, Vali stuck her tongue out at him earning a laugh as Celina sped up a bit.

When they landed two hours later, Steven quickly made his way to Vali's side to catch her before she slammed face first into the ground. Riding on any pokemon for more than a thirty minutes always led to cramping unless you were used to it, he knew that from experience when Skarmory started letting him ride her. Vali had the brightest grin on her face as she leaned heavily into him making him smile a bit. With all the shouting and screams of laughter she'd made, he had no doubt she might not be able to speak much tomorrow. He asked her, "Feeling alright?"

Vali nodded as she reached up to rub Celina's head right underneath her crest, "Yeah. Despite having a lot of maneuverability with a broom, I've never actually flown like that before. Once I got used to it, I felt like I was part of Celina and that just made the whole experience better. I feel...Amazing."

The breathy tone she used and the brightness of her eyes told Steven that she'd be flying again as soon as possible. He could understand the feeling since flying with only your pokemon beneath you was exhilarating. While he may love tunnels and caves, the sky held a special place in his heart ever since the first flight he'd had with Skarmory. He had spent almost every day for months flying with Skarmory and probably wouldn't have stopped if Metagross hadn't reminded him that he needed to give everyone attention. The novelty of flying still hadn't let off and he still flew with Skarmory whenever he could, but he did make sure to give his pokemon equal attention rather than let any of them fall to the wayside. While he doubted Vali would fall under the same spell as him, he knew that she would probably fly with Celina whenever she had a real chance.

Vali managed to sign Arwen up for the junior division pokemon races which were a lot like the horse races back in her old world only without the jockeys. Arwen was certainly one of the faster pokemon there, but she had to work hard to win any of the races. With each race in the junior division gifting the winner somewhere between 600 to 700 poke per race, she would be able to make the money she'd spent on Celina's saddle back. She also entered Balto in the non-equine pokemon junior division which boasted a decent 400 to 550 poke per race. Both of her them would enjoy the heavy exercise and benefit from it, she might even be lucky enough to have both of them learn Agility since they'd have to push pass the limits of what their mind considered their top speed in order to win some of the races.

The junior division races always started at 8 in the morning and lasted until 10. Between those two hours, you could always count on at least nine diffrent races if not ten depending on the amount of pokemon participating. Vali signed Arwen and Balto up for three races each while making sure they were spread apart to allow both of them time to recover a bit. During the first race, Balto won and Arwen lost since she'd been startled by the sound of the horn. The second race saw Balto winning again though this time he almost lost as one of the Houndour in the race managed to keep up with him and Arwen managed to come in second. In the third race, Balto lost by a tip of a nose and Arwen won her first race of the day.

Vali managed to earn 430 poke with Balto's first race, 470 poke with his second, and 600 for Arwen's first win of the day. As a result she managed to get back 1500 poke which was almost half of what she was spending on Celina's saddle. With any luck, she wouldn't have to use any of her savings to buy the saddle which would be nice.

"So can you help me out?" Zaria asked Vali as the fire-type master-in-training was going through the information that was known about Erika.

Vali looked away from the computer and asked, "What do you need my help with again?"

Zaria pouted at her, "Aren't friends supposed to listen to each other?"

Vali gestured to the computer screen, "I'm doing more research on Erika since I still have to battle her," She ran a hand through her hair, "So what do you need my help with?"

"Since we're in Celadon and the game corner is open, I was hoping you'd help me get an Eevee," Zaria bounced a bit in her seat, "This will probably be my only chance especially since their changing out the pokemon in a few days. Please! Think of it as a way to pay me back for teaching Pikachu Double Team,"

"Didn't I already due that by helping your pokemon get used to electric-type attacks?" Vali leaned back in her seat.

Zaria groaned, "Please, Vali."

Vali thought about it while looking back at the computer. She supposed it wouldn't hurt even if getting pokemon from a place like the Game Corner felt cheap to her. How do you know the pokemon was meant to be one of yours? She rubbed at her eyes and figured that a bit of mindless gambling might be a good idea since she was getting a headache from trying to come up with strategies. If anything, it might be good for her to take a break from researching for a little while. Finally, she logged off the computer and grabbed her pokedex before standing up to stretch. She looked at Zaria, "Alright, but don't try to convince me to get any pokemon."

"Sure, sure," Zaria grabbed her hand and began dragging her out of the pokemon center, "Though I don't know why you don't want one,"

"It feel cheap to me," Vali shrugged as best she could, "Not battling a pokemon or ended up in a situation that leads to you catching them, it just seems wrong. Besides, where do the pokemon come from and where do they go if the game center doesn't give them away? Sure, they probably come from breeders, but still,"

Zaria faltered a bit before resuming the light jog, "True, but it at least gives us a chance to get pokemon we normally wouldn't."

"Ever heard of the safari zone or Kalos?" Vali retorted earning a snort.

"That costs more money than I have at the moment," Zaria replied as they made their way to the game corner, "Besides, who says no to some mindless gambling?"

"Steven," Vali answered earning a snicker.

Eevee stared at his cousin as the kit enjoyed the affection Vali's 'friend' was lavishing on him. He didn't really care for the other. The kit was too...perky in his mind. He knew that the kit hadn't been through what he'd been through, but that didn't mean the kit should act so damn cheerful. Of course, he acknowledged that the kit bugged him because Vali was paying attention to it. Nothing more than a smile and a few scratches behind the kit's ears, it still bugged him greatly. He understood that he was jealous of the kit getting her attention even if he logically shouldn't be. After all, it wasn't like the kit would be tagging along on their journey.

Eevee paused at his last thought. When had it become 'their' journey? Probably about the same time as he began to accept the fact that Vali was diffrent from his former trainer. But it wasn't their journey, he couldn't claim that. While she was his trainer for now, he still had a few months left before he could make the decision to stay on as a member of her team permanently. A big part of his still resisted the idea of being anyone's pokemon even if it was becoming smaller with each moment he spent around Vali and her team. Could he truly become a part of the team?

Vali looked at him and smiled as she patted the seat beside her. Eevee hesitated before jumping up beside her and relaxed as she began to pet him. He supposed that he could especially since they wouldn't be a 'team'. If Vali was telling the truth, they would be a family which meant pack and that was something he could get behind. Especially if it meant being able to bask in the warmth coming off of her that helped chase away his nightmares and brought him a sense of peace.

Vali looked over the saddle a week and a half later with a pleased smile. The saddle was a dark red with little black swirls printed on it. Celina's name was sown into the saddle which was exactly what she wanted. She lifted it up to test the weight and found that it barely weighed a pound. Looking at Jacob, she asked, "Light weight to keep it from affecting her balance or slowing her down too much, right?"

"Yup especially since this is her first saddle," Jacob confirmed her thoughts, "Just make sure you don't go attempting to fly to another region on her back unless it's Johto,"

"Will do," Vali wouldn't risk Celina's life just to avoid paying for a boat, airplane, or Balloon to another region, "Let's do a final check with Celina then talk payment,"

The final check was merely a formality with how many times Jacob had her bring Celina to do various checks. Soon enough, Vali was handing over 3,895 poke with an extra 105 poke for the fully stocked saddle care kit plus manual. The kit was designed to fit into the same storage device as the saddle which was nice as it kept her bag relatively uncrowded.

Vali and Celina took the saddle out for a spin which quickly made both of them quite happy with the purchase. Celina could do as many tricks as she wanted without worrying about her trainers safety outside of the normal. Vali could enjoy just how fast and skilled Celina was in the air without worrying about falling to her death if she lost her grip. As a result, the two didn't leave the sky until Celina was exhausted. Despite the painful cramps in her legs and how windburned her face was, she couldn't stop grinning due to just how light she felt.

If there was one thing Vali knew, it was that she was born to fly.

Before Zaria left, they had a one-on-one battle between Balto and Zorua. Steven was acting as their referee, "Are you guys ready?"

"Yup!" They answered.

"Then begin!" Steven threw down his hand.

"Balto, let's start off with Flame Wheel!" Vali ordered as soon as Steven spoke.

Zaria smirked as she called out, "Fake Tears then Dark Pulse!"

Zorua began to cry causing Balto to falter a bit though he still plowed on earning a yelp of pain as the tricky fox pokemon was sent flying a bit. Zorua picked himself up as Balto came out of his Flame Wheel and released a beam of dark energy surrounded by dark purple rings. Balto dodged it using Dig and popped up behind Zorua with an Iron Tail. Zorua with Payback earning a yelp of pain from Balto. Balto used Reversal which caused quite a bit of damage due to the damage inflicted by Payback and the natural weakness dark-types have to fighting-type moves. Vali called out, "Balto, Morning Sun!"

Balto's fur gained a golden glow as Morning Sun began to work its magic. Zaria cursed as Zorua pushed himself to his paws with a growl as he favored his left front paw showing that his right had gotten hurt at some point during the bout. Zaria called out, "Zorua, can you continue?" Zorua barked with a nod and focused on Balto with a glare, "Alright, use Double Team then Payback!"

"Into the ground Balto, we're playing wack-a-chu," Vali had them practice this maneuver as much as possible while Pikachu was still with them.

Pikachu would use Double Team as much as possible and her pokemon would attempt to find the real one as quickly as possible without being knocked out by the attacking electric-type. It would probably mean the difference between winning and losing once she reached the League Conference. While Pikachu remained the only pokemon on her team to know Double Team at the moment, it didn't mean they were going to stop practicing the technique whenever possible. Balto disappeared into the hole he'd dug earlier causing Zaria to grimace. It didn't take long for Balto to begin taking pot-shots at Zorua though he missed half the time. Between his earlier injuries and his inability to properly dodge, Zorua fainted before Balto's stamina gave out. Zaria groaned, "Where on earth did you come up with that?"

"I wanted my pokemon to be able to compete against it before they learned how to use it," Vali explained earning a sigh, "Thanks for teaching Pikachu,"

Zaria rolled her eyes, "Let's get these two to the pokemon center, I don't know about you, but I think Zorua needs it."

Vali winced a bit, "Sorry about that."

"Hey, I challenged you to the battle and it showed us that we have a lot to work on especially if we're going to be proper rivals," Zaria shrugged lightly, "Besides, Zorua's going to be motivated to train harder and will probably kick your puppies ass next time we battle,"

"Maybe, maybe not," Vali said as they began making their way to the pokemon center, "By the way, where are you headed next?"

"I'm going to Lavender Town rather than Fuchsia to train up a bit," Zaria replied earning a surprised look, "I'm going to try facing Sabrina before Koga. My Dad also wants to meet up and he'll be coming to Lavender Town to help with the population check the League does on the ghost-types. I figure that I might as well earn a bit of extra money helping out since they need all the dark-type pokemon they can get to help out,"

"Maybe you can show your dad the badges you've won so far and see if that convinces him to keep your mom from trying to keep you home?" Vali suggested after a moment.

Zaria nodded slowly, "Why not? It's not like I have anything to lose."

"Tell me if you end up finding anything interesting," Vali wanted to go to Lavender Town at some point if only to see if the rumors about ghost-types from other regions being seen in the tower were true.

"Sure, sure," Zaria agreed as they reached the pokemon center.

Zaria left after Vali gifted her with the small album of photo's that she'd taken of her rival's gym battle as well as a few photo's that included her newer team members. Zaria headed through Route 7 which was the fastest way to get to Lavender Town from Celadon. Once Zaria was on her way, Steven and Vali returned to the pokemon center to continue training their teams for the gym battle ahead of them. With the increase of focus on them, Vali's pokemon managed to master the TM's that she'd given them. Celina managed to learn Agility though it wasn't anywhere near good enough to use during a battle though that likely wouldn't change for awhile due to how much strain it placed on her body with each use. Celina's Agility training would have to take place at the end of their training for the day if only to ensure she had a good night's sleep to recover. Of course, she did have to keep her promise and give all of them another TM to learn if they so chose.

Vali ended up giving Smaug Toxic since he needed a non-fire-type offensive move and because he didn't want to learn Protect just yet. Celina was gifted Protect since she needed a defensive move under her wing. Balto was gifted with Sunny Day though Toxic would be next once he got Sunny Day down pat. Arwen was given Protect since it was a useful move. Terra was given Toxic with Protect next on the list. Idril was still working on the Shadow Claw TM that Zaria had let Vali borrow though it wouldn't be long until she got it down which would mean giving her Toxic which would give the Sandshrew a base to learn Poison Sting.

All of them got to work immediately once they'd been gifted their TMs and Vali sat down to watch over the training while she spent time cleaning the shell of her egg. Eevee curled up beside her watching the other pokemon. She spoke as she watched Balto help Celina with Protect since she seemed to be having some difficulty, "I'm glad that I ended up in this world," Eevee looked up at her with confusion in his eyes, "There was nothing like this back in my old one. Animals, even the magical ones, weren't as intelligent or powerful as you guys. Some came close, they were bonded to those with magic and were called familiars since the bond helped boost their intelligence. I had an owl which is a bird that's kind of like a Hoothoot only she was a snowy owl with snow white feathers flecked with black," She smiled sadly, "She was a really smart owl though I'm not sure if she was my familiar," She glanced down at Eevee, "What I mean to say is that despite how bad things can get here, I prefer it here even if I really miss my owl. The bond I have with everyone, even you, is something I never want to go without. I'll never be lonely again so long as I have you guys."

Vali saw Eevee's eyes soften a bit at her words though he was quick to look away from her to focus on the training pokemon. Perhaps she was really getting through to him, she smiled lightly while focusing back on her training pokemon.

With Vali's usual training schedule in preparation for the gym battle in place, Vali watched her team grow stronger. Balto was becoming even quicker and his fire attacks stronger. Smaug was growing more powerful as his body began to ready itself for evolution which pushed him to perfect all his attacks not just the new ones he'd learned recently. Celina was working hard on perfecting Protect while also working on the basics of Tailwind. Idril was becoming less timid with each battle she faced and more sure of herself which meant that evolution wouldn't be far off though the Sandshrew didn't show any physical change. Arwen seemed to concentrate better as she worked on perfecting her attacks. Terra was gaining more and more control over Ancient Power which meant that she wouldn't have much of a problem using the move when she finally evolved into her Pupitar form. Even Eevee was showing improvement, he could run longer with her and even pushed her to run faster sometimes.

Vali's team wasn't the only one to improve, Steven's Wartortle, Sandshrew, Lileep were improving as well. Wartortle was becoming larger and the fur around his ears seemed to be thinning. Lileep had grown larger and his body had begun to gain a slight green tint to it. Wartortle had become a bit more aggressive, but no where near how aggressive Smaug could be sometimes. He still lost his temper and tended to blast the one that annoyed him with a water gun though thankfully not a full powered one. Sandshrew was becoming a bit larger, his claws longer, and his back was beginning to sprout the tell-tale sign of quills. Lileep had become a bit more reclusive and tended to spend much of his time completely still in areas with high amounts of sunlight. With permission from Steven and Lileep, Vali documented the behaviors of the fossil pokemon with pictures.

As Steven had one of the few successfully revived fossil pokemon currently in existence, the scientific community had a high demand for any information that could be gotten. Vali made sure she took plenty of pictures and wrote detailed notes knowing that any missed information could get any future fossil pokemon hurt. Once Lileep evolved and everything was settled, she would be sending a copy of the information to Professor Oak while she sent the first one home. As Lileep's trainer, Steven would be given a copy while two would be sent to his father in Hoenn. One would stay with his father while the other would go to the fossil research department of Devon Corp. to be used to help further the research. Depending on how things went, the information would be given to the League and various institutes currently attempting to bring fossil pokemon back.

When Steven asked her why she wanted to do something like this despite not wanting to write a research paper, Vali had paused while taking a close up photo of Lileep's slightly scaled neck before saying, "Back in my old world, we had things called dinosaurs that went extinct and became fossils. Unlike in this world, the technology hadn't advanced enough to bring them back," She smiled a bit as her cheeks flushed, "I also want my own Amaura and to be able to see it become an Aurorus. I mean isn't it every little kids dream to be able to say they've actually ridden on the back of a dinosaur?"

The day before their gym battles saw Steven and Vali taking their teams out for some much needed relaxation. Smaug wanted to continue training since he was so close to evolving, but Vali put her foot down. Pending evolution or not, he needed to rest unless he wanted to be left out of the gym battle tomorrow. As much as it pissed him off, he knew better than to argue since she could be even more stubborn than a Charizard when it came to protecting their territory. Forcing himself to calm down, he admitted that training so hard without a break was exhausting and gym battles were difficult enough when you were healthy. As much as he may want to evolve, he understood that being in the best health possible before the fact was best. With how patient she was despite how much he had to have pissed her off since he started feeling his final evolution coming along, he found him respecting Vali even more than before.

When night fell and they began to retire for the night, Smaug was surprised when Vali took him out on the balcony of the pokemon center. He looked at her curiously as she patted the seat next to her. He took the seat as she stared up at the sky, "Smaug," she was staring at the moon which floated above them, "You're going to evolving really soon. Likely during tomorrow's battle," Smaug nodded while wondering where she was going with this, "I'm happy that I've managed to help you reach this point. You're going to be an amazing Charizard," Smaug's chest puffed up and he smirked, "But, what will happen after you evolve?" Smaug's chest deflated and he looked at her in confusion, "Have you ever thought of what would happen after you finally evolve into a Charizard? What do you want to do after that?" No, he hadn't really thought about it, "You've never really thought about it, have you?" She looked down at him and he nodded, "You already know that I don't exactly know what I want to do in my life outside of becoming a fire-type master and making a family with everyone," He'd known that since their first day together when she admitted as much, "The thing is that I know you'll be a bit lost after you evolve. I want you to know that no matter what, I'll be there for you," He smiled and hugged her letting out a soft purr, "Our family will be there for you too like families are supposed to," She hugged him lightly and laid her head on his, "Just like I know you'll be there for us too, Smaug."

Smaug closed his eyes and embraced the warmth his trainer was giving off. No matter what happened from now on, he would always be a member of this family, pack, flock, herd, etc. He promised himself that nothing would ever change that.

Vali watched Steven's match which saw Erika bringing out a Tangrowth, Vileploom, and a Victreebel. Since Steven had been a trainer longer than her and had participated in the Hoenn League more than once, the gym leaders didn't limit themselves as much. They didn't use members of their real team, but they used pokemon close to that level in order to properly test him. While she'd known that before hand, it only sunk in now because of just how high level the battle was. The Exeggutor used to create the barriers around the battlefield were working over time due to just how powerful the attacks being tossed around were. As she watched the battle, she realized that this was her first true glance into high level battles.

While Steven's pokemon were immune to poison-type moves and a majority of them barely felt anything from grass-type moves, Erika still managed to put up a damn good showing. She didn't let anything stop her from pushing Steven's pokemon to their limits. She forced him to work for the win ensuring that the steel-type master-in-training gained respect for her. Vali knew that she wasn't ready to face Erika at the same level as Steven was and it would be awhile before she reached that point. It was a daunting thought, but she didn't let that discourage her. If anything, it made her excited at the prospect of going up against Erika using her full power one day with her team.

Steven was smiling as they left the gym to get his pokemon seen to. They were definitely going to be feeling the results of that battle for awhile. He looked at Vali as she said, "That was my first real glimpse at what the higher level battles hold for me, wasn't it?"

Steven nodded looking pleased with himself, "Yes though that doesn't compare to a battle between champions."

"I want to be able to see it," Vali told him earning a curious look, "I want to be able to watch you become a champion,"

"I'll make sure to save you a ticket," Steven promised her as a grin formed on his face, "I promise,"

"I'm going to hold you to that," Vali warned him earning a laugh, "Let's hurry up back to the pokemon center, I think Metagross, Skarmory, and Aggron really want to get their injuries taken care of,"

Erika smiled when Vali stood across from her, "Looks like it's time for that gym battle of yours, huh?"

"Yeah and the battle you had with Steven earlier really fired me up," Vali grinned at her, "I look forward to seeing how my team does against yours,"

"Then let's begin," Erika said while gesturing to the referee.

The referee began the usual announcement, "This is a three on three battle between Gym Leader Erika of Celadon City and Challenger Valkyrie Potter of Pallet Town. Only the Challenger may make any substitutions. Trainers, release your first pokemon!"

Erika released a Victreebel as Vali called out, "Come out and battle with me, my friend!"

Arwen pawed at the ground when she appeared. Erika let out an appreciative whistle, "Your Ponyta looks beautiful. Did you just groom her?"

"Yesterday, I gave her a thorough cleaning as a reward for her hard work during training," Vali answered as Arwen focused on her opponent, "Thanks for noticing,"

The referee called out, "Begin!"

"Arwen, Flame Wheel!" Vali eyed the Victreebel carefully.

It was definitely experienced though not as much as the one Steven had faced earlier. If she had to guess, it had probably evolved somewhere in the last month maybe a few days before the month began. Either way, Arwen had a chance to win if they worked carefully and made sure to burn any powder moves before they could take effect. Erika smiled as she called out, "Dodge and use Growth."

"Keep going with Flame Wheel!" Vali ordered as Victreebel got out of the way.

Arwen shifted her trajectory and came back around. She managed to slam into Victreebel as the Flycatcher pokemon gained a green glow to it. Victreebel cried out in pain as it was burned by the flames coiling around Arwen's body and sent stumbling away as it patted out the flames with its vines. Burn marks covered its body where the flames had hit it, it winced as the burns gained a red glow for a few seconds showing that the Victreebel had been burned by the attack. That meant Victreebel was on a time limit, Arwen's chances of winning had increased. Arwen let go of Flame Wheel to spit an Ember attack at Victreebel. Victreebel dodged it with a hiss as Erika called out, "Victreebel, use Razor Leaf to keep Ponyta back then Ingrain."

"Arwen, Flame Wheel. Do your best to avoid the Razor Leaf!" Vali ordered while wishing Arwen knew a move that could block the sharp leaves.

While Protect could do that, Arwen was still shaky on using the move and it definitely wasn't anywhere close to ready for a gym battle. Victreebel flung out a flurry of razor sharp leaves as Arwen reared and rushed forward as flames coated her body once more. Arwen managed to dodge a good bit of the leaves, but some managed to hit her though the Ponyta seemed to ignore the pain caused by the wounds the leaves created. The bottom of Victreebel's body had released a bunch of roots that sank into the ground and gained a green glow as the nutrients in the soil were pulled into its body to heal some of the damage done so far. Once she broke through the leaves, Arwen slammed into Victreebel managing to snap some of the roots in the process. Victreebel cried out and retaliated with a rather brutal looking Vine Whip that created an audible cracking sound as Arwen was sent skidding away. Erika called out, "Use Sunny Day!"

Vali looked at Erika carefully as she heard that order. Did Erika teach her Victreebel Solar Beam or was she preparing the room for one of her other pokemon? She wouldn't know until the gym leader did something. Looking at Arwen as the Ponyta shook off the Vine Whip, she called out, "Arwen, High Horsepower!

Arwen rushed towards Victreebel with a neigh as a orangish brown aura began to coat her body. Victreebel released a glowing orb of reddish orange light that flew into the sky as Arwen charged towards the grass/poison-type. Immediatly once it hit the roof of the green-house like area, Vali could feel the heat in the area surge as the sun seemed to beat harshly onto those below. As Arwen reached Victreebel, she twisted around before kicking Victreebel right between the eyes with a glowing hoof. Victreebel was ripped from its roots due to the power behind Arwen's legs and sent flying into one of the nearby trees. Arwen turned around and released a powerful steam of Embers which slammed into the Flycatcher pokemon. Victreebel cried out as it was hit and burned even further. When Arwen stopped the onslaught, Victreebel slid down the tree and shakily stood up. The scent of burned plant-matter reached her nose and she grimaced a bit as Erika called out, "Victreebel, can you continue?" Victreebel let out a shaky screech and took a step forward, "Use Magical Leaf then Poison Powder."

"Arwen, try to block the leaves with Ember," Vali called out not quite knowing how to protect against that move since none of the grass-type pokemon she'd met while in Celadon knew the move, "Use Flame Wheel if they get too close and try to knock out Victreebel without getting poisoned,"

As Victreebel reared back to release a wave of glowing green leaves that rushed towards Arwen, Arwen released a stream of Embers similar to the one Smaug created before he finally learned Flamethrower. Arwen managed to block some of the leaves, but many of them managed to get past the Ember attack. Arwen used Flame Wheel which burned away some of the leaves as they slammed into the Ponyta. Arwen rushed past the stream of leaves just as Victreebel released a cloud of poisonous purple powder. The powder made a sizzling sound as it impacted Arwen's cloak of flames making Vali hope that it hadn't gotten to Arwen as the Ponyta slammed into Victreebel once more. Victreebel cried out as it was sent tumbling back. It tried pushing itself up only to pass out. Erika returned Victreebel as Arwen let go of the cloak, "Not bad, Vali though I'm surprised you didn't use more attacks."

"Arwen's move pool is admittedly limited," Vali replied as Arwen shivered and a purple aura surrounded her, "I thought the fire had burned it all,"

"Looks like your on a time-limit," Erika commented as she prepped her next pokeball.

Vali grabbed Arwen's pokeball, "Arwen," Arwen looked at her, "I'm returning you. I don't want you to suffer more than you have to," Arwen nodded and she returned the Ponyta, "Good job, Arwen."

Arwen's pokeball warmed up in her hand and vibrated a little before returning to it's inert state. Vali placed the pokeball in it's usual place as Erika said, "I'm a bit surprised you chose to return her."

"Why let the poison get worse when I don't have to?" Vali replied as Erika released her Tangela.

"True enough," Erika nodded as Vali palmed Celina's pokeball.

Vali released Celina as she called out, "Come out and battle with me, my friend!" Celina appeared with a defiant screech only to pause at the sight of Tangela and looked towards her for answers, "That's a Tangela, Celina. They're a grass-type that's a bit rare," Celina nodded slowly looking a bit unsure, "Don't let its appearance fool you, they're good battlers in the hands of a master," Celina bobbed her head firmly and glared at Tangela, "Celina, into the air. I don't want to take too many risks."

Celina shot into the air as Erika commented, "This should be interesting," Erika looked calmly up at Celina, "Tangela, be a dear and use Leaf Storm then Double Team."

"Celina, dodge the leaves as best you can with Aerial Ace and use Swift to block what you can't dodge," Vali needed to gauge how powerful Tangela was in order to come up with a proper strategy.

Tangela let out a happy gurgle as it called up a storm of razor sharp leaves that it sent towards Celina. Celina dodged the leaves as the whitish grey glow coated her body. Tangela created over ten copies of itself as Celina used Swift to get rid of the leaves that got to close to her. Some of the star-shaped energy projectiles ended up hitting the copies causing them to vanish. Celina continued to use Swift as she swept over the copies only to get a Vine Whip to the back as Tangela launched itself upwards to hit the Pidgeot. Celina let out a shriek of anger and used Steel Wing as she swept back around. Tangela was hit by the steel-coated wing and was sent towards the ground. Tangela jumped up quickly showing that the rumors about it's thick coating of vines creating a cushion against attacks was true. Erika smiled as Tangela created more copies of itself, "Tangela use Energy Ball."

"Celina, dodge and use Swift," Vali would have to keep up a rather large amount of pressure on Tangela if she wanted to win, "Keep up the pressure. Use Air Slash once you find the real one,"

Celina let out a trill and began using Swift as Tangela sent it's Energy Ball attack towards the flying-type. Celina managed to destroy the real Energy Ball with Swift and began destroying the copies of Tangela. Again the real Tangela tried to hit Celina with a Vine Whip only it came in from the right side, Celina managed to dodge the attack for the most part and used Air Slash. The sharp blades of air managed to hit Tangela hard causing it to slam into the battlefield. It cried out in actual pain as some of it's vines were sliced open causing a bit of green liquid to spill out. Tangela got up as Celina released another round of Swift. Tangela dodged some of the stars, but couldn't dodge all of them causing it to be sent skidding back. As Celina wheeled around for another attack, Tangela used Leaf Storm causing the Pidgeot to falter a bit as she used Gust to give herself time to create a proper defense. When the storm finished, Tangela had created more copies of itself and used Ingrain. Erika called out, "Tangela, use Energy Ball and Vine Whip!"

"Celina, Aerial Ace to dodge the Energy Ball and Air Slash to keep back that Vine Whip," Vali ordered as a plan began to use, "When you can, use Feather Dance," She lowered her voice knowing that Celina's keen ears would be able to hear her, "Under the cover of Feather Dance, use Steel Wing and Air Slash. Try to get rid of those roots anchoring it to the ground,"

Celina trilled as she got to work dodging the Energy balls heading towards her with Aerial Ace. The vines Tangela aimed towards Celina were shredded with Air Slash causing the little pokemon to cry out in pain. While the pain wasn't as bad as it would be for some pokemon due to a lack of proper nerve endings, it still hurt Tangela enough to stun it allowing Celina to get close enough to use Feather Dance. The loose feathers all over Celina's body began to rain down on Tangela blocking the odd pokemon's sight. Celina got in close using Aerial Ace and slammed into Tangela with Steel Wing which got rid of some roots. The Air Slash that slammed into Tangela next left shredded all but a few which were hanging on by what looked like a thread. Tangela managed to look past the pain and nail Celina with a Constrict followed by Mega Drain. Celina cried out as her energy began to disappear while Tangela began to recover from Celina's newest assault. Celina used Swift point blank causing Tangela to release her and she put some distance between them. Celina panted heavily and looked a bit worn though no where near enough for Vali to think she needed to pull the Pidgeot from battle.

Erika spoke as Celina began to use Gust, "Not a bad combination, it's definitely the first time someone's used that against me since I became a gym leader."

"Tangela's pretty good at enduring pain," Vali replied as Celina used Swift again and Tangela retaliated with Leaf Storm.

"It helps that they don't feel it like we do," Erika shrugged lightly as Celina used Air Slash again and Vali felt the sunlight begin to dim, "Tangela use Sunny Day,"

The battle continued along the same vein for awhile before Tangela managed to knock Celina out with a well aimed Vine Whip. Tangela was worn out and wouldn't last much longer though it would likely try to get in a few good hits before passing out. Vali returned Celina while thanking her for the effort and called out Smaug, "Come out and battle with me, my friend!" Smaug appeared and looked at his worn out opponent with a glare, "Smaug, Tangela managed to take out Celina. We still have one more pokemon after this, so we need to end it quickly," Smaug nodded as spat out a tongue of flame, "Use Smokescreen and Ember," Smaug glanced at her for that last one even as he began spitting out smoke and she spoke softly enough that only he could hear her, "I don't want her to know that you can use that just yet," Smaug nodded in understanding, "Don't let up. Be careful and avoid getting too close."

Smaug inclined his head before disappearing into the smoke. With how worn out it was, Vali doubted that Tangela would last for much longer. She was proven right moments later when the smoke clouds faded to reveal a passed out Tangela with Smaug standing near him. Smaug was rubbing his muzzle showing that Tangela had gotten him at least once with a Vine Whip. Erika blinked slightly before smiling, "Not bad though it looks like your Charmeleon is on the cusp of evolution. Do you really think this is safe?"

"It'll be fine. I know that he can take it," Vali smiled as Smaug smirked at her, "Now, shall we continue?"

Erika released a Gloom causing Smaug to grimace a bit, "Gloom, be a dear and use Sweet Scent."

Gloom released waves of pinkish powder that floated over the battlefield. Vali sniffed lightly and could immediately see why a pokemon would get distracted since the scent reminded her of treacle tart. Smaug gained a slight flush to his scales as he sniffed the air. He shook his head after a few moments and glared at Gloom prompting her to order, "Let's make it easier to concentrate, Smokescreen and make it thick."

Vali used her scarf to cover her nose and mouth before pulling on her goggles which had seen a lot of use since she started flying with Celina. Smaug disappeared into the thick cloud of smoke as Erika called out, "This is quite interesting, I don't think I've seen anyone really use smokescreen before."

"It's a useful move," Vali commented as she heard the telltale cry of pain caused by Smaug hitting someone with Metal Claw.

"Gloom, use Stun Spore and Sleep Powder!" Erika called out.

"Smaug, burn everything with Flamethrower," Powder attacks were annoying especially sleep and poison.

Erika gasped at her order while a bright gout of flame pierced through the haze of black smoke, "You taught him Flamethrower?"

"What can I say? Smaug's a very determined Charmeleon," Vali shrugged lightly as Smaug continued his earlier assault.

Smaug could feel his evolutionary energy surging with each hit either given or taken. Each breath he took to either renew the smoke or get enough air to launch his fire attacks, it seemed to fill his lung. The beat of his heart was echoed by the pulse of energy that was so close to becoming his. Soon enough, the energy would overtake his entire being and he would become a master of the sky and fire just as his mother had been. A grunt left him as a glowing green orb slammed into his chest and sent him skidding back. Baring his fangs at the grass/poison-type that had sent it towards him, he released a gout of flames before thickening the cover of smoke. While hiding within the cover of smoke had always bugged him a bit due to his pride, he could appreciate Vali's thinking as it allowed him to get the drop on his prey.

As Smaug whittled down his opponents health with each successful hit, he couldn't help, but feel a bit disappointed. Sure, it was a battle, but it didn't push him to his limits. A grunt of pain followed by the feeling of his energy being drained hit him as he was sent skidding back again. He looked at the Gloom and realized it had managed to drain his energy with a punch. A smirk appeared on his maw as he realized that it wasn't quite as pathetic as he'd begun to think it was. Increasing the smoke, he heard Vali call out, "End it, Smaug!"

Smaug wondered why Vali sounded a bit panicked until he couldn't see his opponent anymore. Where had it gon-

Smaug's chest hurt and his head was pounding as he slowly began to push himself up. He tasted copper at the back of his mouth and could tell one of his fangs was loose. What had hit him? Smaug grunted a bit as he pushed himself up and heard the other trainer, Erika, saying, "I'm surprised. A Solar Beam from one of my Gloom is usually enough to knock out most pokemon regardless of their typing."

"Smaug, are you alright?" Vali asked earning a nod as he turned to glare at the Gloom that had managed to hit him, "Try to knock it out,"

Smaug snorted and released another gout of smoke before disappearing into it. The area that the Solar Beam had hit hurt quite a bit and he was having a little trouble breathing. Growling a bit as he rubbed his chest, he focused on covering the area completely in smoke. He didn't need that gloom getting enough sunlight to hit him with that again. When he felt it was enough, he began his onslaught once more. This time, he paid attention to the Gloom and made sure to dodge any punches it tried to hit him with. Eventually, he managed to make it faint and felt the evolutionary energy that had been out of his grasp finally cover his form.

A roar left him as pain filled his entire body in a way he'd never felt before. The small amount of pain he'd felt during his evolution from Charmander to Charmeleon was nothing on this. He was growing too big, too quickly causing the pain to worsen each moment that passed. He could feel his inner flame grow stronger with each passing second as his body changed He was becoming more powerful than anything he'd ever imagined. When the energy finally faded, he felt exhausted, but pleased with himself. Finally, he'd become a lord of the sky and flame!

"Smaug," He slowly turned towards the sound of Vail's voice and opened his eyes to see her staring at him with awe, "You look amazing," She walked slowly towards him, "Are you alright?"

Smaug nodded slowly staring at his trainer feeling instincts he'd never felt before rise up. Did he really need a trainer now that he'd evolved? Sure, Vali had helped him become this strong and he'd always be thankful. But did he need her anymore? He inwardly growled and pushed those thoughts down as memories filled his mind. Vali wasn't just his trainer, but part of his family along with the others. She had taken care of him, raised him, taught him, and even protected him. Why would he ever want to leave her? Just because he had new instincts that demanded he never submit to another, it didn't mean anything especially when Vali was his equal. While she may be human, she bore a burning inner flame in her heart and never demanded that he submit to her outside of when he was being an idiot.

Smaug looked into Vali's eyes as she reached him and smiled as he leaned down to nuzzle her cheek. He would keep that promise he'd made to himself last night. Vali hugged him with a grin, "I'm so proud of you, Smaug."

After returning Smaug once she made sure he was alright, Vali received her fourth gym badge and grinned as Erika said, "Congratulations, Vali. Both on the win and on the evolution."

"Thank you for giving me this chance, Erika," Vali told the gym leader with a bright grin as she clutched the gym badge in her hand, "I hope that once my team and I finish gathering our gym badges that you'd be up for another battle if we have time,"

Erika smiled lightly, "I'd be happy to though I think you should probably hurry to pokemon center."

"Right," Vali nodded lightly, "Thanks again, Erika!"

With that, Vali met up with Steven and they began making their way out of the gym. She paused at the lobby when a girl around the same age as her complained to the girl at the front desk, "I won't be able to battle inside if the whole place smells like this."

"I'm sorry, but the outdoors battling area is no where near complete," The Gym Trainer manning the desk informed the girl, "It won't be complete for another month. Either you'll have to battle in the gym like everyone else or wait until the outside battlefield is complete,"

The girl sneered at the Gym Trainer, "You'll be hearing from the League!"

With that, the girl stormed out and Vali asked, "What was that about?"

"That was one of the trainers that have a scent based allergy or some other form of condition that makes battling inside the gym difficult for them if not impossible in some cases," The Gym Trainer explained as she shuffled the papers on her desk, "An outdoors battlefield is being constructed as we speak, but it is taking a while due to the League workers trying to ensure the quality of it is on par with the one inside the gym. Because of this, trainers like that one have been attempting to lodge complaints about it with the League who are well aware of the problem,"

"Shouldn't there already be an outdoors battlefield?" Vali remembered reading that every gym had one though most rarely used them since the inside ones were usually enough.

"Unfortunately in the two years before Miss Erika took over, Mister Thomas, Miss Erika's grandfather, let the outdoors battlefield fall into disarray," The Gym Trainer answered with a sigh, "Due to the weather we've had over the last few years, it's left the outdoors battlefield completely trashed and unsalvageable resulting in a new one having to be reconstructed," She shook her head, "That doesn't even cover the fact that a family of Bulbasaur have taken it over,"

Vali felt bad for Erika having to deal with this kind of thing, "Well, I hope the League doesn't get angry at Erika since it really isn't her fault."

The Gym Trainer smiled at Vali, "Thank you. Are either of you going to schedule a rematch?"

"No, we won our battles," Steven answered as they began to head to the door, "Thanks for asking though,"

Smaug and Arwen ended up stuck in Nurse Joy's care for three days due to the fact both of them had poison in their system. Despite Smaug burning away almost all the poison, a few particles managed to get into his lungs. While it wasn't that dangerous given his high body temperature, the fact he'd just recently evolved made Nurse Joy leery of letting Smaug out of her care until she could be sure the poison didn't have a bad effect on his evolution. Nurse Joy wanted to watch over Arwen since this was the Ponyta's first real exposure to poison. Celina spent a day with Nurse Joy and was banned from training for two days to fully recover much to the Pidgeot's ire. Of course, Celina wouldn't be so annoyed if it weren't for the fact she wasn't allowed to fly with Vali.

Vali was a bit annoyed as well, but she wasn't about to disobey Nurse Joy. Despite the pink hair, the entire Joy family could be scary especially when it came to stupid trainers not keeping their pokemon's health in mind. Instead of trying to argue against the pink haired woman, she handed over the rest of her pokemon to get checked over while she spent time focusing on the egg she'd gotten from Ninetales. Even Eevee ended up in Nurse Joy's care, she didn't want to take any chances with anyone.

Steven had already done the same when they'd returned from their gym battle. While Vali was cleaning the already clean egg shell, they spent time discussing where to travel to next. Fuchsia was high on the list along with the Safari Zone which boasted quite a few pokemon. While the idea of adding to her team wasn't something she really focused on, she would admit that visiting it would be fun if only for the opportunity to take good pictures. Steven wanted to check out just what kind of pokemon were there and maybe find something he wouldn't normally find in Kanto since he hadn't really caught any new pokemon outside of his Sandshrew. Steven wanted to check out the Kanto Power Plant to catch a Magnemite or two ever since he'd spoke with Lt. Surge. Vali just wanted to check it out and see if she could take any interesting pictures. After that, they'd go to Lavender Town where Vali was hoping she might catch a ghost-type.

While she might not be big on adding to her team, Vali honestly wanted a ghost-type since they were dead useful and because it would give her a defense against psychics. With what happened in Saffron the first time, she really didn't want to risk something like that happening again. There was also the fact that ghost-types were interesting, the whole thing about them being former humans/pokemon that had died really made her wonder just how true it was. Other than that, she knew that most ghost-types were pranksters which she could appreciate. If for nothing else, she wanted a ghost-type to help her prank Sirius the next time he pissed her off.

Professor Oak smiled at her as she finished explaining what had happened since the last time they'd spoken, "That's wonderful news, Vali! I didn't expect you to get Smaug to evolve so soon since most trainers put it off until the first year to ensure they have a strong enough bond to prevent any accidents."

"That's because they don't have a small pool of pokemon like me and don't understand just how prideful fire-types can be," Vali snorted softly, "Anyway, did you get the information I sent you?"

"Yes, I did," Professor Oak shuffled around something in the desk he was sitting at before pulling out the binder of stuff she'd sent him, "You're very thorough when you want to be,"

Vali flushed a bit, "Considering the fact that I'm really hoping I might one day be able to raise an Amaura, I figured that being thorough would be the best course of action."

Professor Oak chuckled, "Well, I can tell you that this will definitely help the research along. I'm going to be sending a copy of it to Blaine since he's the leading authority on Fossil Research in Kanto."

"Really?" Vali thought he might add somethings to it before he did that.

Professor Oak nodded as he leaned back into his seat, "Of course, your notes are very well written and rarely go off topic. You ensure that your personal opinion and theories are separated from the actual information. While you could be a bit more concise in some places, it doesn't really take away from the information you've presented," Professor Oak actually looked proud, "The pictures you sent as well as the pages of your own personal theories made everything fairly clear. It makes me eager to see what else you can do."

Vali remembered her discussion with Zaria prompting her to ask, "Professor, do you think I might be able to become one of your data collectors? Not right now, but eventually?"

Professor Oak blinked a bit in surprise before nodding, "I don't see why not, but what brought this on?"

"Before Zaria left, we ended up having an interesting conversation," Vali answered as she looked at her hands, "I don't see myself getting a regular job if I fail to become an Elite Four or an ACE. I can't see myself being happy with a desk job or something like that. Don't get me wrong, I know that some people would be happy doing that, but I just can't see that kind of future for myself. If I become one of your data collectors, it would mean going traveling wherever I wish and whenever I wish unless you needed me to do something. Combined with becoming a Photographer, I think that would be the kind of future I want since it would allow me to keep battling with my pokemon, meeting new people, and discovering parts of the world I've never been too before," She flushed a bit as she spoke, "I love the idea of being able to wander as I wish rather than just settle down somewhere. Eventually, I'd like to settle down with someone, but that's years in the future,"

Professor Oak grinned at her, "You sound a lot like someone I knew back when I was a young boy going on my own journey," She looked at him in surprise, "That actually reminds me of something I've been wanting to talk with you about."

"Is something wrong?" Vali asked him while hoping everyone was fine back in Pallet.

"Not at all," Professor Oak shook his head, "On the contrary, I think this is a great opportunity for you," She looked at him in confusion, "How would you like to become a data collector now?"

Holy mother of Mew, Vali hadn't thought that this kind of thing would happen when she talked to him today. Pushing away her shock, she asked, "Really, Professor?"

"I don't see why not. Of course, you wouldn't be acting as my usual data collectors do since you're still on your first journey and not sixteen just yet," Professor Oak began to explain what he wanted her to do, "I want you to take pictures of the pokemon you come across, the areas you come across, anything that strikes you as odd, and the like. Simple things that you would probably do anyway. I want you to continue writing those journals of yours and sending me the information at each city you come across that has post office only this time adding copies of the photos,"

Vali thought about it carefully before nodding, "I can do that pretty easily."

"In exchange, I'll put money in your account to pay for the copies of the photos you send me, journals, writing utensils, and expenses such as a new camera if your current one breaks," Professor Oak continued earning a nod from her since it made sense and was a relief since cameras could be expensive, "I will also pay you around 1,000 poke per the journal you send me and more if it helps me with something I'm currently researching. You'll also get a percentage of the money I get from the League each time I publish something that you helped research like with all of my data collectors,"

That wasn't a bad exchange and it would help with her pokemon's upkeep which was going to be harder now that two of her pokemon had evolved into their final forms, Vali nodded lightly, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Professor."

"I'm glad," Professor Oak smiled at her, "This also means that once you get your eighth gym badge, I can increase your capture limit to ten,"

"Seriously?" Vali would be able to have all her pokemon with her if that was true and room for at least two more once the egg hatched.

Professor Oak nodded, "Of course, it'll increase to twelve if you place high enough in the League conference. I know you won't abuse the privilege like some trainers might."

"I'm not complaining, but why, Professor?" Vali asked him unable to believe that she might be able to have all her pokemon traveling with her again.

"For my data collectors, it's to help carry around any equipment and necessary items while also providing ample protection while they're in the field," Professor Oak explained which was beginning to make sense, "It's also to ensure they have at least one flying type capable of flying to my lab to deliver physical copies of any data when a post office is too far away," Professor Oak smiled a bit in amusement, "Of course, my data collectors are usually over sixteen and have collected the minimum of eight badges in their home region,"

Vali relaxed a bit, "Thank you for this opportunity, Professor. I'll do my best to insure you won't regret this."

"I know you will," Professor Oak said as a crash sounded followed by cursing and laughter that had to have come from the two little terrors she knew very well.

"Looks like Ash and Gary are up to their usual tricks," Vali commented earning an eye roll, "Tell them I said 'hi' and make sure Delia knows I'll be calling tomorrow,"

"I will," Professor Oak's eye brow twitched as a shriek sounded, "Those boys,"

"Have fun, Professor," Vali told him before the connection cut off.

"That sounds fairly easy considering the fact you're already doing so," Steven commented when she finished telling him about the Professor's offer, "It's definitely more than what most Rookie trainers end up doing,"

"I'm not exactly normal and Professor Oak knows me well enough to know that I'll make sure he won't regret it," Vali replied as she sat down to eat her dinner, "I wasn't planning on asking him about it just yet, but somehow we ended up discussing it when I asked about the information I sent to him about how Lileep is changing in preparation of his evolution,"

"And he was going to ask you anyway?" Steven asked as he sat down across from her.

"Mhmm," Vali confirmed as she took a bite of her stew.

Steven shook his head lightly, "It says a lot about your luck as a pokemon trainer to get offers like this during your first year."

Vali hummed lightly as a thought occurred to her, "You know it wouldn't surprise me if every time someone becomes a trainer that Arceus flips a coin or something to decide their future. One side means a successful trainer and one side means an average one."

Steven blinked before shrugging, "It honestly wouldn't surprise me."

In the days leading up to their departure from Celadon, Steven and Vali did their usual thing. They made a list of what they had and bought everything save for food which would be saved until the day before they left. With their pokemon being returned to them with a clean bill of health, they wouldn't have to get them checked out by Nurse Joy until the next pokemon center unless they had a spur of the moment battle before they left Celadon. Vali had her egg checked out as a precaution before they left. Nurse Joy returned it to her with a clean bill of health though the woman told her that she would have to keep a careful eye on the pokemon that hatched from it due to the fact it was smaller than normal which she'd already known. As a result of that warning, Nurse Joy gave her a list of things to keep on hand when her egg finally hatched along with advice to have Balto, Arwen, and Smaug curl around the egg when they could to help insure the eggs health.

In preparation for their departure, the traveling partners headed to the booths that marked on entrance to Cycling Road. Since neither of them had a bike nor required one as they had pokemon that could take their weight, they were required to sign a contract stating that they knew the risks of traveling the road and that the League wasn't responsible for any mishaps that may occur. Once that was done, they were given a copy of the contract and a permit to travel the Cycling Road without a bike/motorcycle/scooter/etc. They also had to pay a fee of 500 poke, but that was easily done. After everything had been handed over, they would be allowed to travel the Cycling Road as much as they wanted for a full year.

Vali ended up stocking up a bit further on winter items needed for the journey. She picked up an elemental resistant tent big enough for her pokemon, extra blankets, extra fire making supplies, a few extra water bottles that were able to withstand extreme changed in heat, and a larger sleeping bag which would allow her pokemon save for Celina and Smaug to cuddle with her if they got cold. She picked up a pair of thick Mamoswine hide gloves with Beartic fur lining for when her current gloves either failed or ended up shredded. She also picked up a few breakable packs of instant heat that could last for a couple of hours. While she did have fire-type pokemon, they could get hurt by in a snow storm. She also bought quite a few berries in bulk as well as some vitamins. Once she found everything she needed, she paid for it while finding out that she ate through her cash on hand and had to use at least five thousand poke from her savings. While it was a bit much, everything would last a while and would be needed for when they were outside of civilization when winter hit.

Steven ended up following her lead though he already had a good portion of the things she bought. While it may seem to be a bit much, winter was one of the harshest times a pokemon trainer could be traveling and it was heavily recommended for rookies to spend it in the nearest town. While she was planning on being back in Pallet in time for Christmas, she knew that the precautions they took would be enough besides most rookies didn't have an older trainer traveling with them.

"So you're leaving Celadon tomorrow?" Delia asked earning a nod as Vali rubbed between Balto's ears, "That makes four badges plus two fully evolved pokemon. You're doing very well for yourself, Vali,"

"Thanks, Delia, but it would have happened without everyone," Vali hugged Balto as he barked, "Since we're taking the Cycling Road and will probably only end up against other trainers, we should be in Fuchsia within the next five days maybe a week if we ended up facing a lot of people,"

"Call me when you arrive," Delia told her earning a nod, "Other than that, how is everyone?"

"They're doing really good. We haven't had many problems outside of Smaug's attitude before he evolved," Vali was glad for that though she knew that the problem pokemon every trainer ended up with would be coming her way soon since Eevee didn't count, "I think Eevee's trusting me," She looked at Delia curiously, "So how is everyone back in Pallet?"

"Ash and Gary have been getting up to quite a bit of mischief especially since Pidgey has started flying," Delia rolled her eyes as Vali snickered, "Of course, you already know that,"

"Yeah, I was talking to Professor Oak a few days ago and heard some them start something," Vali shook her head lightly as she asked, "Did the Professor tell you about the job offer?"

Delia nodded with a beaming grin, "I'm so proud of you, Vali. I know you'll do well."

Vali flushed a bit as her heart warmed up like it always did when Delia said something like that. She wondered if this was what having a mother felt like. She hugged Balto a bit tighter, "Thanks, I'm going to do my best to get all eight badges since that means I'll be able to travel and train with everyone unless I get more than ten pokemon," She relaxed her grip on Balto, "How's Pikachu?"

"He's doing well. He's actually helping to keep Ash, Pidgey, and Gary out of trouble," Delia sounded fairly relieved, "He's stopped them from bugging the Rhyhorn and Tauros. Of course, he has been giving them little shocks, but it's fairly painless," Delia looked down and smiled, "Would you like to see him? He's been helping around the house,"

"Please," Vali watched as Delia bent down before the woman stood up to reveal Pikachu sitting in her arms, "Hey, Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled at her and jumped from Delia's arms to touch the screen, "I've missed you so much and I know that the others have been missing you too," Balto barked in agreement and she let him get close to the screen to nose at it a bit, "You might've already have heard this, but we won at the Celadon Gym," Pikachu nodded as he sat down, "You've probably also heard about the whole job offer too and let me tell you, I'm going to do my best to see it happen because I want everyone with me," Pikachu let out a soft cry and gave her a grin showing he knew she would do it, "Now, I'm thinking of letting you rest a bit longer. You okay with that?" Pikachu bobbed his head, "Good. I'm going to talk to Professor Oak about maybe placing you on my inactive roster to spend time with everyone once we get to Fuchsia. Not for long, I just want to be able to train everyone together and maybe see about teaching everyone something. I've got a whole slew of new moves for you to learn," Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he let out an eager sounding cry, "Glad to see your happy about it, I know you've probably been training too whenever you aren't spending time with Ash and the others. Thank you for keeping them out of trouble,"

Pikachu inclined his head. Vali spent a bit more time talking to him and Delia before the older woman had to go make lunch for the house's occupants.

Vali decided to ride Arwen for their first day on the Cycling Road and Steven decided to ride on Metagross' back. She wanted to earn back some of what she spent while in Celadon especially since trainers on the Cycling Road tended to bet over two hundred poke per battle if not more. When they stopped to rest, Smaug, Celina, and Skarmory would work on getting the Charizard used to his new wings. While she didn't doubt that Smaug would get used to his wings soon if only through sheer determination, she knew for a fact that he would probably crash more than a few times in the endeavor which she was duty bound to take pictures of. Say what you will about her, she wanted those pictures to mark Smaug's progress and to keep in case he ever got too big headed.

Balto was running beside Arwen while Eevee sat in her lap watching the world around them. Vali kept a careful eye on Balto both because she didn't want to tire him too much and because she wanted to make sure she could return him just in case some idiot decided to speed past thus running the risk of hitting the Growlithe. Whenever they stopped for a little while whether to battle someone or to take a break, she was taking pictures of the area and the few pokemon that inhabited it. One of the interesting facts about the Cycling Road was that it contained the heaviest presence of Grimer in Kanto. Most believed it was due to the Cycling Road being man-made and so close to Fuchsia which was the heaviest polluter in Kanto though it was still better than back in her old world, no one had confirmed why it was.

Most of those attempting to become poison-type specialists ventured into the Cycling Road in hopes of catching either a Grimer or their final evolution Muk. Grimer were more prevalent then Muk for the simple reason that the League keeps the far more lethal pokemon from destroying the ecosystem and to keep down the deaths caused by them. Despite the fact that Grimer were fairly common, they were a difficult pokemon to battle especially when you were on the Cycling Road due to the amount of sewer grates on the road itself to prevent it from being flooded during storms. Despite their bodies being made of hardened sludge, they lost the ability to keep their form together when knocked out during a battle and ended up slipping into the sewer through a grate. Even if you had a psychic-type collect the sludge and keep it from falling into the sewer, any pokeball below an Ultra Ball had a lot of trouble capturing the unconscious Grimer due to not recognizing it as a pokemon.

Vali only knew this information since Professor Oak wanted all newbie trainers to understand the risks of raising a Grimer or their rarer evolved form, Muk. While Grimer and Muk could be fairly friendly pokemon when they'd been around humans for awhile, they tended to forget themselves around those they really liked. As a result, the likeliness of being accidentally poisoned or suffocated by your own pokemon increased rather heavily. It took a certain type of trainer to raise one let alone make it a monster in battle without getting yourself killed. She had long since decided against catching either pokemon since a majority of the pokemon she'd planned on catching would be canine in nature. Foul smelling pokemon did not mix well with canine pokemon no matter how much you may try to make it work. And Grimer were foul smelling, she knew that very well since she'd almost passed out that time a trainer managed to catch one and Professor Oak released it in the lab to give it a check up.

Grimer and Muk were interesting pokemon. She could appreciate just how interesting they were from a scientific point of view. They were able to create some of the most potent poisons among poison-type pokemon outside of a select few species. The League and Ranger Union had specific departments that created antidotes for just about any poison in existence using the two as they were able to mimic any poison they came into contact with. They could digest just about anything so trash disposal or hazardous waste disposal was fairly easy. They didn't breed like normal pokemon as there was a lack in any required equipment and no way for them to create an egg. Like the starfish back in her old world, Muk bred by cutting away pieces of themselves which formed into a new Grimer. Despite the lack of two parents being involved, the new Grimer still had the ability to possess an egg move from their parent.

When Steven and Vali came across a group of six Grimer, she returned Balto before dragging her scarf over her nose and mouth. It was a struggle to keep from puking up her lunch due to how foul the scent was or passing out. One Grimer was bad enough, but six was so much worse. Steven looked at her in concern as she had Arwen pause for a few moments to let the fire-type master-in-training take pictures of the Grimer group who were clustered around one of the few Oran Berry trees she'd seen so far. She took a picture of the tree which was slowly wilting as the Grimer clustered around the bottom of the tree. Steven spoke as she finished taking photo's, "Are you alright?"

Vali shook her head as she put away the camera and urged Arwen on once more. Steven followed her lead and they made their way away from the Grimer. Pulling down her scarf once they were far enough away, she said, "Grimer plus a sensitive nose is a very bad combination."

Steven offered her a sympathetic look as they continued moving down the Cycling Road after she released Balto again, "While I can see the benefits of a sensitive nose, I can also see the drawbacks."

"Luckily, Koga doesn't have a Grimer or Muk on his regular team," Vali had no wish to see what would happen if she had to face on of those.

"What does he usually use?" Steven asked as they reached one of the break areas.

"Usually, he tends to use a Venomoth, Nidorino, and a Golbat," Vali answered after thinking about it, "Depending on the amount of challengers, he may use either a Beedrill, Weezing, Gulpin, or Seviper. Of course, he could also use an Arbok or Ariados," She got off of Arwen's back and grabbed her bag before moving to one of the picnic tables since it was about time they took a break, "He could use any number of poison-type pokemon. For you, I'd worry about dual-types since he'll probably look you up the moment he finds out you're going to challenge him. While you have pokemon with a resistance to poison-types, he'll be looking for ways to insure you won't have an easy time at the gym,"

"Right," Steven followed her example as Balto and Arwen settled down next to the table as Metagross hovered beside them, "He's up for the Elite Four, isn't he?"

Vali shook her head, "Not yet. From what Professor Oak told me, Koga still has a couple of years before he can qualify for the position. By the time Ash starts traveling, he'll probably be up for it."

They released their pokemon who began exploring the area or attempting to fly in Smaug's case. Steven looked at her curiously, "What do you mean by that?"

"As a rule, a Gym Leader cannot become a member of the Elite Four unless certain qualifications have been met," Vali held up a finger, "One, the Gym Leader must have an Elite quality team which means beating one of the Elite Four trainees currently being trained and last at least seven minutes against the strongest pokemon on the Champions true team," She raised a second finger, "Two, the Gym Leader must have someone to take over for them at the gym because they cannot hold two high titles in Kanto save for the title of ACE," She raised a third finger, "Three, the Gym Leader must prove that they have proficient knowledge of their chosen type and have the ability to fight against all weakness of said type," She raised a fourth finger, "Four, the Gym Leader must pass the Test,"

"The test?" Steven quirked an eyebrow at her as he took a water-bottle out of his bag.

"Not test, Test," Vali corrected as she grabbed one of her strawberry lemonades, "The Test is something that's been passed down from generation to generation of Elite. No Elite can become a member of the Elite Four without passing it nor can a champion of Kanto become the true Champion without passing it. I don't know all the details, but it pushes examinee to the limit. No one has ever become an Elite or the true Champion without passing the test,"

"What do you mean by 'true champion'?" Steven asked as she drank some of her lemonade.

Sighing softly, Vali capped the bottle and explained, "You can become a champion of Kanto without passing the test, but you'd be little more than a figurehead."

"That sounds kind of..." Steven trailed off.

"Fucked up?" Vali offered earning a nod, "Yeah, but it's to prevent a bad person from having control of the region. The League doesn't want Kanto to be in a position where its led by someone who would see the world under their thumb or a weak willed person that would be easily bribed by people," She could tell he wasn't convinced, "Basically, they don't want someone like Tom Riddle/Voldemort or Cornelius Fudge running Kanto,"

"That makes a lot more sense," Steven shook his head, "I never would have guessed,"

"Every region probably has something similar in place," Vali offered earning a contemplative look, "Especially since no one wants another civil war or a great war on their hands,"

Steven shuddered a bit, "Probably."

Vali couldn't blame him. The idea of war wasn't something she enjoyed thinking about. The wars of her old world were unpleasant to think about. The wars of the pokemon world were even worse. Muggles with their guns, tanks, military ships/planes, and their nukes. Magicals with their war-time spells, curses, magical creatures, and rituals. The two were bad especially when put together, but they weren't anywhere near as bad as wars in the pokemon world. Regions with powerful pokemon that could reshape the world maps at their fingertips, weapons powered by pokemon that could wipe out entire regions if they so desired to create them, and legendary pokemon that could wipe out all life on the planet if they so desired. So of course, war wasn't something she enjoyed thinking about especially when human stupidity caused most if not all of them.

While a peaceful world for the most part, the pokemon world had seen its fair share of wars. Most of them occurred in the distant past, the largest ones occurred as the regions formed and the clans of pokemon tamers fought for supremacy. Wars fought over resources, powerful pokemon, and even the legendaries, the history of this world was one bathed in blood. The wars that had been fought against the more powerful Legendaries such as Groudon, Kyogre, and Yveltal. The civil wars that occurred over misunderstandings or misguided attempts to get more power. And so much more, the pokemon world could be as violent as her old one if not more.

Balto laid down beside Vali after he finished eating his dinner. He observed his pack-mates with some sense of amusement. The broken one was recovering nicely. Celina and Smaug had reached their final forms. Little Idril wasn't a pup anymore especially with Terra there to help bolster her confidence. Arwen's energy was becoming tempered with each new day. While she may be the baby of the pack, Terra was a source of constant support.

Even Vali had changed since they set out, Balto looked at her. She wasn't as broken as she'd been when they'd first met. Every new day saw the shadows and pain in her eyes fading with each new experience. The burning flame within her core became brighter and more powerful with each moment. He could feel her magic, the energy that helped mask her flame from all save for the fire-types they came across, it was stronger and more potent. It honestly reminded him of a dual-type pokemon like Smaug had become with his evolution. A wildness grasped her energies though it held a carefully tempered edge created through meditation. If he hadn't known her as long as he had, he wouldn't believe she was human.

Balto had changed as well. He was growing stronger with each day. He was steadily growing closer to the limit of what he can accomplish as a Growlithe. It wouldn't be long before he reached that limit and Vali would evolve him into an Arcanine. Becoming a Arcanine was something he couldn't wait to become, he would never again find a limit to his power again. More than that, he would be able to protect Vali and their pack better which was his main goal when it came to his final evolution. Arcanine were the protectors and leaders of the pack after all.

"That had to hurt," Vali winced as Smaug laid in the crater that had formed due to how hard he'd hit the ground.

Smaug let out a low growl as he began pushing himself up. He looked pissed off at himself though that anger quickly transferred over to a nearby group of Spearow laughing at him. He released a flamethrower in their direction and they quickly took off with shrieks and squawks of shock. Wartortle quickly put out the fire caused by Smaug's rash actions before giving the Charizard with a look of irritation. Smaug bared his teeth at Wartortle and she noticed that one of his teeth was cracked. Clearing her throat, she watched as Smaug looked at her before ducking his head at her unimpressed look. She pointed to the spot on the grass next to her and he quickly followed her direction. Steven looked at her curiously from where he was carefully removing some dried out scales causing Lileep quite a bit of discomfort, "What's going on?"

"One of Smaug's teeth is cracked," Vali reached into her bag to pull out her medkit as Smaug settled beside of her, "Smaug, open," Smaug opened his mouth as she put her gloves and grabbed her mini-flashlight, "Must have happened either during his most recent landing or one of the others,"

Vali looked at the cracked tooth which happened to be one of his eye-teeth. The crack ran from the tip of his fang up to his gum. She tsked at the sight of it then looked at the others. By the time she was done, she found three on his upper jaw close to the eye-teeth and four on the left side of his lower jaw. Steven looked her curiously as she bent down to grabbed some of the teeth care supplies in her med-kit, "I take it you found more?"

"Yes," Vali looked at Smaug, "I'm going to be seeing if any of your teeth are loose or if any of the cracked ones go all the way to the nerve. If it hurts, I want you to do your best to avoid closing her mouth on my hand, okay?" Smaug nodded slowly, "I promise that I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want to get these taken care of before they get infected,"

Smaug nodded slowly and stayed as still as possible while Vali did the same thing Professor Oak showed her when some of the pokemon in his care ended up with cracked or broken teeth. She was as gentle as possible to ensure that Smaug wasn't put through more pain than necessary. He managed to keep his mouth from closing each time it hurt him and she removed her hand to let the pain fade before she went onto the next one. By the time she was done, she found three teeth that had been knocked loose by Smaug's impacts into the ground, two that were cracked all the way to the nerve, a pair of broken teeth, and one with a hairline crack that she could just use a bit of potion on which would heal it.

Vali grabbed her pair of pliers prompting Steven to ask, "What are you going to do with those?"

"Smaug has three teeth that are loose enough that they'll fall out very soon, but I want to get them out of his mouth before he flies again," Vali answered as Smaug eyed her warily, "If I don't, the next good hit to the muzzle could end up with the teeth going through soft parts of his mouth which we really don't need on top of the damage already done," She looked at Steven, "Can you have Metagross hold Smaug still and keep his mouth open for this part? I really don't want him to accidentally bite me,"

Steven nodded, "Of course," He gave the order to Metagross and Smaug was soon held completely still with his mouth open, "What are you going to do with them?"

"Send them home," Vali answered as she began removing the loose teeth, "I'm hoping Delia will get one made into a necklace for me. I'm going to give one to Ash and one to Gary since they'll get a kick out of it," Smaug twitched a bit and let out a low sound as she pulled out the first tooth, "Luckily, certain pokemon like Charizard are able to regrow any damaged teeth. They tend to shed any broken, cracked, or otherwise imperfect teeth every couple of months though its more every couple of weeks during the first few years after evolution due to the fact they're at their most volatile during those years. The only problem with wait for them to be shed is when an infection forms inside the cracked or broken teeth," She removed the next one and moved the pliers a bit deeper into Smaug's mouth while holding her breath since his stunk quite a bit, "While at least one of these I can use a potion to heal the crack, I can't do the same with the others,"

Vali pulled out the last loose tooth as Steven asked, "So what will you do with the others?"

"I'm going to use this," Vali put the pliers away and set the teeth down carefully before pulling out a tube, "It created a protective film over the surface of the teeth that prevents infection from forming though it has to be reapplied every twelve hours. I'm going to have to mash Smaug's food to help him eat it since he can't chew without hurting himself. Remind me to get more of it when we get to Fuchsia,"

Vali pulled out a special brush made for sharp teeth and began applying the solution to each of the teeth she'd mentioned. She paused to grab one of her potions and carefully applied it to the hairline crack with an eyedropper. Once it dried a bit, she applied the same solution to it as the others. After doing another check, she removed her hands and began to clean up her supplies prompting Metagross to release Smaug from his grip. Smaug shook his head and rubbed at his muzzle with his hands. She put everything save for the teeth and her gloves away in the med-kit. As she began grabbing things to clean them up, Steven asked her, "Where exactly did you learn this?"

"Professor Oak. He wanted me to be prepared to take care of all my pokemon's health needs," Vali began cleaning the teeth, "Do you have an empty vial I can borrow?"

Steven nodded as he reached into his bag, "Sure."