When Morgan went downstairs the following morning to pick up Kitsun, the nurse gave her a note from Sera. 'Hey Slowpoke, went ahead to Route 110. Catch me if you can! ;P'

Because of course she did. After taking a few minutes to get her team in order, Morgan headed out.

She was so annoyed with the antics that she stormed right past several opportunities for Pokemon in an effort to catch up with or finally pass her rival. Of course, it would have been nice if she could have taken the nice smooth bike path, but no.

It took a few hours of hiking, but finally, she spied a flash of pink and red ahead. Thank goodness, it seemed Sera had been more slowed by battles.

...Or had she? As Morgan got closer, she realized Sera was neither caught up in a fight nor trying to move. She seemed to be… waiting?

As she finally caught sight of Morgan, she smiled. "Heya~ Walk with me," she beckoned.

"Uh… Sure, I. Guess?" What did she have up her sleeve?

Sera led her then along the path next to the bridge, making small talk and seeming to pay close attention to the markers above. "So, how was your voyage?"

"It was all right. Briney and Peeko are really nice people, though it did get a little boring when they were preoccupied."

"Did you catch anything on this route?" Morgan shook her head. "Ah. That's a shame, I was sort of hoping you'd caught a Plusle. I wanted to trade you my Minun." She laughed. "She's even more of a bummer than you are." Morgan rolled her eyes; hardy har har.

They continued like that for perhaps five minutes before at last Sera stopped and smiled up at a pillar. She turned back to Morgan, then made a head gesture to indicate for her to follow- not that she wasn't… already doing that.

Sera took her under the bike path then. "Sit. We'll rest here a few minutes."

Morgan did not oblige yet. "You're acting really suspicious?"

Sera flashed her a grin and repeated, "Sit," as she did the same. Morgan rolled her eyes but complied now. "I've watched these Games religiously for years, you know."

"...Yeah?"

"You start noticing things after a while. Obstacles that come up more often than others. Places where you're likely to need certain Pokemon help to progress. Places where more training might be needed to stay up to par and places where speed might be better."

"And?"

"Places where the broadcast consistently cuts out." Morgan's eyes widened a little. "Even Devon's coverage isn't perfect. It gets better every year, but there are still places. Those in and around towns and cities take priority, so they're not to worried about a place like this, in the middle of nowhere, where most trainers pass through with only about a minute of fuzzy muffled footage unless they just so happen to get into a battle."

"I… see. So we're actually… This is private, right now?"

Sera nodded. "More or less. I went through a bunch of footage of others's recent runs last night to find where along the route this weak spot was. They can probably mostly see us and might catch one in every 20 words, but it should be really distorted."

"Hm." Of course, that still begged the question, "Why though? What's up?"

Sera became more somber. "Before watching that last night, I watched your daily recap. You're… not thinking of joining Team Aqua or anything… are you?"

Morgan pursed her lips. "I'm going to pretend you didn't ask."

Sera sighed in relief. "Good. Sorry if it sounded like I don't trust you, I just had to make sure."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Well, that makes about three people in this gods-forsaken region." Sera tilted her head questioningly, and Morgan elaborated on the calls she'd received the night before.

"Oh… Oh, wow." It was Morgan's turn to question, and Sera shared her tale of meeting Maxie, and being encouraged to use Magma's trust if she could.

"What in the actual- Why though. How is it I get reprimanded where you get accolades?"

Sera cringed slightly for a moment, but then shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's because they trust me."

"No, you don't say."

She shook her head. "No I mean like. They have reason to trust me. It's not like I talk to any of them on a regular basis other than dad, which I guess is something in its own right, and Mr. Norman when he's in Littleroot. But I've been around League officials since I was knee-high to a lot of them. It's not exactly friends in high places, but they know who I am. You're a newcomer, and that makes you an unknown."

"Hm. I guess when you put it that way…" Didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

But Sera smiled as she stood. "Don't worry too much about it. As long as you show them where your loyalties lie, I'm sure they'll trust you in no time." Morgan nodded, and Sera went on, "But we should get moving again. They'll get suspicious if we linger too long."

"Yeah. All right." Morgan stood as well, and suddenly realized Sera was moving closer. "What are you-"

Without warning, Sera leaned in to kiss her cheek. "They can still sort of see us, after all," she said softly. Pulling away, she winked and added, "That should stop anyone from asking what we might have been talking about."

Morgan was slightly frozen, and when she finally regained her faculties, she droned, "I see your point, but please don't do that again." Or fucking warn her next time, what the hell, Sera. "Also isn't that, like, super inappropriate or something?"

Sera snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Please. The media loves a good scandal. They'll eat this up." As she turned and all but trotted back out into the open, she turned back to a slowly following Morgan to call, "Also! I think it's about time we had another rival battle, don't you~?"

Rubbing her face trying to get the feeling to go away, Morgan replied, "Yes. Yes I do."

As before, they set their Navs to countdown. 3… 2… 1…

"Go, Manowar."

"Go, Pikachu!"

. . . What.

. . . . . . "What."

"What?" Sera asked.

"... Sera. Sera no." The Pokemon wore a bright pink dress that seemed entirely made of poofs and frills, with a bow nearly as big as its ears tied onto one of them. Even its eyes seemed extra sparkly.

"I- She picked this out, I swear. I didn't- I'm not one of those rich old ladies that dresses up their Lillipup or something, I-... I promise she wants to wear this."

Morgan rubbed her temples. That may or may not be true, but the fact remained that Sera knew exactly what her problem was without Morgan having to say anything more than 'no'. "All right, let's… just… Manowar, return." If she had to fight this ridiculous thing, she wasn't going to do it with a type disadvantage.

Cerberus came in, and was immediately paralyzed by Pikachu's Thunder Wave. "Draining Kiss!" Sera called, and Morgan watched as Pikachu performed what looked a lot like Cerberus's Mega Drain, except the energy was pale pink rather than green, and it also involved a kiss, because? It didn't do very much damage at all, but Morgan couldn't be sure if Cerberus was struggling with the paralysis or just as caught off-guard as she'd been.

"Sera…" Pikachu used Quick Attack, but Morgan sighed. "This is how you do a draining move." Mega Drain crit, almost completely healing Cerberus in the process.

Sera cringed and withdrew Pikachu, replacing her with with Flash. Morgan got in a Quick Attack of her own, then swapped Cerberus back for Manowar. Flash used Flame Charge for a shockingly high amount of damage; Sera seemed just as surprised as she was, at least. Then Morgan's Nav indicated his speed rose. … Then, it indicated his.. speed.. rose? Morgan shook that off and ordered an attack, but the next Flame Charge managed to knock out Manowar before he could comply. Again, her Nav notified her twice. "Does… that attack make him faster on top of his Speed Boost." Sera grinned wide. "..Why?"

"Because it's hilarious," Sera replied.

Ignoring that, Morgan withdrew the unconscious Tentacool and sent in her Croagunk, who no longer outleveled the rest of her team by quite so wide a margin but had still proven quite effective. Flash's Peck did a fair bit of damage, but Revenge once again took out the glass cannon, leading Sera to give a loud whine. "Not my fault you didn't learn," teased Morgan.

Sera pursed her lips a moment, but then took a deep breath and shifted to a gentle smile, shrugging lightly. "That's okay. Let's see how you like this." She recalled Flash, and sent in a Swellow. "Evolved on my way out here this morning." She gave a wink that reeked of spite, and Morgan was suddenly regretting that tease.

Well, she did have- Morgan withdrew Robit and sent in Mithril, who soaked Wings's Aerial Ace with ease. Sera was back to huffing, and she swapped him out for her Nuzleaf, Pelt.

Morgan took the opportunity to employ an Iron Defense, and Pelt's Beat Up largely bounced off. Mithril's Iron Head did not. Feint Attack did notably more damage than Beat Up, but another Iron Head took Pelt out.

Sera decided to counter Morgan's tank with a Tank of her own, then, and a Mud Bomb was enough to knock Mithril out. ...Well. At least he fainted smoothly this time.

Morgan suddenly had an idea, and sent out Cerberus. As expected, Sera started reaching for Tank's ball to recall him, so Morgan immediately recalled as well, sending Kitsun in only a second after Wings returned to the field.

Sera's taken aback expression would have been enough to validate Morgan, but she went on to confirm, "Nice prediction," before opting to switch again. Zuma came out right into a Psybeam, which did a good bit of damage. But not quite enough for Morgan's taste, so back to Robit it was.

Except holy shit, that Headbutt nearly knocked Robit out? Uh… How about, maybe… Zack, instead? Dustox came in to another Headbutt, but took it better. Venoshock didn't do much, though, and another Headbutt put him down to the wire as well.

OKAY how about- Fuck it, Cerberus. He came in to a Headbutt, but surely he'd be fast enough to-...when… he wasn't fighting paralysis, fuck. A second hit took him down. "You know you can use another move any day now," Morgan grumbled.

"If it ain't broke!"

Back to Kadabra. Headbutt, KO. Back to Dustox, Headbutt, KO.

Looking down at Robit's PokeBall, Morgan sighed. "Yeah, we know how this is gonna end. I give, you win."

"Awww, that's no fun." Sera stuck out her tongue, and Morgan didn't have the energy to point out the awful implications right now. "But hey, let me heal your Pokemon, yeah?" ...Well, okay, that was a little better.

While Sera did that, Morgan found herself reflecting on the battle. Switching in the right Pokemon at the right time was definitely one of the more useful strategies, but perhaps she'd gotten a little carried away there. Might she have done better just letting a few take the fall? Or was her team just all-around too slow to have made a difference? That said…

"I gotta ask. That's the same Zuma, right? Like, the Zigzagoon you got on Day… 3 was it?"

Sera nodded. "Mm-hm?"

"And when you got her, she was no stronger than any of the other Zigzagoon in the area? Like it wasn't a Wings situation, she was just… Exactly like all the ones we effortlessly plowed through?"

"More or less. Why?"

"How, in only a week's time, did she get strong enough to take out half my team?"

Sera smiled and shrugged. "Determination, I guess. It's true, some Pokemon have more natural potential than others. The strongest Zuma could ever get would never equal the strongest Flash or Cerberus could ever get. But here and now, while they're all still growing, every Pokemon has the potential to get stronger with a little time and effort."

"Huh." That was… actually a little touching. And considering yesterday's incident with Kitsun and that Poochyena, Morgan supposed she really should stop- hey speaking of Poochyena. "I noticed you didn't have Spitfire?"

Sera's eyes widened and an awkward attempt at a smile froze on her face a moment before shifting into more straightforward awkwardness. "Yyyyeah, I…" She sighed. "I thought she'd get over The Incident after a few days of seeing everything was okay, but I guess… Some Pokemon deal with it better than others? So I uh… I sent her home to my mom to be a pet from now on. I guess… it probably seems silly to have used a precious Revive only to stop using her so soon, but…"

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I'd say being a pet in a loving home sounds a hell of a lot better than being dead, so I mean…"

"Heh." Sera smiled. "Yeah, there is that. Kitsun seems to be holding up well though?"

"As far as I can tell," agreed Morgan. Now what, though? Morgan started to reach for her Nav to check her map, but thought better of it. "Hey, tell me Miss Games Expert, how much longer should it be until we get to Mauville?"

Sera paused a moment. "Ahhh… I'd say if we make good time we could get there around nightfall, assuming nothing comes up."

"Cool. ...So, we're not going to walk together, are we?"

"Hm.." Sera shrugged. "We could if you wanted, just for the rest of the route, but the spirit of the thing is to travel separately. So I guess one of us should give the other a bit of a head start." … She gave Morgan a wry smile. "And you know, since I did win our battle…"

Morgan raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Of course by that logic, since I won our last battle, I should've been the one who got to come ahead on Salamence, right?"

Sera snorted as she tried and failed to suppress a laugh, bringing a hand to her mouth a little to late. "Okay, okay, fair enough. There's so much to do in Mauville that we'll probably sink a lot of time there anyway. So go ahead. I'll hang back here for about 10 or 15 minutes before I follow."

Morgan couldn't help but smile, probably feeling more satisfied than she should to finally be ahead of her rival if only for a little while.


Sera decided a small picnic would be a good way to pass the time, then found the most open area she could to set up. Once everyone was released, she sat down and began distributing PokePuffs.

I'd love a pink one, please, Pikachu said.

Zuma bristled, indignant. But! But I always get the pink ones!

Sera rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon, it won't hurt you to share one or two."

B-but- She shook a little, letting out a sound between a growl and while as she watched Pikachu slowly eat one of her beloved favorites, a smug smile on the electric mouse's face.

Tilting his head, Tank offered, Do you want some of mine, Zuma?

Zuma pouted. No, yours are orange. I wanted the pink… Pelt pointed questioningly at the small pile of pink puffs in front of her. ...Yes, but I wanted more pink.

Wings looked up from munching his pile of assorted colors to roll his eyes. Do you actually dislike other flavors? The Linoone shifted uncomfortably at that. I thought not. Now stop squabbling like a hatchling. No one cares about your compulsive need for attention.

Zuma shrunk a little and began to quietly eat one of her puffs, but Flash shrugged. Leave her alone. As long as she can pull it off, there's nothing wrong with projecting a certain image.

Sera smirked. "Not that I can imagine anyone else here who might do that."

Flash puffed his feathers. Course not. I don't even have to try to be this awesome. A few quiet snickers were shared among the group, but if Flash noticed, he didn't care. Zuma smiled and settled down, blush barely visible through her pale fur.

Wings shook his head, muttering Petulant children under his breath.

Flash frowned as much as his semi-malleable beak would allow. Look Captain Funtimes, I don't usually shit on you for your angry-at-the-world schtick, but if you're trying to imply that having a sense of humor makes us somehow inferior to you, you're talking to the wrong guy, because I'm kind of the MVP of this team.

Wings bristled. Really. And who was it who swept the entirety of the last Gym?

Yeah? Well who was it who swept the entire first rival battle? A hand flew to Sera's mouth as she barely resisted laughing. She knew if she didn't, no one would tell Wings that battle had only been 2-on-2. Meanwhile, Pelt gave Flash a simple thumbs up in approval, and Flash gestured to him in turn. Yeah! See? This guy right here. He knows what I'm talkin' about. Pelt offered a cheesty grin, and Flash went on to add, Besides, I'm a starter. Starters always get favored on these things.

Sera cringed a little. "Hey now, that's not fair." Sort of...true, but still. It happening was one thing; calling attention to it was another.

Tank, dear, Pikachu said. Haven't you been around just as long as Flash?

Tank laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Actually, I've… been around little longer, he said. Several years longer, for that matter; where Flash was a birthday present when she'd turned 16, Tank had been with her since she was 12. He was very likely the oldest Pokemon here- and for that matter, older now than some starter Pokemon ever got to be. Sera knew he'd never call attention to that, though. But I don't... think it really matters all that much, really... We all do important stuff from time to time, so I don't really mind if someone else enjoys the spotlight a little more. As long as the team does good… right?

Wings looked Tank up and down. ...Hm. It seems the Marshtomp, at least, has some sense. Perhaps this team is not without hope.

My, my, teased Pikachu. Could it be we're finally starting to grow on you?

Wings did not respond, simply returning to his PokePuffs. Pelt produced a small whistle through his teeth to get the Swellow's attention, and gave him a grin and another thumbs up. Wings huffed and began eating more fervently.


Mauville? More like Mallville. Morgan laughed quietly to herself, certain that joke had definitely never been made before ever.

But seriously. Whose idea was it to make most of a city indoors? It definitely had a very unique appeal, but it was terribly strange at the same time. As she got further into the city, the bad began to outweigh the good as crowds thickened and background noise grew louder.

Suddenly, a voice rose over the crowd. "I just want to take on the Gym!"

Wait, was that-? She saw a brief flash of green a good ways ahead before hearing a man call, "Wally, wait up! You shouldn't be pushing yourself!"

Huh. ...Well, it was sort of late, but one wouldn't know it from the bright lights. She may as well. Morgan tailed a ways behind until she finally saw Wally with a middle-aged man up ahead. Wally seemed pretty thoroughly winded, but holding up otherwise.

"Uncle, please. I promise I- I can handle it now."

His uncle cringed. "Wally… Look, it's not that you haven't gotten a lot stronger, I just…"

Wally finally caught sight of her. "Morgan? Is that you?"

"What gave me away?" she teased. "I'm sure it wasn't hair, or the super distinctive hat, or the fact that I've worn the same outfit for a week and a half. Can't imagine how you could tell."

Wally laughed weakly, but sincerely. "But hey. You haven't had Pokemon much longer than I have, and you've gotten really strong, right?"

She shrugged. "Relatively speaking, I guess? I kind of got my ass kicked this afternoon, but I've been stronger than all the other trainers I've come across so far, so I guess that counts for something."

Wally nodded. "I've… I've gotten a lot stronger too!" he declared. "But my uncle won't believe me."

His uncle fought back a sigh. "Wally-"

"Morgan! Would-... Would you battle with me? S-so I can show him?"

"UH-..."

"Please."

"How uh… how many Pokemon have you caught, exactly?"

"Huh?" His eyes fell to the tiny white creature that held onto his pant leg. "Just Ralts, so far, but-"

"Wally. Wally I have six battle-vetted Pokemon."

"We can make it one on one… right?" he pleaded.

"Wally… Please do not make me beat up your emotional therapy Pokemon to prove a point."

Just as Wally looked ready to back down, Ralts stepped forward. "RAL," he declared adamantly.

"Uh.." The tiny Pokemon bowed up threateningly and barked what Morgan could only imagine were insults. She huffed a heavy sigh. "You know what? Fine."

Mithril was sent out. A single Hold Back had Ralts struggling to cling to consciousness. Morgan wished she felt as bad as she should have about the horrified look on Wally's face, but maybe now he'd listen to reason.

"I… I'm sorry…" He scooped Ralts up in his arms, and held the Pokemon like a small child. "I thought… I thought we could… I could... " He sighed. "I'll… I'm ready to go home, uncle."

His uncle cringed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure? We can stay out as late as you want, and there's lots of other stuff to do."

"I just… I wanna go home."

Suddenly, Morgan's Nav began to ring. Odd, she didn't usually get calls until she'd settled in for the night. "...Norman?" she asked as she answered it.

"Let me talk to Wally," her sponsor commanded. So apparently he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge her falling off the grid or losing a Pokemon or- okay then.

As she spun the Nav around, Wally asked, "Mr. Norman?"

"Hey, champ. I saw what happened just now." Wally's face suddenly went ruby red, no doubt realizing that if Norman had seen, so had most of Hoenn. "Don't sweat it."

"I-I- I…"

Norman continued on. "It's okay. I know what training looks like on tv, but you know most who don't start in the Games don't progress nearly that fast, right?" Wally stayed quiet. "They're higher risk and higher reward," he elaborated. "But you can't compare your progress to theirs. I mean, just look at you!"

Wally pursed his lips, muttering, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean in just this short time, it's already clear how much better you're doing. I can see it, even from here. You've got a glow you didn't have before."

"O-..oh." That didn't seem to be what Wally expected, and a slow small smile found its way to his lips.

Looking him over, Morgan had to agree with that assessment. ...Like, really agree now that she was looking. His hair… kind of… reminded her of Flash's sheen? Like Mithril was metal so she wasn't sure what he'd even look like not-"Shiny", but the not-quite-glittering quality of Flash's feathers was-... There was definitely some similarity between it and Wally's hair. Morgan decided not to ask, but knew she'd be wondering for months now if humans in this land could be 'Shiny' too.

Of course, in doing all that, she spaced out, but when she came back to reality it didn't seem she'd missed much. Just more of Norman offering encouragement. "So don't give up, pal. You do have a long way to go, and it might take you longer than Sera or Morgan, or even longer than most trainers. You might be able to take on a gym challenge, or you might not. But if being a trainer is what you want to do, then… Keep trying. You don't have to be the best there ever was, Just strive to be the best you can be."

Wally nodded, and thanked him, and they said their goodbyes. Morgan's Nav beeped and flashed back to the home screen, and Wally rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Morgan.. Thank you, too. You showed me how reckless we were being, and just how far I have to go. But…" He looked down at the little Ralts in his arms and smiled softly. "We're gonna do it. We'll get stronger, at our own pace… Right, little one?" Ralts grinned weakly, and nuzzled closer to Wally.

"Heh. Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

Turning to his uncle, Wally said, "If.. If you're still okay with going, I think some ice cream might help Ralts feel better."

His uncle smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Anything you want, lad."


That night, when Morgan finally made it back to the Pokemon Center, she caught sight of Sera just as the latter was starting to head upstairs.

"Told you it wouldn't matter too much," the younger girl teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Morgan muttered… before shifting into a smug grin. "But do you have… three badges?" She whipped out the new badge in question as she asked, and Sera squeaked as her jaw dropped.

"Oh wow! Congratz on knocking that out so fast!"

"I'd say that counts as at least a little difference, eh?"

Sera giggled. "Just a little. But I guess I'd better get straight to bed so I can catch up in the morning, eh?" She winked, then blew Morgan a kiss before spinning on her heels and trotting up the stairs.

Morgan simply rolled her eyes, given she was about 95% sure the gesture was just meant to rile her. .. Probably. …Maybe 90% sure.