Hi everybody-I'm so incredibly sorry for the lack of updates. Since I published the last chapter, I've finished college, gotten engaged, moved, found several jobs...a LOT has happened. But we're back, and Ella's still alive and well. Warning: this chapter does have some mildly explicit F/F smut near the end, so if you're not into that, well...there ya go. Enjoy! Thanks so much for all your support, as always!

Ella rose early, having slept for only a few hours, and finally fucking went to Lavaridge Town. She spent the first half of the day at the Pokémon Center and the hot springs around back, cleaning off all of the grime and soot and sweat that had covered her for the last few days; but though the springs were delightfully warm and relaxing, they did little to ease her grim, tense demeanor. The events of the previous day and a half had exhausted her emotionally—she hoped that getting right back into the Gym Training mindset would return her to normal.

Tilting her head back against the side of the pool she reclined in, Ella angrily recalled all that Archie had said to her on Mt. Chimney. So much had been assumed about her, and so many memories had been called back through his words; some good, and others awful. Jamie and his emotionless abandonment of her; her powerful, courageous, wonderful father who seemed to be all some people saw when they looked at her; how far she'd come mentally since she started this adventure just last month—they all swarmed together in her mind, causing her to sigh heavily. It was just…so much, all at once.

Wiping away the sheen of sweat on her forehead that had occurred as a result of the steam from the springs, Ella resigned herself to not think about it until after her next Gym battle. There was no reason to stress unnecessarily, especially not when winning this battle was the most important thing on the horizon. She rose from the water and left her uncomfortable thoughts in the pool.

She went over the facts she knew about the Lavaridge Gym in her mind as she dressed after the springs: it was a Fire-type Gym, led by a woman around her age who hadn't been there for very long, and—something about puzzles. That was all she had to go on, but she felt prepared after her ruthless defeat of Archie, several hours earlier. If she could force the leader of a dangerous gang to turn and run, certainly she could match forces with a woman who commanded a single type of Pokémon.

The Gym itself was much larger on the inside than the outside made it look; it was multi-tiered, covered in at least three different types of terrain, and if Ella squinted off at the far wall, she could just barely make out the explosion-like red ponytail that she knew was Flannery's. It matched the red of the simple sheath dress Ella wore, and the fire in her eyes.

Number four, here I come.

Grovyle looked exhausted, swaying back and forth, singe marks up and down the leaves on his arms and legs. He was clearly on the verge of fainting, and although Ella was glad to have pushed him hard, she needed to heal him now.

"Hold on, love, I have just the thing—" she fumbled around in her bag, searching for a Super Potion…and then stopped, her mouth falling open in horror.

I used the last one I had in my battle with Archie yesterday.

"No…" Ella blinked back tears, knowing that she couldn't win without her leafy green companion, and balking at the realization that her forgetfulness was the reason that he was about to fall to the floor. As Grovyle inflicted his last Scratch on Slugma, the exertion proved to be too much for him and he collapsed at their feet, down for the count.

Ella looked from her Pokémon to the redheaded Gym Leader, momentarily speechless, and saw that Flannery's expression was determined still, but conveyed more than a hint of sympathy. She prayed that it wasn't out of pity. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," the Trainer muttered, angry at herself for being so irresponsible. She recalled Grovyle, placing the Pokeball back at her belt gingerly. Now what? What was her best chance at even getting close to victory?

It sure as hell wasn't Magikarp, that was for certain. The opposing Slugma blew through the useless Water-type, even considering its type disadvantage. Swellow didn't last long either, having been out of the action for several days and lacking practice, and her last chance was the Skarmory she had picked up near Fallarbor.

Skarmory proved to be a real asset, though—he's so light, she thought in awe as she watched her Pokémon dodge the bursts of flame Slugma sent at him in the air. Graceful and elegant; sharp and steel. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't enough—Skarmory wasn't quite at the level he needed to be to do any real damage, and soon the flames caught up with him.

As her last Pokémon fell gracefully to the floor, Ella called him back to his ball in defeat. Tears sprang to her eyes again, and she immediately felt stupid for allowing them to get there. She gazed determinedly at the ground, willing them away desperately.

"Hey." Flannery, tall and beautiful and strong, recalled her Slugma and stepped towards Ella hesitantly. "That was killer." She didn't come too close, and her voice was reassuring. Ella thought Flannery was perhaps a year younger than her, the tight jeans, crop top, and

"Ha." Ella's tone was unwavering despite the feeling in the pit of her stomach. "We fought hard, that's for sure."

There was a silence that hung in the air for a lingering few moments, and then Flannery finally spoke-

"Fight me again tomorrow, Ella."

"What?"

"There is no way I'll get that lucky again. You had me in the palm of your hand until the very end of Grovyle's turn, and that was just because you were out of healing items."

Ella thought for a few moments. She supposed Flannery was right, but was it worth another potential loss? If she ran Grovyle through a couple of warm-up battles in the morning, they could probably be ready to go…

"Seriously. That Pokémon was hardly even affected by its type disadvantage, being Grass against my Fire. He's strong enough to do this."

The blonde Trainer was trying hard not to show how blatantly thankful those words made her feel. "Alright." Her decision was firm. She'd come into the battle with newfound resilience and not take her Pokémon for granted. Luck had been on her side until today, but it didn't take only luck to win; it took carefully planned battle strategy. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4—I'll be ready."

"Yes!" Flannery looked delighted. "You'll do just fine; I know you will."

"Thank you." Ella thought it was a little bit odd that the other woman was excited at the prospect of her winning. "Aren't you glad that you won, though?"

Flannery looked at her—like, really looked at her—and said very seriously, "It's not about winning." She suddenly looked much older and wiser than her twenty-something years would suggest. "It's about giving the worthy Trainers the tools they deserve to succeed."

Ella opened her mouth to say something, but faltered. She's right. Dad does that every day…and I guess I talked about that with Roxanne, too, in a way.

"I'm just starting to figure that out, being a first-year Gym Leader and all…but sometimes it's so fucking obvious, like now." The redhead closed the distance between them and placed her hand on Ella's shoulder. "Does that make sense?"

"It does." And it did. Norman wasn't a Gym Leader because he wanted to win. Roxanne wasn't a Gym Leader because she wanted to win. All of these people were working to better themselves and to help others do the same—and maybe, when she had achieved a certain level, it might not be out of the question to consider doing something similar. These glimpses of Training past a surface level were becoming more frequent the further she got in her journey.

Jamie had never understood any of it.

"Dude. Do you want to get a drink with me tonight?" Flannery asked suddenly, dropping her hand and stepping back, as if struck by sudden inspiration.

"Even though I'm challenging you again tomorrow?" Ella responded curiously. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?" It wasn't that she didn't want to; she desperately wanted time with a friendly face after that loss—even if it was the one who defeated her.

Flannery shrugged. "Why the hell not? It doesn't have to be a conflict of interest if we don't want it to be, right?"

"Sure, I guess that's true." Ella agreed. "Yeah, man, let's do it." She knew the one bar in town was just across the street from the Pokémon Center. If nothing else, at least bed would be just a few steps away.

Killing time until the evening was easy enough—the hot springs behind the Pokémon Center were as relaxing as they had been that morning and helped release some of the tension she had built up throughout the battle. The elderly ladies that cohabitated the springs smiled kindly at her and made pleasant conversation, mentioning how envious they were of Ella's youth and vitality. She didn't feel particularly youthful after her first true loss, though—more immature than anything else. Still she smiled back and told them "thank you".

Her next stop was the Pokemart—or, rather, the herbal supplement store that existed in its place. She winced as she bought several overpriced items with the same strength as a Super Potion, but resigned herself to the fact that anything was better than being unprepared.

Following that, she took her freshly healed Pokémon out to the cliffs to the east overlooking the route below, letting them all out to enjoy the fresh air. She was careful to hold each one of them briefly, conveying her apologies for allowing them to fall in battle. She knew that Pokémon had been battling and winning and losing and fainting for years and years, but the fact that it had happened to all of her Pokémon was something else entirely. They were so special to her, and she wanted them to feel safe always.

Ella entered the small, homey bar and quickly spotted the fiery redhead seated at a high table in the corner.

"Bought you a shot." Flannery carefully slid a shot glass full of amber-colored liquid across the table to Ella, who picked it up and sniffed it.

"Is this Fireball?"

Flannery grinned cheekily. "What the fuck else would it be? I've gotta be at least a LITTLE cliché."

Ella returned the smile with tired eyes. "Good point." She downed the shot eagerly, hoping to quickly be in a warmer state of mind. "Want a beer to wash it down?"

"I'll never say no."

She went to the bar, where a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and receding hairline sold her a couple of tall plastic cups of some amber lager she hadn't tried and assumed was locally produced.

Flannery approved of her choice. "You picked my favorite. Thanks, girl."

The two women took a couple of hours to get through two beers and another shot, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to one another despite the circumstances of earlier in the day. Flannery was twenty-one, hilarious, and Ella quickly discovered they had something in common: Flannery's grandfather was once a member of the Elite Four in Hoenn, as Ella's father had been Champion in Johto. They bonded happily over their lineages, both bemoaning the process of making a name for themselves separate from those who came first. Ella was unspeakably glad that she had found solace with people like her—and like Steven Stone, though she refused to think about him still.

Conversation soon turned to men; to flings and to love, inhibitions lessening with the alcohol.

"So, other than the evil ex, who else has there been? What's your number?" Flannery asked, and winked.

Ella laughed, shoving Flannery's shoulder. "Damn it, I should have known you'd go there—girl talk always ends up here somehow!"

The Gym Leader's expression was almost challenging as she nearly lost her balance on the stool. "Are you gonna tell me, or not?" she teased, righting herself.

"Okay, three." Ella drained her beer and set the empty glass back down on the table resolutely.

Flannery grinned mischievously. "Any girls on that list?"

Blushing very slightly, Ella raised her eyebrows. "One, yeah." She couldn't stop herself from adding the next bit: "Why do you ask?"

The redhead then did something a little bit surprising and a little bit predictable—she leaned in, putting her hand gently yet firmly on Ella's thigh, and spoke to her in a low voice. "Call me crazy, but I kinda wanna fuck you."

Ella raised her eyebrows, slightly warm all over—and not because of the alcohol. "Oh?"

"You're hot, and I'm pretty sure you'll beat me tomorrow because today was just luck for me, and I think you wanna fuck me a little bit too."

She wasn't wrong. Flannery was incredibly attractive in a loud, bold, and spontaneous way, and Ella had been glancing at her tits sporadically for the last hour or so. She'd only had sex with another woman once before and it had been drunkenly, when she and Jamie had pulled a girl giving them both eyes at a party into their bedroom, because why not, I suppose. She hadn't been very attracted to that woman, but the one in front of her was raising a challenging eyebrow, wearing a tipsy smirk, and running fingernails over the top of her thigh with such purposeful strokes; it wasn't a hard sell.

Ella stood, motioning to the other woman. "C'mon."

Flannery grinned cheekily and followed suit.

They left the bar, whose crowd was beginning to thin as the night went on, and made their way back in the direction of the Gym. The Leader's house was right behind the building, under the umbrella of a couple of large trees covered by volcanic ash. Ella found her back quickly pressed against the trunk of one of these trees and delicate—yet strong-hands on her hips.

"Can we start now? You're so goddamn pretty even in the dark…"

Ella responded by pulling Flannery to her swiftly and without a word, their lips meeting in a mentally exhausted fervor. Flannery's lips were slightly chapped but full and soft and pleasant, and she deftly swept her tongue across Ella's lips before both parted without argument.

Things moved quickly after that. Ella knew it was simply in good fun for both of them, but it had been such a long several days that she was releasing much more pent-up emotion with every move she made against Flannery's hips. They were soon on the futon just inside the Gym Leader's house, Ella straddling the other woman where she sat, their clothes scattered haphazardly. Flannery was undeniably good at what she was doing with three of her fingers, slightly curved and pressing against exactly where they would make the blonde moan the loudest, though she was also doing a considerable amount of swearing—because fuck being even remotely ladylike in this situation—

"Goddamn it, Flannery—" Ella gasped as she came hard and fast, tightening around Flannery's fingers with no semblance of control.

The redhead grinned smugly up at her. "That felt like a good one."

Breathlessly, Ella nodded. "I'll say. Jesus." She sat back on her knees for a moment, relaxing as Flannery slid her slick digits from between Ella's legs, and sighed happily. "Consider yourself forgiven for beating the shit out of me today."

The Gym Leader patted Ella's thigh sympathetically. "It happens. But hey—don't think you're getting out of getting me off too!"

Ella looked down at her in mock horror, and then giggled. "Wouldn't dream of it." She hauled herself off of the futon and grabbed Flannery's hand to pull her up. "C'mon."

Bemused, Flannery followed Ella into the small bedroom, where she was abruptly kissed again. Ella moved her hands to Flannery's hips and then to her pert ass; squeezing with pleasure. And then they were on the bed, both of them all too ready for the second half of the event.

The blonde gazed down for a moment at the woman bared before her, admiring how lithe and toned Flannery was in places where Ella herself was soft and pale.

"What, you like?" The Gym Leader smirked.

Ella blushed and nodded, uncharacteristically shy for just a second. "You're gorgeous."

The redhead winked. "Show me."

Shaking off her shy spell, Ella grabbed the other woman's knees, on in each hand, and held herself steady as she lowered her mouth to Flannery's pussy. The redhead arched her back slightly with a throaty moan as Ella's tongue flicked at her clit, and she grabbed at fistfuls of the blonde hair beneath her.

Ella had never orally pleasured another woman before, so she was really just making educated guesses based on what she liked and what she thought made sense; but that fact didn't seem to matter to the lithe, strong beauty she was between the legs of. She tasted sweet and sour and unexpectedly satisfying. Flannery was also quite vocal about her experience, it seemed, and Ella was quite content to be the source of her cries. She added a finger; then another; and the woman beneath her didn't last long before her climax came to a glorious peak, arching her back beautifully again as the tension in all her limbs released.

It was silly, but Ella was incredibly grateful to be distracted. She hoped she was conveying her wordless appreciation appropriately as she kissed her partner for the evening goodnight with a sweet smile before the two of them fell asleep in the Gym Leader's bed.

The next morning was full of laughs as the girls rose and got ready for the day, both blushing as they recalled the events of the evening together. At some point, though, Ella cleared her throat and started to speak—

"I, ah…" She didn't know how to tell Flannery that she wasn't interested in starting something, especially when her mind flashed back to how harsh the words sounded to Steven—and I actually mean it when I say it this time, although it was crazy fun—

"I don't expect this to be a recurring thing, girl. Don't worry. But damn—" here Flannery flashed her a grin—"you fine."

Ella laughed and pulled the other woman into an embrace, kissing her cheek lightly. "Well, hey, if I'm ever around, single, and horny and you're down, we can…ah…"

"Get down?" The redhead winked heartily.

Ella's laugh joined hers. "Yeah, that."

"Sweet. But seriously, no pressure at all. I'm super ready for us to be friends and for you to come visit sometimes, though."

The smile on both of their faces was genuine. It had been a little while since Ella had felt carefree about something. "Flannery."

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to say…thanks." Ella looked serious for a moment, and bit her lower lip in thought. "I really needed to clear my head, and you made me feel much better about yesterday, and…"

Flannery shook her head and smiled. "The thing I want you to take away from this—other than a couple of really great orgasms—is don't let losses fuck you up. Everyone has them. Battling isn't about that; it's about what you do to respond to your mistakes."

"As in, you pick yourself back up and sleep with a hot girl?"

Both of them burst out laughing. "Yeah, something like that. And—speaking of—are you ready to battle me again?"

The blonde's breath hitched in her throat, and she hesitated only briefly before saying, "Yeah, I think I am."

"Good." Flannery opened her front door and motioned her back in the direction of the Gym, and Ella followed with bated breath.

Now THIS will be number four.