"Great job Bayleef. Come on back."

The medium-sized pale yellow Pokémon walked slowly back to Kristin. It was exhausted after two battles, one having two Pokémon, the other three. Kristin put her arms around its long neck and hugged it.

"You don't have to battle anymore." She said once they separated. "You've done enough for today."

Kristin walked to the center of the makeshift battle area and shook her opponent's hand. "That was a great match."

"I'd say!" the boy said. "I'll go tell the next trainer you're ready."

"Thank you!" Kristin called as he ran towards the town.

Alex looked at her. "I can't believe Bayleef won that many battles in a row. You've really raised your Pokémon well."

"Thanks." She called it back into its poke ball and sighed. "I guess it's because I'm on a mission, but I really thought this whole experience would go much slower. Raising Pokémon, earning badges, making friends. I didn't know it could happen this fast." She realized she was speaking quickly and slowed down. "I just want to get my friend back so we can do it together, at whatever pace we want. You know what I mean?"

He gave her a look that said he knew exactly what she meant before moving his gaze to the path that led to Azalea Town. The next trainer they had to defeat was walking towards them. "It won't take long now. A few more days probably. Focus on the battles for now though."

She nodded and walked up to meet the trainer with confident steps, eyes hardened by her determination. "That I can do."

The trainer walking towards them was small, with tanned skin and shaved brown hair. He looked young, but he was at least ten if he had Pokémon. "Hi. My name's Brent, and I'm the third trainer you have to beat to get into Azalea Town. Are you ready to battle?"

Kristin nodded. "Definitely. Go, Pidgeotto!" she cried as she threw a poke ball into the air. The brown-feathered bird Pokémon appeared with a joyous flip in the air before landing gracefully in front of her.

Brent threw his poke ball straight out. "Time to battle, Poliwag!" It was a small blue Pokémon with a black swirl on its white stomach. Kristin thought it looked kind of cute. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. If you give me a good battle, I'll get you a faster way into town! How would you like that?"

"That would be fantastic. Thank you, Brent."

He lowered his eyebrows as his concentration increased on the battle. "Alright. Let's go! Poliwag use water sport!"

The little Pokémon produced water that rose and fell on it, not even reaching Pidgeotto. It seemed to give it strength though, so Kristin decided to watch it carefully. "Pidgeotto, gust." Wings flapping in powerful strokes, Pidgeotto sent currents of wind at Poliwag. The smaller Pokémon was sent tumbling back into Brent's legs. Kristin ordered Pidgeotto to stop the attack so it could recover, and it jumped right up and waddled forward on its tiny legs.

"Poliwag, water gun!"

"Pidgeotto, dodge it!" Pidgeotto launched into the air, dancing around the jet of water.

"Rain dance!"

The jet stopped as Poliwag closed its eyes and concentrated. A light rain started falling onto the makeshift battle field.

"We can deal with a little rain." Kristin said. "Use quick attack."

"Increase focus Poliwag!"

Kristin watched as Poliwag became as still as a statue, not trying to defend itself at all. But it was too late to stop Pidgeotto's attack, and she had no idea what Poliwag was up to anyway. The rain intensified suddenly, coming down in sheets and moving in all directions with a storm-like wind. Pidgeotto was buffeted and tossed around in it, unable to see where it was flying, with the speed from its uncompleted move keeping it going. It finally crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, all gracefulness gone for the moment, as the heavy rain kept pouring down.

"Poliwag, stop." The rain died down to a light shower with incredible speed, and then cleared completely. Brent looked at Kristin with calculating eyes. "Poliwag may not look like much, but that's how I win my battles. Size isn't everything; even the smallest things can have the most power or influence. You probably thought this would be an easy battle, right? A little boy with an even smaller Pokémon? And that's exactly why I use smaller Pokémon. I can find out how a person really thinks just by one battle." His eyes obtained a serious look, almost sad. "I thought you were different. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the battle."

Kristin was silent. She felt physically drained, breathing harder than she should have been. She shook it off and focused on what Brent had said. This little boy had so much wisdom in him. He was trying to make a difference by proving that power was something anyone could have. That was worth losing to learn… except that she hadn't lost. "Pidgeotto, use twister!"

The bird Pokémon sprang up and began twisting in a cyclical motion, faster and faster until a funnel of wind formed around it, which it directed towards Poliwag. The little blue Pokémon had spent a huge amount of energy on the rain storm, so it took the blow full on, falling and not getting back up. Kristin felt the impact and staggered back a step, the wind knocked out of her. She stood up straight immediately, but luckily Alex hadn't been looking at her. 'That Poliwag must be strong.' She thought. 'I really felt that.' Brent was looking at her, so she pushed the thought away.

"Another important lesson: Never assume an opponent is defeated until you have proof."

Brent stood with his mouth open for a moment. Then his shock faded and a true smile bloomed on his youthful face, his eyes lighting up. "Understood. Poliwag, return." He put away the poke ball and walked over to Kristin. "I knew you were different! I can't believe I doubted it!"

Kristin called Pidgeotto back, thanked it and stroked its feathers, and stored it back in its poke ball. "That's a great lesson you teach by battling, Brent. I can't believe how powerful that move was! But you're half wrong. I knew some sort of trick was coming, but I had no idea what it could be. I just…" 'I felt what Pidgeotto felt and warned it to be careful.' She knew she couldn't tell that to the boy though. "I guess Pidgeotto knew it and braced itself for whatever was coming."

The boy studied her. He seemed to be able to tell that she wasn't being completely honest, but also knew that she wasn't going to say anything else, so he nodded and continued. "I promised you a faster way into Azalea Town if you beat me, and I keep my promises. Here's what you have to do."

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"Are you sure you wouldn't rather just battle?" Alex asked.

Kristin looked at the door in front of them. "We're already in Azalea Town. It'll take just as much time, and our Pokémon are exhausted." 'So am I.' she thought, but forced the thought back immediately. "Brent, you better go in first."

The younger boy stepped in front of her and opened the door, slipping his hand into hers before pulling her in behind him. "Mom? Dad? I'm home. And I brought two friends with me I want you to meet."

A woman who looked around her mid-thirties appeared in another doorway. She had brown hair and a kind face, which had a bit of flour on it at the moment. "Hi honey. I was just baking for tonight." She obviously noticed how awkward Alex and Kristin felt, because she told them to make themselves comfortable while she went to find Brent's dad.

When she was gone Kristin whispered to Brent, "You want us to convince your parents to let you travel with Pokémon. Do you have friends you can go with?"

He looked at her with those intelligent gray eyes that captivated her and she knew she couldn't back out. "No." he said innocently. "But I have Poliwag and Pikachu for company. And I'm ready for this. I know how to take care of myself."

At that moment his parents walked into the room. His mother had wiped the flour off her cheek and taken off her apron, and his father was dressed in a business suit. He had a stern look, which made Kristin feel like they'd interrupted something extremely important. "My name is Robert, and this is my wife Lisa." He said as they sat across the table from Kristin and Alex, with Brent sitting between them all.

"Pleased to meet you sir." Alex said. "I'm Alex."

"My name is Kristin."

"Mom, Dad, Kristin and Alex are trainers too, traveling all over to earn badges and see new types of Pokémon."

"Something you'll do as well, son. Just not for a few years." His father said. "Now why don't you tell us about your new friends."

"No!" Brent exclaimed, standing up. "Every time I bring up starting a Pokémon journey you change the subject and say I can go later. I'm eleven years old, and I've never even been out of the forest!" His voice softened and he sat back down. "I just want the chance to explore with my Pokémon. I won't go far, but I need to see what it's like away from home. Please."

"How dare you raise your voice at me?" his father replied.

Brent looked up in shock. "That's all you got out of that?! What about me starting a journey?"

"Out of the question. You are far too young."

Brent looked at Kristin with pleading eyes. "Excuse me for interrupting, sir, but I only met your son a short while ago. He was the third trainer I faced to get into Azalea Town, and even I thought he looked extremely young."

"Exactly my point. I - ."

"I wasn't finished." Kristin said with an edge to her voice. "Anyway, I thought the battle would be easy. And when he sent out his Poliwag I thought for sure Brent was a new trainer." She had their full attention now, especially Brent's. "But two minutes into the battle it was clear that I was wrong. He is an amazing trainer with honest intentions, and I think he is ready to travel with his Pokémon."

Silence for a moment. "Did he win?"

It came out as low as a whisper and made Kristin falter. "No." she said. "But- ."

"That's all I needed to hear. Kristin, Alex, thank you for stopping by, but you need to be on your way." He stood and ushered them to the door. Kristin looked over him and saw Brent standing next to his mother, their hands locked together as she whispered something to him, and lost it.

"No way!" she yelled as she ducked under Brent's father's arm. "What will it take to prove to you that your son is strong enough for this? If there's a reason for him not going on a journey, tell him! If it's something else though, how can we show you how capable he is?" She lowered her voice as the rush of anger left her. "Look I know it's not my place, but your son needs you to listen right now. What can I do to help him show you how responsible he is?"

The man raised a hand with a look of anger on his face and watched for Kristin's reaction. She tensed but kept her eyes on his with an unreadable emotion in them. He dropped his hand with a deep swallow and stepped back. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm quick to anger. As are you apparently, my girl. Come, let's be civilized and talk back at the table."

Alex stepped between Kristin and Robert as they went back into the dining room. They sat back down in their respective places, everyone silent as Robert studied Kristin and then his son. "You've made me listen, girl. I need more convincing before I agree to anything. But first answer me this: why are you fighting so hard for my boy? You don't even know him, yet you fight as if he's one of your closest friends. Why?"

Kristin tried to form an answer in the 'correct, polite way' and decided to just say it like she usually would. "Because he reminds me of myself at his age. I desperately wanted to leave on my journey, but my parents made me wait until I was thirteen. I can see now that I wasn't ready then, but I can also see that your son has what it takes. He has a clever mind and is great with his Pokémon."

The man leaned back in his chair, still looking from Kristin to Brent. "I have two concerns left. The first is his Pokémon. It doesn't matter if he's great with them if they aren't strong enough to protect him. I don't believe a Poliwag and a Pikachu can be trusted with your safety, son. The other concern is travel companions. I will not have Brent traveling the region alone. So unless you have a solution to both of these, our business is done."

Kristin opened her mouth to speak, but Alex beat her to it. "I say we trade, sir. Kristin and I can find Brent another Pokémon, but in return you have to give one to Kristin. A fire type, if you have one." He looked at Kristin. "This way we don't waste any time, and we're doing the right thing. Besides, there aren't any fire type Pokémon in the forest." He looked back at Robert. "Do we have a deal?"

"As long as you know your efforts won't change anything, yes we do. There still aren't any trainers willing to travel with my son."

"We'll do it." Kristin said. She locked eyes with the boy, who had been searching her face for an answer. "I promise we'll travel with you, Brent, but there's something I need to do first. We'll come back for you as soon as we can, okay?"

Brent grinned, gray eyes glittering with excitement. "I can wait a little longer."

Kristin stood and stopped Alex from rising to. "I'm going to find him a Pokémon. You need to challenge the gym leader." She stopped his protest by speaking more. "We get Meg faster if we split up now. Meet back here when you're done."

He nodded. Kristin looked back to Robert. "You will honor our deal? You have a Pokémon to trade to me?"

"Yes. I may be gruff, but I honor my deals."

With that Kristin headed back to the forest.

'If they make me battle four more trainers to get back into Azalea Town, I'll…' she thought as she reached the path. Looking back on their visit to Brent's house, she knew she had to help the boy. He was scared of his father, but angry at him to. Robert didn't seem to be supportive of his son's wishes, or even care for his opinion. She couldn't assume anything, but it was clear Brent wasn't very happy at his home, and his mother seemed to be submissive. She didn't speak once after their introductions, though it was clear she cared for a son a great deal just from the way she looked at him.

'That was the strangest meeting I've ever had with someone's parents.' She thought. She didn't like Robert. Maybe that was why she fought so hard for Brent though. She hadn't had good luck with her father either. Her mother raised her and her younger brother, and all she got from her father was a few letters. Even those had stopped after a year, and he'd left when she was four. But her mother swore her father was a good man, so maybe Brent's father was better than she thought. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't think about her father right now, when she hadn't in a long time. She had a job to do. 'Where do I start to look?' she asked herself.

She brought out her Pokedex and started a search for Pokémon in the nearby area. It gave her a list of all the known types living near Azalea Town. Her eyes scanned down it until she saw one that was perfect for Brent. Small but powerful. And his father would be happy too: its evolved form wasn't one to be messed with. This particular Pokémon lived in open spaces, like where she and Alex had camped the night before. The only problem was that she didn't know any closer places like that, and they had walked a few hours to get to Azalea Town from their camp.

Then it hit her. She could use her ability to find one nearby. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, straightened up, and closed her eyes, concentrating. It felt so good to close her eyes. She was very tired from all the battles today, especially the one with Brent. Her ability was getting stronger it seemed, or maybe she was just finally learning how to use it. She pushed away the thoughts of sleep and tried to clear her mind. That was how she'd found Electabuzz on the day she discovered her ability. She'd let her mind wander and felt like one with the Pokémon in the forest. So that's what she decided to try now.

It took a few minutes, but she heard the Pokémon start chattering after she became quiet, and then they were going about their business as usual. Kristin was trying to sense the emotions of the Pokémon nearby to see how powerful they were. That was her hypothesis, that she felt the emotions of Pokémon that were strongest the easiest, like Electabuzz, and the others she had to be focused on to feel. So by focusing on the strength levels the Pokedex had stated this particular Pokémon had, hopefully she would feel when it came near her.

Sure enough, she felt a spike in energy and opened her eyes. It was somewhere close by, so she started walking quietly around, away from the thick trees and towards the grassy clearings. After about fifteen minutes of walking she found a larger field, way off the main path. 'I can't believe I felt it this far away.' She thought. The Pokémon was eating an Oran berry, but at her approach at the end of the field its ears swiveled towards her.

Nidoran . Its ears were huge when compared to the rest of its small purple body. There were spines all along its back and some on its ears, and a horn on its head, all of which Kristin knew could release poison if the Pokémon felt threatened enough. It finished chewing its berry and turned to face her. Kristin took a small step forward, then another, until she saw it move back a step. "Hi Nidoran . My name is Kristin." Its red eyes were watching her, never leaving her face as she spoke. "I know a special little boy who would love to have you travel with him. Are you at all interested?"

The Pokémon continued to stare at her. "I guess not really. Fine. Bayleef, come on out!"

Her largest Pokémon appeared in front of her, still tired but with more energy than it had earlier that day. Nidoran bristled and took a few quick steps back. "Bayleef, use razor leaf!" The leaves it sent flying hit the small Pokémon before it could defend itself, making it roll backwards. It jumped up quickly and sent a volley of purple spikes towards Bayleef, each thin as a sliver of wood but painful. "Poison sting. I forgot this was a poison type Pokémon." Bayleef winced as the spikes hit but didn't move. Kristin knew the real damage would take effect in a few minutes but ignored the sting she felt. "Now Bayleef, magical leaf!" They had been working on that move the night before, and this was the first time Bayleef had tried using it in a battle. Fortunately, it worked. The leaves pushed through the still-going poison sting attack and hit the small Pokémon in a torrent. While it was stunned Kristin grabbed an empty poke ball and threw it, watching as the Pokémon was absorbed by the red light. The ball wobbled more than she'd ever seen it, meaning that the Pokémon was fighting hard, but a minute later it slowed down and stopped, the red light done flashing. She felt the struggle the Pokémon was going through and its fear of being captured, but managed to control it.

Kristin smiled in triumph and then winced, feeling weak and closing her eyes for a moment. The poison. "Bayleef, synthesis." She turned around and gasped. Bayleef had fainted while she watched the capture. "Return." She said. She attached the two poke balls to her belt and started running back the way she had come. The poison must have been strong to have had that much effect from such a small attack. This really was the Pokémon for Brent. Kristin felt weak by the time she got back to Azalea Town. She didn't know where the Pokémon Center was, but she didn't stop to ask, she just ran until she found it and burst through the door. "My Bayleef needs help." She said as she handed Nurse Joy Bayleef's poke ball. "There was a really strong poison sting used on it in the forest, and it was already tired from the battles to get into the town. Please help it."

The woman was shocked by Kristin's arrival but clearly noticed how urgent the matter was. "Yes, of course I'll help. Right away. But are you all right?"

Kristin's head was feeling a bit light and she felt unsteady, but she waved Nurse Joy off. "I'm fine. Bayleef needs help now. I just need to sit for a few minutes." Nurse Joy didn't look happy about it, but she left to take care of Bayleef. Kristin walked over to the couch and sat down, closing her eyes. As soon as Bayleef was healed she would feel fine.

She jolted awake when she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. It was Nurse Joy. Kristin looked at her surroundings in shock for a moment. When had she fallen asleep? "How's Bayleef?" she asked.

Nurse Joy smiled a tired smile. "Resting. Bayleef will be just fine in the morning. I came out after healing it and found you passed out. You had me scared! I was only in the other room for about twenty minutes, and it took a few minutes to get you to wake up. You must have been through a lot."

Kristin yawned. "What time is it?"

"About two-thirty. Do you need to be somewhere?"

Kristin had told Alex to go back to Brent's house after his gym battle, but she didn't know what time they'd left, so she had no idea when he would be done. "Sort of."

"You should really rest some more. You were only asleep for about half an hour, and you've been through just as much as your Pokémon, it looks like. You can take a spare bed just down the hall."

She bit her lip. Then she nodded. She still felt exhausted, and there was no way to tell when Alex would be done. What harm could a little sleep have? Nurse Joy led her to the closest empty room, keeping one hand firmly on her shoulder while the other pushed her gently ahead by the back. It was a motherly touch. She must look worse than she felt if she was being shown this much care. Kristin put herself in the bed, Nurse Joy turned off her light and closed the curtains, and Kristin fell into a much-needed sleep.

A/N: Hi guys. We're nearing the end! I predict two or three more chapters for this story, maybe four to wrap things up nicely. The next chapter(s) will most likely switch between Kristin and Meg's point of view, just to warn you! Read and Review!