What's going on, dearest readers? Hopefully y'all are doing well, because why would I want you not to be? That probably wasn't funny to anyone, so I'll get to summarizing. Last chapter, Ali had a flashback of Lisia talking to Thomas when she (Ali) was in the emergency room, which gave her the idea to invite him and his Pokemon to the boardwalk. Meanwhile, Ashley watched and took notes on Louise and her Pokemon as they trained. Once the training ended, she decided to give Torchic and Rufflet a day off, and that's really it.
This chapter will focus on Thomas and his Pokemon performing a task that requires everyone to work together, which should be a breeze (it won't be). Now let's get going!

ShadowDragon9000: I agree wholeheartedly. Focusing on things outside of battles (e.g. characters) adds another dimension to the story and makes battles more intense. The funny thing about Lisia's chat with Thomas is that it wasn't planned, nor was Ashley being nice. I just turned my brain off and let the characters do the talking. And it's good that you mentioned how Treecko showed how she cared about Thomas, because it's a very important theme that will help her turn into a beast. Lisia's one of my favorite characters too, and thanks! Hearing that the characters are likable is awesome, and I'll continue to make their development a priority. Finally, there's Ashley and her being... nice?! It's odd seeing the small changes in her. Here's to another small change in fifty chapters!

The Phantom Starfish: Haha, I suppose I do. Expect a few more updates now that I'm free from school. Action was nonexistent last chapter, but there were a few developments that I think make up for it. But if action's what you're pining for, you should love chapters fifteen and seventeen (and maybe fourteen). I totally forgot about Ash and Brawly's rematch being in that cave, so I'm sold on at least one Gym Battle being at an alternate location. The funny thing about your prediction is that, at one point, you would've been 100% correct. But I hate writing contests, so Lisia being a coordinator was scrapped (but Bell does evolve into Bellossom)

Rales Mckoy: I was waiting for someone to bring that up. Like Shadow alluded to, Tom has some daddy issues. Bits of his past should surface around Mauville or Fallarbor, with the main thing being his dad and what kind of relationship they had/have. I'm glad you enjoy his and Lisia's crushes, because they are a lot of fun to write about, and so is Ashley's progression. Speaking of Ashley, her past will also be detailed around the same time as Tom's, which I'm looking forward to more than anything

Thomas' Team

Treecko, (f), level 12, Pound, Leer, Bullet Seed, Quick Attack
Fletchling, (m), level 16, Growl, Flail, Quick Attack, Peck, Steel Wing*, Agility*
Slowpoke, (f), level 12, Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun*, Confusion*

Slowpoke marched through the Pokemon Center lobby by herself, putting her at the center of attention. Nearby trainers watched in confusion as the Water-type walked outside, where she looked up at the sun and smiled. Even from the Pokemon Center's entrance she was able to hear the sound of the waves crashing. She proceeded to stretch for about five minutes before turning around to see Treecko and Fletchling.

"Is Thomas with you guys?" Slowpoke inquired.

Treecko nodded, saying, "Yeah. He's c-c-coming."

The Water-type grunted to herself and sat down, waiting for her trainer to appear. She and Treecko sat down on a bench right by the building's front doors while Fletchling ascended so that he could take a seat on the Pokemon Center's roof. Seconds later, Treecko and Slowpoke watched Thomas step outside. He held a tiny notebook in his left hand and looked at the two females after scribbling something in it.

Fletchling descended from the roof and landed on his trainer's shoulder, ignoring the glare as he asked, "Is dat one 'o dem pads ya write ya thoughts in?"

Thomas shook his head and tucked the notebook in his backpack, but the questions didn't stop.

"Then what is it?" Slowpoke watched Thomas walk away without entertaining her question, putting a scowl on her face. She followed him along with Treecko, who twiddled her fingers and stared at the sidewalk the whole way to the beach. Fletchling swooped down and crashed into the sand, eliciting laughter from Slowpoke while his trainer rolled his eyes.

The only one to offer any sort of assistance was Treecko. She extended a hand, which Fletchling took, and helped him onto his feet while asking, "Are you o-okay?"

Fletchling brushed the sand off his chest and flashed a smile, allowing his teammate to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Slowpoke's continued laughing struck a nerve, so the Flying-type stomped towards her. Even though there was a yard away between herself and Fletchling, Slowpoke's laughter left her unaware of the robin's presence, making his scream all the more startling.

"Da hell's so funny?!"

The pink Pokemon jumped nearly five feet off the ground and shrieked. Thomas recoiled at the high-pitched sound and turned, glaring at the Water-type. Much to his dismay, Slowpoke didn't notice the terrifying look, as she was too focused on knocking Fletchling's head off. Treecko stepped in front of her teammate and shook her head, causing Slowpoke to growl.

"Get out of the way," she demanded.

Keeping an eye on both of the Pokemon as he backed a few feet away, Thomas took his backpack off and reached into it. His eyes lit up after he grabbed a Poke Ball, which he proceeded to unveil and point at Slowpoke. Then, Thomas tapped the top of the device, firing a red beam of light towards his Pokemon's blindspot.

The Water-type suddenly hurdled Treecko and tackled Fletchling all while avoiding being withdrawn to her Poke Ball. All Thomas and his starter could do was gape as the sequence replayed in their minds, leaving Fletchling to fend Slowpoke off by himself. Doing so was much easier said than done considering she had pinned him to the sand, but that didn't deter the robin from trying.

Hurling all of his weight to the side, Fletchling managed to lift Slowpoke just long enough to zip away from her. He flew up about forty feet before examining the area his teammates and trainer were in with a relieved expression. It didn't last long, however, as Slowpoke unleashed a Water Gun attack, the likes of which had never been seen before. Fletchling barely managed to evade, though instead of continuously dodging, he marveled at the power behind Slowpoke's attack.

Slowpoke took aim once more and mustered up all of her strength. Then, she unleashed another Water Gun attack that put the previous one to shame. It looked similar to a Hydro Pump in that the blast of water was a very, very dark shade of blue and there were white rings - all of which were also water - spinning around it. Before he knew it, Fletchling took the attack head-on and fell from the sky in an instant, making Treecko gasp. Thomas, on the other hand, bolted towards the Flying-type and dove with his arms extending as far as they could.

He somehow managed to catch Fletchling and tumbled to a stop, and Treecko ran towards them. The Alolan quickly sat up and eyed his Pokemon, who was resting in his arms rather comfortably, as he smiled. Fletchling opened his eyes shortly thereafter and looked up at Thomas, nodding thankfully as Treecko arrived.

"Did y-you get hur-hur-hurt?" the gecko stammered while shaking.

Fletchling hopped out of Thomas' arms and placed a wing on Treecko's shoulder reassuringly, adding a smile to sell his answer. "Don't botha worryin' 'bout me, it's a waste o' enuhgy," the Kalosian Pokemon advised, his accent growing thicker with each word.

"Nobody will have to think about that when I get my hands on you!"

Slowpoke hared through the sand while foaming at the mouth, which would've elicited screams from Treecko and Thomas had Fletchling not taken off. Because he used Quick Attack, the robin had a ray of white light trail his body. He lowered his head and braced for impact while Slowpoke lunged, and when the two collided, a gust of wind whipped along the beach. It was nearly strong enough to knock Thomas off his feet, but the Alolan kept his balance and watched Fletchling suddenly overpower Slowpoke, ramming her right into the sand.

With the wind being knocked out of her, Slowpoke cried faintly and dropped her head just as Thomas approached. Treecko accompanied the seventeen-year-old while he pulled several Potions out of his backpack and sprayed Slowpoke with half of them. The other half were used on Fletchling who, despite acting like he was perfectly fine, couldn't even move.

"Why do you two always have to fight?" Thomas questioned after putting the empty bottles in his backpack. Neither Pokemon said a word to their trainer, who stared at them for what felt like ages. When he finally looked away, Thomas shook his head and motioned for Treecko to follow him.

The rookie managed to take two steps before a group of people holding surfboards nearly trampled him on their way to the ocean, making him groan before taking a third step. Upon doing so, another group - one made up entirely of Pokemon - blew by and barreled its way to the water.

Thomas scratched the back of his head and watched as all of the Pokemon hopped onto the surfboards along with their trainers. "What was that all about?" he asked aloud, making Treecko shrug.

"That, dude, is just what you and your Pokemon need," somebody said in response. Their tone was too relaxed to scare either Treecko or Thomas, both of whom proceeded to turn to the speaker.

A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties ambled towards the ocean, but he stopped right when he passed Thomas. The black and orange t-shirt he wore looked like it was going to tear at any second as his muscles bulged out. His gloves were also orange and black, as were the athletic shoes he wore and the sunglasses resting on his head.

"Name's Brawly," he greeted while extending a hand. Thomas shook it, putting a smile on Brawly's face before he said, "I'm Dewford Town's Gym Leader. What's your name?"

Thomas gave the surfer a blank stare while Treecko's jaw hit the ground and Fletchling and Slowpoke exchanged glances filled with skepticism. Still, the two made their way over to the conversation and stood by Thomas' side, drawing Brawly's attention.

"I'm Thomas Brooks."

The Gym Leader brought one of his gloved hands up to his chin and examined the Alolan, who, along with his Pokemon, sweat-dropped.

"Quite the interesting group you got here, Thomas. It's not every day ya see someone with either of those," he said, pointing at Slowpoke and Fletchling.

"Thanks?" Thomas replied.

Brawly nodded and quickly pulled a piece of paper out from the pocket of his sky blue shorts, which happened to be the same color as his spiky hair.

"Here," he said while handing the paper over to Thomas, who stared at it until Brawly continued speaking. "Swing by here with that paper at three o'clock, and make sure to wear some swim clothes."

The Gym Leader took off before Thomas could react, leaving him and his Pokemon standing around in confusion.

000

"I look like an idiot."

"What else is new?"

Thomas looked up from the camera on his Pokedex and shot Slowpoke a terrifying glare, which silenced the Water-type right away. He returned his gaze to the camera with a sigh, the ocean breeze blowing against the side of his face.

Treecko turned to face the wind with her arms out to her sides and smiled. Despite having a Gym, Dewford Town was nothing like Rustboro City. Instead of hearing cars honking, engines revving, and people talking on their phones, she listened to the ocean and flocks of Wingull. Everyone was just so much more relaxed than their urban counterparts, who were constantly surrounded by the stresses of work.

"Yo!"

The Grass-type returned to reality as she spotted Brawly jogging through the sand, holding two surfboards in his arms.

"Glad ya came," the Gym Leader said to Thomas, who resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, considering the fact that he still needed to challenge Brawly. Surely he would've been asked about why he didn't swing by.

Fletchling suddenly landed on Thomas' shoulder, causing the brunette to flinch like he always did, and asked Brawly, "So what's da reason fuh draggin' us out heah, four-eyes?"

Treecko and Thomas sweat-dropped at Fletchling's name-calling while Slowpoke muttered something under her breath inaudibly. Brawly, on the other hand, leaned back and let out a hearty laugh for about ten seconds before wiping a tear from his eye.

"It's cuz of you, little dude," the man answered, his smile fading with each word.

Slowpoke snorted while laughing at Fletchling, but she stopped when Brawly strolled towards her.

"You're the other reason," he stated rather seriously. Fletchling and Slowpoke glared at the man as he headed towards the water and motioned for Thomas to follow. The seventeen-year-old and his Pokemon hurried after Brawly, only to be stopped by the Gym Leader tossing a surfboard their way.

Thomas let it fall to the sand before picking the board up and examining it.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" the Alolan inquired, locking eyes with Brawly. A smirk broke out on the elder trainer's face, piquing the interest of Treecko, Slowpoke, and Fletchling.

Brawly slammed the tip of his board into the sand so it could stand on its own, and then he pointed at Thomas, who straightened his posture immediately.

"Did ya bring the paper like I told ya to?" the surfer interrogated, drawing a nod in response. "Noice. Now read it to them." Each of Thomas' Pokemon watched their trainer drop the surfboard and unfold the paper Brawly had given him earlier before speaking.

"In order to challenge the Dewford Town Gym, you and your Pokemon must first... pass a test?!" Thomas yelled.

Brawly brushed off the rookie's glare and pointed back at the paper, prompting Thomas to continue reading.

"Working together with your Pokemon, you must ride a wave."

Looking from the piece of paper as his arms dropped to his sides, Thomas took a deep breath and then shifted his attention to the surfboard laying on the sand. He noticed four strips of tape were wrapped around it, yet the one Brawly kept didn't. The Gym Leader smiled when he saw Thomas' eyes shifting between the boards, which caught Treecko's attention.

"W-w-we have to surf t-t-t-too?"

"That's right. You're all going to be surfing together! Isn't that awesome?"

Slowpoke and Fletchling booed the man despite their trainer's attempts to silence them, though Brawly simply laughed it off. He then yanked his surfboard out of the sand and took a deep breath, causing Thomas to turn around.

"Why is everyone just standing around? Let's get out there and ride a wave!" Brawly roared as he sprinted towards the water.

The quartet he left behind watched him enter the water and lay on his board. Then the Gym Leader used his limbs to swim a couple hundred feet or so, and once he was satisfied with his position, he turned back to shore while sitting. Within seconds, a wave rolled towards Brawly, so he began to swim.

"Why is he moving away from it? Doesn't he want to ride the wave?" Slowpoke asked aloud. Thomas shrugged but continued watching.

As the wave grew taller and taller, Brawly put both of his feet on his surfboard and rose. One end of the wave proceeded to roll over itself while the Gym Leader zipped away, avoiding being swept up in the massive body of water. His audience gaped at the scene, and, before they knew it, he was back on land.

"Your turn."

The quartet dead-panned for a moment until Thomas turned to his Pokemon, squatted, and gently placed the surfboard by his side. He then glanced at each of the three creatures, subtly examining their facial expressions.

Slowpoke was brimming with confidence, and understandably so considering she was a Water-type. Surprisingly, Treecko grinned as she looked out at the ocean, matching Slowpoke's confidence. Then there was Fletchling, who, despite squawking with excitement, had sweat beating down his head while his legs convulsed.

Thomas rubbed his eyes and eyed the Flying-type for a second time. Nothing about his appearance had changed in the three seconds that passed, yet Thomas didn't say anything about it. In fact, he ignored it all together and waved to grab everyone's attention.

Once he did, Thomas spoke. "Slowpoke, you're going to be the anchor. Your job is to get us all the way out there and use your tail to help us ride the wave smoother. Fletchling, you can use your wings to make us more aerodynamic, so you're at the front. Treecko, you'll be behind him. Your job is to help me keep the board steady."

Brawly looked on in amusement, taking note of the enthusiastic responses from Slowpoke and Treecko while thinking, He's already come up with a formation to maximize everyone's strengths. Not bad.

On that note, Thomas picked up the surfboard and marched towards the ocean with his starter and Slowpoke. Fletchling lagged behind them, trembling as sweat continued to roll down his head. With each step taken, the gap between himself and the ocean lessened.

"Fletchling?"

The robin flinched at his name before looking at Treecko, who, along with Thomas, stared at him.

"We're going, so get ready to hop on," Thomas forewarned, drawing a nod from his Pokemon as a wave crashed. "Good. Now let's get this over with."

Slowpoke and Treecko joined their trainer on the surfboard without any hesitation while Fletchling attempted to do the same. However, as soon as his foot made contact with the water he turned around and bolted. Both of his teammates and Thomas deadpanned in response while Brawly, still looking on from afar, grinned.

"What the hell are you doing?" Slowpoke snapped. "Get on the damn surfboard already!"

Fletchling stared out at the water, causing his heart to beat faster than usual. The stare he received from Thomas, like Slowpoke's coarse language, didn't alleviate his anxiety, quite the contrary. In addition to sweating profusely, Fletchling's breathing increased.

If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was water. He didn't know how to swim because - newsflash - he didn't have to. Flying allowed Fletchling to avoid his worst enemy throughout his whole life... until now.

A light tap on his shoulder sent a jolt through Fletchling's body, eliciting a scream before he stumbled back and fell. When the robin looked up he saw Treecko smiling with her hand extended, and she helped him back onto his feet.

After doing so, the gecko noticed Fletchling's shortness of breath and the fear in his eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell what Fletchling was afraid of, and yet Treecko didn't say a word about it. Instead, she smiled and said, "We c-can't do this without y-you, Fletchling."

Fletchling's eyes opened wide as he stared at Treecko in silence. She was no longer the one needing to be rescued, he was. And for the first time since they became teammates, Treecko gave Fletchling the courage to face his fears, just as he had done for her many times before. They were more than teammates; they were friends.

The thought lingered in Fletchling's mind, but he snapped out of his unresponsive state with a deafening squawk. Thomas looked on and grinned while Slowpoke turned her head away, doing everything she could to suppress the urge to smile.

Treecko and Fletchling made their way toward the surfboard and walked into the ocean, though the latter froze as soon as he felt water rush against his foot. Although every fiber of his being wanted to turn and run back to land, Fletchling fought against his instincts and, with Treecko by his side, sat at the front of the surfboard. With everyone in position, Thomas gave Slowpoke a thumbs up, prompting her to cruise toward where Brawly had been earlier.

Traveling in silence, the quartet was left with nothing to listen to except Slowpoke pumping her legs and a group of Wingull squawking from atop Granite Cave. None of them could hear the chatter emanating from the beach, as they were all locked in - plus they were really far away.

Once she felt she had gone far enough, Slowpoke turned so that she and the others faced Dewford Town. The Water-type proceeded to lift herself up and onto the surfboard, generating a scream from Fletchling.

"Good job, Slowpoke," Thomas commended while looking at the pink Pokemon, who shrugged in response. "Fletchling, you're up."

A sigh came from the robin, but he waved back to his trainer in an attempt to play it off. Rising to his feet, Fletchling stuck his wings out to his sides and waited for a breeze to come. It came a moment later, as did the sound of a wave. Thomas and Slowpoke looked over their shoulders to see a mammoth-sized wall of water approaching, prompting the former to return his gaze back to the beach.

Then, the Alolan stated, "All right, everyone, get ready! If we do it right the first time, we can challenge Brawly!" Cheers followed before Thomas added, "Slowpoke, start heading back to shore!"

"Got it," the pink Pokemon replied, plunging her tail into the water while spinning it like a helicopter blade.

"Treecko, make sure Fletchling doesn't fall off."

The Grass-type nodded at her trainer's command and leaned forward, preparing for her teammate to fall. She herself nearly fell off the surfboard, as Slowpoke kicked it into high gear. Fletchling's wings made them travel even faster, as they sliced through the wind, but Thomas kept his eyes on the wave, which traveled at an even greater speed.

"Now stand!" he screamed.

Slowpoke, Treecko, and Fletchling did as they were told, shakily rising to their feet right before the tidal wave started to crash behind them. Despite lacking experience, Thomas and his starter maintained their balance and guided the surfboard along without any trouble, generating smiles from them, Slowpoke, and even Fletchling.

"Ay, dis ain't so bad! Da watuh's kinda nice!" the robin exclaimed giddily.

Brawly laughed at the sight and put his hands on his hips, but he stopped almost immediately. A look of horror washed over his face upon noticing how quickly the wave was rolling over itself while Thomas and his Pokemon were slowing down dramatically.

The Alolan also noticed that, and when he turned he saw Slowpoke biting her tongue. Her tail wasn't spinning as fast as it had been earlier, and the wave was beginning to close on them. There was no chance of getting away, and he knew it.

"Everyone, get ready to-"

Before Thomas could finish his thought, he and his Pokemon were swallowed by the wave and thrown off the surfboard.

Twisting and tumbling underwater with his eyes shut, Thomas struggled to break free from the wave. He had no idea how far out in the ocean he was, nor did he have a clue about where his Pokemon were. He continued flailing about until something wrapped itself around his torso, pulling him out of the current and towards the surface. Upon resurfacing, Thomas gasped for air and searched for what had saved him, only to find he was alone.

Slowpoke's head popped out of the water a few seconds later, and she swam over to her trainer with a panicked expression.

"Thanks for saving me. Are you okay?" Thomas quizzed after embracing the Water-type, who quickly broke away from him and continued to look around frantically.

"Did you see Treecko or Fletchling while you were underwater?"

After watching Thomas shake his head, Slowpoke cursed wildly and submerged herself. She then surveyed the area underwater, hoping to see either of her teammates, but she didn't. After returning to Thomas' side and looking around the surface, where there was nothing except water, Slowpoke bit her lip.

"I can't find either of them!" she screamed, making her trainer flinch. "Are they on the beach?"

"It doesn't look like it," Thomas replied quietly. "But don't worry, I'll help you look!"

Right after that, Treecko's head popped out of the water about twenty feet inland. She then inhaled dramatically and dove back under, unaware of Slowpoke and Thomas swimming towards her.

Treecko kept her eyes open as she descended into the depths of the ocean. She remembered seeing Fletchling sink towards the bottom while the wave dragged her along, yet there weren't any signs of him.

Where is he? Where is he? the gecko asked herself over and over again until a lack of oxygen forced her to resurface. When she did, Treecko took another deep breath and prepared to dive back underwater, but something grabbed her a second before she could.

When she turned, Treecko saw Slowpoke and Thomas floating about a foot away. The Water-type unwrapped her tail and asked, "Have you seen Fletchling?"

Much to her shock, as well as Thomas', Treecko dove back underwater, ignoring the question altogether. She kicked her legs violently and kept her eyes peeled, searching for even the slightest trace of Fletchling until she spotted Slowpoke. The quadruped swam all the way to the floor of the ocean with Treecko in tow.

As luck would have it, they found Fletchling laying on a rock and swam over to him. Treecko scooped the robin up and grabbed Slowpoke's extended tail, prompting the Kantonian Pokemon to speed towards the surface. Treecko smiled to herself as she looked at Fletchling and then at the surface, which grew closer by the second. Then, all of a sudden, Slowpoke stopped swimming and simply floated in place. She had passed out for reasons unbeknownst to Treecko.

No! the gecko screamed mentally as she watched her teammate's limp body drop past her and sink towards the ocean floor. Fletchling and I need air, but if I leave Slowpoke she'll drown! What do I do?!

Treecko looked back and forth between Slowpoke and Fletchling, her heart beating faster and faster as adrenaline rushed through her veins.

I can do this! I can do this!

Then it happened. A white veil of light enveloped Treecko as she swam towards the surface with Fletchling in her arms. While her limbs grew and her feet became bird-like, three leaves sprouted out of her wrists. Along with that came two leafy tails and one large leaf appeared on her head.

Once the light faded, she created a clone that zipped after Slowpoke and grabbed her before ascending. Emerging from the water in mere seconds with both of her unconscious teammates, the Grass-type locked eyes with Thomas and smiled, only to watch his jaw drop. However, he refrained from speaking and swam to shore with his Pokemon, where Brawly was waiting along with Nurse Joy.

The pink-haired woman and Gym Leader immediately performed CPR on Slowpoke and Fletchling before hooking them up to oxygen tanks. Thomas looked on until he turned to his starter, who had walked over without making a sound.

"How did you evolve? And why were there two of you?" he asked right away.

The Grass-type tilted her head, causing Thomas to grab his Pokedex from his backpack and scan her.

"Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokemon, and the evolved form of Treecko. This Pokémon adeptly flies from branch to branch in trees. In a forest, no Pokémon can ever hope to catch a fleeing Grovyle however fast they may be. New moves learned: Double Team, Mega Drain, and Double Kick."

Once he showed her the description and picture, Grovyle backpedaled away and looked down at her hands, which had two clawed fingers instead of three digits. Her skin had also turned a darker green, though that was the least shocking change. She looked back up at Thomas, who seemed to be waiting for a response, and shrugged.

"It's cuz ya needed to save 'em, and ya realized there was no margin for error." Both Thomas and Grovyle turned to see Brawly, who looked terrifyingly serious. "Nurse Joy wanted me ta tell ya that those two will be at full strength by tomorrow, and I wanted ta know if the both of ya are all right. That was some wave earlier."

Thomas glared at the Gym Leader, causing him to stop talking in an instant. Grovyle, on the other hand, smiled at Brawly.

"We are, thanks," she began, drawing his attention as well as Thomas'. "By the way, can you please let us try surfing again? I want to be able to tell Fletchling and Slowpoke that we can challenge you when they wake up."

Both Thomas and Brawly deadpanned, but the elder trainer quickly cracked a smile and made his way to Grovyle's side. When he did, he put an arm over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up, confusing the Grass-type.

"There's no need. The whole point of that exercise was ta get you, your trainer, and your teammates ta work together, and that's just what happened."

"So what does that mean for us?" Thomas interrogated.

Brawly grinned once again, this time making his way to Thomas' side and putting an arm over his shoulder.

"I'll be waiting for ya at the Gym."

With that, the surfer walked away. Neither Thomas or Grovyle could say a word, but after looking at each other, they broke out smiling and embraced. The celebration wasn't only about Brawly saying they had passed, however, it was also because Fletchling and Slowpoke were safe and expected to make full recoveries.

"Hey! Brawly!" Grovyle called after she and her trainer broke apart.

The aforementioned trainer turned and faced his soon-to-be-challengers while backpedaling, raising an eyebrow as he did so.

"We'll pass that test on our first try!"

Brawly laughed heartily in response and waved, prompting Thomas and Grovyle to do the same. Then, the Gym Leader spun on his heels and continued walking back to the Gym with a smile. Even though he wanted to root for them, Brawly knew that, as a Gym Leader, he wasn't allowed to hold anything back. And that's just what he planned on doing.

Aw hell yeah! Although they failed to successfully ride a wave, Thomas and his Pokemon passed Brawly's test when Treecko evolved in order to save Fletchling and Slowpoke from drowning. With that mini hurdle cleared, nothing's standing between Thomas and his second badge, right? Wrong! Next chapter will introduce the antagonists and their goals, both of which I'm sure you'll enjoy, and there will also be a battle!
Till next time, peace out.

1. What are your thoughts on Treecko evolving? I enjoyed it not being in a battle, but feel free to disagree!
2. Would you like to see more team-focused chapters like this one? By that I mean the focus would be on the team bonding, and could either include Tom or leave him out entirely

Next Chapter: "Friend or Foe? Ultra Beasts Appear!"

When video of a Pokemon appearing from a wormhole in the sky is aired on national television, the thugs that tried kidnapping Ali are given orders to capture the mysterious creature otherwise known as an Ultra Beast. But they're not the only ones in pursuit. What are Ultra Beasts, and who else is hunting them?

Dewford Town Arc

Chapter 15: The Sage of Synchro: Enter Tyson!
Chapter 16: Head Over Heels
Chapter 17: Beachside Brawl