So, I actually managed to write this at work. Long story short, I worked on Memorial Day, and it was so dead that I just ended up writing this chapter on my Microsoft Surface tablet, which I originally took to work to just watch YouTube videos (which I also ended up doing). So yeah that was fun.

Thanks to pokemonking0924 for reviewing Chapter 13, and thanks to The King of Emerald as always for Beta Reading. Enjoy!

Wes:

Nayru the Gardevoir (Friend Ball, shiny)

Faye the Cutiefly (Level Ball)

Zero the Type: Null (Luxury Ball)

Sakura the Milotic (Lure Ball)

Inigo the Torchic (Permier Ball, shiny)

Rose:

Shelgon (Great Ball)

Brionne (Poke Ball)

Rockruff (Fast Ball)

Maple the Pikachu (Love Ball)

Riolu (Ultra Ball)

Salandit (Luxury Ball)

"Inigo, use Flamethrower!"

"Salandit, use Flamethrower as well!"

The two Pokemon inhaled before unleashing a stream of fire from their mouth and beak, aiming it at the other fire type they were facing. The two attacks met in midair and created a small explosion, which kicked up some smoke that cleared in only a few moments. Inigo suddenly flashed a green light for a moment, before he chirped and began running in place.

"Come on, Inigo, focus!" Wes commanded. "Use Peck!"

"Use Smog!" Rose shouted. Salandit inhaled and unleashed a cloud of purple smoke, which Inigo darted around, before jumping up and pecking Salandit over and over. The female lizard Pokemon growled in anger before swishing her tail, knocking Inigo off, who chirped with excitement and darted around the battlefield, a green streak of light following in his wake.

"Inigo, use Shadow Claw!" Wes ordered, however the baby chick Pokemon was far from listening at this point, as he ran around without a care in the world. Wes sighed, shaking his head. "Well, so much for that."

"Inigio is great, don't get me wrong," Rose muttered, sweat dropping as she watched what looked like a green orb of light dart around. "But don't you think it would be better to use a more… er, reliable Pokemon tomorrow?"

"Inigo's fire typing makes him perfect for Lush Jungle's trial though," Wes mumbled, recalling Inigo into the Permire Ball. "And besides, he was doing really well that time. He listened to my orders until the second Speed Boost kicked in. If I can only maintain control of him after that, we got this in the bag."

"I know," Rose stated, looking at the ball Wes was holding. "We taught them Flamethrower via TM, and planned out how we will go about the battle… but grass Pokemon have other weaknesses, ya know. Flying, Bug, Ice and Poison."

"Name one Pokemon on my team that has one of those types," Wes muttered angrily at Rose.

"Sakura with Ice Beam, and Faye with her actual typing," Rose immediately stated, making Wes puff his cheeks and blush. "Nayru could also hold her own very well against any grass type, and despite you not wanting to use him… you do have Zero."

Wes looked down at that, pulling out the Luxury Ball from his belt and looking at the ball with a worried expression on his face. The image of Zero darting towards the Poipole with the intent to kill ringing through his mind like a nightmare, causing him to shake his head and put the ball away. "No, not Zero. But you're right… maybe I should start with someone else…"

Rose nodded, looking at Wes knowingly. "Let's come up with another plan. We still got till tomorrow to figure everything out, but it doesn't hurt to maybe think ahead right now. After all, who knows what Pokemon we will be facing, and what the trial tomorrow could hold."

"Maybe you two should take a break," a voice said, snapping them both out of thought. Coming up to the practice field was Jason, followed by Nayru and Maple. "Dinner is almost ready, and if you two practice anymore I'm afraid the hotel staff will charge us extra."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked, though Jason need only point to show Wes what he was talking about. The battlefield was covered in black scorch marks from all the flamethrowers that were launched during the battle, almost completely covering it. Wes and Rose both sweat dropped and paled, nervously laughing as two hotel managers came outside, jaws dropped at the sight. After a brief apology towards the staff, they got to work attempting to clean the field as Wes and Rose followed Jason and their Pokemon inside, sitting down at a small table where Em was already sitting, waiting patiently with food on their plates.

The rest of the night was mostly spent planning, and by the time the sun rose both Wes and Rose were ready. All of the students met in the hotel lobby like normal, before following Jason as he lead them out onto Route 8 and onto the path that lead them into Lush Jungle. He sighed, turning to them as they stood at the entrance of the jungle, counting all the students to make sure they were all there before clearing his throat. "Right… anyway this is where we part ways. I will be holding class here, while Em goes with Wes and Rose into the jungle to meet up with Mallow and complete their trial."

"Wait, why am I going with them?" Em asked, pouting at Jason. "I wanted to stay here with you!"

"Because I think you would be less bored watching them do their trial instead of watching me teach," Jason pointed out. "And besides, I don't want you interrupting my class again."

"Who says I would do that?" Em innocently questioned, though Jason raised an eyebrow at that, instantly seeing through her innocent act. "I'll be good, I promise."

"Your fingers are crossed," Jason pointed out, causing Em to let out a small squeak. Jason sighed, walking up to her and pulling her into what looked like a hug, though Wes and Rose clearly saw that he was muttering into her ear. "Listen, Esmeralda, if you interrupt my class again I will get you."

"What are you going to do, tickle me with the-"

"No," Jason interrupted her pushing her away just enough so that she can see the serious look on her face. "I will get you myself."

This caused Em's face to light up like a red traffic light, "Y-you're bluffing."

"I used your full name, didn't I?" Jason asked, before turning to Wes and Rose, who were watching this display with mild amusement and some confusion. "You two, go on ahead. If you delay any longer Mallow is going to leave and you two will miss your trial."

That was all the convincing they needed to shrug, turn around, and start heading off in the opposite direction. About ten seconds later, they heard a shout as Em raced after them, her face even redder then it was before, which seemed impossible from the blush on her face earlier. They didn't have to walk long before reaching a clearing in the jungle path, where they found a girl around their age standing there. She wore a grey outfit which looked like a pair of overalls, with short pants with white frills coming out of them. Her green hair had a pink flower in it, and matching green eyes looked at them with glee, as she waved them over.

"Alright, you're here!" the girl, who Wes assumed was Mallow, said to them with a grin. "Welcome to the sight of my trial! I, Mallow, will be your trial captain today, and your first task is to gather ingredients from the jungle for me!"

"That's it?" Wes asked, tilting his head and looking a little disappointed. "I thought this would be a bit more interesting."

"Wes," Rose hissed, elbowing him. "Be nice! I apologize for him, Mallow."

But the green haired trial captain didn't seem bothered by this at all, in fact, she was smirking at Wes with a devilish look on her face. "You want excitement, huh? What if I told you that the ingredients are guarded by Pokemon? You need to gather the ones that aren't guarded by Pokemon, or they will come after you. Each one of the ingredients is in an area where wild Pokemon can be hiding, and if you grab an ingredient that was a Pokemon's food, well, they're going to come after you!"

Wes blinked, before smirking, "Alright, that's more like it!"

"So, what do we need to gather?" Rose asked.

"First, a Mago Berry," Mallow started, pointing down the path to their immediate left. "In that area you will find some bushes were some wild Pokemon make their home. Second, some Honey," this time, Mallow pointed to the path behind her. "You'll find a nest with some honey in it that way, and finally you need a big root," she now pointed to the right. "That area is covered in trees, and you'll find that some of them have dropped their roots. Of course, the trees can be Pokemon, so watch out! You can use this sack to hold the ingredients you collect."

Trees that are Pokemon? Wes thought, looking confused as he took the sack from Mallow.

"No using your Pokemon to help you determine where a Pokemon is hiding, either!" Mallow immediately said, looking at Nayru in particular. "That would be cheating! If it up to the trainer to determine where the Pokemon are, after all, keen eyes and a sense of what is around you is important for all trainers to have. If the trainer isn't alert, then how can he expect the Pokemon to be alert as well? Of course, once you crack the code, then you can use your Pokemon to help out, but only in ways that you could determine where Pokemon are as well, such as using your eyes."

Em yawned a little, stretching. "Well, this should be interesting. Alright, lead on you two, I'll be here for sagely advice if you need me."

"By the way," Rose asked, looking over at Em as the three of them headed down the left path towards where the Mago Berry was waiting for them. "I've been meaning to ask, how did you meet Jason anyway, let alone begin dating him?"

"Well, the dating part I am sure you already know was thanks to a Pokemon called Xerneas…" Em muttered, glaring at Nayru. "Thanks to a certain psychic fairy of yours."

"You flatter me," Nayru grinned, not needing to reads Em's mind to tell that Jason wasn't happy with that bit of information being leaked out into the world.

"As for how we met," Em sighed, looking up as if seeing something other than the tree leaves hanging above them. "I was a beginner trainer in Kalos, and I made a big mistake of battling him with only my starter, thinking it'd be an easy win. I was dead wrong, and he creamed me with one move. Surprisingly, he offered to let me tag along so I could learn how to be not only a better trainer... but a better friend to my pokémon." She chuckled a bit. "Almost months later, he's got me figured out, and I developed a huge crush on him... without knowing he felt the same."

"So, you basically wormed your way into his heart," Rose sighed. "That's romantic… in a twisted kind of way."

"Enough mushy talk," Wes said, looking around at the four bushes that they had come across in a clearing. Wes noticed a berry growing on each bush, though the feeling of him being watched was looming over him like a dark storm cloud. "We're here… now how can we tell which bush isn't hiding a Pokemon."

Rose inhaled, trying to think, but her eyes opened as she sniffed the air. "Hey, do you smell that or is it just me?"

Wes looked at her weirdly before taking a sniff for himself, his red eyes lighting up a bit. "Hey, I smell it too… it smells sweet, almost like a sea of flowers."

"Maybe that smell is coming from the Pokemon hiding in the bushes," Rose suggested. "Let's smell the bushes and see if one of them smells different from the others! I guarantee you that is the one without a Pokemon in it!"

Well, that figured that one out quickly. Em said, looking at them with a look of impressed wonder. Now let's see if they can complete the other two tasks without needing my assistance.

"A sweet smell is coming from this one," Em noted, looking over at Maple and Nayru. "What about those two?"

"It's sweet smelling over here," Nayru confirmed, with Maple nodding.

"Mine smells like a sour raisin," Wes blinked, looking grossed out but smiling at the same time. "I think we found our berry, guys!" He plucked the berry from the bush, putting it gently into the sack.

"Next is Honey," Rose noted, looking back down the path. "That one should, hopefully, be easier to find."

"So, I got a question, Wes," Em asked, as they headed back down the path they had taken to get to the clearing. "You said you didn't have a father, yet from what I remember, a father figure of yours wanted you to come to this school in the first place. Jason assumes your mom remarried, is that correct?" Wes seemed to look distressed at this, which caused Em to pale a bit. "S-sorry if I am getting too personal."

"Nah, it's fine," Wes smiled sadly, nodding. "Yeah, my step-dad has been in my life since I was five. He's a great guy, though I knew from an early age that I didn't have a real dad. He's also busy with his own Pokemon Training so he's constantly out of the house, so sadly I don't see him much, but at the very least he's… somewhat there for me, unlike my actual dad." Wes quickly cleared his throat, and before anyone else could say anything he spoke again. "So, honey would have a sweet smell to it, wouldn't it? I assume it's going to be like the berry but in reverse."

Rose, sensing that Wes wanted to change the topic, just went along with it, though she watched Wes with a worried look on her face. "I assume so, but let's not jump to conclusions. For all we know, the next location could be all sweet smelling and we have to detect it by something else." Sure enough, when they got to the clearing there was more bushes, and a sweet aroma filled the air, but all four bushes smelled the same, the aroma of honey drowning out any other smell in the area.

"Well, that bites," Wes grumbled, looking at the bushes angrily. "Dumb bushes and their flowers…" That's when he suddenly looked suspicious, eyeing each bush again before turning to Rose. "Hey, notice how each bush has flowers on it?"

"Yeah," Rose muttered, looking at Wes with annoyance. "No duh, now let me think!"

"But that's just it," Wes said again, pointing at one bush in particular. "That one has four flowers, while the rest have five. Did you notice that the other three also seem to be moving a tiny bit more then the bush with only four flowers?"

Rose blinked, before looking at the bushes again. "Hey, you're right! Wow, how did I not notice that? So, I guess that fifth flower is a Pokemon, so we should gather honey from the bush with only four flowers."

"Already on it," Wes said, scooping the honey from the bush into a jar that was in the sack, before putting it back into the bag with the berry in tow. "Alright, now onto the final area!" Though their spirts were high, it was immediately dashed when they got to the last area. There were five trees, each one of them short, around four feet tall, with two branches jutting out from either side of the tree. Wes and Rose both looked distraught, and Wes even let out a groan. "Well, then."

"Okay, so if the first trial was smell, and the second was sight, what could this one be?" Rose asked, looking confused at each tree. "They all look the same, so it must be…"

"A mental game to test our wits?" Wes suggested, walking up to a tree. "I bet you these are all just regular, old trees-"

"STOP!" Em suddenly shouted, causing Wes to go tumbling back. "Those are Sudowoodo!"

"A-who-a-what?" Wes asked, looking confused.

"Rotom?" Rose asked.

"Well, I cannot scan the tree to confirm it due to trial rules, but I do know the Pokemon she is talking about, zzt!" Rotom said, bringing up a picture of the tree, but it now had eyes and an open mouth when displayed on screen. "Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokemon. Sudowoodo camouflages itself as a tree to avoid being attacked by enemies. However, because its hands remain green throughout the year, the Pokémon is easily identified as a fake during the winter."

"Oh, its name means false wood," Rose realized, looking at Rotom dex.

"They grew overtime to look like a small tree that occurs naturally," Em pointed out, looking towards the five trees before them. "But they are rock type, not grass types, and therefore not true wood."

Wes looked at the four foot tall thing in front of him, reaching out and touching it, his eyes going wide. "That is definitely a rock." It suddenly shifted, causing Wes to recoil and back up, before the Pokemon grew still once again. "Well, it isn't this one."

"Really, you touched it?" Em snapped at him, glaring a little. "You can't tell the difference between wood and a rock using your eyes?"

"In my defense, it is very good camouflage," Wes shot back, standing up and looking closely. "Although now that you mention it, the Sudowoodo seem to have a more streamline appearance."

"Hey, this tree looks a bit more jagged," Rose pointed out, touching it. "And it isn't moving, plus it feels like real wood! I think we got our root!"

"You're touching it too!" Em sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well, at least you determined it was a real tree before touching it... alright, let's head back to Mallow, before one of you pisses off the Pokemon around here."

So with ingredients in hand, the three trainers returned to Mallow, who was standing there with a grin, her hands on her hips. "Got them all, huh? Well alright, I'll start cooking and we'll see if you stole these from any Pokemon. If you did, they'd most likely attack around now."

"Trust me, I think we got them all without aggravating anything," Rose stated confidently. Sure enough, as Mallow threw in each ingredient, nothing was coming to reclaim them, so they seemed to have successfully done what they needed to do without irritating anyone. Of course, this didn't mean they were completely safe, Wes and Rose both knew the Totem Pokemon had to be around here somewhere, and judging by the smell coming from whatever Mallow was making, it was designed specifically to attract what they were going to fight.

"And right on cue!" Mallow suddenly said, looking up and grinning. "Hi, Lurantis!"

"What now?" Wes paled, looking behind him. Rose also looked behind her and both trainers leapt back, letting out a cry of shock. Standing there was a giant, mantis like Pokemon, the top half of its head light pink, with the bottom half white. It has light red eyes and two green antennae with a small green lump between them. There were four extensions to the top half of its head: two on the top with red tips that resemble ears, and one on each side with white tips that are similar to stylized hair. It had a light pink body with short extensions around the waist and a green abdomen and neck. Its thin, white arms end in large, red scythes which swayed in anticipation, watching Wes and Rose before letting out a cry.

"Rotom!" Wes shouted, pointing toward Lurantis.

"Lurantis, the Bloom Sickle Pokemon, zzt," Rotom stated, showing an image of the grass type. "As it slashes into its enemies, it looks like it's dancing. Its elegant appearance has led some to call it the most glamorous Grass Pokémon. It fires beams from its sickle-shaped petals. These beams are powerful enough to cleave through thick metal plates."

"Well, guess it's time to put our plan into motion," Wes shouted, throwing his Level Ball. "Go, Faye!"

"Alright, go Riolu!" Rose shouted, throwing her Ultra Ball. Out of both balls popped the Pokemon in question, staring down the Lurantis with determination. Almost immediately, the Lurantis called out again, causing a green lizard like Pokemon with a red stripe on his belly to appear out of nowhere.

"What is that thing?" Rose asked, looking confused at the creature.

"It's a Kecleon!" Wes shouted, looking surprised. "They are native to Hoenn, but are pretty rare even there! I didn't think that one would be out here."

"Allow me," Rotom sparked, displaying an image of the Pokemon. "Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokemon. It changes its hue to blend into its surroundings. If no one takes notice of it for too long, it will pout and never reveal itself. This Pokemon has the natural ability to change it's type, but only depending on the move it was last hit with."

"To the move it was last hit with, huh?" Wes thought, grinning a bit. "Rose, I'll focus on the Lurantis. You think you can take out that Kecleon?"

"If it changes type depending on what attacks it is hit by, I think I can!" Rose grinned.

"Alright, Faye, use Silver Wind!" Wes commanded. Faye flew into the air and unleashed a gust of sparkling wind, which slammed into Lurantis. Despite the move being a bug type attack, the creature didn't seem too bothered by it, shaking off the move like it was nothing. Suddenly, the Kecleon roared into the sky, which seemed to suddenly cause the sun to shine brighter than before.

"It used Sunny Day!" Rose shouted. "Riolu, Payback!" Riolu charged forward, before slamming into Kecleon, who hissed in pain, flashing a little as it recovered.

I see, Mallow thought, grinning. She is taking advantage of not only the doubled power Payback gets due to Kecleon making a move before Riolu, but changing it's type to Dark so that she can hit it with a fighting type move for Super Effective damage… however.

"Rose, look out!" Wes shouted. Rose's eyes went wide, as Lurantis suddenly began gathering light between its hands, the light suddenly shooting out as a stream of energy, before the Pokemon slashed it like a sword, the attack slamming into Riolu and sending it flying back. When the smoke cleared, Riolu wasn't moving, puffing heavily from the damage.

"Riolu, return!" Rose shouted, recalling the injured Pokemon. "What was that attack?"

"Solar Blade," Mallow commented. "The pokemon charges up light energy from the sun using photosynthesis, before unleashing it as a powerful blade of energy. Since it is so sunny, Lurantis could use it instantly due to the sun giving off intense light."

"I see," Rose sighed, looking over at Wes. "Sorry I couldn't take out Kecleon."

"No worries, you did change it's type to Dark, so I can use Faye's fairy attacks," Wes grinned, lookingat her. "You just go onto part two of our plan!"

"Right," Rose nodded, taking out her Luxury Ball. "Go, Salandit!" The lizard Pokemon emerged from the ball, clicking her jaws as she stared down the Lurantis, unimpressed by what she was facing.

"Faye, use Moonblast on the Kecleon!" Wes commanded. Faye charged up a ball of pink energy, sending it flying down at Kecleon, who took the blast and instantly was sent flying into the bushes. Due to the damage it suffered from being a dark type, it did not re-emerge to join the battle. Lurantis roared out, charging up another Solar Blade, this one slamming into Faye. Despite being a bug type, she seemed to suffer major damage from the attack, but was hovering still in the air, shivering a little as she tried to maintain flight.

"Faye, return!" Wes commanded, recalling the injured Pokemon. "Go, Inigo!" Wes threw the Permire Ball into the air, sending out the shiny Torchic, which caught Mallow's attention for a brief moment. "Inigo, please try and contain yourself this time."

"Salandit, Flamethrower!" Rose commanded, the lizard Pokemon obeying and sending out a jet of fire. Salandit's attack connected, causing Lutantis to scream in pain, falling onto a knee before getting back up. Suddenly, it's eyes flashed white, as it's body began to glow the same color, the injuries that it had suffered slowly vanishing before their eyes.

"That was Synthesis!" Em shouted at them. "Because of the sun, it healed a much larger portion of damage then it would've otherwise!"

"Well then, we just need to burn it down before it can heal again!" Wes shouted, pointing. "Inigo, Flamethrower!" Inigo breathed in, sending out a stream of fire.

"Salandit, use your Flamethrower too!" Rose commanded, with the lizard Pokemon sending out another stream of fire. The two jets of flame swirled together, slamming into Lurantis, and inflicting major damage. The three Pokemon faced off for a moment, neither side moving at all. Suddenly, Inigo glowed with bright green light again, and Wes knew he only had seconds to act before Inigo lost control.

"Peck, Inigo!" Wes commanded. Lurantis looked like it was about to use Synthesis again, but with Inigo's speed boost taking effect, he was fast enough to stop the grass type. With a sudden burst of energy, Inigo raced forward and slammed his beak into Lurantis, knocking it to the ground. The grass type didn't move, signaling that Wes and Rose has defeated it successfully.

"Alright, we won!" both trainers shouted, exchanging a double high five with the other.

"Congratulations, you two defeated my Totem Pokemon," Mallow praised them, stepping forward. "And it looks like your efforts are going to be well rewarded. Just look at your Torchic!" Sure enough, despite dancing in a happy energy fit due to Speed Boost, a blue glow also surrounded Inigo, who began to grow in size before the glow stopped, revealing his new form. Most of Inigo's upper body was now a golden yellow, while most of the lower body was a reddish orange, and a matching crest on three feathers on his head. Inigo now had three, sharp claws at the ends of its long arms instead of wings, and scaly, gray legs with well-developed thighs covered in shaggy feathers.

"Ingio evolved into Combuskin!" Rotom said in glee. "Combuskin, the Young Fowl Pokemon. Combusken battles with the intensely hot flames it spews from its beak and with outstandingly destructive kicks. This Pokémon's cry is very loud and distracting." Inigo gave what looked like a grin at that, giving Wes a thumbs up with his new claw hands.

"Well, let's hope your evolution let's you control your Speed Boosts now!" Wes laughed, petting the fire type.

"Combuskin is also a fighting type?" Rose asked, reading the information that Rotom was displaying on the screen.

"Yeah, which means he can now use fighting type moves as well," Wes commented, smiling.

"And you also get this!" Mallow said, holding out two green crystals. "The Grassium Z! Oh, oh, now that your trial is complete, let's all eat!" At this, Wes, Rose and Em all paled, unwilling to try the dish Mallow whipped up if it could send the Lurantis into a frenzy like that. After some polite-ish denying, the three trainers left and headed back to the enterance of the forest, where Jason was in the middle of a lecture about berries and the different properties a berry can have when used by a Pokemon. Wes and Rose sat down with the rest of the class to listen, while Em crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby tree, slowly looking more and more bored, until finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm borrreeeedddddd!" she whined.

As soon as it was out of her mouth, Em quickly covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide as her face turned tomato red. Jasong gave her a glare, before calling out Cedric. "Muffle her. She's interrupted us for the last time."

With that, the ghost-grass type flew over, firmly covering her mouth with his wing as Jason walked over, looking her in the eye as she attempted a muffled protest. "I don't care if you forgot or not, Esmeralda. A promise is a promise. Besides..." At this, he leaned in, whispering in her ear as he smirked. "... I knew you'd say it anyway."

Em's struggling and protest stopped immediately, as she stared after him when he walked away, her face somehow turning brighter red than ever before.

"Do we want to-" Wes began, before getting interrupted by Nayru immediately.

"No. No you do not."