Chapter 10 - Hot Pot

"So, the Battle Frontier? They're supposed to be strong?" Yurie asked.

Seshiru nodded. "Yup. The Battle Frontier in Sinnoh were no cakewalk, but I managed… mostly."

The three were walking up a large hill in Fuchsia City, and they soon reached the top where they could see the rest of the land. Most of Fuchsia was a forested area, but at the bottom of the hill was a large building like none that they had ever seen before.

It was long, black, and in the shape of a Pokémon that Logan had one encounter with, and it was a Pokémon he wasn't very fond of.

"Don't tell me that's where we're going?" Logan wondered. He looked at the long building. The entrance was stylized to be the Pokémon's widely gaped mouth.

"That's where we're going," Seshiru said. "Don't worry. It's not real."

The three now had the task of walking back down the hill, which was considerably easier than walking up it. Logan, uneasy by how real the building looked, never took his eyes off of it. When they finally reached it, he observed that the outside of the building looked soft, and it blew with the wind.

"Is it a tent?" he asked.

Seshiru nodded. "That's a possibility. You see, the Battle Frontier move their facilities every year, so they usually don't have permanent buildings. This year, this group is in Kanto. Last year, I heard that they were in Hoenn. I guess you had a chance last year but weren't aware."

Logan folded his arms. "I wonder how different of a journey that would have been."

"Hello," a voice called from afar. The group looked towards the gaping mouth of the tent, noticing a tall woman with long black hair standing at the entrance. She had black pants, a purple belt, and a purple midriff top. She folded her arms, and on her face was a stern expression. "I take it one of you is here to challenge me."

Seshiru stepped forward. "That'd be me. My name is Egawa Seshiru, and I'm here to challenge for your frontier symbol."

The woman nodded. "Azami. Talking bores me, so how about we get started right away?"

Seshiru grinned. "Sounds good to me!"

"The battle between Azami, the Pike Queen, and Egawa Seshiru will be a two on two single battle for the Luck Symbol! It will be concluded when one side's Pokémon are unable to continue the battle! Substitutions are not allowed! Please begin!" the referee's voice reverberated throughout the small stadium.

This battlefield was a little bit different compared to what Logan and Yurie were used to. The field was made from the natural environment of Fuchsia City, but it was dimly lit by purple and yellow lights, and where Logan and Yurie sat, there wasn't a hint of light.

"I'll start with the Battle Pike's mascot, Seviper!" Azami declared while throwing her Poké Ball onto the field. The long serpentine Pokémon with sharp fangs appeared from the ball and then slithered into the darkness. Its nasty hissing sounded throughout the stadium, sending chills down Logan's spine.

Seshiru thought for a moment before she drew a Poké Ball from her belt. She pushed its button, expanding it, and then, with a quick flick, she threw it onto the field. A large light blue Pokémon with massive arms and legs materialized on the field. On its face was a dopey look, and it smiled wide, not knowing what awaited it in the darkness.

"What's that?" Yurie asked.

Logan shook his head. "I'm not sure." He scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokémon. This carefree Pokémon has an easy-going nature. While swimming, it always bumps into boat hulls," it chimed.

Logan looked at Quagsire quizzically. "And she's supposed to win with this?"

"Quagsire, your enemy is hidden. Draw them out with Muddy Water!"

Quagsire lifted his massive arms into the air before smashing them into the ground. The field shook and cracked, and then water, filled with dirt and mud, bubbled to the surface. It circled around Quagsire's body before shooting across the field.

"Get around it, and use Swagger!"

Seviper slithered across the field, coiled her body, and then leapt into the air, avoiding the Water-type attack. She glared at Quagsire before her eyes went red. Quagsire, as though sent into a trance by Seviper's glance, started to stumble around.

"And this is when luck will determine the battle," Azami said.

"Confused?" Yurie wondered.

Logan nodded. "Yes, but Swagger also increases the targets attack capabilities, so Quagsire will be a little bit stronger."

"I guess we'll have to take the chance!" Seshiru shouted. "Mud Bomb!"

"Quag!" the Pokémon cried out as he lifted a ball of mud from the ground. He held it high into the air before plunging it down low, making it explode all over himself.

"No…" Seshiru muttered.

"I guess luck was on my side," Azami said. "Use Giga Drain!"

Seshiru's eyes widened. "If we're hit with that, it's over! Ice Beam!" She crossed her fingers.

As Seviper released small orbs of green light from her body, Quagsire took in a deep breath. He unleashed his attack, and the froze the green orbs, causing them to fall to the ground. The beam of jagged blue ice continued forward, striking the end of Seviper's body, freezing her to the ground.

"Yes!" Seshiru yelled. "Now's our chance! One more Mud Bomb!"

"Get out of there!" Azami yelled.

Quagsire stumbled forward as he collected ball of mud in between his two arms. He held the ball into the air and then tossed it. This time, it flew towards Seviper, and it exploded as the Poison-type struggled to escape. The mud engulfed Seviper in its explosion, and once the smoke and the mud cleared away, all that was left was an unconscious Poison-type.

"Seviper is unable to battle!" the referee's voice declared.

Azami returned Seviper to her Poké Ball and then drew out her next choice. "I'm from Hoenn," she said. "But the environment in Fuchsia seems to fit my style of battling a little bit more. Seviper has done well here. And my next Pokémon will surprise you with her abilities."

From her ball, another serpentine Pokémon emerged. This one was yellow in color and had long flowing locks of pink hair that came from the top of her head. She looked out at Quagsire with disgust as she saw his dopey face.

"Milotic," Yurie murmured, remembering the Milotic she saw at the Hoenn Grand Festival.

"Use Ice Beam!" Seshiru ordered.

The confusion status that Quagsire had seemingly been suffering from had faded away, and he walked forward a little bit before unleashing one more blast of ice from his mouth. Azami made no order, but instead allowed her Pokémon to take the full blow of the attack. Milotic cried out as the ice froze over her body, but she remained calm, trusting her trainer's decision.

"Mirror Coat!" Azami yelled.

The ice began to melt off of Milotic's body as she absorbed energy. And then, she unleashed her own version of Ice Beam across the field, ripping up the ground. It blasted into Quagsire, and then in a feat that seemed improbable, Quagsire's massive body was lifted off the ground. He crashed into the field in front of Seshiru's feet, and his arms fell limp, indicating that his fight was over.

"Quagsire is unable to battle!"

"What? What just happened?" Seshiru asked.

Logan sat back in his chair and put his hand to his chin. "That was Mirror Coat. It's a bit complicated, but it Milotic takes a certain kind of attack directly, if she survives it, she can use Mirror Coat, which sends the attack back at double the power."

"If that's the case, then Seshiru will have to be very careful with what attacks she chooses to use."

Seshiru returned Quagsire to his ball and then thought over her next choice. She carefully selected her Poké Ball and then held it up. "I've learned to not underestimate the Battle Frontier, so an attack like that no longer surprises me. But my next Pokémon is nothing to laugh at." With that, she threw her Poké Ball into the air. The Pokémon that Logan and Yurie had already met a few days earlier emerged onto the field. He smacked his fists together and then raised them, ready to strike when given the opportunity.

Azami smiled and observed her Pokémon. "Let's get you back to full health. Recover."

Milotic let out a soft hum as her body started to glow with a bright light that illuminated the field. Her body shook as its wounds were healed, and she smiled at Seshiru.

"So, that Ice Beam was for nothing?" Yurie asked.

"I guess so."

"Ice Beam!"

"Poliwrath, use Ice Punch!"

Milotic released her own beam of ice, this time without the extra energy while Poliwrath ran across the field. He lunged out his hand, connected directly with Milotic's attack, and then it became a struggle between strength. Poliwrath continued to charge through as the ice collected into his fist and then slowly made its way up his arm. He soon made it to Milotic who then stopped her attack. He lifted his fist and then jabbed, sending it crashing into the Water-type. The ice exploded off of his arm, sending Milotic backwards. But Poliwrath was not left unphased. The ice had done its damage, and there were marks up to Poliwrath's shoulder.

"Surf!" Azami commanded.

"Waterfall!"

Milotic spun her body around in a circle, creating water that she then released forward, making a giant wave that covered half of the field. It continued forward, directly targeting Poliwrath. But he was not afraid. He smacked together his two massives fists, and aquatic energy wrapped itself around his arms. He charged forward and lunged directly into the water, splitting it in half. His attack then came to a stop as he had used all of its energy for defensive measures.

"Ice Beam!" Azami yelled again.

"We'll take a different approach, then," Seshiru said. "Dynamic Punch!"

As the beam of jagged ice made its way down the field, Poliwrath ran forward again. He charged energy into his fist, taking the color of orange. This time, the ice collided with him directly in the chest, but he remained steadfast in his approach. He fought through the ice and then lifted his fist, but Milotic was quick, narrowly avoiding the attack. Poliwrath stumbled forward, and he felt at his stomach. The ice had done its damage.

"Finish with Surf!"

Now at close-range, Milotic swung her body around to create the wave again. It chased after Poliwrath, and this time, he actually looked at it with fear in his eyes.

"Waterfall again! Give it all you got!"

He repeated his actions from before and then charged at the wave. He crashed into it, splitting it once more, but this time he was able to maintain some momentum, charging towards Milotic. But it wasn't long until Waterfall's energy faded away.

"Grab!" Seshiru called.

Continuing his forward motion, Poliwrath reached out. He grabbed ahold of Milotic by the jaw and lifted her into the air.

"Try your luck now!" Seshiru yelled. "Dynamic Punch!"

With Poliwrath's free hand, he jabbed, smashing Milotic directly in the snout. She soared into the air before crashing down onto the hard field. But to everyone's surprise, she got back up, her body's movements shaky.

"Now Milotic will go through the confusion status," Logan said. "That's Dynamic Punch's additional effect."

Azami observed Milotic before she made her call. "Recover!"

Milotic closed her eyes and tried to focus. She let out a soft coo as though she prepared to heal her wounds, but then suddenly, she snapped forward, headbutting the ground. She recoiled with her eyes closed tightly as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Seshiru grinned. "This is ours! Psychic!"

Poliwrath sighed with relief, as he didn't have to do anymore running. He lifted his arms into the air and his eyes started to glow purple. Milotic was surrounded with a psychic veil before her body was pulled upwards. Poliwrath used his attack to toss her upwards, and she flew through the air before her body crashed once more, this time, falling completely limp.

The referee watched for any signs of life from Milotic, but ultimately found nothing. He made his call. "Milotic is unable to battle! Azami is out of capable Pokémon, so the winner of this bout is Egawa Seshiru!"

Logan started to clap, and Yurie relented, allowing herself to celebrate Seshiru's victory.

Seshiru cheered before running onto the field to meet her Pokémon. She patted Poliwrath on his back before they lightly fist-bumped.

Azami met with them, and she gently smiled. "You did pretty good, kid. Thanks for the battle."

Seshiru bowed. "It was my honor to fight you, queen."

Azami laughed. "None of that is necessary."

The referee, an old man with a long beard, handed over Azami a small black case. She clicked it open by flicking a small golden switch, revealing a golden coin with a rupee shape engraved into it.

"This is the Luck Symbol. You've earned it today."

Seshiru smiled as she pulled a dark blue case from her bag. She opened it up, revealing a few steel cards. She moved them around, making space for the coin.

"I see that you've taken on the Sinnoh Frontier," Azami said as she observed the steel cards. "You managed to beat all but one."

Seshiru nodded, and she fastened the coin tightly into her case. "I won't fail this time."

"That was incredible," Logan exclaimed.

The three were now at the Pokémon Center, and Seshiru had given her Pokémon to the Nurse Joy to get checked on. They were all sitting at one of the dinner tables and enjoying a pot of meat that slowly cooked in a broth.

"I wasn't aware that your Pokémon were so strong," Yurie said. "I'm actually pretty surprised."

Seshiru grinned. "We've trained pretty hard, and I've been with Poliwrath for a very long time. That said, Azami was actually one of the easier Frontier Brains I've challenged. The others are a lot more challenging."

Logan was taken aback. "Wh-what? Really?"

Seshiru nodded and then sighed. She opened her case, revealing the steel cards. "She wasn't easy by any means, and it could very well be my own personal growth, but the other Frontier Brains were more challenging."

"I'm excited to see more then!" Logan exclaimed excitedly.

"I've been thinking," Seshiru said quietly. "I feel bad for just inviting myself to journey with you two. I do appreciate the support you gave me today, but we do all have different goals in mind. Maybe it'd be better if I didn't go with you. I don't want to get in the way of your gyms or contests."

Logan put his hand to his chin and thought. "That can be difficult. But I think you should do what is best for you."

Yurie sat back in her chair, and she thought for a moment. She looked at Seshiru and then Logan. She had no intentions of continuing her journey throughout Kanto with Seshiru, but the prospect of seeing strong trainers and intense battles did interest her. That, and Seshiru did seem genuine in her eyes. There was also something about Seshiru that Yurie couldn't explain. Seshiru smiled wide, and her eyes were bright with energy, but something about her soft spoken tone and her posture hinted that maybe, just maybe, she was lonely. Yurie bit her tongue.

"How about you stay with us a little while longer?" Yurie finally said. She tried to avoid Seshiru's gaze. "I can use some more support in my contests, and I'd like to watch more of your battles, I guess."

Seshiru perked up. "Is-is that okay?"

Logan nodded. "Fine with me!"

Yurie looked to the ground. "Yeah."

"Well, then I guess it's settled! Let's travel together!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So, I guess Seshiru is officially officially a part of the group now. I'm not sure if she'll ever meet Himawari, but I'm curious as to how the two of them would react.

Side note: I'm on some heavy medication right now for an ear infection. Sorry if there are extra mistakes and such in this chapter. I haven't been able to write anything for a week.

REVIEWS:

pokemonking 0924 - "A close call with both battles but Yurie managed to pull through in the end. Plus she now has two new rivals in Dana and Reina. Now it's Seshirus turn with her upcoming battle frontier challenge, the only question is who is she going up against. Looking forward to seeing that battle. Also I wonder if Yurie will get any ideas from watching frontier brain Tucker battle just like May in the anime." - On the note of Yurie getting ideas, I think she will!

wisdom-jewel - "Yurie won her first contest in Kanto. I love how she interacts with her new rivals. It seems that her new rivals would keep her on her toes. Which will be a good thing since she needs the challenge. I can't wait for Seshiru to have her first Frontier Symbol. I wonder if Logan would try to do double duty in both getting badges and getting symbols. Though he might not." I don't think he'll be doing double duty. Haha. That'd be too many battles to write.

CrescentApple - "Jeez when Reina battles she is like a ehole diffefejt person. Im not sure even Yuri starting out last year could have defeated her. There nothing else to say expect the same old endless gushing of each chapter. Theyre fun to read, and I always enjoy the new and old characters mingling." - Yurie would have 100% lost had it been a year prior.

Konoichi69 - "Yurie really needs to get over her feelings of jealousy and bitterness of Seshiru trying to catch Squirtle and bond with Logan, it looks like Seshiru is over Yurie catching Squirtle instead. I believe that her first battle of the battle frontier will take place at the battle Pike against Lucy." - Seshiru is going to be a lot more easy-going and level-headed than Yurie. I'll be going with the Japanese names once more, but hey! Your prediction was correct!