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Words: 12,487

Guys I need your help. AS you'll notice, we've got some pokemon that need some names, I've got a Lord of the rings theme going. Houndour, Seel, and a pokemon that will be revealed within this chapter need some names in the future. Mind helping me pick them out? Credit will be given. The author loves you all.

Chapter 25

Vali curled her fingers through Balto's fur as they drew closer to Cinnabar and looked at him, "Hey, we're almost to Cinnabar. Blaine said someone from the gym should be waiting for us at the docks."

Balto woofed softly as Elrond commented, "At the very least, we weren't attacked on the way here nor is it crowded."

"That is a plus," Vali agreed with a light smile though it dropped slightly as her mind once again wandered to Ash and Gary, "Do you think they'll forgive me? They haven't called me yet,"

"They will and probably have," Elrond assured her with a low sigh as he settled right by her shoulder, "They're just being stubborn right now and scared to say anything,"

Vali knew Elrond was probably right, but it didn't make her feel better. She resolved to talk with Ash and Gary as soon as possible though it would likely require a visit to Pallet town. Most likely, she'd have to ask Professor Oak to borrow his Alakazam when she had a few days off. Balto shifted a bit and she hefted her bag up feeling glad that Delia would be sending anything she couldn't bring along inside it once everything had settled down. When the boat landed, they disembarked with the other passengers and began looking for any sign of whoever would be meeting them.

It was without any surprise that Elrond managed to find the person they were supposed to meet. It was Jackson from the Big Riddle Inn which made sense since Vali would be more likely to remember him from that one time they'd met. She remembered the dusky pink haired man if only due to the shade of hair and the fact he had been the one to give her the journal she's been working on for Blaine. Now that he wasn't sitting behind the desk, she could see that Jackson was of fairly average height and shared the same tanned skin as most residence of Cinnabar. He wore a dark red shirt with a pale orange vest open hanging open over-top of it and a tanned pair of multi-pocket cargo shorts. He wore some black combat boots that were scuffed up rather heavily and the right one looked to have a tooth mark near the edge toe alongside some burns. Along his belt were some pokeballs, one of which obviously had to belong to the handsome Pyroar standing proudly beside him.

Jackson's black eyes shone and he perked up as Vali approached him, "Valkyrie, it's been awhile. I'm Jackson Alpin in case you don't remember me."

"I do vaguely," Vali replied as she reached his side though her eyes shifted to the Pyroar who peered at Balto with narrowed eyes and shifted on his paws, "Who's your partner?"

"This is Diego," Jackson grinned brightly as he patted the Pyroar lightly, "He's my starter. Let's head up to the Gym, the Boss wants to get everything settled and done before we get swamped,"

"Sounds like a plan," Vali nodded as they started making their way from the port and into the Cinnabar itself, "And please call me Vali, I prefer it,"

"Boss-man said something like that and from what I've heard on the TV I guessed it, I didn't want to overstep though," Jackson told her as they wove their way through Cinnabar's streets.

Vali appreciated it, "So what did you mean by 'Get swamped'? I thought that only happened when it got close to the Conference."

Jackson shook his head with a snort, "Nah, we get swamped a few times before then. The first time, the one I'm talking about, is when we have to give out starters to various children around Cinnabar and the islands surrounding it when they turn of age. It takes about two weeks to get everything done especially when the paperwork has to be done. This year is going to be especially interesting since one child in particular is going to be turning 10, it's going to be a rough two weeks."

Vali looked at him in confusion, "Why is one kid in particular so special?"

Jackson gained a pained look on his face, "Kid's an orphan from a very small island. Kid's in a wheel-chair due to an accident, but she's working on regaining the ability to walk. Kid lost her parents in the accident too leaving her completely alone since they were the last of their family in the Region and the only relatives belong to Orre which is pretty much a lost cause causing how war torn it is," He sighed deeply, "Kid's lucky that she's alive and able to recover with barely any memories of what happened. She's staying in the hospital right now,"

"So is she staying on Cinnabar as a result?" Vali asked having read something like that in the League Manual that Professor Oak had shoved into her hands before the boat ride when things had gotten boring.

"Yeah," Jackson nodded as they started on the path out of the city, "She'll end up staying in the gym once the Hospital lets her loose. Boss-man's already swearing up a storm though. Kid's bonded with a water-type and he's struggling to get the proper permits done with the League so she can keep it,"

"What pokemon?" Vali asked feeling slightly confused, "If it's something pretty small and no too strong, they won't argue too much,"

"It's a Kingdra," Jackson answered making Vali choke on her spit and Elrond freeze in mid air as Balto tripped, "Yeah, we were all surprised to find out just how close the two were. Kingdra's fairly passive unless it comes to being separated from the kid. And the kid's got wicked nightmares whenever she's separated from Kingdra, we figured it out after the first time they managed to seperate them for more than a couple hours,"

"And they're still trying?" Vali asked though she could understand why since a kid shouldn't have such a powerful pokemon unless they had shown the ability to control it.

Jackson nodded with a shake of his head, "Mhmm. Multiple times, the longest they managed so far was three days and Kingdra managed to return without fail each time. It's gotten to the point it'll attack any pokemon outside of those belonging to Boss-man since he's the only one that hasn't tried to catch it," Jackson was quiet for a moment as he glanced at her and a smile suddenly appeared, "I think you'll probably be the one he'll stick with the job of helping the kid out while he focuses on things at the gym once you're set up here. You're not too much older than her after all and she'll be stuck at the gym."

"He'd really do that?" Vali asked not minding the idea though she'd been hoping Blaine would start teaching her something once she got settled.

"If only because we're about to get swamped with far too many newbie trainers needing pokemon and verifying that they've all passed their exams, I swear this is going to suck," Jackson shook his head with a sigh.

They soon reached the Big Riddle Inn where the gym was hidden and headed inside to woman laying on the floor with a Pansear mimicking her. The woman's wiry apricot hair puffed outward and defied gravity. What skin wasn't covered by the woman's over-sized red sweat shirt and similarly colored pants was a pale cream making it clear that she likely didn't get out much, the woman was currently wearing a pair of slippers with Stantler heads on the end. Vali was about to voice her concern about what was going on when a tired voice sounded, "Jackson? Did you get any coffee while you were out?"

"No, Martha," Jackson said with a shake of his head.

Martha let out a groan as the Pansear next to her mimicked it, "Then why did you go out?"

"To get Boss-man's new apprentice, Vali," Jackson said as he chuckled, "Remember he announced it during dinner last night and breakfast this morning?"

The newly named Martha let out another groan and slowly raised her head, "Fuck, that was today?" Graying violet surrounded by blackened circles became visible, "Shit, you're kind of tiny, aren't ya?"

"Martha!" Jackson scolded as Vali's eyes widened a little.

Vali wasn't expecting that from anyone other than Surge, but she could roll with it. She merely smiled at the woman rather than let the insult bother her, "Better to make my opponents underestimate me especially since I've still got some growing to do, wouldn't you say?"

Martha eyed her for a second before a grin formed on her tired face, "Bet Surge loves ya, Kid."

"He and I get along just fine," Vali replied as Balto and Elrond relaxed from their semi-tensed states, "Valkyrie Potter-Black though I prefer Vali. I'm going to be Blaine's apprentice, but I have a feeling he's probably going to dump a lot of stuff on me when he feels I'm ready for it," She gestured to Balto and Elrond, "These are my partners, the Arcanine's Balto and the Alpha of our pack. The Alolan Raichu is Elrond and the Translator,"

"Smart kid, I think you'll stick around longer than most of those hot-headed little shits that try to stick around here as a Gym Trainers after their first Conference," Martha replied with a soft laugh, "Martha Reid. The Pansear here is one of my partners Pan. Not the most imaginative, I'll admit, but we're both lazy fuckers when it comes to anything outside of my research. By the way, Vali, you're supposed to be getting a research paper published next week, right?"

"Yes," Vali nodded as Jackson looked between them seemingly relieved, "The publishers finally said something,"

"I look forward to seeing it especially given what the topic is rumored to be about," Martha looked towards Jackson and rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to bite the kid's head off, Jackson. Don't act like I'm Darkrai incarnate,"

"It's not that. You just tend to be fairly unmotivated to watch your words and I'd prefer it if you didn't scare off Vali," Jackson told Martha making the apricot haired woman glare at him.

Vali snorted softly making both of them turn to her and she quickly said, "You don't have to watch your words around me. I trained with Surge and tend to talk with him on occasion when it comes to one of my pokemon. People can't really scare me off with words, I'm not easily offended and I'd sooner battle you then get scared off."

"Good to hear," Blaine spoke from one of the doors leading further into the building, "C'mon, Vali. We've got paperwork to do. Jackson, I need you to man the computer while I'm with Vali. Martha, get off the floor. Cooper and Eva will be back soon, I'd rather not deal with them tripping over you,"

Martha and Pansear both groaned as they slowly began to move. Vali began to follow Blaine as she said, "See you two later."

"See you, Vali," Jackson told her as he moved to the desk.

Martha mumbled something unintelligible, but Vali assumed it was the same as Jackson. Blaine spoke as she returned Balto due to the size of the hallway, "You're looking more relaxed, Vali."

"It helps that the stress of the Conference is gone and I don't need to make a hard choice anymore," Vali told him as they moved down the hallway, "Steven wanted me to travel with him again after the Conference, but knowing that there was a chance you'd offer me to be your Apprentice, I couldn't just say yes. I got stressed out, but worked through it while also fighting my Conference battles as best I could with my partners,"

"You did very well fighting with such a heavy choice on your mind," Blaine said and Vali had a feeling it was a rare thing to be complimented by him, "In the end, you chose to become my Apprentice. Do you regret it?"

Vali shook her head, "No though my heart does feel heavy. I feel that this is the right choice. We both need to grow and Hoenn will be waiting for me in the future once my time is done here."

"Good to hear though you may feel differently during various portions of our time together," Blaine told her earning a nod of understanding, "Try not to regret it too much,"

"I won't," Vali promised as they reached what looked to be a plain door with a simple Ninetails engraved into the frame.

Blaine opened the door leading into a rather messy office that immediately made her want to clean it up. She bit back the urge while bending down to greet Ninetails who purred softly when her fingers stroked a spot just under her right ear. Blaine gestured to a chair in front of his desk and went about finding the paperwork. Vali released Aragorn who immediately jumped to greet Ninetails after realizing she was in the room. Blaine spoke as he plopped the paperwork down, "You've filled out paperwork similar to this before. The only one that can match this is when you became a trainer and was basically the League making sure you'd take care of your pokemon, right?"

"Yeah," Vali nodded as Blaine took out a pen, "So what exactly is diffrent about this?"

"Our contract is basically open ended since it won't end until I say it does," Blaine explained tapping the contracted with the closed pen, "I won't end it till you've reached a point that I'm doubtful you'll be able to learn anything else under me. Pretty simple, right?" Vali nodded as she eyed the contract, "To be honest, Kid. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to teach you. A lot of it will depend on how well you can take things in and that of your pokemon. The best I can guarantee is a year at the current moment,"

"I'll take what I can get, Blaine," Vali told him as she smiled lightly, "If a year is all you can provide me then I'll learn everything you're able to teach me, I'm here to learn after all,"

"Alright, Brat," Blaine's mouth twitched into a smile, "Let's sign this thing and get it done, I'm sure you want to put your things up,"

Vali looked at the mound of paperwork he'd placed on his desk and felt her hand ache slightly at the sight. It would seem that Professor Oak's warning from those early days back when she'd first become a trainer were becoming true: A true trainer dealt with paperwork as much as pokemon.

Even if she wanted to drop onto the bed in her new room, she had to drop her things off before heading to the battlefield where Blaine was waiting with Magmar. He set Magmar against her team while having his other pokemon watching before leaving the room to go do some things. Vali managed to keep Seel, Aragorn, and Houndour from attempting to join in while Litwick quickly hid within her shadows though the little ghost peaked out to watch. Even with everyone working together, they barely managed to take down Magmar before Blaine's Ninetails wiped the floor with them. One of the lower members of his team forced Vali to release her grip on Seel and Aragorn while a gym psychic-type translated that they merely wanted to see what the two could do. Neither of them could match up to the elder members of her team though both were definitely skilled for their ages even if she wasn't sure how old Seel was, the Incineroar seemed pleased with the two.

When Blaine returned after all was said and done, Vali was working potions into her pokemon's bodies while feeling slightly depressed knowing how easily his pokemon had thrown hers around. Blaine looked at her as he patted Ninetails on the head, "You managed to take down Magmar. Well done, Brats. How do you feel?"

Vali looked at her pokemon who were all injured in someway save for Litwick and Houndour before focusing back on Blaine. She spoke as Smaug grunted when her fingers pressed just a hair too hard against his bruised scales, "A bit depressed at how easily two of your pokemon two us down even if we managed to take Magmar down. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing that we took him down, but in the end, our asses were kicked. Seel and Aragorn both have a lot to learn though they didn't participate in the main battles."

"Nicely observed," Blaine nodded to himself as he walked over, "Your Litwick, it isn't a battler, is it?"

"She doesn't like to battle, no," Vali shook her head lightly as she sprayed Smaug's scales, "I have a feeling she'll be more of a contest pokemon in the end, but she's willing to learn how if it comes down to it,"

"I see," Blaine nodded to himself as he peered at Litwick who was levitating Will-o-Wisps for Houndour to chase, "I'm not one for ghosts, but even I know that's somewhat unusual. But it'll be interesting to help you train her up, we'll figure something out for her. The Seel though is something I do have some experience in even if it is somewhat limited. You'll have a powerhouse when it's grown though patience is going to be needed especially when it starts to grow larger. Which gender is it?"

"Male," Vali answered already knowing what Blaine would likely warn her about, "I know that he'll probably get a bit aggressive and territorial once he starts those growth spurts. Professor Oak warned me and I've seen it happen at the ranch a couple a of times when a trainer decided to send their Seel over when they couldn't handle it,"

Blaine's mouth twisted into a sneer at that, "That's one way to break your pokemon's trust, idiots."

The Seels in question always ended up being given up to the League where they'd be worked with to ensure they'd continue fighting alongside trainers. From what Vali knew, the Seel in question usually turned into violent pokemon with a few rare exceptions, but they found new homes with the Ace corps. Some found a home at the Cerulean gym if they weren't too violent. At that last thought, Vali remembered Grace's offer for water-type tips from way back when, "Blaine, Grace and Walter from Cerulean offered me some training tips for water-type pokemon if I ever got one."

Blaine looked a bit surprised by the comment, "Did they? That's nice of them and honestly a good idea to ask them for help sometimes, Brat. I might know a lot, but they're the ones that know water-types like the back of their hands," He gestured to Elrond and Pippin, "Keep bugging Surge for tips on those two, I'll do what I can, but a lot of it will be up to you."

"I'll be working with Eevee alone too," Vali told him earning a look, "Eevee's someone that falls under Surge's purview,"

Blaine gained a look of understanding, "Ah, I see. I'll be talking with him then since he didn't say shit to me. I need to get Eevee's file," Blaine began turning around, "Return your pokemon, Brat. We're going to drop them off to get healed then grab some grub. What happened here is going to be a regular occurrence, I'm going to be beating your team black and blue until they're able to make us stop. Magmar and the others are going to make this even more difficult each time it happens,"

Vali felt a bit of dread at those words even if she knew that this was what it took to get stronger.

After some more discussion and Vali summarizing how she usually trained her pokemon with Blaine picking everything apart, Blaine brought them to the cafeteria where everyone else was eating dinner. Jackson spotted them first and called out over the noise of various pokemon and humans, "Boss-man, Vali, Did everything go all right?"

"Everything's fine, Jackson," Blaine said with a wave of his hand before calling out, "Everyone, Quiet down!" The cafeteria became quiet as every being in the room focused on them though Vali immediately found it far easier to deal with than the Conference especially due to the fact Aragorn was in her arms and Litwick was on her shoulder, "I know for a fact that I've told you that we'd be having someone join us since the Conference. But since I know very well how some of you are, some of you have very likely forgotten by now, so listen up," He looked over everyone while gesturing to Vali, "This is Valkyrie Potter-Black or Vali as she prefers, the third place winner of this years Conference which is a surprise given how tiny she is, but her pokemon are definitely strong enough to back it up. She's my new apprentice and basically the newest gym trainer. Get her caught up on the various duties you lot have to do when I'm busy, I'll be personally training her in various things as part of the contract we've got drawn up. When I go on League Business, she'll be going with me unless I deem her unable to though with her going to Lavender Town and helping out, I'm going to say she's pretty good,"

Blaine turned to her, Vali realized he wanted her to speak. She smiled lightly at everyone, "Hi, everyone. I've already met Jackson from a previous visit and Martha earlier today. It's a pleasure to meet the rest of you. I'm not sure what exactly to say to you all. I'm from Pallet town and started out with two pokemon. My starter was a Charmander named Smaug who's now a Charizard and a Growlithe named Balto who is an Arcanine. I dream of become a fire-type master and member of the Elite four under one of my dear friends who's working to become the next Champion," Aragorn barked lightly, "Aragorn here was the first pokemon I ever hatched while Litwick was one I ended up catching in Lavender town. I love taking photographs and have started my own business selling some. I hope that even if we don't all get along that we'll be able to work together. Please help guide me and my pokemon, we're really out of our depths here and eager to learn."

"Well said," Blaine looked back at everyone, "Let the kid and her pokemon eat, mine put them through the grinder,"

Everyone winced in sympathy and Vali quickly released her team feeling happy that she didn't have to worry about who to send to Professor Oak's lab anymore. She got everyone food with Elrond's help and they dove in immediately. Jackson waved her over to where the humans were sitting. She sat down and immediately dug into her food. It was better than the boat food, but not as good as Delia's food. Jackson spoke after she had gotten her first few bites, "So boss-man ran you through the grinder?"

Vali swallowed before saying, "Yeah. It was necessary though since they needed to see where we were. We managed to take out Magmar."

One of the gym trainers she hadn't met yet, a teenage boy, spat out his drink in shock, "W-what? How?"

"It took all of my elder members, but they managed it. Ninetails took them out though," Vali still felt a sting of anger at that though she quickly pushed it aside.

"Damn, Kid," Martha offered her a lazy grin while raising her glass towards Vali looking more awake than earlier, "Nicely done, none of us can claim we've managed to take out Magmar within our first couple of months much less the day we arrived. Who was still standing by the time he went down?"

Vali gestured to Smaug, Balto, and Elrond, "Smaug, Balto, and Elrond. Smaug was still standing mostly because he's a stubborn bastard and Magmar managed to piss him off," She eyed Blaine, "I'm still trying to find out what exactly Magmar managed to say that pissed off Smaug so much. I mean all of my pokemon were angry, but Magmar seemed to target Smaug specifically. Elrond won't say anything even when I ask. Any ideas?"

"Magmar doesn't like Charizards," Blaine told her with a shrug, "Not sure what he said exactly, it could've been anything, but he'll takes special pleasure in getting a rise out of them. He's going to enjoy beating Smaug into the ground as much as possible. I'd advise leaving it for now,"

Vali was tempted to argue since Smaug never got pissed off at another pokemon's words before, but knew that Blaine wouldn't let her. So she bit her tongue and focused on getting to know those around her, the humans that was since their pokemon were a bit busy doing the same. She noted that there was an older woman beside Martha at the table with brown hair and lemon colored eyes. She had tanned skin and wore a red t-shirt with Cinnabar stamped on it in black. She wore a pair of black pants with red flower petals and a pair of boots. An older teenage girl with mauve colored hair and topaz colored eyes sat next to Jackson. She wore a black long sleeve shirt with Cinnabar stamped on it in red and a pair of red pants. She wore a pair of white tennis shoes and a pink bow around her neck. The teenage boy that had spoken earlier had wild black hair with red streaks and a bright crimson eyes almost reminding her of a fire-type pokemon especially with the black markings around his eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with Cinnabar stamped on it in red and a pair of black pants. He wore a pair of black boots and some bracelets on his wrists that clanked slightly with his movements. When he noticed her looking at him, he grinned revealing a missing front tooth though she could see one coming in showing that they were regrowing it somehow, "I'm Zavian Pena from right here in Cinnabar, Sweet Vali. Sorry for over reacting earlier, it just isn't often that we hear someone defeating the boss' Magmar."

"Don't flirt with the kid, Zavian," The girl scoffed from beside Jackson before introducing herself, "Names Isobel Moreno, I'm from Fuchsia city,"

"Abigail Turner from Pallet Town," The woman next to Martha revealed earning a surprised look, "Who's your parents kids? I don't know of any Potters or Blacks that lived in the area,"

"My godfather and I moved there when we came to Kanto," Vali revealed earning surprised looks from everyone save for Blaine, "I can't remember too much from before we came to Pallet though. My godfather, Sirius Black, adopted me since my parents were killed when I was really little,"

Abigail flinched a bit, "I-I'm s-"

Vali held up a hand to forestall the coming apology, "Don't bother, you didn't know and I've honestly come to a point where its not a touchy subject," She eyes Abigail and thought the woman looked somewhat familiar, "Do you have any family in Pallet town? You look somewhat familiar though I don't think we've seen each other."

"A four year old niece," Abigail answered earning a soft hum.

Elrond spoke up as Vali tried to think of who the woman's niece could be, "Her niece is in Ash and Gary's class. I believe she's the only one that didn't immediately try to pull on our fur or jump on Smaug like he was an overgrown Ponyta. She was fairly respectful."

Vali recalled the girl immediately and smiled at the thought, "Thanks to Elrond, I remember her now. She was very respectful to my pokemon when my traveling partner and I were at my younger brother's school doing an demonstration. I didn't get her name back then."

"Lyra. Lyra Barnes," Abigail told her, "Why did you do a demonstration?"

"I was home for Christmas," Vali would have to make sure she did it again at some point since it'd been pretty fun, "It was a lot of fun and the kids learned a lot especially since Idril was close to evolving back then,"

"You didn't use her during the Conference," Zavian commented with a curious expression, "I didn't see you using your Litwick either. The Seel is understandable as is your Vulpix and the Houndour,"

"Idril evolved right before the Conference and I didn't want to risk her getting hurt. By the time she'd gotten used to her new body, we'd passed the rounds she would've been able to battle effectively," Vali admitted as Idril padded over to her and she reached down to rub the mouse pokemon's head, "While she's grown more powerful and we have gotten a chance to test it out since she's evolved, I didn't want to risk it during the Conference battles where there was a real chance she'd be irreversibly hurt. My pack's lives are worth more than the shock and awe value revealing a shiny pokemon can bring,"

"A smart choice and one most trainers stupidly ignore," Blaine said as he pointed his drink towards her, "How did you come across her?"

"Traveling through Mount Moon, she stumbled in my camp with Steven and our guide looking for food," Vali explained as she smiled down at her not so little one who chittered lightly, "She was so young. I don't know how long it'd been since she'd hatched, but her mother had been killed. I ended up catching her and it wasn't until I'd scanned her with my pokedex that we realized that she was shiny,"

"Lucky," Zavian groaned earning a snort from Vali.

"Trust me, you don't want my luck. It goes from amazing to runny Rapidash shit," Vali told him with a shake of her head, "According to my godfather, it was a running joke back in my old home region that my father's family was blessed and cursed by a pair of deities to have both kids of luck. My journey has run both ways. Just look at my first trip here, my traveling partner and I's ship ended up running into a pod of Gyarados that nearly capsized our boat. I ended up breaking my arm and was bruised quite a bit,"

"Damn," Zavian whistled softly, "Now I feel less jealous, I definitely don't want you luck now if those are the extremes you've got to deal with,"

Vali shook her head at him as Blaine snorted, "Not on your life, Kid, she's got a shit ton more in her file," Vali looked at him in alarm and he shrugged, "Brat, I'm the one holding you chain and a former Elite Four member. They're not going to keep shit from me," He gestured around them, "The group with us on the other hand know when they're not ready or have the rank for certain information."

Jackson and the other gym trainers offered Vali a look at Blaine's words. Martha pointed her fork at the emerald eyed eleven year old, "I don't know what's in your file that makes its above our rank. If the boss says we can't know it, we won't ask about it though that doesn't mean we're not curious."

"Alright," Blaine stood up rather suddenly not long after Martha spoke, "I'm heading off to get some more things done. Brat, I want you in the training grounds bright and early before breakfast. I'd suggest going to bed at some point soon, but it isn't mandatory. After our morning training session, we'll have breakfast and I'll start you on your duties once your pokemon are healed up. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Vali told him earning a nod, "Have a good night,"

"You too," Blaine told her, "Welcome to Cinnabar,"

Blaine headed off after returning all his pokemon save for Ninetails. Jackson spoke up as Vali turned back to the remainder of her dinner, "You'll get used to things pretty quickly here, Vali. I just know it. We'll all be here to help you out when we can."

"I'll be thankful for it," Vali told him honestly, "My pack and I all will be,"

"So you really call them that?" Isobel asked earning a nod, "A bit odd, but why?"

"It just fits and I've gotten used to calling them it," Vali replied with a light shrug, "I honestly can't explain it effectively for anyone's liking," She finished her last bite of dinner and stood up to place her stuff with all the other dishes, "I think my pokemon and I will be going to settle down in our room for the night. While I'd normally spend more time getting to know you all, it's been a long trip and my pack did have a long day. If you'll excuse us, we'll be turning in for the night,"

"Have a good night, Vali," Jackson told her.

Everyone mimicked the man's words as Vali began returning everyone save for Aragorn and Elrond though Zavian offered, "Why don't I walk you to your room? I'm done eating and the gym is probably still a bit confusing to you."

Vali looked at him in surprise at the offer, but nodded lightly, "Uh, sure. While I think we'd be able to make our way to our just fine, it'd probably be a good idea."

Zavian returned his own pokemon revealing that he had a Houndoom, Incineroar, Salandit, Umbreon, Vulpix, and a Talonflame. They left the cafeteria and began heading for Vali's room with Zavian not quite leading. Zavian spoke up after a few moments, "Sorry if the girls ended up putting you off tonight, Vali. It's normally not like this. We're a lot more friendly and open then. It's just not often that we get new people, so having you come along is something we're not used to at all."

"I get it," Vali shrugged lightly, "Pallet Town is the same way. I was the odd one out when I arrived. I just hope it doesn't turn out the same way as my school days," She noticed his curious look, "I was the outcast. Too mature acting or too studious, I didn't really know if pokemon training was for me until the winter before I set off for my pokemon journey. As a result, I spent more time with the adults or in the library then with other children. I also spent a lot of time at the local pokemon lab,"

"Sounds rough," Zavian shook his head, "But probably better prepared you for your journey. I didn't see anyone from Pallet Town past the first round of the Conference save for you,"

"I didn't have much contact with anyone save for a couple times during my journey," Vali didn't really enjoy remembering said times due to what happened during them, "So an Umbreon?"

"Diana was my starter," Zavian explained with a light smile, "And I originally was a dark-type focused trainer like my mother. But then as my journey progressed, I began to discover my affinity for fire-types that I couldn't ignore. After my second Conference ended with me coming fourth, I decided to come back to Cinnabar and beg Blaine to take me on as a Gym Trainer. He agreed and I've been here since,"

"I can't imagine ever switching to a diffrent type of pokemon," Vali shook her head lightly at the thought.

Zavian's smile turned strained, "It was difficult and some of my original team ended up paying the price. Either dying or begging to be released due to resenting me, the rest of them I'm still able to train and make stronger," They stopped and Vali realized that they'd reached her door, "Vali, you lucked out on realizing which type of pokemon suited you strait out of the gate. Some of us don't and our pokemon pay the ultimate price. But sometimes even when we're training them right, we still make stupid decisions," He gave her a serious look which she hadn't been expecting and it looked strangely wrong on teenager, "The return feature exists for a reason, Vali. Don't hesitate for a second to return one of your pack if the battle looks like it's taking a turn towards the lethal sign, you should take it from someone who's paid that price in full more than once. Every second counts."

Vali nodded as she swallowed heavily against the lump in her throat, "I will, Zavian."

"Good," The haunted look in Zavian's eyes faded leaving pain and Vali knew that he would likely be thinking about whatever had brought that haunted look to his eyes, "Good night, Vali. Welcome to Cinnabar, I'll see you in the morning,"

"Night, Zavian," Vali replied in a soft voice.

Zavian left her and Vali headed into her room. She didn't immediately release anyone into the room that could barely fit everyone. Instead she headed over to the bed and sat down, Elrond settled onto the soft blanket with Aragorn hopping up beside her. Elrond spoke feeling her turmoil, "We will ensure that the worst will not happen. The training Blaine is putting us through is ensuring this."

"I know, but there's still a chance," Vali reached out and pulled Aragorn to her feeling comfort in his warmth, "I just don't want to lose any of you. The thought of it..."

A shudder ran through Vali that shook her to the very core at the thought of it. It caused her magic and inner flame to bristle and coil dangerously. Elrond sparked in slight alarm and she forced herself to calm down noting the flames beginning to dance along her skin. Elrond spoke in a gentle voice as he moved closer, "We will protect one another, Vali. We are pack"

Vali nodded as she took a deep breath, "We're pack," A sense of determination ran through her as she decided something, "Elrond, can you ensure everyone hears what I'm about to say?"

Elrond nodded while looking at her curiously, "Of course, Dear One."

With Aragorn peering up at her curiously, Vali spoke knowing that all of her pokemon were listening, "Everyone, I don't think we're going to be fighting at a higher level now and that'll lead to more dangers than before. We're going to be facing life and death situations whenever Blaine deems us ready to leave Cinnabar with him. Even when we're not leaving Cinnabar, but dealing with various emergencies, it's going to be dangerous," She was amazed her voice didn't shake, "I don't want to lose any of you, so we're going to train harder than before. We need to get every single team member that comes to us up to a level where they'll be able to survive. We're going to teach them about being part of our pack," She closed her eyes, "That being part of the pack means one pokemons strengths is everyone's strength. One pokemons weakness is everyone's weakness. So long as we keep that in mind and get stronger, we shouldn't lose anyone."

Elrond spoke as Aragon nuzzled into her, "Everyone is giving their agreement."

Vali's duties would be fairly basic until after the next two weeks were over. For now, she'd be helping to keep the gym clean and tend to any of the pokemon that resided on site. After lunch on her second day, Blaine took her to Cinnabar General where the kid Jackson had spoke about was staying. He spoke as they headed through the hallways, "The kid's name is Amity Byrne. She's ten as of two weeks ago and an orphan as of three months ago. The Kingdra's name is Nemu. Even if the kid's a ten year old now, the League still isn't quite so keen on letting her have a Kingdra especially one that's a wild born considering how rare they are, but Nemu's not willing to let go of the kid. I need you to watch over the kid and ensure they're not messed with. Okay?"

"I can do that," Vali nodded her head lightly, "How long until she's out of the hospital?"

"Two days. Once Amity's comfortable with you, I'll be heading out since I've got shit to do today. Come back to the gym an hour before dinner so we can do another practice, I will warn you that Nemu won't like your pokemon too much," Blaine warned her earning a nod.

"Jackson said as much," Vali replied as she shoved her hands into the pockets of the hoodie she'd put on that morning, "I've just got to show Nemu that I'm not going to try and take her away from Amity. Once they trust me, I'll introduce them to Aragorn and Elrond maybe even Houndour,"

"Best bet," Blaine nodded to her as they reached a door at the end of a hallway, "I'll go in first then call you inside,"

Vali nodded and Blaine headed inside. It felt weird not having a pokemon with her, but she would abide by Blaine's rules. She pressed a hand to her pokeball belt for a moment and felt each of the orbs that rested on it. From the oldest one most weathered occupant to the newest one, she felt a peace knowing that her pack would be together from now on. Once any new members were in, they'd get to stay with her as long as she was a Gym trainer before being sent to the lab and she'd have to switch them around. By that time, she'd have enough resources to ensure that everyone would be able to train on their own and be able to give everyone the attention they needed, but that was in the future.

Blaine opened the door and she pushed away from the wall as her hand fell off the pokeballs on her waist. She walked into the room and found her attention shifting between the two beings within the room. The one most would be paying attention to was the Kingdra floating above the tub of water set up by the wall. The large seahorse-like pokemon's tail was tightly curled underneath it and heavily muscled. The startling sapphire blue of it's main body scales and the diamond pattern of it's compact butter yellow stomach scales denoted that it was female. Razor thin spines branched her horn forming the crown-like crest the Kindra species was known for, a set of thin pale white fines sat beneath her cheeks though one was torn. Her snout was thin to allow for powerful water jets, a thin yet jagged scar could be seen running along the entire edge of it from the tip to the base. Unlike others of her species, she only had the left two-pronged fin that extended slightly past her cheek while a rather ragged scar sat where the other should've been. On her back is a white fin supported by thin, blue spines similar to the ones on her head. Crimson red eyes gazed at Vali with a wary glared though the Kingdra didn't make a move to attack, she seemed to be waiting for any sign of trouble.

The one that Vali immediately found herself paying attention to was Amity Byrne. The ten year old had blue streaked black hair and teal eyes. The kid was pale though it was the kind you got from being forced to spend time inside after being outside for most of your life. She was skinny too though not unnaturally so, but definitely not a healthy kind of weight. The kid wore a set of hospital clothes that were definitely not something Vali thought was comfortable. Even with the blanket, Vali could see the braces on the kid's leg and felt a sting of sorrow for the kid at not being able to set out for her journey any time soon. Blaine spoke as Vali stopped beside him, "Amity, this brat is my new Apprentice and the one who'll be watching over you at the gym most of the time, Valkyrie Potter-Black. Brat, this is Amity Byrne and the Kindra Nemu. I'd stay longer, but I've got shit to do. Don't kill each other."

With that said, Blaine left the room. Vali watched him go feeling slightly exasperated with her new mentor. She sighed slightly as the door shut before turning back to Amity and found their eyes fully meeting for the first time. Almost immediately her inner flame jumped up against her skin when a cool feeling enveloped the room and Amity's eyes flashed a deep sea green, the younger girl gasped softly and pressed a hand to her heart as Nemu let out a low thrum that didn't sound at all friendly. Vali quickly reigned in her inner flame as she spoke, "So you're one of us, huh?"

"O-one of us?" Amity stuttered out in a soft voice, "W-what do you mean?"

Rather than speak, Vali closed her eyes and brought up her hand while carefully willing her flames to the surface of her skin. Upon hearing Amity yelp and Nemu's hiss, she forced her flames down and opened her eyes glad that she hadn't set off any smoke detectors, "I don't know much of anything either. I just know that there are about 6 of us. I can't explain much especially in this place,"

"S-so I'm not alone?" Amity asked looking at Vali in awe, "B-but why now? Why not before?"

"We didn't meet until now," Vali replied as she took a seat by Amity, "I can explain more about all this once you're at the gym, but even then, it'll be difficult since I don't know a lot. I only learned this during my journey and I won't meet my true teacher for another two years at least,"

"What about Blaine?" Amity asked in confusion.

"Blaine will let me go when he decides that he's taught me enough and I learn pretty quick," Vali shrugged lightly, "So I'm not too concerned," She held out her hand to Amity, "I'll try to help you out where I can and see if I can get the person that told me about this stuff to appear though no promises,"

"Thank you," Amity took her hand slowly before looking towards Nemu, "Nemu, be calm. She won't try to take you from me. You won't, right?" Amity looked towards Vali sternly and the fire-type trainer nodded earning a light smile, "I'm glad to hear it," The younger girl looked at her curiously, "So what kind of pokemon do you have?"

Vali ended up spending much of the afternoon and following day simply answering the younger girls questions. Nemu allowed her to release Aragorn and Elrond though kept a wary eye on her pokeballs. Aragorn happily greeted both the new beings and relished in the attention Amity bestowed upon him while Elrond settled on Vali's lap. All of them were surprised when Blaine entered the room towards the end of Vali's second day with Amity, "Brats, it's time to shove off."

"Huh?" Vali looked at Blaine in confusion, "But it's not even four yet. What's going on?"

"The League is finally budging so long as Amity goes through some extra classes on caring for Nemu," Blaine said earning a cheer from the wheelchair bound kid, "Amity will also be coming to the gym today. Doc just wants to see you every couple of days for your therapy,"

"That's great, Amity," Vali grinned at her while Amity looked at Blaine in shock.

"Really?" Amity looked up at him.

"Really, Kid," Blaine looked a bit uncomfortable, "Now c'mon, Vali'll help you change into this crap," Vali found a bag shoved into her arms, "I'm going to sign ya out and grab Nemu's pokeball for you. You brats should't take too long,"

With that, Blaine patted Amity's head before leaving the room quickly. Amity stared after him and Vali cleared her throat earning the younger girl's attention, "Let's do what he says, okay? I bet everyone at the gym's excited to see you and Nemu'll be a lot more comfortable knowing she won't be forced away from you at a moment's notice anymore, right?"

"True," Amity nodded as they set about getting her ready.

Vali spotted the feather on Amity's necklace, "You have a feather?"

It was a pretty silver one with almost invisible white and light blue's blended into it. Amity nodded as she carefully pulled on the blue shirt that someone had picked out, "It's been in my family for a long time. My Grandma gave it to me when I was born claiming she'd dreamed that the pokemon it came from wished it so. Considering the fact my mother used to say it came from Lugia, I doubt it."

Vali eyed the feather and the energy she could feel coming from it, "I don't know. It feels like energy is coming from it."

"True, but I doubt it came from Lugia," Amity shook her head as she went about get dressed, "Anyway, the gyms going to be an interesting place to live in,"

"It has been semi interesting," Vali acknowledged as she helped Amity when she began to struggle slightly, "But I've begun to get used to it,"

Not long after Amity and Nemu came to live at the gym came the dreaded two weeks were things became hectic, Vali found herself running around trying to help the elder gym trainers. Blaine didn't give out Charmander to anyone even though multiple children begged for them. He didn't even give out fire-types to just anyone either. Only a few of the kids ended up with a fire-type, they were led away from the main group to a small chamber where Vali was waiting with Blaine. The three kids broke out into excited whispers when they noticed her and she offered them a warm smile as Balto barked a greeting at them. Smaug merely snorted at them while he curled up to nap behind her. Blaine spoke while she got the small tray of pokeballs ready, "Vali here is my apprentice and will be seeing to it that you'll each get your pokemon partner. She and her partners are law. I will be nearby while she does this. You three are the only ones that will be getting a fire-type this year on Cinnabar. Someone might from the smaller islands, but there is no telling. Do not make me regret this."

With that, Blaine walked out of the room and seemingly left Vali alone with the three children. She spoke while placing the tray down onto the nearby table, "First of all, I want to say congrats. The tests were hard, but you managed to pass them and reached this point. What comes next won't be easy, the partner you pick today will be with you through it though just like Balto and Smaug were for me. Any questions before we begin?"

The lone girl raised her hand and Vali nodded to her, "How come you're not traveling to another region?"

"When a former Elite four member offers you to become his apprentice, you don't turn him down especially when you're trying to become one eventually," Vali replied with a light grin, "I'll head to another region eventually, but for now, I'm stick here where I can learn the most. Any other questions?"

One of the boys raised their hands, "We're only allowed to pick one pokemon, right? How will we know they're the right fit?"

"You'll know. It isn't about power or anything like that," Vali told him, "Meet the pokemon's eyes and talk with them while explaining your dream, you have to show your heart to them. It works both ways after all," No one had any more questions, "Now as you were told before entering this room, you won't be getting one of the fire-type starters from the various regions. This is due to Professor Oak needing to sign off on it and him having to be your sponsor, you will be given a fire-type that you'll be choosing from. I expect you three to choose between yourselves who goes first and to remember the warnings that you've been given so far, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Vali," The three chorused.

Vali eyed them carefully as she grasped the first pokeball, "Each pokemon has been bred to be easily raised by young trainers such as yourselves, but don't take that to mean they're easy. Each of them have personalities of their own much like humans and intelligence to match, you will have to deal personality clashes over the course of your journeys," She met each of their eyes while grinning, "Now shall we meet them?"

"Please!" The girl burst out earning a soft chuckle.

Vali threw the pokeball up and a male Ponyta was released, "Ponyta, the fire horse pokemon, is our first starter pokemon. This little guy can carry you across the regions many terrains with enough training, my own Ponyta, Arwen, is energetic and cheerful. They're hard working, but you'll have to work with them in the beginning to ensure they're able to master their moves. He isn't a bad choice at all for a starter."

The male Ponyta began prancing around the room practically filled with restless energy. She smiled lightly and ached to release Arwen since her Ponyta hadn't been able to spend much time with another of her kind outside of battle in so long. The three kids didn't immediately move towards the Ponyta though the girl slowly broke away towards him. She let it happen as the boy that hadn't spoken asked, "How long does it take for them to evolve?"

"Usually a year to two depending on how constantly you battle with them," Vali told him earning alarmed looks, "It also depends on the Ponyta in question and the gender. Males evolve quicker while females take a little bit longer mostly due to needing more nutrients. Age is also a factor along with breeding, the Ponyta we have here is from a rather good line and he's about six and a half months old. With dedicated training and ensuring he's healthy, he should be evolved by the Conference if not a bit sooner,"

The boy eyed the Ponyta with new interest making Vali grimace a bit internally. She took out the next pokeball and called out the pokemon inside, "Houndour, the dark pokemon, our second starter pokemon. This little girl is a loyal pup who'll stick by your side no matter what, they're a pack animal that'll do anything to keep those they care for safe. With her keen nose, you'll be able to find water sources."

Houndour eyed the group somewhat warily and moved over to where Balto was standing. The same boy that eyed the Ponyta asked, "What kind of fire power does she have?"

"They're adept at using both fire-type and dark-type abilities while also having a slew of other attacks available to them should you be willing to find TMs to use," Vali offered up earning a nod, "Any other questions?" They shook their heads and Vali released the next pokemon revealing a Pansear, "Pansear, the high temp pokemon, our second to last pokemon. They're very agile pokemon and able to use a variety of moves. Admittedly they do need to use a fire stone to evolve, they've got a rather lot of growing potential before they require one,"

The Pansear let out a cheerful cry and wandered towards the boy that had been silent since the pokemon had been released. It held out it's hands and the boy looked at it curiously before holding out his. Pansear took his hands and began dancing while cooing earning a laugh. Vali smiled softly as the other boy asked, "So it's pretty strong even before evolution?"

"Yes," Vali hesitated before saying which seemed to satisfy his curiosity, "Now I'll release our last pokemon," She released the pokemon as they all focused on her, "Litleo, the Lion cub pokemon. They're a prideful pokemon, but when it comes to their specific prides, they'll protect them. Much like the Ponyta-line, a friend of the Litleo-line will be unburned by their flames, but beware any who are enemies for their flames leave a vary painful burn,"

The cub peered at the humans before yawning and settling at Vali's feet for a nap with a flick of its tail clearly uninterested. Vali smiled in amusement at the cub's antics and bent down to scratch behind it's ears earning a soft purr. The boy that had been asking question was quick to speak up once more, "How's its attack?"

"Litleo has a decent move pool for a beginning trainer," Vali told him earning a slight scowl, "But like all starters, you'll have to find out just where they shine the most since some pokemon don't work like most of their species. Take Smaug here, he can be a bruisers like his species, but he's great at hit and run tactics thanks to the training we've put him through," She removed her hand from Litleo earning a pitiful mewl from it, "Now get to know each of them and pick your starter within the next ten minutes,"

"How come there aren't any Vulpix, Growlithe, or Magby being offered?" The boy that'd been asking questions stared at her with a scowl.

"You'd have to get species permissions for each of them," Vali replied as she moved to sit on the chair at the table, "Blaine especially has to agree when it comes to a Vulpix starter considering how their population has recently declined. The Growlithe require the local Jenny's to agree since the pup is likely coming from their kennels and more than likely are going to their most recent graduates. The Magby is tougher," She gave him a stern look, "Need I remind you of what happened to Vermilion with the Magmar? Magby might be more even tempered compared to them, but they're not something to be messed with just because you want the power their higher evolution are capable of. They're a classified a high B-rank for a reason, Kid,"

Vali hadn't really given much thought to the rankings that starters and pokemon were given by the League in awhile. As she set the timer on her pokenav, the system ran through her mind. Pokemon like Caterpie and most of the low tier bugs were E rank with Ledyba coming in at a D rank. Pokemon like Bidoof, Zigzagoon, Rattata, Pidgey, and pokemon along those lines were usually at the upper part of D to mid C. Solid C rank to B were Pikachu, various Water-type pokemon, Nuzleaf, Purloin, and like. B rank were where things got dangerous like the evolved forms of certain bug-types came to rest or basic fire-type pokemon. A rank pokemon were ghost-types no matter what they were due to the danger they could pose, Magmar, and most ice-type pokemon. S rank tended to be for the dragon-type pokemon, Tyranitar, and wild pokemon that could shift the landscape. SS-rank pokemon were Elite and Champion level pokemon released into the wild. SSS rank and above were Legendaries/ Mythical pokemon. As time passed on, the SS rank had been added to and reduced though many had lost their lives in an attempt to catch the released pokemon.

When the timer went off, Vali refocused on the world and found that everyone had a pokemon near them save for the kid that asked a lot of questions. The girl had ended up choosing the Ponyta and the nearly silent boy the Pansear. The two pokemon looked happy with their prospective partners. She offered the two a smile, "Found your partners?"

"Yes, Miss Vali," The two told her as the two pokemon let out cries of agreement.

Vali returned the two pokemon and handed over the pokeballs, "Here you are, you'll just need to rejoin the others in the room we came from."

"Thank you, Miss Vali," The two looked awed at their pokemon's pokeballs.

Vali waved them off and watched them leave before turning to the remaining kid once they'd left, "So what's the problem? You've got two pokemon left to choose from."

"I don't want either of them," The kid told her make Vali frown at him, "Neither has the power that I need to obtain my goal,"

"Power isn't everything, Kid," Vali's frown deepened at his words, "And I'm not sure if Blaine has any others available for you,"

The door opened allowed said man to enter. He looked at the last kid with a frown, "Hasn't he picked a partner, yet?"

"Apparently neither will do," Vali told her mentor, "They're not 'Powerful enough for him',"

Blaine scowled at that, "I see," He looked at the kid, "Well, I know exactly what pokemon to give you then," He turned back to Vali, "Take those two back to where we had them, we might have another batch of trainers that passed my test tomorrow."

Vali nodded as she returned Litleo and Houndour, "Of course."

"Man, I feel bad for the kid," Zavian commented as Vali walked up to the gym doors, "He might be a little shit, but still,"

"What did Blaine give him?" Vali asked as she reached Zavian and Jackson's sides.

"A Sandile," Jackson answered with a shake of his head, "Specifically one with a tendency to show its affection by biting. Sandile was sent to the gym by a breeder two weeks ago for this even though we weren't the ground-type gym. Tried to send it back, the breeder blocked us and even said they wouldn't take the poor thing back no matter what,"

Zavian shook his head, "Things affectionate as hell, it also has a tendency to accidentally use Snore whenever its feeling lonely or sad."

"So basically if it feels like he's angry with it, the brat's going to be falling asleep?" Vali asked earning a nod and promptly let out a laugh, "I feel bad for the kid, but it's got to be karma for being a power hungry brat,"

Vali found that she enjoyed helping give out pokemon to various kids though it sometimes took some intervention to pair them up. When everything was said and done, they all gathered together to celebrate pairing the new trainers with various partner pokemon. Before Vali could even take a bite of her piece of cake, Blaine shoved a pokeball at her earning a wide-eyed look. He looked at her with a slightly amused expression, "I told you before we even signed the damn papers that you've needed more fire-types. We've got an extra one. You're catching the next one."

Vali looked between him and the pokeball for a few moments. Zavian finally managed to break her trance by saying, "Well aren't you going to say or do anything?"

"T-thank you, Blaine," Vali looked at the pokeball, "What's in it?"

"Release them to find out, Brat," Blaine told her with a snort as he sat down.

Vali took a deep breath before releasing the pokemon inside. The pokemon released was a quadruped leonine Pokémon. It's body was covered in semi-coarse short that was mostly dark chocolate brown fur save for the lighter pale brown paws, ears, tail tip, and face. It's muzzle was short and rounded with a reddish orange nose at the tip. A pair of rounded ears with darker interiors were perched atop its head and circular obsidian colored eyes with pearl pupils peered around the room. A reddish orange tuft of fur was perched between its ears which would one day become the mighty mane of its evolution. Each of its paws has three toes and dark brown paw pads. Unlike most pokemon, it's tail had a unique pointed teardrop shape at the end of it.

As the Litleo's eyes met Vali's, she realized it was the same one she'd been trying to partner with various kids, but hadn't had any luck. With a soft giggle, she got out of her chair and dropped down to its level, "Hey, Little one. Guess with everything going on, we didn't take the time to figure out what exactly you wanted, huh?"

Litleo peered at her with slightly narrowed eyed before snorting softly and mewing. Elrond spoke as he approached from where the pokemon had been chowing down, "He didn't think they'd let him sleep for very long. At least with you, he'd be able to sleep more often once got strong enough."

Vali let out a soft laugh, "Well, you're not wrong. So you're okay with becoming my partner?"

Litleo nodded with a soft yawn and Elrond translated, "He says sure thing."

Vali reached out and scratched behind his ears, "I'm glad to hear it."

Taking out her pokedex, she scanned Litleo.

Litleo, the Lion Cub pokemon. The stronger the opponent it faces, the more heat surges from its mane and the more power flows through its body. They set off on their own from their pride and live by themselves to become stronger. These hot-blooded Pokémon are quick to fight. This hot-blooded Pokémon is filled with curiosity. When it gets angry or starts fighting, its short mane gets hot. In the past, Litleo often served as the pokemon of noble children due to their protective nature when grown, but it fell out of practice in favor of canine pokemon like Growlithe and Houndour.

This Litleo is Male and has the ability Rivalry. This Litleo knows the moves Leer, Tackle, Ember, and Fire Spin.

It was a fairly good move set to start off with though how much had he'd mastered was the question. Putting her pokedex away, she told him, "We'll start your training tomorrow, Litleo. For tonight, I want you to spend some time with me. I'll introduce you to our pack/pride later on."

Litleo nodded with a yawn and nuzzled into her hand. Elrond chuckled softly, "He doesn't care so long as he'll be able to sleep at some point."

"You'll be able to sleep," Vali promised as she carefully picked him up and returned to her seat.

Vali set him down beside her and had Elrond get him some food. Litleo began eating after eyeing it. Zavian shook his head at the sight, "Man, I've never seen a Litleo that lazy and pushover-like even a male."

"Litleo's awesome," Vali replied as she returned to her piece of cake, "I'm looking forward to seeing how things go,"

Steven's face appeared on the other side of the screen, "Vali! It's good to see and hear you again. How have you been?"

"Fairly good even if things have been busy," Vali sat on the beach towel as with Litleo curled up against knee, "How about you?"

"Not too bad," Steven replied as he shifted the pokenav around, "I'm leaving for Rustboro in the morning for the real start of my journey around Hoenn once more," He smiled lightly, "It's been nice being back here and seeing the Beldum colony. I've enjoyed seeing all of my pokemon together,"

Vali smiled at that, "By the way, what did the League give you? I know that Lance ended up getting a Trapinch."

Which was fairly funny, Lance had called about the Trapinch biting him in the ass twice already. He had wanted to know if Seel had been difficult for her or not. He'd been quite disappointed to find out that Seel had been well behaved and only had a penchant for licking things. Steven blinked a bit at that piece of information, "A Magnemite. While not exactly what I'd call rare or that powerful, Magnemite can evolve into Magnezone which is a very strong pokemon."

"Not bad though you'll have to be careful when you're attempting to evolve it into Magnezone, the process is up there with attempting to evolve a Electabuzz or Magmar without any items," Vali warned him though she was aware that he probably already knew that, "Anyway, I ended up getting a Litleo from Blaine. He was a left over starter prospect that decided no one was worth the trouble. He just wants to sleep. He's willing to train and battle so long as I let him sleep whenever we're not doing that kind of stuff,"

"That's lucky and he's an odd pokemon," Steven shook his head with a chuckle, "So what's going to happen now?"

"Blaine'll keep on training me and we're going to be working with Amity," Vali replied with a slight shrug, "I've got a few duties around the gym. Mostly helping to care for the various pokemon and keeping the gym cleaned up, I'm mostly studying whatever stuff Blaine gives me. Today we're off,"

Steven frowned slightly, "Not going home yet?"

"Not until I've got a few days off in a row," Vali replied with a sigh, "That won't be for another month at least," She ran a hand through her hair, "I talked to Delia and the boys are asking about me, but neither want to talk on the phone with me. They're still being stubborn,"

"They'll talk to you soon, Vali," Steven assured her earning a pained smile.

"I know, Steven," Vali just didn't like waiting, "So how's training your pokemon going? Anything new happening?"

Steven looked like he wanted to say something about her change in the topic, but began explaining what he'd been doing.

Blaine called Vali into his office as she was going about her duties. She entered his office, "You called, Blaine?"

"Sit down, Brat," Blaine told her as she closed the door behind her.

Vali rubbed Ninetales' ears before sitting down with Eevee sitting on her shoulder and Elrond floating along beside her. She looked at him curiously, "What's up?"

"I've been called on some League Business," Blaine told her with a slight frown, "Due to the nature of it and the fact its not exactly that serious, I am obligated to bring you along despite the fact you haven't been with me that long. While I'd prefer to wait a bit longer, I'm not able to,"

Vali looked at him in shock and surprise though she quickly pushed it down, "What exactly do I need to do?"

"Put together a bag, I've got a list for you here," He held it out to her and Vali took it, "Pack quick, we leave in six hours,"

Vali jolted at the quick time frame, "Why so quick?"

"Jobs for the League tend to happen quickly, you'll need to have a bag ready to go from now on," Blaine warned her, "I'd suggest you get going,"

Vali stood up as she began scanning the list, "I'll get started."

Vali left Blaine's office and headed towards her room. She ran into Zavian on the way and he asked, "Where ya going? Aren't ya on pokemon duty today?"

"I have to go pack," Vali told him earning a confused look, "I'm heading out with Blaine on League business in six hours,"

Zavian whistled in surprise, "Damn, they're calling you in quick."

"Yeah," Vali murmured with a harsh swallow.