This took entirely too long to write. Enjoy if you can!

Yui Hirasawa sat at the edge of a sandy trail, idly nibbling her sandwich. She watched from the sidelines as Nodoka's Seviper threw a cut with its bladed tail at an enemy Swablu. Nodoka and the opposing trainer stood behind their respective pokemon, issuing orders. It was interesting, watching them fight. Then again, it was always interesting watching Nodoka fight.

Yui had joined one Nodoka Manabe's Pokemon journey some months prior—a decision that had deeply worried Yui's sister. It was, in no small part, due to the fact that she had no pokemon of her own—not that Yui minded having none. Nodoka had Hisu, a Seviper, and Kuu, a Doduo. Even with only those two pokemon, they'd likely go through their journey with little to worry about, especially with Nodoka taking charge.

Hisu quickly swatted the Swablu to the ground with the flat of her tail blade and awkwardly attempted to bite into the Swablu's neck. Since the Swablu was essentially just a head with feet and wings, Hisu only succeeded in scratching it with her fangs. It was still enough that the blue bird no longer wanted to stand up.

"Man, that was brutal," the opposing trainer muttered, recalling his bird pokemon.

"Return, Hisu." Nodoka pointed a greatball at the Seviper and turned to the trainer, wincing. "Sorry about that. She's a predator at heart. I have to fight in the way she likes or else she'll start doing things I don't want her to."

"Ah, don't worry about it. A win's a win." He smiled and saluted before leaving, shooting Yui a glance and a wink along the way. Yui blinked before smiling and waving back.

Nodoka quickly collapsed next to her, sighing tiredly.

"Sandwich?" Yui said, offering the snack to the trainer sprawled on the grass.

"Thank you," Nodoka said quietly, accepting the food.

Yui giggled and finished off the last of her own sandwich. "How far away did he say the next town was? I wasn't paying attention."

"A two-hour walk, which should be about thirty minutes if we ride on Kuu."

As she said this, she looked to the Doduo in question. Kuu was lounging a few paces away from them, under the shade of a tree. One head was fast asleep while the other was idly pecking at the grass.

She returned her attention to Yui, staring intently. "You're catching a Pokemon before we arrive there, though."

Yui frowned at that. "Will it be a cute one?"

"It'll be whatever you happen to catch."

Yui sighed and pulled out another sandwich from her bag.

One Hour Later…

Yui sat cross legged on her bed, raising her palms for her Corphish to bat away playfully with its pincers. On the bunk above, she could hear Nodoka organizing receipts, writing on the little notebook she always carried around.

"Do you think Zari will grow up to be a strong pokemon?" Yui mumbled.

"If you raise him right, he should," Nodoka replied, though it was clear from the tone of her voice that her mind was occupied by what she was doing. It was probably best if Yui didn't bother her at the moment.

"Let's go look for someone to battle, Zari." She stood and picked up the Corphish. There was a sense that he was mildly uncomfortable being so far off the ground, but the mention of battle seemed to temper that discomfort. He looked up at her with determined eyes.

Yui smiled and made for the door. "I'm gonna explore the city for a bit. I'll be back before sundown."

Nodoka looked up from her notebook. "Do you still remember what moves he has?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Have fun, then." She returned to her receipts. "And stay safe. Remember to just follow the signs if you get lost."

Yui made a sound of acknowledgement before leaving the room.

Mere minutes after leaving the Pokemon Center, Zari struggled out of her arms and began scuttling next to her on the sidewalk. It was really cute in a lot of ways, but it was also very slow.

Then again, it wasn't like she had a destination in mind. And even if she did, it was her first time in this city and she had very little money. She wouldn't know how to get anywhere and wouldn't be able to afford anything once she arrived. Well, except maybe something from a Pokemart. She knew where those were. And she also had enough spare change for a potion or pokeball if she wanted one.

Actually… okay, maybe not a pokeball. She had spent most of the morning trawling through stores with Nodoka, looking for food and supplies to help raise Zari—which was, admittedly, quite easy since Corphish could just about eat anything, but that was still on top of Hisu's and Kuu's supplies as well. She didn't really feel good about getting another unique Pokemon they needed to take care of.

Of course, if she were to catch a second Corphish, she could probably get away with just buying twice the amount of food. And if she got three, she could simply buy thrice the amount.

Hmm… How many Corphish could she catch before they wouldn't be able to afford raising more? She had to think about that one, actually. Nodoka probably wouldn't approve, but Zari might enjoy having friends around who were just like him.

She shook her head. As wonderful an idea it was to have a small army of cute little troopers, it was probably better if she discussed it with Nodoka first.

"Oi!"

Yui blinked, a sudden yell making her realize that she didn't know where she was, or how long she had been walking. It didn't even look like she was in the city anymore. She was just in a clearing, surrounded by trees.

Upon feeling a nudge on her ankle, she glanced down at Zari. He stood at her feet, pointing a pincer at something behind her. She turned on her heel to face it.

Two girls approached her, one with a large forehead and chestnut brown hair held up with a headband, another with beautifully long black hair, bangs covering her face slightly.

The pretty girl noticed Yui's gaze and shrank behind forehead-girl, averting her eyes. It was almost like she was scared or something. Yui couldn't really make heads or tails of it. All she could do was tilt her head curiously.

Forehead-girl pulled Yui's attention away from the scared girl with a loud cry and a puffed up chest. "Ritsu Tainaka, eleven years old. This girl here's Mio. She's also eleven. We're both pokemon trainers!" She grinned and gestured at the pokemon at Yui's feet. "You're a pokemon trainer too, right?"

In Yui's head, she heard Nodoka lecturing her about how two trainers meeting eyes in the wild was a silent agreement that they were going to battle. Well, she and Ritsu were both trainers, and they clearly were looking each other in the eyes. She matched Ritsu's grin, brandishing Zari's pokeball.

"I'm Yui Hirasawa, ten years old! This is gonna be my first battle against another trainer!"

"Let's see what you've got, then!" Ritsu flicked her nose with her thumb before removing a pokeball from her belt. With a wild throw, she sent out a Buneary onto the battlefield. The brown bipedal rabbit looked alert, but somewhat grouchy. It looked back at Ritsu for a moment, looked to Yui for another moment, and then sighed. It took a fighting stance with seeming reluctance.

Part of Yui wondered what all that was about, but the rest of her felt so thrilled at the thought of battling that she didn't really care. She smiled at her Corphish and nodded pointedly towards the opposing Buneary. Zari smashed his pincers together in acknowledgement and jumped forward.

Once both pokemon were on the field, Ritsu pumped her fist. "Alright! Let's do this, Mimi! Use pound!"

"Defend with vise grip, Zari! Then use bubble!"

The Buneary bounced toward Zari, pulling her head back for a strike with her prehensile ears. Zari stood his ground and caught an ear in one of his pincers, the other ear hitting his side. He ignored it, tugging at the grappled ear until he could press his free pincer against the Buneary's face.

Yui winced as the two pokemon were caught in a small explosion of water. Earlier, when she had just caught Zari, Nodoka had said that his bubbles weren't particularly strong. Of course, Hisu was both higher level and had only been clipped by a bubble or two. Mimi, in comparison, took an entire salvo at point-blank range.

When the cloud of vapor settled, Yui saw the Buneary still struggling against Zari's hold. No matter how much the rabbit pulled or how hard she hit Zari, she just couldn't break free.

"No fair, cheater!" Ritsu whined. "You used two moves in one turn, and even though your turn already ended, you're still holding Mimi's ear!"

Yui blinked and pouted. That was mean, calling her a cheater. She didn't know about those rules—Nodoka never taught her about any of that. "Oh, uh… okay? Zari, let her go and use bubble again!"

"Dodge it and use frustration!"

Ritsu's Buneary hopped away as soon as she was released, before Yui's Corphish could shoot his second bubble salvo.

Knowing that he didn't have a guaranteed hit anymore, Zari swung his pincer wide, making sure his wave of bubbles covered as much of the battlefield as possible. Despite the effort, Mimi had already circled around by the time Zari's attack came. The bubbles popped loudly and uselessly against the grass as the rabbit pokemon closed in from behind the unsuspecting crayfish.

"Zari, defend with harden, then counter with vise grip again!"

Mimi began pummeling Zari's back with her ears, letting out angry rabbit squeaks as it lashed out. Zari endured it for a moment before turning around, catching both of the Buneary's ears. Once again she struggled against Zari's claws.

"Stop using two moves in the same turn!"

Yui flinched, pulling her arms close to her chest and taking a step back. She could tell that Ritsu's shouting was getting angrier. "But… but you used two moves earlier…"

Ritsu shook her head, crossing her arms petulantly. "Nuh-uh! Dodging isn't a move! You're a cheater!"

Yui looked down, pursing her lips. "I'm… I'm not…"

"You are!"

Yui felt tears start to well up in her eyes but she did her best not to let them fall. She shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"Yes you are! Even if you win, it won't count because you're a cheating cheater who cheats!"

She started to shiver. With a quivering inhale, she balled up her fists and stomped forward. "I'm not a cheater!"

Right as Yui screamed this, Zari shot two jets of bubbles from his pincers, blasting Ritsu's Buneary into a tree. Not even bothering to make sure his opponent was down and out, he proceeded to scramble towards Ritsu, waving his pincers threateningly.

"Whoa, what's he—!?"

Ritsu didn't get to finish her sentence as the Corphish quickly began snapping at her as soon as he was in range. He began chasing Ritsu comically around the clearing.

Unfortunately, Yui didn't get to enjoy watching Zari avenge her. Despite the efforts she made to not cry, her tears immediately began falling as soon as she stomped and shouted. She dropped into a squat and sobbed into her hands.

Four Hours Later…

Nodoka sighed. "And is that how you got lost in the woods all day?"

Yui and Zari both nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Did you at least see where those two other trainers went?"

Yui shook her head. "Nuh. Zari chased them off while I was crying. They were gone by the time I stopped." She looked quizzically to the Corphish in her arms. "Do you know where they went?"

The orange crawfish pokemon pointed out of the clearing, towards the treeline.

"Back into the city, huh?" Nodoka muttered. She removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yui, I'm glad that you're safe, but next time, please keep a better track of where you're going. You really worried me."

Yui pouted, looking down. "I'm sorry, Nodoka. It won't happen again…"

She heard a snort as Nodoka knelt in front of her. "Somehow, I have trouble believing that," she said as she put her glasses back on, laying a gentle pat atop Yui's head. She smiled wryly for a moment before withdrawing her hand, turning her gaze toward Zari. "Now, you." She poked the crawfish in the chest. "Keep an eye on her, okay? When she's about to get lost or get in trouble, I want you to steer her out of it. Break out of your pokeball if you have to."

Zari blinked, eyes darting back and forth between Nodoka and Yui. Eventually, he pressed his pincers together and nodded.

Nodoka chuckled. "I hope I can count on you, lil' fella." She stood, returning her gaze to Yui. "Well, it's late. Shall we head back to the Pokemon Center now?"

Yui also stood, nodding. Once again, bringing Zari so far off the ground made him squirm a little in her arms, but he otherwise remained behaved.

Nodoka let out her Doduo, one head eyeing Yui, the other cooing as Nodoka pet her. "Hop on," she said as she climbed onto the bird pokemon's back, offering Yui a hand once she was situated.

Yui took the offered hand and they both rode back into the city.

Several months later…

Yui and Nodoka smelled the salt water in the air as they rode into a town filled with windmills, sail boats, and rustic stone buildings.

The very first thing they did after taking in their first impression of the scenery was find the nearest Pokemon Center. There, they took a shower, had some lunch, and took a nap for a few hours. Once they were ready and rested, they made for the town's gym.

"I think I can see it up that hill," Yui said, leaning forward and squinting to better make out the details.

Both Nodoka and Kuu whined in discomfort as they attempted to compensate for Yui's sudden movements. "Sit down, Yui. You'll fall off."

Yui pouted, but complied. She pointed past Nodoka, towards the crest of the hill. "That is the gym, though, right?"

Nodoka pushed her glasses up. "I think so?" She cupped her chin. "Hmm… Actually, I'm not sure. It could just as easily be another one of those big houses that surround the town."

In a minute or so, they reached the top of the hill, confirming that the building Yui saw was indeed the gym. It was a tall building made of roughly cut stone bricks, reinforced with wooden beams. Large, open windows adorned the walls, and a wind vein sat on its tiled roof. The fence surrounding the building rose a little over Yui's standing height, which would probably be around waist-height for an adult. Overall, it was an impressive structure.

"What did Nurse Joy say about the gym in this town?" Yui mumbled as they rode through the gate. "It focused on flying types, right?"

"That was two gyms ago, Yui. This one focuses on normal types."

Nodoka climbed off of Kuu, Yui following her down shortly after. She recalled her Dodrio back into her pokeball once they were both on the ground.

"Where is everyone?" Yui wondered, noting the rather empty gym lobby. "You think we should come back tomorrow? It's like they're closed or something."

"Maybe." Nodoka peeked over the vacant receptionist desk and scanned the visitor's log. "It's been a slow day for them, but there were challengers who arrived not ten minutes ago. Given how late it is right now, the gym trainers probably assumed they didn't need to worry about any more coming in."

"I think I can hear cheering from this door," Yui exclaimed, pressing her ear against the wood. Then she flinched as a muffled thud reverberated through the building. "Someone's battling in there."

Nodoka nodded and wrote down their names in the log. "Go on and watch, Yui. I'll be there in a sec."

Nodding back, Yui opened the door and climbed up the stairs directly in front of her. Upon reaching the top step, she went wide eyed, immediately running toward the guard rail overlooking the arena.

There were four pokemon out on the battlefield—on one side, a plump field rat with spiky whiskers and a shaggy dog that looked like it had a mustache, and on the other side, two bipedal rabbits colored pink and brown respectively. On the side of the rat and dog—Raticate and Herdier—stood the gym leader, an old woman in an unremarkable, creamy white dress. On the side of the rabbits—Whismur and Buneary—were two trainers, a girl with tawny brown hair held up with a headband, and another girl with long, evenly-cut black hair that framed her face.

Yui's eyes lit up with recognition as she stared at the trainers, but she couldn't put a finger on why. Had she met them before?

Nodoka's voice pulled Yui away from her musing. "How's the match?" she asked as she joined Yui at the railing. "Did I miss much?"

"Nuh-uh," Yui mumbled, shaking her head. She began pointing to the various actors on the field. "The gym leader and that rat and dog are just standing around and stuff, waiting for the other two to attack. And the other two are talking to each other all whispery."

Nodoka nodded, observing the combatants. "Hmm… Those two probably have at least a badge each, since the leader sent out two evolved pokemon." She pursed her lips. "They're a pretty powerful combination, too. Herdier have strong bite moves. Raticate are the same, but faster and stronger. Neither challenger's pokemon are good counters. They'll probably be on the back foot for most of this battle."

Yui quietly absorbed that information, not entirely sure what to think of it.

The two challengers finished whispering, giving each other meaningful looks. They both stepped forward and issued their commands.

"Mimi, quick attack!"

"Lala, u-use echoed voice…!"

The gym leader smiled and waved a hand. "Intercept them, dears."

The Buneary and Raticate both lunged, slamming into each other in a high-speed, full-body tackle. Being the heavier and stronger of the two, Raticate barrelled straight through with little trouble, sending the Buneary flying backwards. As this happened, Herdier jumped over both of them, biting into the Whismur before it could do its attack.

Just as quickly as they sprung into action, the gym leader's pokemon backed away from the challengers, awaiting their next orders.

"Huh. She stopped," Yui mumbled. "Why'd she stop, Nodoka?"

"Because she's testing them," Nodoka replied, keeping her eyes on the arena as she spoke. "She's going easy on them because she knows they're inexperienced. If they had more badges, she'd probably press the issue, since she'd know they were up for the challenge."

Yui lolled her head to the side. "Huh… Is that why gym leaders are always so aggressive with you?"

"Yes, that's—Ah, here they go again."

The two challengers took the few seconds of respite that the gym leader granted them to exchange more conspiratorial whispers. Those few seconds ran out quickly and the old woman called out her next attack before the two's hushed conversation could finish.

"Herdier, use work up. Raticate, super fang on Whismur."

The headband girl panickedly barked orders to both their pokemon. "Lala, screech, Mimi, defend her!"

Raticate charged, only to be knocked off course by the Buneary's quick attack. Both pokemon tumbled past the Whismur as it let out a loud, high-pitched noise, causing Herdier to whimper and put its head in its paws.

The black haired girl called an attack of her own. "Lala, do it again!"

"Mimi, hit the Herdier!"

The gym leader chuckled. "Take down, Herdier. Super fang again, please, Raticate."

Another screech made Herdier wobble on its feet, but that didn't stop it from charging at the Buneary that was sprinting towards it. The two normal-types collided, both getting knocked out. In the meantime, Raticate slammed its head, teeth-first against the Whismur, sending it crumpling to the ground.

"Mimi, no!"

"Ahh! Don't hurt Lala anymore, please!"

The gym leader took a deep breath and sighed. She recalled her two pokemon. "Quite a good show, both of you," she told her challengers as she crossed the arena. "The maneuver you pulled in the last leg of that battle was very decisive. You very well could have won if you were more confident in your choices from the beginning. I'd recommend you work on that before challenging me to a rematch."

As the gym leader led the two challengers up the stairs out of the arena, Nodoka moved to intercept them, Yui following close behind. The woman smiled when she noticed them approaching.

"Ah, more challengers? It's quite late but I'm sure I can fight two more."

The girl with the headband went wide eyed, pointing at Yui. "You!"

Yui blinked, pointing at herself. "Me?"

Nodoka raised a brow and turned to Yui. "Do you know these girls?"

"I think?"

"Of course she does!" the headband girl yelled in outrage. "She sicced her Corphish on me!"

"Yui, what are they talking about?" Nodoka's voice sounded increasingly tense as she spoke.

"Lemme think…" Yui tapped her fist down onto her palm as she finally remembered. "Oh yeah!" She pointed at the girl with the headband and large forehead. "She's Ritsu, and she—" Yui pointed at the pretty girl with long hair, "—is Mio. I battled them a few months ago and they made me cry."

Despite Yui's casual tone, Nodoka's face was serious. "Did they now?" she said with a scowl and slow nod. She turned to the two. "So you're the ones responsible for Yui getting lost in the forest?"

Ritsu audibly swallowed a breath. Her eyes began wandering as she scratched her cheek. "I… er… well… We didn't really—"

Ritsu was not able to finish her sentence as Mio bowed low, pulling Ritsu down with her. "We're very sorry! We didn't mean to make her cry and leave her like that."

Nodoka stared at them for a moment before turning to Yui expectantly. "Well? What's your verdict?"

Yui shrugged. "I mean, it's not like anyone got hurt or anything."

"Except me, when that Corphish of hers, clawed my butt," Ritsu muttered dryly, earning an elbow to the side from Mio. "Which I deserved for making her cry," she amended.

"It's no big deal. I cry all the time," Yui said with a dismissive wave. "And it's because of you guys that I got to spend all afternoon fighting wild pokemon with Zari. You ended up giving me something I wanted anyway."

Ritsu looked up. "So we're forgiven?" she asked with an eager grin, to which Mio slapped her in the back of the head. "Ow—! What was that for?"

"Stop being rude and keep your head down," Mio hissed. "You're embarrassing us."

Yui giggled and knelt in front of them. "No need to say sorry. What's passed is past, you know?" She offered her hand. "How about we be friends now?"

Mio looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "Really?"

"C'mon, Mio. Of course she wants to be friends with us. We're great!"

As the three made up, Nodoka walked up to the gym leader, who was watching the girls with a nostalgic smile.

"The friends and rivals I made in my youth are so much like them. Forgive me if I seem a bit distant. In my old age, sometimes I can't help but reminisce." She shook her head and turned her attention to Nodoka. "So, you and your friend wish to challenge my gym?"

"Yes. I'm Nodoka, and I have four badges right now."

Her eyes twinkled. "Four already? And so young." She turned and walked back down the stairs, gesturing for Nodoka to follow.

"The trainers in this gym call me Granny. As you no doubt saw in that last battle, I specialize in normal types—assuming normal can be called a specialty." She chuckled. "I gave those two girls earlier a choice of fighting me either one-on-one, or both at the same time. I give that choice to you and your friend as well."

"Er… it's just me. Yui's not taking the Pokemon League challenge."

"If you say so." Granny placed her two pokeballs into a basket, replacing them with four different balls. "Since you have four badges, I will assume you know what I mean when I say we will be following standard double battle rules. Please stand on the challenger's side of the arena and call me when you're ready."

Nodoka nodded and they made their way to their places. As she walked,she heard Yui shouting encouragement from the stands, Mio and Ritsu sitting behind her. Nodoka shot them a smile and a brief wave before returning her attention to the battle at hand.

With a controlled toss, she sent two pokeballs flying into the arena. "Hisu, Raku, you're up!"

A Seviper and Arcanine materialized into the battlefield. The black and purple snake coiled up, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The majestic fiery dog dropped to a crouch, growling menacingly.

Granny had also sent out her pokemon, a giant blueish-black bear, and a dog that's larger and shaggier than the Herdier she had sent out in the previous battle—a Snorlax and Stoutland. They warily steadied their stances, not especially intimidated by the bared fangs that Raku was directing at them, though still visibly affected.

Then Granny chuckled. "Oh, I would have picked out a Zangoose if I knew you were going to send out a Seviper." she shook her head. "Ah, no matter. Shall we battle now? Challenger moves first."

"Alright then." Nodoka took a slow, deep breath to steel herself, releasing all of it in a sudden bark of orders. "Disable the Snorlax! Then the Stoutland!"

"Defend and counter, dearies."

Hisu contorted its face into the most terrifying glare it could muster, making the Snorlax's entire body clench uncontrollably. At the same time, Raku charged into it at blistering speed, pushing it back several steps and sending it to its knees.

A little too late to save its ally, Stoutland slammed into Raku, both of them tumbling to the floor as they struggled to get their teeth around the other.

"Facade, Snorlax."

"Hisu, get Raku out of there!"

Just as Raku was getting the upper hand, Snorlax stood and pulled the two dogs apart, dropping Stoutland safely to the side and pile-driving Nodoka's Arcanine into the ground, paralysis empowering the attack to even greater strength. Hisu arrived a split second later, sinking her fangs into Snorlax's shoulder in hopes of avenging her comrade.

"Facade again, Snorlax. And Stoutland, finish off the Arcanine with a crunch."

"Tag in, Seru!" Nodoka cried, already recalling her Arcanine and sending out her next pokemon. "Hisu, poison fang on the Stoutland!"

Taking the attack meant for Raku, a Scrafty with bright yellow skin, large beady eyes, and baggy orange pants held the Stoutland's jaws open with her bare hands. Seru grinned with mischievous glee as Hisu came in from behind with an extremely toxic bite. After a moment of letting the venom flow, Hisu tossed the weakened Stoutland at the feet of the Snorlax, who was too paralyzed to move.

Although the bear and dog still had the will to stand and fight, it was clear they were no longer fit to do so. They could barely manage to stay on their feet.

"Very well done, both of you," Granny said, recalling the Snorlax and Stoutland. "You deserve lots of snacks and a good long rest. And well done to you as well," she added, addressing Nodoka with an impressed smile. "I earned a point for taking out your Arcanine, but no sooner did you score two with that double knock-out. It's clear that you deserve the four badges you have. Keep it up and you'll defeat the Pokemon League champion in no time."

Nodoka pursed her lips. "Maybe so, but I still need to win a fifth gym badge first."

Granny kept smiling. "Yes, that's right. And you're very close to achieving that. Just two more pokemon." As she spoke, she sent out a mean-looking bird with black and white feathers, and another large bear, this time with black and pink fur—a Staraptor and Bewear.

Nodoka pursed her lips. Seru was supposed to be her trump card against normal types, but both opposing pokemon were counters. She still had a suitable check to the Bewear, thankfully, but that still left the issue of the Staraptor.

So she knew which one to take out first.

"Get the bird!"

Before Granny could call out her own attack, Seru rushed forward and spiked Staraptor with an ax kick to the head. Just as quickly, Hisu slithered in to deliver another bite, fangs crackling with electricity.

"Earthquake, Bewear."

Bewear stomped the ground and sent a shockwave of earth rippling through the arena. Hisu was sent flying and Seru barely managed to stand her ground. In complete contrast, Staraptor was completely unaffected, barely stumbling over the wave of dirt that passed under it.

"Hit the Staraptor with a drain punch!"

"Earthquake again, dear."

Staraptor tried to dodge, but a lingering arc of electricity around its body kept it frozen in place, allowing Seru to slam a glowing fist against the weakened bird. Staraptor stumbled back, winded and bruised, but not yet out for the count.

Another wave of earth erupted from Bewear. Trusting Seru to tank the hit, Nodoka recalled Hisu and sent out Kuu, the three-headed bird pokemon nimbly stepping over the attack like it was a simple bump on the road.

"Drill peck on the Bewear! Another Drain punch, Seru."

"Facade, Staraptor. Rockslide, Bewear."

Staraptor hopped back and unfurled its wings, dodging another punch to the chest from Seru, countering with a sharp kick to the head with its talons. Seru was sent tumbling backwards from the force of the status-boosted attack.

In the meantime, Kuu lunged at Bewear, all three of her beaks surrounded by a whirling and twisting aura. Bewear caught two of the heads before they could hit it, but the third head stabbed straight into its chest. The whirling aura around Kuu's beak stuttered and slowed as soon as it entered the Bewear's fur, dissipating completely after a few seconds. All three heads looked panickedly up at the Bewear now bearing down upon her.

Staraptor came from behind, grabbing Kuu by the tail feathers and tossing her away. Now with its hands free, Bewear raised its arms and brought them down, summoning a rain of boulders onto Kuu and Seru.

"Oh no," Nodoka whispered.

When the smoke settled, both pokemon were out cold. With only a weakened Arcanine and Seviper left on her team, there was no way for Nodoka to achieve victory. She had lost.

"I believe that's my win, dear. You were an incredible opponent."

Nodoka bit her lip and nodded, recalling her pokemon. She looked at their unconscious faces inside their translucent pokeballs and smiled bitterly. "Incredible is right," she muttered. "They did amazing. But despite their showing, they won't be happy when they wake up."

A few minutes later…

Given the sorry state Kuu had been left in after that last battle, Nodoka and Yui were forced to return to the Pokemon Center on foot. Mio and Ritsu joined them, chatting with Yui as they walked.

"That was so awful!" Mio said with a shudder. "I didn't know battling ever got that violent!"

Ritsu smirked. "Really? I thought it was awesome!"

Yui nodded. "Nodoka always told me that big strong pokemon always fight harder when they know they're fighting other big strong pokemon—though I don't remember why…"

Nodoka felt her mood brighten at the sound of Yui's mumbled explanation. "It's because most pokemon love fighting," she explained with a chuckle. "And fighting another pokemon that's just as strong means they can go all out."

Mio frowned. "Wouldn't they get hurt?"

Nodoka cupped her chin in thought for a moment. "Well… yes, they do get hurt, but I've seen a lot of pokemon fight each other, and none of them have ever actually gotten injured."

"Why's that?" Yui wondered aloud.

Nodoka shook her head. "I don't know, though I think I know who to ask."

"Who?"

Nodoka smiled. "Someone knowledgeable about pokemon injuries."

Later, when they arrived at the Pokemon Center, Nodoka asked one of the Nurse Joys about it while they deposited their pokemon for treatment.

"Well," Joy began, sliding the tray of pokeballs into a machine and pressing a button. "That's because most pokemon attacks, no matter how devastating, cannot actually cause any permanent harm. It's why you can touch fire pokemon without burning yourselves, even when flammable objects normally catch fire on contact with them."

Nodoka nodded thoughtfully, turning to the others. "Well, that answers that question. What do you guys think?"

Mio looked away, still clearly uncomfortable with the thought. Ritsu and Yui seemed more agreeable to the information, following up with additional questions.

A few minutes later, the machine behind Joy chimed a cute jingle. She removed the tray of pokeballs and returned them to their respective trainers. Said trainers gave her their thanks and departed to Nodoka's and Yui's room.

"I'm gonna give it another go tomorrow," Nodoka said, sitting at the edge of Yui's bed. "I think I know how to beat her. I just need to adjust who I open with."

Next to her, Yui pumped her fists. "I'm sure you'll beat her next time!"

Nodoka snorted, smiling wryly. "Thanks."

Sitting at the edge of Nodoka's bed, Ritsu brought a fist to her mouth and cleared her throat. "Ahem. Hey, uh… I know we only just met, but would you be willing to give us some pointers?"

This earned a raised brow. "Well, didn't Granny say you could have beaten her if you were more decisive? Just work on that."

"I know… just…" Ritsu scratched her cheek, averting her eyes. "Look, after watching you fight earlier, I realized we don't really know what we're doing. We've sorta just been winging it and hoping it worked—which it did until now."

"Are you sure you want my help?" Nodoka turned to the other girl on her bed. "You seemed pretty disturbed by my battle. If I help, you'll be learning how to fight like that."

Mio pulled her legs up and scooted behind Ritsu. "Ritsu said defeating gym leaders would help me find my confidence," she mumbled. "I don't want to just give up…"

Nodoka pursed her lips and cupped her chin. "Hmm… So, the teams she used today are the same ones she'll use for our rematches. It'll be a Herdier and Raticate against a Buneary and Whismur…" She pulled out a notebook and pen out of her bag and moved to sit between Mio and Ritsu. "List out the moves your pokemon know and we'll figure out which of them best counter Granny's team."

Ritsu grinned accepting the pen. "Alright, let's do this."

Nodoka looked up from the notebook. "Yui, why don't you go down and get us some food from the cafeteria?"

Yui stood and gave a salute. "Aye-aye, Nodoka. I'll be right in a jiffy."

A chuckle. "No rush, Yui."

Nodoka spent the next few hours strategizing with Mio and Ritsu, with Yui occasionally chiming in with hypotheticals and edge cases that completely slipped their minds. When they finally turned in for the night, they were mentally exhausted, but feeling quite confident in their prospects of victory.

The next day…

After lunch, the four retreaded their path to the gym, Nodoka and Yui riding on Kuu, Ritsu and Mio on Raku. Since they arrived much earlier, the place was likewise much busier, with multiple battles in the main arena queued up for the next hour and a half, and many trainers making use of the smaller arenas around the gym. While they waited for the main arena to become available again, they watched a diverse group of trainers battle each other in one of the side rooms, including two trainers who already had seven badges.

Eventually, Ritsu's and Mio's turn arrived. Granny welcomed them back with a kind smile and sent out her Herdier and Raticate, just like Nodoka said she would. They sent out Mimi and Lala and proceeded with the strategy they had crafted the night before.

Lala was physically quite weak but had multiple sound-based moves that weakened their opponents, such as screech and supersonic. The idea was to weaken Granny's pokemon to the point that Mimi could handily defeat them. To that end, Mio had given Lala an oran berry to give her more stamina, and Ritsu had taught Mimi the move encore, which forced a target pokemon to repeatedly use their last move, even if it was a move that wouldn't have an effect.

Granny realized what their plan was less than thirty seconds into the battle, ordering both Herdier and Raticate to focus their attention on the Whismur. Thankfully, Lala's supersonic had pulled through, giving them such a terrible headache that they ended up attacking each other more often than their actual opponents. This gave the two challengers plenty of time to whittle down the gym pokemon's defences until a tackle from Mimi was all it took to knock them out.

It had been a tense battle, but it eventually ended in victory for Ritsu and Mio, earning them congratulations from Granny and a gym badge each.

In contrast, Nodoka's battle was mostly one-sided. Again, Granny sent out the same team as last time. Seru single handedly took out Snorlax and Stoutland while only taking a few hits. A brave bird from Staraptor eventually took Seru out, but not before she weakened Granny's Bewear. Raku came in with a burning hot fire blast to finish what Seru started. A few well placed thunder fangs from Hisu took out Staraptor as well.

With only a handful of moves, Nodoka had defeated her fifth gym leader.

"You were awesome, Nodoka!" Yui cheered as Nodoka approached the stands.

"But how come Raku beat Bewear so quickly?" Mio asked, scratching her head. "Fire isn't even super effective."

Ritsu shrugged. "Raku's just that strong, I guess?"

"Nah," Yui said with a dismissive wave. "Remember yesterday when Kuu used a Drill Peck on it that barely did any damage?"

"Huh. Now that you mention it… that's weird. Isn't that move supposed to be super effective?"

"Yeah, it is, but Bewear is just way too fluffy. You need to hit it really really hard for it to feel anything. But since it's so fluffy—"

Ritsu snapped her fingers. "It's easy to set it on fire! No wonder that fire blast did so much damage."

"That's right," Granny said, making the three stand from their seats. "My dear Bewear's fur makes it very tough against contact moves, but weak against fire." She smirked at Yui. "You're very knowledgeable about pokemon for someone so young."

Yui giggled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Hehe. It's all thanks to Nodoka. She answers all of my questions—even the dumb ones."

There was a twinkle in Granny's eyes. "There are no dumb questions."

Yui giggled again. "Nodoka says that a lot, too."

"And she's right. No questions are dumb, as long as you're learning. That being said, I'd like to ask you a question myself." Granny paused, waiting for Yui's response. Interpreting Yui's attentive stare as an answer, she proceeded. "Would you like to try battling me? I use an Eevee against complete beginners, but she hasn't been getting any action lately. She's been awfully restless."

Yui blinked, not sure if she heard that right. Was a gym leader challenging her to a battle!? "If I win, do I get a badge?" she asked warily.

Granny smiled. "We are in a gym and I am the official gym leader. Any trainer that defeats me here would earn it—even if they don't intend to take on the league," she added with a wink.

Yui stared for a moment before turning to Nodoka. "Up to you," Nodoka said. "If you want to battle, I won't stop you."

Yui nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

For the third time in a row, Granny took her place on the other side of the arena. "Challenger goes first, dear," she said kindly, sending out an Eevee.

Yui released Zari and put a finger on her chin. "Weren't you the one who challenged me?"

Granny pouted for a moment before chuckling. "Hmm… You're not wrong. Very well, then. Work up, Eevee."

"Okay, Zari. Let's start with a bubble beam!'

Eevee began hopping in circles, chasing its tail with excitable energy. Zari watched for a moment before jabbing a pincer forward, shooting a line of bubbles at his opponent. Before the stream could make contact, Eevee tucked and rolled to the side, deftly dodging the attack and breaking into a sprint around the arena.

Realizing what Eevee was doing, Zari raised his other pincer and released a second salvo of bubbles like a shotgun. They burst into shockwaves of water vapor upon hitting the ground around Eevee.

"Quick attack, dear."

"Defend with harden! Counter with vise grip!"

Ignoring the explosions around her, Eevee rushed forward and tackled, jumping away before Zari could counter attack. She circled around and repeated this two more times. By the third time, Zari successfully intercepted Eevee's charge and grabbed her by the neck.

"Bubble beam!"

As Zari had done to Mimi all those months ago, he let out another salvo of bubbles at point-blank range, blasting her away in an explosion of water.

Eevee lay slumped on the ground, struggling to her feet.

"Stay down, dear. That's enough," Granny said.

Eevee ignored Granny, shaky legs pushing her back to a standing position. She bared her teeth, tail rising behind her.

"I think she still wants to fight, Granny."

Granny chuckled. "I can see that. Very well, dear. One more round. Circle around with another quick attack."

"Vise grip!"

Eevee sprinted slamming into Zari's side. She moved to retreat once more but Zari grabbed her tail before she could jump away. With his other pincer, he also grabbed one of Eevee's thighs, lifting her up and throwing her onto the ground.

"I really would recommend we admit defeat now, dear," Granny said as Eevee once again struggled to stand. "Ah, quite a stubborn one, aren't you? One more, then. Dig!"

Yui frowned as Eevee disappeared into the ground in a cloud of dirt. Zari twitched, clenching and unclenching his claws.

"Bubble all around the arena, Zari!"

With a nod, Zari began indiscriminately peppering the battlefield with watery explosions. This went on for several tense seconds to no avail, Eevee keeping herself buried. Eventually, Zari grew bored and slammed his pincers to the ground in frustration.

It was this moment that Eevee burst from below, sending Zari stumbling forward into an uncontrolled roll.

"Quick attack, dear."

"Bubble again!"

Zari didn't bother righting his momentum, instead spraying bubbles at random. Eevee charged after him while dodging the bubbles, the veritable minefield of water becoming denser as she approached. Increasingly more bubbles popped near her, until another point-blank salvo exploded on her as she bore down on Zari for her final attack.

After the cloud of vapor dispersed, both pokemon were on the ground, clearly no longer able to fight. Neither Yui nor Granny spoke as the results of their battle slowly sunk in.

"So, uh… who won?" Yui asked, recalling Zari back into his ball.

"It's a tie," Granny replied with a light hearted chuckle. "Unfortunately, it means I cannot give you a gym badge, since you did not defeat me."

Yui frowned. "Aww. I would've liked having one."

"If my Eevee wasn't so stubborn, you most certainly would have. Maybe next time, assuming there is a next time." Granny shot her another wink before waving her away. "It was an engaging duel, little one, but I unfortunately still have work to do. Would you kindly send for the next set of challengers on your way out?"

"Alrighty then." With a nod, Yui returned the wave. "Thanks for the battle, Granny. See you!"

"And thank you as well, child. Farewell."

One Hour Later…

Once they were back in their room in the Pokemon Center, the four of them discussed the gym battles they had just fought. Or rather, three of them did. Yui merely sat in the corner of her bed, once again holding her palms up for Zari to repeatedly bat away with his pincers. She wasn't really interested in participating in the conversation, though she did listen in.

"It's a little upsetting that she took Yui more seriously than either of us," Ritsu grumbled as she watched Lala and Mimi chase each other around the room. "Seriously. Aren't gym leaders supposed to go easy on trainers who don't have badges yet?"

Yui turned to them and tilted her head slightly. Nodoka met her eyes and smiled.

"To be fair to Yui, she's actually quite a skilled trainer." She pushed up her glasses and returned her attention to Ritsu and Mio. "Part of it is because she's been traveling with someone who's already earned five badges. I've been explaining battle and survival concepts to her for the better part of a year now. It makes sense that it rubbed off on her. But part of it is also just natural talent."

Ritsu pouted, either unconvinced or simply unhappy with the explanation.

"She did beat you during her very first battle," Mio reminded, poking Ritsu's cheek. "We'll just have to keep practicing."

Ritsu sighed. "I guess you're right…"

"In any case, what's your plan now that you've beaten the gym? Yui and I are heading north next morning." Nodoka glanced at Yui again. "Unless she plans to rechallenge the gym tomorrow."

Yui shrugged. "I'm okay with whatever you think is better."

"Right. Well what about you guys?"

Ritsu made a show of thinking deeply, crossing her arms and rubbing her chin. "Hmm. We'll probably be heading south. That's where our next gym is."

"Be careful, then. That town is pretty remote. The only ways to get there on foot is either through some really thick wilderness or through a large cave network."

Mio shrunk behind Ritsu. "Um… is there really no other way?"

Nodoka gave them a wry-looking smile. "Hitch a ride with someone whose pokemon can fly? I know of a few ferry services in another port town further down the coast, but they're pretty expensive."

Ritsu winced. "Right. I think we'll take our chances with the forest." She turned to Mio and gave her a reassuring shake. "Don't worry, buddy. You and I are in this together! Whatever danger's on the horizon, we'll have each other to lean on." She glanced at the two rabbits now staring at them. "And Lala and Mimi, too," she added with a chuckle.

"You'll probably also need one of these." Nodoka stood and began digging through her bag, eventually pulling out a sheathed machete, which she laid onto the table.

The two eyed the bladed tool warily.

"Most travellers have their pokemon to clear away dead trees and overgrown bushes blocking the roads," Nodoka explained, "which happens to be quite a common obstacle in the forests surrounding that town. Since neither of your pokemon can help with this, you'll have to do it manually, like Yui and I used to. Since I have Hisu now, I figure I can give this to you."

"Huh. Didn't think about that. Thanks for the tip—and the cool sword, too," she added cheekily.

"It's not a—" Nodoka cut herself with a shake of her head. "Don't mention it," she said instead, dropping the previous thought. "I'm just glad Yui found some new friends."

"Yeah."

"It's a shame we've only really had like two days with each other," Mio muttered thoughtfully.

"Don't worry, Mio. We'll meet each other again someday!" At that exclamation, they turned to Yui, who was beaming at both of them, Zari clapping his pincers together in agreement. "And when we see each other again, we'll battle!"

Ritsu grinned, sharing a look with Mio. "You know what? You're right." Ritsu stood and pointed dramatically. "Starting today, we're not just friends. We're rivals. And next time we meet, we'll definitely beat you!"

Mio continued to hide behind Ritsu, but peaked behind her with a look of determination on her face. "We'll get stronger and smarter. And you should get stronger too."

Yui beamed wider. "I will! Let's all get stronger together!"

For a moment, Nodoka quietly watched as they continued to hype themselves up before pulling out her notebook. She began writing of the events that occured over the course of that day.

Character Bios

Nodoka Manabe (12 yrs. old)
A quiet and contemplative girl with an eye for detail and a mind for strategy.

Team as of this chapter:

Hisu/Seviper (lvl.36)
Adamant Nature
Ability: Infiltrator
Moveset: Poison Fang / Thunder Fang / Glare / Night Slash
An extremely prideful snake pokemon that Nodoka received from a distant uncle who never intended to catch her. Originally unhappy with being caught and then given away, Hisu now revels in the glorious battles that Nodoka allows her to fight.

Kuu/Dodrio (lvl.38)
Gentle Nature
Ability: Early Bird
Moveset: Drill Peck / Knock Off / Giga Impact / Roost
A bird pokemon adopted by the Manabe family shortly before Nodoka went on a journey. She dislikes running long distances and is quite pleased by the leisurely pace of Nodoka's and Yui's journey so far. She is also mildly amused by Yui's unruliness during rides and Nodoka's consequent scolding.

Raku/Arcanine (lvl.41)
Mild Nature
Ability: Intimidate
Moveset: Flare Blitz / Extremespeed / Crunch / Fire Blast
The first pokemon Nodoka caught, Raku is a growlithe that initially caught Yui's eyes. Yui begged Nodoka to catch it. Raku did not struggle and happily went along with whatever Nodoka had planned for him. Greatly enjoys pets from Yui.

Seru/Scrafty (lvl.40)
Impish Nature
Ability: Moxie
Moveset: Drain Punch / Beat Up / Chip Away / Fake-out
A recent addition to the team, Seru was caught as a Scraggy and evolved shortly before Nodoka's battle with Granny. Seru isn't sure what her place is on Nodoka's team yet, but is excited to continue fighting with the others.

Yui Hirasawa (10 yrs. old)
A curious and spacey girl who likes cute things.

Team as of this chapter:

Zari/Corphish (lvl.15)
Hardy Nature
Ability: Adaptability
Moveset: Vice Grip / Bubble / Bubble Beam / Harden
An awkward crayfish that really likes fighting and gets along with his trainer incredibly well. Quiet and unassuming when not being doted on by Yui.

End of Chapter

Thank you to Flibspeak, Moxter, alpha, and Tekketsu08 for beta reading this chapter!

So, the majority of this chapter was actually written all the way back in late-2019/early-2020. Unfortunately, I could never get it to a place where I was happy with how the chapter ended. Even now, I'm kind of unhappy with it. The only difference is that I'm no longer interested in continuing to work on this chapter until it's perfect. I wanna get to writing Mugi already—not to mention an older Yui, Mio, and Ritsu. The next chapter will probably take an equally long time to finish, given how much I have on my plate, but oh well. Until then!

Next chapter: Mugi.