When morning came, Ashlyn decided to take a walk with her pokemon and Alain who Eira decided to wake him up, despite the initial awkwardness between them since the kiss last night both soon found themselves in a semi-comfortable silence

"Memma, Papa I want to evolve now!" Eira chimed excitedly when they reached the nearby beach

"Are you sure Eira?" Ashlyn asked as she looked at the ice type

"Yes Memma" she chimed again before she smiled at them both

"If you insist" Ashlyn said as she took out the Ice Stone that Olivia gave her and handed it to her

A moment later instead of a cute little Alolan Vulpix in front of them, Eira was now a gorgeous Alolan Ninetales, her coat was now pale blue, and her fur is more flowing and wispier. The tips of her tails and crest, as well as the lower halves of her legs, are white. The crest on her head is longer and her nine tails are less distinct from each other. Finally, she has larger eyes, which are blue, and small tufts of fur in front of her ears.

"What do you think Memma, Papa?" She asked shyly before looking up only for her to see her human parents smiling brightly at her making her smile along with them

"You look beautiful" Ashlyn said before she hugged her close "Now how about we get some last minute training in shall we?"

"Yes memma!" Eira said determinedly

Once they returned to the house, had breakfast and Norman confirmed that his team was ready and that he was not going to holding back, both Godfather and Goddaughter found themselves opposite to one another on the gym's battle field

"I don't know who to cheer for" Max said looking very distressed

"Then just cheer for both of them Max after all we both know that neither are going to hold back" May said smiling at her little brother

"Yeah" Max said before he turned his attention back to the battle field

"Ready Ashlyn?" Norman asked

"Yes!"

"Battle Begin!" The referee called out as he held up both flags

"Runerigus! I choose you!" Ashlyn said as she sent one of more recent pokemon onto the battlefield

"Here we go!" Norman exclaimed as he threw in a blue, bipedal Pokémon with a large mouth. It has red eyes, a stubby nose, and two peg-like teeth in each jaw. It has protruding tubes with holes along its body: seven forming a crest on top of its head, one on each elbow and knee, two along its back, and one at the end of each of its two tails. The tubes along its head-crest and tails are tipped with yellow, while the ones along its back have yellow semicircular patterns on either side. There are two yellow semicircle markings on its belly, but they are rarely seen due to its giant mouth. Its arms have three thin stripes below its elbow and three fingers. Each foot has four claws, three in the front and one in the back, and a yellow paw pad.

"Hey wait a minute!" May exclaimed recognizing who the pokemon was

"Looks like we chose the right thing to do" Max said before Exploud roared

"Alright then Runerigus set up with Toxic Wisps!" Ashlyn said before Runerigus sent out purple spikes on the ground and blue flames towards Exploud simultaneously

"That looks like a contest move" Max commented

"I think she was thinking about combinations that could help her during this battle I guess that means contest moves" May said as she watched her sister's strategy

"Now Exploud use Ice Fang!" Norman commanded before Exploud ran over to where Runerigus was standing not minding the spikes on the battlefield before bitting onto Runerigus' left side allowing ice to form from where he bit the ground-ghost type

"Oh no, Runerigus use Haze!" Ashlyn commanded before a mist came from no where and enveloped the whole battle field making it difficult to see both pokemon

"Exploud use Boomburst to try and disperse this haze" Norman said before Exploud used Boomburst on where Runerigus was before making the haze disperse a little bit only to return

"What do you think she's planning?" May asked confused by what her sister was doing

"I have no idea I've never seen nee-san do this before" Max said confused

"Now don't worry too much you two. You know how unpredictable your sister can be when it comes to Pokemon battles" Caroline said smiling

"I guess" May said before returning all her attention back to the battle

"Runerigus use Brutal Swing now!" Ashlyn said before out of nowhere Runerigus slammed Exploud towards the gym walls very roughly knocking him out and disapating the Haze only to be replaced by a Sandstorm

"Exploud is unable to battle the winner is the challenger Ashlyn! Leader Norman please send your next Pokemon" the referee said

"Impressive she was able to harm my Pokemon without letting anyone know. She really has grown" Norman thought proudly as he returned Exploud to his pokeball "You really have gotten stronger sweetie but I'm not giving up just yet. Go Vigoroth!"

"Runerigus be on guard" Ashlyn said but to her shock Vigoroth was already on the move and starting to set up Sunny day despite being poisoned from the Toxic Spikes that Runerigus "Runerigus Earthquake!"

"Vigoroth hang in there then use Solar Beam!" After Runerigus' Earthquake, Vigoroth who managed to survive the powerful ground type attack "Now! Launch your Solar Beam attack and follow it up with Shadow Claw"

"Runerigus Dragon Pulse!" Ashlyn commanded but Runerigus missed Vigoroth due to how fast it was

"Runerigus is unable to battle! Challenger please send out your next Pokemon"

"You did wonderful Runerigus, thank you so much" Ashlyn said as she returned her Pokemon "Eira I choose you!"

"Wait! When did Eira evolve?" May asked in shock as she and Max looked at the Ice-Fairy type in awe

"This morning when we were taking a morning walk" Alain said simply trying not to laugh at his two companions

"Oh how beautiful" Caroline cooed

"Eira start with Hail now!" Ashlyn said noticing that despite losing Runerigus got a large amount on Vigoroth enough for Eira to knock him out quickly "I can't get too over confident. Aurora Veil!"

"Aerial Ace! Vigoroth!" Norman commanded before Vigoroth move at extreme speed and landed a hit on Eira

"Retaliate with Dark Pulse and Ice Beam!" Ashlyn said before Eira released a powerful stream of dark energy before quickly following up with an ice beam attack

"Vigoroth is unable to battle Leader Norman please send out your third Pokemon"

"Great work Vigoroth. Slaking your turn!" Norman said before he threw in the Lazy Pokemon

"Eira start with Ice Shard!" Ashlyn said before Eira launched several sharp shards of ice towards Slaking who merely used his huge bulk to endure through the attack "I have to try and beat Slaking while he's still lofting around, Eira have grown stronger but she's still getting used to her new power, she may not endure an attack from Slaking"

"Looks like Ashlyn is thinking what I'm thinking" Alain thought as he watched Ashlyn command Eira to attack Slaking again then Protect which from the looks of the green barrier was very much needed "I can now see why Norman was considered for an Elite Four member having a pokemon strong enough to even damage a Protect barrier. It is amazing!"

"I have to find away to slow Slaking down but Eira has no moves that would do enough damage, maybe I am over thinking this" Ashlyn thought before much to her shock Slaking had already managed to beat Eira "I'm definitely overthinking this. Lucario! Go!"

"I am ready!" Lucario said as she linked her aura with Ashlyn's allowing them to communicate better "Be calm Ashlyn this is why you lost last time remember. You over thought our plans and combinations"

"You're right Lucario, I'm sorry" Ashlyn said before taking a deep breath in before letting it out slowly before her eyes were filled with determination a moment later "Lucario! Extreme Speed!"

"Oh no Riolu!" A younger Ashlyn exclaimed as she ran over to her friend who had just lost against her uncle Norman's Vigoroth, as soon as she had Riolu in her arms she started crying "I'm sorry Riolu""Don't worry Ashlyn" Riolu said but Ashlyn was still crying"Ashlyn sweetheart is everything alright?" Norman asked as he walked over to seven year old Ashlyn"Papa would have been so disappointed at me if he watched" Ashlyn sobbed before Norman realized what was happening"Oh sweetie, no Pokemon trainer goes through their journey without experiencing a lose" Norman said as he scooped his goddaughter into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder "It's just how it is, I know that your papa would have been proud of you either way. You have a natural talent at strategies in fact I bet you could think circles around anyone. I know you'll find a way to use that talent to reach your goal, I just know it""Thank you uncle Norman" Ashlyn said wiping her eyes dry"No problem, now how about I let my pokemon teach your some new attacks""Yeah!"

"I know what I should do now" Ashlyn thought as she watch Lucario run circles around Slaking avoiding every attack the Lazy Pokemon threw at her "Bone Rush and Close Combat now"

"Of course Ashlyn" Lucario said before she did as told using the bones from her Bone Rush attack Lucario did a series of super effective hits on the areas that were visually impacted by Rita and focused on them

"Retaliate!" Norman commanded which scared Ashlyn for a moment only for Lucario to calm her down using her aura

"Use your Bone to dodge or intercept the hits" Ashlyn commanded before Lucario gracefully avoided all of Slaking's attacks not having to intercept once until she landed on his back "Now close range Aura Sphere!"

"Slaking is unable to battle, Leader Norman please send out your final pokemon"

"Guess I was right she really can think circles around her opponents" Norman thought smiling as he sent out his final Pokemon "Red your daughter really is so special even after all she's been through she still ends up being this great trainer and a kind person"

"What did I do wrong this time?" an eight year old Ashlyn asked as she was brushing Absol who recently fought against Norman's Vigoroth"You focused heavily on type advantages" Norman said as he sat next to her "Remember type advantages aren't everything sweetie, with the right power, strategy and even a bit of luck a pokemon with a large type disadvantage could still win against a pokemon with the type advantage""I think I understand uncle Norman thank you" she said before she stood up to hug her uncle around his neck making him laugh

"Alright now time for my last pokemon!" Norman said before he threw in a Kangaskhan who was wearing a mega ring around its bicep holding a Kangaskhanite

"Stay on guard Lucario" Ashlyn said focusing on the Parent Pokemon "I don't think I have ever seen uncle Norman pull out his Kangaskhan and it can mega evolve to I have to be careful and think everything through"

"Fire Punch Kangaskhan!" Norman commanded before Kangaskhan ran towards Lucario fists ablaze

"Block it!" Ashlyn said thinking of using a close combat combo but to her surprise when Lucario got Kangaskhan into a stake mate the baby in Kangaskhan's pouch attacked Lucario with Fire Punch effectively hurting the steel type

"What was that!" Max exclaimed in shock

"I didn't know Kangaskhan could do that" May said also in shock

"Oh her baby has always been a fighter since when your father caught them. Everytime your father would train with Kangaskhan the little one would insist on joining" Caroline said watching the battle in front of her

"Lucario are you alright?" Ashlyn asked before she saw that Lucario had a burn on her stomach and it was hurting her "I have to finish this before ..."

"Now Fire Blast! Point blank range!" Norman commanded

"Lucario is unable to battle! Challenger please send out your final Pokemon"

"You gave it your all Lucario and we almost perfected our aura link" Ashlyn said smiling before she sent out one of her new pokemon "Bella! Go!"

"Is this the pokemon you got from the Isle of armor?" Norman asked looking at the black bear like pokemon

"Yes she is" Ashlyn said smiling as her pokemon got into position "Let's start this round with Surging Strike!"

"Amazing Bella got three critical hits in!" May said in awe after Bella did her Surging Strike attack

"Can your Urshifu do that to Alain?" Max asked the Kalosian

"No, my Urshifu mastered the Single Strike Style, which allowed him to learn the signature move Wicked Blow which is kind of like Surging Strike but Urshifu just needs to hit his opponent once inflicting the same amount of damage" Alain explained remembering what master Mustard told him

"Looks like Kangaskhan managed to tank the attack just fine" Caroline said

"Shall we make things much more interesting Kangaskhan?" Norman asked his pokemon before he got a Japanese charm with a key stone out of his pocket before both key stone and Kangaskhanite emitted light

Mega Kangaskhan emerged from the light a moment later. The mother Kangaskhan appears unchanged. However, the baby grows and gains some new features. There are now raised patches on its knees similar to those seen on its mother. The patches also appear aligned horizontally along its waist with a larger patch on its belly. Small, spiked growths appear underneath its ears. The child looked more feisty.

"Another lose" Ashlyn sighed out as she returned her newly evolved Kirlia"Hey cheer up sweetie you almost had us there" Norman said trying to cheer his goddaughter up"I know I have to take my lose and learn from it" Ashlyn said smiling sadly before her sorrow was replaced by determination "I'll beat you one day""Good, now what was the issue?" Norman asked having become a tradition of theirs

"Bella use Aqua Jet then Scary Face!" Ashlyn commanded before Bella surrounded herself with water rushing toward Kangaskhan before pulling off a scary face attack, due to the water surrounding her and the fact that she was rushing towards her opponents, the attack turned into what looked like a terrifying monster allowing her to paralyze Kangaskhan immediately giving her a clean shot on both parent and child

"Kangaskhan use Bulldoze!" Norman commanded before Kangaskhan punched the ground before a mound raised and pushed Bella towards the wall

"Aura Sphere!" Ashlyn commanded before Bella used her newly formed Aura Sphere to destroy the ground attack "Bella maybe regarded as a legendary Pokemon but I don't know if she can handle a mega"

"Almost" a thirteen year old Ashlyn sighed as she returned Lucario to her Luxury Ball before looking at the Mega Pin that her uncle Steven let her borrow"Well I have to say sweetie but I for one think that I won only due to luck"Norman said smiling making Ashlyn smile too before Norman pulled her into a hug then ruffled her hair "You're ready for the gym challenge and soon you'll be the Hoenn Champion in no time"

"Is that an Urshifu!?" A familiar voice exclaimed making May, Max and Alain look to the gym's entrance only to see Dinah, Zoie and Malcolm along with a gym assistant

"Oh Dinah are you here to challenge dad?" May asked

"Yes actually but I think I should wait" Dinah commented in awe as she watched the fast pace exchange of attacks against the Mega Kangaskhan and Urshifu

"Wow Ashlyn is amazing!" Zoie said her eyes sparkling as she watched her friend battle

"Yes she is" Alain said smiling softly at Ashlyn

"Bella use Aerial Ace into Close Combat!" Ashlyn commanded before Bella sped towards Kangaskhan before she engaged in close range attacks

"Kangaskhan Bulldoze! Earthquake!" Norman commanded before Kangaskhan held onto Bella's arms before the ground started to shake before several mounds starting to move towards Bella

"Surging Strikes and Aura Sphere straight on Kangaskhan now!" Ashlyn exclaimed before Bella executed the combination attack but was hit by Normand ground type combination attack covering both pokemon in dust

Once the dust cleared both pokemon were revealed to be covered in bruises and cuts, both looked extremely tired enough that even a small breeze could push them over and after a tense moment Kangaskhan and her baby fainted

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle Ashlyn Ketchum wins" the referee exclaimed before Ashlyn dropped to her knees in shock before Bella picked her up to hug her trainer happy that they won

"Oh thank you so much Bella" Ashlyn exclaimed happily as he returned her Pokemon's hug

"Great job sweetie you finally won" Norman said as he and Kangaskhan walked over to them

"Thanks uncle Norman" Ashlyn said smiling happily as Norman presented her a Balance Badge of her very own