I raise Chitin's Pokeball. I want to at least tell her the plan before I go challenging anyone to a battle. I'm in an area of the park where other trainers are sitting with their Pokemon out, so I assume that it's fine for me to do the same.

She materializes in a flash of light. She looks about, taking in the area - she doesn't seem particularly disoriented. "That was much better than the first time."

"I'm glad. Alright - here's the plan: we're going to do some battling to earn some money for the basics. Once we've got that, we'll be leaving the city to pursue the other plan."

She nods, accepting my words without question. "Good. What do you need from me?"

Chitin, I've noticed, is a very serious person. Unlike Guise, she gets right down to business. I've got no problem with either of them, but it's an interesting distinction. Is it because Guise was raised by humans?

"Guise won't be battling. He's got to maintain my disguise - at least I can afford some civvies, anyway. That means that we're going to be doing one-on-one battles. I've already seen what you can do - is there anything I should know about your abilities before we jump in? Ideally, I'd do some training with you first, but I figure that these-battles are low-stakes enough to serve the same purpose."

She shakes her head. "No - you've seen pretty much all I know about them already. I'm ready."

"Not quite - I've got to explain what counts as a foul in a formal battle so you don't accidentally disqualify us and forfeit our wager." I retrieve the pamphlet that has a list of the rules of battling. "No attacking the trainers or spectators. Once the opposing Pokemon has been knocked out, you can't continue your attacks on them. No using moves or techniques when the enemy side doesn't have an active Pokemon on the field." I put away the pamphlet. "That's about all that you need to worry about."

She shakes her head. "Rules on a battle… I shall abide by them, but such restrictions continue to puzzle me."

"Alright. Thanks - I'll call you out again when I've found someone to battle."

She nods, and I return her to the ball.

"So." I turn to Guise. "Any idea where I might find someone to battle?"

He shrugs. "Passing by people on the routes between cities. At the Pokemon center, maybe. I think there's a battlefield nearby that's free for everyone to use."

"Right." I grab my bag, and we start heading towards the center. The walk is short, and we arrive within a few minutes.

I stop outside the doors. What do I do? Just walk in and ask for a battle?

A voice calls out. "Hey!"

I turn around. It's a girl - maybe seventeen years old, about as tall as me, blonde hair done back in a bun, wearing smart-casual clothes and with two Pokeballs clipped to her belt. I think she's a trainer, but her clothes look more like what someone would wear to a job interview - jacket, button-up blouse, long pants, and leather satchel.

She smiles at me. "You look lost. Are you two new trainers?"

I stop myself from narrowing my eyes. Is she just being friendly, or does she have more nefarious intentions? Internally, I scold myself. No - of course she's just being friendly.

I put on a smile. "Yeah. Is it that obvious?"

She nods. "It is if you know what to look for - usually it's only really new trainers that have just one Pokemon." she points at my belt, where an illusory image of Chitin's Pokeball is clipped. "Hi - my name's Claire. I'm only just starting out too."

I don't want to give out my actual name - not while I'm in disguise or my costume, anyway. "...My name's Kelly. Nice to meet you."

Guise smiles. "Benny. I'm not a trainer, though."

She acknowledges him with a nod, then turns back to me. "So, Kelly, you just here for the healing?" She begins walking inside and I follow.

If she's new as well, maybe she'd be a good person to battle? We walk over to the counter. "No - I'm looking for a battle. I need some money for supplies before I head back out."

"Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?" Her smile twists into a coy grin. She puts her Pokeballs onto a tray provided by the nurse, thanking her. I shake my head when the nurse looks at me questioningly.

I chuckle, "Only if you want it to be." The nurse loads the balls into the healing machine and presses some buttons on an interface.

She hums. The nurse unloads the balls from the machine and puts the tray in front of her. She thanks the nurse, taking back her Pokeballs. "I think I might take you up on that. I've got a new catch that needs some experience. You know where the battlefield is?"

Claire turns around and we leave the center. "No - I'm assuming that you do?"

"Sure do. So, what's the story between you two?" Flicks her gaze between the two of us. "Travelling partners?" She cuts herself off, shaking her head. "No, that's not right -" She looks at Guise. "-you aren't a trainer."

We start walking, Claire leading the way. There's a flea nestled in a fold of her jacket, so if she makes a sudden move towards me I should be able to react in time. She seems honestly friendly, but it's best to be prepared just in case.

Guise chuckles, "No - nothing like that. We're old friends and I decided to spend the day with her before she headed off." His lie is perfect - I can't detect a hint of dishonesty in him. Is that just a product of his illusions, or is he just a naturally good liar?

She nods "Ah, I see. So, where are you headed next, then?"

"Castelia City. How about you? Are you heading out or staying for a while?"

"I just arrived here from Driftviel, but I'm probably not going to stick around. I've got business in Nuvema town with Professor Juniper that I need to attend to."

Professor Juniper? The name is familiar… Oh! The pamphlet about a Pokedex Scholarship - she's the person that handles everything. "Are you getting a Pokedex?"

She laughs "Yeah - how'd you know?"

A wry smile touches my lips. "Lucky guess. How'd you qualify for one, anyway?"

She shakes her head "Oh - It's not for one of those Scholarships. My mother's pretty influential over in the Hoenn region. She pulled some strings and set one up for me when I finally started my journey."

Ah - nepotism. Well, I can't exactly blame her: I'd do the exact same thing in her position. We turn the corner, continuing down the street.

She continues "Anyway, what made you start your Journey so late? I know Unova's typical trainer starting age is fourteen - you look almost twenty to me."

That's an uncomfortable question. I don't really have an answer that I can give her. I shrug. "I dunno. Didn't seem right to start back then, so I pushed it back. I guess I only found the opportunity to start recently." There - a complete non-answer. Hopefully that should pass muster. "How about yourself? I don't know the starting age for the Hoenn region, but I imagine you're a few years older than that."

She snorts, a wry grin breaking out onto her face. "A few, you say! The starting age in Hoenn is twelve - I'm nearly eighteen. Anyway, the reason I didn't start until now is the work of my mother." Her smile drops "She's got a bit of a reputation to uphold. Apparently having a novice trainer for a daughter is a 'bad look'." She huffs. "It's important enough to her that she barred me from becoming a trainer completely until I met her exacting standards, and even still she doesn't want me going on a journey in Hoenn, the frigid bitch."

There's more than a hint of resentment in her voice. Does her mother have the undesirable sort of reputation, or is she simply tired of chafing under her rules? She shakes her head, a regretful tone entering her voice. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be venting about personal issues to a stranger like that."

It seems that she's forgotten about Guise. He's hanging back behind us, giving us some space. Is he just being courteous, or does he not want to risk accidentally break his illusions? "No - it's fine. You sounded like you needed it."

She sighs. "...Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks for listening." We turn another corner, and I can see that a small field is off to one side. "Here's the battlefield. Looks like nobody is there at the moment."

We cross the road, passing through a gate to enter the field. It's fairly sparse - a dirt floor, painted blue cinder block walls and an open roof.

I turn to Claire. "Right then - is a one-on-one single battle with a two-hundred-p cash wager fine by you?" I'm glad that I memorized the terminology for each of the battle rulesets from that pamphlet now.

"Only two-hundred? I thought you needed money for supplies?"

I wince. Rubbing the back of my neck, I admit, "I'm more than a little strapped for cash at the moment. I wouldn't be able to honour a wager for anything more."

She returns my wince with one of her own. "Shi-" She cuts herself off. "-I'm sorry…" She trails away, uncertain. "Look. I've got a new team member that needs experience on the battlefield - how about I hire you to battle me two or three times? It's not how trainers usually do things, but he's a wild one and pretty desperately needs to be tempered with some actual experience of how trainer battles go."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know how much help my team or I would be, but that sounds like exactly what I need. Thank you. You'll be helping me out a bunch." I might be laying it on too thick, but a little gratitude never did anybody any harm.

She beams, smiling at me brightly. "It's no problem - really." She walks over to one end of the field, gesturing for me to go to the other end. "Now! Let's go!"

I walk over to where she had gestured. Guise follows, standing a few steps behind me. She unclips one of her Pokeballs from her belt. I follow, and we raise them to the field.

"Come on out, Solosis!"

Wordlessly, I release Chitin onto the field. Solosis is small - about the size of a human head. It looks like a lime with a mouth and eyes, covered in a smooth layer of goo. It floats off the ground, bobbing slightly in place.

She stares at the thing, then turns to look at me, her mouth twisting into a wicked grin. "This is our opponent? I shall ensure we emerge victorious." She turns back to Solosis - I can only imagine the look she's giving the thing.

Claire's eyes are wide. "A Vespiquen? That line's a pretty unusual choice for a starter. Impressive, too, if she's already managed to evolve!" She recognised Chitin's species on sight? Is she just knowledgeable about Pokemon, or is that common knowledge? "Alright then, let's go! Solosis, use Light Screen!"

That's right - trainers are meant to give commands to their Pokemon in battle. "Defend Order!"

Solosis' eyes furrow in concentration, and it erects a transparent yellow bubble around itself. A forcefield? That seems likely - something similar to Shielder's power, perhaps. Chitin's swarm pours out, dissolving into a forcefield of her own.

Nodding to herself, Claire gives a second order. "Reflect!"

I adjust my stance, settling into the posture I've used to intimidate hardened villains. Granted, it's far more effective when I'm covered in my swarm, but merely looking confident has its own merits. "Power gem!"

A second forcefield appears around Solosis, this time a wondrous rainbow colour. A second layer for more protection? Chitin fires off her attack, and it pings against the yellow shield. Solosis' eyes wince under the barrage - can we break through with enough power?

"Slash!"

"Get out of the way and counter with a Hidden Power, Solosis!"

Vespiquen darts forward, claw lengthening and glowing with power. Solosis leisurely floats off to the side in a lame attempt to get out of the way. Vespiquen merely pivots in the air, claw hammering down onto the barrier with a righteous crash. Her claw passes through the yellow shield entirely, but bounces off of the rainbow one.

The shield holds, but Solosis is visibly disturbed by the attack. It scrunches it's eyes up, glowing with power. I don't know what 'Hidden Power' is, but I don't want Chitin hit by it, if I can avoid it.

"Fly up to dodge, then back down for another Slash!"

Chitin takes into the air, and the energy suffusing Solosis explodes into pale orange orbs which peel off and begin tracking towards Chitin. The projectiles are fast - too fast for Chitin to dodge or outspeed. They splash against the barrier erected by Defend Order, not causing any appreciable injury.

Claire makes a sound of annoyance and begins quietly muttering to herself. "That doesn't look very effective to me. Damn. Our only option is to stall." She's not quiet enough, though - I can hear every word she's saying. Chitin pivots in the air - heading straight towards Solosis. "Use Charm!" She shouts.

Solosis looks up at Chitin with a pitiable expression. Is it trying to convince Chitin to go easy? Foolish - Chitin should know better.

She cocks her arm back, claw glowing once more with energy. This time, the glow is more dull than before. My brows raise - don't tell me that she actually fell for that ploy? No… that's not right - maybe that look had actually been a Master power?

Shit - I think it might have been. It looks to be a weak one, though.

Chitin's slash connects, bouncing off Solosis' shield once more. Taken aback, she darts backwards, getting some space. She turns her head towards me, looking over her shoulder "Weaver! The enemy has sapped my strength! What do I do?"

I ignore her slip - now isn't the time to address it. I consider her words - if it's her strength that has been affected, perhaps a Blaster power will work better than a Striker one? "Keep your distance, use Power Gem!"

"Hidden Power!"

The two exchange attacks, neither mobile enough to avoid the other's. Both splash impotently against the other's barrier. Chitin's Power Gem seems to have been unaffected by Solosis' 'Charm' power. It looks to me like we've reached a steady-state: neither of us can pierce the defences of the other, so we're left simply wailing away, waiting for the others protections to break.

We both give another set of commands. I think - what options do Chitin and I have? Slash doesn't work, so I imagine that Fury Swipes wouldn't be much better. Gust? I don't think so - it barely managed to strip bark from a tree: if Power Gem doesn't work, then neither will mere wind.

That's it, then. The fight has turned into a typical Brute slugging match - keep hitting the other guy and hope that their super-powered-durability gives way first. Frustrating. I need to work on Chitin's repertoire to prevent a recurrence of something like this - a decisive victory may be key in some situations.

The attacks land, but something changes - the yellow shield around Solosis falters, before failing entirely. Did we break it, or did it expire? It doesn't matter - this is our chance!

"Power Gem! Give it all you've got!"

"Quick! Light Screen!"

Chitin darts forward, launching shimmering projectiles with a fervour. They pepper Solosis, unaffected by the remaining barrier. Solosis doesn't fall, but it definitely looks to be hurting from the hit.

Just as quickly as the yellow barrier had been erected, the rainbow barrier falls in much the same way as the yellow one. My eyes widen - one shield failure after another? I seize the opportunity. Slash had passed right through the yellow barrier earlier - that will have to do.

"Slash!"

The expression on Claire's face is defeated, but she gives her orders with determination. "Reflect! Before you get hit!"

Chitin moves in, claws raised and dully glowing. Solosis' face is scrunched in concentration, but her blow lands before it can raise another shield. The strike decides the match, and Solosis falls to the ground.

Claire raises her Pokeball, returning Solosis. Chitin floats over to me, a triumphant expression on her face. I give her an honest smile. "Good work. We'll talk about how you can improve later." I raise her ball, returning her.

I had spotted several minor things in Chitin's technique that could be improved: nothing significant, but I might be able to leverage her Slash attack to be just the smallest bit more effective. I figure that using that power isn't too much different to fighting with a long-bladed knife, so it's something that I know a thing or two about.

Claire walks over, extending her hand. "That was a good match. I wasn't expecting to win, but you accounted yourself far better than I had anticipated."

I take the handshake. She looks down at my hand with a strange expression on her face. Shit - the disguise. She can feel my silk costume gloves, not my skin. I nod, completely ignoring the look. "You think so? Thanks - you weren't bad yourself." I've just got to play it cool, and hopefully she'll dismiss it as her imagination. We release each others hands. "So, you think that you got what you were looking for from that?"

She shakes her head, as if to dismiss errant thoughts. "I'll have to have a chat with Solosis to find that out. We'll need to take another trip to the center." An honest smile breaks onto her face. "How about I treat you to lunch after that, then we can do round two in the afternoon?"

Internally, I berate myself - that had been completely stupid of me. I could have just completely blown my cover there. Still… she seems to have not thought too much of it. Not to mention… lunch sounds very appetizing right now - a break from the berries will be much appreciated. It's a risk - the smart thing to do would be to break ties entirely, and change my face... but her offer is just too tempting to pass up.

I smile at her. "I think I'd like that."