"Okay, we've got food, water, and a new tent after Slugma destroyed Flannery's." Brendan listed off. "Anything else we need to get while in Mauville?"
"No, I think that covers it." Ash said. "Hey, I see Wally up ahead, lets see if him and Flannery found everything they were looking for. Hey Wally!"
Wally didn't respond, and instead kept moving into a store.
"What was that about?" Brendan asked. It wasn't crowded enough that Wally wouldn't have heard them.
"I have a better question, why is Wally going in here?" Ash questioned, seeing it was a high end boutique.
On the clear other side of Mauville
"Okay Vibrava use Sand Tomb!"
Since the Deoxys incident, Wally had learned the name of his newly evolved Pokemon, and it had pushed him to take his training and his team to the next level.
"Good choice Wally." Wattson said.
"Come on, you've got this!" Flannery cheered.
Trapped in the swirling sands was a Magnemite who sent off a Sonicboom, breaking itself free and knocking Vibrava back.
"Vibrava use Dragon Breath!"
A stream of blue flames shot out at Magnemite, hitting the steel and electric type, then shooting off in every direction.
"That Magnemite is tougher than we thought." Flannery admitted.
"Yes, but Wally was the one that challenged it, not us." Wattson said calmly.
"Don't you have a gym to run? Or a boat to fix?" Flannery asked.
"Closed for the day to fix the boat, and what's left to fix isn't my expertise." Wattson said with a chuckle.
"Alright Vibrava use Sand Tomb!"
Sand whipped up, circling around the Magnemite as it's sparks shot high into the sky.
"Okay. Now Pokeball go!" Wally exclaimed, throwing a Pokeball with a spin.
'Ding Ding Ding'
"Yeah!" Wally cheered. "I just caught a Magnemite!"
"Great job Wally." Flannery said happily. "Pretty soon we'll all have a full team."
Back with Brendan and Ash
"Okay, here he… nope not Wally. Not Wally!" Ash said, grabbing Brendan.
"What do you mean not Wally? How many other people have bushy green hair in Mauville?!" Brendan questioned.
"Unless Wally has been hiding the fact that he is a young woman this entire time, that isn't him." Ash said.
"Did you say Wally?" A woman asked, causing Ash and Brendan to jump.
The duo turned around to see the woman with green hair, with a worried expression on her face.
"Yeah, he's been traveling with us." Brendan said, his hands hovering over Nuzleaf and Lairon's Pokeballs.
"I've been so worried about him, I'm Wanda his cousin." Wanda said. "Do you think, I could maybe see him?"
"Oh." Brendan said, his arms relaxing. "Sure, we should be meeting up with them for lunch soon."
"Great, come on." Wanda said, pushing the two boys along.
At the meetup place
"Hey Wally, over here!' Brendan called out from a table.
"Wally!" Wanda cried out running up to him.
"Wanda? What are you doing here?" Wally asked.
"Wally, who is this?" Flannery asked.
"Wanda, my cousin, she's like a sister to me." Wally said. "Right, Wanda, this is Flannery. We've been traveling together."
"A girl?" Wanda questioned excitedly.
"Hey Flannery." Ash said, wrapping an arm around her.
"Never mind. Wally, don't you think it's time you come back home." Wanda said.
"What, because I don't have a girlfriend?!" Wally said angrily.
"Wally, you know you were never made for this kind of thing." Wanda said.
"You may think that, but I've accomplished so much since I left Verdanturf, just now I caught a fifth Pokemon." Wally argued.
"Seriously?" Brendan said in surprise.
"Congrats man." Ash cheered.
"He did it all on his own too." Flannery pointed out.
"See we told you, you're a strong trainer." Ash said, giving Wally a noogie.
"You don't know him like I do, he's fragile." Wanda argued.
"Not as fragile as you think." Brendan countered.
"Guys, this is my fight." Wally said. "So fine, if you want me to go back to Verdanturf Town, you have to prove I'm not strong enough." Wally said, holding out a Pokeball. "Beat me and Ralts in a one on one."
"Fine, and once this is over, we go." Wanda said, holding out a Pokeball of her own.
In an open area
"This will be a one on one battle, with no substitutions at any time." Ash said. "When one sides Pokemon is no longer able to battle, the winner will be declared."
"Whismur come out!"
"Ralts I choose you!"
Flannery sat down next to Brendan with Pikachu in her lap, the electric type having grown very fond of her just like his trainer.
"Wally should have this in the bag." Flannery said happily.
"You would think, but I feel like Ralts is his weakest Pokemon, despite being his starter." Brendan commented.
"Whismur use Uproar!"
"Ralts use Confusion!"
Whismur let out a soft cry as a pulse of psychic energy shot out at Whismur, sending it back slightly.
"Whismur use Astonish!"
"Ralts use Double Team!"
A horde of Ralts appeared in a group as Whismur sent out a short cry, dispersing the first row of the duplicates.
"Ralts use Confusion!"
"Whismur use Howl!"
Whismur let out a high pitched roar before it was pushed back again.
"Now Whismur use Stomp!"
"Ralts use Teleport!"
The group of Ralts scattered as Whismur landed on the ground with a thud.
"Whismur use Uproar!"
"Ralts use Confusion!"
Whismur turned around, sending out a cry knocking over the real Ralts as the others dissipated. When Ralts didn't get back up, Ash spoke up.
"Ralts is unable to battle, the winner is Whismur." Ash said, trying not to choke up.
"Okay Wally, you know the deal. You come back home to Verdanturf with me." Wanda said.
"No, you can't do that!" Brendan said. "Sure Wally may not be the toughest, hes gotten far stronger, and we handle problems as a team."
"Brendan, it's fine, I lost." Wally said. "Can I at least see my friends off when they go on?" Wally asked.
"Fine, but tomorrow after they leave, we go." Wanda said, caringly.
"Come on, one last meal, all of us." Ash said. "I'll cook this time."
"You?" Brendan asked questioningly.
"It's Wally's last night with us, he shouldn't have to cook." Ash said. "Wanda, you're welcome too."
Wanda watched the cookout that night, realizing that she might have been wrong. Wally had gained so many friends and Pokemon, that he didn't need the families protection, not like he used to at least.
"Come on, soups on." Ash called out, the food having finished cooking.
The next morning Wally woke up to find a note pinned to the picnic table at the campsite.
Wally, I was wrong. You don't need me watching over you anymore. You're hardly the frail little boy that moved in with us for his own safety. I'm heading back home to Verdanturf, you keep going with your friends, but know that if you ever get homesick, we're rooting for you.
-Wanda