7: The Wilderness Test Begins!

Grimsley sits at a table as the seven people in his charge each go through endless amounts of paperwork as they are given rations, several important items, and an advanced bag that manages to hold all the items they end up being given.

First to judge was Daisy. She had proven to be somewhat capable. Her previous experience in a prior test handled by Gym Leaders proved she was resolute and fiercely determined. Students could try out as many as four times starting at age ten. This was her last opportunity and she was training herself to utter exhaustion. Her lack of type-matchup knowledge hurt her overall score, but her fierce loyalty to her partners and the power that Venipede packed demonstrated a certain level of training that few others in this year's test could match. She was a B+ ranked student with a hard A- lean.

Reina was certainly excited to be here on her only attempt. Her Purrsalot demonstrated moves far beyond what they were capable of in the wild. She only had two Partners but clearly trained them enough to make up for that gap. Her lack of composure left her at a solid B- rank.

Nathan was efficient and calculating on the field with simple instructions earning big results. His Emolga's performance proved to Grimsley his potential, though his questionable experience made him a wild card. He received a C+ for now since his Klink was definitely under par.

"Kelsie…" Grimsley sees nothing but pride in her work effort. She was an easy A-. Her type advantage usage and her demonstration of unbound affection for her experienced team assured she was heavily in consideration.

Mark was an A+ performer. His Pokémon weren't weak and could not only follow his instructions but also perform competently creative maneuvers even at this basic level. If he could maintain his expertise and composure throughout the test, he could one day be Champion.

Jonas was a firecracker of a person with a chip on his shoulder and money greatly affecting his performance values. Disregarding his demonstration of flashy power, Jonas proved he had a heart underneath his façade. He was a firm B for now.

In the end, Grimsley stares at the report so long because of the man who hit Bisharp.

Back when Bisharp stood from the attack, Luke had returned to him with a request. 'I hate hitting people who can't hit back so here's a promise. When I face Grimsley in a fight one day, once he's forced to his knees with his back against the wall and he calls upon you, you get one free hit on me back. You stay in shape or this won't satisfy me, you hear?!'

His Pokémon were incredibly untrained and he was completely unproven in battle with them. His strong spirit, powerful dedication, and unwavering loyalty to his team crush Grimsley's patience into nothing. He wasn't fit to be a trainer and yet he reminded Grimsley so much of Alder. Every way, in which Luke lacked for his performance, he made up for it in completely obtuse fashion. In the end, Grimsley marks Luke down with a D due to his lack of actual experience commanding others to fight in his stead.

In the end, forty students enter through the back gates of the school into a vast valley that led into Mistralton Forest proper. As the four 'houses' of students line up according to their placement, the four Elites take the stage.

Shauntal reaches for the microphone and speaks confidently. "Congratulations on the forty of you that made it. We are currently standing at an 80% pass rate beyond the initial test. This year is abnormally impressive considering the last time we saw scores this high were back when Jackson Banks and Ryker Alterra lead the charge. We commend you."

"It's a shame three of them backed out because of the waivers." Marshall mumbles to Caitlin.

"He's responsible for every elimination we've had so far." She watches Grimsley closely as he stands at the end of the four with a serious expression.

"Generally, we each force you to undergo a test one by one. However, since this year we have faced quite impressive levels of displays from here to Nimbasa, from Nacrene to Opelucid, we are unleashing a multi-test challenge." Whispers from different groups spring up but are harshly silenced. "My test won't be obvious to you at first. One group among you has the key to solving it. Whether you do, and whether they offer that knowledge to any other, is wholly up to them, should any of them make it far enough for it to matter."

"How is that fair!?" Billy shouts from the group Marshall has yet to marshal into line.

Shauntal closes her eyes and recovers from the annoying intrusion. "Failing a test doesn't necessarily mean your run is done. Some of you have had multiple attempts. What matters most is staying alert and using your brain to survive. I mean that literally out there."

As she steps away, Marshall approaches the stage's center with a loud shout of excitement. "My test is the one you're gonna love! Before you we have seven miles of untamed wilderness! Your goal is to traverse this area within a ten-day time limit while surviving the harshness of nature! This test is to ensure you can make it in the wild and proceed on your inevitable League journey safely. At any time, you'll have items to signal serious injury if you wish to bow out and also to tap out if you so desire. Should you wish to end your journey early, you can ring us up and we'll come help you out."

Vance nods as he grins with excitement. He had made Emi agree to go even despite the fact they may die.

Jamie was less reluctant and joined them with ease. His loyal Dedenne and mighty Heracross took their rightful place beside him.

Jack held his Rattata and Patrat close as the sky lorded over them on the school grounds. Without his friends by his side, he felt loneliness settle.

Taba had made friends with Vivian and Emi and were coordinating efficient cooperative ways to survive the oncoming tests.

Vivian fed her beloved Zubat while petting her Woobat she had searched tirelessly for in the wilderness. She still had gashes from falling over a hill sprinting after the furry bat in the night.

Emi nervously holds her Clefairy and Jigglypuff close as the memories of her night time hunts left her feeling scared even when she found the safety of her campsite.

Billy was feeling his resolve grow as he realized that everyone there was an enemy, someone to be overcome. Luke had always been his conscious. Now that it was removed, his desires to achieve more grew within him.

Skyla feels isolated from everything she cared for as both Elesa and her new friend were as far away as they could be from her current situation.

Luke, once having felt nothing but anger at being paired with Jonas, appreciated the people he had been paired with.

It likely wouldn't last.

Caitlin stands up and gracefully waltzes down to the center. Gripping the microphone and pulling it from the stand with aplomb, she leaves them uneasy and feeling left out to dry. "I think these two are going too nicely on you. I've prepared a wide variety of challenges to test your loyalty, your strategies, your kindness, your very essence. I hope you are surrounded by people you can trust and rely on. Just like you rely on your Pokémon team to survive so too will you need the people around you to do the same for you to succeed."

"Interesting." Mark whispers amongst Grimsley's Rejects. "Mixing the tests means it'll be far more arduous. They really have it out for us."

"Be advised that your map has some of these tests clearly marked. The quickest path may not be the best way to move forward and only the most stalwart will make it through." As she hands the microphone to Grimsley, she curtsies before joining a butler in uniform at the edge of the stage.

Grimsley's slogan is simple, short, sweet, and scarring. "Try not to find the end of your life out there. I have enough paperwork to go through."

At the last word the gates open fully and a light brightens the field as a bell sounds off.

Some of the students run to their destiny. Others wait for their team and go together.

"I say we're stronger together." Kelsie announces to her team. "You heard what Caitlin said. Loners might risk their lives out here."

Reina rolls her eyes. "If you're afraid to go alone, just say that. I'm not comfortable going off on my own either."

"Trubble and I lost last time because our team fell apart." Daisy admits solemnly. "I won't hesitate to abandon you if you slow me down. I'm done waiting for my future."

As she heads up the pack, Nathan whispers 'crazy bitch' to Luke and he nods in agreement. "I'm fine with being on a team. My Pokémon need experience before I'm ready to be alone myself anyways."

"Attention! Private Nathan Roble reporting for Operation Don't Unalive! Ready to exist for another sixty years with mild PTSD and a nuclear family with a house overlooking the ocean, sir!" Nathan recants a line his father probably once said as they take the rear behind Mark and Kelsie.

Jonas shakes his head and follows at pace with the boys and Kelsie in the back of the group. "I can't believe we're on the same team. How could I be a reject!?"

"I'm sure your dad opened his mouth." Luke quips. Nathan looks at him like he just cursed in front of Arceus himself. "Either he pissed someone off or he was like, 'my boy can take the worst, he's gonna be a King one day' or some shit like that."

"Don't mock my dad." Jonas warns as he releases Baron to walk alongside him.

Luke follows in kind by letting Aqua ride on his back and grab onto his head to look across the verdant fields while Torbital rotates slowly and Midnight tries to balance on his head. Skittle flies to the nearest tree and waits motionless.

Daisy stares at her map and notices the front path that remains the quickest is labeled 'The Burrows' and hesitates when she comes across a metaphorical sea of holes in the dirt. "This looks awfully familiar…"

As the seven students all reach the large dirt area filled with small holes, Jonas checks his own map. "According to this trusty guide, once we cross this we reach the first mutual challenge, the Barrier of the Forest. This'll be a breeze."

"Yeah, everyone else went around. What do they know we don't?" Reina's logical deduction halts Nathan and Mark from moving forward suddenly.

"Maybe it's a test." Mark's guess is the most sound to his companions. "We could try to cross but maybe we shouldn't all go at once."

"I volunteer for service!" Nathan salutes the others.

"No." Reina stops him. "If it's an underground creature, it might be a ground type. Your Flyby would be doubly useless against fighting that underground."

Jonas waves her concerns away. "Please. Have a strong enough partner and type-matchups don't matter." Without a care in the world Jonas firmly plants his foot in between two of the holes.

Everyone quiets as Jonas judges the ground with each tentative step. A couple of spots crumble inwards and Jonas slowly forges a path around the hollowed-out ground. "See, easy."

A stinging needle flies up from one of the holes and tears through Jonas's shirt. "Ah, fuck!"

"Couldn't have seen that one coming." Mark sighs. "Now what do we do?"

"I say we leave him." Reina's cold decision shocks the others. "He can get himself out of this mess, can't he? Prove yourself."

"Okay, okay…" Jonas struggles to wrack together a plan. "That moved so fast I didn't even see it!"

Daisy reaches a realization she was fighting for. "This is a Venipede burrowing ground."

"A what?" Mark asks out of honest intellectual pursuit. "They build their homes in places like this?"

"Bug type Pokémon tend to be weaker. Sewaddle disguise their bodies as leaves to hide from predators. Venipede are brightly coloured to warn potential predators of their poisonous nature, but they also regularly dig under the earth to create underground networks to lay their eggs." Daisy's explanation comes from personal experience. "I was trapped in one when I was completing Amos's test and that's how I found Nightshade."

Kelsie steps forward and releases her trusted Bacon Bits. "So if it's a bug type, we can smoke them out."

"Trench warfare at the first test, what do you know?" Nathan's interest in the troubling situation earns him unspoken derision from Daisy and Reina.

With a barked order, Baron flies over several of the holes and plants his feet next to his master's. "So Baron just blasts flamethrower into these holes and they'll swarm out?"

"I hate that you phrased it like that." Reina shudders at the thought.

"We'll have to fight once we do that, but then we'll be free to cross." Daisy sends out Trubble and Toadstool. "I'd say have everyone ready in case there's a lot of them."

Reina shrugs and releases Purrsalot and her Cottonee that bounces helplessly in the strong winds.

"I'll conserve their energy, thanks." Luke feels his Pokémon lack the endurance for protracted combat.

"Bacon Bits, on three! One, two, three!" In unison the Tepig and Houndour aim their mouths into the nearest hole and start blasting. The fiery pillars that rise out of the ground around Jonas send earth and dirty flying. Jonas fully expects to fall as the earth crumbles and cracks beneath him.

Instead he is lifted up and as Daisy comes to the conclusion he's standing on the worst threat they could have ever had, she recoils. "So we're dead already. Good to know."

"What the fuck is that!?" Nathan wastes no time blasting obscenities at high pitches as he sends out Flyby and Gulag to fend off the monstrous giant reddish-pink centipede that towers above them.

"Baron! Help me!" Jonas panics and tosses out all of his partners. Throh, Timburr, and Woobat to the ground.

The mighty Scolipede stomps hard enough for the earth beneath to crack into shards from its immense power and weight.

Reina turns to the others. "I could be convinced to leave him to his fate."

"Don't talk like a weakling." Mark throws out his Snivy and Furfrou. "If you want to turn tail and run, use that item you were given and leave the real elites to the challenges set forth before them!"

"I didn't know what I was getting into, you jerk!" Reina replies in anger as the beast moves its large legs and prepares for an advance. Other students from other teams stand and watch either horrified or interested at what the Reject team could even do to stop it.

Nathan adjusts his hat and puts on his glasses. "Flyby, you're going to Wing Attack it at the top of its head. Get its attention. Gulag, once the thing is distracted, Tackle at its back right leg to try and disable it."

Flyby opens its wings and catches the wind as it finds its small body lifted on high. With a delighted grin plastered on its mischievous face it crashes right between the feelers on the Scolipede's head to stun it.

Now that combat has been initiated, Jonas reaches for the left side and jumps. He fumbles the landing and crashes onto his ankle in the bad roll. Luke calls for Aqua. "Heal the idiot. I'll run distraction."

Gulag levitates at a snail's pace as it travels in between Scolipede's legs before massively upping its speed and crashing into the exposed leg. The Scolipede quickly lifts its leg and crushes the metal machine into the dirt.

Nathan is forced to recall him. "Flyby on standby! We wait for another airstrike!"

"It looks like you just annoyed it." Daisy offhandedly comments from the back of the group. "My types aren't exactly effective on each other."

"How much do you know about this guy?" Luke asks her directly. "If Nightshade evolves into that, you must know something. You don't half-ass things."

"Thank you."

"Except knowing what's immune to Poison."

"You aren't. Watch your mouth." Daisy's eye twitches as she regains herself. "Scolipede is a four-hundred pound king among bugs. I'd say it only has two definite weaknesses. Fire and the feelers on its head are surprisingly sensitive."

Luke raises an eyebrow. "Did you pull too hard on Nightshade's to find that out?"

Daisy's upturned gaze and casual whistling put that thought to bed.

"Screw it. I'll take the risk." Reina takes control of the situation. "Jonas, tell your Pokémon to distract it. Purrsalot, aim for the antenna and strike when you can." Purrsalot leaps high onto her partner and then jumps onto Nathan's head. As his hat falls and his eyes are exposed to direct sunlight, Purrsalot manages to clamber onto Scolipede's back and avoids the needles it fires off into its direction.

"My eyes!" Nathan's dilating eyes leave him out of commission.

Baron opens its mouth and continues blasting a mighty flamethrower. Since Scolipede is so large and apparently untrained, it is unable to dodge the attack and suffers. With its mouth agape, it shoots out poison that slams into the Houndour hard enough to send it flying. Each crash landing on the dirt leaves a few more bruises on the poor pup as it collapses into the dirt.

Throh and Timburr fist bump each other before reeling their bodies back. Throh throws Timburr high into the sky and it abuses the momentum it receives to blast Scolipede's head with its wooden log. As the creature's head undulates towards the ground and its legs shake from the pressure, Throh thrusts its open palm into the face of the monster as it cracks its head against the dirt.

As if this triggered it in some way, Scolipede changes its speed and unleashes a Venoshock. Throh crumples from the attack while Scolipede throws its entire body into Timburr and defeats it in one swift motion. The monster throws another Venoshock at Bacon Bits but it dodges.

"Reina, now!" Bacon Bits unleashes an Ember in Scolipede's face and scorches its unprotected carapace. Purrsalot lands on one of the feelers sprouting from its head and bites into it with ferocity befitting a Litten as it swings wildly. The damage caused to the ground leave Bacon Bits stricken by a large rock thrown high into the sky when Scolipede accidentally uproots an entire tree.

With a roll, Scolipede nearly flattens Purrloin as it reaches melee range of Jonas who is still stuck on the ground while Aqua heals his leg.

Torbital launches into action and tackles the Scolipede from the side. Skittle unleashes a Gust that forces the Scolipede to close its eyes. Once it opens them, it finds Luke on its head. Leaning back into the punch as hard as possible, Scolipede lands a direct hit on the feeler, bending it with the pressure of the hit as its segmented legs give out beneath it and confusion settles into it.

Kelsie grabs Aqua and pulls Jonas away as the mighty beast collides with the dirt where they once stood and Luke falls off but lands on his knees. Blood pools on his pant leg from his burst open flesh but he bites his lip and ignores the pain.

"So did we win?"

Reina's Purrsalot confirms the beast is unconscious and lets out a sigh of relief. That relief soon boils over. "You almost got yourself and others killed in the first test. You really are a reject." Her bitter words fall upon Jonas like thrown rocks.

"Remember your place is here with us." Mark doesn't take kindly to indirect offenses. "You raised a partner that can't hit as hard as some random guy."

"He's not a guy, he's a freak!" That remark leaves a revived Nathan and a bleeding Jonas to give her a look of pity.

Kelsie stands up and paces toward her in such a way as to leave the guys with the impression of an impending cat fight. Daisy walks over to Mark and speaks softly. "I wish we helped now."

"You did." Mark reassures her. "That feeler tip helped us out. You don't have to fight to be a part of this team. Just like his Ralts."

"She certainly is useful." Daisy says to herself more than Mark. "Next time you save the day, then."

Mark gives her a confident grin. "Anything to impress a girl like you."

Daisy hides her expression from Mark. He assumes he laid it on too thick and curses his own ignorance.

"That freak not only saved Jonas's life, that thing would have crushed your cat against the ground." Kelsie gets right up in Reina's face. "Show some respect."

"I don't owe him shit." Reina stands her ground. "I don't know how I was put into the reject group, but I'm rising above their faulty expectations. If that idiot hadn't triggered this pointless fight, we wouldn't be licking wounds."

Kelsie glows for a moment as if she'll start spouting fire like her poor pig. "We!? You didn't get hurt! You don't get to complain!"

Reina folds her arms. "Bitch, I can complain all I want"

"Sure. Fuck off and go on your own." Nathan stands his ground and helps Jonas to his feet. "If you're just gonna bitch this whole time, find a group that can stand you. I'll wait."

"Tch. Fine. I don't need idiots like you." Reina steps away from the group. "I'll show that bastard in the edgy clothes and you losers."

"Bet you don't last one more challenge." Kelsie sharply counters. "They overestimated your abilities to allow you to be here."

Reina makes a move to strike Kelsie but Luke quickly stands between them. "Do you think I won't hit you too!?"

Luke raises an eyebrow. "If I'll punch a Pokémon, I'll punch a rabid dog like you."

"You dare threaten me!?"

"Words like those mean nothing considering what you were intending." Mark stands by Luke. "My glasses were smudged. How sad."

Nathan joins the duo. "It's crazy; the sun was so bright I still can't see. In fact it's so hard to see I couldn't hear you shout if I tried."

Reina knows when a battle is lost and turns away from then. "You disgust me."

"I'd still rather you stay." Luke's words come as a surprise to the other six. "This forest isn't a place to play around in. My dad lost both of his partners out here. I'd hate to see anyone get hurt when I could stop it."

"You can't just get in my face and then act like you give a shit."

"Bitch, what do you mean!?" Nathan finds his sanity fading. "You literally started this!"

Luke folds his arms and smiles despite the circumstances. "You're acting like Jonas on top of it all. You bite your tongue when he gets chewed out for the attitude. Don't you see you're copying him?"

Reina's teeth grind as she logically argues with herself. It's true she knew going alone was life-risking behavior on her part. She hated being wrong. She loathed other people who thought they were on pedestals above her.

Every criticism was an attack. That's how her mother had raised her.

Aqua makes her way between the adults and pulls on Reina's red dress. "Please don't leave. It's not safe."

Reina sighs and the tension within her dissipates. "Look, I put off trying this before because I wanted my one try to be perfect. This isn't what I envisioned, okay!? That smug prick spends the whole time talking down to us and then… that damned steel-type."

"If you're self-conscious about that, don't be." Jonas presses his foot to the ground to test the pain. "Luke literally never had friends for his whole life. He was getting attacked by Pokémon all the time since he lives in the woods. The dick knocked poor Baron out in one hit. If you're going to be around him, you have to accept that he's probably gotten more battle experience personally than the rest of our partners combined."

Mark agrees. "It's not even the smallest of problem for us. His Pokémon are inexperienced and he can protect himself and us. He's lacking in competing with us seriously but plays an excellent utilitarian role. I'd say appreciate his strengths and acknowledge your own weaknesses."

"It's okay to be hurt by what Grimsley said." Kelsie accidentally presses too hard against her own right arm and winces. "We get pressure from our parents, our teachers, ourselves… There's no harm in failure. If you feel angry, use that to be better. If you just give in, you won't make it."

Though Aqua had yet to fully develop the ability to read minds or communicate to multiple individuals at once or from long distances, her status as the beginnings of the emotion-based Pokémon kicked in as an unsettling aura coated Kelsie. Long tendrils of black despair wrap around her body in a tangled invisible web.

"We do have a problem." Luke brings their attention to Jonas. "He's injured. We staved off the worst of it but he can't walk on it."

"We don't leave a man behind." Nathan affirms his position. "Not until we have no other choice."

Luke walks over and picks Aqua up into his arms. "This one has Teleport. If we just take turns walking with her, she can teleport back to this spot and bring us along. I can go and get us started."

"How would we even know you could bring us all?" Daisy's question strikes at the heart of the matter.

"She teleported us by accident. We ended up about five miles high. All she needs is to be able to see where we're going to or have been where we're teleporting to. She could probably get us to the finish line without any of us expending energy to do so."

Mark's excitement rises quickly. "Damn! Are Psychic types this effective!?"

Luke hesitates on his next statement. "That being said, we shouldn't just leave this to me. I think at least two of you should go with me. If I run into trouble, I might need assistance."

"I volunteer." Mark steps forward and joins Luke's side. "Nathan is enough to protect Jonas if we leave them behind."

"Assignment understood! I'll take first watch!" Nathan salutes them once more.

Daisy sighs aloud. "You do not have to act like a soldier the whole time."

"I'll go with you as well." Kelsie joins Mark and Luke while calling her two friends back to their respective capsules. "I can keep the map tabbed while Mark can observe what he needs to."

Reina leans over and plops down onto a dislodged rock. "I'm not walking. If you guys screw this up, I'm going without you."

"Yeah, I have to agree with her. Don't fail us now, Luke." Daisy winks. "I'd be sad you were a one trick pony."

Jonas grits his teeth and forces his body to lift him up onto another rock. "I'm sorry. I won't do that again."

"Look, character growth." Mark's joke earns a righteous glare as he passes by Jonas and down towards the next spot on the map with a notable name. "The Forest Barrier is about three miles west. If we reach that we'll be halfway through this challenge in a single day."

"Let's hope it's actually that easy." Luke reminds him.

Nathan pauses for a moment before tossing Flyby out. "This is an escort mission. You go with them and make sure they don't die, got it?"

Flyby nods as Nathan feeds him a Sitrus Berry and flies to land on Mark's shoulder. The boy nearly drops his open laptop before catching it and glaring at the squirrel.

With that, the three intrepid adventurers left behind their loyal scout, their injured idiot, their competitive firecracker, and their deadly damsel as they alone take the first few steps on an arduous journey into territory uncharted to them.

Despite the fact the distance itself was easy enough to cover and only a couple of hours would be required to reach their destination, the uneven dirt and the scars of battles long past meant maneuvering around broken ground and avoiding nests of wild Pokémon. Rags and ripped clothes left behind mark the trail as they notice several other people from other teams making their own way down the path they had opened up.

"This is too easy." Mark says what they were all thinking. "I mean, yes, the Scolipede was no pushover, but it's rare to use untrained Pokémon as guardians to block our paths."

Kelsie posits a theory she'd been mulling over. "Maybe they're going easier on us because of what happened back then."

Mark thinks back on the announcements they listened in on. "Jackson Banks was killed by the murderer in the woods closer to Mistralton. He was one of seventeen suspected casualties. Ryker was listed as MIA. It shocked the program's sponsors since they were the favorites to win."

"Who did the killer end up being? I never remember if they reported on it." Kelsie wracks her brain for an answer she won't find.

Luke holds Aqua on his shoulders and ignores the two as he watches her innocent reactions to everything she sees. Emolga fly through the forest in V-patterns to strip the trees of its berries and chew on them as they drop the cores midflight onto the heads of unsuspecting Throh and Sawk. They ignore the intrusions as they fight vigorously, tossing each other repeatedly to harden and hone their rock-hard bodies.

Her eyes light up as flocks of Pidove tackle packs of hiding Sewaddle and dart off to their nests in the trees within eyesight of their journey. Venipede scuttle along the ground and burrow at incredible speeds as they expand a network of tunnels to hide from invading Mandibuzz that shred at the leftover bodies of prey that failed to escape.

One bird flew down to grab at the small creature on Luke's back but a shock from Flyby's careful airborne stance above the group to send it falling. As the bird falls into Luke's range he batters it with a hard jab that leaves it unconscious on the ground. Flyby perches back on Luke's shoulder to avoid the hungry gaze of other carrion hunters.

"Doesn't it bother you to hurt Pokémon like that?" Kelsie's subdued tone sparks curiosity within Mark and Luke.

Mark interjects. "We just broke a Scolipede's home and battered it until it stopped moving."

Kelsie rolls her eyes at his protestation. "Yeah, but that wasn't us. People raise Pokémon to fight for sport and for protection."

"And that was for protection." Mark interrupts her. "To me, it wouldn't have mattered if Luke or his Starly saved us. The result is the same."

"Do you think results justify the means?" Her words carry weight they seem not to need in the moment and Mark tempers himself.

With his eyes glued to the light coming from his laptop screen, he answers her. "Does it bother you that he fights?"

Kelsie pauses for a moment. Luke pulls Aqua down to his side and wraps his arm around her as she rests from the expenditure of the energy she used healing Jonas earlier. "I think it's weird that a guy who doesn't like to let his Pokémon fight would go out of his way to do it himself. Isn't the problem hurting Pokémon?"

"Well, ask him, not me." Mark deflects. "I wouldn't hesitate to defend myself either if I were him."

Kelsie walks around Mark and stands by Luke's side. She pulls on his arm to stop his forward movement and stares into his eyes. "Why do you act like you do?"

Luke mentally steels himself for a likely awkward conversation. "If a trainer challenged me to a fight and I forced Aqua to go out, is she consenting to the fight?"

"Well, if she doesn't stop you…" Kelsie answers softly.

"Do you know the pressure that applies!?" Luke's voice rises in pitch and he has to manually quiet himself. "I know my partners. I understand them. Aqua is a kind soul and one who has yet to experience the true joys of living. Forcing her to fight would be disgusting."

Kelsie thinks back to her parents and the pressure they applied to her to do this in the first place. "Most Pokémon are used to fighting for their lives in nature. I think most end up enjoying it because at least they don't die when they lose."

Luke grumbles to himself. "Sounds like an excuse trainers use to feel better about it. Are a Pokémon's only options to fight or die in the world or fight or die for amusement!?"

"Why are you doing this if it bothers you so much?" Mark brings up another contentious point.

"I haven't been forced to fight with my friends. I'll cross that bridge if we do." Luke softens his tone. "Torbital likes getting into scraps. Midnight trains to become a strong survivor. Skittle is fighting to impress a Starly he met, but Aqua isn't like them. She's a protector, a healer. I wouldn't risk her life."

Aqua listens to her partner and tries to find meaning in them. It's true that fighting scares her. Midnight left her fearing she wouldn't make it. Was Luke going to fight everything in her stead? Would she be endangering him?

Kelsie pauses for a moment and runs her hand along the ball containing Bacon Bits. "So it's not that you hate Pokémon getting hurt. You hate when they don't choose?"

"Pokémon are sentient, aren't they?" Luke returns her question. The road they are walking bends and flows down towards the forest edge as they near their destination. "If a wild Pokémon chooses to attack me and I don't want to fight, I destroy them. They refuse to recognize my refusal and engage and pay for it."

"And if you agree to fight them as well?"

Luke thinks back on Bisharp. "Then it's a duel and I should fight honestly."

Mark nods in approval. "That's fair. Not every Pokémon wants to fight. Some like to do other things to each other… like contests or whatever breeders do with them."

Kelsie's face reddens as she pushes Mark away and he barely holds onto his laptop. "Don't bring stuff like that up!"

"What about you, Aqua? Want to be a contest star?" Aqua imagines herself on a stage dancing around while fully evolved and striking cool poses. She smiles to herself and hides her face from Luke.

"I wonder if she's more likely to have shiny children." Mark adds another unnecessary comment that Kelsie straight up gut checks him for. "It's a scientific question!"

"Science isn't about being weird!" Kelsie shouts as they reach the entrance to the forest. A sign indicates a camping point lies about half a mile inside and would be a safe zone. At least that's what it appears to say despite the weather wear-and-tear has done to the sign.

Luke stares up at the sky sitting pretty and sighs loudly as he falls down next to the sign. "Okay, we made it. Now we can reach that camp and grab everybody at once."

"The Forest Barrier is supposed to be a mile further in." Mark notes on his laptop. "So once we reach this camp we'll have to tackle that soon."

"If we can pass two tests in one day, we'll be well on our way to ending this test and moving on with our lives." Kelsie unpacks her bag slightly and starts feeding Bacon Bits and Pupperoni as they rip into bowls of Pokémon food.

Luke rips open a bag of Skittles and tosses it to the ground. Skittle and Flyby fight over the bag and tear into pieces of candy while Luke passes Aqua a bowl with premade cooked food he had coerced from Rubin. "Here ya go."

"You feed them better than my parents feed me." Kelsie's sad comment earns a curious glance from Mark. "Look, they don't like wasting money on me, okay?"

"You don't waste money on your child. You invest." Mark releases his Snivy and Furfrou and hands them both bowls of food as well. "My parents wasted not a cent getting me here."

Kelsie destroys him with a quick counter. "Spent all that money and you ended up with the Rejects."

Mark's twitching brow say it all. "We were late. We don't belong here necessarily."

"I'm pretty sure I'm a Reject…" Kelsie lowers her face and goes quiet.

Luke forces himself to his feet and starts walking forward. As he leaves the other two behind, Aqua looks up from her food and chases after him. Midnight helps himself to a can Luke left out for him as the two disappear from the makeshift dining hall.

Grass gives way as Luke marches his body through the dead twigs and leaves and comes upon the actual empty campsite. Designated tent stations line the area with spots for eight individual sets. According to the map Mark had, the other groups were likely filtering in to other sites if they had managed to avoid tests. They might even push on today. The ten day time limit stopped no one from finishing the test on the first day if one tried.

Luke pulls a Leppa Berry from his pocket and hands it to the girl that followed him. "Just in case you feel weak, I'd say top up with this."

"Does it bother you?" Luke leans down to better hear his partner that often speaks too softly, even when it is done telepathically. "That I don't fight?"

"Why would I be bothered?" Luke smiles kindly and rubs her head. "If you're not into fighting, that's fine."

Aqua stares up at him with tears in her eyes and a resolved stare accompanying them. "What if I have to protect you one day and I can't? What if you get hurt helping me and I can't save you?"

Luke looks away from her. "Well, that's why we're practicing your psychic abilities. The better you can teleport and read our moves and emotions, the better you can support us."

"I want to do more than just be your support." Aqua's words carry harshness to them. "If you want to be a Champion like your dad said, you've gotta have an entire team of strong partners! I won't be useless!"

"Do not ever call yourself that again!" Since they had met Luke hadn't once raised his voice at her until then. "Without you, I'd be drowned in the water out there."

"That would have been my fault!" Aqua's mental response was loud enough for Luke to wince. "Is it wrong to want to do more for you!? You saved my life!"

"Aqua…"

"I was alone and had no one! I went days without eating! I just want you to feel how I do, okay!?" Aqua's small stature didn't stop her attitude or the faint glow that carried itself around her. "I wake up in a bed with a home-cooked meal and you're constantly holding me close and making me safe! But then you go and fight and all I can do is… is stand there and hope you come back!"

"That's not fair to you."

Aqua's glowing body continues increasing in the intensity, enough for Luke to notice. "I survived for years running from every fight that happened. I lived terrified that I wouldn't make it through the night! All I could think of when I saw those cats attacking you was that I'd end up there again if you didn't make it!"

Luke steps back from her as the power within her swells to a crescendo before fading away. "What on earth is this…?"

"We're partners, right? That means we protect each other! So let me learn to fight!" Aqua's emotions continue to grow in intensity. "Every time you feel scared, I feel it inside me. The entire time I laid in that bed, I felt the fear you felt if you lost me. I don't want to know that feeling personally!"

"I admit I shouldn't have done that without getting bandaged up first." Luke sighs. "I just felt like the second I left, you… Like with Buddy and with Lucky, the second I leave the room, the second I turned the corner… you wouldn't be waiting there for me anymore."

Aqua's body once again explodes into light and the intensity of the energy coursing through her reminds Luke of something. She had been lost in that forest for at least six years surviving all on her own. Ralts was a member of an evolutionary line dedicated to sensing the emotions of those around her.

"Then you'll teach me. You'll make me worthy of having a man like you as a partner or so help me I'll make your other partners do it themselves!" The aura around her finally explodes and Luke is knocked off of his feet and tumbles to the dirt.

As his eyes slowly adjust and the light recedes, he finds Aqua standing still with psychic energy coursing through her. "What was that…?"

"I… I don't know, I just…"

"Well, this is certainly interesting." Mark approaches the two of them from the trail's exit. "It seems she was nearing an evolution."

"A what…?" Luke mulls over what he says. "You mean transforming, right?"

Mark opens up his laptop and plays back what he witnessed. "Evolution is a confusing thing. Pokémon usually transform over time due to strong emotional strain but it always depends on other factors. Your partner here nearly evolved out of sheer will. I'd say I'm impressed you mean that much to her so soon."

"Aqua…"

As the psychic energy tapers off, Aqua stands tall and stares Luke down. "Let's go get the others, Luke. Once we come back, you're going to earn the title of Trainer."

Luke can't find it within himself to argue and reaches for Aqua's hand. She focuses on Nathan's notable energy signal and teleports back to the camp where they left the others.

Mark turns to Kelsie and gives her a gentle smile. "So what do you think of the Reject team? You know, since you're the overseer and all?"

Kelsie bites her lip and closes her eyes. "I suggest you throw away such pointless suspicions, Mark. I'm just a team player."

"You understand my specialties lie in analyzing my opponents, right? Since this test started, you and Daisy have seemed rather off to me." Mark adds. "Plus, I know how Shauntal conducts her examinations. We're always looking out for hidden dangers or deducing secrets that try to remain hidden."

"I wouldn't know anything about that, Mark." Kelsie approaches the campsite and her partners join her side. "Look, you're a smart guy, a good head on your shoulders. If this really is a test to you, then do your best to pass it."

Mark says nothing more as Kelsie begins unloading her bag and preparing for the inevitable evening filled with more mysteries and struggles to fight. With a sly smile on his face, Mark resolves to discover the truth behind Shauntal's words yet.