Author's Note:

20 chapters in. That seems like a nice little milestone for the story. Anyway, after last chapter had less focus on Bonnie, this one has much more! We're finally in Dewford Town, so things get a little more interesting now. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20: A Meditite Competition

The moment the SS Wingull was tied to the docks of Dewford Town, Bonnie was leaping off of it, too excited to think of being very careful. Fortunately, it was no big deal, and after a quick chastisement from Roxanne, the others made their way off the boat, while Bonnie looked out towards Dewford Town. Much of it probably had to do with the fact it was the home of the next gym she'd be challenging, but she found it to be quite a nice little town.

Dewford Town wasn't very big, and the town itself took up a small part of the much larger island according to Briney. However, the palm trees lining the cliffs overlooking the beaches and the small beachfront houses around the docks gave it a nice welcoming feel. Bonnie could just barely see the Pokemon Centre in the distance, down the road to their right, while the rest of the town was up ahead. There was also a cafe further down the beach where a few surfers were hanging out.

"We're going to have to come hang out at the beach later," Roxanne said, stepping down off the boat and looking out at the sights alongside Bonnie. "It looks beautiful!"

"It'll be nice to relax for a bit after the trip here," Clyde murmured in agreement.

Bonnie had enjoyed the trip aboard the SS Wingull, but she couldn't help but agree that it had been a bit tiring. Of course, that wasn't going to stop her from looking for the gym as soon as she could. "We'll relax once I have my second badge," she told Clyde in a firm voice. "We need to get to a Pokemon Centre and then head to the gym."

"Zzt! The Dewford Town Gym should be just down that pathway," Rotom then said, floating down to Bonnie's side and gesturing towards the road leading to the Pokemon Centre. Where it diverged, it seemed to head further into town, and Bonnie assumed that was where Rotom was pointing. The PokeDex seemed to be scanning whatever he could of their immediate area, using the PokeNav that was currently attached to him. "Zzt! There will be many Pokemon at this beach for me to analyze! We will need to come back here."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll all have plenty of time to come to the beach and to go to the gym for Bonnie's battle." Bonnie smiled, looking over as Briney got off the boat, Peeko resting on his shoulder. "Dewford Town is a wonderful place to relax. You should take advantage while you're here. No need to rush your journey."

Bonnie blushed at that. She supposed that was true, and she couldn't deny that it looked like fun to hang out for awhile here. Still, she wanted to check out the gym. If she could earn her badge, it would be even more fun coming to the beach to celebrate. Besides, Max had likely already been here. "We'll make sure to have some fun, Mr. Briney," Bonnie said. "But I do need to catch up to my rivals."

Briney chuckled at that, but nodded in understanding. "Aye, I suppose you do. I wonder if Max has earned his Dewford Gym Badge yet."

"He'll have been just as determined as Bonnie to get there as quickly as possible," Roxanne said, laughing at Bonnie's stubborn look.

"Well, I suppose I'd better let you get going then," Briney murmured, chuckling as he exchanged an amused glance with Peeko. "You'll be wanting to get to the Pokemon Centre I expect. As for us, we've got a few packages to deliver in town, and then we'll be delivering to the rest of the island before heading back to Rustboro."

Bonnie suddenly felt bad for her eagerness to get going. She'd really enjoyed their brief journey with Briney and Peeko, and she was extremely grateful to him for bringing her and the others to Dewford Town. "We're going to miss you, Mr. Briney," she said, moving forward to shake his hand, before petting Peeko lightly. "Thank you for bringing us here."

"Yeah, it was really cool riding on the SS Wingull," Clyde said. "Way better than coming on a ferry."

"You definitely made our trip much more comfortable," Roxanne added, smiling in appreciation as she shouldered her backpack.

"Zzt! I was even able to gather a great deal of data!" Rotom said excitedly, showing pictures of some of the Pokemon they'd seen.

"Oh, it was my pleasure!" Briney told them all. "It's always nice to help out friends, and Peeko and I had a fun time as well. I just hope we'll meet again soon."

"I'm sure we will," Roxanne said, nodding.

"Until then, good luck with your mail business." Clyde grinned, holding up a fist to Peeko. "And good luck with your training, Peeko. I bet you'll be strong next time we see you."

"Treecko!" Treecko cried out in agreement.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Briney said gratefully, before turning to Bonnie. "And good luck with your gym battles, Bonnie. I'm sure you'll have become quite the trainer by the next time we meet. Maybe your Wingull will be able to show Peeko a few things."

"Sure," Bonnie said, barely realizing it as their group headed towards the end of the docks, Briney turning to go into town, while she, Roxanne and Clyde turned towards the Pokemon Centre. "Wingull will be super strong by then. I guarantee it!"

"I'll hold you to that!" Briney laughed out, before turning and waving one last time. "Farewell!"

As the old sailor and his Wingull departed, heading up the path into the city, Bonnie smiled to herself, already imagining the next time they would meet. Their journey with Briney had been brief, but it had been full of adventure. Without him, she wouldn't have met Wingull or Drake. Similar things had happened on her journey with Ash now that she thought of it. It was incredible how Roxanne accompanying her and Clyde and introducing them to Briney had led to such an exciting turn of events.

"I guess we should head on over to the Pokemon Centre," Roxanne then said, bringing Bonnie out of her thoughts. "You'll need your Pokemon good and fresh if you're going to have a gym battle!"

Bonnie nodded, eyes going to the Pokemon Centre in the distance. "Yeah!" she said, smiling up at Dedenne excitedly. "And then we can call Clemont and tell him about what's happened!"

With that, their group headed off towards the road leading to the Pokemon Centre, the shade of the palm trees quite welcome after standing in the hot sun. As they reached the path, Bonnie couldn't help but quickly glance towards the town, hoping to catch a glimpse of the gym. She wasn't able to notice it, but she did see a large group of people in bathing suits with surfboards, running alongside a few fighting type Pokemon. She wondered if they had anything to do with the gym since it was apparently a fighting type gym.

The walk to the Pokemon Centre wasn't that long, but Bonnie and the others enjoyed the chance to properly stretch their legs. Dedenne and Treecko seemed the happiest, each jumping up into the trees and hopping along them as the trainers walked. Rotom was pleased as well, managing to snap a few pictures of some bug and flying types that were perched in the trees. He was particularly excited when a Nuzleaf came out to inspect the approaching group, not having had a chance to analyze one yet.

As they approached the Pokemon Centre, Bonnie noticed there weren't quite as many trainers around as there had been in Rustboro City. There were still a fair few in the lobby, but they mostly seemed to be visitors. She supposed that it made sense with Dewford being quite a bit smaller, and expected that people on other parts of the island probably only came if there were emergencies. This meant there was no line as she and her friends approached the front desk, where Nurse Joy was happily waiting.

"Hello," she said, smiling as Bonnie and the others came to a stop in front of her. "Welcome to the Dewford Town Pokemon Centre. How may I help you?"

"Would you be able to check on our Pokemon?" Bonnie asked, Dedenne hopping off of her shoulder and onto a cart that was next to the front desk. "We just got here from Rustboro City, so they're pretty tired."

"Of course, I'll check on them right away. As long as they haven't been battling much, I expect it won't take too long." At that, Nurse Joy's Chansey came out to get the cart, Bonnie and the others putting their pokeballs on the tray next to Dedenne. Treecko then joined the Antenna Pokemon as Chansey and Nurse Joy headed into the back.

"I think I'm going to ask some of the trainers about some of the places we can go to around Dewford Town once your battle is done, Bonnie," Roxanne said as their group stepped away from the desk. "You never know if someone might've discovered a good training place, or an area where some powerful Pokemon might be living."

"I'll ask around, too," Clyde said, looking excited. "I know Granite Cave should be an interesting place to explore. Maybe someone knows a little more about it."

Bonnie nodded, thinking it sounded like a good idea. As much as she would want to get to her next gym after this one, she did think it would be worth it to see what she could find around Dewford Town. Maybe she would be able to catch a really strong Pokemon. "Sure. Let me know if anything sounds exciting! I'm going to call my brother."

As Roxanne and Clyde headed off to greet some of the other trainers, Rotom departing as well to look at some of the Pokemon around the lobby, Bonnie quickly went over to where the phones were, happy to see some available. She quickly sat down, feeling excited about telling Clemont about her adventure at sea. She dialed the number, and then waited as the phone rang.

"Hello, this is the Lumiose City Gym. This is Meyer speaking. The Gym Leader is currently occupied."

Bonnie jumped in surprise hearing her father's voice, but she was excited to get the chance to speak with him. He hadn't been there the first few times she called. "Dad! It's me, Bonnie!" she said happily.

The screen quickly flashed on at that, and Bonnie saw her father's face smiling back at her. "Bonnie! It's so great to see you! How are you?"

"Really good! I'm in Dewford Town right now. We got here this morning." She grinned, gesturing behind her to the windows at the front of the lobby, where palm trees were visible outside.

Meyer looked impressed. "Wow, looks like quite a nice day. Clemont mentioned you were on your way there, so I was wondering if we'd be hearing from you soon. Congratulations on your first gym badge by the way! And on catching your Beautifly!"

Bonnie quickly pulled out her badge case, opening it up to show off her badge. "I'm planning to win my next one as soon as my Pokemon are healed up," she said, while Meyer looked proudly at her badge. Once he was done, she carefully put it away, excited to share her next bit of news. "When we left Rustboro City, Roxanne introduced us to Mr. Briney. He's a sailor that has his own boat that looks like a Wingull. He took us here, and it was a super fun journey."

"Mr. Briney, eh?" Meyer looked thoughtful. "I think I might've met him once when I was traveling in Hoenn. See any interesting sights while out on the water?"

Bonnie nodded excitedly. "I caught a Wingull on the way here! It stole my hat, but we tracked it down after it got carried away in the water with Peeko. That's Mr. Briney's Wingull."

"A Wingull? Ah, well that's a Pokemon that will come in handy!" Meyer looked almost as though he was more excited than Bonnie. "So now you've got a couple of flying types for your next gym battle."

"Yeah, and it's a fighting type gym, so I'll have the advantage!" Bonnie pumped her fist, feeling a surge of confidence. "I'm going to win for sure."

"That's the spirit!" Meyer said, grinning in amusement. "Just don't be overconfident. I'm sure the Dewford Gym Leader is going to be careful about type disadvantages. You'll need a clear mind to counter any traps they might have for you."

"That sounds like what Drake said he told Ash," Bonnie murmured, thinking of the Elite Four member's advice about clearing the mind of idle thoughts.

"Drake?" Meyer asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion for a moment. Then, a look of surprise came to his face. "Not the Elite Four member?"

Bonnie giggled, surprised at herself for not mentioning the events of Island Cave. "Yeah, we met him investigating some activity from a group of bad guys called Team Archaic. We even saw his Salamence! It was super cute!"

"Wow, that's quite the treat!" Meyer laughed out, still looking surprised. "It certainly does sound like you're having quite the journey so far."

"It's been super fun!" Bonnie agreed, feeling even more excited about it all now that she was able to tell her dad some of what had happened. "Coming to Hoenn was a really good decision."

Meyer certainly seemed to agree, nodding with a pleased expression. "Well, I'm sure your friend Sawyer will be happy to hear that. I believe he's headed off to Hoenn in the last few days. Maybe you'll run into him. He was going to be doing something with Steven I believe."

Bonnie's eyes widened excitedly at that. "Do you know where they went?"

Meyer chuckled, holding up his hands. "I just heard from Clemont that he'd left. I do believe he might've mentioned Dewford Town at some point, however..."

Now that Bonnie thought of it, she remembered Sawyer mentioning that as well. Of course, there were still plenty of other places Sawyer could've been heading to before then. It would certainly be disappointing if they missed each other while she was there, though. "I hope I get to see him."

"I'm sure you'll get the chance eventually," Meyer said. "But in the meantime, I suppose you'd better focus on that gym battle of yours. Make sure to say hello to Roxanne and Clyde for me. And to Rotom and your Pokemon."

"I will. And say hi to Clemont for me," Bonnie replied, waving as she leaned back from the screen.

"Will do. Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

With that, the screen flashed off, and the call was over. Bonnie felt a bit disappointed that she hadn't been able to show off her Pokemon to her dad, but she supposed she could make up for that once she'd won her badge. Meanwhile, she would have to focus on that.

She got up from her seat in front of the phone and turned around, looking around for her friends. Both still appeared to be chatting with some other trainers, but Rotom was making his way over to her, a variety of pictures flashing across his screen. He looked pleased. At least, he looked as pleased as he could look, with a smiley face flashing briefly along with the pictures of Pokemon.

"Did you get some good data?" Bonnie asked him, smirking as he stopped in front of her.

"Zzt! Yes, I collected a great deal!" Rotom said excitedly, gesturing to a trainer with a Seedot and another with a Surskit. "We should be able to find even more Pokemon here to analyze once we get the chance to explore further!"

"We'll explore," Bonnie promised. "After-"

"Zzt! Yes! After your gym battle!" Rotom's screen flashed briefly with an annoyed face, before he resumed cycling through his Pokemon pictures.

Bonnie frowned, about to snap at the PokeDex, but just then, she noticed both Roxanne and Clyde approaching. Roxanne was the first to speak once they reached Bonnie. She looked to be pretty excited about something.

"There's a rumour about fossils being discovered in Granite Cave," she said. "Apparently Steven was going to investigate, but nobody is sure if he's arrived yet. There's some worry about Team Archaic trying to get inside, but some of the Pokemon in there have been on high alert."

Clyde nodded, apparently having heard of the same rumours. "It sounds like there's a particularly powerful Pokemon there that's taken charge of guarding the place. Not many trainers want to go in there right now."

"Are we still allowed to go?" Bonnie asked, thinking it would still be interesting to see what they could, as long as they could stay out of the way of the guarding Pokemon.

"I think so. Sounds like Officer Jenny has some patrols head out there, but there hasn't been any sign of Team Archaic yet, so trainers can still go there."

"It might be a good place to do some training," Roxanne pointed out. "Plenty of Pokemon are around Granite Cave and the surrounding area."

Bonnie was agreeable to that, but her first priority was of course to see about her gym battle. Fortunately, that wasn't too far away, now, as just then, she noticed Nurse Joy returning to the front desk. Chansey was with her, pushing the tray with their pokeballs and Dedenne and Treecko sitting on top.

"Nene!"

"Treecko!"

Nurse Joy laughed as the two Pokemon hopped up onto their trainers' shoulders, looking amused by their enthusiasm. "All of your Pokemon are doing well," she said, as Bonnie and the others gathered their pokeballs. "You seem to have cared for them well on your journey here, so it was quite easy getting them refreshed and fighting fit! I expect you're heading to Brawly's gym?"

Bonnie nodded. "I'm gonna try to get my second badge!"

"Oh wow!" Nurse Joy said, looking impressed. "So you've earned one already? Well, I'm sure Brawly will be glad to have a tough challenger. He does teach surfing classes quite regularly, however, so you'll need to check about his schedule."

That made Bonnie a bit nervous, but she shrugged it off, hoping she'd get lucky. "We're heading over right now, so hopefully we'll catch him."

"Well, good luck!"

With their Pokemon now freshened up, the others seemed just as eager as Bonnie to get going, and the group quickly headed back out of the Pokemon Centre, making their way back down the road they'd come from. Dewford Town was easily visible in the distance, and with it as the focus, Bonnie tried to pick out certain places that might've been of interest. Unfortunately, with little knowledge of the town, she couldn't really tell what might be a good place to visit. So, instead she just kept her eye out for the gym.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the town, once again seeing some people heading towards the beach. Bonnie supposed it was the most popular thing to do here, especially if Granite Cave wasn't too inviting with the protective Pokemon. She supposed there were probably some cool Pokemon that hung around the beach as well, and that it would be another place to do some training and possibly catch another Pokemon if she had the chance.

"So," she said as the group stopped nearby a small shop selling swim gear and beach supplies, "where do we go to find the gym?"

"Zzt! I can find it!" Rotom said quickly, floating up in front of Bonnie. She grinned, quickly pulling out the PokeNav and giving it to him. He paused a moment, scanning it, before turning and leading the way ahead. "It is this way!" he called out behind him.

"I don't think we really needed the PokeNav," Clyde muttered as they chased after Rotom. "It's not that big of a town."

"Aw, let Rotom have his fun!" Roxanne laughed out, taking the chance to get a look at some of the shops and cafes around while they followed Rotom. "Besides, it's good to practice for when we're in a tough place to navigate."

Bonnie was happy enough to follow Rotom, not really quite clear on where to go no matter how small the town. She did spot their destination fairly quickly after Rotom took off, however, seeing a large building at the edge of the town, down a pathway towards a cliff overlooking the water. It had a golden arch out front, and as they neared it, Bonnie could see the image of a Machop and a Machamp in the centre of it, along with a slogan.

"Fight the Big Wave..." Clyde murmured, reading the slogan as their group stopped in front of the arch. "Wonder what that's about."

"Nurse Joy did say the gym leader liked surfing," Bonnie pointed out. She shrugged, looking to Dedenne. "Are you ready to challenge the Dewford Gym, Dedenne?"

"Nene!" the Antenna Pokemon assured her, nodding confidently.

"We'd better make sure he's here first," Roxanne said, smiling in amusement. Bonnie could see she was excited, though, clearly interested in seeing how another gym operated, and how Bonnie would match up against a different gym leader.

"Let's go see," Bonnie then said, taking a deep breath and leading the way to the front door. She was stopped a moment later, however, eyes widening as the front door opened, a girl with dark blue hair emerging.

She looked to be a little younger than Roxanne. Her hair was in a long, wavy ponytail. She seemed to be dressed for martial arts, with a red shirt and shorts. At her side was a small two-legged blue and white Pokemon with an odd onion-shaped head. It appeared very contemplative as it looked towards Bonnie and her friends. Its trainer smiled, though.

"Oh hi there!" she said in a friendly manner. She seemed pretty energized. "I guess you must be here for Brawly's surfing class! He's already taken the rest of the students to the beach, but I can take you there if you want."

Bonnie instantly felt disappointed, realizing she wasn't about to get her gym battle. "I'm here to challenge the gym, actually," she said, sighing as she looked to Dedenne, who looked equally disappointed. "I guess we won't get to battle today..."

"Oh, you're a challenger!" the girl said, sounding excited. She approached Bonnie and the others, Rotom darting forward to snap a picture of her Meditite. "I'm Brawly's assistant, Shauna," she said holding out her hand and shaking Bonnie's. "I've been training under him for a few years now."

"I'm Bonnie," Bonnie answered, amused by Shauna's flushed cheeks at the mention of the gym leader. Bonnie had seen that look on Serena's face a few times. "This is Dedenne," she added, pointing to the Antenna Pokemon on her shoulder. "We're from Lumiose City in Kalos."

"Kalos?" Shauna looked intrigued by that, but quickly turned her attention to the others.

"I'm Clyde," Clyde said first, apparently not understanding the look Shauna had on her face earlier when talking about Brawly. He looked dazed as he stared at her, and Treecko had to slap his back with its tail. "Uh...and this is my Treecko. I'm not a gym challenger but I'm along for the ride."

"And I'm Roxanne," Roxanne finished, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm the Gym Leader of-"

"Rustboro City!" Shauna interrupted, eyes shining with excitement. "I visited the school there as a kid to take some fighting type classes. I remember seeing you there!" She paused, looking confused. "Why are you here, though?"

"I just felt that as a teacher and leader of the gym that I needed to grow beyond what the classroom had taught me," Roxanne said, giving Bonnie a smile. "I felt traveling with a couple of eager young trainers would give me the chance to grow on a journey myself so that I could better understand what my students and challengers were getting into."

That seemed to impress Shauna, and she nodded thoughtfully. "That's interesting. I guess all gym leaders have different ways of improving. Brawly seems to love his surfing. I'd love to be like him, but I don't seem to be able to improve so quickly."

"Zzt! Dewford Gym Assistant Shauna appears to have a very powerful Meditite!" Rotom then blurted out, a picture of said Meditite on his screen as he scanned it. "I believe you are not being honest about your abilities!"

Shauna blinked in surprise at that, looking at Rotom blankly. "Um...what?"

"Sorry..." Bonnie muttered, shaking her head in exasperation. "This is my PokeDex, Rotom. It's an invention from the Alola region."

"Oh that's so cool!" Shauna said, leaning forward in interest. "So...you think my Meditite is strong, huh?" She smirked, glancing at Bonnie. "Well...Brawly does like me to test out his competition sometimes if he's unable to make a challenge. Maybe you'd like to have a little test battle before you get your chance at battling him. What do you think, Bonnie?"

Bonnie grinned at that, instantly feeling better about not getting her chance to battle Brawly. If she couldn't battle for her badge, why not battle the assistant of the leader she intended to battle? It was a perfect opportunity to test herself and see how she fared against a fighting type trainer. "I'm in!" she said confidently.

"That's what I like to hear!" Shauna said happily, pumping her fist. She then turned, pointing down from the cliff the gym was on, towards the beach below. "How about we battle down there? The gym isn't quite prepared yet for a battle."

"Sure," Bonnie answered, happy enough to keep the field secret for her official battle anyway. Besides, she was interested in seeing how a certain Pokemon of hers would do in a battle like this, and the beach was a good way to test his skills while keeping him in a comfortable setting.

With that, Shauna and her Meditite led the group around the gym and towards a small path that led down the cliff and towards the beach. It was a pretty quick walk, and Shauna briefly explained that the beach was how Brawly did a lot of his training, so it was important to have a quick route down. This part of the beach wasn't quite big enough for his surfing classes, however, so it was mainly just used by him and his Pokemon.

"I train here a lot as well, of course," Shauna pointed out as they headed out towards the water. "But Brawly's a surfing master, so his Pokemon have the best balance you'll ever see. It's very hard to knock them down."

What does that mean? Bonnie wondered, not quite sure what Shauna was getting at. She shrugged it off, though, simply following Shauna towards the area they would be battling on. Rotom went with her, while Clyde and Roxanne stayed a little further back. A moment later, though, Roxanne took a step forward, apparently to act as referee.

"How does a one on one battle sound to you?" Shauna called out as she took her place across from Bonnie, her Meditite sitting a few feet in front of her, its legs crossed and eyes closed.

"That's fine," Bonnie said, pulling out a pokeball, Dedenne hopping down to stand at her side. "You won't beat mine, though! Wingull, let's rumble!" she then called out, throwing the pokeball forward, the Seagull Pokemon emerging with a flash.

"Gull! Wingull!" he cried out, hovering in the air a moment, taking in the soft sea breeze, before landing softly on the sand.

"Ah, a Wingull, huh?" Shauna said, nodding as she looked at Bonnie's newest Pokemon. "He looks pretty strong. Don't think a flying type will make this an easy fight, though."

"I won't," Bonnie promised, "but Wingull can do this either way!"

"We'll see!"

Both trainers then looked to Roxanne, the Rustboro Gym Leader looking excited about the battle as well, grinning as she raised her arm. "This will be a one on one battle between Shauna and Meditite, and Bonnie and Wingull. The winner will be declared when one trainer's Pokemon is unable to battle." She paused, checking to see if both were ready. Each nodded. "Let the battle begin!"

"Meditite, let's show them how a fighting type battles!" Shauna called out, holding up her fists. "Focus Punch!"

"Air Cutter!" Bonnie countered quickly, excited to see how Wingull would react in a battle not involving Team Archaic.

"Wingull!" the Seagull Pokemon cried out in response, kicking off into the air as Meditite opened its eyes, fist beginning to glow at his side while he scanned the air. "Gull!" Wingull then flapped his wings, aiming down towards Meditite and firing off a barrage of blades of air.

"Now, Meditite!" Shauna shouted, just as the attack was reaching Meditite. The Meditate Pokemon then pulled back its fist and punched forward, leaping into the air and pushing through the blades of air. Air Cutter was completely wiped out as he rose up, his fist breaking a path right through to Wingull. "High Jump Kick!" Shauna then followed up, just as Meditite's punch was losing its power.

"Med!" Meditite then called out, its leg glowing before it spun around and slammed it into Wingull's side.

Wingull's eyes bulged as he was hit, and he was sent crashing hard to the ground, sand blowing up as he landed. "Gull!" he grunted as he struggled to stand, shaking his head in discomfort.

Bonnie winced, feeling pretty dumb for letting Shauna so easily counter her attack. Rotom apparently wanted to further remind her of the error. "Zzt! Air Cutter is an effective move against fighting types, but it needs to be precise when used. Some opponents can get around it quite easily."

"I can see that..." Bonnie muttered, shooting a quick glare at the PokeDex, before looking to Wingull, who had managed to get up. "Are you okay, Wingull?" she asked. He nodded, looking stubbornly towards Meditite, who was now standing in front of Shauna with his eyes closed, waiting patiently. "All right, let's try something else. Use Water Gun and charge in!"

"Gull!"

"I don't think so, Bonnie!" Shauna said confidently, smirking as she watched Wingull. "Meditite, dodge with Detect!"

Meditite acted quickly, his body glowing in a blue aura as Wingull flapped his wings and began moving. A moment later, the water was blasting forth from his beak, rushing towards Meditite at full speed. As the stream of water was about to hit, however, Meditite's eyes opened wide, flashing suddenly, before he ducked to the side. The Water Gun missed easily, striking the ground behind Meditite, but Bonnie still had a backup plan.

"Now, Air Cutter!"

"Huh?!"

"Med!"

"Guuuullll!"

The blades of air fired out from right in front of Meditite, and this time, they struck home. The Meditate Pokemon was lifted off the ground by the windy barrage and was sent skidding along the ground, sand shooting up all around him. Perhaps Shauna and Meditite had some strategies to get around flying type Pokemon, but when one hit, it was definitely still effective. And, it appeared that Wingull was pretty good at landing a powerful blow.

"Great job, Wingull!" Bonnie called out, pumping her fist in excitement.

"Wingull!" he replied happily, flapping his wings and circling midair. Even though they'd fought together against the Carvanha, and against Butch and Cassidy, this seemed like their first real battle together. Clearly both were feeling good about a successful early combination attack working well.

"How's that for precise?" Bonnie asked Rotom, smirking.

"Zzt! I suppose it wasn't bad!" Rotom admitted, a thumbs up symbol appearing on his screen.

"You're a clever one, Bonnie, I'll give you that!" Shauna then called out, bringing Bonnie's attention back to her. Her Meditite was managing to rise to his feet now. "I didn't think you'd try Air Cutter again so quickly."

"That certainly was a clever move, Bonnie," Roxanne added, looking impressed. "A good use of one move to set up the stronger one, with some great speed and reaction time as well."

"I figured Wingull and I could make it work," Bonnie said, smiling as the Seagull Pokemon cried out in agreement. Of course, she knew Wingull would be fast enough only because of his quick grab at her lunch on the day they'd met. That wasn't important now, though. "And we can make even more of our attacks work. Restore your energy with Rain Dance, Wingull!"

"Gull!" Shauna looked surprised once more as Wingull flapped his wings, the air shimmering briefly above him as moisture gathered. Then, a moment later, a small cloud appeared, a light drizzle falling from it, the drops of rain glowing as they hit Wingull.

"You're not the only one that can power up!" Shauna called out, smirking as she called her next order. "Meditite, use Meditate!"

"Meditite!" Meditite answered, crossing his legs and holding his arms up, a blue aura surrounding his body as he floated into the air. He seemed to grow calmer, his body less tense. When his eyes snapped open a moment later, they appeared much sharper.

Rotom explained it to Bonnie quickly. "Zzt! Meditate is a move that raises the user's attack power. It will make Meditite's physical attacks much more effective."

Bonnie nodded, expecting as much from Meditite's look, but glad to know for certain. "Then we'll need to stay on the offensive! Wingull, use another Water Gun!"

"Detect!" Shauna countered quickly, narrowing her eyes as she watched Wingull. She was clearly ready for the same trick if Bonnie tried it.

Wingull kept his distance this time, however, the Water Gun firing down towards Meditite while the Seagull Pokemon stayed up above. This time, however, the Water Gun had a bit more force to it, the Rain Dance powering it up a little bit. Meditite barely had time to dodge, looking a little surprised as it darted to the side.

"That Wingull is tough..." Shauna said, watching the water and flying type up above. "Meditite, get in there with Focus Punch!"

"Counter with another Water Gun!" Bonnie responded, punching the air as she gave the order.

As Meditite prepared his attack, fist glowing as he watched the sky, Wingull set himself as well, locking on to the Meditate Pokemon and circling in the air. Then, a moment later, the Seagull Pokemon fired off the jet of water, aiming down towards Meditite, just as the psychic and fighting type leaped upwards.

He propelled himself towards Wingull with everything he had, fist glowing as he met the incoming water. The attacks clashed, Meditite managing to push through, water spraying around him as he battled through the Water Gun, Wingull straining against him the entire way. As Meditite neared Wingull, however, he slowed, his glowing fist not pushing through the water with as much force. Wingull's attack seemed to be weakening as well, though, and as Meditite reached him, both were hitting with reduced force.

"Gull!"

"Med!"

Both Wingull and Meditite were sent lurching backwards. Wingull spun towards the ground, barely steadying himself in time, while Meditite hit the ground rolling, managing to right himself, but looking a little unsteady as he did so. As Wingull hovered in midair and Meditite regained his composure, both stared across at one another. They were ready to test their skills further, and see who could land the next blow.

"Keep it up with Air Cutter!" Bonnie shouted, hoping to take advantage of Meditite being tired.

Unfortunately, Shauna had the same plan, with Wingull not looking recovered yet, either, although Rain Dish was still in effect. "High Jump Kick!"

Both Pokemon mustered what they had, each darting towards the other as fast as they could. Meditite narrowed his eyes as he neared Wingull, leg glowing before he kicked off the ground, spinning in midair as he flipped over the charging Seagull Pokemon. He lashed out as Wingull turned in surprise, striking him over the back and sending him towards the ground.

Wingull was able to respond, though, turning as he was propelled downwards. He grunted in pain, but flapped his wings ferociously in desperation. With Meditite so close, there was no way to dodge, the blades of air rushing at him with full force. He cried out in surprise, hit hard in the chest and sent crashing to the ground just a few feet from where Wingull landed. A moment later, both struggled to their feet.

"That was quite the little clash! Got yourself quite the opponent there, Shauna!"

Both trainers jumped at the voice, and Bonnie was barely able to focus as she turned towards the source. She saw him a moment later, though, standing just behind Clyde, who appeared just as surprised as Bonnie and Shauna. A man was standing there, a Hariyama and Machop at his side. All of them were holding surfboards.

"Brawly!" Shauna squeaked in surprise. "I..."

The man, Brawly, chuckled lightly at Shauna's response. "Relax, Shauna! I don't blame you for taking the chance to battle. Besides, this looks like quite the tough little dudette!" He laughed again, his long, spiky blue hair bouncing as he did so. "So...what's the story, here?"

"Um..." Shauna still looked a little uneasy, but she managed to regain some composure and gestured to Bonnie. "This is Bonnie. She's from Lumiose City in Kalos and she wants to challenge the gym. Her friends there are Clyde and Roxanne."

"Nice to meet you," Roxanne said, looking interested to see a fellow gym leader.

Clyde murmured a quick greeting as well, before looking to Brawly's Pokemon. "Do your Pokemon surf?"

"Oh yeah, of course they do, little dude!" Brawly said enthusiastically. "Great way to train! Really helps the balance and concentration on the battlefield." He paused as he said that, glancing towards Shauna and Bonnie. "Looks like we still need to work a bit on that for you, Shauna. Some nice moves, there, but some of that focus wasn't quite there."

Shauna blushed, looking thoroughly embarrassed. She laughed nervously. "Uh...yeah, I guess I was a bit eager to battle."

Brawly chuckled at that. "Oh yeah, that happens to the best of us." He then looked to Bonnie. "You had some nice moves as well there, little dudette. That's a great Wingull you got there!"

"Thanks," Bonnie said, smiling as Wingull stood up a little straighter. The cloud from Rain Dance had disappeared from above him with the battle appearing to be on pause for the moment. "I only just caught him, but we're working hard on getting stronger." Dedenne scurried up onto her shoulder, making himself seen. "Dedenne's working hard, too of course."

Brawly nodded, looking thoughtful. "Ah, so you've got some Pokemon that have a good type advantage here at the Dewford Gym. Should be quite the battle then."

"I've got a Beautifly, too!" Bonnie said. "She'll be super strong, too!"

"Zzt! Do not tell Gym Leader Brawly of your secrets!"

"Whoa! Dude! A talking PokeDex! Now that's pretty gnarly!" Brawly laughed, looking like he was quite enjoying himself. "Not to worry, little PokeDex dude. I'll make it fair for the little dudette here. My Pokemon are right there after all!" he said, pointing to Hariyama and Machop. "Although to be honest, I don't think I'll be using Hariyama. He usually goes up against the more experienced trainers."

Bonnie frowned at that, suddenly feeling a little irritated. "Wait a minute...you won't use your best Pokemon against me?!"

"It's not an insult, little dudette!" Brawly said quickly, raising his hands up defensively. "He's just powered up way too much! I've gotta make sure the battle is on even terms."

"It's not unusual, Bonnie," Roxanne put in. "Many gym leaders use a variety of Pokemon to ensure a trainer is always battling in accordance with their skill level."

"Exactly," Brawly said, grinning in response. "But believe me, Machop is no easy foe! In fact, if I might make a suggestion, I think it'd be a good idea to get a little extra training in to fine tune some of those attacks of yours, little dudette. You've got some good instincts, but you might want to sharpen them up just a little."

"You don't think she's ready?" Shauna asked, sounding a little surprised.

"No, it's not that," Brawly said quickly, chuckling nervously. "I bet we could have a gnarly battle soon enough. I've gotta rest my Pokemon up after some tough surfing and training, though. I just think it'd be an even better battle if you had a little more training done."

Bonnie felt a little frustrated hearing that, but she couldn't deny noticing a few flaws in her battle with Shauna. Wingull had good instincts, but they weren't fully in sync yet. And with the travel on the boat the last few days, training hadn't quite been the same. "Do you think we should be doing this surfing training?"

"That's up to you," Brawly said, shrugging as he looked out at the water. "I always recommend it, but maybe something else will work for you. You're a tough little dudette, though. I can see that! Just don't get too eager out there!"

Too eager? Bonnie hadn't noticed that, but she supposed she had been in a rush to get to the gym earlier. Maybe she'd let that get in her head for the battle, too. She glanced at Shauna, seeing her looking like she was considering Brawly's advice as well.

"Should we continue the battle?" Bonnie asked.

"I...I think we should have a rematch once we've both trained a little more," Shauna said, smiling as she looked back to Bonnie. "Let's battle at the top of our game. Then you can know if you're really ready to take on Brawly!"

"That sounds like an awesome plan!" Brawly said. "Like a test wave before the big one comes in! But the test wave is a gnarly one, I gotta say!"

Shauna blushed again, but she smiled nonetheless. "Um...right. So what do you say, Bonnie?"

"It's a deal!" Bonnie said, looking to Roxanne and Clyde. They'd wanted a chance to explore Dewford Town anyway. This would be a good chance to do that. And perhaps Granite Cave would be a good place to train. Especially if there were some strong Pokemon there. "You guys better be ready to battle me, though!"

"Of course!" Shauna vowed, while Brawly laughed loudly.

"It'll be a gnarly battle, little dudette!"

Author's Note:

So, the gym leader and his assistant have been introduced, and it's been suggested Bonnie train a bit to get ready for the battle. She had some moments there with Wingull, but she was a bit more direct which Brawly's patient surfing style could counter fairly well. What will she need to do to get ready? I suppose we'll see next time. Hope you enjoyed!