Author's Note:

I'm baaaacckk. I always hate these author's notes where I must acknowledge my lengthy absence. Let's just say it was an exhausting summer and fall. But I'm glad to be back. Lots to come in the future. I think I mentioned a 2-part Ash and Bea story last time I was here…that'll come soon, but we needed a Bonnie chapter. As for Bonnie, last time she caught Zigzagoon after bonding with it during a storm. Before that, Torchic joined her. So let's see how her new adds are doing. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 29: Max-ed Out

"All right, Geodude, use Rock Throw!"

"And Treecko, you use Bullet Seed!"

"Dude!"

"Treecko!"

Bonnie clenched her fists as she watched the two Pokemon move into place ahead of her, Torchic readying herself opposite them. With a deep breath, she called her own command. "Torchic, charge in with Peck and hold in an Ember! Let's go!"

"Torrr!" the Chick Pokemon cried out in response, bending her head low and running ahead. She was as determined as Bonnie had ever seen her, body tensed with anticipation of ramming right through her opponents' attacks. And, as she ran ahead, Bonnie was sure the little fire type had it in her.

She was wrong.

"Tor!"

"Zzt! Oh no!"

Bonnie winced as Torchic was thrown back, the ground in front of her exploding from Geodude's Rock Throw. The Chick Pokemon had successfully managed to barrel through Treecko's Bullet Seed, and fortunately she hadn't been struck directly by Geodude's Rock Throw, but the powerful rock attack had ultimately been too much for her to handle. As she lay in a daze in front of Bonnie, her glowing beak dimmed, the Ember extinguishing.

"Aw man!" Bonnie groaned, rushing up to her fire type, her other Pokemon joining her. "Are you okay, Torchic?"

"Tor torchic," Torchic answered in frustration, shaking herself as she managed to hop back up. Fortunately she didn't seem hurt physically. It was her pride that had been wounded. She and Bonnie had been quite proud of their initial training sessions since leaving Slateport City. The Peck and Ember combination had proven to be quite powerful so far. Roxanne had noticed a flaw in it, however, and it had just been exposed.

"Charging head on is rarely a successful strategy against experienced trainers," the Rustboro Gym Leader murmured as she approached alongside Clyde, recalling Geodude into his pokeball. "Torchic will need to be much more flexible, much like its evolved forms can be."

Bonnie frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"Your father has a Blaziken, doesn't he? And I'm sure you've seen May's as well?" Bonnie nodded, trying to think of how those two looked in the midst of battle. They were particularly strong, though, so she wasn't sure how Torchic was supposed to compare to them at this point in her training. Surprisingly, Clyde seemed to pick up on Roxanne's point before Bonnie.

"The way a Blaziken moves its legs is its biggest strength! They don't just run straight. They build up power and jump really high, and they can be really agile and move from side to side." He seemed pretty proud of himself for his statement, and Bonnie couldn't blame him. It sounded about right to her.

"Zzt! You stole that from me!" Rotom then accused him, and Bonnie noticed an uneasy grin on Clyde's face. It didn't matter who had the information, though, she just needed to make use of it.

"So we should work on using your feet more, Torchic," Bonnie announced to her fire type. "And not just in running straight, but in all kinds of different ways."

Torchic looked curious about the idea, tilting her head as Bonnie spoke. "Tor?"

"Why don't we give it a try?" Roxanne suggested, looking pleased by Bonnie's enthusiasm.

Bonnie nodded, and everyone took their positions again, Roxanne calling out her Nosepass this time. With an encouraging smile towards Torchic, Bonnie called for the Chick Pokemon to move forward. "Remember," she said as Torchic readied herself, "make use of your feet. Not just for going straight, but for avoiding their attacks as well."

Torchic nodded confidently, looking ready to give it her best shot. Next to Bonnie, the rest of the team cried out in encouragement as well. Zigzagoon appeared the most enthusiastic, enjoying witnessing one of his first training sessions. Bonnie was glad he was so focused, because she was already thinking of ways to use Roxanne's advice with her other Pokemon was well, other than Wingull, who wouldn't need foot movement.

"Okay, Nosepass use Thunder Wave! Straight ahead!" Roxanne ordered, pointing ahead confidently.

"Treecko, go in from the side and use Pound!" Clyde added, surprising Bonnie with his different tactic.

It didn't matter, though. She planned to have Torchic move as well as she knew it could. "Torchic, side to side and get and ready to knock Treecko back with Peck!" she shouted, punching the air excitedly, ignoring Rotom's warning about fighting in close with Nosepass using Thunder Wave. She was well aware of the attacks coming her way.

Nosepass began as expected, hovering slightly before firing off a small bolt of electricity. Torchic charged forward immediately, and just as the electricity was about to hit, she kicked off hard with one foot and hopped to the side effortlessly. Bonnie grinned at the perfect movement, and she could tell Torchic was pleased as well, her beak already glowing as she braced herself for the next bolt coming her way, Nosepass already forming it as Treecko broke into a run.

"Treecko!" the grass type cried out, darting in a straight line as Torchic hopped deftly to the side once again. Nosepass fired the next bolt quicker, forcing Torchic to dodge faster this time, bringing the collision with Treecko even closer.

"Jump and then strike!" Bonnie shouted, just as the fourth bolt from Thunder Wave aimed and fired, causing Torchic to duck under it.

Fortunately, that helped her build up the strength for a mighty leap, just as Treecko came in, swinging his tail for a Pound. "Treecko tree!" he shouted, missing Torchic by an inch as she jumped up, the glowing tail passing underneath her. Her beak glowed even brighter as she locked her sights on her opponent, aiming her head down to strike back. Clyde and Treecko weren't done yet, though.

"Keep it up and meet it head on!" Clyde shouted, sounding quite into the sparring match as he thrust his arm out with the order.

"Treeee!"

"Torrr!"

The two attacks struck each other with more force than either Bonnie or Clyde seemed to expect from a training battle, and the shock wave sent both Pokemon flying backwards. Fortunately, Wingull caught Torchic, while Zigzagoon darted to the side and cushioned Treecko's fall. With the exchange of blows finished, everyone moved to check on the two Pokemon.

"Torchic, you okay?" Bonnie asked the fire type, smiling as Torchic looked up with a determined gaze immediately and nodded. "Awesome! You did a great job there!"

"That certainly was a nice first attempt," Roxanne said in agreement, joining Bonnie as Clyde came over with Treecko, the grass type looking pleased as well. "That was a clever idea to have Torchic dodge Thunder Wave and build up strength for the jump at the same time."

"I thought it was the kind of thing a Blaziken might do," Bonnie admitted, rubbing her head sheepishly as she thought of her dad's Blaziken and its impressive leaps.

"Just remember that Torchic may be vulnerable at times in that position," Roxanne noted, glancing to Clyde and Treecko. "That was a good follow up to have Treecko keep up his Pound attack. Another kind of Pokemon and Torchic could've been in trouble."

Bonnie pouted a little at that, but couldn't disagree. With Torchic having had to flip over to use Peck, it had taken away the advantage she'd had from dodging Treecko in the first place and given him time to counter her. "We'll just have to keep training," she said to Torchic. She turned to the others as well. "All of us!"

"Looks like you'll need to do quite a lot if you hope to do much at the Mauville Gym."

The familiar voice brought a scowl to Bonnie's face, and she and her companions turned from their makeshift training field to look to the pathway. Max was there, adjusting his glasses so that the sunlight reflected off of them, giving him a somewhat menacing look. It always seemed somewhat creepy when Bonnie saw Clemont do that, but it was doubly so with Max. Probably because she didn't like him very much.

There was a moment of silence as the two rivals glared at one another, but Roxanne broke the tension quickly. "Max, how wonderful it is to see you again!" she cried out, stepping forward. "How have your battles been going?"

Max appeared to soften at Roxanne's presence, smiling as he turned his attention to her. He didn't appear surprised she was there, so Bonnie assumed May must've told him Roxanne had joined her. "I got the Dewford Badge awhile ago. My Ralts and Taillow took down Brawly in no time!"

"Oh so you've caught a Taillow, too? And how is your Poochyena?" Roxanne asked, making her way over to Max. Bonnie rolled her eyes in Clyde's direction and then followed, Rotom and her Pokemon joining her while Clyde followed.

"They're all good. I also caught a..." He smirked, turning his attention back to Bonnie. "Well, maybe I should show you."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes, knowing what Max was suggesting immediately. "You want to battle?" she asked.

Max shrugged. "I could use a little bit more training. Especially with my newest Pokemon." He glanced at Clyde and Treecko. "Besides, you probably need a bit of a better challenge for that Torchic of yours. Is it really the one from Professor Birch's lab?"

Clyde didn't appear to register Max's insult towards him, but Bonnie did, and she clenched her fists in anger. "Yes. How did you hear about that?"

"May told me it joined you after the Slateport Contest." Max actually looked slightly impressed for a moment, but covered it up quickly as he looked away, eyes moving to Bonnie's other Pokemon. "Where's your Beautifly? I heard you had one of those."

"It...it left," Bonnie said, her voice going lower. "On our way to Slateport there was a flock migrating and she joined."

"Oh..." Max blinked in surprise at that, before slowly nodding. "May didn't mention that. Well...good for you I guess...to let it go like that."

"You wouldn't?" Bonnie snapped, not interested in Max playing nice in front of Roxanne, who was watching the interaction with interest. Is he just playing nice?

Max became his regular self again. "Of course I would. I know what's best for my Pokemon better than anyone!"

"Then prove it!" Bonnie said, smirking as her team straightened out behind her, looking ready. "We'll see who knows their Pokemon best right now!"

"It certainly would be interesting to see you two battle each other," Roxanne said, eyes lighting up at the idea. "I'll referee! How about a three on three battle?"

Bonnie and Max both agreed to that, and a moment later, their group was heading back over to where they had been training earlier. As they made their way over, Clyde walked next to Bonnie, nudging her to get her attention. He looked curious, clearly interested to see the upcoming battle just as Roxanne was.

"You said Max defeated you before, right? Him and his Ralts?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie muttered, not happy to remember her first battle and the failure that it had been. "But we know what to watch out for now. They used Teleport and Confusion to get around Dedenne and make him hurt himself."

Clyde thought carefully about that for a moment. "Don't forget what you saw from Sadie's Ralts as well. That Teleport and Double Team combo was pretty good, too."

Bonnie grinned, happy to have Clyde so invested in her battle. "I'll keep it in mind."

Once Bonnie and Max were both in position, Clyde moved over to the sidelines, behind where Roxanne had positioned herself to referee, while Rotom floated over to take his usual spot next to Bonnie. As usual, he had a few notes to give her as well.

"Zzt, we now know that Max has a Poochyena and a Taillow along with his Ralts," the PokeDex said. "Dedenne will be an ideal match against Poochyena and Taillow, but there are no other real advantages otherwise."

"There's also his other Pokemon to think about," Bonnie noted. "I bet he'll be careful about using both of his Pokemon that are weak against Dedenne."

"Zzt, that is true!" Rotom agreed. "I give you approximately thirty-two point six percent chance of winning this match."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Rotom," she added sarcastically. Ignoring Rotom's sniggering, Bonnie turned to face Max, who already had his first pokeball in hand, ready to start the match.

"I'll start things off," he said, apparently not worried at all about giving Bonnie the advantage of seeing his first choice before choosing her first Pokemon. "Poochyena, let's go!"

With a flash of light, his pokeball opened in front of him, revealing the Bite Pokemon as it crouched and bared its teeth in anticipation of the battle. Bonnie could immediately tell that it was better trained now than when she had seen it back in Petalburg City. Max certainly hadn't been slacking. The dark type's eyes were sharp, darting immediately across her team of Pokemon.

She swallowed nervously as she looked to her team as well. Dedenne and Wingull were obviously her strongest options, having battled with her for quite some time now. Torchic also at least had some experience with her, and had proven to be a feisty battler. But, as Bonnie glanced back at Poochyena, she couldn't help but think it could overpower Dedenne despite the type advantage, and that Wingull would have difficulty dealing enough damage from the air. And Torchic...well, Bonnie didn't want to throw the sweet little Chick Pokemon into those sharp claws and teeth. He was a bit of a wildcard, but Bonnie had faith in the choice she opted for.

"Zigzagoon, let's rumble!" she shouted, punching forward excitedly, ignoring the shocked cries of Rotom and Clyde.

Zigzagoon, to his credit, didn't hesitate. In fact, he seemed eager to prove himself alongside Bonnie in his first battle with her. They'd only had a couple training sessions together so far, but Bonnie was sure she knew what she could expect from her newest partner. And Zigzagoon had proven himself quick in their race towards the caves when they'd first met. He could do this.

Roxanne raised her arm, looking to both Bonnie and Max. Each were tense in anticipation of their first match since meeting at Professor Birch's lab, where Ralts had prevailed over Dedenne. "The battle between Bonnie and Max is about to begin. Each trainer will be allowed the use of three Pokemon, with substitutions allowed for both sides. When all Pokemon for one trainer are unable to continue, the other trainer will be declared the winner." Roxanne paused, smiling in anticipation of the battle as well, eager to see her companion take on her honorary student. "Are you both ready?" Both nodded, and her arm came down. "Then let the battle begin!"

Bonnie and Max called their orders immediately.

"Zigzagoon, Tail Slap!"

"Poochyena, Bite!"

Zigzagoon took off first, surprising Bonnie somewhat, despite knowing how speedy he was. He closed the distance between him and Poochyena in mere seconds, twisting around as soon as he reached the dark type, his tail glowing with increased strength. Unfortunately, this appeared part of Max and Poochyena's strategy, with the latter smirking before opening his jaws wide and clamping down hard on Zigzagoon's tail.

"Zagoon!" the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon cried out, eyes widening in pain as Poochyena bit down even harder and pulled. Zigzagoon was lifted into the air and tossed across the field, rolling over and landing hard on his side.

"You'll need to do better than that if you hope to beat us," Max taunted with a laugh. "Poochyena, Sand Attack now!"

"Arooo!" Poochyena howled, twisting and bending low before kicking out hard. Thick sand suddenly shot in a spray towards Zigzagoon, striking him in the face as he staggered to his feet from the previous attack.

"No! Zigzagoon!" Bonnie called out worriedly. She clenched her fists in frustration. She'd picked Zigzagoon hoping his speed would help him, but Poochyena had more than fast attacks. He was a quick thinker, too. And his trainer is, too, Bonnie realized, hating the fact.

As Zigzagoon shook his head, trying to rid himself of the sand in his eyes, Rotom floated closer to Bonnie. "Zzt! Bonnie, you must not have Zigzagoon charge at Poochyena. It is too dangerous, just as it was with Torchic in your training sessions."

Bonnie nodded, realizing he was right. It worked for Ash, but it won't always work for me. "Zigzagoon, use Baby Doll Eyes!" she then ordered, deciding to change the pace of the battle.

It might not have worked if Max had been expecting it, but the order took him by surprise. Despite still being disturbed by the Sand Attack, Zigzagoon managed to straighten himself out enough to put on his best performance for his deceptive move. With his eyes already watering, it looked even more adorable to Bonnie as they widened and he held up his paws and tilted his head. Poochyena's gaze actually softened, and he looked uneasy as he watched Zigzagoon appear so vulnerable.

"Now, Headbutt!"

"Zagoon!" Zigzagoon, charged straight ahead. Even with sand in his eyes, he was accurate enough, with Poochyena having stayed still due to Baby Doll Eyes. The Tiny Raccoon Pokemon struck Poochyena hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

The dark type whined as he struggled to his feet, shaking his head as he looked back towards Zigzagoon. Bonnie was pleased to see the surprise in Max's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected a move like that. She knew she needed to keep it up, though. "Headbutt, once more!" she ordered quickly.

"Not so fast!" Max shouted. "Poochyena, dodge and use Bite!"

The Bite Pokemon barked in answer, crouching down as Zigzagoon charged forward, squinting through the sand in his eyes. Then, just as Poochyena opened his jaws in preparation for the bite, he hesitated, wincing somewhat and leaving an opening for Zigzagoon to continue his attack. "Arooo!" he howled in pain as he was once again sent flying backwards.

"No, Poochyena! What happened?" Max called out in surprise.

"He flinched," Roxanne said, nodding as she looked between the two Pokemon. "It's a potential added effect from Headbutt."

Max clenched his fists. "Right, I should've been prepared for that...lucky break, Bonnie."

Bonnie smirked, feeling much more confident now. "Let's keep the momentum going, Zigzagoon! Tail Slap!"

"Sand Attack, now!" Max countered fiercely, his command snapping Poochyena to attention.

There was no flinching this time. "Aroooo!" the Bite Pokemon howled, scrambling to his feet and quickly kicking up the sand as Zigzagoon charged forward, already fighting through the first dose of sand.

This one made it much worse.

"Zagoon!" the normal type cried out, stumbling to the side as he was covered in sand once more. He shook his head desperately, but it made no difference.

"Calm down, Zigzagoon!" Bonnie called out encouragingly. "Just follow my voice! We can still do this if we work together!"

But it was no good. Bonnie could remember Ash commanding Pikachu to fight while blinded by an attack from Team Rocket, but as she watched Zigzagoon dart around in a panic, she could see that this situation was completely different. She'd barely trained Zigzagoon, and it was showing. Their trust in each other was nowhere near what Ash and Pikachu's had been back then. Or even her and Dedenne. Although, even when she and Dedenne had worked through Roxanne's Sandstorm it had required Dedenne to use his unique strategy with his antennae and following Nosepass' magnetic energy. Zigzagoon had no such advantage.

Max knew he'd taken over. "Poochyena, Howl, and then use Bite!"

Bonnie had seen Max use this combo against Tommy in their small match in Petalburg City. It was even more intimidating now, though, with Poochyena's call echoing loudly around them, raising his attack strength. A few Taillow in the distance flew off in a panic. Unfortunately, Zigzagoon had no chance to do the same, instead freezing as he did his best to figure out where Poochyena was through his disturbed vision.

"Aroooo!" Poochyena then cried out once more, taking off with bared teeth. He reached Zigzagoon in an instant and bit hard into the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon's side. He held on for a moment and shook vigorously, before tossing Zigzagoon a few feet away. Bonnie tried to call for another Baby Doll Eyes, but it was no good, with Max commanding one last Tackle, which sent the distressed Zigzagoon flying one last time, landing hard in front of Roxanne.

"Zigzagoon is unable to battle!" the Rustboro Gym Leader called. "Poochyena is the winner!"

"Hmph!" Max smirked as he held up his pokeball, recalling Poochyena back inside. "Nice work, Poochyena," he said. "Not too much of a challenge for you, though."

Bonnie glared at her rival, before recalling Zigzagoon to his pokeball. "Don't listen to him," she whispered. "It was our first battle, and you scared him early on. We're going to get a lot stronger together. Just you wait." She grinned as she felt the capture device shake gently in her hand.

"Do you really think you're ready for the Mauville Gym?" Max asked as he pulled out his next pokeball. "That Zigzagoon is going to need to face a lot tougher than a couple of Sand Attacks to beat Wattson."

"You worry about your own Pokemon!" Bonnie growled, turning to the remaining three members of her team, eyes locking with Dedenne. She needed to fight back strong in this next match, and while it was risky to use her best option this early, she felt there was no other choice. "Dedenne, let's rumble!"

"Nene!" the Antenna Pokemon cried out happily, leaping out in front of Bonnie, his cheeks sparking in anticipation.

Max didn't seem the least bit worried. "Just what I thought," he said. "This one should surprise you. Mawile, you're up!"

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise as Max's next pokeball opened and the steel and fairy type Pokemon emerged. It looked like the others she had seen in the past. It was a yellow, short, two-legged Pokemon with black arms and ear-like extensions on its head. Of course, the most noticeable thing about it was the massive set of jaws hanging from its back. They made Poochyena's teeth look welcoming.

"So that's your new Pokemon?!" Roxanne asked excitedly, looking at Mawile admiringly.

"Where'd you get it?" Clyde added, looking just as impressed.

Max put his hands on his hips, clearly quite pleased with himself. "Yep, caught it in Granite Cave, just before things got closed off there for Steven's excavation." He glanced at Bonnie. "Pretty useful Pokemon to battle against fairy types."

"We'll see how useful it is against Dedenne!" Bonnie said defiantly, her partner Pokemon standing straighter as she spoke.

"Zzt! He has a point!" Rotom said quickly. "Mawile is a fairy type as well, but it is also part steel type. It will be able to resist fairy type moves and also deal more damage against them."

Bonnie sighed in frustration at that. Well that sucks. Dedenne's Play Rough was our secret weapon. "We'll just have to do what we can." She held up a fist. "Now, let's get back to the battle. Dedenne, use Tackle!"

"Astonish!" Max countered, narrowing his eyes with interest as he watched Dedenne take off.

Dedenne ran forward with everything he had, aiming to strike Mawile head on. Unfortunately for him, the Deceiver Pokemon was ready. She eyed Dedenne carefully as he ran, and then, just as he was nearing her, those monstrous set of jaws darted forward and opened wide, a ghostly aura surrounding them. Dedenne froze instantly.

"Zigzagoon's Headbutt gave me that idea," Max said simply, adjusting his glasses. "Causing your opponent to flinch let's you take over...if you know what you're doing. Mawile, Bite!"

"Mawww!" Mawile cried out, its high voice not matching the viciousness of its assault. With Dedenne frozen in fear, there was no defence as the massive jaws rushed forth once more, clamping down over top of him and pulling him inside completely. Bonnie stared in utter horror as Mawile shook him around and then threw him back across the field.

"Dedenne!" Bonnie cried out, watching as her partner Pokemon stumbled to his feet, groaning. She could hear Wingull and Torchic crying out in concern for him as well.

"Zzt! Bite is a dark type move!" Rotom cried out in a panic. "It shouldn't have done so much damage!"

Max snorted at that, folding his arms smugly. "It may be a dark type move, but Mawile's ability is Sheer Force. It increases the power of moves that sometimes have additional effects. Since Bite can cause a Pokemon to flinch, just like Headbutt or Astonish..."

"Then its power increases thanks to Mawile's ability!" Roxanne finished, sounding further impressed by Max's strategy. Bonnie narrowed her eyes in frustration at that. "Very clever...and very useful, too."

"Well, we have a couple of useful moves of our own," Bonnie said, pointing ahead. "Dedenne, let's keep our distance this time. Thunder Shock!"

"Stockpile!" Max countered quickly.

Bonnie watched in shock as Dedenne charged the electricity in his cheeks and sent the attack out towards Mawile. The Deceiver Pokemon wasn't worried in the slightest. Instead, those massive jaws appeared to be inhaling energy, causing Mawile's smaller yellow body to glow briefly in a green light as its defensive strength increased. Dedenne's Thunder Shock struck head on, but Bonnie could see that it was doing very little damage.

If we keep our distance, they'll just be stronger and stronger defensively. We have to risk going close again. "Dedenne, Nuzzle!" Bonnie shouted, her voice shaking with desperation.

"Nene!" Dedenne cried out in answer, charging forward with everything he had.

"Baton Pass!"

Bonnie's eyes widened as a bright, white light expanded within Mawile's arms and she threw it upwards, before suddenly vanishing in a burst of red light. A moment later, Bonnie realized the Deceiver Pokemon was being recalled back into its pokeball, while another red light was shooting out from Max's belt, passing right through the white light that Mawile had thrown up, just before hitting the ground and taking shape.

"Kirrrlia!" the next Pokemon cried out, appearing briefly before Max commanded a Teleport to dodge out of the way as Dedenne attempted to continue his Nuzzle attack.

"A Kirlia?" Bonnie said in surprise, watching as it reappeared a few feet away from Dedenne, watching the Antenna Pokemon in anticipation of the next attack. "So your Ralts..."

"It just evolved the other day," Max said proudly, grinning towards his partner Pokemon. "I met Wattson before so I know the Mauville Gym is really tough, especially with those strong electric Pokemon. I wanted my team ready, so we've been training really hard. Ralts worked harder than anyone, and it paid off."

"It looks quite strong," Roxanne noted, as Rotom quickly updated Bonnie on the new opponent. "And quite happy, too. I've heard Kirlia are more energetic when they have a close bond with their trainer." Bonnie could see it, too. Kirlia was now twirling excitedly, clearly full of energy as it prepared to continue the battle against Dedenne.

"Too bad Bonnie doesn't have an evolved Pokemon..." Clyde murmured, apparently unaware of his voice carrying over to Bonnie. She scowled at him a moment before glancing at Rotom.

"Do you know what that Baton Pass thing was about?" she asked, remembering how Kirlia had been called out.

Rotom showed the image of the move on his screen. "Baton Pass transfers all the power boosts that the user collected while in battle. Since Mawile used Stockpile to increase its defensive strength, Kirlia will now have that boost."

"Great..." Bonnie muttered. It was bad enough that Kirlia could Teleport, but now any landed moves would do less damage as well. Max really had made sure he would be ready for his next gym battle. Each Pokemon he used had its own abilities that made for a difficult new challenge with each fight.

And apparently he was ready to ramp it up even more.

"Kirlia, let's show them how strong you are. Psybeam!" Max yelled, punching the air excitedly.

"Kirlia!" the Emotion Pokemon cried out in answer, pulling its arms up and aiming the shining energy towards Dedenne. It fired a moment later, rocketing towards Dedenne. The Antenna Pokemon did his best to dodge, but it was no good, and he was struck as he attempted to jump, propelling him high into the air.

"Now, slam him down with Confusion!" Max followed up, Kirlia glowing in a blue aura a moment later and surrounding Dedenne in one as well. Bonnie's partner Pokemon was smashed hard to the ground immediately, and as he stumbled to his feet, Bonnie noticed a familiar sight.

"What's wrong with him?" Clyde asked, eyes wide at the dominant display Max was showing.

"He's confused," Bonnie said, her voice low as she stared in frustration at the scene in front of her. "Just like in our last battle against them."

Max smirked, clearly thinking it was over. "Prepare for another Psybeam, Kirlia, and then it's just one more to deal with. I guess this was a waste of time."

"Max, there's no need to act like that," Roxanne scolded lightly.

But his words stirred something inside of Bonnie. She could remember the sting of that first defeat, and she could remember how Dedenne had felt, falling after losing control of himself. They couldn't let it end like that again. They could get out of this. It wasn't a waste of time.

"Dedenne, you can snap out of this!" Bonnie shouted, stepping forward as she did so. "You've felt this before. I know you can remember. You're stronger now! You can fight through it! So get ready and use Nuzzle!"

"Ne...ne..." Dedenne groaned, shaking his head slightly as he peered up at Kilria forming its Psybeam. Bonnie clenched her fists, hesitating and wondering if it was going to be too late.

"You can do this..." she whispered, urging her partner Pokemon on.

"NENE!"

"Kirl?"

The Psybeam exploded outward, but Dedenne was long gone before it struck where he had been. As Max and Kirlia stared around in shock, wondering where the Antenna Pokemon had gone, he came in from above, having jumped high into the air to avoid the blast. He zeroed in on Kirlia with narrowed eyes, rubbing his cheeks furiously as they began to spark. There was no chance for a Teleport with this attack, and Dedenne struck the Emotion Pokemon with the fiercest Nuzzle Bonnie had ever seen him use.

"Nenenene!"

"Kirrrlia!"

Bonnie punched the air in triumph as a massive jolt of electricity erupted between Dedenne and Kirlia, sending sparks dancing all across the psychic and fairy type's body. It staggered back, falling to one knee as the paralysis began to take hold. Perhaps the advantages of Teleport and the increased defensive strength from Mawile wouldn't be the difference maker after all.

"Lucky break," Max muttered, glaring across at Bonnie as Dedenne hopped back, ready for his next command.

"I don't think so," Roxanne said. "Bonnie called out to Dedenne and that helped him snap out of it. Their bond is strong, Max. You should be able to see that with your own bond with Kirlia."

Max glanced at the gym leader for a moment, appearing to take her words in. A moment later, though, he tensed and turned his attention back to the battle. "It doesn't matter. Kirlia, we can still control this. Use Confusion again!"

"Kirlia!" his psychic and fairy type responded, standing up and glowing in a blue aura once more. Bonnie knew she and Dedenne needed to act quick.

"Quick, Thunder Shock!" she shouted, Dedenne's cheeks charging up as soon as the command came.

The paralysis did its job. Sparks shot out along Kirlia's body once more, and it stumbled forward, just as Dedenne unleashed his attack. They were nothing compared to the bolt of electricity that engulfed it a moment later. Kirlia cried out as it was shocked, an explosion sending it flying back across the field, leaving it vulnerable for Dedenne to charge in once more.

"Tackle, now!" Bonnie yelled, feeling like their chance of tying this match had come.

"Nene!"

"Psybeam! Full power!" Max countered, smiling as he watched his partner Pokemon stumble to a standing position. The paralysis wasn't holding it back this time, just a few small sparks appearing.

"No!" Bonnie cried out in worry. It was too late, though. Dedenne tried to come to a stop, but Kirlia already had the attack formed. The shining beam of energy hit the Antenna Pokemon head on, throwing up dirt from where the attack struck.

Dedenne hit the ground in front of Bonnie with a hard thud. She felt her legs weakening as she realized what had happened. Roxanne's call was easy.

"Dedenne is unable to battle!" she shouted. "Kirlia is the winner. Bonnie is now down to her final Pokemon."

Bonnie rushed forward towards her fallen best friend. "Dedenne," she whispered as she knelt next to him, "are you okay?"

He groaned as she picked him up, but he opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Ne...ne," he murmured, smiling weakly.

"You did a really great job," Bonnie told him. "Leave it to the rest of us, okay?"

She took Dedenne back to where Torchic and Wingull were waiting, before glancing back towards Max, who was surprisingly calling back his Kirlia. The move gave Bonnie a small taste of satisfaction. Clearly Dedenne had done enough damage to make Max worried. He was even losing the additional defensive boost that Mawile had given Kirlia through Baton Pass. Maybe they did still have a chance.

"Mawile, let's do this again!' Max called out, throwing his next pokeball out, which revealed the return of the Deceiver Pokemon.

Bonnie looked back to her two remaining choices. The obvious choice was Wingull. He was better trained by this point, and could recharge his energy with Rain Dance to counter Mawile's Stockpile. But Bonnie's eyes locked on to Torchic, and she was surprised to see a fierceness in the Chick Pokemon's eyes that hadn't been there before. "Torchic...do you think you can do this?" Bonnie asked.

"Tor!" Torchic answered firmly, nodding and scratching the ground with her feet.

Bonnie grinned. "Is that okay with you, Wingull?" she asked her flying type. Wingull looked a little frustrated not to be getting his chance, but he nodded nonetheless. He seemed to respect the eagerness that Torchic was showing. "Then Torchic, let's rumble!"

"Torrr!" Torchic cried out excitedly, leaping forward and landing on the field in front of Bonnie. They may have battled in the Slateport Contest together, but this was truly their first real battle together. There would be no need to earn Contest points here. All they needed to do was defeat Max and his Pokemon.

"So...another Pokemon you have no experience with?" Max asked. "That didn't exactly work with your Zigzagoon, did it?"

"We'll see how it works out," Bonnie said, pointing ahead as Torchic tensed in front of her. "Let's go, Torchic! Ember!"

Whether Max was surprised by Bonnie's quick move, or simply Torchic's speedy response, Bonnie didn't know. Regardless, Torchic unleashed the attack quickly and aggressively, running forward on her two little feet with everything she had and unleashing a barrage of fireballs. They streaked towards a just as surprised Mawile, the steel and fairy type crying out as she was struck and sent skidding backwards, body smoking from the attack.

"Keep it up with Peck!" Bonnie shouted, knowing they couldn't let Mawile initiate another Stockpile.

"Use Astonish!" Max countered, clearly hoping to freeze Torchic just as he'd done when Mawile was battling Dedenne. Bonnie had a plan for that, though.

"Use the smoke as cover!" she ordered, Torchic following the command perfectly as she kept herself low and used the wisps coming off of Mawile to block the sight of the ghostly jaws that shot out in a defensive stance.

"Torrr!" the Chick Pokemon then cried out, leaping forward with everything she had, striking Mawile in the middle of the head with her glowing beak.

"Follow up with Scratch!" Bonnie added, grinning as Mawile staggered, making Max's order for a Bite irrelevant.

As Torchic landed from her Peck attack, she quickly lunged forward again, obeying Bonnie's command and slashing outwards with her feet. She swiped down across Mawile's chest, before quickly scratching at her legs as well, toppling the Deceiver Pokemon before leaping back. She chirped excitedly at her successful string of attacks, but Bonnie knew they needed to keep up the pressure. With Torchic's limited experience, Mawile's forceful Bite attack could do a great deal of damage.

"Ember!" Bonnie ordered, narrowing her eyes as she watched for any kind of counter from Max.

"Block it with Bite!" he called out, clearly deciding he couldn't get Mawile on the move in the same way as Torchic.

"Mawww!" Mawile cried out in answer, flinging the massive set of jaws forward as Torchic fired off the Ember attack, running forward as she did so. The jaws bit into the fireballs, but Bonnie could see Mawile wincing in pain from the attack.

"Keep it up, Torchic!" Bonnie called out encouragingly. She could see how confident Torchic was getting, increasing the power of her Ember attack, edging closer as she tried to overwhelm Mawile. Wait...why is she going closer? Bonnie suddenly wondered.

"TOR!" Torchic then cried loudly, her beak glowing orange as she held the Ember attack in and formed it behind a Peck attack. She charged with everything she had, giving Max the opening he needed.

"Astonish, now!" he shouted.

"Ma-"

Torchic was too fast, though, ramming hard into Mawile with her Ember and Peck combination attack, sending the Deceiver Pokemon crashing hard to the ground, smoke billowing upwards from the collision. Mawile was wincing in pain, but it did manage to right itself enough to go through with Max's order regardless, opening its jaws once more, the ghostly aura surrounding them.

"Tor?" Torchic tilted her head, freezing suddenly, before Max shouted for Mawile to follow up with Bite.

"Maw!" Mawile cried, still down from Torchic's attack, but using her jaws to strike with precision. Torchic squeaked in terror, picked up by the jaws just as Dedenne had been and thrown around wildly before crashing to the ground.

But Bonnie had learned from their Contest battle together that Torchic was feisty enough to get right back up. She pointed ahead quickly. "Ember, let's go!"

"Torrr!" Torchic got back up immediately, inhaling deeply before unleashing her Ember with full power. It hit Mawile's open jaws, filling them with fire before creating a huge explosion, smoke surrounding the Deceiver Pokemon as she cried out in pain.

As the smoke cleared, Max stared on in shock, and Roxanne stepped forward. "Mawile is unable to battle! Torchic is the winner!"

"Hooray! Great job, Torchic!" Torchic turned excitedly to look back at Bonnie, hopping up and down in joy.

"Torchic tor!"

"Nice work, Torchic!" Clyde called out, high fiving with Treecko in celebration.

Max scowled, recalling his Mawile. "You don't even have control over Torchic. It charged at Mawile without you ordering it to."

Bonnie hesitated, realizing that Max was right, but she didn't want to dampen Torchic's spirits after her first win. "Torchic did what she thought was right. All that matters is she won!"

"That attitude won't get you very far," Max muttered, pulling out his next pokeball. "Poochyena, let's go!" A moment later, his dark type emerged, snarling as it looked across at Torchic.

"You worry about your own attitude," Bonnie snapped back, clenching her fists as she prepared to resume the battle. Max seemed ready to do so as well, and they both called their attacks a moment later. "Torchic, Ember!"

"Counter with Sand Attack!" Max shouted.

Both Pokemon unleashed their attacks immediately, the fireballs shooting from Torchic's beak as Poochyena desperately kicked up dirt in response. Fortunately for Bonnie and Torchic, the dirt wasn't close enough to get in the Chick Pokemon's eyes as it had been with Zigzagoon. It did manage to create a barrier to douse the flames, however, nullifying Torchic's attack.

That was apparently Max's plan from the beginning.

"Tackle, let's go!" he ordered, Poochyena taking off immediately, barrelling through the smoke remaining from Torchic's attack. He reached the fire type in an instant, slamming into her and sending her rolling across the ground.

"Torrr!" she cried out, desperately trying to steady herself.

"Hang in there, Torchic!" Bonnie shouted encouragingly. "Try to fight back with Peck!"

The Chick Pokemon nodded, rolling back to her feet and running ahead with everything she had. The quick recovery seemed to stun Max and Poochyena, and Torchic took full advantage, ramming her beak hard into Poochyena's chest, forcing the Bite Pokemon to stagger back, whining in pain. Bonnie decided to keep it up, knowing Torchic was ready.

"Now use Ember! Quickly!" she ordered, Torchic nodding and inhaling immediately, before unleashing the fireballs in straight line. Once again, Poochyena was struck, crying out in pain as he staggered back even more.

"Fight through it, Poochyena," Max called out, "and use Sand Attack to block it again!"

"Arooo!" Poochyena howled in response, fighting through the pain and digging into the ground with all the effort he could muster. A spray of dirt shot through the Ember attack shooting towards him, eliminating it just like before. This time, though, both Pokemon continued their efforts.

"Torchic can't keep it up," Max said smugly. "Poochyena has much more stamina."

"You'd be surprised," Bonnie retorted, silently urging Torchic on.

What Bonnie didn't expect, however, was Torchic taking the initiative once again. She suddenly took off, just as she had done against Mawile, holding her Ember back to begin forming her Burning Peck attack. Bonnie wondered briefly if Poochyena's Sand Attack would stop her, but Torchic's attack seemed hot enough that it prevented her from being blinded as she ran through.

"Again?" Max said in surprise. "You've got to control that Torchic. Poochyena, Bite!"

Bonnie's eyes widened, just as shocked as poor Torchic as their special move failed, Poochyena swiftly dodging to the side. The Bite Pokemon snatched Torchic quickly from the side as she was running past him, and a moment later, she was being shaken ruthlessly in the air. After a few seconds of the brutal attack, Poochyena tossed her up, with Max looking ready to call the finisher.

"Come on, Torchic!" Bonnie shouted. "Fight back with Scratch!" It was their last hope. Torchic needs to be more flexible. Just like its evolved forms can be. Roxanne's voice rang through her head. Torchic may be vulnerable at times in that position.

"Meet it head on with Bite!" Max ordered, clearly sensing victory.

Poochyena growled and jumped up, just as Torchic swiped down with her foot. The Bite Pokemon managed the first blow, taking hold of Torchic's outstretched leg, just before she could strike with it. However, just as he began to shake her as he had done before, the Chick Pokemon managed just enough energy to slash at his muzzle with her free leg.

"Arooo!" the dark type whined, letting go of Torchic, but causing her to fall roughly to the ground.

"Hang in there, and use Sand Attack!" Max commanded, his voice urgent.

"Tor!" Bonnie's eyes widened, watching as Poochyena, despite his wincing, managed to swipe a paw into the ground and throw just enough dirt upwards to strike Torchic in the face.

She was completely vulnerable.

"Finish with Tackle!"

"AAARRROOOOOO!" Poochyena howled with satisfaction, charging forward with everything he had. He hit Torchic with a hard thud, sending the Chick Pokemon flying across the field. She hit the ground hard behind where Bonnie was standing, and the result was obvious as Roxanne raised her arm towards Max.

"Torchic is unable to battle, and thus, Bonnie has lost all three of her Pokemon," she said, casting a sympathetic glance Bonnie's way before finishing. "Max is the winner!"

"Haha! All right!" Max yelled in triumph, heading forward to congratulate his Poochyena. Bonnie ignored him, turning to rush towards her fallen Pokemon.

Dedenne and Wingull were already by Torchic when Bonnie reached her. Fortunately, it appeared as though Dedenne was doing better after his battling. Torchic looked to be okay as well, although clearly quite tired and a bit upset. Bonnie felt the same. It had been an exhausting battle...and they had failed.

She pulled out Zigzagoon's pokeball, calling him out, relieved to see that he seemed a little better as well. She took a moment to study her team, trying to think of what to say to them. She wanted to inspire them, but didn't know what could make them feel better. The disappointment was too fresh. All she could say were two words. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be like that, Bonnie. You did great out there."

Bonnie glanced up at Roxanne's voice, seeing the sympathetic gaze of the Rustboro Gym Leader. It bothered her somewhat to see that. Max didn't need sympathy. He had the joyful looks of his Pokemon to make himself feel even better after his victory. Bonnie glared towards the boy, wondering what he would be thinking of her now.

He simply stood there, clipping Poochyena's pokeball to his belt and shouldering his backpack. He was just going to leave as though nothing had happened. To him, it was barely a challenge. It wasn't even a proper warmup for his gym battle in Mauville City.

"Your Pokemon have potential," he said. "You don't understand them, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bonnie growled, tensing at his comment. "Of course I understand them! It's not like you were perfect. Torchic beat your Mawile!"

Max twitched, looking a little irritated by that. But then he nodded slightly. "I still have a lot of training to do, too. Doesn't change what I said."

"He's not wrong, Bonnie," Roxanne said gently. "I mean...that you need to keep working on understanding your Pokemon. There were some errors in communication in your battle. Especially with Torchic."

"Zzt! Torchic performed moves that you did not even command!" Rotom added, floating back to Bonnie's side. "This is a common issue with inexperienced trainers."

"It wasn't that big a deal, was it?" Clyde asked. "I mean...Bonnie and Torchic worked on that Ember and Peck combination together."

"Tor!" Torchic squeaked happily, nodding.

Max simply shook his head, turning away. "See you around. Good luck in Mauville City."

"Yeah...see ya," Bonnie said quietly, while the others gave more enthusiastic farewells.

Bonnie glared at the ground as she tried to understand what Max and Roxanne meant. How did she not understand her Pokemon? Hadn't she bonded with them in order for them to join her on her journey. She'd encouraged Wingull to stop his thieving ways, she'd performed alongside Torchic in a completely different setting and she'd aided a scavenging Zigzagoon on a stormy night. And of course Dedenne was her best friend. She knew everything about him.

"Nene?"

Bonnie turned to Dedenne, who was watching her curiously, the other members of her team alongside him also watching her. "We'll do better next time, guys. Don't worry. I'll...I'll figure out what we need to do."

"Wingull gull!" Wingull cried out enthusiastically, the others voicing a weaker cheer alongside him. He looked a little bothered by that, realizing he had the most energy to burn as he was the only one not to have battled. "Gull..."

Bonnie giggled, smiling at her flying type. "You'll get your chance next time, Wingull. Don't worry."

"Next time shouldn't be too far away now," Clyde said, getting Bonnie's attention as he and Roxanne joined her once more. "Mauville City isn't too far away now. Maybe you can even beat Max there."

"No need to race," Roxanne said in amusement. "There's enough time for everyone to challenge the gyms."

"I need to challenge another soon, though," Bonnie said, standing back up and grinning at her team. "It's already been too long since Dewford Town."

"It might not be a bad idea to train a bit more," Roxanne suggested, although she smiled at the enthusiasm.

Bonnie turned towards Route 110, squinting ahead as though she could see Mauville City in the distance. "What better way to train than a gym battle! If that's not a way to better understand my Pokemon, then what is?"

"Yeah!" Clyde shouted in agreement. "Besides, Max mentioned Mauville is an electric gym, right? You and Dedenne should be able to figure it out easily."

Ignoring Roxanne's exasperated looks at the two, Bonnie nodded and stepped forward, her team following suit behind her. "Then let's rumble! On to Mauville City and my next badge!"

Author's Note:

And so…Bonnie falls to Max in their first multi Pokemon battle. I'm sure it's not too much of a surprise, but hey, Torchic got a nice win, and they held their own for a bit. I'll be interested to know what you think of the issues hinted at in the battle, though, and also where you think Max's team might be going. The excitement is building for what's to come. Hope you enjoyed, and see you next time.