She ends the call then, not fully content but still slightly better knowing that there's at least a chance Cynthia might get her message and know what she saw.

She knows that this isn't the end, that she may have even more frightening visions in the future, but right now that's not her priority.

Her priority is going to cheer her friends on in the Wallace Cup.


Valor Lakefront - Sinnoh

A day's passed since the climatic end to the Wallace Cup. Casey watched proudly along with Brock, Ash, Zoey and their Pokemon as May and Dawn battled it out in the final, with the latter ultimately becoming the victor. May took her loss like a champ, congratulating Dawn for her skill in battle and thanking her for such a fun one at that.

Casey's happy knowing that her success in the Cup has given Dawn a massive and much needed confidence boost. Sure, she had Casey and all the others backing her up, but actually winning a Contest has done leaps and bounds for restoring her fractured confidence.

May was actually going to travel home last night right after the Contest, but due to complications with the ferry company, she's instead getting the first boat out this evening. She looked at the situation in a positive light, remarking last night that they could spend the day shopping without the hassle of the masses of crowds. Most people left yesterday, so the shops and restaurants should be far quieter today.

The girls extended their shopping trip out to Casey, but she chose to pass when Shellos - who had been eating her breakfast nearby at the time - came bounding over and began acting out exactly what she wanted to do for the day - that being training. Shellos has been really pushing her training as of late (more so than Casey's other Pokemon, even), so Casey figured that she might as well support that considering that they're not far out from their next Gym Battle.

Sure, she knows how Pastoria's Gym Leader battles (she's been watching him do so at public events since she was little), but you can never be fully prepared for an upcoming Gym Battle.

Ash opted to go off and do his own private training for the day, something that he doesn't do often but he still does. They all respected his wishes, and Brock even packed him and his Pokemon lunches to take with them.

Brock had suggested that the two of them get outside considering how nice the weather is, so they decided to head to a local park to get some fresh air.

It's midday now, and whilst Brock makes up some lunch for the two of them and their Pokemon, Casey's doing some training with her Pokemon.

"Alright, Shellos! Let's try it again, yeah?" She calls to the Shell Pokemon, who nods in confirmation in response.

She turns to Electabuzz, who's stood directly opposite Shellos, and he nods too without question. She shouldn't be surprised. Electabuzz is always ready to go.

"Okay, Electabuzz! Just as we've been practicing!"

He buzzes hack, and then he's thrusting his fist up into the air and charging it with strong electrical energy.

"Shellos, go now!"

Shellos jumps up into the air, firing a myriad of Mud Bombs at the ground beneath her. She lands on top of it, and it acts as a thick barrier between herself and the ground. So, as Electabuzz brings his fist down on the ground, sending an immense electrical current surging towards her, the muddy layer beneath her nullifies its effects.

"Well done you guys! You were both awesome!" Casey praises, both of them holding their heads high.

"That's an interesting strategy, Casey." Brock remarks.

She turns towards him, "One of Shellos' greatest weaknesses is water. Until she evolves, I figured we needed a counter to it. It needs some tweaking, but it's working pretty well right now."

"Looks like it." Brock replies, and then he's suddenly looking over her shoulder at something with furrowed eyes.

She turns when she notices her expression, surprised at the sight of a familiar face approaching.

"Paul?"

He doesn't say anything, his eyes going down to look at her Pokemon. Shellos shies away, and Casey's hardly ready to catch her when she comes jumping up into her arms, but Electabuzz just stares right back at him.

That's Electabuzz, alright. Unwavering confidence to a fault.

"I'm sorry, but Ash isn't here. I'm sure that we could go and try to find him if you-." Brock begins to say, but then Paul actually speaks up by cutting over him simply.

"I'm not here for him."

The way he refers to Ash sends a chill up Casey's spine. His voice is teeming with...loathing? No, it's not quite that strong, but something foul is certainly there.

"You're not?" Brock asks, surprised.

"I'm here to battle her."

He says it so coldly that Casey doesn't even think he's referring to her at first (even though it's not like he could be referring to anybody else right now), but then he's staring intently at her and she sees a familiar glint in his eyes. It's the same one she gets, as Ash gets, though his isn't as bright.

It's the look of someone who's ready to battle.

"You want to battle me? Why?" She asks, curious.

Sure, Paul comes off as the ambitious type, but coming all the way her just to battle her seems like a bit of a stretch, even for him. She's certain that he must have a good reason for it.

"A two on two battle. First to knock out the opponents two wins." He replies, completely disregarding her question.

Yeah, I should've expected him to ignore my question.

"Two on two?"

"Only two of my Pokemon are in desperate need of training at the minute. They've been slacking."

She tries not to scowl at the way he talks about his Pokemon, though it's proving to be an increasingly difficult task the more times she runs into him.

"How did you know we were here?" Brock asks and, in true Brock fashion, his tone isn't accusatory at all, rather calm and curious.

"I saw you in the Wallace Cup." Paul says, attention focused on her, "You're not the most challenging opponent based on that performance, but you'll have to do."

She's keeping calm despite his blatant rudeness, but Electabuzz holds no reservations in protesting his foul attitude. She feels electricity crackle at her side as he comes to stand by her, rage blazing in his eyes as he scowls up at Paul.

She knows that if she doesn't step in, Electabuzz won't hesitate in acting on his rage.

"Hey, it's okay." She says, turning towards Electabuzz and reaching out to place her hands on his shoulders, "Let me handle this, okay?"

He frowns, buzzing discontentedly, but he gives in when she sees the desperate look on his face. Electabuzz may be like a powder keg sometimes, but she's gotten better at calming him down the more she's had to do it.

She turns back to Paul when she's certain that he's under control, well, at least for now.

"Okay, you're on. Brock, can you referee for us?" She says, looking to her friend before the sight of Paul's smug face sets her own anger off.

Brock, as understanding as always, sees her anger, and offers her a reassuring smile.

"Of course. I was just finishing up with the food prep anyway." He says.

She nods as a silent 'thank you', and she goes to take her place at one end of the impromptu battlefield. Electabuzz joins her at her side whilst Shellos nestles even closer into her shoulder as Paul makes his way to the other side, standing their stoically whilst Brock heads to the side of the battlefield.

"The battle will be two on two. The battle will be over when both Pokemon on either side are unable to battle." He announces, and that's all the confirmation Paul needs to head right into the battle.

"Weavile, stand by for battle!" He declares, and the Sharp Claw materialises in front of Casey with a smug expression to match its trainers.

Of course, battling alongside Monferno would give her the direct and clear advantage here, but she can see the fire that's burning in Electabuzz's eyes as he stares down Paul and Weavile. Something tells her that a certain Electric-Type might not be too pleased if he has to watch someone else battle them.

"Electabuzz, you wanna take this one?" She asks, though it's not like there's any point in asking because she always knows his answer even before he nods in confirmation.

"So you have a Pokemon at your disposal with a clear advantage, and you don't choose to use it?" Paul scoffs, tone dismissive as Electabuzz turns to face him.

Casey can practically feel her blood boiling at the way he's talking about her Pokemon. About Monferno.

"Don't talk about Monferno like that. And he's not at my disposal. He's my friend." She bites back, and this time she doesn't care that the anger is shining through in her voice anymore.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

The way he brushes her off, talking about her and Pokemon as if they're nothing but the dirt beneath his feet is enough to prompt her into fighting back. And as she orders Electabuzz to attack, it's not just for the sake of the battle.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch! Let's go!" Electabuzz's fist crackles with electricity before being consumed in the vivid yellow light of roaring electricity.

"Dodge it." Weavile easily dodges Electabuzz as he rushes towards it, showing off its brilliant speed.

Wow, that Weavile's fast! I hate to admit it, but Paul's trained it well.

"Use Swords Dance." Weavile's claws glow a bright purple and elongate, and it begins to brandish them around in front of it wildly.

Casey knows what Swords Dance does. She's seen it before.

He's trying to power Weavile up, and with that speed it'll be able to dodge Electabuzz's attacks and just keep getting stronger. We've got to strike whilst we still can.

"Use Hammer Arm!"

"Intercept it with Metal Claw."

Both Pokemon surge towards each other, Electabuzz's arm glowing white whilst Weavile's claws glow just as brightly. Both attacks collide with equal force, cloaking the battlefield in a brief spell of blinding light that makes Casey flinch back and cover her eyes.

Nobody can act until the light dims, and when it does both trainers find their Pokemon both slightly weakened and back where they once stood.

They must've both been damaged upon impact.

The peaceful moment the battle had passes, and Casey's the first to spring back into the action.

"Quick Attack, let's go!" She shouts, and Electabuzz begins to rush towards Weavile so quickly that streams of white light follow him from behind.

"Stop it with Blizzard."

Electabuzz, being as determined as he is, keeps running even as the Blizzard rushes towards him, but he's forced to bail out of his attempt when the effects of the ice begin to take their toll. Thankfully, he gets out of the line of fire before the ice can freeze him, but the attack deals a substantial amount of damage before that point.

"Maybe if you fought with an actual strategy, you'd actually win a battle." Paul mocks, and though she's beyond angry at the arrogant trainer, his comment actually gives her an idea.

He couldn't do anything when he couldn't see. Weavile can't run away if it doesn't know where to go.

"Use Thunderbolt on the battlefield!"

Electabuzz, though clearly skeptical about her request, follows through with, directing his attack towards the ground instead of at his opponent. His move kicks up loads of dust on the field, which of course is exactly what she intended.

We've used this kind of strategy before. We know that it works.

"Now use Hammer Arm!" She orders, and Electabuzz rushes back towards Weavile as Paul stands there dazed, clearly surprised by her sudden use of strategical play.

She hears a cry that's not Electabuzz's, and then the Electric Pokemon is standing back in front of her again just as the dust settles, revealing the fate of Weavile.

"Weavile is unable to battle!" Brock declares formally, fulfilling his job as the referee to a tee.

Paul's face flushes with rage that he quickly rushes to cover up, and then he's returning Weavile to its Pokeball without even a word of thanks.

Typical Paul.

"Thanks a lot, Electabuzz. You were awesome." Casey praises, smiling proudly at her friend.

"Bzz! Bzz!" He replies, brandishing his fists in the air in victory and pride.

It's a victory that's short lived when Paul chooses to send out his next Pokemon, frustration shining through in his voice as he sends it out.

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" The Electric Pokemon appears before the other, and both seem to do a double take at the sight of each other.

"Electabuzz, use Thu-!" Paul begins, not remotely bothered that his Electabuzz is still slightly dazed, but then he's stopping as confusion strikes his face.

And then the weight of Shellos is suddenly ripped off of Casey's shoulder, and she's watching in horror as a mechanical hand pulls her Pokemon away from her and into a see-through cage up above.

"Shell!" She wails, and Casey swears that it's the most horrifying thing she's ever heard, and she feels her very heart clench at the sight of Team Rocket, laughing manically up in their balloon.

"It's Team Rocket!" Brock gasps, angrily turning towards the crooks.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear."

The villains begin to recite their motto, and all the while Casey feels her rage building to the boiling point. Watching Shellos squirm around in that box is making her feel physically sick, not only out of the anger that's making her head spin, but also because of the pure sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of losing her.

How does Ash cope with this all the time? This happens to Pikachu all the time.

"What are you doing here? Give Shellos back!" She shouts, because she's not interested in hearing anymore of their ridiculous and unnecessary motto.

"Who are these bunch of rejects?" Paul asks, speaking up for the first time as Electabuzz buzzes at his side, and it's difficult to tell whether he's angry or just confused.

Probably both.

"Rejects! Why you little-!" Jessie screeches, arms flailing as James and Meowth struggle to hold her back from jumping out of the balloon and attacking Paul for his comment.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Casey orders whilst they're distracted, and Electabuzz obeys and aims a shocking bolt of lightning right at the cage, though it doesn't cause the desired effect.

"It did nothing!" Brock gasps, stunned.

"You twerps ain't generating enough force to break through that!" Meowth cackles, "Shellos ain't going nowhere anytime soon!"

"We would've preferred to be getting away with Pikachu, but this one will do." James says gleefully, sounding like a small child on Christmas morning.

It disgusts her.

It seems to do the same to Shellos, who - much to Casey's pride - begins to fire off Water Pulse after Water Pulse in an attempt to break down the cage. Even after hearing that she can't generate enough force to break it down, she's still trying. It's pure resilience, and it's absolutely awe inspiring to see - well, at least for Brock and Casey.

Little does either of them know, but even Paul and his Electabuzz are watching with something that's close to awe. It's not quite that, and their faces are stoic as they watch until Shellos is exhausted from all of their attempts, but it's something.

"A couple of bubbles ain't gonna do squat!" Meowth cackles, his comment setting himself and the rest of Team Rocket into fits of laughter.

Casey can feel her arms shaking even as Brock reaches out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, anchoring her to something other than her pure rage and fear. She's looking right at Shellos, and she doesn't even care about the fact that Team Rocket are mocking her from their balloon. All she's focused on is Shellos, and all Shellos seems to be focused on is her.

Which is why it's so surprising when she's suddenly engulfed in a thick layer of bright light that morphs her body shape. She grows in size beneath the glow, and when it bursts away it reveals a whole new form entirely.

"No way! Shellos evolved!" Brock gasps out for her, because Casey's looking up in shock at her newly evolved Pokemon because she can't get any words out.

She can't believe that Shellos evolved.

She remains stood there, utter disbelief on her face, as murky water begins to spiral around her body, so much so that it engulfs the entire cage. A moment passes, and then the water's rushing out of the cage and rushing towards them instead.

"Get back!" Brock shouts, pulling her and Electabuzz out of the way just before they can be hit by anything.

Her Pokemon comes right out of the cage, being pushed along by the force of the murky water, and she lands in front of Casey as the last of the water flows away.

"What was that?"

"Muddy Water." Paul remarks, and Casey swears that he sounds surprised. Impressed, even.

She looks over at him for a second, and his and his Electabuzz's sights are set on the newly evolved Pokemon before them. Casey looks back to her, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Pokedex.

"Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon and the evolved form of Shellos. Gastrodon inhabits the shallow tidal pools of the ocean, and its sturdy shell serves to protect its body."

"Gastrodon, you wanna take this one?" She asks, pocketing the device and smirking confidently up at Team Rocket, who look rightfully terrified.

Oh, yeah. We've got you now.

"Gastro!" Gastrodon cries, aiming a gargantuan Muddy Water attack directly for their balloon. She targets the attack so that the murky liquid pierces holes all over the balloon, sending it catapulting high up into the sky, taking Team Rocket with it.

They fade off into the distance, just a mere speck on the skyline, and Gastrodon stands tall before them, crying out triumphantly.

"Great job, Gastrodon!" Casey praises, kneeling down by Gastrodon's side and instantly regretting it when the grass squelches beneath her knee, "I'm so proud of you!"

"That was amazing! I can't believe you evolved, Gastrodon!" Brock adds, and Gastrodon responds enthusiastically to their praise, so much so that she attempts to jump up onto Casey's shoulder, something that the trainer quickly rushes to prevent.

"No, no, no!" She rushes, gently pushing the Sea Slug Pokemon back and smiling apologetically, "I don't think you can get away with that anymore. Sorry, Gastrodon."

"Gastro..." Gastrodon grizzles, but it's soon long forgotten when she turns towards Electabuzz and begins playing around with him.

Well, she's playing around. He's just standing around as stoic as ever, but Casey can see the smile on his face. She watches the two of them fondly, so much so that she doesn't even notice as Paul returns Electabuzz to its Pokeball and begins to walk away.

"Hey, Paul. Where are you going?" Brock calls to him, because the Pokemon Breeder is observant enough to notice him slipping away.

Casey stands up, alert, "Don't you want to finish our battle?"

"No need. I've seen enough." Paul replies simply, not stopping.

She knows that Paul's cold, and standoffish, and impolite for the most part, but the way he's walking away right now gives off a different vibe to how he usually is. Perhaps if that vibe wasn't being given off, Casey wouldn't have stepped in and called out to him again.

"Why did you want to battle me? Really?"

It's a simple question, but it's enough to make him stop. He doesn't turn around, so it's kinda hard to hear his low voice, but she just about catches what he says.

"Because I want Cynthia to respect me as much as she respects you." He says, tone unreadable.

"What?"

He turns around now, and she figures out what that other vibe he was giving off was. It's anger and frustration. It's clear as day in his body language, his eyes, his tone. He's angry at her.

"You're pathetic but she still respects you! You're just as pathetic as he is, going on about love and trust and everything that's not important in a battle, but she still respects you!" He yells, and Casey can see out the corner of her eye that Electabuzz is beginning to move towards her defensively.

They make eye contact and she nods in a silent exchange.

I've got this.

And he reluctantly backs off.

"How do you know that, Paul?" She asks, looking back to the angry boy.

He waits for a moment, considering how to reply, before he does.

"The fact that you don't makes me question why she respects you at all."

She's stunned by his simple reply, and she's even more stunned by his tone. It's no longer angry, just monotone. She turns to Brock, who's kept quiet until now, but the boy just seems to be observing Paul intently as he turns and begins to leave again.

"Paul, wait!" She calls out to him after a moment, and for some reason he stops again, "Let's battle again sometime."

She's suggesting this because despite how rude Paul is, she truly does want to battle him again. He's strong, and tactical, and she feels as if they can learn a lot from each other, even if he doesn't exactly feel that way.

He doesn't give her any form of confirmation, but he also doesn't say 'no', which she chooses to take as a yes, or at least a maybe. Her and Brock as Paul leaves, only turning away when they can no longer see him from where they're stood.

"I still don't get that guy." Casey murmurs, and she's pulled out of her complex thoughts about Paul by Brock, who lays a hand on her shoulder and smiles.

"Lunch should be ready." He says, addressing the entire group, "Everyone hungry?"

"Gastro!"

"Bzz!"

"Yeah, I could eat." Casey says, shrugging. She's not particularly hungry, but she might as well considering that her Pokemon are. They deserve a nice meal after all their hard work.

So she sits down to eat dinner with her Pokemon and Brock and his Pokemon, though her thoughts are preoccupied thinking about Paul for the most part, more specifically what he said. Cynthia respects her? The very thought of that makes her more excited than perhaps anything has before, but the hatred that Paul directed towards her for that fact is taking precedent in her mind.

Sure, she's seen Paul act angrily in the past, but nothing like how he acted today.

She remains stuck in her thoughts throughout the entire meal, and she's certain that at least Brock notices it, but he doesn't call her up on it once, something which she greatly appreciates.

All she can do now is keep training, she figures. After all, she may be battling Paul again in the future, so she best be ready for it.