A New Rival For Zach?

"Alright Poochyena, use Mud Slap!" Zach eagerly shouted while pointing towards his opponent's Slakoth.

"Pooch!" Poochyena quickly whipped around and began kicking up mud pellets towards his opponent, sending one directly down Slakoth's open mouth as the sloth wasn't fast enough to close it after his previous attack.

"K-Koth!" Slakoth coughed before swiftly falling limp as swirls formed within his eyes. "Slakoth..."

"Way to go, Poochyena!" Zach shouted out.

"Rio!"

"Poooch!" Poochyena tilted back his head as he uttered out a victory howl.

"That was amazing, Zach!" May clasped her hands together as pride and admiration shined brightly within her eyes. "You just won nine battles in a row, you're becoming quite skilled!"

Zach sweated lightly as he received his winnings from his opponent. "To be fair, most trainers around here aren't that strong." He knew a lot of trainers didn't do as much research or studying as he'd done prior to starting his adventure, most were just eager to leave on their adventures so they wouldn't have to attend school anymore. "I'm sure that I'll meet my match sooner or later."

His words appeared to work like magic for as soon as he said them, another voice spoke up.

"Hola!" Zach and May turned to see a trainer that appeared to be around the same age as the two of them. She had a light brown skin tone, a pair of bright orange eyes, her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail while a singular strand of green hair dangled over her forehead. She also appeared to be wearing a school uniform of sorts, Zach and May were fortunate enough to not be familiar with such attire but they recognized the appearance as a couple of spoiled rich kids from the Lilycove Academy encountered them while on a field trip a few years back. She wore a violet colored tie and had a pair of violet colored shorts atop her black leggings. She also wore a rather long and bizarre looking magenta and black colored arm which Zach also mistook for a prosthetic before realizing he could see the girl's fingers coming out the other end. "I heard that there was quite the fuerte challenger around here so I've come to track them down and challenge them to a Pokemon battle!" The girl eagerly exclaimed.

Zach couldn't quite place it but her personality seemed similar to a trainer he'd seen before. "Well if a Pokemon battle is what you're looking for then you're in the right place, Riolu and I are practicing for our first Gym battle!"

"Rio!" Riolu punched at the air while Scorbunny burst from her ball to chime in with quite the enthusiastic cry.

"Scor!"

"Oh you mean that Gym?" The girl gave the Rustboro Gym a quick glance before forming a brief smirk as she reached into her pocket, revealing a rectangular shaped badge. "I've already beaten her!" She enthusiastically exclaimed. "So how about you and I have that Pokemon battle?!"

"I'd love to." Zach spoke while giving his partners a brief glance. "Poochyena's tuckered out but I've got three other Pokemon that are eager to fight!" The Dusk ball lightly shook on his belt, signaling that Treecko agreed with his statement.

"Well then I'm glad that's settled!" The girl exclaimed while eagerly reaching for her belt. "Let's make this a three on three battle! I'll start things off with Pa-"

"Hold up, aren't you going to introduce yourself first?" May asked while giving the girl a brief look. "We never got your name."

"Oh," The girl sweated for a brief moment before offering the pair an excitable look. "The name's Nemona, I'm traveling the world in search of powerful trainers and Pokemon! I've already proven myself as one of my region's strongest Pokemon trainers so now I'm off in search of a new challenge as things honestly got a bit boring." She gave off a light yawn as if to display her boredom. "I've explored every inch of that region and there's nothing left for me, well apart from Area Zero but nobody's allowed to step foot there for some reason."

"Huh?" Zach tilted his head upon hearing Nemona reveal herself to be a strong Pokemon trainer. "But you look our age, how could you get that strong in a couple of months?"

Nemona uttered out a light giggle while playfully shaking her head. "Oh that's right, I forgot that you all have a different set of rules than us Paldea folk. You see unlike most regions, Paldea never set an age limit. I mean we've got a literal child on our Elite Four! We have our own Pokemon League circuit that's run by an entire different Chairman than your Chairman Rose, we're run by Chairwoman Geeta a champion of her own right!"

Zach and May shared a brief nerved look before Zach took a swift step back. "Sorry Nemona but I don't think we can battle, you see I started my journey about two weeks ago so I'm afraid that my team won't even stand a chance against yours."

"Oh well that's not a problem!" Nemona beamed while waving towards her belt. "You see I left my Pokemon in the care of my parents, I thought that I'd challenge myself by starting off fresh! The Pokemon I have with me should be around the same level as your Pokemon. Now then, I believe it's your turn to introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Zach and these are my partners Riolu and Scorbunny, we're working towards becoming top trainers in our own right. It's my dream to be as respected and powerful as my idols, Cynthia and Mustard!" Zach exclaimed while thinking of the Sinnoh and Galar champions.

"Rio!"

"Scor!" The Pokemon enthusiastically chimed in.

"And I'm May, it's my dream to become a Top Coordinator!" May spoke with a confident smile.

"Top Coordinator?" Nemona gave off a look of confusion before shrugging.

'I guess they don't have Pokemon Contests in Paldea.' May thought to herself.

Nemona then offered Zach a wide grin as she enthusiastically leaped to the opposing side of the practice field. "Well then, how about we get this battle started?!" She exclaimed while enlarging a Pokeball. "We'll send out our first Pokemon on the count of three."

"Alright," Zach gave off a nod as he reached for his own belt. "Let's do this!"

"Three, two, one and go!" Nemona exclaimed while tossing a Pokeball into the air. "Rockruff, let's do this!"

"Ruff!" A Rockruff growled as it burst from the Pokeball.

"Let's go, Treecko!" Zach shouted as he threw the Dusk Ball onto the field.

"Treecko, tree!" Treecko took a stance as he leered at his opponent.

"Use Sand Attack!" Nemona shouted out.

"Ruff!" Rockruff turned around and quickly began kicking sand into Treecko's eyes.

"Tree!" Treecko gasped out while holding his eyes as they began to burn.

"Stay strong Treecko, we can do this! Use Leafage!" Zach shouted.

"Tree!" Treecko leaped into the air as multiple green leaves formed out of his body and began circling his body before being flung towards his opponent.

"Ruff!" Rockruff grunted out as the leaves repeatedly struck his body.

Nemona maintained a rather calm expression as she threw out her arm. "Double Team!"

"Ruff!" Rockruff split itself off into multiple copies which spread throughout the field, making it difficult to make out which was the original.

"Use Leer!" Zach quickly shouted out.

"Tree..." Treecko faintly grunted, his eyes still stung which made making out the real Rockruff difficult so he decided to leer at every Rockruff he could.

"Ruff..." Rockruff shivered lightly as he locked eyes with the real one.

"Fire Fang!" Nemona shouted out.

"Huh?!" Zach and May briefly gasped out as Rockruff's fangs glowed fiery red.

"Ruff!" The Rockruff charged at Treecko before sinking his fiery teeth against his arm.

"Tree!" Treecko gasped out in pain, his breath began to grow heavy while his eyes began to droop. "Tree... tree..."

Zach gave Treecko a look of concern before throwing his arm foward. "Alright Treecko, use Mega Drain!"

"Tree!" Treecko's body began to glow bright green as he began sapping away Rockruff's health, however the attack missed as Treecko hit the wrong Rockruff. "Tree?!"

Nemona offered a smirk as she threw her arm forward. "Finish him with Fire Fang!"

"Ruff!" Rockruff howled out as he lunged forward, sinking his fiery teeth into Treecko's body once more.

"Tree!" Treecko's eyes widened as the fiery sensation flowed through his body once more, his eyes then began rolling up into his head as he collapsed against the ground. "Tree..."

"Treecko!" Zach shouted out in concern for his partner while Nemona clutched her fists.

"Alright, we did it!" Nemona excitedly exclaimed.

"Ruff ruff!" Rockruff barked out alongside his trainer.

Zach felt Treecko's pulse before returning his partner to his ball. "You did a great job out there Treecko, now rest up. We'll take things from here," He shot a glance towards Riolu before nodding towards the field. "Let's go, Riolu!"

"Rio!" Riolu clenched his fists as he excitedly leaped onto the battlefield.

Nemona's previous combination of Sand Attack and Double Team made it difficult for Treecko to land a hit but it shouldn't be a problem for Riolu, even if she landed another Sand Attack on him! "Alright Riolu, let's use Aura Sphere!"

"Wait what?!" Nemona's eyes widened from shock as she gasped out. "Your Riolu knows-" It appeared Nemona was aware of the species as an impressed expression formed across her face as Riolu began charging up a powerful sphere of aura. "No way..."

"Rio!" Riolu cried out as he fired the large aura sphere towards Rockruff.

"Ruff!" Rockruff yelped as the aura exploded against his body, catapulting the puppy across the battlefield. "Ruff..." Rockruff grunted out before going limp as he crashed against the battlefield.

"Aura Sphere never misses it's mark..." Nemona spoke with an impressed tone while offering Zach a genuine smile. "You may be a rookie but you certainly know your stuff, I wonder how you'll fare against a Pokemon you've never seen before." She recalled Rockruff to his ball before grabbing another. "Let's do this, Sprigatito!"

"Sprigat!" Zach and May's eyes lit up as a cute green kitten Pokemon appeared on the battlefield.

"Aw, it's adorable!" May gushed as hearts appeared in her eyes.

"I want one of those!" Zach exclaimed while quickly fishing out his Rotom Phone in order to scan the mysterious Pokemon.

"Sprigatito the Grass Cat Pokemon and one of the Paldea region's starter Pokemon, it's fluffy fur is similar in composition to plants. This Pokemon frequently washes its face to keep it from drying out."

Zach's heart briefly sank upon hearing that. 'Starter Pokemon rarely exist within the wild outside of their home regions.' He was quick to shake off his disappointment as he gave Riolu a quick nod. Riolu appeared to read his mind as the jackal pup leaped off the battlefield.

"Alright Scorbunny, you're up!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny enthusiastically exclaimed while leaping onto the battlefield.

"Hone Claws!" Nemona was quick to order out.

"Spri!" Sprigatito meowed out while fiercely sharping her claws.

"Now use Bite!"
"Sprig!" Sprigatito lunged across the field and sank her teeth into Scorbunny's head causing the rabbit to panic as she began running in circles while desperately flailing her arms about in an attempt to remove her opponent.

"Scorbunny, relax! If you can't remove her then we'll have to resort to other methods, use Flame Charge!" Zach shouted out.

"Scor!" Scorbunny's body lit up in flames as she raced across the field.

"Spri!" Sprigatito's eyes widened as her body lit ablaze. "Sprig!" The feline let go in a panic and began rolling across the field to kill the flames.

"That was quite the brilliant play," Nemona appeared impressed and excited rather than upset. "You hurt Sprigatito and Scorbunny is now faster than she was before! But this battle isn't over yet." She swiftly grabbed a ball and swapped out Sprigatito. "Let's do this, Pawmi!"

"Pawmi!" An adorable orange and cream colored rodent exclaimed as she burst from the ball.

"What a cutie!" May exclaimed, hearts appeared in her eyes once more as Zach activated his Rotom Phone.

"Pawmi the Mouse Pokemon, the pads of its paws are electricity-discharging organs. Pawmi fires electricity from its forepaws while standing unsteadily on its hind legs."

"An Electric type? Alright Scorbunny let's use Growl!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny uttered out a light growl, causing Pawmi to lightly shiver as her attack stat was lowered.

"Pawmi..."

"Thunder Shock!" Nemona exclaimed.

"Pawmi!" Electricity crackled out of Pawmi's cheeks as she rose up before firing the electrical bolts across the field, giving Scorbunny quite the electrical shock as the electricity struck!

"S-Scor!" Scorbunny cried out as electricity flew through her body.

"Counter with Flame Charge!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny cried out as flames engulfed her body

"Dig!"

"Pawmi!" Pawmi began rapidly burrowing at the ground before disappearing from sight.

"Scor!" Scorbunny cried out, the fire died as she comically tripped and fell down the hole before hurrying back out. "Scor!"

"Pawmi!" Pawmi emerged from behind Scorbunny and crashed against her, knocking her to the floor.

"S-Scor..." Scorbunny grunted as she rose to her feet however much to Zach and Nemona's shock, she wasn't as injured as she should have been from getting struck by a Ground type attack.

"Huh?" Zach gave Scorbunny a questionable look while looking over her injuries before shrugging it off. "Ember!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny cried out as she fired off fire pellets at her opponent.

"Pawmi!" Pawmi cried out as the flames struck.

"Alright Pawmi, let's try out Dig once more!" Nemona shouted while throwing an arm forward.

"Paw!" Pawmi disappeared from view as she burrowed beneath the ground once more.

"Scorbunny, keep focused and give her a Double Kick as she emerges!" Zach swiftly shouted out.

"Scor!" Scorbunny gave her opponent a confident nod before twitching her ears as she listened for her opponent.

"Paw!" Pawmi cried out as she emerged from the ground, nailing Scorbunny in the back!

"Scor!" Scorbunny's eyes widened as a tired expression formed across her face. This time it appeared that she took the proper opponent of damage, making things all the more confusing.

'What's going on here?' Zach thought to himself before Scorbunny retaliated by giving Pawmi a swift kick to the face which was soon followed by another kick!

"Paw!" Pawmi cried out before faceplanting against the ground.

"Alright Zach, way to go!" May cheered.

"Rio!" Riolu swiftly pointed forward as Pawmi rose back up.

"Pawmi!" Pawmi cried out as a bright blue glow enveloped her body, she rose to her feet and began doubling in height while growing a more muscular physique. "Pawmo!" The newly evolved Pokemon exclaimed as it emerged from the light.

"Asombrosa, you evolved!" Nemona exclaimed with a proud expression.

"Pawmo!"

"Pawmo the Mouse Pokemon, Pawmo uses a unique fighting technique in which it uses its forepaws to strike foes and zap them with electricity from its paw pads simultaneously."

"Growl!" Zach swiftly shouted out.

"Scor!" Scorbunny uttered out another faint cute growl at her opponent.

"Arm Thrust!" Nemona excitedly cried out.

"Pawmo!" Pawmo thrusted out her arm, striking Scorbunny's chest!

"Scor!" Scorbunny's eyes widened as she gasped out for air before swiftly collapsing against the field as swirls formed within her eyes.

"Scorbunny!" Zach cried out before rushing out to check on his partner. 'That looked like it hurt!' "Scorbunny, are you okay?!"

"Scor..." Scorbunny groaned out, her eyes slowly opened as she offered her trainer an apologetic expression. "Scor..."

"It's okay Scorbunny, we can't win them all." Zach offered her a faint smile as he returned her to her Pokeball. "Alright Riolu, let's finish things!"

"Rio!" Riolu sprang onto the battlefield.

Nemona swiftly returned Pawmo before sending out Sprigatito once more. "Let's see what else that Riolu is capable of!"

"Sprigat!" Sprigatito meowed as she emerged onto the battlefield.

"Leafage!"

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Zach swiftly shouted out.

Sprigatito sent a fleet of leaves flying in Riolu's direction but the jackal pup was quick to evade before slamming himself against Sprigatito's side.

"Spri!"

"Now use Aura Sphere!"

"Rioooo!" Riolu cried out as he charged up a powerful sphere of aura before sending it flying towards his opponent!

"Spriiii!" Sprigatito exclaimed as the attack exploded against her, catapulting her across the field before she ultimately crashed before her trainer's feet. "Spriga..." She moaned out.

"Alright Zach, you're doing an amazing job out there!" May clasped her hands together as she praised her crush.

"Thanks May!" Zach flashed May an appreciative smile which caused her face to light up like a Tamato Berry.

'He most certainly is..." Nemona thought to herself, feeling quite enthusiastic about how the battle was turning out but she also felt some other emotion flaring within her as she gazed towards her opponent. 'He's everything I ever wanted in a rival, if he's already giving me trouble then I can't wait to see what he'll be like once he's gotten more experience under his belt!'

"Alright Pawmo, let's do-"

"Rio!" Riolu suddenly exclaimed as a bright blue glowed enveloped his body.

"No way!" May exclaimed.

"It's finally happening!" Zach's eyes lit up as Riolu began growing until he stood at his trainer's shoulder, the jackal now had a more muscular physique while cream fur had grown around his stomach region. While several bone spikes sat at his arm and against his chest. "You're now a Lucario!"

"Carrrr!" Lucario roared out, offering his trainer an enthusiastic grin before taking on a combat stance as they looked towards their opponent. The pair standing in perfect synch.

"Lucario the Aura Pokemon, a well-trained one can use its aura to identify and take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away." Zach's Rotom Phone read as Lucario's data was registered into the device.

"Alright, now we're talking!" Nemona enthusiastically punched at the air while looking towards her opponent. "You're an even bigger challenge to overcome now, alright Pawmo use Dig!"

"Detect!" Zach swiftly countered.

Pawmo burrowed beneath the ground but Lucario swiftly evaded her as she reemerged.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Carrr!" Lucario clamped his paws together as another powerful sphere of aura formed between his paws. "Lucarrr!" He cried out before firing the pulse towards his opponent.

"Pawmo!" Pawmo cried out but the attack wasn't enough to finish her.

"Nuzzle!" Pawmo's cheeks sparked as she sprung across the field before nuzzling her opponent.

"C-Carrr..." Lucario faintly blushed despite the electrical shock flowing through him.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Carrr!" Lucario clamped his paws together before firing a powerful aura sphere towards his opponent, the blast knocked Pawmo off her feet but she was quick to collect herself.

"Arm Thrust!"

"Counter!"

"Pawmo!" Pawmo lunged at her opponent, delivering a powerful blow to his chest that knocked the air out of him.

"Carrr..." Lucario began to pant as exhaustion took hold. The jackal then smirked as a bright orange glow surrounded his body, he cried out before taking a swing at his opponent's body which sent Pawmo flying across the field as she received double the damage she'd just dished out!

"Pawmooo!" Pawmo cried out as she collapsed against the floor, swirls then formed within her eyes though her cheeks had an unusual pink glow to them as she regained a bit of consciousness.

Nemona stared in shock for a brief moment before a large enthusiastic grin spread across her face. "Yes!" She clasped her hands together while leaping up for joy. May thought it was a rather unusual way to react to losing. "I lost, I actually lost!" She enthusiastically cried out. "I gave it my all and had a team that was evenly matched and I lost! I haven't lost or been pushed this way in such a very long time!"

"R-Really?" Zach stuttered lightly as he hadn't expected such praise to escape his new rival.

"Seriously!" Nemona exclaimed, stars filled her eyes as she gazed towards her rival. "Ever since I earned my first badge, I've been beating people without issue until I ultimately became a Champion! I came here to the Hoenn region to experience the Mega Evolution phenomenon and start off fresh but everyone I've easily dealt with everyone even with a fresh team! I thought that I'd never experience the joy of having a challenging opponent again before I met you!" Nemona sprang forward and clasped her hands around Zach's while staring into his eyes causing him to turn a light shade of pink while May began giving her a murderous look. "Thank you..." Nemona leaned forward and pressed her lips against Zach's, planting a kiss.

"Carrr!" Lucario's eyes widened while May clenched her fists, her eyes narrowed to slits as she leered at Nemona. Nemona pulled away after a few seconds, her hand rested against Zach's chest as she offered him a flirtatious smile.

"W-What...?" Zach's eyes widened as he stood there in shock while trying to process what had happened, though that wasn't to say he hadn't enjoyed it as a smile began to form upon realizing what had happened. There was no denying that the Paldea native was fairly attractive.

"I can't wait until our paths cross again, rival!" Nemona offered him a playful wink before pulling away from him. A questionable look formed upon noticing May glaring at her but Nemona shrugged it off and offered her a friendly wave before rushing towards the Pokemon Center.

The smile remained on Zach's face as he watched Nemona run off. "Wow..." He softly breathed out as the smile widened into a goofy smile.

May clenched her fists upon seeing the reaction that Nemona had gotten out of him. She was about to speak up when a loud explosion went off, the ground shook beneath them while panicked screams could be heard.

"What's going on?!" May found herself clutching to Zach's arm as people began running down the streets in a panic while various sirens went off.

"I-I don't know..." Zach muttered out as he began regaining his thoughts.

"Everyone get off the streets, Team Magma just bombed Devon Corp!" Officer Jenny's familiar voice could be heard over a loud speaker as various police sirens could be heard approaching.

"Outta the way!" A red hooded individual pushed past Zach and May, making a run towards the nearby forest the bordered the city's northern exit.

"Blaze!" A feminine voice shouted as Zach and May were knocked to the ground. Another hooded figure appeared and gave the two an apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry about my brother, he's-"

"Amber, get your ass over here! We've got to run!" The masculine voice shouted, a package could be seen in his hands.

"Right," Amber gave a quick nod before following her brother.

"Freeze!" A police officer shouted out, a Manectric stood menacingly beside him as the pair glared after the Team Magma grunts.

Amber immediately threw up her hands while Blaze uttered out a grunt of annoyance. "You don't want to do that," He pulled out a rather old and worn Pokeball. "We've got a hostage right here!"

"Peeko!" An old man desperately shouted out in the distance, proving his words to be correct.

"If we see any police, that old man's Wingull gets it!" Blaze threatened while glaring at the officer. The police officer growled out before pointing towards the exit.

"Just get out of here..."

"Will do." Blaze smirked. "Come on sis, let's get out of here!" The brother sister duo bolted out of there while the police officer raced off to give his report, leaving Zach and May alone as the streets became abandoned.

"Maybe we should..." May glanced towards the Pokemon Center before glancing back towards Zach only to find him and Lucario running off in the same direction that Team Magma had gone. "Zach!" May shouted in annoyance before sighing out as she reluctantly followed him. 'I'm not going to let him face them alone, they sounded dangerous!'

It's been a long time but another chapter is finished, I loved Nemona and didn't really have any plans to include Paldea in this universe so I decided to add her in as I liked her character. I thought she'd be an interesting addition to the story, as for the romance? I felt like she had a thing for the MC so I decided to adapt that aspect of her character.