Jason and Kristine headed down the road leading away from the Pokemon Center and Spring Haven, fully supplied and ready to continue their quest to Fort Lexing.

"So…" Kristine spoke while looking at the field guide. "We're on Spring Way, a route connecting Mountain Spring all the way to Rugged Pass. Spring Way is considered Route 101 of Inventum, while Rugged Pass is 102."

"So is Cheron Forest 103?" Jason asked.

"Nope," Kristine shook her head. "Cheron Forest is classified as Inventum Pokemon Preserve 4. At the northern exit of the forest begins route 103, Cheron Trail, which takes us to Fort Lexing."

"Okay," Jason acknowledged. "Anything we need to watch out for in Rugged Pass?"

"Yep," Kristine flipped a page in the field guide. "Watch for steep drops. Watch out for pokemon on the roads. Oh, and trainers like to hang out here to battle."

"Good," Jason grew a smirk on his face. "Eevee, Taillow, and I need to get practice in."

"Same here," Kristine said. "And I need to catch a pokemon."

"You'll get one," Jason said. "The next pokemon we see is yours."

Kristine snickered. "Well, thanks."

The two continued down the trail, surrounded by trees on both sides.

"You think we have enough supplies to last us to Fort Lexing?" Jason asked.

"I guess we'll find out," Kristine replied. "According to the guide, there's a pokemon center at the end of Rugged Pass, just outside Cheron Forest. If we do run low, we can stock up there."

"At least there are some warm beds," Jason added.

"Oh, I'm sure sharing a tent won't be so bad now and again," Kristine said.

"Yeah, but you'll be kicking me out every morning," Jason bantered.

"Hey," Kristine smirked. "A girl's gotta get ready for the day, you know."

"Yeah yeah," Jason chuckled.

Just then, a flying pokemon flew right over the heads of Jason and Kristine. Kristine immediately identified the tiny creature.

"Fletchling!" she yelled in excitement. The bird had a red face, a white body, and black wings and tail feathers as it landed on a nearby tree branch. Kristine ran right towards it.

"Showtime, Eevee!" she threw her pokeball, summoning Eevee.

"Eevee!" Eevee seemed eager and ready to go.

Jason stood there, watching his sister run towards Fletchling. He pulled out his pokedex and analyzed it.

"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokemon," the pokedex addressed. "Despite the beauty of its voice, it is merciless to intruders who enter its territory."

"Fletchling…" Jason muttered. He remembered that Ash had one and had used it several times in official tournaments in its fully evolved form, Talonflame.

"The Fire Bird!" Jason recalled, referring to the nickname he had given Ash's Talonflame. "Oh man, Talonflame was awesome."

"Fletchling!" Kristine ran below the tiny robin. She held an empty pokeball. "Let's fight!"

"Fletchling!" Fletchling gave a glare at Kristine and Eevee, flapping their wings. Then it began to attempt to drive the two away through its chirps. "Fletch etch etch etch etch!"

Kristine smiled, trying to sweet-talk the pokemon. "Hi. My name's Kristine. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together. I plan to travel all over the place and become the best trainer around, and I plan to help you become the best fletchling the world has ever seen. Does that sound like a deal?"

Fletchling seemed curious and hopped forward on its branch. "Fletch?"

"We have an entire adventure ahead of us," Kristine continued. "There's much more to the world than this little old trail. Come with me, and together, we will compete together against all kinds of pokemon and see the beauty this world truly has to offer!"

"Fletch…" Fletchling seemed to ponder the proposal.

"Is she really negotiating with Fletchling?" Jason spoke to himself.

"Fletchling!" Fletchling seemed to conclude. It then hopped off its branch and glided before Kristine and Eevee, flapping its wings.

"Eevee!" Eevee stepped forward.

"I think it's challenging us," Kristine said. "Okay! Get ready!"

Eevee was ready to fight as she continued forward.

"Eevee, quick attack!" Kristine commanded.

Eevee rapidly picked up speed, springing towards Fletchling.

"Fletch!" Fletchling moved in rapid speed with its beak glowing. It touched off the ground while spreading its wings and met Eevee head-on. Both collided, striking directly at each other as both pokemon were pushed back.

"What ability was that?" Kristine wondered. "Eevee, Sand Attack!"

As Eevee complied, Jason ran up to Kristine.

"I think its special ability is Gale Wings," Jason explained, looking at his pokedex. "Pokemon with Gale Wings have super fast speed when using flying type moves, even quicker than Quick Attack."

"Well, how am I going to take out a pokemon who has super fast speed?" Kristine questioned. She saw that Eevee's Sand Attack didn't connect as Fletchling took off from the ground.

Jason stood there, crossed his arms, and had a grin on his face. "Power."

"Power, huh?" Kristine replied.

"Our Eevee share the same special ability, and that's Adaptability," Jason continued. "Eevee is a normal type, which means normal type moves are naturally more effective than, say, a water pokemon using a normal type move. Adaptability increases that same type attack bonus, or as the pros call it, STAB."

"You know your pokemon," Kristine complimented.

"Hey," Jason gave a nod towards Kristine. "You know your geography. I'm sure our strengths are going to pay off together."

Kristine smiled, but she needed to focus on her fight. Fletchling's beak glowed once more, diving towards Eevee.

"Eevee, Growl!" Kristine commanded.

Eevee let out a fierce, intimidating growl at Fletchling. Still, Fletchling pierced right through the barrier of Eevee's growl at lightning speed, striking Eevee.

Eevee rolled over on her side but quickly got back up.

"Growl!" Kristine commanded once more.

This time, Eevee's growl successfully got through to Fletchling before it could take off, shaking it up.

"Now, Quick Attack and jump!" Kristine devised a strategy.

Eevee ran as fast as she could.

"Aim above Fletchling!" Kristine ordered.

Fletchling began to ascend, falling into Kristine's trap. It was met by Eevee's assault, knocking it back down on the ground.

"Nice hit!" Jason commended.

"Thanks!" Kristine kept her focus. She then ran towards Fletchling, who had a hard time getting up.

"Alright, pokeball!" she threw the pokeball at Fletchling.

The tiny robin was projected right into the pokeball. It didn't fight too much as the pokeball signaled it was bound, giving a red glow at the center.

"Yes!" Kristine jumped for joy. "Yes! Fletchling, welcome to the team!"

She ran over to pick up her Pokeball. Eevee ran over, happy to do a job well done.

"You did great, Eevee!" Kristine patted her.

She then looked at Fletchling's pokeball. "You did well, Fletchling. Get some rest, and I'll have you out in no time."

"That was an awful fast Fletchling," Jason said, approaching Kristine. "Congratulations."

"Thanks!" Kristine smiled. "I think we're gonna have a lot of fun together." She then pulled out Eevee's pokeball and returned her to it.

"You get some rest, too," Kristine said.

"Now we each need to find one more for a gym-ready team," Jason said.

"For the Mystic Gym, anyways," Kristine added. "They may do the traditional three-on-three battles, but remember that Gym Leaders can design the rules their way, as long as it fits the guidelines of the Pokemon League."

"One step at a time, dear sister," Jason replied.

Later that day, the twins approached a sign on the side of the road.

"End Route 101, begin Route 102," Jason read aloud.

"So begins the Rugged Pass," Kristine said.

The twins walked along the road as it began to elevate, leaving the wooded area behind. They looked around to see that they were being led up a hill.

"So pretty…" Kristine walked along in awe. The scenery gave way to lush hills and streams below as the sun began to set.

"Maybe we should camp out nearby," Jason suggested. "We've been walking all day."

"Yeah," Kristine agreed. "But where should we camp at?"

"Down here," Jason left the trail, beginning to navigate down the hill carefully.

"But Jason," Kristine said. "I can't move like that. I still have the brace on, you know."

"Oh," Jason replied. "Let me help you, then."

He approached Kristine and offered his hand to help her down. She took his hand and was slowly guided down the hill to a nice, flat area below.

"Thanks," Kristine appreciated the assist.

"No problem," Jason gave a nod.

Jason then took his backpack off his back and removed the folded tent from within. As he unfolded the tent, the blue piece of shelter magically popped open. It had rubber stilts beneath, preventing it from flying away in the case of heavy winds.

"Come on out, Eevee and Fletchling!" Kristine said, throwing her pokeballs.

Both of her pokemon were projected out, and they both greeted her.

"You too, Eevee and Taillow!" Jason also threw his pokeballs, summoning his pokemon.

Just then, Fletchling and Taillow hopped towards one another.

"Taillow!" Taillow greeted.

"Fletchling!" Fletchling replied.

They both seemed to get along pretty well, as the twins observed.

"Well, we're off to a good start," Kristine said.

"Mmhmm," Jason agreed.

Moments later, Kristine prepared sandwiches for herself and her brother while Jason readied the pokemon food for all four pokemon.

As Jason got the pokemon settled in, he walked over and sat next to Kristine.

"Things are going much better today," Kristine smiled.

"Yeah," Jason snickered in agreement.

"Let's see what tomorrow has in store, huh?" Kristine speculated.

"More good things," Jason remained confident.

Night fell as the twins eventually recalled their Pokemon. They slept within their tent, inside the sleeping bags that they kept rolled up and tied to their backpacks.


As dawn rose, Jason was the first to wake up, and he got ready as soon as possible in anticipation of Kristine kicking him out to get ready for the day.

As soon as Kristine got up, she yawned and stretched her arms.

"Good morning Jason," she said.

"Morning, sis," he replied.

"I need to get ready," she said.

"Sounds good to me," Jason nodded as he left the tent.

As Kristine got ready for the day, Jason decided to venture forward with the idea of getting some early morning training in with his pokemon.

"Come on out, Eevee and Taillow!" Jason tossed his pokeballs. Eevee and Taillow came out in energetic moods.

"Let's start going for a jog, huh?" Jason suggested as he started running.

"Eevee!" Eevee ran by his side.

"Taillow!" Taillow flew right past both Jason and Eevee.

Jason ran down a flowery field surrounded by hills and adjacent to the Rugged Pass trail above. Eevee was still at his side, but Taillow kept flying around, making multiple passes around Jason and Eevee.

"Wow, Taillow," Jason stopped as he looked in awe at Taillow.

Taillow turned around and swooped towards Jason. Taillow then landed right on Jason's shoulder.

"You're quite the flyer, aren't you?" Jason laughed.

"Taillow!" Taillow replied.

Just then, Jason saw a boy wearing a ball cap and shorts just overhead on the road.

"Hey!" the boy yelled. "Is that your taillow?"

"Sure is," Jason yelled back.

"Cool!" the boy seemed impressed. He then navigated down the hill and into the field. "Are you a trainer?" he asked, approaching Jason.

"Yep," Jason was proud to admit.

"Awesome," the boy said. "I'm trying to become a good trainer. Say, how about we have a pokemon battle? Two of my pokemon versus two of yours."

"What do you guys think?" Jason consulted with Eevee and Taillow.

"Taillow!" Taillow accepted the challenge.

"Eevee!" Eevee seemed eager to go.

"Alright," Jason spoke with determination. "Let's battle!"

"Yes!" the boy seemed excited. Time to get some training in!" He then pulled out a pokeball. "Go, Zigzagoon!"

A furry pokemon with brown and tan stripes was projected from the pokeball. It had a black streak along its eyes. "Zigzagoon!" it seemed eager for battle.

Jason pulled out his pokedex and examined the pokemon.

"Zigzagoon, the tiny raccoon pokemon," the pokedex explained. "It adapted to walking in a zigzag pattern due to its inquisitive personality."

"So it's going to run in zigzags…." Jason muttered to himself. "Okay, Taillow, let's go!"

"Taillow!" Taillow nodded before lifting off Jason's shoulder.

"Careful!" the boy warned his Zigzagoon. "This Taillow's fast."

"Zigzag!" Zigzagoon heeded the warning.

"Taillow, Focus Energy!" Jason commanded.

Taillow complied and remained stable in the air as it concentrated. It then flew around in circles, feeling pumped up. "Taillow! Taillow!"

"Quick Attack!" Jason followed up. Taillow swooped down and struck Zigzagoon without resistance. Zigzagoon took a direct hit as it was knocked over.

"Zigzagoon!" the boy yelled. "Are you okay?"

Zigzagoon got up as Taillow made another pass.

"Go for another Quick Attack!" Jason commanded.

Taillow flew right at Zigzagoon for another attack. This time, the boy was ready.

"Sand Attack!" the boy yelled.

Zigzagoon kicked up dirt from the ground right at Taillow. The dirt threw off Taillow's sight as she flew right overhead and landed nearby.

"Zigzagoon, Tackle!" the boy followed up.

"Taillow, shake off the dirt!" Jason commanded.

Taillow shook its head rapidly until it could see again. It then saw Zigzagoon coming right at it in a zigzag pattern.

"Dodge!" Jason yelled.

Taillow hopped to the side, but Zigzagoon's zigzag pattern still met it head-on, knocking Taillow back.

"Headbutt!" the boy yelled.

Zigzagoon came at Taillow for another zigzag assault.

"Quick Attack!" Jason commanded.

Taillow ran and spread its wings to lift off from the ground. It got the hit off of Zigzagoon first, effectively striking it on the side before it could use Headbutt.

Zigzagoon had a hard time getting up this time, but Jason was unrelenting.

"Close in with Peck!" Jason followed up.

Taillow moved right in with a glowing beak, striking at Zigzagoon head-on. Finally, Zigzagoon backed up before falling.

"Zigzagoon!" the boy yelled in concern. "No!" he then recalled it back through a pokeball. "You tried. We'll get stronger."

"Yeah!" Jason threw a fist in the air. Taillow then flew back on his shoulder.

"Good job, Taillow!" Jason complimented.

"Okay," the boy smirked. "Let's see how you do with Nidoran!"

The boy released Nidoran from its respective pokeball. Jason knew from its dark purple appearance that it was indeed a male nidoran. He also knew that male and female nidoran were considered different classifications of Pokemon since they have different evolutionary paths.

Nonetheless, Jason examined Nidoran through the pokedex.

"Male Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokemon," The pokedex explained. "Its large ears are used to scan threats from a large radius, even through thick grass and foliage. Its toxic horn is used for protection from natural predators."

"Eevee, let's go!" Jason signaled Eevee to run into the fray.

"Eevee!" Eevee complied.

"Nidoran, let's Hustle!" the boy commanded. "Use Tackle!"

"Nido!" Nidoran complied, and ran at Eevee.

"Hustle?" Jason wondered. He knew of a pokemon special ability called Hustle. Pokemon who possessed it were more driven to carry out attacks but often had tunnel vision, thus reducing their accuracy. He also knew that pokemon with Hustle would tend to carry out stronger attacks.

"Eevee, Double Team!" Jason commanded.

"Eevee!" Eevee moved rapidly, projecting multiple false images of itself.

"What?" the boy seemed confused. "Your Eevee knows Double Team?"

"I think he just naturally has a lot of speed," Jason replied. He noticed Nidoran was dumbfounded as it ran right through a false image.

"Eevee, Headbutt!" Jason followed up.

Eevee emerged from the mirage of false images and struck Nidoran on its side. Nidoran fell but got up a second later. But to the boy's surprise, Nidoran backed away from Eevee's fierceness.

"What's going on?" the boy yelled. "Nidoran, Double Kick! You got this!"

Nidoran continued backing away as Eevee kept approaching him.

"Headbutt sometimes causes opponents to flinch," Jason explained. "Nidoran was surprised by the impact."

Jason then issued an order to Eevee. "Sand Attack!"

Eevee kicked dirt right at Nidoran's face.

"Nidoran, Double Kick!" the boy yelled.

Nidoran threw its back legs all around but couldn't see a thing.

"Run to its side and Tackle!" Jason commanded.

Eevee did just that, using tackle on Nidoran's side. Nidoran was knocked to the ground once more, and this time, it was unable to continue.

"Oh no, Nidoran…" the boy seemed disappointed in himself. He then recalled Nidoran.

"Good job, Eevee!" Jason cheered, as Eevee ran back to him.

"Wow, you're good," the boy showed his respect, approaching Jason. "And you know quite a bit about battles."

"What can I say?" Jason chuckled. "I watched a lot of pro battles."

"There you are," Jason heard Kristine as she approached him from behind. "Did you just have a pokemon battle?"

Jason turned around and gave Kristine a nod. "Sure did."

Kristine rocked a ball cap and had silky smooth hair.

"And he beat us," the boy added. "He's good."

"Yeah, I did win," Jason added with a smile.

"Well, congrats," Kristine patted him on the shoulder.

"Taillow!" Taillow seemed to boast.

"Eevee!" Eevee seemed happy about winning.

"Anyways, I'm out," the boy said. "See you guys later."

"See you later," Jason replied.

"See ya," Kristine added.

The boy headed back up the hill and headed south.

"Shall we continue?" Kristine asked.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "Let's head back and pack up."

The twins walked back to the camp as Jason recalled his pokemon. After getting everything out of the tent, Jason disassembled it and folded it back into his backpack. Within a half-hour, the two were ready to head back out onto the road. As they climbed up the hill leading to the path, Jason helped Kristine up.

"Maybe I can get a pokemon battle in today, huh?" Kristine wondered.

"Hopefully," Jason replied. The two proceeded down the road once more.

The Rugged Pass took the twins through more scenic views, with hills and streams surrounding them. Snow-capped mountains were seen the way in the distance, seeming to be in three different directions.

"Such a beautiful place," Jason said.

"I know, right?" Kristine took the views in awe. She then pulled out the handbook and flipped to the local area, reading silently.

A few moments later, Kristine spoke up. "So Cheron Forest cuts right through these mountains. It's an extension of the Nappalchan Mountains way further north and northeast."

"The Nappalchan Mountains…" Jason repeated.

"We'll have to traverse through there eventually," Kristine added. "We pretty much have to go through the mountain range itself at some point."

"I remember Dad telling us about them," Jason replied. "That's where he caught Geodude and where Kadabra evolved when he was Abra."

"And how Jolteon zapped a swarm of zubat," Kristine recalled. "I'm sure we'll have those memories too."

"Yeah," Jason agreed.

By noon, the two headed down the trail once more and stopped by a nearby stream in a lightly forested area. There, they set up a picnic. Kristine prepared food for herself and Jason, while Jason prepared food for all four pokemon, which were released.

"Eat up, guys and girls," Jason said.

Both eevee, along with Taillow and Fletchling, chowed down on their pokemon food.

"You know, I was reading some of the handbook last night," Kristine mentioned. "Team Mystic holds small tournaments every week in Fort Lexing. We should attend one of those while we're in town."

"That sounds like a good idea," Jason spoke with his mouth full.

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Kristine advised.

Jason swallowed his food. "Sorry. But we should definitely do that."

"We just need a third pokemon," Kristine added.

"It'll come in time," Jason said. "We passed by a lot of pokemon before we caught Taillow and Fletchling. The moment will come when we will find a pokemon that works best for us and the pokemon. Before you know it, we'll have a full team of six."

"Gotcha," Kristine felt reassured. "Well, Cheron Forest is home to many, many pokemon. We're making good headway so far in reaching there."

"Do you know anything else about between here and there?" Jason asked.

"Well, Team Mystic comes out here often," Kristine recalled from the handbook. "They're involved in documenting wildlife around here and Cheron Forest. The Inventum government hires them to watch over the Forest, so technically, they have pokemon rangers in their ranks."

"That's cool," Jason said.

After the two finished up, they waited for their Pokemon to finish eating. Shortly after they were done, the twins recalled them before packing up. They then headed back up the hill, with Jason helping Kristine once more.

They ventured down the road as the hills became steeper and turned into cliffs.

"Just pay attention to what's in front of you," Kristine suggested. "Life lessons, you know?"

Jason chuckled. "Yep."

Later on, as the twins trekked through the road overlooking steep terrain, they came across a well-built wooden bridge that connected them to the other side of the pass. They were being led off a cliff but were being met by friendlier terrain on the other side. More rounded hills were present, along with vast, grassy fields. The road even tilted downwards.

"Guess we're heading to the friendlier part of Rugged Pass," Jason said.

"Mmhmm," Kristine nodded. "We'll get through some more bumpy roads, but I think this is the worst of it, to be honest."

The two walked across the wooden bridge without incident as they crossed over to the other side.

"Easy enough," Jason added.

"Is it late afternoon already?" Kristine looked up in the sky.

"We got some good traveling in today," Jason mentioned.

"Yeah…" Kristine agreed before facing Jason. "But it seemed like it didn't last very long."

Jason smirked. "That means you're having fun."

Kristine snickered and smiled. "I guess you're right."

Moments later, Jason and Kristine heard some commotion down the road. They picked up the pace, curious to see what was going on. There, they saw a tall boy engaged in a Pokemon battle against a woman wearing an open blue vest, a blue shirt, and black shorts. She had wavy brown hair and wore a blue hat with an emblem of an articuno – Mystic's sigil – engraved into it.

The woman was standing in front of two other men, appearing to be from Team Mystic as well. One of the men had short, blond hair spiked at the front. The other had dark skin and sported dreadlocks. Both men were wearing white coats, open so that their blue shirts and black jeans were revealed.

The woman up front was battling with a marill, a rounded, water-type pokemon that had an appearance of a mouse. The boy she faced had a bulbasaur.

"A battle!" Kristine examined as she ran closer. She pulled out her pokedex to examine Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon," the pokedex explained. "A young Bulbasaur uses the nutrients from the seed on its back for the energy it needs to grow."

Jason ran by Kristine's side and used his pokedex to examine Marill.

"Marill, the Aqua mouse pokemon," the pokedex stated. "When the Pokemon Research Society declared the fairy type as an official classification of pokemon types, Marill was added to the list as a water-fairy hybrid. Marill's oil-filled tail acts much like a life preserver. If you see just its tail bobbing on the water's surface, it's a sure indication that this pokemon is diving beneath the water to feed on aquatic plants."

"Marill, Water Gun!" the woman commanded.

"Out of the way, Bulbasaur!" the boy responded.

Bulbasaur jumped out of the way of Water Gun.

"Vine Whip!" the boy followed up.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur used vines right out of its seed to strike at Marill.

"Use Bubble on the vines!" the woman seemed confident.

Marill spat out bubbles that were projected at the incoming vines. The bubbles moved slower than Water Gun but were used as a defensive tactic to stop the vines. As the vines met the bubbles, Bulbasaur's aim was halted. The vines simply fell to the ground.

"Marill, Tackle!" the woman ordered.

"Marill!" Marill yelled before charging at Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, dodge again!" the boy yelled.

"Marill, let's finish this up!" the woman grew a smirk. "Rollout!"

Marill shifted its attack. It then rolled itself right at Bulbasaur at a swift rate. Bulbasaur was unable to dodge as Marill's Rollout struck it head-on. Bulbasaur flew so far back that it tumbled right in between Jason and Kristine.

"Bulbasaur, are you okay?" Kristine kneeled to check on the Pokemon.

"Saur!" Bulbasaur spoke proudly but was unable to get up.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle!" the man with dreadlocks declared.

"Bulbasaur, return!" the boy recalled it.

"You have many miles to go if you want to challenge Aria," the woman spoke to him as she approached him.

"I reckon we'll just have to get better," the boy replied.

"With that attitude, I'm sure you will," the woman acknowledged.

The boy bowed his head before heading onward.

"I think he's one of the people Amanda mentioned that started with her," Kristine spoke to Jason.

The three Mystic members then approached Jason and Kristine.

"Two fresh trainers on the road together!" the man with blond hair spoke. He then examined the two. "Let's see…same brown hair…same age…ah-ha! You're twins, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir!" Jason responded.

"Called it!" the man continued as he clapped his hands once. "Name's Bradley. My man next to me is Don, and our lady over here is Summer."

"I'm Kristine," Kristine introduced herself. "And this is Jason."

"Pleasure to meet you both," Summer nodded. "We're part of Team Mystic's Ranger division. We're out here documenting pokemon wildlife and tracking movements and migrations. It's been an easy-peasy day, so we're just on the road here challenging trainers who are heading to Fort Lexing."

"How is that going?" Jason asked.

"Competing in the Inventum League is no small task," Don replied. "Kids will talk big all they want. The reality sinks in once you are actually fighting a Gym Leader. We figure, hey, why not show trainers what it really takes to fight a Gym Leader."

"Awesome!" Kristine seemed impressed. "Hey, do you guys think you can battle with me?"

"I sure can!" Bradley stepped forward. "And how many pokemon do you have, miss?"

"Just two," Kristine replied.

"Okay," Bradley nodded. "I'll use two pokemon myself. First thing's first: you guys are new, correct?"

"For less than a week, yeah," Kristine replied.

"No badges," Summer added.

"Okay," Bradley understood. "I won't hold back on you, just like how Summer didn't go easy on Bran before. Are you ready?"

"I am," Kristine gave a nod.

"Okay then," Bradley acknowledged. "Go, Growlithe!"

Bradley threw a pokeball, releasing a red canine pokemon with black stripes.

"Fletchling, showtime!" Kristine threw her pokeball, summoning Fletchling.

Jason knew Growlithe very well, but he used his pokedex anyways.

"Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon," the pokedex explained. "It has a brave and trustworthy nature. It will stand up to bigger and stronger foes."

Growlithe glared right at Fletchling, causing it to be intimidated. Fletchling simply viewed Growlithe as a ferocious beast and lost some confidence.

"Fletchling, you got this!" Kristine tried to encourage it. "Just play to your strengths."

Kristine then faced Jason. "What's going on?"

"I'll answer that for you," Bradley explained. "Growlithe's special ability is Intimidate. Anyone who faces him will feel discouraged. Growithe may be small, but he's got more pride than a snorlax who ate his fill for the day."

Fletchling backed up as Growlithe stepped forward.

"Alright then," Kristine took a deep breath. "Fletchling, up in the air!"

Fletchling complied and shot right up in the air.

"Quick Attack!" she commanded.

Fletchling swooped down towards Growlithe at lightning speed.

"Ember!" Bradley commanded.

Growlithe shot a ball of flame right at Fletchling. Fletchling took a direct hit and was shot out of the air, hitting the ground.

"Fletchling!" Kristine yelled in concern.

Fletchling quickly got up, however, and was ready to fight.

"Growlithe, close in with Bite!" Bradley commanded.

Growlithe charged ahead at Fletchling.

"Fletchling, Peck!" Kristine ordered.

Flechling's special ability picked in as it spread its wings and took off from the ground, swooping at Growlithe. Before Growlithe could attack, he was struck by Fletchling's glowing beak.

Growlithe was caught off guard as Fletchling passed right by him.

"Quick Attack!" Kristine followed up.

Fletchling turned around and dove at Growlithe, striking him once more. Growlithe fell to the ground but quickly got up.

"Now, Peck, one more time!" Kristine commanded.

"Use Leer!" Bradley responded.

Fletchling struck Growlithe with Peck once more, but Growlithe's Leer caused Fletchling to be even more determined and reckless in taking this intimidating pokemon down.

"This guy's quick," Bradley said to Growlithe, referring to Fletchling. "But we have Kristine right where we want her."

"Quick Attack!" Kristine commanded once more.

"Growlithe, hold!" Bradley had an idea.

Fletchling swooped down one more time at Growlithe. Just as he closed in, Bradley gave the command.

"Jump up and Bite!" Bradley ordered.

Growlithe jumped right up and caught Fletchling by its mouth before clamping down hard.

"Fletch!" Fletchling yelled, desperate to escape.

"Oh no!" Kristine yelled.

Finally, Growlithe tossed Fletchling aside. Fletchling was unable to get up.

"Fletchling cannot battle," Don declared. "Growlithe wins."

"Darn…" Kristine muttered to herself, disappointed. "Come back, Fletchling," she recalled him via pokeball. "You did great out there. I promise to get better."

"You did well, Kristine," Bradley spoke to her. "Your Fletchling's speed is nearly unmatched. Just remember to be wary of non-attacking moves and abilities like Intimidate and Leer. Those moves helped me work down Fletchling; otherwise, I would have been in big trouble."

"Right," Kristine acknowledged.

"Now I'll go ahead and use a new pokemon," Bradley continued. "We still got one more battle to go."

He then recalled Growlithe. "Good job, buddy. Get some good rest. I'll grab you some ice cream when we return to the Pokemon Lodge, okay?"

He then pulled out another pokeball. "Heads up, Kristine. This guy is a dragon Pokemon. Go Bagon!"

A light blue creature emerged from the pokeball. It had glaring eyes, teeth emerging from the sides, and had a helmet-shaped layer over its head as thick as a rock.

Jason used his pokedex once more.

"Bagon, the rock head pokemon." The pokedex explained. "Since bagon's second evolution, salamence can fly, it tends to dream of flying one day and practices by jumping off of cliffs."

"And researchers believe that's how bagon developed the rock head," Jason added.

Bradley laughed. "In theory. Still figuring that one out. So Kristine, who is your starter pokemon?"

"Eevee, showtime!" Kristine released Eevee.

"Eevee!" Eevee seemed ready to battle.

"An eevee, huh?" Don seemed intrigued.

"Wow," Summer chimed in.

"An eevee…" Bradley was taken back.

"I also have an eevee," Jason added.

"Aria would want to know about this," Don suggested.

"I can send a message to her tonight," Summer said. "Bradley, we should help these kids."

"What do you mean?" Kristine seemed confused.

"We'll talk it over," Bradley said to his companions. "We can't do anything right now. We were just out here on patrol, not scouting kids with mystical pokemon."

He then faced Kristine. "Anyways, battle time. You make the first move!"

The sun began to set at that moment.

"Eevee, Quick Attack!" Kristine commanded.

Eevee sped right at Bagon.

"Bagon, Ember!" Bradley responded.

Bagon spat out a ball of flame.

"Eevee, quick, Sand Attack!" Kristine had to react in a split second.

Eevee stopped herself in her tracks, turned around, and used her back legs to kick up dirt against the incoming ember. The ember dissipated as it crashed against the dirt.

"Smart move, Kristine!" Bradley complimented. "Bagon, close in and Bite!"

Bagon ran right at Eevee.

"Eevee, dodge!" Kristine yelled.

Eevee dodged out of the way successfully.

"Leer!" Bradley followed up.

Bagon turned around and glared at Eevee, lowering her defenses.

"Quick Attack!" Kristine commanded.

Eevee sped right at Bagon once more.

"Rage!" Bradley seemed confident.

Eevee struck Bagon at his belly, but Bagon, who only slid back a few inches, yelled his name furiously before tilting his head and knocking Eevee away.

Eevee was quick to get back on her feet.

"Tackle!" Kristine insisted on getting close.

Bradley just stood there, crossing his arms. Bagon kept yelling. "Bagon! Bagon!" he charged at Eevee, using his rock-hard head as a weapon.

When the two collided, Bagon knocked Eevee back once more. Eevee had a hard time getting up, but when she did, Bagon was running at her. She was unable to dodge the third assault as she was once again thrown a considerable distance. This time, she couldn't get up.

"Eevee!" Kristine yelled.

"Bagon Bagon!" Bagon yelled.

"Enough Bagon!" Bradley commanded sternly. "You won."

Bagon calmed down and nodded at Bradley. "Bagon!"

"Now return," Bradley used his pokeball to return Bagon. "Good job. You are getting ice cream too."

Kristine recalled Eevee. "I'm sorry, girl. We'll get better, I promise."

"Kristine, I have to say I'm impressed overall," Bradley approached her. "You have a ways to go, but I liked some of your tactics."

"Thank you," Kristine took a bow.

Bradley turned to Jason. "And for you, Jason, make sure you took notes from this battle. Fighting gym leaders is tough."

"I learned quite a bit from this," Jason replied. "This battle seemed much tougher than the one I had earlier today."

"That's good," Bradley nodded. He then faced Kristine. "What got you at the end was a single move called Rage. When a pokemon uses Rage, it solely intends to take out the opponent in front of it. Now here's the weakness to it. See how I issued no commands to Bagon after I told him to use rage? That's because Bagon is on his own after that. I entrusted him with defeating Eevee."

"So I shouldn't have met him head-on," Kristine realized her mistake.

"Utilize your dodges and Sand Attack," Bradley suggested. "Does your Eevee know Growl?"

"Yes," Kristine nodded.

"Growl would have really helped you. You can play the battle to your advantage without using offensive moves, just like how you used Sand attack on Ember."

"Anyways," Bradley continued as he began to depart. "There's a nice camping field just up ahead. Your Pokemon should do fine on a good night's rest, and they should be ready to go by morning. You're a couple of days away from the pokemon lodge just outside Cheron Forest. We're heading back in that direction, so maybe we'll see you there."

"Sounds good!" Kristine smiled. "Oh, and thanks for the battle! I learned a lot!"

"Yeah, no problem!" Bradley smiled back.

"See you soon!" Jason waved goodbye.

The three members of Mystic departed, venturing down the road.

"Did you notice their reaction when you sent out Eevee?" Jason mentioned.

"I did," Kristine acknowledged. "Why would they be interested in our eevee?"

"It might be something to do with eevee evolving eight different ways," Jason replied. "Whatever may be the case, I have a feeling we'll be seeing them again."


Later that night, Bradley, Summer, and Don each established tents off the trail near a pond. Summer had a handheld device as she contacted Aria, the leader of the Mystic branch of Fort Lexing. A digital image of the blonde woman appeared on screen before Summer.

"So these two kids each had an eevee?" Aria asked.

"Yes," Summer confirmed. "They both seemed smart but still have more training to do to challenge you."

"They won't be able to challenge me until they evolve their eevee," Aria continued. "They simply cannot win. Eevee draws its power from its evolutionary paths. Its unstable DNA makes it a big mystery, even to scientists who have studied Eevee. It only leads to more evolutionary paths, which raises more questions. Help these trainers if you can. Understand the bonds they have with their Eevee, and help them evolve with their Pokemon. Part of unlocking the unknown is to understand the bonds you have with your Pokemon. That is Team Mystic's foundation."

"We'll cross paths with them again near Cheron Forest," Summer said.

"Good," Aria gave a nod. "It's our duty to help trainers out, and it's my duty as a gym leader to do just that. And maybe we can learn a thing or two about eevee evolutions concerning the bonds it has with its trainers."

"Agreed," Summer gave a smile. "I'll be contacting you for further updates."

"Keep up the good work out there," Aria acknowledged before signing off.