{[( Here we go, chapter 4. Hope this one's a good one, because I haven't even written it as of writing this sentence.)]}

"Well, there it is. Pewter City." Luna said, smiling. "Hey, why is it called Pewter City anyway? Is it named after a computer or something?"

Nat shook her head. "No, there's a type of alloy that's called pewter, and they named the town after it. Kind of like how Pallet Town is named after a painting pallet."

"Actually, Pallet Town is named after Pallet Oak. I don't know all the details, but I guess he was a really great trainer and the town renamed itself from Purity Town to Pallet Town to honor him." Luna said, casually.

"Wait, is that seriously why it's called that?" Nat asked.

Luna nodded. "Yeah. Professor Oak told me that, so it must be true."

"Well, I learned something today." Nat said, smiling as she proceeded forward into the city. "Let's go check in at the Pokémon Center. We can ask directions to the Gym from there."

"Oh, I already know where it is. I've been there a couple times." Luna said, following her.

Nat looked somewhat surprised. "Wait, you've been to the Gym?"

Luna nodded. "Uh-huh. My mom and dad battled Uncle Brock for a battle demonstration one time. But we should go drop off our Pokémon at the Center anyway so they can rest up."

"Uncle Brock? Your parents just know everyone, don't they?" Nat said, surprised. "Next thing I know, you'll tell me they know Serena Yvonne or something."

"They do." She said, simply.

Nat stopped for a moment. "Okay seriously, is there anyone your parents don't know? I'm starting to get a little jealous." She said, catching up to Luna.

"Um… well I don't know if they know Mariner." Luna said, trying to think.

"You mean Marina?" Nat asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, her. I don't know if they know her, but someone they know probably knows her. You said May and her were in a contest together, so they probably know each other."

Nat nodded too. "Well, that's not important right now. What is important is your Gym Battle. Are you sure you'll be okay to take on this one? I mean both of your Pokémon are weak to rock types. Do you want to maybe borrow my Seel?"

She shook her head. "I want to win this battle with my Pokémon. Besides, Pokémon types aren't everything. If a trainer and their Pokémon are passionate enough, they can accomplish anything."

Nat nodded and they continued to the Pokémon Center to drop off their Pokémon.

Luna had run off to the video phones to call her parents while Nat was left to wait around in the main area until her call was done.

"I'm back." Luna said, coming over to her.

Nat smiled. "So, how was your call?"

She smiled. "It was nice. I miss having them with me. But now that you're here, it's not as lonely."

Nat's expression faded. "Lonely?"

Luna nodded. "Mhm. Even though I have my Pokémon with me, I still want a person to talk to sometimes. I thought I found someone back in Viridian City, but he made excuses to not come with me."

Nat wasn't really sure what to say. She was always just fine on her own, but she could tell that Luna wasn't great at being alone and even then, with the status her parents have, a lot of people probably pretend to be her friend just to meet them or other people they might know.

"Nat?" Luna said, worried. "Are you okay?"

She stared for a moment, seeing the genuine concern in Luna's eyes. "Hey, Luna. You know I'm not tagging along just because you know May, right?" She asked.

Luna looked confused. "Huh? Of course I do."

Nat smiled. "Good. Come on, let's go take a look around the city while our Pokémon rest up. I saw a shop nearby I want to check out."

The two of them wandered off into a shopping district, where Nat lead Luna into a clothing store. "I was thinking of updating my look, just a bit." She smiled and looked Luna up and down. "Maybe we could work on your look too."

Luna shook her head. "Nope. This is how I want to look." She said smiling. "To become a Champion, you have to dress like a Champion."

Nat smiled. "Fair enough. Alright then, help me find something." She said, walking off.

After trying on several clothes, Nat found herself unable to find something that she thought looked good enough to get. She came out of the changing room, back in her normal clothes and sighed. "Alright, Luna let's go. There's nothing… Luna?" She said looking around.

Luna came running around the corner. "Nat, I found something!" She said, holding up a light blue tie. "Look what I bought!"

Nat smiled. "That's actually a really nice tie. But… why did you get it. It doesn't really go with what you're wearing."

Luna giggled. "I didn't buy it for me, silly. I bought it for you."

"Huh?" She asked. "You got this for me?"

Luna smiled and nodded. "You said to help you find something." She said, placing the tie around Nat's neck and tying it somewhat loosely. "There." She said, standing back and smiling. "Wow, it looks really great on you."

"Luna, you didn't have to buy this for me." Nat said.

She smiled. "I know. I didn't do it because I had to. I did it because you're my friend."

Nat looked down at the tie, smoothing it out a bit before a smile came across her face. "Thanks, Luna. This means a lot to me."

Luna nodded. "No problem. Now you're all ready for your big premiere as a Pokémon Coordinator."

Nat nodded. "That I am. Alright, now what do you want to do?"

"I kind of want to go and get my battle out of the way." Luna said smiling.

Nat raised an eyebrow. "I understand the hurry, but why do you make it sound like it has to be dome so quickly?"

"Because if I don't then I won't be able to cheer for you in the Contest tomorrow." She said smiling.

Nat smiled. "You don't have to do that. I don't want you to rush through your battle."

She shook her head. "No one said I was rushing anything. Uncle Brock said he'd be waiting for me and I don't want to keep him waiting."

Nat sighed. "You're one strange girl. Alright, let's go get our Pokémon and then we'll head straight to the Gym."

The two of them made their way toward the Pokémon Center and after clarifying where the Gym was in relation to other places, just in case they got lost on the way.

The two girls now stood in front of the Gym, anxious about Luna's first official Pokémon League battle. "You've got this, Luna."

Luna nodded. "Right." She said, putting her hands to the door but just before she pushed to open them, they opened from the inside and someone stepped out. "Huh? Oh, hey!"

"Hm? Luna?!" Sasha said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Luna looked at her confused. "Huh? I'm challenging the Gym. Weren't you doing the same thing?"

"Well of course I am. Actually, I just won this." Sasha said, pulling out a badge case and showing her the Boulder Badge. "It was easy. Squirtle beat his first Pokémon no problem and the Whooper I caught in the forest made things even easier for the second Pokémon."

"You caught a Whooper? That's great! Did you catch anything else?" She asked, excitedly.

Sasha nodded. "Yep. I caught a Spearow, Rattata, and I even got a Weedle and evolved it into a Kakuna already." She said smiling. "What about you?"

"I got a Combee." Luna said happily.

Sasha looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, you came to a rock-type Gym with nothing but a fire-type and a bug/flying-type?" She said, placing a hand on her hip. "Do you want to lose or something?"

"What was that?" Nat said, annoyed.

"And who are you?" Sasha asked.

Luna tugged on her sleeve. "Nat, you don't have to do this."

"Luna, I've got this. How can you talk to Luna like that?" Nat asked.

Sasha looked over at her. "What's your problem? Everyone knows those types are weak to rock-type Pokémon. There's no way she can win."

"Pokémon types aren't everything." Nat said. "Her Pokémon might be at a disadvantage, but that doesn't matter so long as she and her Pokémon have the passion and drive to keep going."

Sasha laughed. "You're just as hopeless as she is. I hope you're not challenging the Gym too."

"As a matter of fact, I'm a Pokémon Coordinator. I don't do Gym Challenges." Nat said, confidently.

Sasha nodded. "That makes sense. There's not as much skill needed for those."

"What did you just say?" Nat said, glaring at Sasha. "You over-confident little… alright then, you're so good at battling, why don't we have a match right now?"

Sasha shook her head. "I don't think so."

"What? Are you scared or something?" Nat taunted.

Sasha looked at her, now annoyed herself. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Nat said, lifting a PokéBall up in her hand.

Sasha huffed. "I don't have time for this. I've gotta get going to Cerulean City to get my next Gym Badge." She said, walking away.

"Good luck." Luna said, smiling.

Nat sighed. "You wanna fill me in on what just happened?" She said, still a bit annoyed at the girl.

"Oh, that's Sasha. She's my friend and rival." Luna said, with a big smile.

Nat put her PokéBall away. "Luna, friends don't talk to or about each other that way." She said, quietly. "Anyway, let's get inside so you can have your battle."

Luna nodded. "Right." She opened the doors, as they had closed while they were talking with Sasha. "My name is Luna Ketchum from Pallet Town and I am going to be the next great Pokémon Master! I've come to challenge the Pewter City Gym for a Boulder Badge!" She said confidently.

A man laughed, sitting in a chair on the other side of the battlefield. "Ah, another trainer from Pallet Town, I see. I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid that the young lady who just left has left me without Pokémon to battle with." He said, apologetically. "I'm afraid I'll have to-"

"I'll take this one." Brock said, entering the Gym. "After all, I still have all the qualifications I need to be able to award the Gym Badge."

The man laughed. "Of course. Well, I suppose I'll leave this to you." He said, letting Brock take over.

"So, Luna. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Brock asked.

Luna nodded. "Of course I'm ready. I'm gonna battle you, Uncle Brock, and I'm gonna win that badge."

Brock smiled. "Alright then. Let's go, Roggenrola!"

"Roggenrola?" Luna said, pulling out her PokéDex.

"Roggenrola, the Mantle Pokémon. The hexagonal cavity is its ear. It walks in the direction of sounds it hears, but if the sounds cease, it panics and topples over."

Luna smiled. "I've never seen that one before. Alright then." She turned the hat on her head backwards on her head and pulled out a ball. "I choose you, Charmander!"

Charmander appeared on the battlefield. "Char!"

Nat smiled. "You've got this!"

"Thanks, Nat!" Luna said, smiling before turning toward Brock. "Alright, let's do this! Charmander, hit it with a Scratch attack!"

Charmander ran up to Roggenrola, scratching at it, but it didn't appear to be doing much, if anything at all. "Alright, Roggenrola, Tackle!"

Roggenrola tackled Luna's Charmander, knocking it backward. "Charmander, are you alright?" Charmander nodded. "Alright, Flamethrower!" Charmander opened it's mouth and a stream of fire shot out at Roggenrola. It seemed to do more damage, but it still didn't look like it was doing much.

"Rock Blast!" Brock shouted.

Roggenrola began firing rocks at Charmander, narrowly missing each time.

"Nothing we do seems to do anything…" Luna said, worried. "Wait a minute…"

She remembered what the PokéDex said. "-It walks in the direction of sounds it hears, but if the sounds cease, it panics and topples over."

Luna smiled and looked around, seeing the rocks that had been fired as she searched for one that broke just right. "Charmander, grab this rock over here!"

"What's she doing?" Nat asked, watching carefully.

Charmander made it's way over to the rock that Luna had pointed out and picket it up, looking at her confused. "Now, get in close to Roggenrola!"

Charmander nodded and maneuvered it's way over to the small rock-type, but Charmander was hit by one of the rocks it was firing.

"Charmander!" He stood back up and made it's way toward Roggenrola. "That's the spirit, Charmander!"

"That's one resilient Charmander to take a hit like that." Nat said, surprised.

Luna smiled. "Alright, Charmander, go in to tackle it!"

Charmander ran forward. "Roggenrola, Rock Blast it!" Brock said.

"Now, jump over it, Charmander!" Luna shouted. Charmander leaped over the Rock Blast and Roggenrola. "Alright, jam that rock right in it's ear!"

Charmander shoved the rock into the hole on the front of it, managing to get it stuck. Roggenrola turned from side to side attempting to get the rock out, since it couldn't hear anything.

"Roggenrola!" Brock shouted.

Luna smiled. "Alright, Charmander, get up right behind Roggenrola and use Flamethrower!"

As told, Charmander landed directly behind Roggenrola and let out a stream of fire at close range. "No, Roggenrola!"

"Roggenrola is unable to battle!" An officiator said.

"We did it, Charmander!" Luna shouted, excitedly.

Brock smiled, returning Roggenrola to the ball, the rock that was stuck in it's ear falling to the ground. "Great job, Roggenrola. Not bad, Luna. I'd expect nothing less from you. But this next one won't be so easy to take on. I choose you, Rockruff!"

Rockruff came out of the ball, giving off a howl. "Ah, it's a puppy!" Luna said, pulling out her PokéDex.

"Rockruff, the Puppy Pokémon." The Dex said.

"Aw, it's even called the Puppy Pokémon." She said, smiling.

"Rockruff have lived with humans since ancient times. It's considered to be a good Pokémon for beginners because of its friendliness, but its disposition grows rougher as it grows can sense when its Trainer is in the dumps and will stick close by its Trainer's side."

Luna nodded, putting the Dex away. "Alright, Charmander, after this one we win! We can do this!"

Brock smiled. "Rockruff, Take Down attack!"

Rockruff ran forward at Charmander. "Charmander, dodge it!"

Luna was too late, Rockruff was too fast and crashed into Charmander. "Charmander, get up and use Scratch!"

Charmander quickly got up and ran toward Rockruff, attempting to scratch it. Rockruff turned it's head, allowing Charmander to hit the stones on Rockruff's neck.

"Char?"

Rockruff took advantage of Charmander's surprise and bit his hand.

"Charmander, are you okay?" Luna asked.

Charmander shook it's hand, but nodded. "Go in for another Scratch attack and don't let up!" Luna said, sending Charmander into battle again.

Charmander's claws kept hitting the stones on Rockruff's neck, still dealing minimal damage, if any. "Rockruff, Tackle attack!"

Rockruff tackled, Charmander, knocking it back again. However, Charmander continued to come at Rockruff, continuing to scratch at it.

"What are you doing?" Nat asked.

Luna smiled. "Just wait. I know Charmander will come through."

Charmander's scratches continued, though Rockruff's evasion began to lessen.

"That's it, Charmander! Now, hit even harder!" She said, excitedly.

Charmander started striking harder, his claws beginning to glow a bit. As the hits got harder, Rockruff's defense against them lowered more and more.

"What the… that's…"

"Alright, Charmander, Metal Claw!" Luna shouted.

Charmander's claws glowed even more and the strikes to Rockruff became more intense, knocking Rockruff away.

"So that's what she's been practicing over night…" Nat said, smiling. "She did have a plan after all."

"Rockruff, can you stand?" Brock asked, as the puppy Pokémon pulled itself to it's feet. "Atta boy. Alright, Rockruff, go, use Rock Tomb!"

Rocks began falling all around Charmander. "Dodge it, Charmander!"

Charmander managed to dodge a couple of Rock Tombs, but eventually one of the attacks hit it's mark. "Oh no. Charmander!" Luna shouted.

"Charmander is unable to battle!" The officiator said.

Brock smiled. "Great job, Rockruff!" Rockruff gave a happy bark.

Luna returned Charmander to his ball. "That was awesome, Charmander. Thank you. Now then, it's time to win this thing. Combee, I choose you!" She said, tossing the ball and sending Combee into the battle.

"A Combee, huh. A female one too." Brock said, smiling.

Nat sighed. "She's at a complete disadvantage against that Rockruff." She said, worried.

"Alright, Combee, let's do this. Use your Gust attack!" Luna ordered.

Combee flapped it's wings and created a surprisingly large gust of wind at Rockruff.

"Rockruff, stand your ground!" Brock said, the attack hitting it head-on. "Now, use Rock Throw!"

Rocks began to fall all around Combee. "Combee, dodge it and try to get in close to Rockruff!"

Combee smiled and flew around the several Rock Throw attacks coming from Rockruff, but due to being tired out by Charmander, Rockruff couldn't keep up.

Combee crashed into Rockruff before flying backward, staying low to the ground. "That was great, Combee! Let's try that again!"

"Rockruff, dodge it!" Rockruff jumped up, leaping over Combee's attack. "Now, Rock Blast!" Rockruff fired a series of rocks ar Combee, though it was also slowed by Rockruff having been tired out.

Combee tried to tackle Rockruff a few more times without success. "Come on, Luna, think…" She said, watching the continued failed tackle attacks. "Every time we try to get in close, it just jumps over… that's it!"

Combee missed another tackle. "Combee, tackle attack one more time!"

"What are you planning, Luna?" Brock said, smiling. "Rockruff, dodge it again!"

Rockruff jumped up and over Combee again. "Alright, Combee, fly up!"

Combee suddenly went upward, catching Rockruff and lifting it up into the air. "Rockruff, Bite!"

Rockruff nodded and bit down on Combee, which caused it to wince a bit, but continued climbing.

"That's it, Combee. Take it up nice and high!" Luna said, smiling. Combee reached the top of the Gym, Rockruff still having it's teeth in Combee. "Now, use Sweet Scent!" Combee let out a honey-like aroma, causing Rockruff to relax and let go. "Alright, Combee, it's time! Dive!"

Combee swiftly turned itself upside down and slammed down into the ground, Rockruff taking the hit.

"Ah! Rockruff!"

"Rockruff is unable to battle. The winner is Luna from Pallet Town!"

Luna smiled. "We did it! We won! I knew you could do it Combee!"

Nat smiled and ran over to Luna. "That was amazing, Luna!"

Luna smiled. "It really was."

Brock came over to the two girls and smiled. "Reminded me of the old days."

"The old days?" Nat said, confused.

Brock nodded. "Ash battles the same way that Luna does. She's probably picked it up watching him battle. But I still remember seeing him while he was developing that battle style." He looked over to Luna. "You did great, Luna. After you're done with the League Competition, I wouldn't mind taking you on with Steelix and Golem."

"You really mean it, Uncle Brock?" Luna said smiling.

"Oh, I thought it was odd that you didn't use those. So were you going easy on her?" Nat asked.

Brock shook his head. "I wasn't going easy, I was playing fair. The role of a Gym Leader isn't to defeat their challengers. It's to test their skills and see if they have what it takes to win. And Luna showed she has that skill. Here, Luna, this is yours." He said, holding his hand out.

Luna smiled. "I did it." She said, smiling. "I won the Boulder Badge! Oh, I should see if Charmander's doing any better." She said, sending Charmander out, who seemed tired, but otherwise seemed alright now. "Charmander, we won! Look, this is our badge!"

Nat smiled, watching her new friend go on and on to Combee and Charmander about how amazing they are. "So, you're traveling together, right?" Brock said, with a smile.

"Huh? Well, we only just met a couple days ago… but honestly, I'd love to tag along with her." She said, smiling. "She's a really good person and I can tell she's going to be a great Pokémon Trainer." She nodded. "I want to be there to see that happen."

Brock laughed a bit. "Well, watch after her alright? You might not know it yet, but she does have a pretty fiery temper and can sometimes act without thinking. She gets those traits from her parents." He smiled, remembering their adventures through Kanto and Johto together.

Nat smirked. "Oh please. Honestly, she'll probably be the one that has to watch me."

He smiled. "Well then, keep an eye on each other."

Nat nodded. "You can count on me."

Back at the Pokémon Center, Luna had gone off to call her parents again.

"And then I had Combee lift Rockruff up in the air and then boom! She slammed it right into the ground!" Luna said, excitedly.

"That's awesome! Congratulations, Luna!" Ash said, happily.

Misty giggled. "And on your first try too."

Luna nodded. "Yeah. I just knew my Pokémon could do it. I just did what you always told me. I believed in my Pokémon and they pulled through for me." Her parents smiled proudly.

Nat smiled, standing against the wall as she watched Luna talk.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a friend who wanted to ask you a question." Luna said. "Hey, Nat, come here."

Nat looked somewhat embarrassed. "Uh… what? Wait, you want me to ask now?"

Luna nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Nat slowly came over to the video phone. "Uh, h-hello there."

Misty smiled. "So, you're friends with our daughter?"

Nat nodded. "Uh, yeah. We met in the Viridian Forest and she overheard me training my Seel for my Pokémon Contests." She said, a bit awkwardly.

Misty smiled. "Oh, you have a Seel? Can I see it?"

"Well, it's playing around in the Pokémon Center's PokéPool right now, but maybe another time." Nat said, feeling somewhat bad about it.

Misty nodded. "Sure thing."

"So, you're a Pokémon Coordinator, huh?" Ash asked.

Nat nodded. "Uh-huh. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always watched Pokémon Contests with my family. I thought it was amazing to see the presentation each Coordinator and their Pokémon were and to see such powerful Pokémon show just how beautiful and elegant a battle can truly be, it was just so incredible to me."

Ash smiled. "Well, I wish you luck on your Pokémon Contests."

Nat nodded. "Oh, right, my question! Uh, my friend Luna… I guess she's your daughter… whatever. Luna says you know May Maple?"

Ash nodded. "We sure do."

"Why? Do you want to talk to her?" Misty asked.

Nat blushed. "Huh? Uh, w-well I… that would be amazing, but would that be okay?"

Misty nodded. "Of course it's okay."

"Oh, actually… hang on a sec!" Ash said, leaving the screen.

Nat and Luna looked at each other, confused. After a minute, they heard another voice.

"It's not May, but I do have someone else here who could probably help you out." Ash said. "You don't mind, right?" He asked, looking at the person off screen.

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm happy to help."

Misty smiled. "Hey, I'll let you talk, alright. Luna, your dad and I love you so much and we're so proud of your first Gym win."

Luna nodded. "I love you guys too."

"Luna won her first Gym battle!" The voice shouted. A girl with dark blue hair sat in front of the camera. "Luna is that true? That's amazing!"

Luna smiled. "Isn't it?"

"Wait a minute, I know you." Nat said, surprised.

The girl smiled. "Ah, a fan, huh?"

"Well, actually, I…" Nat said, awkwardly.

The girl giggled. "I'm kidding. My name's Dawn. I hear that you're a Pokémon Coordinator."

Nat nodded. "Yeah, I am. I mean, I haven't been in my first contest yet, but… it's what I want to do."

Dawn smiled. "That's great."

"Aunt Dawn, what are you doing there? I thought you were competing in the Unova Region." Luna asked.

"Oh, I got my fifth ribbon and decided to take some time to visit your parents for a bit." She explained. "It's a little bit until the Grand Festival, so I figured I'd take a short break. Though I'll probably be training with your parents for a bit. So I guess it's not really much of a break."

Luna giggled. "Well, good luck. Sorry I won't be able to make it this time."

"That's fine. You've got your own thing to do. Good luck in the Indigo League, Luna." Dawn said, smiling. "So, what's your name?" She asked, shifting her focus onto Nat.

"Huh? Uh, I'm Nat."

Dawm smiled. "Well, Nat, I wish you luck with your Contest in Pewter City tomorrow. Do you want some advice for your first contest? I'd be happy to help if I can." She said, happily.

Nat smiled. "Sure. That would actually be really nice. But is that really okay? I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Dawn smiled. "Oh, no need to worry about that."

"When people say that's when I usually worry the most…" Nat said, quietly.

"Why does everyone say that around me?" Dawn asked, a bit confused.

Luna smiled. "I'll just leave you to your talk." She said, standing up and walking away.

Dawn smiled. "Alright, so first do you have any questions?"

Nat nodded. "Yeah, actually. So first off…"

Dawn told Nat all about her Pokémon Contest experiences and gave her advice on what to do.

{[( So, as it turns out, writing battles is difficult. Anyway, I'm going to hopefully be able to write more, since this is actually a really fun project to work on. I'll probably write a prequel story too, telling how I would have had the ending of the anime go and have if flow right into Chapter 1.)]}