Chapter 9: Battles and Friends

The gang arrived in Luxuria Town five days later. They immediately headed to the Pokemon Center for a checkup for their Pokemon and their eggs. After handing everyone off to Nurse Joy, the stood around in the lobby to talk to each other.

"We should go to the battle club tomorrow," Dani said.

Gabri nodded. "Yeah."

"Ok," said Shelly. "After we get our Pokemon back, we should send one back to Professor Elm so we have room when our Eevee hatch."

"Good idea," Dani said. It would be terrible if they were not able to catch their babies because they already had six Pokemon.

"After you guys do that, I'm going to call me grandpa to tell him I'm still traveling with you," Gary said.

It was not long before Nurse Joy returned and handed back the Pokeballs plus Mo and Dragon. "Your eggs should hatch in a few weeks," she said.

Shelly smiled. "Great. Thanks, Nurse Joy."

Then it was on to the video phone, which contained a teleportation device for Pokeballs. Shelly sent back her Butterfree while Dani gave Professor Elm her Ghastly. Now they were all ready for their eggs to hatch. Gary took over and proceeded to call Professor Oak.

"Hello, Gary," the professor said once he appeared on the screen. "It's nice of you to call. I can see you're still with those lovely girls."

Gary smiled. "Yeah. I decided to travel with them through Unova."

"Oh, excellent. I'm sure you'll have a marvelous time. Say, is that a Cyndaquil?"

"Cynda!" Mo said from Dani's shoulder.

His trainer smiled. "This is Mo. I got him from Professor Elm back in Johto."

"That's nice. And you have an egg?"

"We found them in the forest. They're Eevee eggs."

"They had been abandoned," Gary explained.

"Well, I'm sure you girls will take good care of them," Oak said.

"Hi, Professor Oak!" a female voice said from behind them.

Dani almost jumped out of her skin from fright. She turned to see a grinning blue-haired girl holding a small Pokemon standing there next to a boy. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," the girl said.

Professor Oak chuckled. "Hello, Dawn. Hello, Piplup. It's nice to see you again."

"Piplup," the Pokemon said.

"Dawn, I didn't know you were in Unova," Gary said.

Gabri blinked. "You all know each other?"

"I traveled with Ash back in Sinnoh," Dawn explained. "I saw Gary there a couple of times. Of course, I knew Professor Oak way before then. He writes the bet poetry! Gary is pretty good too."

Dani looked at Gary and smirked. "How come you haven't recited any poetry to us?" she teased.

A sweatdrop appeared on Gary's forehead. "That's really not my thing..."

"Don't be modest," Dawn said.

The boy standing next to her laughed.

"Anyway," Gary said, turning back to the screen, "we should get going. Talk to you later, Gramps."

Professor Oak nodded. "See you later, Gary."

"Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself," Dawn said once the screen clicked off. "I'm Dawn, and this is Piplup."

"I'm Kenny," the boy said.

"Your boyfriend?" Shelly said with a smirk.

Kenny blushed and looked away.

Dawn frowned. "No. We've been friends since we were kids. We decided to travel together. We're both coordinators."

Shelly perked up at this. "Oh, so am I! I'm Shelly. These are my sisters, Dani and Gabri."

"And this is Dragon," Gabri said, nodding at the Tepig on the floor.

"And Mo," Dani added.

"Cynda," Mo said.

"We have Eevee eggs," Gabri said.

Kenny looked at the eggs in awe. "Cool."

"I had a Cyndaquil that hatched from an egg," Dawn said. "He's a Quilava now. Want to see?"

"Sure!" Dani said.

Dawn set Piplup on the floor before taking out a Pokeball. "Come on out, Quilava."

Mo climbed onto the ground to meet his evolved form. "Cynda!"

Quilava smiled at him. "Lava."

With a flash of light, Simon popped out of his Pokeball. "Oshawott," he said, pointing at Quilava.

Dani blinked. "You know he's a fire type, right?"

"Oshawott," Simon said, crossing his arms and nodding.

Dawn smiled. "Aw, that's a cute Oshawott."

"It looks like he wants to battle," Kenny said.

"I guess he wants to battle everyone now," Shelly said.

Dani glanced at Dawn. "We were going to go to the Battle Club tomorrow. How about a battle between these two then?"

"Sure!" Dawn said eagerly. "That sounds fun!"

Dani smiled down at the Oshawott. "Got that, Simon?"

"Osha." He frowned but did not protest.

"In the meantime, why don't we all get something eat?" Gary suggested.

"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed.


"Are you ready?" Dawn called to Dani as the two of them faced off against each other on the Club Battle battlefield. Quilava and Simon stood facing off. Shelly, Gabri, Gary, and Kenny were off to the side along with Don Goerges. It turned out there were a lot of Don Goerges running the Battle Clubs in Unova.

"I'm ready," Dani said. "You can go first."

"Alright. Quilava, use Flame Wheel!"

Dani's Cyndaquil may not have evolved, but she was still familiar with the line's move set. "Use Water Gun, and keep on him!"

Quilava curled into a ball and sprung forward. Simon shot out a stream of water that missed at first, but with some effort, he managed to hit the wheel of fire. This did not stop Quilava from slamming into the Oshawott. They both appeared injured as they toppled to the ground.

"Simon, use Razor Shell!"

"Swift, Quilava!"

Simon jumped to his feet and took hold of his scalchop. When he pulled it back, however, it did not start to glow like it was supposed to. He hit the oncoming stars uselessly with the shell. Then one of the stars hit the scalchop, sending it flying; it landed several yards away.

"Oh no!" Dani exclaimed. "Go get it!" It looked like they had more work to do on Razor Shell. At least the water type was listening to her commands this time.

"Smokescreen!" Dawn said.

Simon's eyes widened in horror as thick smoke filled the battlefield, making it impossible to search for his scalchop.

"Stay calm," Dani said. "Listen carefully and Focus Energy. Then use Water Gun."

"Flamethrower!"

Simon took a deep breath and stood still. Suddenly, he heard the sound of fire coming towards him. He jumped to the side, barely missing it. Then he sent a stream of water flying in that direction. Hearing a grunt, he knew he was successful.

"Good job," Dani said in relief. "Use Water Gun on the floor to find your scalchop." The smoke was starting to fade, but it was still difficult to see clearly.

"Quilava, use Swift!"

Just as Simon aimed his Water Gun at the floor, he was struck by flying stars. He let out a startled cry, but he kept up the Water Gun. He ran around the battlefield, away from the Swift, as he used his water as a tool to find what he was looking for. His eyes brightened when he saw something on the ground, covered in water.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Dawn said.

Dani watched as Simon picked up his scalchop. They needed to be close if they were going to use Razor Shell. "Tackle!"

Unfortunately for Quilava, the water on the floor seemed to weaken him and slow down his attack. Simon ran straight for him, slamming into him with his body. He was harmed by the fire, but he did not take as much damage as the Quilava.

"Use Swift!"

"Razor Shell!"

Simon grabbed his scalchop and used it to hit back the sharp stars that came his way. While doing so, he pulled it back and caused it to glow. Then he leapt up and came down, slashing Quilava with the extended scalchop. Quilava fell to the ground in a heap.

"Quilava is unable to battle," said Don Goerges, "Simon is the winner, and victory goes to Dani."

"We did it!" Dani exclaimed.

"Osha?" Simon shield as he ran over to his trainer. "Oshawott!"

Dani picked him up and hugged him. "You were great."

"Thanks for the battle, Quilava," Dawn said as she took out his Pokeball. "Take a rest."

"Do any of you want to battle?" Don Goerges asked the group standing next to him.

"How about we all have a tag team battle?" Kenny suggested. "Coordinators against others!"

Shelly smiled. "That sounds like fun."

"Sure," Gary said. He looked at Gabri. "We can take them." Mo had been sitting on his shoulder, and he jumped onto Dani when she came close.

"Good luck to all of you," Dani said as she took her egg back from Gary. Shelly and Gabri set their eggs down on their bags, and Simon and Piplup walked over to watch over them.

"I'll be going with my new friend, Angel," Shelly said once she was on the battlefield, tossing the Mincinno's Pokeball in the air.

"Then I'll go with Cashew," Gabri said across from her.

"I'll use my partner," Gary said from beside her. "Come on out, Blastoise!"

"I'm going with Breloom!" Kenny said. Soon, all four Pokemon were visible. "Breloom, start off with Energy Ball on Blastoise!"

"Angel, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Shelly said.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump on Breloom!" Gary called.

"Cashew, Quick Attack against Angel!" said Gabri.

Breloom's Energy Ball and Blastoise's Hydro Pump collided, causing an explosion that affected both Pokemon. Angel bade her eyes big and cute while Cashew flew towards her. The Emolga landed towards her and stared at her, finding her too cute to attack.

"Angel, use Pound!"

"Breloom, help her out with Seed Bomb!"

"Blastoise, protect Cashew!"

Angel jumped up in the air and slammed her tail against Cashew, causing him to cry out. Breloom jumped and spit seeds at the Emolga, but Blastoise jumped between the two and took the brunt of the attack.

Gary looked at Gabri to Breloom to Gabri. The young girl nodded in understanding. They would take out Breloom first because he was the biggest threat.

"Cashew, get on top of Blastoise and then use Thunder Shock against Breloom!"

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon against Breloom!"

"Breloom, Energy Ball at Blastoise!"

"Angel, use Helping Hand!"

Cashew flew up and rested on Blastoise's head. The water type proceeded to blast water at the grass type. Meanwhile, Angel put a hand on Breloom to give him more power as he sent a ball of energy flying. The energy avoided the water, and both attacks hit their targets full on along with the Thunder Shock from Cashew.

"Now Seed Bomb," said Kenny.

"Helping Hand again," said Shelly. Since her Mincinno did not know many damaging moves yet and grass attacks were great against both of their opponents, she figured this was the best strategy for now.

"Fine, we'll get both of you," Gary said. "Hydro Pump!"

"Thunder Shock, again!" said Gabri. "Combine it with the water!"

Huge amounts of water came forth from the cannons on Blastoise's back. Cashew's electricity joined with the water, making both attacks more powerful. Angel climbed onto Breloom as he jumped up to use Seed Bomb. Once again, all of the attacks hit like expected, but this time, Angel was also struck.

"Go after the Emolga," Kenny told his partner. "Breloom, try to hit him with Energy Ball!"

"Angel, use Tickle against Blastoise," Shelly said, getting an idea.

Angel ran forward and tickled the Blastoise's stomach with her tail. Blastoise laughed, and the movement caused Cashew to fall off of him. Before he could glide, the Emolga was hit by Breloom's Energy Ball.

"Now use Pound!" Shelly called.

"Thunder Shock on Angel," Gabri said.

Blastoise and Breloom paused to watch the collision. Cashew stood on the ground and struck Angel with a Thunder Shock. Angel held on long enough to Pound him with her tail. Then both of them fell over and fainted.

"Cashew and Angel are unable to battle," said Don Georges.

Gary smirked at Kenny. "It's just you and me. Blastoise, Flash Cannon!"

"Breloom, Seed Bomb!"

Breloom jumped up to use the attack, but Flash Cannon hit him first, sending him flying across the battlefield and onto the ground. He slowly stood up, glaring at the Water Type.

"Use Stun Spore," Kenny said.

"Water Gun," said Gary.

Breloom released a sparkling dust, but Blastoise's water washed most of it away.

"Energy Ball!" said Kenny.

"Let's use Bite," said Gary.

Blastoise started to run forward. He grunted when the ball of energy hit him, but he kept on going. Breloom's eyes widened as his opponent lunged forward and grabbed him in his jaws.

Kenny clenched his teeth in annoyance. "Mega Punch!"

Breloom brought his arm and threw a strong punch at the turtle Pokemon with incredible power, forcing him to let go.

"Now use Seed Bomb!" Kenny said.

"Flash Cannon!"

Breloom jumped in the air and hurled seeds at the Blastoise. The water type grunted in pain, and he responded by shooting out water at high pressure. The water forced the grass type to crash onto the ground, where he did not get back up.

"Breloom is unable to battle," said Don Goerges. "Blastoise is the winner, and victory goes to Gary and Gabri!"

"Great job, partner!" Gabri said, grinning. "Your Blastoise was awesome."

Gary smiled at her. "Thanks, kid. Your Emolga was pretty good as well." He looked over at Shelly and Kenny and smirked. "The coordinators need to practice more."

Shelly frowned. "Yeah..."

"Well, you won't be in the contest," Kenny said. "We'll be fine."

Shelly remembered what had happened at the last contest. Maybe Kenny would be fine, but what about her?


The next day, Shelly and Dawn ran off to go shopping in the city. Gary walked around the city alone to gather supplies. Dani and Kenny stayed behind to train together. Gabri was tired of training, so she found a park where she could play with her Pokemon.

The three of them were playing tag. Currently, Cashew was IT, and he glided through the air, chasing Gabri and Dragon as they laughed. Suddenly, Dragon skidded to a halt, his ears twitching. "What is it, Dragon?" Gabri said, frowning.

"Tepig." Dragon turned in the direction of a bush, where Gabri could see a Pokemon peeking out.

"Hey, do you want to come out and play with us?" She offered the Pokemon a smile. "We won't bite."

"Tepig."

"Emol!"

The Pokemon hesitantly emerged, and Gabri could see that it was a Deerling. She cautiously stepped forward. Cashew flew over and landed in front of her. The Deerling stared at her curiously. Then Dragon bounded over to greet her as well.

Gabri smiled but decided to stay where she was right now. She remembered the last time she had encountered a Deerling. "We're playing tag. You can join us. Cashew is IT."

"Emol," Cashew said, puffing out his chest.

"Deerling," the Pokemon said, dipping her head.

"Emolga." Cashew jumped into the air to catch the wind. Gabri and Dragon turned and ran. At Cashew's mischievous look, the Deerling took off as well. The Emolga flew after them, trying to catch up to them so he could tag one of them.


"I can't believe you're really traveling with Gary Oak," Dawn said to Shelly as they exited a clothing store. Piplup trailed behind them, not looking too happy about the activity they were engaging in.

"I know, he's so cute," Shelly said.

"Oh, do you like him?"

Shelly blushed and glanced down. "Well, kind of.."

The other girl grinned at her. "That's great! I'm sure you two will make a lovely couple."

"I'm just not sure that he likes me. He spends a lot of time with Dani..." She knew they had no ill intentions, but she could still not help but be slightly jealous.

"That might just mean he hasn't noticed you yet. You need to spend some time alone together. Maybe ask him to help you with your training before your sisters can."

Shelly bit her lip. Alone with Gary? She was worried she would run out of things to say or become too nervous. However, she knew that Dawn was right. She could not blame Gary for choosing Dani is Shelly never took the time to get to know like her sister had. "I guess so. I'll try that." She paused, wanting to switch the subject off of herself. "You seem to be spending a lot of time with a boy."

"I told you, he's just a friend!" Dawn said defensively.

Shelly raised her eyebrows at her. "Are you sure?'

Dawn hesitated before sighing. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure he has feelings for me, but I don't know if I return them. We've known each other for so long that I just don't see him like that."

"Sometimes it takes awhile to feel an attraction for someone, especially if you're used to seeing him in a certain way."

"That's why I agreed to travel with him. I want to see if there is something there without the pressure of being anything more than friends and rivals."

Shelly nodded. "That's a good way to approach it. Good luck with that."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks. You too."

"And if it's not Kenny, I'm sure you'll wind up with someone else amazing."

"Piplup," the blue penguin said in agreement.

Dawn smiled. "Yeah. You and I both."


Gabri and her Pokemon were playing with their new Deerling friend when Shelly and Dawn entered the park. Dawn smiled as she watched them play, but Shelly was eying the Deerling curiously. When they stopped for a break, she sauntered over to them and said, "Where did that Deerling come from?"

Gabri smiled at her sister. "She was watching us play and wanted to join."

"I wonder what a Deerling is doing in a city," Dawn said. "They're usually quite timid."

Piplup walked over to the group of Pokemon and stopped before the Deerling. "Piplup."

"Deerling," the wild Pokemon said with a smile.

"I don't know," Gabri said, "but I like her."

"Are you going to catch her?" Shelly asked.

Gabri did want to catch the Deerling, but she thought it best to seek out permission first. "Do you want to come with us, Deerling? We'll have lots of fun. Do you want to battle?"

The Deerling nodded and took a battle stance.

Gabri smiled. "Great. Let's go, Dragon."

Dragon stood in front of his trainer while Cashew flew over to the Eevee egg sitting on Gabri's bag. Shelly, Dawn, and Piplup joined him to watch.

"Ok, Dragon, use Ember!"

Dragon breathed in and exhaled fire through his snout. The Deerling jumped out of the way while moving forward. She kept running until she slammed into the Tepig.

"Try Ember again!"

Dragon shot out his fire balls before the Deerling had time to dodge. She cried out but did not seem dismayed. She got close to the fire type again and kicked him with her legs before running off.

"Use Tail Whip and then Tackle!"

Dragon moved his tail back and forth before charging at the Deerling. The Deerling evaded the attack by kicking up sand and dirt and flinging it in his face. Then she ran around him and tackled him herself. As he tried to get up, it looked like she was closing in for another attack.

"Defense Curl! Then use Ember when you're ready!"

Dragon curled up into a ball as the Deerling kicked him. As soon as he felt her hooves leave him, he sprang up and pelted her with embers of fire. The Deerling felt to the ground with a cry.

"Alright, that's good, Dragon." She took out a Pokeball and threw it at the Deerling. The Pokemon was sucked inside, and the ball began to shake. Finally, it grew still. The girl ran over to pick up the Pokeball with a smile. "I caught a Deerling!" She pressed the button on the ball and released her new friend. "I think I'll call you 'Grace.'"

"Deerling," Grace said happily.

"Congratulations," Dawn said. "That was awesome."

"Thanks!"

"You have three Pokemon now," Shelly said. "That's enough to challenge most gyms."

"That's right." She smiled at Dragon, Grace, and Cashew. "Are you ready to train?" All of them cheered in agreement.