Part 2, Chapter 7: Sweet Emotion
With fishing rods in hand, Kanu, Alexis, Ivan, and Julia reached the edge of the Beta River running along the southern edge of Panicium Town, where a small beach lay. "I like this spot," Julia spoke up as she noticed the other fishermen casting out from the shore.
Kanu walked up right to the edge of the wide river, noting he could see the bottom of the river for a good distance in front of him. He turned to Julia. "This water looks shallow. Can fish Pokémon swim this close to shore?"
"No. I tend to have the best luck by casting the reel way out in the open river." She held her fishing rod in her left hand while slipping off her brown low-heeled sandals and started walking a few feet out in the open water. "Sometimes I even get my feet wet," she looked back and smiled.
"So how do you cast?" Alexis asked, still on shore with Kanu and Ivan.
"Well, these rods are good for spin casting." Julia then put on a demonstration as she spoke. "All you do is flip the trigger, pinch the fishing line against the rod, then arc the rod back, and let go of the line as you fling the rod forward." The small red lure on the rod flew a good twenty feet out into the open water and quickly began sinking once it hit the water. "The momentum keeps the lure flying far. Then reel it back in," she finished as she began spinning the reel and returning the lure to shore.
Kanu spoke up. "Why not just wait and let the lure drift?"
"A fish Pokémon will be more interested in a moving object; you can trick them into thinking it's some sort of food," she explained.
"Ok, so like this?" Kanu emulated Julia's demonstration, but he failed to gain the coordination to snap the lure forward, causing it to fly about five feet before falling into the river, where no fish Pokémon seemed to be around.
"Not bad. You just need a better snap to get the further distance. Don't worry, it comes with practice."
Ivan also began to emulate Julia's swing. "So just pull the trigger, wind back, and-" he startled himself when he flung the rod forward but failed to release in time, causing the lure to flick back and land on the beach, nearly missing scratching his leg.
Julia immediately recognized the problem. "Your grip might be too tight, so the line didn't release."
Alexis chuckled as Ivan slowly returned the lure to its starting position. "Yeah, Ivan, maybe you shouldn't treat every long object you hold like a sword. Fishing requires elegance, gentleness, and a free spirit-" she flicked the rod back and let go of it on the forward swing, causing the rod to fall on the ground, somehow not bending in the process.
Julia chuckled. "Your grip is too loose."
Alexis quickly composed herself. "Ha! Little did you know I was teaching Ivan about the consequences of too loose a grip!"
Ivan rolled his eyes. "Don't make me regret my decision to join you to Haldun."
Julia awkwardly attempted to segment the topic as her curiosity arose. "That was the one thing that I didn't get to ask earlier. Why are you guys all traveling together?"
Kanu was quick to speak up. "Well, I lost my first battle in Sigma against Alexis, so now I have to travel with her to Haldun while she gets all the benefits of seeing my team strategies," he said, somewhat annoyed yet accepting of the situation. Alexis curtsied confidently hearing more about her victory.
Ivan glared at her arrogant pose before turning back to Julia. "Unlike something as trivial as that, I'm from the Village of the Plains and I'm following Alexis to meet with her father and find peace between the UPRA and my village."
Alexis smiled and straightened her palm before placing it below her chin. "Yes, I'm the popular one. The future hero of Sigma is here to solve everyone's problems," she smugly and proudly declared.
"No, that's my role," Kanu spoke up before turning to Julia. "Once I become Champion, I'll make sure that the UPRA rules are changed to end the trainer age restrictions. Every sixteen-year-old in the Master Trials deserves the same opportunity as all the younger trainers that came before us."
Julia paused for a moment, unsure at first of what to say. Her response was very meek by comparison. "Oh. How very noble."
Kanu sensed that something was off about her demeanor but appeared too ignorant of her feelings. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?" he asked her.
Julia turned away from looking into Kanu's eyes as she began to twiddle her fingers. "It's just that, if I say anymore, you'll probably hate me."
Kanu waved it off. "Of course not. I'm happy to listen to what others have to say," he said genuinely.
She sighed. "Kanu, I'm a Master Trials Trainer, and I'm fifteen."
Kanu's expression turned to shock as he attempted to process the reasoning. "Wait, what? How? Are you one of those super geniuses like Gabriel?"
"Who?" Ivan asked.
Julia resigned herself to telling the three of them the truth. "There was a tragic event that happened when I lived in Panas City, around the southeast corner of the region. After it happened, it prompted our family to move, and I was granted early admission by the UPRA, supposedly out of pity. Pokémon training is as new to me as I was when I was ten," she said as she shrugged her shoulders and looked away.
Alexis dug deep into her thoughts, the story that Julia spoke of sounding oddly familiar. A tragic event at Panas City? Where did I hear that before?
Julia continued. "I just hope you don't resent me or think the UPRA favors me more than my seniors. Trust me, at the end of the day, one of you is far more likely to win the tournament than me." She passively finished her comment before flicking her fishing rod into the river again.
Kanu stayed speechless for a few seconds before saying to her with the most honest conviction he could muster: "Show us your Pokémon."
"What?" she asked in surprise as she started reeling the lure back with no bite on the hook.
Alexis quickly joined Kanu's encouragement. "Surely you must have caught some good fish Pokémon at least!"
Ivan smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. "We'd be happy to see," he said before he trailed off into his thoughts. At the very least, to get some information on our competition.
Julia finished reeling the lure back to shore and carefully set her fishing rod on the sand. Feelings of eagerness and nervousness began to clash in her mind, but she reached into her pockets anyway. "Okay. Come on out, guys."
She threw out four Poké Balls, with her Pokémon bursting out of them. Aside from the familiar Oshawott, a round blue Pokémon with a zigzagging tail and a blue ball at the end, a red fish-like Pokémon with white pectoral and tail fins and yellow barbels, and a brown fish-like Pokémon with dull blue and tattered pectoral and tail fins appeared. "This is Oshawott, Azurill, Magikarp, and Feebas," she introduced them, respectively.
The other three teens came up to greet her four Pokémon. "Nice to meet you all!" Alexis cheerfully waved at them. Azurill bounced modestly on its blue tail ball in response, while Magikarp and Feebas did not seem responsive at all, merely flopping around on the beach.
"Magikarp and Feebas don't seem too responsive," Kanu stated the obvious.
Julia appeared to share his sentiment, becoming notably frustrated. "They're not. All they do is splash around all day. I don't even know how to train them."
"I wonder how we could fix that," Kanu pondered.
As Kanu began sitting in awkward silence and pondered battle strategies, Ivan walked up to Oshawott, noticing the unusually sharp yellow seashell on his chest. "Is that a scalchop?" he asked the water Pokémon.
In response, Oshawott pulled the scalchop from his chest and proudly displayed his supposed weapon. Ivan immediately felt the urge to test its strength. "Hey Kanu, toss me a berry," he turned to his cohort.
Snapping out of his concentration, Kanu quickly responded: "Uh, sure." He dug out a spare Oran Berry in his bag and threw it to Ivan.
"Thank you," Ivan said as he caught the berry and turned back to Oshawott. "Hey Oshawott, try cutting this up for me." Ivan threw the berry up in the air about fifteen feet. As if on instinct, once the berry began to descend, Oshawott jumped up and struck it up the middle with his scalchop, leading to a perfect cut in midair. Ivan caught the berry pieces as Oshawott fell to the ground gracefully.
Julia noticed the spectacle and was in shock. "Oh wow! I didn't even know he could do that!"
Ivan smiled at Oshawott. "I think we'll be getting along swimmingly."
Alexis chuckled. "No pun intended."
"Shut up," Ivan snapped back.
Kanu stood up and fished his five Poké Balls out of his pocket. "In that case, let's have a playdate." He threw out his Pokémon, all relieved and stretching on the beach. "This is Charmander, Starly, Tympole, Venipede, and Cottonee."
Alexis was next to throw out her Pokémon. "And here's Torchic, Fletchling, and Swablu!"
Ivan followed suit. "I have Honedge, Rowlet, and Seedot," he said as Honedge floated over to Ivan's hand to be held.
Julia became overwhelmed by their generosity. "Nice to meet you all, but-"
"I think they want to get along. We all do," Kanu interrupted her as he smiled. Julia could not help but resign herself and let the Pokémon play together.
The pleasant sands of the beach were soon littered with small Pokémon footprints as the four trainer's Pokémon ran around and played with each other. Some, like Charmander and Torchic, loved to play with each other. Others, like Magikarp and Feebas, preferred to stay next to their trainer. Kanu sat on the grass next to the beach, being careful to keep sand out of his shorts as Starly rested on his lap. He flipped through his Trainer Tech and looked at his Pokémon summaries. I wonder if this strategy could work, he wondered, imagining scenarios for Julia to train.
Meanwhile, Ivan sat and meditated on the sand as his Pokémon played with Oshawott and Azurill. Alexis walked up to him, seemingly perturbed at his indifference. "Ahem. It's a playdate, not a 'sit-on-your-butt-all-day' date," she said, hands on her hips and crouching.
Ivan kept his pose and eyes closed. "Why don't you bother Kanu instead, then? Besides, there's a saying: 'work hard, rest hard.'"
"For the record, I was going to. And it's 'work hard, play hard!'"
Off in the distance, an older gentleman with dark skin and white hair kept one eye closed to focus his paintbrush on a canvas, painting a picture of Oshawott, Charmander, Torchic, and Rowlet playing together. Next to him, a small pink Pokémon with a crooked blue hat-like crown attempted to mimic Azurill's continuous bouncing, but his poor coordination with two small legs caused him to stumble and fall.
The artist stopped his painting and set down his brush to tend to the Pokémon. "My goodness, Mime Jr. Are you alright?"
Ivan noticed the movements of the artist from afar without opening his eyes, his senses sharpened while meditating. "Someone is watching us, intently," he murmured to Alexis.
Alexis looked around, concerned. "Where?"
Ivan quickly got up without saying a word and walked over to the painter with Alexis in tow. When the gentleman noticed the two approaching him, he greeted them, but Ivan did not return the favor. "What business do you have with us?" he bluntly asked the man.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ivan noticed a second Pokémon on the opposite side of Mime Jr., a teardrop-shaped brown Pokémon with a green club shape adorning his head. The Pokémon fell over and began to wail around and cry after Ivan asked his question, catching the village dweller off guard.
Alexis turned to Ivan, now more upset at him than concerned about the painter. "Great, now you made the poor thing cry!"
Ivan struggled for an appropriate response before the painter hefted up the small Pokémon, noticing him to be far heavier than one would suspect. "I wouldn't worry about it. Bonsly is just a little timid," he smiled.
Kanu and Julia ran over after Kanu noticed Ivan and Alexis talking to the painter. "Is everything ok?" he asked.
The painter spoke as he pets Bonsly to calm him down. "Sorry if I was intruding on your privacy. The name's Vincent. I just couldn't help myself but draw you four and your lovely Pokémon together."
This piqued Alexis' curiosity. "Could I see the painting?"
"Sure. It's not finished, but here." Vincent set his painting materials and Bonsly down, then turned the painting around to reveal a rough-brush painting of the Pokémon playing together with Julia crouching next to them. Kanu, Alexis, and Ivan all stared in awe at the artist's clear skill and experience.
Julia, however, had the opposite reaction. Rather than fawn over the beautiful painting, her brain began to rapidly process thoughts that clouded her senses of the outside world. She instinctively gripped her forehead with her right hand, looking down as a familiar scene began to replay in her head on a seemingly endless repeat.
"But that's our painting! You can't take away our memento!"
"I'm sorry, Julia. But this-"
"Please ask for it back! I can't keep losing him over and over!"
Her strong emotions swirled in a whirlwind, keeping her focus entirely on her past and dissociation from everything around her. At least, until a strong hand sharply shook her shoulder.
"Hey! Hey! Julia, are you okay?" Alexis shouted. The thoughts began to disappear as she noticed Kanu, Ivan, and the painter Vincent staring at her with genuine concern. The one that appeared most concerned of all was Alexis, looking at her as if she discovered a frightened Pokémon huddled in the corner of a room.
Fully recollecting herself, Julia took a step back, brushing a faint sweat off her face. She couldn't believe that it happened again, let alone in front of new trainers that she was hoping to impress. Damn it all, she cursed herself.
"Are you alright, young lady?" Vincent spoke up.
She looked at the painter again and his unfinished product. Alexis still looked at her unsettled but getting attention from a popular and admittedly cute girl like her motivated Julia to try to swallow all her feelings, as difficult and temporary as it may be. "Sir, how much is the painting worth right now?"
It took a few seconds for Vincent to process her question before answering. "Oh, well, at its current state, I could sell it for 1,000 Poké."
Alexis seemed shocked by his offer. "Don't get me wrong, it's very well done, but isn't that price a little steep?"
"I wish I could lower the price, but I must pay for things for my Pokémon," he said as Mime Jr. and Bonsly started running around him.
Julia stepped forward in front of Alexis to communicate with him directly. "Then I challenge you to a battle. No standard bet. Instead, if I win, I get the painting for free. And if I lose, I'll buy it from you for 2,000 Poké."
Kanu was even more surprised at her counteroffer, let alone where this conviction came from. "You want it that badly? I mean, it's nice and all, but-"
"I accept," Vincent smiled. "I don't battle often, so this would be a good exercise for these guys."
"Perfect. Kanu, Alexis, Ivan, I want you and your Pokémon to watch me."
The two trainers stepped onto the beach and prepared for battle. Julia recalled all her Pokémon while Kanu, Alexis, and Ivan walked over to the grass near the town center to watch. Their Pokémon followed them and seemed determined to watch the battle as well.
"You'll get no complaints from me for a demonstration of your skills," Ivan said as he petted Rowlet on his bow tie, his favorite spot to be petted.
Meanwhile, Alexis still had her worried expression. Julia…
Julia and Vincent then activated their Trainer Techs. The town girl's confidence seemed to waver as she faced the older, experienced gentleman's fine poise.
"Battle!" the two declared.
Julia held up her first Poké Ball, staring at it with unease. "Might as well give it a try. Go, Feebas!" She tossed her ball underhanded, letting the brown fish Pokémon flop around for a repeat performance.
Vincent looked down. "You're up, Mime Jr."
The pink jester-like Pokémon hopped forward, immediately beginning to mimic Feebas' floundering. Julia noticed a strange red stamp on its chest.
Seeing little to lose right now, Julia let out an unusual command. "Use Splash!"
"Use Barrier!" Vincent responded.
As Feebas merely seemed to flop around in place with no effect on Mime Jr., the pink Pokémon created an invisible defensive barrier, appearing to be made from glass before disappearing.
Alexis looked at Feebas continuing to casually flop. "That didn't do anything, did it?"
Kanu subtly bit his lip. "No, and now Mime Jr. has a much higher defense as a result."
Still nothing, Julia thought, realizing she wasted a turn."Feebas, return," she said, recalling the fish Pokémon. "Let's try you, Oshawott!"
She tossed her next Poké Ball, revealing the eager Oshawott detaching his scalchop from his torso and preparing to wield it like a weapon.
The painter realized he needed to attack before Oshawott gained momentum. "Now let's do continuous Confusion attacks!"
Before Oshawott had a chance to attack, Mime Jr. sent out a weak telekinetic force, which stressed the sea otter Pokémon's mind; he appeared winded but still able to fight.
"Are you ok, Oshawott?" Julia asked as her Pokémon nodded quickly. "Then use Water Gun!" she commanded, not checking her Trainer Tech to assess the damage.
Mime Jr. then began to bounce around Oshawott, keeping the water Pokémon spinning while he let out another Confusion attack. However, fighting the mental strain, Oshawott could still track the psychic Pokémon's movements and sprayed a jet of water. Mime Jr. didn't bother to put up any defense, so it came as a surprise when he was hit hard by the forceful water jet and the barrier failed to activate.
"Nice move!" Kanu exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Ivan turned to him.
"Water Gun doesn't involve physical contact, so it can bypass Mime Jr.'s defensive barrier."
Alexis cheered, waving her arms up and down. "Alright, go Julia!"
The painter smiled, impressed at Oshawott's resiliency. "Pretty good trick, but I'm ready with one of my own. I activate the Red Card held by Mime Jr.!" He held his arm out.
After recovering from the attack, Mime Jr. stared directly at Oshawott, pulled out his red stamp, and flashed a red card. Without action taken by the trainer or Pokémon, Oshawott appeared in a red light and was forcibly recalled back to his Poké Ball. As Julia stood in shock, another one of her Poké Balls forcibly activated, revealing her other offensive Pokémon. "Azurill? Why?" she questioned in confusion.
"That's the effect of Red Card. When the Pokémon that holds it is attacked, it switches out an opponent's Pokémon to another one of theirs at random," Vincent explained.
Alexis breathed a sigh of relief. "At least he didn't drag out Magikarp or Feebas so Julia can still attack."
Ivan did not share her relief, keeping track of Oshawott's remaining HP while Julia didn't. "But Oshawott appeared to have a much higher attack power, and he's too weak to be switched in, right, Kanu?"
He nodded. "The moment she does, Mr. Mime will defeat Oshawott with another Confusion before he could even counter."
While not realizing this, fortunately for her, Julia continued with Azurill. "Then let's give someone else a chance. Use Bubble!"
Learning from Azurill's bouncing motion, Mime Jr. mimicked Azurill's bouncing with better success and let out another Confusion attack. Taking similar damage from Oshawott, Azurill shot out a stream of bubbles that sprayed over the battlefield thanks to Azurill's bouncing. However, Mime Jr. was able to keep bouncing around while losing 2 HP from the attack.
"That barely did anything," Alexis said.
Seeing an unphased Mime Jr., Julia finally looked at her Trainer Tech, only to find Azurill lost a third of her HP while Mime Jr. had more after consecutive attacks. She began to panic, looking through her other attacks. "Oh no. Could this work? Uh, use Charm!"
"No, Julia, you're using the wrong attack!" Kanu called out.
As Julia heard his warning, Mime Jr. started to become flexible and bounced around the sandy beach, landing another psychic attack. Azurill gazed at Mime Jr. rather charmingly, making the mimicking Pokémon less wary. However, that was the last time she had a clear look at her opponent before she began to hallucinate multiple Mime Jr.'s bouncing in a hypnotic motion. Mental fatigue set in as Azurill became hopelessly confused about where she was.
Julia was quick to recognize this change of state. "Azurill, what's wrong?"
Vincent clapped at Mime Jr. continuing to bounce around. "Great job, Mime Jr., it kicked in."
"Now it appears dazed and confused," Ivan commentated.
Alexis turned back to Kanu, noting his warning. "But Charm lowered Mime Jr.'s attack power, right? Why was that the wrong attack? Maybe she could safely switch back to Oshawott now."
Kanu began to share in Julia's frustrations, gripping his thighs as he realized the truth. "She can't."
"Go back to using Bubble!" Julia pleaded, feelings of hopelessness rising.
Before Azurill could attempt to attack, Mime Jr. landed another kinetic force from behind, which caused the confused Pokémon to exhaust herself and fall on the beach.
"Azurill!" Julia cried out as her beloved Pokémon fainted in front of her.
"Like in the same vein of that Barrier, while Charm can lower Mime Jr.'s physical attacking capabilities, Confusion is a special attack, making it worthless against an opponent like that," Kanu explained.
Hearing him but not acknowledging that she did, Julia silently recalled Azurill, feeling like she let her Pokémon down. She gritted her teeth and desperation began to wash over her face. "Come back out, Oshawott!" She threw the Poké Ball hard as her other offensive Pokémon appeared again, prepping his scalchop as he struggled to stand.
While Vincent noticed the change in pace, he wanted to finish the battle to ensure his Pokémon could gain experience, albeit reluctantly. "Keep up the momentum. Use Confusion again!"
"Please, use Water Gun with everything you have!"
Mime Jr. continued mimicking Azurill's bouncing, which kept Oshawott distracted long enough for Mime Jr. to land yet another attack. Oshawott tried everything it could to aim for a counter-attack, but succumbed to a growing mental headache and fainted.
Alexis tightened her fist. "You were right on the money," she told Kanu, frustration and anger in her voice.
Julia recalled Oshawott without saying a word. She took out a fourth Poké Ball and held it for a moment, her face now painted in miserable defeat.
"Magikarp, please do something," was all she could say as she dropped the ball and Magikarp appeared, who continued to flop around like Feebas.
Vincent stretched his fingers, full of dried paint. "Let's wrap this up."
Magikarp continued to splash around while Mime Jr. attacked yet again. This psychic attack appeared to greatly weaken Magikarp, even if it seemed too dense to react negatively.
Julia fell to her knees. "I only have Magikarp and Feebas left. I can't do anything."
"Do you surrender?" the painter asked.
She crouched on the beach, hiding the shame on her face from being seen by her opponent. "I do." She turned to her Trainer Tech, saw a red Surrender button on the Battle Interface, and pressed it. Magikarp was automatically recalled as the interface declared Vincent the victor. Kanu, Alexis, and Ivan raced to Julia's side, but Alexis reached her first.
"Julia, are you alright?" Alexis asked as she knelt next to her, hand on her back.
Meanwhile, Vincent and Mime Jr. walked forward to the four of them, kneeling to Julia's level, warmly smiling to try and cheer her up as best he could. "A splendid battle. Thank you for letting Mime Jr. express himself."
Kanu attempted to bargain with the nice painter. "Look, sir, clearly only having two Pokémon with actual attacks puts her at a large disadvantage. Could we just forget the bet?"
*Julia turns into a scolding tone as she digs out 2,000 Poké from her bag*
"Kanu, you don't have to speak for me," Julia said, nearly snapping at him. Kanu didn't say a word as she stood up and dug out 2,000 Poké from her blue satchel bag. Calming herself down as best she could, she smiled at the artist out of respect. "It's a lovely painting."
Vincent nodded warmly and took the money, then walked over to the painting and handed it to Julia. "Thank you very much. I wish you good luck in the Master Trials ahead."
The only person who said a word was Ivan, who only thanked him. As Vincent walked away, Julia looked at the painting, struggling to carry a portrait half the size of her small body.
"How are you going to take it with you?" was the next question on Ivan's mind.
Julia continued to fake a positive attitude as best as she could muster. "I can't with this small bag. It's better off at home. Though, I'm certainly light on funds because of it," she sadly chuckled.
"Julia, it's okay to be upset. None of us blame you for being so," Alexis said, seeing through her act easily.
The defeated girl sighed. "I'll be okay. Just wish that battling would come easier to me, I guess."
Still a little shaken by Julia's harsh tongue towards him, Kanu spoke without thinking. "Julia, would it be out of line to say that battling may not be your forte? You seem more in tune with your Pokémon in a casual environment without the stress of battle."
Alexis and Ivan both looked at him. "Isn't that a little insensitive?" the blonde swordsman asked.
Julia couldn't help but agree with both male trainers. "It was, but…you're right, Kanu. I like hanging out with my Pokémon; they're becoming good friends to me. But I'm looking to use the gift of the Master Trials to find a place in the world with my Pokémon, and that means battling. It was never a true interest of mine, but battling is the only way for my Pokémon to grow and evolve. I just feel so lost in finding ways to do so."
As Julia finished her ramble, Torchic playfully poked Alexis' leg, prompting her to open her arms and let the warm chick Pokémon nuzzle against his trainer. "Do you want us to spar with you? I'm great at helping your Pokémon toughen up and attack hard," Alexis punched the air with her left arm, being careful to keep Torchic in her right.
Honedge floated over to Ivan, happy to grip the cursed sword. "No, it's much better to teach them to be defensive and reactive," swinging Honedge and putting himself in a guarding position.
Kanu held up his left arm with his Trainer Tech. "Or maybe it's a strategic balance and determining a grand vision to win the battle based on the situation."
Julia looked around at the three very different trainers yet found a bizarre commonality among them. She began to regain some pep in her voice. "I'd like to hear your thoughts on all three. Let's do it." She pulled out her Trainer Tech, summarizing Julia's team as defeated except for Magikarp and Feebas. She sheepishly put it away, realizing she might have been too eager to start again. "Right after a trip to the Pokémon Center."
As the sun began to part the cloudy day shortly before sunset, Ivan used Honedge to spar with Oshawott, surprised at the water Pokémon's flexibility and skill in wielding a seashell as an effective weapon. Not many Pokémon posed a challenge for Ivan in swords-based combat. He smiled. "Not bad."
Closer to the river on the beach, Torchic finished digging marks in the sand as Azurill shot a flurry of bubbles at each hole, having better and better accuracy with each attack. "Great aim! Now let's try some real battling!" Alexis cheered Azurill on.
Kanu sat within earshot of their sparring, looking at his team preview on his Trainer Tech and taking notes on the Notepad function. "So, if you start Magikarp or Feebas, then switch into Azurill for support, and set up the team sweeps with Oshawott, you can share the experience," he spoke aloud to himself.
Soon, more intense battling sounds distracted Kanu as he watched Torchic scratch Azurill, but Azurill retaliated with another flurry of bubbles. Torchic struggled to dodge but eventually got hit with some and was knocked back. Feeling the strong effect, Torchic struggled to get up but was quickly fired up from the challenge.
Alexis synchronized herself with Torchic's adrenaline. "That's it! Now I'm getting excited!" she proclaimed, her voice getting louder as she pumped her fists.
Julia was stunned at her increasing excitement. "You're scaring me a little, Alexis," she giggled.
"You have no reason to fear me. I'm not the princess that everyone always calls me. I'm just a trainer like you, and I want to grow with my Pokémon forever!"
Torchic started scratching the ground with his clawed feet, raring up for another charge as Julia bowed her head and smiled.
I'm not worthy of a radiant light like you.
She perked her head up, suddenly full of energy. "Then let's keep going, Azurill. No sense in slowing down. Use Bubble again!"
Torchic rushed in to scratch Azurill again, but Azurill was prepared for the attack and unleashed another Bubble directly at close range, knocking the fire Pokémon out.
Alexis knelt and picked up Torchic. "Thanks, Torchic. I'll heal you right up soon," she said as she reached for Torchic's Poké Ball.
Julia, meanwhile, was starting to match Alexis' excitement as she jumped up and down with Azurill. "We did it!"
Azurill felt a sincere friendship with Julia that transcended her understanding of her trainer's lack of confidence. That drive to see her trainer grow along with her manifested into a white light as she stopped bouncing.
"What the?" Julia asked as Azurill became completely enshrouded in that light.
Kanu looked up and noticed the phenomenon, as did Alexis before she could recall Torchic. "No way. Is that-?" He questioned if Azurill was doing what he thought she was. He shut off his Trainer Tech and got up as Alexis and Ivan joined him.
The white light pulsed around Azurill, rising, and falling before violently dispersing. Suddenly, Azurill appeared somewhat different, its blue body growing with a new white belly. She could now stand on two legs, while her tail remained flexible with the blue ball at the end.
"It evolved!" Ivan applauded.
In shock, Julia checked the notification on her Trainer Tech, noting Azurill evolved into Marill. She knelt as Marill walked over and hugged her.
"Hi, Marill," she greeted and petted her newly evolved Pokémon, emotion running high.
"That's incredible. I'm so proud of you! She's already stronger!" Alexis cheered.
Julia stood up, holding Marill as genuine happiness appeared surrounded by such encouraging trainers. "Thank you all so much for the help. I feel that this has already made a world of difference."
Ivan planted Honedge in the sand as Oshawott walked over to greet his new friend. "I wouldn't get complacent though. Some more training will do wonders for you."
Kanu shared his sentiment. "I agree. Let's rest for the night and I'll see about finding some additional ways to train for the next week before the second round starts. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah, it does," Julia said, trying to hold back joyful tears that she hadn't felt in years.
"Training buddies!" Alexis extended her hand as Julia high-fived her back. "Training buddies!" Julia cutely mimicked her.
Before the sun fully set over the horizon, Vincent was already hard at work on another painting as his third Pokémon sat in his lap. It was a small Pokémon with cream and blue fur, a long, thin snout, and four red circles on its back that were slowly kindling into flames.
"They make a good group, don't they, Cyndaquil?" he told his Pokémon as he continued to draw the four trainers standing on the beach at sunset with Julia hugging Marill tightly.