Don't let the shortness of this chapter fool you: it has plenty of content. The scene shifts are the reason I cut it short, in fact. I didn't want there to be so many in one chapter.

Anyways, on with the show.

Cheren watched, hands in his pockets, as Tia and Landon rushed out of the hospital room. He then turned his eyes over to Bianca who looked rather relieved. Her words and actions during her talk with his two students had surprised him greatly but also raised his suspicions.

"You're lucky they got distracted," He said knowingly. Bianca looked at him before looking down and nodding.

"I know,"

"So…what really happened?" There was a bit of silence before Bianca worked up the courage to speak the truth.

"The lab's gone and…I don't know about Nuvema. I don't know about our parents or-"

"Wait, wait, slow down," Cheren interrupted quickly. Tears had begun to form in Bianca's eyes and her voice was rushed. He needed to know exactly what happened but he also wanted to keep Bianca from getting too upset: it was clear that she had been through a lot and the situation was a serious one, "The lab is gone? I don't follow,"

"I-It got attacked…I don't know by who or what," Bianca said, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm, "But there was a fire. I was the only one who really seemed all that surprised. Th-The Professor threw me my coat and bag and told me to get out of here. I-I didn't even know she had put the Pokedexes or starter Pokémon in there, I was just confused and scared,"

"And those men in the also raised his suspicions. masks?"

"They must have been involved in the attack, somehow…"

It was a frightening situation. The professor was resourceful and smart, though, so Cheren wasn't too worried about Juniper. It was his parents and the rest of Nuvema that was worrisome: the town was so out-of-the-way and isolated that news of the attack may not be out until it was too late.

"Do you have any idea why the lab would be attacked? Was Juniper doing anything different…" Cheren's voice died down at the sound of a choked sob from Bianca. She shook her head, tears in her eyes, and looked at him. It was clear more than ever before to him that she had no idea what happened in Nuvema: and it terrified her.

"Don't worry about it. I'll call the police and notify the League. They can check up on Nuvema town,"

"Cheren…"

"I'll also give the Order a heads up. Nate and Ro-…I mean…Black and White'll want to hear about this,"

Chapter 4: An Ultimatum

"Hey, mom…"

"Hello Tia. Coming home now?" Katherine's voice was guarded and it nearly made Tia flinch. Just by looking into her mother's eyes Tia could see that she knew: she knew what Tia wanted to do. Tia didn't know how or why, but, she wasn't going to let it stop her either way.

"Well, yeah...but-"

"What is that in your hands?" When her mother asked that Tia suddenly realized why Katherine was so aware: the Pokedex was still in her hands. Tia looked down at the white and black device before looking back up at Katherine.

"It's a Pokedex,"

"I see…" Katherine answered before closing her eyes and sighing, "I thought so. Now where did you get something like that?"

"It was a gift from Bianca. She let me keep Oshawott, too," Tia explained carefully. Katherine was surprised at first but then shook her head in realization, "What is it?"

"I forgot that Bianca is Professor Juniper's assistant. Cheria told me about her a few years back when her child received a Pokémon," Katherine said, giving Tia a hard look, "To be honest, I've considered asking Cheria to call Juniper for you, Tia,"

This caught Tia off-guard and her grey eyes widened. "Legit?"

"But…seeing you with one now, plus with what just happened…I don't really know, Tia, maybe you should wait to go on your journey,"

"Are you serious? Mom, I have everything I need and I'm ready for it all. Right, Landon?" Tia turned around and hoped for some support from her friend. Landon blinked, a little caught off-guard by the sudden question, and looked between the two women.

"Uh…w-well, I-"

"Ms. Harrison, I have an idea," Everyone turned around to see Cheren walking down the hospital hallway, "What if Tia defeats me in a battle. Will that be proof enough for you?"

This time everyone was caught off-guard. Even Katherine blinked twice at the suggestion before furrowing her brow in thought, "How will you be battling her? As a teacher?"

"As a Gym Leader. It will be an official battle between the two of us," Cheren said as he cast Tia a glance, "Do you accept those terms?"

She could feel her heart race in her chest. Cheren was strong enough when they battled as teacher and student. Not to mention that ever since Cheria's child beat him Cheren's had plenty of trainers battle him and only a few have actually won. Just because his first official match as a Gym Leader was a loss didn't mean he was a poor battler by any means.

Yet there was so much at stake. If Tia battled him she could start her journey soon and, now, she just couldn't wait.

"Yes," Tia answered with a smirk, "I accept,"

"Good. We battle tomorrow after class," Tia's smirk faded as Cheren walked towards the hospital doors, "You have the day off tomorrow to train and prepare,"

"Wait, what? I only have a day to train? That's so unfair!" Tia protested. Cheren glanced at her over his shoulder, a firm look in his eye.

"That's the point. As a trainer you can't expect to rely on fairness. If you really want to show that you've got what it takes then you have to be ready for any challenge at any time. So, once school's done tomorrow, we'll battle," There wasn't much room for debate nor did Cheren stay long enough to have one. He exited the hospital and Katherine moved to do the same.

"I suppose I'm fine with this. If you can beat Cheren, your teacher in Trainer School, then you really do have what it takes to travel as a trainer," Katherine then paused at the doors before giving Tia a small smile, "And dinner should be ready soon. So don't linger here for too long,"

Tia sighed as her mother left, "Damn…this isn't going to be easy,"

"Well…maybe you shouldn't do it then," Landon said as he stepped forward and placed a hand on Tia's shoulder, "Wait for graduation,"

"I've got to at least try, Landon," Tia replied with a small smirk. Sure, the challenge was great, but facing challenges was half the reason she wanted to be a trainer. The rush of a battle was so thrilling and the aspect of a challenge made it all the more intense, "So there's no way I'm backing down. Tomahawk, Oshawott, and I are going to face Cheren tomorrow,"

Landon looked at Tia before giving a slight sigh and a nod. "Yeah…I guess I'm not surprised. You aren't one to back down that easily," He said with a weak smile.

"Glad you understand. Now I'm going to head back home and get to know Oshawott a bit," Tia explained before jogging out of the hospital, "See you tomorrow, Landon!"

"Yeah…see you tomorrow…"

"Hmm…" After Tia ate dinner she had gone straight to her room upstairs. Her eyes were locked with the dark eyes of her Oshawott who matched her intense gaze. The two were trying to figure each other out but with little luck.

Eventually Tia gave up with a sigh and pulled out the Pokedex Bianca had given her. She ran a hand along the device before opening it and turning it on. As complex as it looked it took little time for Tia to figure out how to use and she quickly scanned her Oshawott for information. With a green flash the screen was filled with all sorts of data:

"Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon…the scalchop on its stomach isn't just used for battle…breaks open hard berries too…" Tia mumbled as she read some of the information aloud. The Pokedex even listed exact height and weight of her Oshawott in contrast with the average for that species. Her eyes lit up as she found the section she was looking for, "Tackle, Tail Whip, and Water Gun, huh? Nice…oh, you're a female?"

Oshawott gave a nod, her expression as stern as it had been before. Tia considered the Oshawott for a moment before tapping in a nickname, "How does Saber sound to you, Oshawott?"

Another nod and Tia giggled a bit, "Saber it is. Welcome aboard,"

Tia grabbed Tomahawk's Pokeball and released the Rufflet. Almost immediately the Rufflet fluttered around Saber before chirping away. Saber blinked twice before she smiled and started to communicate back. Tia giggled again as she watched the two Pokémon talk without so much as a clue about what they were saying. She was happy that they were able to get along so easily.

Eventually Tia crossed her legs and cleared her throat to gather her Pokémon's. The two looked at her and quieted down quickly so that Tia could speak.

"All right, team. Tomorrow we're going to have a very tough battle on our hands," Tia started off with a grin, "We're battling my teacher and mentor, Cheren, who happens to be the Gym Leader of this city. If we win then we can go around the region challenging trainers and Gym Leaders! If we lose then we have to stay here until the semester is over,"

"So, we're going to be doing a lot of training tomorrow, rest up, and then battle our hearts out," Tomahawk and Saber seemed to be fine with this as they nodded at Tia. It was a relief for the girl, to see that her two Pokémon seemed fine with battling. She knew that Tomahawk wouldn't mind but she had just obtained Saber.

"Thanks guys…and thanks to you both for earlier. You two really did well against those thugs," Tia said with a smile. Tomahawk swelled with pride while Saber stayed cool and just nodded, bringing out another giggle from Tia.

She then reclined on her bed a bit and gazed up at the ceiling. Saber seemed strong but they wouldn't have the right synergy for a battle so early. That meant that Tomahawk would be relied on the most for the battle yet most of the training would be for Saber, too. Maybe she could train against some wandering trainers in Floccesy Town…

"Tia, do you have a moment?" A male voice, muffled by her bedroom door, called out to her. Tia brightened a bit as she recognized her father's voice. She got up and opened the door for the tall man to walk in.

"Sure dad. Welcome home,"

"Thanks, it's good to be back," And from the looks of him he had just arrived. Geoffrey Harrison, Tia's father, was still dressed in a three-piece suit with a black jacket and matching pants. He stepped inside a bit and loosened his tie with a small breath, "Well, from what your mother's told me, you've had a rough day,"

"Yeah…looks like you have too," Tia remarked with a grin. She didn't want to talk to her father about what had happened earlier. Having repeated it twice earlier made it sort of tedious, plus Tia was a bit nervous about what her father may think.

"Yeah, yeah…" Geoff chuckled a bit before looking down at his daughter, "Seriously though, Tia. I can tell you're all right and I'm proud of you for what you did. Your mother is, too, she's just worried-"

"I know, but she doesn't have to be!" Tia exclaimed, "I'm strong and only getting stronger, I mean, I have Tomahawk and Saber now, too! So-"

"Tia, she's scared of losing you to the life of a trainer," Geoff interrupted, "More so than your own safety. She knows you'll be fine, just, she dreads the day you go out on your own,"

Tia calmed down a bit on that revelation. In truth she probably always knew that was the case when it came to her mother, but hearing it from her dad just made it a bit clearer to her.

"To be honest it bothers me a bit, too," Her father admitted with a slight shrug.

"Dad…"

"But I agree with the challenge. If you defeat Cheren then I don't think neither me nor your mother have the grounds to stop you,"

Tia smiled and nodded. Her father had just given her a lot to think about but also another surge of motivation to go out the next day and win against Cheren.

"Ugh…" Tia groaned as she stumbled out of the Aspertia City gate. She had woken up at six a.m. that morning to get the most of her training time, especially since she didn't plan on training with Cheren that morning like she usually did. Ordinarily she woke up at seven so Tia hadn't thought the hour would make such a big difference in her fatigue.

It did.

She rubbed her grey eyes once more before taking in her surroundings. The sun was just rising over the horizon and lit the sky up to be a lovely blue. Tired as she was Tia couldn't deny how beautiful it made the route look.

"All right…the goal for today is to head for Floccesy and train near their, or see if any passing trainers are up for a battle," Tia reminded herself verbally before she broke into a sprint to the west. There were no guarantees that there would be any trainers but even then wild Pokémon were more common towards the Floccesy end of the route.

Though she ran for nearly an hour, however, she found no trainers.

However she got excited when she saw a young teen standing near some trees. He had wild red hair and wore a tattered beige poncho. With that kind of rugged look it was clear to her that he just had to be some sort of trainer. Tia adjusted her course and slowed her sprint to a jog as she approached the teen slowly.

"Hey. You're a trainer, right?" Now that Tia was closer she saw that the boy was wearing a necklace of Pokeballs and black shorts. His hair was also orange at the tips and not just red.

The teen turned to her and blinked twice before smirking, "Yeah! What what, you want to battle?" His voice was so energetic and loud that it shocked Tia. It was her turn to blink before she smirked right back at the teen.

"Yeah, I do. You down?"

"Hmm…" The teen growled out as he suddenly leaned in towards Tia. The girl leaned away instinctively and gave the boy a confused look while he sniffed at her for a bit. Eventually he backed off and shook his head, "No can do,"

"Wha-"

"Hey! You've got potential, y'know? But you're not on my level yet," The teen said with a shrug, as if to say it was nothing personal, "You just started. Being a Pokémon trainer. Right?"

"Um…yeah…" Tia was a bit put-off by this trainer before her. He seemed weird was all, so anxious he couldn't even put together proper sentences, "Why?"

"Hey! Hey! That's it!" The teen exclaimed with a grin, "I know who can train you! Come!" The teen sprinted full force towards Floccesy, his speed almost inhuman. Tia stared, dumbfounded, at the boy before realizing he wanted her to follow him and doing the same.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Tia called out as she sprinted after him. The teen boy in front of her let out a laugh and eventually did slow down. At first Tia thought it was an act of mercy but when she caught up to him she soon saw that Floccesy town was just ahead of them. She could see the quaint houses and stone streets as the duo entered the area, "So this is Floccesy..."

"Yeah! We weren't that far," The boy exclaimed before giving Tia a smirk, "I'm Benga, by the way,"

"I'm Tia, nice to meet you," Tia was a bit distracted as she replied. Floccesy town was a lot quieter than Aspertia, for one, yet it also made her realize that she had come quite far from home. It had only taken her an hour or so to reach the town by foot, but it was still farther than she had gone before, "So where are you taking me?"

Benga grinned at her before he started jogging, much to Tia's chagrin, "To grandpa's house just up this road! Come on!"

I know this fic is moving a bit slow but I promise it will start to pick up soon. Next chapter should be full of both action and serious plot advancement. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for making it this far!