Aubrey took off from the west gate of Mesagoza, running into the western side of the South Province of Paldea. She was surrounded by warm, lush farmland, where the grass was a healthy dark green. Aubrey took some time to admire her surroundings, awestruck by the sheer scope of Paldea, which she hadn't experienced before. She looked up at the vast sky above, and not where she was going. Aubrey was suddenly lifted into the air by a weak psychic force, which forced her to look down, where she found a little Ralts. Thankfully she packed a few Poké Balls.
"Well, a Ralts is my first catch. Hmph. Could be worse." Aubrey didn't feel the need to battle this particular Ralts. She threw her Poké Ball at it and the Poké Ball opened, capturing the Ralts. It wiggled three times before locking up. Aubrey had secured her Ralts, the third member of her party. She looked around and noticed some Rookidees flying about. One swooped down for an attack.
"Okay, Ralts. Time to test your mettle!" Aubrey threw her Poké Ball, sending Ralts into battle. She looked over Ralts's moves and made a decision.
"Knock this thing outta the sky with Disarming Voice!" Aubrey called an attack. Ralts would sing with its boyish voice, which dealt damage to the Rookidee, who then tried to peck at the Ralts. The attack connected, dealing decent damage, but Ralts shook it off. Aubrey smirked, knowing her Ralts could take it.
"Well done, Ralts. Now finish it with Confusion!" Aubrey called Ralts's strongest move. Ralts let off a weak psychic link to hold Rookidee in the air before flinging it at another Rookidee, knocking both out.
"Two in one! Great job, Ralts!" Aubrey pumped her fists at her surprise double KO. Not wanting to be bothered by more birds, she took out Miraidon's Poké Ball and threw it, summoning the bike Pokémon. The legendary dragon looked Aubrey in the eye and sniffed at her face to get an understanding of its new owner. Miraidon accepted Aubrey and shifted to its bike form, allowing Aubrey to hop on its back.
"Well… that went ok. Let's take off, Miraidon!" Aubrey rallied her new bike Pokémon to charge forth, blowing past swaths of farmland and even a trainer. A Pokémon Center was coming up over the horizon, and Aubrey recognized the shape of the building.
"So that's a Pokémon Center, like the ones Mr. Jacq mentioned. Let's give it a look…" Aubrey stopped her Miraidon at the Pokémon Center and returned it to the Poké Ball before walking up to the nurse, who greeted her with a smile.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" The nurse began. "My, you must be new out here. Would you like a basic rundown of the facilities we offer?" The nurse asked. Aubrey shook her head.
"Nope. I learned about these awhile ago in class. Now, I'd like to have my Pokémon healed up." Aubrey took out her three Poké Balls, which the nurse gladly accepted. She put the Poké Balls onto a healing machine, which healed Klawf, Fuecoco, and Ralts to perfect health. Then the nurse handed the Poké Balls back to Aubrey.
"Your Pokémon are all healed up now. We hope to one day see you again!" The nurse waved goodbye as Aubrey gave her a thumbs up.
"How convenient that there was a Pokémon Center." Aubrey observed as she walked into Cortondo, observing the basic, traditional housing that littered the place. The city had a very positive vibe with its natural lighting and abundance of Pokémon, like Smoliv, Tarountula, and a couple Wooloo. One tall white building caught Aubrey's attention, mostly because Nemona was standing in the doorway.
"That's probably a Pokémon Gym… otherwise Nemona wouldn't be standing there waiting for me." Aubrey commented as she walked up to the gym. Nemona quickly turned around to face her friend.
"Heyyyyy, Aubrey! You came along after all!" Nemona happily greeted her friend.
"Yeah, I guess there was just a gym here." Aubrey responded to her friend. Nemona grabbed her by the hand with a smile.
"Come on! Let's get you registered for the Gym Challenge!" Nemona dragged Aubrey into the gym building, where the two of them met the person at the desk.
"I'd like to register my friend as a Gym Challenger!" Nemona quickly started talking at the receptionist.
"Well, you seem eager, Miss Nemona. Who might your friend be?" The receptionist asked.
"My friend? She's the bestest rival I could ever ask for! She's cool, she's powerful, and she has a super amazing Pokémon! Give it up for Aubrey Chase!" Nemona described Aubrey like a cheerleader would describe her boyfriend. Aubrey just glared at Nemona like she wanted to smack her upside the head. The receptionist turned to face Aubrey.
"Well, you must be quite strong if a Champion-Level trainer like Nemona speaks so highly of you. Please allow me to welcome you to your first gym challenge." The receptionist spoke calmly to try and stop Aubrey from getting too wound up.
"What Nemona was trying to say is, I wanna register for the Gym Challenge. It's not that hard to be direct and straightforward." Aubrey replied while giving Nemona a little side eye as the receptionist wrote down Aubrey's first and last name before sending it out to the other seven gyms, registering her for the Gym Challenge.
"Good. Now, since this is your first gym test, let me explain the basics of the Paldea Gym Challenge. Every gym has a test you must complete, and the test is different for each gym you find. Complete the test and you get to battle the Gym Leader, who specializes in a certain type of Pokémon. Win that battle and you earn one of eight gym badges, and to take the Champion Test, you require eight different gym badges. Do you agree to these terms?" The receptionist asked. Aubrey took careful note of what the receptionist said.
"Yep. I'm cool with those terms. Now set me up for the gym test!" Aubrey spoke sharply, eager to get a move on.
"Good. Now, your gym test takes place at the farm on the edge of the city. You must roll a large olive from one end of the farm to the goal at the end, through an elaborate maze." The receptionist announced the test. Aubrey folded her arms.
"I'll take on the test and I'll make it look easy!" Aubrey announced with a sense of confidence in her voice. The receptionist smiled.
"Good. Now when you reach the farm, your test will begin." The receptionist sent Aubrey off to the site of the gym test, where the encountered the giant olive. It was around twice her height, but Aubrey was not at all intimidated. She just began shoving the Olive forward as soon, watching for the fence borders that made up the maze. She turned left when she found her first fence, before making a right turn. She was blazing through her gym test at speeds that surprised Nemona. Aubrey was rolling along until she spotted a trainer. The trainer spotted her as well.
"You came along quicker than I thought! Barely fifty seconds and you're already near the goal. Unfortunately for you, I'll have to battle you to see if you're worthy of reaching the goal!" The trainer challenged Aubrey to a battle.
"You're making a mistake by challenging me! I'll crush you in no time flat!" Aubrey snapped back as she took out a Poké Ball. The Gym Trainer picked up his own.
"Show 'em your might, Nymble!" The trainer threw his Poké Ball, sending the Grasshopper Pokémon into battle.
"Get ready, Klawf! Crush 'em!" Aubrey threw her Poké Ball, sending the Ambush Pokémon into battle.
"I'll go first. Nymble, Double Kick!" The gym trainer commanded his Pokémon. Nymble hopped towards Klawf and kicked it twice, taking out a third of its HP. Aubrey winced slightly, but she appeared fine.
"That won't stop us! Klawf, flatten it with Rock Throw!" Aubrey called out an attack. Klawf heaved a rock the size of a Tarountula and threw it at Nymble, squashing it instantly. The gym trainer looked down and returned his Pokémon.
"Wow… no wonder you got here so quickly. You're strong!" The gym trainer complimented Aubrey's strength as a blockade of Smoliv moved out of the way. Aubrey shoved the olive forward, not even acknowledging the gym trainer's compliment as she shoved it towards the red goal bucket. Eventually, the olive wnet in and the bucket tipped, landing on its base with the olive stored safely inside. Aubrey wiped her hands before going back to the Gym building.
"Hello, Miss Chase. Congratulations on completing your test." The receptionist greeted Aubrey.
"Thanks. Where's the gym leader?" Aubrey asked. The receptionist pointed to her left, smiling.
"Gym Leader Katy will be waiting for you at the battle court over that way. It should be easy to spot." The receptionist sent Aubrey off.
"Thanks. Now it's bug squashing time!" Aubrey ran like the wind towards the battle court where a woman dressed as a baker was waiting. Her hat resembled a sack of flour, covering her mint green hair. Her brown apron covered her loose beige shirt and pants. She had a gentle, motherly smile.
"Welcome to the battle court, dear challenger." The woman gretted Aubrey with a warm tone of voice. Aubrey looked into her eyes and felt relaxed. The woman's motherly aura seemed to comfort Aubrey, though she didn't want to show it.
"Yeah, I'm your challenger. My name's Aubrey." Aubrey tinroduced herself as Nemona found her way over to the battle court, smiling. Beside her, Edwin arrived. Nemona recognized him very quickly.
"Oh! Hi there!" Nemona greeted Edwin. "Came to watch Aubrey battle?" Nemona asked. Edwin smiled.
"You bet, Nemona… I want to see how far she's come since leaving Faraway Town…" Edwin spoke quietly, as not to attract attention. He looked over at his old friend, and noticed she had no Tera Orb. Luckily, he had a spare. He thought for a moment before handing it to Nemona.
"Hand this to Aubrey. She might need it." Edwin instructed. Nemona smiled.
"Yep! I'll be there in a flash!" Nemona ran over to Aubrey as she and Katie set up for the Gym Battle.
"Wait, Aubrey! Before you start, take this!" Nemona shouted as she handed Aubrey the Tera Orb. Aubrey recognized it quickly.
"A Tera Orb?! For me?" Aubrey asked, surprised.
"Yep! You're probably going to need it, because all the Gym Leaders have one!Including Katy!" Nemona then took off back to the crowd. Aubrey stood there in total shock before turning back to the woman, known as Gym Leader Katy.
"Alright then… prepare to get squashed like a bug!" Aubrey boldly proclaimed. Katy smiled.
"I quite like your confidence, Miss Aubrey. It makes me want to try my best, and give you the battle you deserve." Katy stated openly. Both trainers got out their Poké Balls and gripped them tightly, each carrying three.
"Tarountula! Let's bake something delightful!" Katie threw her first Pokémon into battle, summoning the String Ball Pokémon.
"It's crushing time, Klawf! Let's rock their world!" Aubrey threw her first Pokémon into battle, summoning the Ambush Pokémon. Nemona would step up as the referee, while Edwin stood behind Aubrey so she wouldn't notice him too soon.
"Let the battle begin!" Nemona raised her arm to signal the beginning of the battle.
"The first ingredient to this delicious battle! Tarountula, calm the kitchen with String Shot!" Katy called the first move. Tarountula spit out a web of string from its mouth, wrapping around Klawf and cutting its speed.
"That won't do much to stop us." Aubrey countered. "Klawf, knock them out with Rock Throw!" Aubrey called her first move. Klawf heaved a rock the size of a Tarountula and then threw it at Katy's Pokémon, squashing it instantly.
"Tarountula is unable to battle! This means Klawf is our winner!" Nemona pointed to Aubrey with a big smile as Aubrey looked her in the eye, smiling back.
"Return home, Tarountula. Take a good rest." Katy returned Tarountula to its Poké Ball before looking at Aubrey.
"You're off to quite a good start. Perhaps that Pokémon was too easy for you." Katy joked as she pulled out her second Pokémon. "Now, the next ingredient for our lovely battle is Nymble!" Katy threw in her second Poké Ball, bringing out the Grasshopper Pokémon. Aubrey held out Klawf's Poké Ball.
"Take a rest and prepare yourself, Klawf. I'm saving you for the last Pokémon." Aubrey announced as she took out her second Poké Ball.
"Alright, then! Light 'em up, Fuecoco!" Aubrey threw in her second Poké Ball, summoning the Fire Croc Pokémon. She was confident in her decision. Over in the corner of the crowd, Edwin took notice of Aubrey's choice.
"So she's resting Klawf to prepare it for Katy's third and strongest Pokémon and remove the effect of String Shot. Smart play, Auby." Edwin thought to himself. Meanwhile, back in the battle, Katy smiled gently.
"Alright, Nymble! Cool that fire with a nice pinch of Struggle Bug!" Katy called out her first attack. Nymble leapt up and spun around, loosing a wave of orange powder that clung onto Fuecoco, dealing damage and cutting its Special Attack stat.
"So you got a hit? I'm not that worried about it. Fuecoco, blast that thing with Ember!" Aubrey called out an attack. Fuecoco took a deep breath before spitting out sizzling embers, which dealt high damage to Nymble, though the drop in Fuecoco's special attack saved the grasshopper. Katy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since I survived, I shall add some spice to this battle, with Nymble's Astonish!" Katy called a second attacking move. Nymble turned around before quickly lunging at Fuecoco for minimal damage. Aubrey smirked.
"That won't do a thing, but this next move will leave a mark! Fuecoco, use Bite!" Aubrey called out a physical attack. Fuecoco ran up to Nymble and then took a bite out of it, eating up whatever HP it had left.
"Nymble is unable to battle! This means that the winner is Fuecoco!" Nemona pointed to Aubrey, keeping up her smile. Katy pulled out her last Poké Ball. She smiled sweetly as she wound up to throw.
"Now, the last ingredient, my beloved Teddiursa will whip up a victory today!" Katy threw her last Poké Ball, revealing the Little Bear Pokémon. Aubrey smirked. This was her opportunity for victory, so she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Come on back, Fuecoco. You did real good." Aubrey returned her Pokémon and pulled out Klawf's Poké Ball. She looked at it for a moment. The ball wiggled slightly. Aubrey could tell something was different. She knew her Klawf really, really wanted to battle. Aubrey smiled and wound up to throw.
"Now, time to bring back my partner! Battle time, Klawf!" Aubrey threw the Poké Ball, re-summoning the Ambush Pokémon. Both Klawf and Teddiursa were raring to go.
"Let the battle begin!" Nemona raised her hand with more intensity as Katy and Aubrey both pulled out their Tera Orbs. Both orbs began glowing incredibly bright as the area around them darkened. Aubrey's hair and Katy's apron flowed wildly from the intense energy the orbs gave off.
"Here we go! The final clash! Tera Orb, go out and Terastalize my Pokémon!" Aubrey and Katy chanted simultaneously as they threw their Tera Orbs, surrounding Teddiursa and Klawf with crystals. Teddiursa turned into a yellowish-green crystallized form with a butterfly crown, and Klawf turned into a blue crystalllized form with a water fountain crown. Both trainers were glowing with intense energy as they prepared to battle.
"Teddiursa! Let's make something special tonight! Use your Fury Cutter to slice and dice our treat!" Katy called out as Teddiursa's crown glowed a bright yellow-green. Teddiursa then ran up to Klawf with a glowing claw and made a sweeping slash to deal high damage, resulting in sparkling residue from the attack. Aubrey shielded her face for a moment before glaring Katy in the eye.
"You wanna see the extent of my power? Watch this! Klawf, crush them with Crabhammer!" Aubrey swiped her right hand to the side as Klawf's crown glowed. Klawf raced up to Teddiursa at surprising speed before smashing it with its crab-shaped blue claw, leaving behind more sparkling residue and knocking out Teddiursa instantly. Katy watched as the crown broke and Teddiursa fell over. In a state of shock, she returned Teddiursa to its Poké Ball before looking Aubrey in the eyes as both of their Tera Orbs powered down. Klawf raised its claws to celebrate its resounding victory.
"Teddiursa is unable to battle! This means Klawf is our winner, and Aubrey Chase has defeated Gym Leader Katy!" Nemona announced with excitement in her voice. Katy walked up to Aubrey with a gentle, motherly smile.
"Well done, my dear… you blew me away with just how strong you were in our battle. It's like baking the perfect pastry!" Katy congratulated Aubrey, who smiled and blushed slightly.
"T-Thank you… I tried my best." Aubrey sheepishly admitted before Katy handed her the gym badge.
"Here is the proof of your accomplishment, my shining gym badge." Katy announced as Aubrey took the badge and clipped it to her uniform. She was happy with her accomplishment but it wouldn't last. Her Rotom Phone began to ring. It was a call from Arven.
"Hey, Aubrey! I found a Titan! It's to the east of Mesagoza on the stony cliff! I'll get you an air taxi so you can battle it with me! You won't believe what you see!" Arven talked quickly before hanging up. An air taxi arrived at the battle court, waiting to pick up Aubrey, who sighed.
"Looks like I can't stay too long… I've got a Titan to slay." Aubrey said as the taxi slipped below the horizon. It was time for Aubrey to go Titan Hunting.