Disclaimer: Glee is not mine, and the only Pokémon I own are in my video games. The title of this fic is from the Offspring song of the same name. Also, the line Rachel sings in this chapter is from Americano by Lady Gaga.

Puck dropped to the ground with a groan. "Ugh, can't we rest for five minutes?"

"No! We have to be sure the fuzz isn't on our tail!" Rachel exclaimed as she scanned over the map in her hands.

"Rachel."

"Yes, Quinn?"

"For the tenth time… The police are not after us. They were there because that was an illegal casino run by Team Sylvester."

"But…But…Quinn! We used their slot machines! We practically stole Dratini! Though, technically, Dratini was probably stolen to begin with." She trailed off with a gasp. "We stole a stolen Pokémon! We might as well be their accomplices!" She rested her hands on the blonde's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "We're outlaws."

Quinn removed Rachel's hands and collapsed on the ground next to Puck. "We got away mostly unharmed without the police ever even knowing we were there. Besides, Dratini's better off with us anyway."

"But…" Quinn leveled her with a look. Rachel rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Fine. We can rest for five minutes!"

Quinn sighed in relief and took in her surroundings with a fond smile. The park back home had quite a few variety of Pokémon, but beyond the trees held a whole new world.

Something blue on a nearby branch caught her attention. "Hey, what's that?"

Rachel gasped. "Is it the police?"

Puck jumped up from his spot in excitement. "No, it's not! It's a Heracross!"

Quinn took out her pokédex.

"Heracross: The Single Horn Pokémon. Though gentle and docile, Heracross possess great strength and power. They love to eat the fresh sap of leafy trees."

Quinn grimaced. "Ugh, a bug Pokémon."

Puck whipped his head around. "Not just a bug Pokémon, Q! It's a bug and fighting type!" Puck dug through his backpack for a pokéball. "I'm gonna catch it! I can see it now; people are gonna think the Puckasaurus has this lil bug Pokémon, but then POW! BAM!" He punched and kicked the air. "It'll use Focus Punch and knock 'em out when they least expect it! Pokéball, go!—"

"Stop right there!"

Puck dropped the pokéball in fright while Rachel and Quinn turned to the source of the noise.

A girl around their age with blue streaks in her hair stood with her hands on her hips. "Tha-that's my Pokémon!"

Heracross perked its head up at the familiar voice.

"Aw, my bad! I didn't know it had a trainer; I thought it was wild." Puck sheepishly rubbed his hand over his mohawk.

"Hera!" The Heracross jumped from the branch and flew over to its trainer.

The girl patted its head before turning back to the trio. "It's okay. I'm partially to b-b-blame." At their confused looks, she continued, "I was just coming back from an errand for Mike when I sat down to rest for a few minutes, and next thing I know, Heracross is nowhere to be f-f-found!" She turned back to her Pokémon. "We really need to do something about your sap addiction; you just can't run off every time we pass a tree." she gently chided.

"Still, sorry about the mistake." Puck walked up to her and waggled his eyebrows. "The name's Noah Puckerman, but the ladies call me the Puckasaurus—ouch!"

"The ladies call him no such thing," Rachel huffed after bopping him on the head, "we call him Puck." She held out her hand and smiled brightly. "I'm Rachel, and that over there is Quinn!"

The girl hesitantly shook hands with the energetic brunette. "My n-name's Tina."

"So, Tina, you said you were coming back from an errand for someone named Mike? You aren't, perchance, on your way to this town are you?" Rachel shoved the map in Tina's face.

Tina lowered the paper and studied it before smiling. "Yes! That's exactly where I'm headed."

"Oh, thank Barbra! You wouldn't mind us tagging along, would you?"

"Oh, no, of course not." The gang picked up their belongings and followed the girl.

It was quiet for a while until Rachel burst out in song. "Don't you try to catch me. Don't you try to catch me. No, no, no, no! I'm living on the edge of, living on the edge of the law, law, law, law…"

"Rachel!" Puck shushed her before walking next to Tina. "So…" Puck drawled. "Who's Mike? Is he your boyfriend—ouch! Damn, Berry, will you stop it?"

"Don't ask such personal questions then!"

Quinn rolled her eyes at the scene. One would think Puck would've learned by now.

"N-n-no! He's not my b-b-boyfriend." Tina's face turned bright red as she walked a little ahead of the group.

Quinn caught up with her. "Who is he then?" She glanced back at the two friends bickering. "If you don't mind me asking."

Tina sighed dreamily and got a faraway look in her eyes. "He's only one of the best gym leaders in this region. He's so kind to his Pokémon team. And charming. And handsome. And he's so quick and lithe on his feet! You should see him dance! Oh, and those abs…" Rachel and Puck stopped arguing to gawk at Tina. She noticed their stares and spluttered. "I-I-I mean…"

"Wait, gym leader?" Tina gladly turned her attention to Quinn and nodded. "Mike… as in… Mike Chang? The gym leader that specializes in fighting type Pokémon?"

"That's why I had to run an errand for him; there's been an influx of trainers since summer started, and he needed more items for battling."

Rachel noticed her new acquaintance's stutter decreased the more comfortable she felt around them. Or, she smiled, the more she talked about Mike.

Quinn smirked. "He's going to need those items when he battles me!"

"Oh, you three are on your Pokémon journey?"

Puck nodded. "But I'm not trying to become Champion or anything; I'm leaving that up to Q-Ball over there." He nudged his head towards the blonde. "I just wanna travel with my friends and be able to say I did something worthwhile this summer. Prove to those suckers that Noah Puckerman has what it takes to go places!"

"I have no doubt you three will go places, but do you truly think your friend has what it takes to make it all the way?"

"Absolutely!" Rachel exclaimed as if anyone doubting Quinn's abilities was a heinous crime against humanity.

Quinn blushed at Rachel's enthusiasm and then nodded. "Yep. I already won the SkankBadge! Next on my list is Mike Chang!"

Tina chuckled wryly. "I see. You're pretty cocky, Quinn. But it's going to take more than that to beat Mike." She stopped walking and gestured to the building in front of them.

"Oh, wow. I didn't even notice we made it to the town." Puck quipped as Tina pushed open the doors of the gym.

"Tangela, use Vine Whip!"

"Tangela!"

"Oh, good. You'll get to see Mike's power firsthand." Tina said as she led the trio off towards the sidelines as to not disrupt the battle.

"What is that?" Puck took out his pokédex as a blue Pokémon shot one of its many vines out towards its opponent.

"Tangela: The Vine Pokémon. Tangela's identity is obscured by masses of thick, blue vines. During battle, it constantly moves the vines that cover its body in order to annoy its opponent."

"Hitmontop, use Triple Kick."

"Hitmontop!" A brown Pokémon spinning on his head dodged the vines easily and swung his legs at Tangela.

"Holy crap," Puck muttered. He pointed his pokédex towards him.

"Hitmontop: The Handstand Pokémon. Hitmontop spins on its head at high speeds, all the while delivering elegant and dance-like kicks. This technique is a remarkable mix of both offense and defense at the same time. The Pokémon travels faster spinning than it does walking."

"No, Tangela!" A teen with dreadlocks cried out as the fighting type Pokémon continued to advance onto his. "Use Constrict!"

"Close Combat." The trio whipped their heads around to the voice and saw the gym leader standing there with crossed arms and a calm expression.

"Top!" Hitmontop swiftly maneuvered around the vines shooting out at him and spun towards Tangela. "Hitmontop!"

They turned their attention back to the battle as Hitmontop spun within centimeters of the blue vine Pokémon before wildly kicking his legs around.

"Tangela…"

"Tangela, get up!" The challenger yelled out, but it was no use.

"Tangela is unable to battle." Tina stated as she walked into the field. Mike's eyes lit up when he saw her. "Hitmontop wins."

"I can't believe this," the challenger muttered. He looked up when Mike walked towards him with his hand out.

"That was a good battle, Joe—"

"Tangela, return!" Joe called his Pokémon back and turned towards the gym leader with a grief stricken expression. "How did I lose? We trained for this. We were ready!"

Mike lowered his hand with a sigh. "You went into this all wrong," he continued when the boy looked at him in confusion, "it's more than okay to believe in your Pokémon's abilities; however, there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance."

Joe went to respond before he noticed the bystanders out of the corner of his eye. He turned and sputtered when he noticed a pretty blonde girl studying their conversation with furrowed brows. His attention was drawn back to the gym leader when he started speaking again.

"—when you have the right attitude, okay?"

Joe's eyes widened when he realized he was asked a question. He glanced back at the blonde before quickly nodding to the gym leader and running out of the building with his hands in the front of his pants.

Mike quirked an eyebrow. "Well, that was weird…" He turned back to Tina with a smile. "Do you have the items?" She nodded and reached into her bag to give them to him. He beamed at her before walking to his Hitmontop.

"Hitmontop!"

He knelt down beside the fighting type Pokémon and sprayed a Potion on him. "You were fantastic, Hitmontop," Mike praised as the item quickly healed his Pokémon. He patted him on the head before returning him back to his pokéball.

"Mike." Tina nodded her head towards the three teens standing off to the side.

"Oh, hey!" He greeted as he walked to them. "My name's Mike Chang; I'm the gym leader. Are you here for a battle? I just healed Hitmontop so I can call him back out if you are."

"Hello, Mike. My name's Rachel. These two are Quinn and Puck." Rachel spoke up before the others could. "Quinn's the one that will be battling you, but not right now."

Puck made a noise of protest as Quinn continued to stay quiet.

Mike nodded. "Ah, checking out the competition beforehand, huh?" he teased.

Rachel nudged Quinn and the blonde forced out a laugh. Rachel sighed and turned back to the gym leader. "That was a wonderful battle, Mike."

"Thanks!" He took Tina's bag from her and put it over his shoulder. "I don't mean to part so abruptly, but if you're not here to battle yet, we're going to put these away in the back."

Rachel grabbed onto Quinn's arm and motioned for Puck to follow them out the door. "Okay, Mike. We'll see you tomorrow!"

"I look forward to it!" he called out as the gang exited the building.

"Rach, what the hell?" Puck asked once they were outside. "Quinn was so set to kick his ass!"

"No," Quinn muttered, "it was a good thing she postponed the battle." She looked up at her friends. "I don't think I can beat him…"

"What? No! Listen, you're ready for this. You said—"

"That was before I saw how strong his fighting types were!"

Rachel nodded sagely. "Umbreon's good, but she's a dark type." Puck quirked his head to the side. "Dark type Pokémon have an extreme disadvantage to fighting types."

Quinn averted her gaze and ducked her head.

"So you're saying she should just give up before she even tries?" Puck belted out.

"No." Rachel stated. "She—no, we are going to regroup."

"What do you mean?" Puck asked.

Rachel smirked. "Follow me."

"When you said we should regroup, I didn't think you actually meant add more Pokémon to the group." Puck quipped once Rachel led them back into the forest near the city.

"Rachel's got a point, Puck," Quinn said as she recalled the brunette's advice while they were walking into the forest.

"Strength in numbers. I know your Pokémon are powerful; there's no doubt about that. But in order to continue on this journey successfully, you're going to have to add more types to your team."

Quinn shook her head. "It was stupid of me to think I could walk into a battle with a type disadvantage like that."

"Hey," Rachel put her hands on the blonde's shoulders, "it wasn't stupid. You were still high on the excitement from winning your first badge and it clouded your thoughts. I have no doubt it happens to all trainers at one point."

Quinn sighed but nodded nonetheless.

"What about that?" Puck interrupted with a snicker. The two girls turned to see him pointing at a flower looking Pokémon.

"Sprout?" It turned its head to the side as it looked at the friends.

"Awe, it's so cute!" Rachel gushed.

"Um, no." Quinn rolled her eyes but took out her pokédex anyway.

"Bellsprout: The Flower Pokémon. A Bellsprout's thin and flexible body lets it bend and sway to avoid any attack, however strong it may be. From its mouth, it leaks a fluid that melts even iron. It plants its feet deep underground to replenish water. It can't escape its enemy while it's rooted."

"Yeah, that's what I want; my Pokémon stuck to the ground as Hitmontop charges at it with a kick." Quinn scoffed.

Rachel crossed her arms with a huff. "I bet Bellsprout would be able to hold its own against…" She trailed off as the scrawny Pokémon tripped over a twig. "…never mind." She sighed.

Quinn chortled at the scene. She then stepped onto a patch of tall grass and startled as a flash of pink jumped out. "Whoa, what—"

"Flaaffy!"

"What the…" She pointed her pokédex at the new arrival.

"Flaaffy: The Wool Pokémon. Flaaffy's wool quality changes so that it can generate a high amount of static electricity with a small amount of wool. If its coat becomes fully charged with electricity, its tail lights up. It fires hair that zaps on impact."

Quinn put her pokédex away with a grin. "Yes! This is exactly what I need."

"It's a little girly." Puck remarked as he looked at the Pokémon that had a pink body with black stripes around its ears and tail, fluffs of white wool on its neck and head, and a blue orb-like tip on its tail.

"I think she," Rachel narrowed her eyes at the boy, "is adorable!"

"See what I mean?" Puck deadpanned.

Quinn ignored the arguing duo in favor of reaching onto her belt to retrieve a pokéball. "Go, Dratini!"

"—sexist attitude towards Pokémon that—"

"Dratini!"

Rachel abruptly cut herself off when she noticed the little dragon type Pokémon. Her eyes lit up as she took in his healthy and happy appearance; he was definitely better off with Quinn than Team Sylvester.

"Dratini, use Wrap!"

The blue Pokémon slithered towards Flaaffy to wrap his body around her and squeeze. He quickly let go when Flaaffy let out shocks of electricity in response.

"You're doing great, Dratini. Shake it off!" Quinn encouraged. "Use Slam!"

Flaaffy jumped up and dodged right as Dratini charged at her. Her body started to spark with electricity as she turned around and ran back towards Dratini. The electricity started to condense in a ball at the tip of her tail and she whipped it back to throw Electro Ball at her opponent. "Flaaffy!"

"Dratini, use twister!" Quinn quickly called out as Electro Ball came hurdling towards her Pokémon.

Dratini closed his eyes as a gust of wind started to pick up and form a funnel.

"Quinn, get back!" Rachel called out as she and Puck jumped behind a tree when twigs and leaves were sucked into the twister. Her eyes widened when Flaaffy's ball of electricity was sucked into it as well.

The funnel started to glow as electricity traveled throughout it. "Dratini, return!" Once she put his pokéball back on her belt loop, she grabbed another item and threw it right before the twister shot out a blinding light and exploded.

"Quinn!"

Dave stopped walking. "Did you hear something?"

Santana waved him off as she continued her phone conversation. "—do we really have to do this? I mean," she scoffed, "I know our uniforms are matching tracksuits, but we're not some freak show, F."

Dave watched as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I know it will bring in a lot of money for the project, but I'm not—" She turned to Dave when the person on the other line must've interrupted her. He chortled when she brought her hand to her throat and made a gagging motion. "Okay, fine! But Auntie Snix ain't no variety act, so don't expect me to wear sequins or some shit, F!"

Dave quirked an eyebrow when she huffed and hung up her phone. "Plan still set in motion?"

"Unfortunately," she deadpanned. She put her phone away and addressed him, "What'd you say earlier?"

"Huh? Oh," Dave looked over his shoulder before turning back around and shrugging. "Thought I heard something. Guess not."

"Quinn!" Rachel yelled out once it was safe. She jumped up from her spot behind the tree and ran into the area. She waved her hand around to clear some of the smoke.

"Hey, Q! Where are ya?" Puck hollered when he followed Rachel.

A cough alerted them of Quinn's whereabouts. They watched as she slowly walked out of the clearing smoke with dust and dirt covering her. She stopped in front of her friends and lifted her head to grin at them. Their eyes traveled upwards when she thrust her hand in the air.

A pokéball was in her grasp.

"I caught Flaaffy!"

Puck gaped at her.

Rachel let out a watery laugh of disbelief before she threw her arms around Quinn. "You idiot!"

"Whoa, h-hey!" Quinn sputtered out as she stumbled backwards. She regained her footing and wrapped the arm not holding the pokéball around Rachel.

"Don't ever go to such extremes to catch a Pokémon like that again, Lucy Quinn Fabray!" she yelled as she buried her head into Quinn's neck.

"Dude," Puck spoke up, "that was so badass!"

Rachel let go of Quinn to bop him on the head. "Don't encourage such behavior!"

"Ouch! Hey, it was your idea for her to regroup and catch more Pokémon!" Puck glared and rubbed his head.

Quinn looked at the pokéball with a small smile before turning back to her friends. "Enough, you two. Let's go back to the Pokémon Center."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Why? Are you hurt?"

Quinn put her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I'm fine. I'm just—" She glanced at her filthy clothes with a grimace.

Puck laughed and winked. "You're a dirty girl, Quinn—Ouch! Damn it, Rachel!" He pouted and once again rubbed the sore spot on his head.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Come on, you guys."

"You can do this, Quinn. You trained all day yesterday after you caught Flaaffy. You're ready."

Quinn gave a determined nod in Rachel's direction. She straightened out her shoulders and pushed open the doors to the gym.

"Welcome to my gym. My name is Mike Chang—Oh! Hi!" Mike smiled when he noticed it was the three friends from the day before. "Rachel, right? And Puck, and…"

"Quinn." She firmly shook his hand.

Mike quirked an eyebrow up at the different vibe Quinn was giving off today; completely different than the one from yesterday. He motioned for her to follow him to the battlefield.

"The rules are standard Pokémon gym ones; whoever beats all of the other person's team is the victor. Ready?" Mike said as he pulled out a pokéball.

Quinn mirrored his moves. "You bet."

"I choose you, Primeape!"

Quinn's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the angry-looking ball of fur.

"Shit," Puck muttered, "I thought he was gonna use Hitmontop!"

Rachel bit her lip as she took out her pokédex and pointed it at the fighting type Pokémon.

"Primeape: The Pig Monkey Pokémon. When Primeape becomes furious, its blood circulation is boosted. In turn, its muscles are made even stronger. However, it also becomes much less intelligent at the same time."

A contemplative look appeared on Quinn's face as she listened to the pokédex entry. She returned her attention to the start of the battle with a smirk and threw out the pokéball in her hand.

"Go, Flaaffy!"

Primeape's eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of his opponent. He beat his fists against his chest and let out a snarl.

Tina walked up to the side of the field. "The battle will commence in three, two, one!"

"Primeape, Focus Energy." The fighting type Pokémon closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Flaaffy, use Take Down!" The wool Pokémon charged at Primeape and knocked her head against his body. She bounced off him and stumbled backwards.

Primeape's left eye started to twitch; however, he didn't budge.

"Come on, Primeape, keep focusing! You're almost there!"

"You're okay, Flaaffy! Keep using Take Down!"

"Flaaffy!" Flaaffy regained her footing and charged at the unmoving Pokémon again and again.

Primeape let out a huff of annoyance.

"Once more, Flaaffy!"

The wool Pokémon knocked herself into Primeape one more time. The pig monkey Pokémon snapped his eyes open and glared at her.

"Okay, Primeape, now release the ener—"

Primeape ignored Mike's command and beat his fists against his chest before giving chase to the wool Pokémon.

Mike's eyes widened as he sputtered out, "Primeape, what are you doing?"

Tina gasped as she watched the scene unfold.

"Flaaffy, wiggle your tail at him!" Quinn commanded with a grin.

Flaaffy jumped over Primeape's head as he charged at her. The fighting type Pokémon turned around to see Flaaffy wiggling her tail. His nostrils flared and he punched the ground before chasing her again.

"They're…" Rachel trailed off as Primeape became flustered. "They're taunting him on purpose!"

Puck barked out a laugh when Primeape tried to tackle Flaaffy but ended up tripping over his feet.

"Primeape, stop! Focus! Use Low Kick!"

"Prime!" Primeape picked himself up off the ground and swung his fist at Flaaffy.

"I said Low Kick!" Mike ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "Fine, use Karate Chop—Oh, now you use Low Kick…"

Quinn turned her head to giggle before calling out a move. "Dodge it! Okay, now use Confuse Ray!"

Flaaffy ran to the left and held her tail upwards as a power started to shoot out of it.

Primeape's eyes glazed over and he immediately stopped his rampage.

"Use Seismic Toss!" Mike called out.

Primeape shook his head and tried to look for Flaaffy. The room kept spinning in his eyes and he let out a roar of frustration.

"Okay, Flaaffy, use Thunder!"

The wool Pokémon let out sparks of electricity to form one giant bolt that went straight for her opponent.

"N-no way…" Tina stuttered out. She walked to the field and announced, "Primeape is unable to battle…"

"Yes! Quinn! That was amazing!" Rachel cheered.

"Primeape, return," Mike called back his Pokémon with his head down. He took a deep breath as he reached for his next one. "I must admit, that was a brilliant battle tactic." Quinn smirked. "However, you won't be able to do that again with this one. Go, Hitmontop!"

"Top!"

Quinn narrowed her eyes. "You can do this, Flaaffy! I believe in you!"

Mike tilted his head to the side at the challenger's admittance before he called out a move. "No more playing around. Hitmontop, use Rolling Kick!"

"Hitmontop-top!" Hitmontop jumped on his head and started spinning towards Flaaffy.

"Flaaffy, use ThunderShock!" The wool Pokémon let out a battle cry as she shot out electricity.

Hitmontop spun around the sparks and made his way towards Flaaffy to kick at her sides.

"Flaaffy!" She stumbled as the onslaught of kicks continued.

"Shake him off and use SignalBeam, Flaaffy!"

The pink wool Pokémon jumped backwards to dodge the kick and fired out a rainbow colored beam.

"Dodge it, Hitmontop!" Hitmontop twirled out of the way of the beam."Now use Rapid Spin!" The fighting type Pokémon continued to spin on his head and made his way towards Flaaffy to tackle her.

"Damn. Why won't the pipsqueak stay still?" Puck hollered in frustration.

Mike smirked.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "That's it," she mumbled to herself before she called out, "Flaaffy! Use Thunder Wave!"

Flaaffy picked herself off the ground and started to glow yellow. Multiple beams of electricity fired their way towards Hitmontop.

"Move away from them, Hitmontop—Shit!" Mike yelled when his Pokémon was hit with the move and collapsed. Hitmontop tried to pick himself up but his limbs were paralyzed.

"Let's try this again. Flaaffy, use SignalBeam!"

"Flaaf!" Flaaffy once more shot out a rainbow beam towards Hitmontop. The fighting type Pokémon skidded backwards from the impact.

"Stop!"

Quinn looked on in confusion at Mike's outburst.

"I know my Pokémon's limits. There's no way we can win this round. Hitmontop, return!"

"Great job, Q!" Puck cheered her on and high-fived Rachel.

"Flaaffy is once again the victor." Tina stated in disbelief. She turned towards Mike and tilted her head to the side. The gym leader returned her gaze and nodded his head. Her eyes lit up and she walked back to the sidelines with a smirk.

Quinn furrowed her brows at the silent communication. Before she could think anymore of it, Mike threw out his last pokéball.

"Hitmonlee!"

"What the…" She trailed off before she took out her pokédex.

"Hitmonlee: The Kicking Pokémon. Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch. Using these spring-like legs, it bowls over foes with devastating kicks. The soles of its feet turn as hard as diamonds when giving a particular hard kick. It has earned the nickname The Kick Master."

Rachel gulped. "Be careful, Quinn!"

The blonde nodded before turning to her Pokémon. "Flaaffy, I think you're about to fight your toughest opponent yet. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

The wool Pokémon puffed out her chest and gave a determined nod.

Mike studied the two with a curious look. He was shaken out of his reverie when Quinn said, "Okay, Mike, let's do this!"

He smirked. "Okay. Hitmonlee, use Double Kick!"

The brown Pokémon stretched his spring-like legs out to kick Flaaffy.

"Flaaffy, use Electro Ball!"

The pink Pokémon formed a ball of electricity in her tail and swung it at her opponent right as a kick landed to her torso.

Hitmonlee stumbled as the ball burst into sparks once it made contact with him.

"Power through it, Hitmonlee! Use Hi Jump Kick!" The fighting type Pokémon shook off the sparks and jumped into the air and did a front flip. He then blared down from the air and stuck his leg out.

Quinn's eyes widened as Flaaffy was knocked out.

"Flaaffy is unable to battle! Hitmonlee wins!" Tina called out.

"Shit. Flaaffy, return!"

"It's okay, Quinn! You both did amazing!" Rachel cheered her on.

Quinn nodded and held the pokéball to her chest. "She's right. You were so awesome, Flaaffy. We're almost there because of you." She switched the pokéball for another and took a deep breath. "I'm counting on you… Go, Cyndaquil!"

"Cynda!"

"Hitmonlee, use Mega Kick!"

"Cyndaquil, use SmokeScreen!"

The little fire mouse Pokémon let out a fog of black smoke as Hitmonlee went to kick him. The fighting type Pokémon looked from left to right to try to find his opponent.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!"

A blast of fire shot out through the smoke and hit Hitmonlee in the chest.

"Hitmonlee, Endure!"

"Hitmonlee!" Hitmonlee braced himself against the flames until the attack was over.

Quinn's eyebrows rose when the fighting type Pokémon seemed to be unharmed.

"Now use Close Combat!"

Hitmonlee ran at high speeds and struck his right leg out to kick Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil!" Quinn cried out as her little Pokémon cowered from the blows. "Use…" She trailed off as she tried to think of a move. "Use Eruption!"

The flames on Cyndaquil's back grew and a geyser of fire erupted from them towards Hitmonlee.

"Cynda…Quuuuuil!" The fire Pokémon continued to shoot flames out when he all of a sudden started to glow.

Mike's eyes widened when the little fire mouse Pokémon's body started to grow along with his flames.

"He's evolving!" Rachel yelled out in amazement.

"Quilava!" The newly evolved Pokémon stood up on his hind legs and let out a battle cry.

Quinn's mouth hung open and she took out her pokédex and pointed it at her Pokémon.

"Quilava. The Volcano Pokémon. Quilava keeps its foes at bay with the intensity of its flames and gusts of superheated air. This Pokémon applies its outstanding nimbleness to dodge attacks even while scorching the foes with flames."

Mike grimaced. "Hitmonlee, use Low Sweep!"

The fighting type Pokémon staggered towards Quilava; Eruption had done a number on him.

Quinn snapped her mouth shut and smirked. "Quilava, dodge it and use Fire Blast!"

The blue volcano Pokémon swiftly ran to the side as Hitmonlee attempted to kick him. The flames on his back rose as he opened his mouth and shot out a blast of fire directly onto Hitmonlee.

Tina sighed. "Hitmonlee is unable to fight. Quinn wins the StepBadge."

"Yes!" Rachel jumped up as the battle ended and ran towards Quinn.

Quinn grinned and called back Quilava into his pokéball.

"Yeah! You kicked some serious ass out there, Q!" Puck picked her up and spun her around. "Go Team Quinnlava!"

Quinn laughed and playfully hit him in the shoulder to put her down. "Team Quinnlava?"

"Yeah, you and Quilava. I just thought of it. Pretty badass, huh?"

She chuckled and turned towards Mike. He called back Hitmonlee and walked towards her with his head down. She sucked in a breath and waited for him to say something.

"Congratulations, Quinn!" He looked up at her with a smile. "Your bond and trust with your Pokémon aided you in this battle. You took the necessary step in understanding what it means to be a Pokémon trainer, and with that, I give you the StepBadge!"

Puck snatched the badge out of the gym leader's hands before it could reach Quinn. "Oh, wow. I thought you called it the StepBadge because Tina said you were a dancer or something," he remarked.

"I thought it was because you specialize in Pokémon that use their feet for battle," Rachel added.

"You're all right," Tina piped up, "but he likes to act older than he is and pretend to be wise."

Mike blushed and sheepishly rubbed his neck. He quickly grabbed the badge from Puck and gave it to Quinn. "Here." He pointedly ignored the other boy's snickers.

Quinn stared at her badge with pride as the gang traveled out of the city the next day.

Rachel beamed at the blonde. "I knew you could do it—"

"Jiggly!"

"Oh, what's that?" Rachel asked excitedly.

Puck gawked at the pink Pokémon. "Um, Rach…"

She ignored him and took out her pokédex.

"Jigglypuff: The Balloon Pokémon. Jigglypuff's vocal chords can freely adjust the wavelength of its voice. This Pokémon uses this ability to sing at precisely the right wavelength to make its foes most drowsy."

"…adjust the wavelength of its voice…" Rachel trailed off in amazement before squealing. "She sings!"

Quinn's eyebrows rose as it seemed Rachel missed the rest of the pokédex entry. "Yeah, but Rachel—"

"Oh, I must have her!" Rachel ignored her friend's worried glances and determinedly marched up towards the pink balloon Pokémon.

Jigglypuff quirked her head to the side at the humans before widening her eyes; she finally had an audience! She closed her eyes sang. "Jigglypuff…"

Rachel stopped in her tracks. "Hmm? Oh, she's performing for us—" She didn't finish her sentence as she promptly fell asleep.

"Q! Cover your ears…" Puck fell to the ground with a snore.

"Rachel!" Quinn clapped her hands over her ears and ran towards the brunette. She knelt down beside her to check on her. She put a hand on Rachel's cheek before she realized what she did. The song wafted in her uncovered ear and she dozed off on top of her friend.

Jigglypuff finished the song and opened her eyes. She grinned expectantly as she looked around for her audience. Her balloon body inflated as she angrily noticed them asleep on the ground. "Puff!" She walked up to the boy with the mohawk and kicked her little foot in his side.

Puck snored and rolled over with his thumb in his mouth.

"Jigglypuff! Puff!" The pink Pokémon huffed and stormed out of the area.