Author's Note: I'm back! To those of you who have been following Zayn's journey since the beginning, I'm sorry for disappearing. To those new to the journey, welcome aboard! Please allow me a moment to pick myself up and dust off the...well, dust, that has gathered on this story during its hiatus, and let's dive on in!

On a side note, my battling scenes are a little rusty, so if anyone has any tips or pointers don't be afraid to chip in! Also, I am no longer taking submissions for OCs. Life has been a little hectic and this story takes a lot of time and energy to create, so I haven't the time to add anymore characters into the mix right now. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Chapter Six: A Buggin' Showdown, Part Two

"No, like this!" Zayn raised his arms above his head and balanced himself on one foot. As he hopped onto his other foot, he swung his arms down in a chopping motion. "It's about balance, not speed. You have to stay on one foot."

Squirtle nodded and raised her little arms as Ghost watched from the side, his head cocked in amusement. "Squir," Squirtle groaned as she wobbled on one leg, looking for balance. After she found it, she smiled as she jumped into the air and landed on both feet. "Urtle!" she exclaimed, swiping at the air with her clawed hands.

"No," Zayn sighed and shook his head. "You're supposed to land on one foot, one foot!" He snapped his fingers at the houndour. "Ghost, show her how it's done."

Without hesitation, Ghost trotted up to where Squirtle was standing, a smug gleam in his eye as he balanced himself on two paws. "Houndour!" he barked as he jumped into the air and landed on the opposite paws without toppling over. "Dou!"

Zayn grinned as he patted the pup's head. "See?" he said, turning to Squirtle. "Ghost can do it perfectly, and on the first try. Now go again!"

Squirtle huffed and rolled her eyes as she picked herself up on one foot again and lifted her arms. "Squirtle squirt urtle," she muttered as Zayn instructed her to hold that pose.

"Don't work them too hard, now."

Zayn looked up as Morgen ascended the hill, a plate of food in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. Was it lunchtime already? His stomach rumbled in confirmation, but he shook his head. No, I have to focus!

"We have to get ready for our gym match," Zayn said, ignoring the pain in his gut as he turned back around and ordered Squirtle to jump. When she slipped and landed on her stomach, he threw his hands into the air. "That's not right! Again!"

Behind him, Morgen set down the plate with a clank! "Cut it out," she said, an edge of annoyance in her tone as she plopped the brown bag next to the plate and placed her hands on her hips. "You've been out here since Jared's match this morning. That was three hours ago!" She pointed to Squirtle, who was still lying on her stomach. "Can't you see she's tired? Take a break already!"

Zayn felt his cheeks flush as he looked back at the tiny turtle. Squirtle was visibly shaking, her chest heaving as she slowly pushed herself back on her feet and attempted the training exercise again. He did not even realize how long they had been out here. "S-Squirtle," he said, waving to the pokémon as he walked over to where Morgen was sitting, "you can come rest for a bit."

As Squirtle hobbled over, stretching her legs out as she plopped down next to them, he thought he heard her breathe what sounded like a sigh of relief, and his chest tightened with guilt. Had he really been pushing her that hard?

"Here," Morgen said, handing Zayn a plastic fork as he sat across from her. Ghost joined them, completing their little circle as he nudged the brown bag eagerly with his nose. Laughing, Morgen opened it up and withdrew two small plastic bowls. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you guys."

Zayn watched her as she filled the bowls with dry pokéfood, then glanced down at his plate. "You didn't have to bring lunch," he muttered, but as his stomach growled in protest he cut into the steak and took a bite. The meat was a little tough, and the macaroni a little mushy, but he was not about to complain about a free meal.

Morgen smiled, though there was a softness to her eyes that did not seem to reflect the joy in her grin. "We would've invited you, but you were training pretty hard up here," she said, sweeping her hand in a wide arc. "We didn't want to bother you."

Zayn followed her hand, taking in their surroundings. He had picked the top of this hill for its seclusion; just outside Santalune City's limits, but not too far from town. At the bottom of the hill he could make out the city's denizens as they carried about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the stress that the new trainers were under over the next few days. Well, Zayn thought as he slowly chewed his food, the stress that I'm under, anyway.

As if reading his thoughts, Morgen turned back to him. "Why are you up here, anyway?" she asked.

Zayn shrugged as he took another bite. "We need to practice." He noticed Squirtle scarfing down her food, as if she had not eaten in days, and he shook his head. "Not so fast, or you'll be too full to train anymore."

Morgen leaned back, watching as the turtle lowered her head in shame and slid her half-eaten bowl to the side. "Why are you so hard on her?"

Zayn glanced at Ghost as the houndour continued devouring his own food, oblivious to the conversation going on around him. "Ghost and I have done this before," he finally said. "Squirtle has more work to do if she's going to be just as good."

"You only just got her, Harker. She won't become great overnight." Morgen nodded to Ghost. "How long have you two been partners?"

The houndour lifted his head, smacking as he licked his lips clean. "It's—" Zayn stared at Ghost, the memories of their time together flashing through his mind like a motion picture. "It's been five years."

Morgen smiled that same sad, knowing smile. "That's a long time for it to be just the two of you."

Ghost scratched at his ear, shook himself, and then walked over to Zayn and plopped in his lap. Zayn smiled, pushing his empty plate aside as he rubbed the pup's nose. "It was you and me against the world, huh buddy?" He laughed as Ghost barked happily.

"You aren't a bad trainer," Morgen interjected, "and Squirtle knows that. But not every pokémon you catch is going to be a great fighter. It'll take time, just like it did with Ghost." She cleared her throat, motioning to Squirtle once Zayn looked up. "You two aren't alone anymore," she said as she patted the turtle's back. "And from this moment on, you don't ever have to be."

Zayn followed Morgen's gaze. Squirtle was staring back at him, her violet eyes glistening with a longing that he knew all too well, and he knew that Morgen was right. You just want to do your best, don't you? Ghost nudged his hand and grunted, drawing Zayn's attention. Both of you do.

"I'm sorry, Squirtle," he said, lifting his eyes back to the turtle. "I only want you to be the best. I didn't mean to push you past your limit." His throat tightened as he remembered the last time he pushed a pokémon too hard, and the agonizingly long wait at the Pokémon Center afterwards. He would not make that mistake again! "I owe it to you to be better than that." He rubbed Ghost's back, his fingers brushing along the winding scar. "I owe it to both of you."

Squirtle searched his gaze, her eyes boring holes into his as if she were looking for something. "Squirt urtle squirt!" She grinned, and Zayn breathed a sigh of relief. She was not mad at him.

"We'll get better at this," he smiled as Ghost licked his chin. Squirtle got up and patted Zayn's shoulder, and it was then that he realized that she and Ghost were no longer bickering. Was Ghost feeding off of my energy? he thought, another wave of guilt hitting him. Did he—did he think that's what I wanted?

"Well, my work here is done!" Morgen exclaimed, pulling Zayn away from his thoughts as she gathered the trash and stood up. "I'll let you get back to your…" She tilted her head as she reflected on the balancing act Zayn had Squirtle do. "To whatever it was you were doing."

Zayn pushed Ghost out of his lap and stood up. "It's a training exercise," he explained, pulling out his pokédex. "For balance. I found it on this." He opened the encyclopedia and scrolled through the holographic menu, finally resting on a tile entitled, 'Bulk Up - Beginner Mode.'

Morgen smirked and shook her head, turning around to take her leave. "You know," she called out over her shoulder as she descended the hill, "if you ever want to train for real instead of teaching your pokémon new yoga tricks, let me know." She waved her hand above her head. "You have a whole group of people ready to test your skill!"

Zayn watched her until she disappeared into Santalune's busy streets, then turned back to his pokémon. Squirtle stared at him expectantly as Ghost sniffed at the turtle's uneaten food. We can be better, he thought as he scanned through the pokédex, comparing the different training programs that were available. I can be better.

Groaning in dissatisfaction with the applications, Zayn shoved the pokédex back into his pocket and sighed. "It's pointless," he muttered as he looked down at Squirtle and Ghost, Morgen's words echoing in his ear: You have a group of people ready to test you.

His shoulders sagged as a sigh whistled from his nose. Morgen was right; he needed to train his team against other pokémon. His gaze shifted from Ghost to Squirtle, then back again, and he grinned. His pokémon were sitting right next to each other, and for the first time since he had received his newest partner they were not fighting. This has to be a good sign, he thought as he held up Squirtle's pokéball. "Squirtle, return." He watched as the red light faded into the ball, then turned to Ghost. "Well, let's go see if anyone's up for a practice round."

"Dou!"

As they walked back into town, Zayn could not help but think back to the rivalry between his pokémon. The 'dex said it was because they were different types, he mused, but he did not feel convinced. If that were true, then in no way would they have sat together over lunch, and in such close proximity of each other. Then he remembered the look in Squirtle's eyes—that look of longing, of a burning desire to do whatever it took to appease someone. It was the same look Ghost had every time the pup looked at him. Zayn faltered as something inside him clicked. Could it be because they both want to prove themselves, and would do anything to make sure I notice?

He resumed his walk, Ghost padding along beside him without a care, but his mind was still reeling from his revelation. It reminded him a little of sibling rivalry—not that he had any brothers or sisters growing up, but when Jenny would bring him to the police station he would see it between some of the officers' manectrics; they would start fights with each other just to prove to their owner how strong they were, despite the repercussions that awaited them afterward. Zayn's brow creased with worry as he thought back to his own pokémon. Whatever it was between them, he knew he needed to be careful. That kind of thing can be dangerous if I can't get them to control it.

{{{{-]-]-]-]-][-][-[-[-[-[-}}}}

"It's time!" Harry shouted, elbowing past Zayn as he walked into the Pokémon Center's lobby. "Now you all get to see a true master in action!"

Behind him, Iona rolled her eyes as she followed the over-exuberant youth outside. "Yeah right. I can't wait to see you get schooled!"

"Welcome back."

Zayn turned as Morgen pushed herself off the sofa. Next to her, Jared stretched and stood up. "Are you gonna come see Harry's match with us?" he asked, fiddling with the pendant around his neck. His hair was disheveled and his eyes bleary, as if he had just woken up from a nap.

"I thought you would've been gone by now," Zayn said, raising an eyebrow. The Giant had already won his gym badge; there was nothing keeping him in Santalune City. If it were me, Zayn thought, I'd already be heading to the next gym.

"What, and miss seeing your fight?" Jared replied, smirking as he shot Zayn a wink. "No way, man. We still have that bet, y'know. I wanna make sure I get my money. Besides," he clapped Zayn on the shoulder as he walked by him, "a little support goes a long way for some people. You should try it sometime."

Morgen smiled and shook her head. "Down, boys." She laughed, then turned her gaze to Zayn. "Well, you coming or what, Harker?"

Before he could respond, a voice called out from behind the nurse's station, "Are you Zayn Harker?"

Zayn peered over Morgen's shoulder to see Nurse Gayla pointing her sausage finger at him from across the room. "Y-yes," he stammered, remembering their conversation from this morning. "I already signed for the rooms, nurse."

Nurse Gayla shook her head. "No, not signature. You have message from Lumiose. A miss"—she scanned the clipboard in front of her as she read over her notes, then nodded her head and tapped the paper—"Jenny. She says to call her back."

At the sound of her name, Ghost barked and wagged his stubby tail in excitement. Shit, I meant to call her! Zayn thought as he turned back to Morgen. "I, uh, I have to take that," he said as he glanced to the phone booths. All of them were vacant this time; he had no excuses now, and after all the trouble Jenny went through to get him started on this journey, it was not right of him to neglect her.

"Is Jenny a girl you left brokenhearted back home?" Morgen joked, her grin widening as Zayn's cheeks flushed. He'd never had a girlfriend before; between spending time with Jenny, school, and his extracurricular activities in Lumiose City's back alleys with Ghost, he never had time for one.

"No," he said, his cheeks growing hotter as he realized he was blushing. "S-she's my sister." He ordered Ghost to go wait by a phone booth, glad for the excuse to turn away from Morgen's amused gaze, even if it was just for a moment. "I guess...tell Harry I'm sorry I couldn't come?" he asked, lifting his gaze once he felt the heat in his face fade away. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "I need to let Jen—my sister, know that I'm OK."

Morgen nodded, her grin never faltering as she waved to Ghost and then walked out of the Pokémon Center. "We'll catch ya later, then!" she called out over her shoulder before disappearing around a corner.

With a sigh, Zayn joined Ghost at the nearest phone booth. "She should still be on vacation," he said aloud as he dialed Jenny's number. Is it 8-6-6, or 867-5309? he wondered as he pressed the corresponding buttons on the number pad. After a few rings, Jenny's face finally appeared onscreen.

"Zayn?" she said, her face red and her breathing labored. Beads of sweat dripped from her nose and chin, and Jenny wiped her face on the hem of her tank top. "It's about damn time you called!" In the background, Zayn could hear Manny's excited yaps. "You had me worried sick! Why didn't you call sooner?"

"Why are you all sweaty?" he asked, purposefully avoiding her question. "Ar-are you at the gym?"

Jenny nodded, and then suddenly she was gone. The image on screen became a blur of colors; he caught a glimpse of treadmills and workout benches, and a flash of Manny's blue fur, but Jenny had all but disappeared. "Manny and I decided to work out today," he heard Jenny say, but her voice sounded muffled and distant.

"Jenny," Zayn called. "Jenny, I can't see you!"

"Houndour!" Ghost barked, standing up on his hind legs as he pressed his nose against the screen. "Dou?"

"Mother-" The screen blurred again, and then Jenny's face reappeared. "Sorry! I'm using this stupid smartwatch and I keep forgetting that it's attached to my arm." Ghost barked again, and Jenny laughed. "Ghost? Hi baby boy!"

Zayn shook his head as the houndour licked the screen, and Jenny laughed harder. Behind her, the manectric barked again, his thunderbolt-shaped tail wagging excitedly as Jenny tried to calm him down. "Manny, we're in a gym!" she hissed, flicking him on the nose. "Use your inside voice!"

Zayn watched their interaction unfold, a sense of familiarity taking hold of him, and his heart sank. It had only been three days and he already missed the police officer and her manectric partner. It's not like I'll be gone forever, he thought, but it did little to soothe his ache. Remember why you're doing this...

"So, which pokémon did you end up choosing?" Jenny asked, bringing Zayn back to their conversation.

He blinked. How did she know he'd have to choose? "Uh, Squirtle. A female squirtle."

"Oh, well I'll bet that's different for you! Are you going to name her? You know, like how Manny and Ghost have names?"

"I don't—I haven't given it much thought, Jenny."

Jenny nodded, rubbing a white towel over her face as she leaned back against the wall she had propped herself up on. "Well, you know, if you were going to name her," she said, turning her eyes back to the screen, "it'll have to be something classy. She's a female, so that's a must." Jenny pursed her lips and tapped her chin as she tried to recall something long since forgotten. "I think I heard someone describe squirtles once as the 'sapphires of the sea.' And nothing's classier than a girl with jewels."

Zayn smirked as he patted Ghost's back. "Hey, don't get all deep on me now, Jenny," he joked. "It's gonna be pretty hard to top Ghost's name as it is without you chiming in."

Jenny laughed again. "Even so," she said, and then her face softened. "So, have you made any friends on your journey?"

Zayn rolled his eyes. "I knew you'd ask that," he muttered. When Jenny prodded him, he finally shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you can call them that."

"Zayn—"

"I know, Jenny," Zayn interjected, looking away from the screen. "I'm trying, OK?" He always had trouble getting along with other youths; Jenny was called out to the school on more than one occasion to break up a fight he may or may not have started. He knew she worried; he also knew that she knew it was not easy for him.

"Well," Jenny finally said, drawing his attention back to her. "I'd love to meet them one day. Maybe I can cook for you guys!"

Zayn smiled. "As long as it's not breakfast." They shared another laugh together, although it was not as robust as before.

"So," Jenny cleared her throat, attempting to steer their conversation back on track. "Have you gotten your badge, yet?"

Zayn shook his head. "I fight the day after tomorrow."

"What? Why do you have to wait so long?"

"Rules and fairness and shit," Zayn replied, smiling as Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Language," she admonished, but her tone held little threat in it.

"Hey, there are five other trainers here, remember? I just happened to sign up last."

"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. I've seen the televised matches; they aren't that long!" She looked around, realizing that her voice had grown to almost a shout. Then, once she was certain no one had heard her, she turned back to the screen. "So you're stuck in that town until your match?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, that blows."

They talked for a while longer, updating each other on the uneventful past few days in their lives, until Jenny had to say goodbye. "Don't forget to call me next time," she said as she waved.

"I won't. Love you."

"Love you too, kiddo."

Click.

Zayn stared at the phone, watching the Pokémon Center's logo—an animated pokéball with the initials "PC" emblazoned on it in gold lettering—as it bounced around the blue screen.

"Was that your sister?"

The voice nearly startled Zayn as he jumped up and turned around. Angel was standing behind him, her crimson hair twisted into two neat braids. "Wh-what?"

She peered at him over the rim of her glasses and pointed to the phone booth. "That woman on the screen," she explained. "You said last night that you had a sister. Was that her?"

Zayn nodded. "Yeah, it was. Hey, wait." He glanced up at the clock in the lobby; it was barely half-past two. "Is Harry's match over already?"

Angel shrugged. "I didn't go, so I wouldn't know." She stared at him, her eyes shifting between him and Ghost, as if weighing them in her mind, and then turned to leave.

Zayn glanced down at his partner, his hand brushing over the cool metal of the pokéball at his waist, and he found himself thinking of when he first arrived at Professor Sycamore's lab—back to where it all started. "Hey, Angel," he called out, following her as she stepped out of the Pokémon Center. "You got a water type from the professor, too, right?"

She turned around and placed a hand on her hip. "I did. So?"

He scratched at the back of his neck. How could he put this? "Well," he said, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Can you—I mean, would you mind helping me with, uh, with Squirtle?" He felt like a fool, stumbling over his words as he asked for help, and suddenly he regretted ever opening his mouth. Maybe she'll say no, he thought as he shoved his hands in his pockets. At least then he would be put out of his misery; left to his own devices, he was sure he could whip Squirtle into shape before their battle. Though it wouldn't be as effective.

Angel crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Did something happen?"

"No, no, no, she's fine. I just...I need help with her training, and I was just thinking that, well, you have a water type, and she's a water type. I was just thinking that it would be good for her to, you know, battle her own type." He realized he was rambling and shrugged. "U-unless you don't want to, or whatever. I just thought it'd be good, for the both of us."

She mused over his words for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes never leaving his gaze as she contemplated his question. Finally, she nodded. "Daigo and I could use the practice, anyway."

"Daigo?"

"My froakie, obviously." Angel rolled her eyes. "If you're going to ask stupid questions—"

"No, no, I get it." Zayn said, holding up his hands in surrender. "So, when d'you wanna—"

"Meet me outside the city in ten." And with that she was gone.

Zayn looked at Ghost and shrugged. "Well, buddy. This should be interesting."

Ghost cocked his head to the side and whimpered, following Zayn as he led them in the direction Angel had gone. This was his first official pokémon battle as a licensed trainer, and he was using a pokémon he had no experience with whatsoever. What could possibly go wrong?

Angel was waiting for them at the top of a hill; the same one he had practiced on earlier that morning, in fact. At least it's familiar ground, Zayn mused.

"I want to make this official," Angel said as he ascended the hill. "Fifty dollars to the winner, like any other battle." She slipped her satchel off her shoulder and placed it on the ground. "And I want twenty-five up front for agreeing to this in the first place. You do have money, right?"

"What?" He was losing money already, and the match hadn't even started? "I-I thought you were agreeing to help me!"

"Do I look like a charity case to you?" Angel shook her head. "Besides, if you win your gym battle you'll make your money back. Consider this an investment."

She held out her hand, and Zayn sighed. He hated being swindled, but Squirtle really needed the practice. "Fine." He dug out his wallet and fished out the money. "But this better be worth it." He still had that ongoing bet with Jared. This better pay off.

Angel counted the money and nodded in satisfaction, tucking the bills into her satchel. Then, quick as a whip, she unhooked a pokéball and tossed it into the air. "Come on out, Daigo."

The red light subsided, revealing the little blue frog. "Froakie!" it screeched, banging on its chest. "Froa, kie!"

"Houndour!" Ghost barked, stepping forward in anticipation, but Zayn quickly called him back.

"Ghost, this isn't your fight!" He pointed to the lone tree on the hill, and the houndour gazed up at him. "Go lay down." When the pup whimpered, Zayn sighed. "You'll get your chance soon, buddy, I promise. Right now it's Squirtle's turn." Unclipping the pokéball, Zayn tossed it into the air. "Go, Squirtle!"

"Squirtle!" she exclaimed, grinning as she flexed her little arms. "Squirtle squirt!"

"Dou, dou!" Ghost growled, his hackles raising as he glared at the turtle. Squirtle stared back and stuck out her tongue. "Houndour!"

"Ghost!" Zayn clapped his hands, drawing the houndour's attention. "Back under the tree, now!"

"Still can't control your pokémon." Angel tsked, crossing her arms. "Would you like a refund?"

Zayn felt his cheeks flush as he was reminded of his first night alone in the woods, and he gritted his teeth. "I have this under control," he said, snapping his fingers at Ghost. "Get over there!"

Reluctantly, the houndour obeyed, plopping himself with a huff beneath the bare branches as he grumbled.

Turning back to Angel, Zayn nodded. "We're ready now."

"Good." Without missing a beat, Angel plugged in a wireless earpiece into her ear and started tapping her foot to some hidden rhythm. "Alright, Daigo," she said as she fiddled with her wristwatch. "Just like we practiced." The froakie nodded, watching her foot as it thumped against the ground, and began tapping its foot in tandem.

Zayn tilted his head, shrugging when Squirtle looked back at him, just as confused. "What're you doing?"

"Not everyone you come across is going to battle the same way," Angel said, pressing on the watch again as her foot began to tap out a more complex beat; her froakie mimicked her tapping perfectly. "Now shut up and make your move."

"OK." Zayn pulled out his pokédex, ignoring Angel's audible groan as he tapped on the screen. "Let's see what moves you know, Squirtle."

"Squirtle squirt!"

"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle pokémon," the pokédex read off, its voice monotone as it spat out the pokémon's blurb. "When they're young, squirtle knows Tackle, Tail Whip, Withdraw, and Water Gun. Over time, it will come to learn even greater water moves."

"Alright, I can work with that." Zayn nodded and put the pokédex away, clenching his fists. "OK Squirtle, let's go! Tackle!"

"Squirtle!" She dove forward, rolling across the ground as she gained speed, and then leapt into the air. "Urtle, squirt!" she exclaimed, lowering her head as she aimed for the froakie.

Angel smirked, her foot still tapping as she motioned to her pokémon. "Two, three, four, dodge!" Froakie tapped in time to her counting, then jumped into the air, bouncing off of Squirtle's back and kicking her into the ground.

"Squir," Squirtle groaned, picking herself up and whirling around. "Squirtle!"

Froakie landed on its feet, still tapping away. Angel double-tapped her foot, fiddled with the watch some more, and then started clapping. "Let's. Change. The beat," she said, the words spoken in rhythm as the froakie clapped along with her. "Daigo, use Quick Attack!"

"Froa!" The froakie dodged left, then right, bouncing in time to Angel's claps as Squirtle struggled to keep her eyes on it. She was beginning to freak out.

"Squirtle, hit it with your tail!" Zayn hollered, trying to get the turtle to focus on his commands. "Come on, you got this! I know you can do it!"

Shaking her head, Squirtle slapped her cheek with her hand to snap herself out of her stupor and braced her feet. "Squirtle!" she yelled as the froakie grew closer. Her tail began to glow and, as soon as the froakie hopped within reach, she spun around, swinging her tail with full force.

Clap. Clap, clap.

Zayn watched in disbelief as the froakie slid under Squirtle's attack, kicking upwards and smacking her chin as it jumped back on its feet and turned around. He flicked his eyes over to Angel. "Wha-! But, you didn't even say anything!"

Angel shook her head, her foot still tapping away. "As long as you have your pokémon's trust, you don't need words." She clapped again, and her froakie began to whirl around, keeping time with her tapping and clapping. "Use Bubble, Daigo!"

As the little frog spun around, the white bubbles around its neck began to glow. "Froa kie, froa kie," it chanted, spinning faster and faster as the bubbles began to separate from its neck and hover in the air. "Froa kie, Froa kie!" The chanting grew louder as more bubbles floated above its head, glowing like bright white orbs as they swirled in a circle.

"Squirtle, get ready with Water Gun. Don't fire until I say so!"

The turtle shook her head, still reeling from the swift kick the froakie had placed on her chin, and turned around. "Squirtle!" she roared, stepping back as she took in a deep breath. Water frothed in the corners of her mouth as her cheeks puffed out, and she dug her heels into the ground. In response, the spinning froakie stuck out its arms, stopping abruptly as it narrowed its eyes and crouched down; the bubbles floated overhead, motionless.

Zayn did not wait for the frog to make its move. "Fire!" Squirtle opened her mouth and let loose a powerful stream of water, aimed right for the froakie's chest. This is it, Zayn thought with a smirk as the jet-stream hurtled towards its target at breakneck speed. It was unavoidable. You did it, Squirtle!

Clap, clap.

Suddenly, the froakie was twirling up in the air, the glowing bubbles swirling around its body in a dazzling spiral as Squirtle's attack sailed past beneath it. Angel ducked, narrowly avoiding the assault, but her foot never lost the rhythm. "Froa," the froakie croaked as it extended an arm forward. The bubbles rolled around its arm and shot forward, using the energy they had gathered and rocketing from the froakie's hand like a bullet. "Kie!"

Squirtle had managed to redirect her attack just in time, and the two moves collided in midair, sending a shock wave of energy and water spraying above their heads. Zayn wiped the water from his brow and gritted his teeth. "Damnit!"

"Never underestimate your opponent," Angel said, waggling her finger as she stepped forward. "You should be prepared for anything!" She spun around, her arms outstretched as she danced to a beat only she could hear, and Zayn watched in awe as her froakie mimicked her every move. "Water Pulse!"

Zayn narrowed his eyes and glanced at his pokémon. "Squirtle, I need you to keep it together. We can do this!" he hollered, drawing the turtle's attention away from its opponent. The turtle shook her head, and Zayn sighed. "Look, I know you're scared," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as the froakie formed a square with its paws. "I'm scared, too." Behind him, he heard Ghost bark, and he could only hope that the houndour was encouraging her. "Do you trust me?"

Squirtle stared at him, her violet eyes glistening as she weighed his words in her head. Behind her, a spinning ball of water had formed in the froakie's hand—it was growing bigger by the second. They were running out of time.

"Do you trust me?" Zayn repeated as Ghost barked again.

Squirtle's gaze flickered to Ghost, then back to Zayn, and she smiled. "Squirtle!" she called out, holding up her thumb.

"Good," Zayn nodded and pointed to their opponent. "Now Squirtle, Withdraw!"

Without hesitation, Squirtle pulled herself into her shell. On the other side of the hill, Angel's froakie lifted the ball of water—now the size of Squirtle's shell—high above its head. "Froakie!" it croaked, tossing the ball towards the turtle. A few of the bubbles from its neck had dislodged themselves and were orbiting the Water Pulse attack like stars around the Sun.

Zayn watched as the water ball spun closer and closer. Not yet, he thought, his fists clenching as Squirtle lay unmoving inside her shell. Not yet! Then, stepping forward, Zayn sliced his hand through the air. "Squirtle! Use Tail Whip to launch yourself forward, and Water Gun to spin you around!"

Squirtle's fluffy blue tail poked out from the shell and started to glow. "Squirtle!" she cried out, her voice muffled by her shell as she slammed her tail into the ground. The shell bounced forward, flying towards the incoming attack, and jets of water squirted from the opening, propelling the shell into a spin.

For the first time since their battle started, Angel's foot skipped a beat. "Y-you just taught your Squirtle Rapid Spin!" she said, watching as the spinning shell sliced through her froakie's Water Pulse attack. Anticipating the impact, the bubbles around the froakie's neck began to multiply, growing in number until they covered its entire body, shielding the frog and protecting it from harm.

Squirtle's shell was deflected by the bubbles, knocking the froakie onto its back as it bounced off of them and landed upside down a few feet away. "Squirtle," she muttered as she emerged from her shell. She rolled over and attempted to stand, her legs wobbling as she clutched the sides of her head. "Squir..."

On the other side of the hill, Angel's froakie hopped back up on its feet. As the bubbles subsided, a bruise began to form on its chest. "Froa," it winced, placing a paw on its wound. Angel stepped forward and scooped up the pokémon in her arms. "You battled well, Daigo," she whispered, hugging the frog to her chest.

"Squirtle!" Zayn called, running over to the turtle. He held her up before she toppled over, clearly disoriented from all of that spinning. "Squirtle, that was amazing," he beamed, patting her on the head. Ghost appeared next to them, panting as he nipped at Squirtle's backside, offering her his own unique form of congratulations.

"Well, I guess we'll call this a draw for now?"

Zayn looked up and nodded, his lips still drawn in a smile. "Sure. For now."

"Don't get used to it." Angel said as she turned around, carrying her froakie down the hill.

Zayn watched her until she disappeared from view, and then turned to his team. "Well," he said, looking at Squirtle, "let's get you healed up at the center. Then we'll go for some treats, on me." He laughed as his pokémon bounded ahead, arguing with each other as they raced down the hill. It was still pretty early, and Squirtle had done a remarkable job against Angel and her froakie. Daigo, he thought, rolling the name around in his head as he followed his pokémon into town. What a strange name.

"I once heard someone describe squirtles as the 'sapphires of the sea.'" Officer Jenny's words echoed in his head, and Zayn sighed. It was only fair, after all; Ghost had a name, and Angel's pokémon had a name, too. And he was more than sure that the others' had names, as well. He looked back up at his partners and grinned. It was time to give Squirtle a name.