Tess.

On the Battlefield.

"Hey, Lucian...I know Dee is my sister, but, um...don't-"

"I understand what you mean, Tess. As does Kadabra. I just hope you don't take my friend Cynthia any lighter than I do your sister."

For seventeen, Lucian was a very together person. Never panicked, never lost his cool. At least, not that I knew. I could see why Riley liked being paired with Lee; having someone older, more dependable, to help you was a real relief. Even a total stranger.

Dee and Cynthia sent out their pokemon; Snorunt and Gible. Lucian and I had Kadabra and Sneasel. I was a little nervous about battling Dee.

"Okay, are you kids ready?" Marian asked.

I nodded. "Y-yes, ma'am."

Dee answered, "Uh-huh."

"Then, begin!"

Riley.

In the Waiting Room.

Flint sauntered back into the room just as Dee and Tess started their battle, and I lost my temper. I swatted the can of Lemonade he'd bought out of his hand, and shoved him against a wall.

Amber stood up. "Riley!"

"What the hell is the matter with you?" I demanded. "Why were you so pissed at me?"

Flint tried to push me away, but I was bigger and stronger than him. "Me? I'm not the one jumping guys!"

I grabbed the neck of his shirt, and slammed him against the wall. "Dammit, Flint, it's YOUR fault Shift got hurt! Lee had to take her right to the Pokemon Center! If you hadn't made me so distracted on showing you up, I could have let Lee switch her out!"

"Riley!" Amber and Volkner both grabbed me, pulling me off of Flint.

"That's enough!" Amber shouted.

Flint stepped up to me. "If you hadn't have been flirting so much with your girlfriend Cynthia yesterday, I wouldn't have been so mad!"

Volkner pushed him back. "Flint, stop-"

"Shut up!" Flint swatted Volkner's arm away. "I'm sick of it, you and Riley showing me up!"

Volkner had to go hold Flint back, while Amber had to hold on my arm to keep me from smashing both of them in. They both needed backup.

I broke away from Amber, about to punch Flint in the face, when an invisible force shoved me into the wall.

"STOP IT!"Astro's voice rang out shrilly. He was curled up on a bench, his paws to his ears. He was...he was glowing. Bright blue.

I'll never forget how eerie it felt to see Astro, pinning me against a wall with nothing but sheer force of will. I felt...calmer. I could think clearly again.

I'd been about to kick the crap out of Flint. Flint, my semi-new friend, who had never done me any wrong, at least not yet.

Both of us really had a bad habit of making complete asses out of ourselves.

Tess.

Meanwhile, On the Battlefield.

"Sneasel, use Ice Punch on Gible!"

While Riley and Flint duked it out in the waiting room, Lucian and I pulled ahead in our battle. Cynthia and Dee couldn't make any battle commands without bickering or contradicting each other, and had ended up knocking out poor little Snorunt in their warpath.

Sneasel's claws glowed bright blue on his right paw, and he punched Gible square in the jaw. A bit of frost was left on the poor little land shark pokemon's cheek.

"Kadabra, use Psybeam, please." Dee's Eevee wasn't holding up too well, either. He managed to get a few Bites in at Kadabra, but Kadabra knew Recover, so most of what Eevee accomplished was negated.

Sneasel balled up his claws into a fist again while Gible recovered from the shock of cold. "Snea?"

"Gible, get up! Use Dragon Claw!"

I nodded at Sneasel. "Use Faint Attack, Sneasel, and end it!"

Sneasal snuck behind Gible as he got back up, then rush him from behind and clawed him in the back. I've always been proud of Sneasel's talent at ending a battle.

Gibke fainted, forcing Cynthia to return him.

Lucian smiled, his lavander eyes glittering behind his glasses. "Kadabra, use Psyshock on Eevee, and end this already."

Kadabra held his arms up, and sparks of psychic energy formed between them. He gathered the sparks into a ball, in the little bowl of his spoon, and threw the ball at Eevee.

Poor little sweetheart never stood a chance. I almost felt bad for my sister.

I grinned, turning to Lucian. "Nice job, dude!"

He smiled back, blushing a little. "My pleasure, Tess."

We were guarenteed to be battling in the finals the next day, against Riley and Lee Higgins. It was going to be all or nothing.

Lee.

Outside the Pokemon Center.

I took a long drag from my cigarette. "Yeah, Nurse Joy said that Shift is going to be fine." I exhaled. Damn that Mark, he had gotten me hooked back on them.

After I had left the Hearthome Dome, I brought Shift right to the Pokemon Center. I had been so distraught, I texted Daisy and asked her to call me as soon as she could.

"Are you alright, though?" Daisy asked. "You seemed pretty upset when you texted me."

I put out my cigarette, already burnt down to the filter, and lit another. "I-I'm fine. I was a little upset, but I calmed down. I feel bad for that kid, Riley, though. I sorta yelled at him."

Daisy laughed. "You couldn't have been that bad."

"I was brutal, Dais. Practically told him it was all his fault." I took another drag. "Oh man, he must hate me. I'd hate me, too. I had no right to be so harsh to a little thirteen year old kid. I should have never let Shift on the battlefield; Fallon would have annihilated th-"

"Lee, nobody hates you," Daisy told me gently. "You just got mad. You'll apologize when you see him, won't you?"

I laughed, coughing a little. "Oh, hell yeah! Next time I see him!"

Daisy laughed, too. "I'm sure that boy, Riley, will be alright. He's the boy with a way with aura, isn't he?"

"Yeah." I puffed out a ring of smoke. "Yeah, he is. Did I tell you he used it to save a girl from a member of that group, Team Galactic?"

"Yeah, you told me. What are they, anyway?"

"Crime organization, I think." I paced back and forth outside of the Pokemon Center. "Not much of a threat yet, but they attacked some of Riley's friends, too, so I'm pretty concerned. Turns out one of those kids is the Lieutenant's boy, can you believe it?"

Daisy chuckled. "You're joking. Surge, with a son? InSinnoh?"

"Yeah. Not much to look at, but sheesh-"

"Lee!" I heard Riley called out. Him and his posse were shortly up the street.

Shit. Tournament must have let out. "I-I gotta go, Dais. Love you. Call you tonight."

I hung up my Pokegear, pocketing it. I jogged up the street, to go ahead with this "apologizing" thing.

AOF: I have a headcanon that Lt. Surge and Volkner are father and son.