I stepped out of my mom's house not ashamed, but with a vengeance. Rae and I wouldn't fall again so easily. I just needed to fight smarter, not allow myself to make simple mistakes. And most of all, keep Rae's condition at the top of my mind.

I set back out into Route 29 again, passed through the Route Interchange Office, and was back on Route 46 in no time flat. I charged into the tall grass and surprisingly encountered not a single wild pokémon. Back on the beaten path, I noticed a capsule on the edge of the route. It looked like a pokéball, but when I picked it up I noticed a rattle coming from inside.

I cracked it open to find an X SPEED enhancer. Prof. Elm had mentioned these to me before. They're like vitamins for your pokémon, but the beneficial effects wear off after the battle ends. He went into a lot of detail about how they function, but I couldn't be bothered to listen. I stashed the lucky find in my pack's item pocket and headed back onto the main path.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. It was a girl's voice. "Will you battle with me? My name's Erin!" Without so much as a second to respond, the girl, Erin, tossed a pokéball from her belt and a small white horse materialized in front of her. A ponyta - a fire type pokémon.

"Hold on, I-"

I tried to call off the battle, but as I spoke, the flames of Ponyta's mane and tail roared to silence me. I didn't understand what was happening. This was my first trainer battle and I haven't had a chance to even think, yet here is this burning horse standing in front of me. I looked at the trainer, Erin, my eyes pleading for a break. But her eyes glowed with a fiery determination as bright as her pokémon's flames. She wouldn't listen. I guess there's no reasoning with a trainer in the midst of battle.

"Fine!" I yelled. Erin's eyes burned brighter at my declaration and her ponyta's flames followed suit. "I guess there's no choice. Rae, go get 'em!"

Another battle so soon after my first failure. I looked at the stage set before me - Rae, standing at the ready, fists clenched, prepared to throw as many Mach Punches as I command. And in front of him, Erin and her ponyta, both blazing with a passion for this contest of trainer verses trainer. This is what I'm here for, I reminded myself. This was my goal.

I clenched my fists, placing my trust in Rae, just as he did me, and called out to him.

"Mach Punch!"

Rae connected a solid jab on Ponyta's neck. A critical hit! The flaming horse reeled and recovered as Erin called out to it. "Ponyta, use Growl!"

A deep, loud neigh echoed from it's mouth, causing Rae to stiffen in reaction to the vocal assault. We had to attack again. I ordered another Mach Punch from Rae. He threw a body shot. It was considerably weaker than before. As he retreated a few steps back, I could tell his muscles hadn't relaxed from the Growl, he wouldn't be able to put as much strength into his hits as a result. Dang! Erin was smart.

As I was cursing her tactics, she had her ponyta bellow another Growl. Again, Rae tensed up from the sound. I tried our luck with another Mach Punch. Once more, the hit landed, but it was weaker still. This wouldn't do. As Erin's ponyta executed a solid Tackle against Rae, I began to sweat. Erin was really bringing the heat. Her expression hadn't changed since she laid eyes on me. Her fire only grew brighter, and I admired her for that. Her passion was honest and true, and because of that, I decided to give it my all. No fear of failure, just eyes on the prize.

It was time to change things up. I called out to Rae.

"Rae! Let's try something new. Time for the High Jump Kick!"

Rae didn't hesitate for a moment. He launched off the ground, soaring above Erin and her pokémon. At the apex of the jump, Rae shot out his leg, the force propelling himself down, fast toward Ponyta. The kick landed solidly on the horse's back, and it stumbled to it's knees, the flames on it's body reducing to mere smolders. KO.

"Tch!" Erin clicked her tongue. "Ponyta, that's enough, come back." The powerful red beam of energy shot from her pokéball to the unconscious ponyta and it fizzled back into the ball. She reached to her belt and grabbed the second of the three hanging there, and I realized this would be a long fight.

"Go, Pikachu!"

A large yellow mouse with rosy, sparking cheeks entered the battlefield.

"Pi-KAAA!"

Bolts if electricity fizzled on it's cheeks as it prepared for battle. The sparks, like Ponyta's flames, glowed fierce like Erin's eyes.

"Okay, Rae, hit it with a Mach Punch!"

In response to my call, Rae charged forward to the yellow rodent and slammed his fist into it's poor yellow face. Another critical hit! This pikachu was clearly weaker than Erin's ponyta. Even for a critical hit, the pokémon already seemed to be on the verge of fainting.

"Pikachu, you've got this! Hang in there, and show me a Thunderbolt!"

Erin's words were like Super Potion as they hit Pikachu's ling pointy ears. He snapped back to attention and his cheeks flashed a bright red before two huge bolts of lightning erupted from them. The electricity zipped through the air, finally connecting with Rae. His stiff muscles contracted sharply, contorting his slim purple body in strange directions.

When the electricity faded, I saw Rae down on a knee. His movement stuttered as the static continued to discharge from his body, but he returned to his feet soon enough, back in fighting stance. I smirked. We aren't a couple of pushovers. This is OUR battle.

"Finish it off!" I yelled. "Rae, Mach Punch!"

The pikachu fell in a heap after Rae's fist landed squarely on it's side. Erin returned the electric mouse to it's pokéball and readied her last partner. She threw her final pokéball into the air and shouted, "Ponyta, you're up!"

Another ponyta? I had never considered having two of the same pokémon in your team, but I guess every trainer is different. This horse's flames burned as bright as the first. It stood in front of Rae and dig it's hoof into the dirt. All we had to do was defeat this beast and victory was ours. We were so close now.

"Rae, do it! High Jump Kick!" I yelled. At the same time, Erin shouted, "Ponyta, Tackle it!"

This ponyta was fast. Much faster than the other Pokemon I had seen so far. It charged at Rae and trampled him before he could react.

The next thing I knew, I was laying face up on my bed. The soft hum of the Pokémon Recovery Unit buzzing in the corner. "Dang," I thought. "Lost again."