EDITOR'S NOTE: "Let's just say that fandom Sims are addicting and can get in the way of a productive chapter, especially when the usual author has writer's block. On the bright side, Tate and Liza have the potential to be important characters...in the epilogue. Psychic powers are fun to write, and we've never written synchronized twins before. That said, we were more inspired by the anime than the games for this chapter."

They slept on Wailord's back that night, Latias to keep them from falling, and when they woke up they found themselves on the beach of Mossdeep City, their 'boat' sleeping under them. Brendan called it back to its ball, and then they started searching for a Pokémon Center.

It was still too early in the day to find anyone willing to open their doors, but the Pokémon Center was always open. It was almost like the nurses never slept.

"They do," May said, before Brendan could even voice his theory that they were robots. "They all wear the same wigs and uniforms, so they all look alike."

"Even the guys?"

"The men work in secret, or treating serious, possibly fatal injuries. Not that women can't do the same thing, but they usually work directly with the trainers and healing basic scratches and non-serious status conditions." When Brendan stared blankly at her, she tapped the pocket where her idea notebook was hidden, letting him know she'd researched it. "Well, when was the last time a Pokémon Center had a male face?"

He didn't say anything. The nurse had returned with their Pokémon and a place for them to stay until a decent hour in the morning.

May woke up earlier than she'd intended, with what was almost a sixth sense of her own. Something big was going to happen. She didn't know if it was a good something or a bad one, but she knew that it was going to happen and that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

What if she made friends with the twins? Her dad did say that they were only a little older than she was. Thirteen or fourteen was within the usual age group.

Or, and this seemed much more likely, what if they wound up fighting against Team Magma or Team Aqua again?

Brendan, in contrast, was snoring loudly in the bed across the room. She contemplated using Masquerain to wake him like she had back when she was just a Surskit, but decided that while a friend would do that, a best friend would assault him with a pillow.

So she did.

Brendan woke with a loud cry of "I didn't stab the cop with a banana!" but realized almost immediately after that May was not a police officer or lawyer.

"I wouldn't banana-stab the twins, if I were you," she commented as she retreated into the bathroom to brush her hair. "We want them to like us enough to give you a fair shot at the badge."

"I do what I want," Brendan snapped back, getting only a laugh in response.

"Well, you'd better want to get your next badge," she said through the closed door. "These kids might not have heard anything about the evil teams, and it's going to take all day to explain things."

He didn't doubt it would.

The Mossdeep City Gym was not a place that either would want to return to. It was worse than even Brawly's, with nothing but terror, confusion and warm-up trainers around every corner. But, eventually, they made it to the center of the maze, where, as promised, there were two young people standing in anticipation.

They were nearly identical, gender and a few unimportant features the only differences - even then, a challenger had to get up close to notice that one was a boy. And, of course, they launched right into a prepared speech.

"Prepare for trouble!" said the girl.

"And make it double," said the boy.

"You must be the challenger," the twins said together.

"I'm Liza," said the girl.

"I'm Tate," her brother added.

Then they returned to their synchronized act. "We're the Gym Leaders of Mossdeep City. Do you think you can defeat us in a double battle?"

Brendan felt the fear instantly increase. "Double battle? No one mentioned a double battle!"

"They didn't?" Tate broke away from the synchronization, but Liza didn't stop him. "I thought they had to warn challengers at the entrance."

"We don't really pay attention to the Gym greeters," May explained.

That cleared things up. "Norman's kid?" Liza asked.

"Yes," Brendan answered, and he wasn't surprised when the twins nodded as if making a plan through telepathy. "Are you real psychics?"

"In training," Tate answered cryptically.

"We've always been able to get a decent read on each other's thoughts," Liza clarified. "And we can extend it to picking up on the emotions of other people. But we can't do any cool tricks like seeing the future, reading minds or moving things with thoughts...but we're trying."

"And you're Professor Birch's daughter," Tate said, giving May a look that briefly triggered her interest in pretty guys. If he 'read' that, he didn't comment. "Your father called to warn us about the two of you, and the chaos that tends to follow. I assume you would like to be Brendan's battle partner?"

"That's allowed?"

"Of course." Liza seemed used to explaining this part, at least. "We wouldn't leave our challengers without options, if they have a travel partner."

Brendan looked hopefully at May. "I'm willing if you are."

"My first Gym battle." May considered, then smiled. "I'll do it. But I want a badge when this is over, too."

The twins both laughed. "That can be arranged," Tate promised. "Now, let's show you the full force of our combined abilities!"

Solrock and Lunatone, while perfect matches for twin Gym Leaders, were not Pokémon that May had expected to be particularly powerful. Unfortunately, Jerry had very limited Water-type attacks, and poor Shuppet was having a hard time despite the type advantage.

It was part experience, of course. May and Brendan had been double-battling together since the journey started, but Tate and Liza had probably been battling together since before they got their own Pokémon. She'd heard stories of kids using their parents' Pokémon to learn how to be proper trainers. And the fact that most of their commands and strategies were communicated almost exclusively by four-way telepathy, or whatever it was that the twins and their Pokémon actually used, was another contributing factor.

Still, it wouldn't be wise for her to not see that they were using more than just practice and secrecy, but some kind of strategy as well. They got to be Gym Leaders on their own, after all, not on family connections. And there was a reason they shared the title that did not boil down to "Twins are sometimes treated as one unit."

Brendan was trying and he had Norman's blood in his veins. Shuppet was just a relatively new catch, and he wasn't used to using her. Jerry was just wondering how a Solrock and Lunatone could possibly pose a threat.

"Shadow Ball on Solrock!" Brendan ordered, and Shuppet fired a ball of what seemed to be pure nightmares at her opponent.

"Then you use Muddy Water," May told Jerry. "On the Lunatone."

Lunatone got hit, and its Rock typing was enough to take it down permanently. Liza didn't call it back, instead letting it float off the field and watch Solrock with her.

"Should I go for the Flamethrower?" Solrock asked its trainer. Tate, getting the general idea of the request, gave a barely-noticeable nod.

Solrock caught what he didn't say - "The Shuppet, if you needed a target suggestion."

The burst of fire came too fast for Shuppet to avoid. She took the whole hit, and lay at Brendan's feet as barely more than a charred pile of ghost. Liza cheered for her brother's victory, but Tate and May shared a look across the field.

Tate gestured to Jerry, accepting his defeat. "I know you want to."

"I do," May agreed. "But I don't. It isn't fair for both of you to lose to the same Pokémon."

"What are you doing?" Brendan complained. "Avenge me!"

Liza shook her head. "Ignore him. She's giving you an opening, Tate. Take it."

Tate waved his hand in May's direction. "She's giving me an opening because she knows her Swampert can take it." May smiled innocently. Tate wasn't fooled. "If you're not going to make a move, May..."

"Jerry, use Muddy Water!" Brendan called from off the battlefield, and Jerry was so used to obeying his orders on official Gym grounds that he didn't think twice. Once the Solrock joined the Lunatone in defeat, he processed what he'd done, and looked over his shoulder apologetically.

"Sorry, May," he said softly.

May sighed. "That's fine," she reassured him. "I was going to do it anyway. I was just waiting for Tate to make the first move."

"That explains it," Brendan said loudly, still annoyed. "He does look a lot like a girl, he must be 'pretty' enough to fit your type."

May gave him a look that could melt through steel. Liza toppled over, laughing hysterically. Tate turned such a bright red it would make a character in Lisia's anime jealous.

"I'll, uh..." he turned away, too late to hide his embarrassment. "I'll go and get your badges."

They heard him angrily stammering about looking feminine all the way to the back room. Liza watched him go, catching her breath but not fully getting over it.

"He'll be fine," she promised. "He's just starting to notice girls himself, he's not used to hearing he might fit someone's 'type.'"

Liza was the one that gave May the Mind Badge, as Tate was trying hard to avoid eye contact with either challenger. Brendan received his Mind Badge from Solrock, but Tate still gave the necessary speech in sync with his sister.

"That was a fun battle," they said, one to her opponents, the other to the floor. "Let these be a pass into the Pokémon League, and a source of happy memories."

"I'm not going for the League," May said sweetly, as she clipped the badge to the strap of her hip bag. "I'm just tagging along."

"I'm just doing it to shut people up," Brendan added.

"Whatever your reasons," Liza said, not bothered by either statement, "just keep us in mind if you ever need help, ok?"

There was something in her eyes that made Brendan wonder if this was volunteering herself and Tate for Team Breakneck, but he dismissed it. She was psychic, yes, but she wasn't trained enough to know that. Not without them directly telling her.

Before he could question the statement, May had said goodbye and started pulling him along. "We," she hissed in his ear, passing it off as a one-armed hug so only he could hear the quiet fury, "are going to have a nice long talk about the term sore loser."

Liza grinned and nudged her brother. "So, was she cute?"

Tate's response was that of any other thirteen-year-old boy asked the same question: "Meh."

Of course, like any other sibling, Liza refused to drop it. "I ship it," she declared, more to get a rise out of him than anything else.

"Don't."

"Too late. I call best woman at your wedding."

"Liza!"

She blinked innocently. "Yes, Tate?"

He didn't answer with words, but gave her a little push instead. "Don't," he repeated. "Please. Don't."

Liza shrugged. "It's your decision. I just like teasing you, that's all."

"Then drop the topic."

She thought about pointing out that he wasn't claiming that it wasn't possible, but the conversation had already gotten old. "I was thinking of using a different combination in later battles," she said instead. "Does a Gallade and Gardevoir combo sound like it could be a twin thing, or does it seem too much like a choice for a romantic couple?"