Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, only Pokémon owns me.


Chapter 5 — Seaside Spectaculars:

Gideon: "Mornin' everybody!"
Tristan: "Good morning guys!"

Jackson: "So I see you two have had your Gym Battle. How'd it go?"

Damian: "Uh-huh... Just five more minutes..."

To no one's surprise, Damian was still not up and had become groggy due to his friends trying to drag him out of bed. Jackson on the other hand had been awake for just over half an hour, having just come back to the room 5 minutes earlier after having had breakfast at the food buffet just opposite the lobby of the Pokémon Centre. It being a Pokémon Centre meant that the food wasn't amazing, but at least it wasn't awful either.

Jackson: "Get up, you sleepyhead, or imma drag you out of bed by force."

Even in his mostly asleep state, Damian knew that Jackson meant it, so he drilled as much discipline into his brain as possible, and forced himself awake.

Damian: "Okay, okay! I'm getting up."

Damian slowly and rather clumsily got up and got out of bed, and he almost fell after tripping over the foot of the bed. It really seemed like his eyes were taking their sweet time to adjust to the room's lights. With his vision becoming clear enough, suddenly something caught Damian's eye, causing him to voice his thoughts.

Damian: "Guys, why does Tristan look so sweaty and why does he have sand on his face?

Jackson: "I believe I was just about to explain when you cut me off. Anyway, the reason is that Tristan and Gideon had their Gym Battle. So who won?"

Gideon: "Well, Tristan won thanks to his amazing skill. His Gogoat was so incredibly strong that my Excadrill barely did a thing!"

Jackson was certainly surprised by how easily Tristan had steamrolled one of Gideon's Pokémon. Man, he sometimes felt guilty for teasing Tristan so much when his friend was so incredibly talented. It must've certainly put a damper on his confidence at times when Tristan should've otherwise had no reason not to be incredibly confident.

Jackson: "Wait that thing's a Gogoat now?"

Tristan: "Yep! You should've seen him evolve and break through the Electrowebs that Magnezone had surrounded him with. Oh yeah, also my Spinarak's finally an Ariados. Since late last night."

Damian was getting overloaded with tonnes of information at a rapid pace, and his sleep-silly brain was struggling to take it all in. Finally, he found something that he could say.

Damian: "This is so so cool!"

Jackson: "Well, you guys should have food before setting off. I'm thinking of having another cup of coffee."


When they got there, the smell of food quickly jerked Damian awake, as if his body had suddenly forgotten his somewhat tired state.

Damian: "Man, the omelettes look really nice! And there's sausages, beans, hashbrowns, fried egg, cereals, -"

Gideon: "Don't be so hasty. None of us want to deal with you being sick at the beach later on. Though I won't deny the hashbrowns do look real nice."

Each one of them selected their breakfast and sat down at the table. Tristan was honestly glad that for once, Damian did not have mountains of food at his plate. Every time that had happened, Tristan would feel like he hadn't put enough food on his plate, when he obviously had.

Jackson meanwhile had noticed something. Unlike the rest of them, Gideon had paid for his food. Wait. That could only mean one thing.

Jackson: "Gideon, how old are you?"

Gideon: "Y'know it's kinda funny, I told this to Tristan just today. You guys just without a second thought, thought I was 16. I'm actually 19, so yeah that does mean I have to pay for my food at Pokémon Centres. I would've had to pay for my room too if you guys hadn't booked one for all of us. At least I get a good salary for being a Gym Leader, so it's not like I'm broke, y'know."

Jackson: "You know it actually kind of makes sense, with your wise guy act and all. Anyway, how's the food?"

Gideon: "The hashbrowns are really good. The egg is slightly on the runny side, but it still tastes alright. The sausages though, they're worse than even the ones in those cheap, dodgy American restaurants that I've had them in. Trust me when I say you don't wanna try those American sausages, and yet somehow these ones are even worse."

Tristan: "At least the cream cheese spread they give you for your toast is amazing. I love it. Hnom-nom."

Damian: "Mhmmm-mmm. I do have to agree on the hashbrowns. They've completely woken me up. In fact I could have seconds and even thirds and fourths!"

Jackson: "Hold on a minute. Unless you're planning on bulking up, I don't think you should eat more. No one wants to see you puke or, worse, get a belly. I don't think your Mademoiselle Sally would be very impressed."

Damian turned red both from a sudden rush of anger and of embarassment, causing him to get up and almost confront Jackson. Ultimately, however, the latter won him over, causing him to sit back down on his seat.

Jackson: "Dude, relax, I'm only teasing you. I didn't realise that you actually liked her in that way."

Tristan, being the mediator in the group as always, changed the conversation before any more arguments could be raised.

Tristan: "So, I presume you guys have swimming trunks, right? If not, we should go shopping beforehand."

Damian: "Oh, shit! I should've packed some with me. I at least didn't forget to bring several pairs of clothes, so well that's a new record for me."

Jackson: "I've just about finished my coffee, so we should probably start to get going."

Gideon: "Agreed."
Tristan: "Agreed."

Damian: "Me too."


The four boys walked out of the Pokémon Centre to check out the stores, glossing over them until they found a place that would sell swimwear. They decided to step foot in Hollister. The store felt massive compared to most Hollisters due to the overabundance of mirrors everywhere, making it easy to get lost in.

Damian: "Ow!"

Damian had suddenly bumped into a mirror that he thought was part of the rest of the store, causing him a great deal of confusion. Luckily, Gideon knew the way, and got them safely upstairs, which Gideon knew had swimming trunks.

Gideon: "If any of you guys want anything else, by the way, you're welcome to ask me to buy it for you. Don't be ashamed of asking."

While Jackson found a particular pair of grey shorts that he liked, Tristan had found a lime green baseball hat that matched the rest of his cobalt blue and lime green aesthetic. Damian on the other hand had found several swimming trunks that took his eye, and went to the changing rooms to try them on.

First came the orange one, with a fade design that turned to lighter hues until it became yellow. Damian went out of the stall to get his friends' approval, but then found something else.

This scene that he saw was enough to make his cheeks flare up a bright crimson, as well as causing his breathing to become startled before quickening and also turning his demeanor to one of nervousness, further characterised by his fidgety hands. Oh Arceus, it was Sally! Not only that, she was in a white two-piece swimsuit, and well, it certainly left a lot less to the imagination than her usual attire. Pull, yourself together, Damian! To add to his troubles, she appeared to be checking herself out in the large mirror just at the end of the hallway where the changing cabins were, and her face seemed to be full of smiles. Just then, she noticed a movement in the mirror, and for a moment her lips instead pursed a frown, thinking someone must've sneaked up behind her. It was unfortunately not unusual for creeps to sneak up on someone who was wearing beachwear, but then again it was not unusual for even good-mannered boys of her age to give a look. She was wearing a skimpy thong bikini bottom after all.

Sally: "Who're you? Waaiiit, I definitely know who you are-"

Damian: "Well, it's me, Damian. Long time no see, Sally. How's it been?"

Well, whatever sourness she'd had in her expression was instantly gone again, with her face full of smiles once more. Unbeknownst to the two, Gideon was nearby, having seen the shine that was radiating from Sally's eyes towards Damian, as well as the sudden blush in her cheeks, which was also present in Damian's.

Sally: "Look who's here, talking as smoothly as always."

At that line, she lightly elbowed Damian in the stomach, and raised her eyebrows playfully.

Sally: "To answer your question, it's been going well. Me and Starmie have been training real good to prepare for the upcoming national tournament. Not that we'd lose, but there were a few people that seemed tougher than the rest last year. Just making sure to be prepared against them just in case. How've you been?"

Damian: "Oh, good. I actually started my journey just yesterday, and I've already got my first out of eight badges needed to qualify. I've also got three Pokémon: meet Haunter, Flareon and Heracross."

Now normally, Sally would've been quick to quip back with some common sense, which she would joke Damian was starved of, but she was distracted instead. She had been listening, but towards the last part of his reply, her gaze had started to go elsewhere. Rather than telling him that sending out his Pokémon could get both of them kicked out of the store, she instead was too busy looking at his broad chest and toned abs, analysing them in great detail, before a sudden comment from Damian took her back to Earth.

Damian: "Sally, you seem to be unusually distracted. Everything alright?"

Sally: "Oh, it-it's all f-fine. I just thought it's probably best you show your Pokémon later, considering they could kick us out the store for it."

Damian: "Thank you, actually. I hadn't even considered that. Guess I must've thought too quickly,-"

Sally: "-And considered the consequences too little. Y'know, we used to say that a lot."

Damian: "Yeah, before you left school to start your own journey. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming you for it, I've just missed you so much!"

Sally felt her face heat up dangerously hot, as if she'd outpaced even her Quilava's flames present on his back.

Sally: "So what're you off to?"

Damian: "It turns out I never took any swimming trunks with me, so with the help of my friend Gideon, I'm getting several of them here. After that, me and my friends are going off to Southend-on-Sea by train, to the beach."

Sally: "Funny you should say that. I was actually going to go there, but thought I might try a few bikinis first. It's been years since I properly swam, so none of mine fit me anymore. Well, what do you think? D'you like it?"

At this, to the surprise of not just Damian but even herself, she gave a slow, confident twirl, showing herself off, with her cheeks becoming ever the redder. She hadn't actually been planning to go there at all, but it was a believable excuse that gave her an excellent opportunity to spend time with Damian.

Damn, she looks so amazing! Don't stare too long. DON'T STARE TOO LONG!

Damian: "... Well, y-you l-look... a-ama-zing!"

Sally: "T-thanks! You look great in that too! You should totally get that one."

Her hand accidentally brushed against his while speaking, causing both of them to blush and brush off the tense, awkward air around them through nervous laughter.

Suddenly, a movement appeared in both Sally's and Damian's peripheral vision, interrupting them and revealing himself to be none other than Gideon.

Gideon: "Before you two spend several more hours speaking to each other, I suggest I should buy the pair of swimming trunks that Damian's wearing. After all, we don't want to miss the sun when it's the finest."

Damian: "Oh yeah, I should get changed and give them to you so that you can buy them for me."

Sally: "Wait, you're that Gym Leader that almost won against me. What's your name again? Gillon?"

Gideon: "I'm called Gideon. At least your guess was very close to my actual name. Believe me, I've seen and heard worse."

Sally: "Anyway, I've heard from Damian that you guys are heading the same way as me. I could sit next to you guys on the train if you're okay with that."

Gideon: "Oh, totally, I'd be fine with that. Besides, the more of Damian's friends I meet, the better."


The five of them got out the store after having bought their clothes. Damian had chosen to wear his trunks rather than his trousers to make it easy once they got to the shore, with an orange t-shirt on top, while Sally had worn the white two-piece string bikini that she'd been in earlier under her clothes. Over it, she was wearing a white pleated skirt of a somewhat short length and a pink short-sleeved t-shirt that was cropped, exposing her navel and showing off her lightly toned abs. Below that, she'd opted for white thigh-high socks and pink trainers with a straightforwardly minimal set of black and white line patterns. They walked to the Picadilly Circus station, and got on the first train to get to the next stop, Green Park, after which they could change to the Jubilee line to head to West Ham, after which they'd change to National Rail's c2c and head to Southend-on-Sea.

Considering Green Park was literally the next stop, they did not have enough time to properly talk, but after getting on a Jubilee line train at Green Park, the quintet was buzzing in conversation.

Gideon: "How did it all start? How was your first day?"

Sally: "Well, I chose a Cyndaquil for my starter, he's now a Quilava. I actually lost the first couple of matches, and the first several wild Pokémon defeated us, but by the next couple of days I'd gotten my footing."

Gideon: "Y'know, it's funny you should say that, as Damian is the first person I've heard of that won his first battle and caught two Pokémon on their first day. I'd love to see a battle between you two at some point. Both of you are such aspiring trainers."

Sally: "Really? Damian, is your friend telling the truth?"

Damian: "Yep. Though I did almost get Flame Charge-d by Flareon so I guess I wasn't being careful. Also, yesterday I did lose to Professor Arauco, so my winstreak isn't as perfect as he'd like you to think. I did lose to his Arboliva with a Heracross after all. I easily had the type advantage, especially with Arboliva's moveset's lack of coverage."

Sally: "Silly, type advantage isn't everything y'know. I mean Gideon almost beat Starmie with a Ground-type. Speed and momentum can overcome the greatest of power."

Gideon: "He does seem to really prefer speedy Pokémon, and he utilises them so well. It's just maybe fighting a heavily experienced Pokémon using one that he'd caught just moments earlier doesn't seem like a wise idea."

Tristan: "I've always had to train my Pokémon for a while before having success with them. Although then again I do tend to go for first-stage Pokémon, so I guess they do by definition require lots of training."

Jackson: "My Garganacl won me a Gym Battle very soon after I'd caught it. It had been terrorising a town though, so I decided to catch it both to stop it from destroying people's houses and because it looked really strong. It streamrolled through 2 out of 3 of the Gym Leader's Pokémon."

Sally: "Wait, you're the guy that saved the neighbourhood I used to live in? Small world."


Even after changing onto c2c at West Ham, the quintet continued to pass the time with their endless chatter, learning new things about each other. To Damian, even the occasional sharp noise from the speed of the train wasn't enough to break his attention, and unbeknownst to him, the same applied to Sally. Damian learnt of Sally's experiences in the USA, while Sally learnt more about his situation at school after she'd left there to start her journey. Damn, some of the people at school could be cruel. She'd no doubt teach them a lesson, but for now, she was forced to remain calm.

She'd also learnt about Tristan's love of Bug-type Pokémon, as well as his love of photography, and how he aimed to one day take a picture of every Pokémon in existence. Sally wasn't the biggest fan of Bug-types, though was at least indifferent to some of them, but after looking at some of his pictures of them, even she couldn't deny that they could look cute. She'd never imagined that a Sewaddle could look so cuddly, but Tristan even convinced her that his pictures of his Spinarak were sweet and cute. She would also afterwards find out his Pokémon was now an Ariados, something that she still could not get herself to like, or even become neutral towards. At least battling one in a stadium wasn't so difficult, but being up close to one was an entirely different matter to her.

At last, they arrived, with the train slowing down before coming to a halt. It had been only an hour and a half, but everyone had learnt tonnes of stuff about each other. Sally was very impressed by Gideon's experience in Death Valley and how Krookodile had saved him, but she was even more impressed by Damian's experience, not to mention his dreams of becoming an archaeologist. The way in which he got his Haunter was further unusual, though Sally had always suspected that Professor Arauco was a bit bored by his role, not to mention most of the people he gave out starter Pokémon to every month or so. She would know, considering that her Quilava was given to her back when he was just a little Cyndaquil by the professor himself.

Sally: "Hey Damian, race me to the beach?"

Damian: "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

So the two went, at blistering speed no less, before anyone else could process what they'd said.

Gideon: "They really do like spending time with each other, don't y'think?"

Tristan: "Yeah. Never realised just how far back they knew each other, though. In hindsight it seems kinda obvious now."

Gideon: "They seem so calm around each other, and the next thing you know they get all nervous."

Tristan: "It's almost like both of them just can't properly see each others' reactions. It should be obvious to both of them by now."

Gideon: "Yeah, you could say that."

Jackson: "So, you guys goin' in to the water, or are we just gonna comment on them two for another hour? I'm gonna go in anyway."

Gideon: "Well don't you think we should find changing cabins first?"

Jackson: "So you two can't just do it using a towel then. Got it."

Gideon then realised he'd forgotten to bring a towel, as did Tristan, causing the two of them to sweatdrop. They were practically forced to go and find changing cabins, which could take some time, and could have huge queues considering how hot it was today.


Meanwhile, Damian and Sally had both arrived at the beach, somewhat panting thanks to the hot temperatures.

Sally: "Fine. You won. But only by two seconds."

Damian: "Well, two seconds was all I needed to beat you. Don't worry though, I'd given you a two-second headstart as well."

Sally: "Hey, that's not fair. You don't have to rub it in my face like that."

Damian: "Relax, you would've said the same thing in my place. Besides, it is still really impressive that you're basically as fast as me."

Sally: "Thanks! How about we dump our stuff for them to pick up and get out of these clothes and into the water? Just the two of us?"

Damian: "I-I'd love to!"

After laying down a particularly large flower-patterned towel that could accomodate the two of them, Sally took off first her bag, then her trainers, then her thigh-high socks, then her skirt, and then finally her cropped t-shirt until once again revealing her white string bikini. Damian was in a similar process of getting undressed, until both of them were in only their swimwear. Both had been staring at each other's bodies with blushes painted across their faces. He'd been sneaking glances at her curves, irresistably drawn to them, as well as her long, flowing auburn hair that gently moved with the wind and her beautiful brown eyes; while she'd been eyeing his muscular build, as well as his short curly brown hair. Finally, thinking that he might be making her uncomfortable by staring too much, he broke off the mood with light conversation.

Damian: "Wanna go in?"

Sally: "I'd love to! Though first, would you mind if you took this Poké Ball? I don't have any pockets so I can't carry her with me any other way."

Damian: "I mean, as the person with the zipped pockets here, I'd kindly carry her Poké Ball for you. Also, don't worry, if we do somehow end up far away, I do have my own Pokémon with me as well."

Sally: "Oh yeah, we should also get sunscreen on. Here."

She offered a sunscreen bottle to him, and then took out another, and started applying it onto herself. She started off with the top of her hands and then her arms, and gradually moved down from there.

While Damian was applying sunscreen onto himself, he noticed that she was putting some sunscreen on her cleavage, causing him to make fleeting glances every so often, until her focus shifted elsewhere. To his surprise, her focus was now on the parts of her butt not covered by the thong. Damn, it was rather toned and big, in just the perfect shape, and Sally rubbing sunscreen on it made him unable to concentrate elsewhere.

Unbeknownst to him, Sally had meanwhile been observing every so often Damian applying some of the sunscreen onto his broad, muscular chest, and was in awe at the boy's physique. She wished she could help him spread the sunscreen across his marvelous pecks. When he turned his attention lower down, to his thighs and legs, she was ecstatic, being completely drawn to his quads, which were squeezed by his swimming trunks.

After about two minutes, there was one part of their bodies left to do: the back.

Sally: "Care to do my back? I'll do yours if you do mine."

With a nod, Damian started work there, applying the substance on her back as if the bottle dispensed holy water. He would slowly apply it in soothing concentric circles until it was absorbed, then move lower and lower. Damian noticed that she'd trained her back. It wasn't the most noticeable, but she was clearly somewhat toned around there. Sally felt at ease, especially considering that it was him that was applying it onto her back.

Then, she undid the string around the back of her bikini top, letting Damian spread the sunscreen around the rest of her back. The only reason why the top hadn't fallen was because Sally was holding it, though Damian was anticipating when it would fall off. To both his pleasure and disappointment, soon, the whole thing was done, though it felt a lot longer for both Damian and Sally.

Next, it was her turn to apply the sunscreen. She started spraying some of it from the bottle, and then started rubbing it along his upper back. His rather muscular back. She was clearly enjoying this, getting a chance to feel those muscles whilst having the perfect excuse to do so. His back did feel somewhat strained, though this was of no surprise to the girl considering Damian was exactly the kind of person who could ever be stress-free. Until yesterday, there would've been a lot of reasons that Damian would've been stressed about, including those bullies. Sigh, she needed to not think about that. She started somewhat massaging his upper back to relieve him of the strains, which unbeknownst to her changed his expression to an even happier one, and then once her attention to his upper back was no longer needed, she moved lower. Considering the swimming trunks also covered part of his lower back, there wasn't much to do, so she ended up being done not too long after.

Once they'd finished applying sunscreen all around their bodies, they were ready to head in. He offered his hand, which she gladly took, and the two of them went in to the waters.

Damian: "Brrrrr. It's COLD!"

Sally: "It's not that cold."
The presumption made her giggle.

Damian: "Is this cold enough for you then, madam?"
He splashed water across her back.

Sally: "Oh, I think it's all just lovely lukewarm water, sir."
She gave a playful smirk.

Damian: "How about now?"
More water was splashed at her, now hitting her front. Of course, some of it had entered her bikini top.

Sally: "Oh, I'm fine, thank you. I think this is the perfect temperature, don't you think?"
She was starting to get cold, but she'd never admit it. Besides, she loved to test her limits and look like she had the upper hand, and this was a fun way to do so.

Damian: "I think you'll find it's too much to bear now, m'lady."
He splashed water at her again, this time in a more controlled manner, hitting her hair, which caused water to trickle down both her back and onto her face, with additional amounts falling into her top.

Sally: "FINE! YOU WIN! IT'S TOO COLD, MISTER!"
She screamed, mostly in mock annoyance, but it was cold as well, and beyond a certain point, she just couldn't help it. That's not to say that this was a bad experience or anything for her, however — she was certainly having a lot of fun, something which was clearly visible on her face, with her wide expression and glimmering chocolate eyes. Suddenly, however, that look changed, replaced with one that looked more like fascination mixed with mischief. She had a devilish plan, and she was going to execute it perfectly.

Sally: "But you won't win this!"
Sally suddenly splashed water at Damian's face, causing him to flinch at the cold sensation that had just slapped there. The two started to splash water at each other, and ended up going further and further into the water whilst doing so until they were almost fully submerged, with now only their heads fully visible.

Sally: "Having fun?"

Damian: "It's the best fun I've had in years. No, scratch that, forget even the whole of yesterday, or that day I helped my dad excavate an entire Roman temple, today, right now, is the best day of my life."

Sally: "Want me to make it even better?"

Damian: "Absolutely!"

Sally: "Then let me just grab my Poké Ball for one second."

She swam just a bit closer and unzipped his left pocket, which contained only her Poké Ball. He'd stored his ones on his right pocket. Smart. He's made sure that his Pokémon don't get mixed with mine, and he can also reach for them with his dominant hand. As she was about to send out her Pokémon, a light wave crashed into her, causing her to lose balance (as much one can in the water considering they're not touching the ground), and her left hand fumbled and accidentally touched, well, the area between his legs, which was a rather sudden surprise to Damian. She knew she was done for, Damian could never forgive her-

Fortunately for her, Damian either didn't notice or didn't mind, as he made no comment and no indication apart from the initial look on his face that Sally had missed. His cheeks were still somewhat red though, considering the rather inappropriate accident, but it was hard to notice with the sun being so bright and could just be written off as Damian being tired. Damian was far from needing to recharge, though.

Sally: "Come on out, Milotic!"

She gave the Poké Ball back to Damian, who put it back in his left pocket which he then zipped up, and she then directed for the two of them to climb onto her Pokémon's back.

Sally: "Make sure you hold tight, we're about to go really fast!"

Damian: "Wait wha-"

The two teens sitting on the Milotic wizzed past just as Jackson had arrived, and were gone in a blur. Jackson really had to wonder what had just happened, and considering that he was rather far away from where they'd been in the waters and his unfortunate late timing, he had a completely different idea about what had just happened.

Jackson: "Could that have been... a Veluza?!"

He quickly took off his clothes with a towel wrapped around him and then wore his trunks, and then after transferring his Poké Balls into his zipped pockets, he jumped in the water and started to swim. After he was inside the water enough, cold and submerged, he pulled out a Poké Ball and pressed on the button to enlargen it.

Jackson: "Come on out, Huntail!"

Huntail was waiting for his trainer's command.

Jackson: "We need to search for a Veluza. I think it might be around here, and I don't want it to terrorise anyone here at the beach."

He then got on the Pokémon's back, and started looking around. No Veluza there. None here. Nope. They started going further and further away from the shore, but to Jackson, this thing needed to be taken down and taught a lesson. He hated to admit it, but he was genuinely scared of Veluza after an experience he'd had with one as a small child, where the fucker almost tore off his arm. The bite marks were still there to this day, having caused a permanent scar. Since then, he'd hated them, and wanted to make sure no one else would have to experience what he'd experienced.

Funnily enough, even though this whole entire search had been built on a misunderstanding, Jackson finally spotted a Veluza after ten minutes or so. It looked rather angry, and a few more stares later, it came charging right at them. Jackson needed Huntail as a mount just in case, so he brought out a different Pokémon.

Jackson: "Come on out, Mandibuzz! Use Dark Pulse!"

Mandibuzz released a beam of imbued dark energy, flinging the large fish-like Pokémon back across the water. Unfortunately, apart from the damage the super-effective move caused, all this did was further anger the Veluza. It was therefore not the right time for him to notice that this Veluza was substantially larger than any he'd ever come across before. In fact, it was as large, maybe very slightly larger in fact, than his Huntail.

Jackson: "Wait for it to launch out of the water, and then catch it and start using Pluck."

The Veluza flung itself at Jackson not a moment later, and was subsequently firmly caught by Mandibuzz just before it could reach its face. Jackson struggled to not freeze in terror. The Pokémon had almost torn off his face. No, scratch that, he refused to call it a Pokémon. It was inhuman, its teeth warped of uncivilised vengeance, its eyes cold and murderous. The closest he could come to acknowledging its existence was to call it a "thing".

At least, it had been immobilised, and with Mandibuzz high in the sky, plucking at the murderous "thing", he was safe, as was everybody else. Or so he thought.

The "thing" used Ice Beam, and flailing around in Mandibuzz's claws so much meant that the attack went off in several different directions. This caused Mandibuzz's claws to be encased in ice, but some of it also went on Jackson's body, partially encasing him and adding further weight onto his Huntail. Huntail was strong, but unfortunately not strong enough to carry his trainer when said trainer was partially frozen in ice.

More of the beam started to hit both Mandibuzz and her trainer, and soon, both of them were starting to become a lot more frozen, and Jackson started to sink while Mandibuzz started to drop down. The only thing he could do was look in sheer terror.


Meanwhile, Damian and Sally were in a completely different world of their own, completely unaware of their friend's life-threatening situation.

Damian: "WOO-HOOOOOOOOO! THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN!"

Sally: "I AGREE!"

The pair were going extremely fast across the water, to the point where Damian wondered just how well-trained Sally's Milotic must've been to pull this off. Just then Sally had yet another surprise up her sleeve.

Sally: "Milotic, you can stop now. Awww, you're doing such a great job."
She stroked her Pokémon, making Milotic even happier and prouder.

Sally: "So Damian, I have another idea to make this an even better day. How about we go diving?"

Damian: "I'd love to, but don't you think we'd need scuba masks and a wetsuit?"

Sally: "Well, that's where Milotic comes in. You see, scuba gear companies hate you with this one simple trick. Watch this. Make sure to hold on tight!"
At the word "watch", Milotic started to dive into the water, and a second later, Milotic used Aqua Ring on the two teens on her back to tie them to her, and then created oxygen bubbles around their heads to allow them to breathe.

Sally: "See? How's this feel?"

Damian: "Awesome! Though hearing you is not as easy!"

Sally: "Well it's better than drowning!"

Damian: "You think I wanted to drown?"

Sally: "Well, I don't know, you tell me silly! Or we could always look at what's in front of us!"

They were moving at much slower speeds underneath the water, to avoid problems like oxygen bubbles forming under the skin when resurfacing, but it was also to allow them the time and pace to explore. There were so many Pokémon here, including Clamperl, Huntail, Gorebyss, Luvdisc, Horsea, Seadra, Kingdra, Chincou, Lanturn, Qwilfish, Corsola, Mareanie and Toxapex. The Remoraid were swimming around them in single file, the Finneon and Lumineon using their wing-like parts were rapidly breezing past, and the Octillery were eating the seaweed. The whole ecosystem down here, in all its thriving condition, was a plainly beautiful sight to see.

Sally told her Milotic to go back above the water, and they slowly went upwards until they reached back. Milotic undid the Aqua Ring, and upon reaching the surface, the bubbles popped, telling them they were above the water.

Damian: "That was so amazing! One question though. You've said you haven't swam properly in years, and yet you have a Milotic. How?"

Sally: "Well, the truth is, I found Milotic injured at this very same beach. I think she must've washed up there after getting into a fight with a particularly nasty Pokémon. Either that or someone tried to fish her up or something, but I doubt that considering the lack of hook marks or anything that could've suggested that. There were bite marks though, and they seemed pretty big. You know how you got three uncommon Pokémon just on the first day of your journey? Well I found Milotic a week into mine. She's the reason how and why I've learnt so much about battling."

Damian: "You're so cool! You always put others first, no matter how hard it takes. That's something I really like about you. It must've been so much work just to get Milotic to heal."
His cheeks turned red.

Sally: "Awww, thank you so much! Milotic was so deeply wounded I immediately caught her and rushed to the nearest Pokémon Centre. I gave her to the ER and they told me that had I been a few minutes slower, Milotic would've died. I wish I didn't have to think about that, but I'm so glad that she's okay now. It's just... the image of her lying on the ground so badly hurt really haunts me. I-I can't stop th-th-th-thinking about it."
At first, she was just as red as him, but then she started to cry.

Damian: "I'm sorry if I made you remember a memory that you'd rather forget."
He scooched up closer and brought a thumb to her cheek, wiping her tears away to reassure her.

Sally: "Th-th-thanks, Damian. I'm sorry I-I ended up ruining our time, like I ruin everything, i-it's just... I don't know, I can't take it anymore. I've not seen you in over a year, and just in that time so much has happened to me. My two closest friends ditched me because I "overshare everything" about my life. My mum's really, ill, and yet I can never do anything for her because now my entire life has to be monitored. It's like everyone on the streets has to keep looking at me and following me around because I'm "that girl from TV", and I can't go one moment before someone recognises me, and then it's only another moment or so before everyone starts trying to take photos with me or wants to an interview. If they were to know where she lived, they'd kill her from all that stress by constantly knocking on her door to find out about me. Uhhhhh, I'm such a stupid person! I take back what I said last year. I don't want to be famous. I just want to be forgotten like I used to be. Even that was better. And of course I have to remember Milotic being almost dead in graphic detail right now just so that life can fu-"

Damian: "Sally, listen to me. You're not stupid at all, you're the smartest, kindest, most supportive, most confident person I've met. You don't ruin things, you make them even better. You've made me a better person, a much, much better person. Your friends ditching you wasn't your fault at all. I'd bet they're just jealous of your success even. They're not good people, and bad people will never change, they will always end up trying to crush good people's hearts. People like you. You have a heart of gold. They will never be like you, never pure-hearted like you. You're so much better than them, you don't have to even think about them. They will never care about you as a person, so what's the point in caring about them? You-"

Sally: "B-but, what can I do when the universe so desperately wants to punish me? I don't know if my mum will make it. Of course she has to, o-on t-top of everything, have to have cancer. Just when I finally make her proud, she has to suffer. I have looked for approval from her my entire life, and just when she's finally given it, this happens. Why can't anything good ever happen to me? Why am I always so alone? I've lost my friends, I'm gonna lose my mum, I'm gonna lose my sanity, like WHY IS LIFE ALWAYS SO FUCKING UNFAIR!?"

She was so angry, so ready to just hurt anything in her path that her shouting could almost be heard miles away. She had to hold herself back from hurting Damian or Milotic. She knew she could never forgive herself if she ever hurt either of them.

Damian: "Nothing in life is so easy. I almost didn't get my starter Pokémon yesterday. I was constantly bullied by almost everyone around me that I'd often just want to sleep in bed all day, and at one point it got so bad that I missed an entire month of school. Well that, and the fact that I have really, really bad insomnia problems. My parents will never understand how bad any of it gets, and they've always generalised everything I do as me being lazy. I can't speak to them about it. Until I became friends with Tristan and Jackson, I had no one. Literally no one. I'm an only child as well, so I had no one to speak to even on better days. My extended family is even less open about their experiences amd emotions, and they don't just think I'm lazy, but that I'm dumb, that I have a low IQ. Point is, everyone has problems. It's just nobody speaks about them. No one, I guess, except for us. I don't care about what's society wants to bottle up. I have only ever become better because I could always speak to you. Sally, you're like the candle in the darkness that lets me see. If it wasn't for you, I'd be all alone, always surrounded by darkness, and never with anything else. I am nothing without you. We are nothing without each other. You may have lost those two friends of yours, but you haven't lost me. You will never lose me, I will do everything in my power to make sure of it. Sally, you're the greatest best friend I've ever had, and I'll always be there for you, through the thick and thin of it all."

Damian hugged her a reassuring hug, letting her salty tears fall onto him. A tender hug, one comforting her and giving her hope, that was what she needed the most. Comfort. Protection. Her body was shaking slightly from all of that crying, her breathing shaky. She'd felt so, so alone in this huge world. The long hug made her feel safe.

He adjusted himself once more, with his hands now cupping her face. His thumb adjusted Sally's tears, wiping them away. Her face brightened up, changing from a frown to a look of ecstasy and wonder, and she looked at him with sparkling eyes. The tears in her eyes had gone, her blush visible once again, and her hands had become calm once again, no longer forming strong fists. She was no longer shaking either. Finally, she spoke.

Sally: "Always?"

Damian: "Always."

The two were now incredibly close, staring into each others' star-struck eyes. The sun was shimmering on them, the light wind gently playing with their hair, and the light waves were calmly crashing on to their legs, creating reverberating rippling sounds that were then accompanied by the intensified fresh sea-rich smell of the air. The Wingull were letting out their care-free squawks, and the Magikarp and Remoraid were happily leaping out of the water only to then dive back down. It was beautiful.

Not as beautiful as the scene in front of Damian. Sally's luscious, long auburn locks would gently move along with the wind from left to right, with her cheeks redder than cherry and her lips redder than ruby. Her deep eyes of chocolate were shinier than any diamond or gold, and her skin invitingly, impossibly soft to the touch. The two leaned in closer and closer, quickly discarding any last personal boundaries, until they were finally one. Their eyes met, their lips connected, their noses touched, and hands touched hands in a passionate embrace that filled the surroundings with their love. This was it. No more restraints. No more hard times. Just the two of them. Together. At last.


Meanwhile, quite far away from them, Jackson was in trouble. Serious trouble. He'd started sinking below the water, which was now halfway across his neck, while being frozen in ice. He couldn't move, but he could see that the Veluza was staring at him with a cold, murderous intent. No way he'd survive this. Just then, however, someone, out of nowhere, saw to it that the outcome would be entirely different.

Gideon: "Let's go, Mantine! Get close to Jackson using Aqua Jet and then switch into Slam to break the ice!"

Mantine moved right next to Jackson in an instant, and before anyone could process what had happened, he hurled his body with full force at the ice. Yet nothing happened. And then, Veluza used Psychic.

Gideon: "Use Hurricane to overpower the Veluza, and then try Slam again to break the ice!"

Mantine started to move around in a tight circle to launch a Hurricane attack, and thanks to a mix of natural ingenuity and the help of a competent trainer, Mantine used Aqua Jet to quickly speed up the process, limiting the Veluza's window of opportunity. Veluza nonetheless caught Mantine in the magenta vortex generated by the pyschokinetic power that Psychic released, but there was no way that Veluza was strong enough to hold Hurricane for long. Gideon's gamble turned out to be right, and despite the Veluza's best efforts, Psychic failed to contain Hurricane, with the latter move instead breaking through the magenta psychokinetic barrier that had held it in its place, and hit Veluza with full force, sending it backwards. Helpfully, some of it hit the ice that Jackson was stuck in, structurally weakening it significantly and even moving him slightly upwards, so that he was now back to having the water just under his chest instead. Then, Mantine used Slam on the ice once again, causing visible and audible cracks to appear.

Gideon: "One last time, and then make sure to get Jackson on your back so that he doesn't drown. He's probably going to be too cold to move, and he could also be unconscious or delirious, and he's too heavy for me to carry."

With a final Slam, Mantine threw his body right at the ice one last time, and this time the ice finally broke, shattering into a trillion pieces. Jackson sank, but thankfully fell on Mantine's back, preventing him from drowning. After a few seconds, Jackson regained his awareness, and then remembered his rash move, realising that if it wasn't for Gideon, he would have almost certainly died. If this wasn't Jackson, he'd have been shocked, almost unable to move at all, but him being him, he decided on something else instead. He was going to catch this Veluza. After all, he'd gone to all this trouble, and the very best thing to do to face his fear was to put his face in the jaws of danger, almost literally.

He then realised that both Mandibuzz and Huntail were lying on top of him, and they no doubt looked exhausted. He recalled them both, opting to let them rest, and used a different Pokémon.

Jackson: "Come on out, Pinsir! Use X-Scissor, and then use Throat Chop!"

Pinsir came out of his Poké Ball, and realising that they were in water, firstly used Stone Edge to gain his footing, before attacking the mighty Veluza. Hitting it with his sharp pair of claws in an x-like pattern, Pinsir beat it with a powerful X-Scissor, and then lowered Stone Edge's position to swing a low jab that hit as Throat Chop just under the Veluza's jaw. Veluza was dumbfounded at how the tides had so quickly turned.

Jackson: "Now use Brutal Swing!"

Catching the Veluza that had been launched into the air by the previous Throat Chop, Pinsir swung the Pokémon around, creating enough momentum to then throw it away violently. Veluza hit the water some distance away, clearly looking very tired.

Jackson: "Now finish it off with Hyper Beam!"

Pinsir slowly charged up a purple beam of energy, and then afterwards launched an incredibly powerful Hyper Beam attack that caused an explosion upon striking the Veluza. Jackson wasn't surprised that it struck Veluza so effortlessly, considering that the Pokémon had looked incredibly worn out, which would have at that point hampered its response time and judgement.

Jackson: "You're mine!"

Jackson threw a Dive Ball at the Jettison Pokémon, sucking it in and miniaturising it with a red beam of energy. When the Dive Ball closed, Jackson took hold of it so as not to lose it, and felt the object rotate around in different directions, with the button in the centre flashing red. Finally, after ten or so rotations, the Dive Ball made a dispensing sound and produced small sparkles, indicating that Veluza had been caught. Due to Jackson's party being full, the ball then emitted a flash of white light, after which it disappeared.

Gideon: "Y'okay?"

Jackson: "Yeah, I'm fine. Also, I can get us back to the shore with Orbeetle's Teleport."

Gideon: "Nice! I honestly had no plan on how to get back, so that works I guess."


The duo were teleported back to the beach, where Tristan was. He seemed to be busy battling a red Mareanie.

Tristan: "Use Thunderbolt, Galvantula!"

The red Mareanie quickly dodged the bolt of electricity, before delivering a Spike Cannon attack that struck Galvantula.

Tristan: "Again!"

The red Mareanie dodged once again, this time being deliberately slow and making exaggerated jumps before laughing at Tristan, as if to mock him. It then sent out a Sludge Bomb attack.

Tristan: "Use Electroweb around yourself to absorb the attack!"

The move acted like a protective wall, completely nullifying Sludge Bomb's power.

Tristan: "Now use Double Team and then use Electro Ball!"

Galvantula created illusionary copies of itself, multiplying until there were thirty-two of them. Each one of them, as well as the real Galvantula, created an electric ball of energy, before firing it off at where Mareanie was.

Mareanie, however, rather than being confused, used Blizzard to get rid of the illusions and simultaneously hit the real Galvantula. The copies quickly disappeared, and the Electro Ball exploded mid-flight, causing a small explosion that created some smoke around the air. The ice particles from Blizzard also hit Galvantula, damaging him.

Tristan: "Pin Missile!"

Mareanie countered back with Spike Cannon, causing both moves to be cancelled out. Then, from the smoke created by the blast, it pounced at Galvantula out of nowhere with Liquidation, making wide slashes with the blades of water formed on its spiky tendrils. Galvantula took great damage, which was visible from the many cuts and bruises that had formed after the Liquidation attack.

Tristan: "Use Agility to raise your speed!"

Tristan was aware that this would leave his Pokémon vulnerable, but he wasn't without a plan. Just as Agility had finished, he saw Mareanie tense up its face, clearly getting ready to pounce and use Liquidation once more. One. Two. Three. Now!

Tristan: "Use Discharge!"

Mareanie was caught right in the attack by surprise, and electrocuted. However, Tristan failed to take into account Mareanie's will to fight, and was taken by surprise when it still activated Liquidation, this time hitting with more precision and dealing more damage. Unfortunately for Tristan, Galvantula collapsed onto the sands, too tired and too injured to continue

Tristan: "Uhhhhh! Return, Galvantula. You deserve a good rest."

Clearly, Galvantula could not defeat Mareanie, as it was just too quick to respond and just too creative to deal with.

Tristan: "Come on out, Gogoat!"

Gogoat appeared in front of his trainer, with tiny star-shaped particles sparkling all around him.

Tristan: "Start off with Rock Slide!"

Rocks appeared out of the sky, falling down onto where Mareanie was. Or would have been, had it not been for the Pokémon's reflexes. It then used Acid Spray against Gogoat.

Tristan: "Jump away!"

Gogoat easily dodged the attack.

Tristan: "Now use Aerial Ace!"

Gogoat sprang forward with great speed at his opponent, his hooves and horns glowing arctic blue. Before Mareanie could respond, it was struck by the move, causing it to be sent back. It angrily responded back with Ice Spinner, quickly spinning towards Gogoat. Tristan smiled. He was always much better at battling when in a defensive position, so goading Mareanie into an offensive position helped him a lot.

Tristan: "Use Leech Seed several times!"

Leech Seed hit the ground, sprouting forth vines that held Mareanie in place. The first set of Leech Seed vines were mostly cut by Ice Spinner, but the second and third times were enough to overpower Mareanie, keeping it in place and stopping it from using Ice Spinner.

Tristan: "Now use Solar Beam!"

Due to the already harsh sunlight that the weather provided, Solar Beam was quickly charged up, and quickly hit Mareanie, sending it flying back. However, upon landing on the ground, it stayed upright, and used Blizzard.

Tristan: "Get on the water and use Surf!"

Gogoat quickly created a wave, which was tall enough to engulf the icicles from Blizzard, cancelling out the Ice-type move. The wave then crashed down onto Mareanie, causing it to get stuck in the sand, which had become wet from Surf.

Tristan: "Now use Mud Shot!"

Before Mareanie could muster its next move, Mud Shot hit, covering its face and the rest of its body. To Tristan, it was definitely stuck now.

Tristan: "Use Leaf Sto-"

To Mareanie, however, all hope was not lost. It used Ice Spinner break free from the mix of wet sand and mud, freezing its surroundings, and crashed into Gogoat, sending him flying back.

Tristan: "Oh, come on! Ok, Gogoat, use Wild Charge!"

Gogoat sprang forward once again, this time being surrounded by yellow sparks of light and electricity, and charged right into Mareanie, who had been unable to match the same speed when springing forward with Ice Spinner. It was not only sent back, but was also electrocuted, further damaging it.

Tristan: "Finish it off with Solar Beam!"

Solar Beam was once again quickly charged up, and the powerful green beam was quickly fired at Mareanie. This time, however, Mareanie was not quick enough to respond, and was struck back so much that it flew in the air before falling back onto the ground. The swirls around its eyes confirmed that it had fainted.

Tristan threw a Timer Ball, which engulfed the shiny Pokémon inside. After rocking back and forth twice, the thing was caught. From his Pokédex, Tristan could tell that it was female, and selected for one of his other Pokémon to be sent to his sponsor so that he could have Mareanie back on him.

Gideon: "That looked like a very feisty Mareanie to me. She seems strong, but she doesn't have the best experience in battle. You'd make a hell of a good mentor to her."

Tristan: "Thanks! So, what happened to Jackson? He looks... tired as hell."

Jackson: "Long story short, a Veluza froze me and made me almost drown. Gideon here saved me. At least I caught the Pokémon."

Tristan: "You almost died because of a Pokémon, and you then decide to catch him? Are you insane?"

Jackson: "You could say that. At least I admit my problems. Gideon, I have a question for you that's been on my mind. When did you get that Mantine?"

Gideon: "Oh, I caught it a short while after me and Tristan came to the beach. This thing's real calm and gentle."

Jackson: "Also, how far away are Damian and Sally? What's taking them so long?"

Just then, as if on cue, a super-fast Milotic appeared in the distance, rapidly moving closer and closer. When it had covered about half of the distance between the trio, they realised that Damian and Sally were on it. In another five seconds, the duo finally met up, with Milotic gently slowing down to avoid crashing into the sand with a heavy impact.

Jackson: "Hey, how's it been?"

Damian: "Good! We dived with Milotic, it was so cool! It was-"

Sally: "-Like a movie! The bottom of the waters was-"

Damian: "-So beautiful."

Damian's cheeks flashed red, and he was no longer looking at Jackson.

Jackson: "So what's with you two completing each others' sentences?"

Tristan: "Or the both of you constantly getting distracted when speaking?"

Damian: "N-no, tha-tha-that's not what we're d-d-doing, l-like at all!"

Damian was clearly a stuttering mess composed of blushes and denials.

Sally: "Well, you see..."

Gideon: "Well, I do see. I see you two are very comfortable with each other. It's all good. We're not about to disrupt that. If you want, we can drop the question, now that we know the answer."

Jackson: "You can get comfortable, just make sure not to get too comfortable all at once, y'know, alright?

Jackson winked at Damian, causing him to look embarrassed and intensifying the redness of his cheeks.

Meanwhile, everybody had failed to notice a certain figure nearby. To their surprise, a Corphish suddenly jumped at Tristan, landing on his hat.

Jackson: "Wait, what just happened?"

Corphish was trying to use Crabhammer on Tristan's head, with his lime green hat the only source of protection for the Pokémon trainer. The only reason why he had not succeeded was because Tristan kept on shifting his footing, forcing the Pokémon to regain his balance. Jackson, unsurprisingly, was now laughing.

To Damian, it seemed like Corphish had given the warning signs, but all of them had been too wrapped up in their conversation to notice, leading to the Pokémon to take measures as drastic as this one.

Damian: "Come on out, Heracross! Corphish, leave my friends alone. If this is your territory, it is me who caused everyone to trespass onto it. So, fight me, in a Pokémon battle!"

Corphish jumped off of Tristan's lime green hat with an air of cool, though not without making Tristan fall first from the impact, and then everyone got out of the way. Everyone, of course, except for Tristan, who was currently lying on the floor from a mixture of dizziness and exhaustion, having carried the heavy Pokémon on top of his head of all places. Tristan had to be helped to his feet to get out of the way.

Corphish, meanwhile, looked angry, but also seemed curious, almost as if inquiring Damian's move. Clearly, for the Pokémon, it seemed aggressive enough that clashes like this were not unusual, but it seemed like a battle proposal was not one Corphish had experienced before, intriguing the Pokémon.

Corphish started off with Aqua Jet, moving towards his opponent with blistering speed, and scored a quick hit against Heracross, who was caught off guard.

Damian: "Use Shadow Claw!"

Heracross immediately hit Corphish with the move, sending Corphish back. Corphish went for another Aqua Jet, but Damian had a plan.

Damian: "Fly upwards, and then use Pin Missile!"

Heracross jumped off the floor to gain momentum, and then activated his wings, flying over Corphish, whose Aqua Jet attack missed. Flying slightly away from Corphish to gain a safe distance, Heracross then activated Pin Missile, shooting sharp pine needles, which were covered in a lime green energy, at his opponent.

Corphish, however swung once more with Night Slash, cutting most of the needles in half. Fortunately, the attack lacked defensive range, so some of them went past the move that was imbued with dark energy, hitting Corphish in the forehead.

Damian: "Now use Brick Break!"

Heracross swooped down low, with his hands becoming surrounded by orange energy, and swung at Corphish. Before it could hit, however, Corphish raised his pincers at the last second, and blocked the move with Crabhammer. The pincers glowed a bright white.

The two began swinging at each other with their respective moves, striking and blocking repeatedly with speed and power. Heracross would move in the air and attempt to strike from different angles, trying to make surprise attacks, before being blocked by Corphish. Corphish, meanwhile, would pounce at Heracross, and try to go for uppercuts. Failing that, it would attempt to crush one of Heracross' arms using the strength and weight of both pincers.

Damian could see that both were evenly matched, being unable to properly strike each other. It was a stalemate, unless...

Damian: "Go back and then use Aerial Ace!"

Heracross suddenly flew back, his arms, legs and horn suddenly glowing a light blue, and Heracross then flew forwards with great intensity and speed. He flew into his opponent, and the impact from his surprise ninja-like combo of punches, kicks and horn flicks sent Corphish quite far away.

Damian: "Now use Megahorn!"

Heracross flew towards Corphish, with a speed so fast that the air started to part around him in streaks. His horn glew a lime green, and striked Corphish in the face a second later. The impact of the attack sent Corphish backwards and up in the air once more, though this time in a different direction, sending him into the rocks.

Damian and his friends ran up to where Corphish and Heracross were, who by this point were somewhat far away. Corphish was surprisingly still not beaten, now swinging at Heracross with Crabhammer, which was once again being countered by Brick Break. Then, it swung once again, giving Damian an idea.

Damian: "Move back!"

Heracross flew slightly away from Corphish, dodging the Crabhammer and creating distance between the two. This made Corphish confused, and before he could think on how to react, Damian issued another command.

Damian: "Now use Bulldoze!"

Heracross stomped on the ground, creating an orange aura that travelled in a straight line on the ground before hitting Corphish from below. Corphish was sent backwards, visibly very hurt and tired, but was still not defeated. In response, he used Water Gun, with the high-speed, high-pressure water jets being ejected from both his pincers towards Heracross. The closer the twin jets got to Heracross, the closer they seemed to be to each other. Perhaps that was Corphish's aim — to combine the two water jets into a much more powerful singular attack. Before they could hit or combine, however, Heracross dodged the jets with a high jump, which was further supported by the Pokémon's wings fluttering into action mid-way through the air.

Damian: "You're a stubborn one, aren't ya? Well, we'll just have to be even more stubborn then. Use HYPER BEAM!"

Corphish fired another round of Water Guns from his pincers, intending to hit Heracross before Hyper Beam could fully charge, but the move was fired too late. Corphish had miscalculated, and Hyper Beam became fully charged earlier than the Pokémon had expected. The white-and-purple beam was fired by Heracross, colliding into a now-combined Water Gun, which was almost effortlessly pushed away. The beam, after cutting through Corphish's attack, striked Corphish's face, creating an explosion and sending Corphish into the rocks once again.

This time, however, Corphish did not get back up on his feet. Instead, he fell off from the rocky wall and onto the sands. Looking at the imprint created on the rocks, Damian could see lots of cracks, and the imprint itself looked very deep.

Damian swung a Poké Ball at Corphish, enveloping the Pokémon inside. The Poké Ball swung back and forth, swiveling in different directions and motions. After about ten seconds, the button at the centre of the ball flashed red, and the Poké Ball made a dispensing sound, indicating that Corphish had been caught.

Damian: "All right! Let's goooo! I just caught a Corphish!"

Sally laughed at Damian's over-the-top, childish behaviour, making Damian somewhat self-conscious. Realising that she'd made him somewhat uncomfortable, she felt slightly guilty, and felt that she needed to apologise.

Sally: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just didn't expect you to still have that kind of energy. You're both 6 and 16 sometimes, y'know? It's really not a bad thing, you're so cute when you do it."

Damian blushed, and felt his confidence grow once more. Damn, she could really make him feel good about himself. They held hands, a smile visible on their faces once more.

Gideon: "Just something I wanted to say — that Corphish is very quick to anger. Do be careful with him. He seems to value honour strongly, but you can never completely know what he'll do."

Jackson: "I won't deny that that thing with Tristan's hat was funny, but Corphish could've seriously hurt him. He seems wary of humans, so be careful."

Tristan: "Even I won't deny it, that was funny, but he almost knocked me out. Make sure he doesn't do that to you. I've seen plenty of Corphish before, and they're not anywhere nearly as angry as yours. In fact, most of them seem to intentionally try to help people rather than hurt them."

The quintet continued walking on the beach, asking each other about their experiences so far today.