After the painful end to dinner last night, Josh couldn't bring himself to ask Ryan to give him a Teleport to Fuchsia City the next day. Ash had no Pokemon that could be used for transport either. So Josh resolved to give flying on Hermes's back another shot. Josh had trekked back out to Route 1, where he knew he could no longer be seen from his house, and called out his Pidgeot. But try as he might, Josh couldn't last longer than a few minutes on Hermes's back before the urge to puke became overwhelming, and he had to force Hermes to land.

Josh stood on a grassy knoll near the outskirts of the Viridian Forest. He was bent over with his hands on his knees, desperately trying to keep his breakfast down, while breathing as deeply as possible. Hermes stood beside him, chirping impatiently. Josh was still nowhere near Fuchsia City. There was no way he would be able to cross Saffron Bay at this rate. That meant that even diverting to Cinnabar Island, which was technically closer to Pallet Town, wasn't an option either. But without a Water-type that Josh could cross the water on, he had no alternatives. Josh had boxed Amphitrite ages ago, and he doubted she could swim very far with Josh on her back.

Josh silently cursed Ryan, Ash, and Jake for having easy ways to travel. They were all long gone by now. But the sound of an unfamiliar set of wings flapping interrupted Josh's thoughts.

He looked up just in time to see the silhouette of a massive pair of wings tucking themselves in as a Fearow landed in front of Josh and Hermes.

"I thought that was you!" a voice from behind the Fearow said.

Then, a girl wearing jeans and a button-down shirt hopped off of the Fearow's back and skipped up the hill to Josh. His first instinct was to stand up straight and accept the challenge to battle, but Josh knew if he tried to move he'd just puke. He craned his head up to look at her.

"Sorry," Josh breathed out, "who are you?"

"Aww, you don't remember me?" the girl said. "Viridian Forest? Last time I saw you two, your friend was just a little Pidgey."

Josh looked closer. The girl smiled at him, displaying a set of perfectly white teeth behind a set of braces. Then, it came to him.

"… Caitlyn?" he said.

"There you go," she said with a wink. "If you're thinking of going to Viridian City, I'll save you some time — the Gym's still closed."

"I wasn't… I mean, I hadn't thought of…" Josh began, but then he just hung his head low. Trying to hold this conversation was just making his stomach do another flip inside of him. Another one of those and he'd lose it right in front of Caitlyn.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked finally.

"No," Josh gasped.

Caitlyn stepped forward and put her hand on Josh's forehead. Her hand was incredibly soft.

"You don't feel hot," she said. "Was it something you ate? Or did you skip a meal?"

Josh shook his head. Then, Hermes squawked loudly. Caitlyn withdrew her hand and her eyes darted from Josh to his Flying-type.

"Oh," she said. "Motion sickness?"

Josh nodded sheepishly.

"I get that," Caitlyn said. "I had the same problem when this guy evolved. Just keep your head down."

Josh nodded again. Caitlyn sat down and unslung her bag from her shoulder. She pulled out a can of soda and laid it at Josh's feet. Caitlyn's Fearow sat down next to her. He chirped a few times in Hermes's direction, and soon enough, Josh's Pidgeot sat down and nestled next to Josh's leg.

"Small sips," Caitlyn added as Josh opened the soda.

Josh did so, letting the carbonated tang of the drink take his mind off his stomach's churning. Finally, he sat down next to his Pidgeot and spoke.

"Thanks," he said. "What are you doing out here?"

"I saw you flying around and I thought I'd say hi," she said.

"No, I mean, shouldn't you be in school right now?"

Caitlyn giggled. "Our classes ended two weeks ago."

"Oh."

Another moment passed as Josh took a few more sips of the soda.

"How'd it go with Brock?" Caitlyn asked.

"I won," Josh said.

"So how many Badges do you have now?"

"Five."

Again, Caitlyn laughed, but Josh only stared back at her with a blank expression.

"Wait. Are you serious?"

Hermes chirped before Josh could respond. Then, Caitlyn's eyes went as big as saucers.

"Oh, my God, you're an ace!"

"Uh-huh," Josh murmured as he took another sip. Hearing Caitlyn say that with such an awe-struck look made Josh oddly embarrassed. An ace should be able to fly without needing a girl to babysit him.

"Which Gym are you going to next?"

"I was trying to go to Fuchsia," Josh said. "But, well…"

Josh's first instinct was to make up an excuse. But with his head still spinning, and Caitlyn looking at him with such a sincere look in her brown eyes, Josh changed his mind.

"Hermes evolved over a month ago and I still can't fly," he said.

"It's the daylight."

"Huh?"

"Something our flight instructor at Trainer School would tell us," Caitlyn said. She sat up straight; looking at Josh intently with her big, brown eyes. "He always says: 'Stay loose. Stay in the center. Keep the daylight out.'"

"I'm sorry. I have no idea what that means."

"You tense up when you get too high, right? And then you start to feel like you're going to slide right off him?"

Josh's jaw dropped. It was like Caitlyn was reading his mind. Like she had been watching him that first time he had tried to fly outside of Saffron City. Caitlyn leaned forward, her eyes intense as she looked at Josh.

"And then comes the worst part. Feels like a knot in your stomach is about to give and you're going to drop like a rock?" she said. "That's the daylight. You have to keep the daylight out."

Josh took a minuscule sip from the soda can, then gulped hard.

"How do I do that?" he asked.

"Stay loose," Caitlyn said again. Then, she stood up. "Keep your butt down on your Pidgeot's back, no matter how rough it gets. And keep your eyes on the horizon. You gotta look forward. Don't look down. If you look down, that's where you're gonna go."

Caitlyn slung her bag back over her shoulder. Her Fearow bowed his head as she approached, and she hopped onto his back with the grace of a ballerina.

"Come on," she said with a smile. "Follow my lead."

They started by circling Pallet Town, and landing whenever Josh's stomach started to complain too much. Caitlyn waited patiently for Josh to catch his breath every time. Then, she started asking about Pallet Town wherever they landed. Josh pointed out his own house, Ash's house, and Ryan's house. He showed her the baseball field and Pallet Junior High. He even showed her The Sweet Onion, although Caitlyn apparently had never gone bowling in her life.

With Pallet Town's three attractions exhausted, they started taking longer flights. They flew to Viridian City. Caitlyn showed Josh the Viridian City Trainer School. Instead of a playground, it had three battlefields on three different types of terrain: grass, stone, and water. Caitlyn pointed out her house — the top floor of a massive apartment building in the center of the city. They flew over Viridian Forest — the same forest that had taken Josh most of an afternoon to walk through — in a matter of minutes.

They were circling Pewter City when Josh decided to let Hermes really cut loose. He tightened his grip on Hermes's back and leaned down so he could speak into his Pidgeot's ear. With one word, Hermes beat his wings aggressively, and the two of them quickly overtook Caitlyn and her Fearow. Josh glanced behind him and saw Caitlyn tuck her head closer to her Pokemon's back while her Flying-type started to flap his wings faster — Josh was leading now.

Josh looked down. He was flying over Pewter City so fast that it was all just a gray, muted blur below him. But Josh recognized one rooftop. Josh pressed his hands down on Hermes's back, and his Pidgeot immediately tucked his wings in and dove. The air whooshed past his ears and threw his hair up, but Josh kept himself planted firmly on Hermes's back. In one fluid motion, Hermes unfurled his wings and threw his legs forward, stopping his momentum and landing with more grace than Josh thought was even possible — he barely felt the change in speed.

Josh jumped off of his Pidgeot and onto the sidewalk in front of the Pewter City Gym. Instead of the relief he normally felt to finally be on solid ground, Josh actually kind of missed the sound of the air rushing past his ears. He wanted to go back up. Caitlyn landed a moment later, right behind him.

"I think you've definitely got this flying thing down now," Caitlyn said. "You got it way faster than anyone in my year did, that's for sure."

"God, it's the craziest thing," Josh said breathlessly. He looked up at the sky, where he and Caitlyn had been for almost an hour. "Every city looks the same from up there."

"A little bit, yeah," Caitlyn said. "But Fuchsia City has a beach and the Safari Zone — you really can't miss it."

"Uh, I'm not sure I'm ready to fly over the ocean yet."

"Sure you are," Caitlyn said as she walked to a nearby vending machine and scanned her card. "You just flew to Pewter City from Pallet Town. That's way farther than Fuchsia is from Pallet Town."

Josh stared at Caitlyn as he tried to wrap his mind around what she just said. Only then did he realize that he wasn't dizzy in the slightest. Caitlyn tapped her lip with her finger as she browsed the options. Then, she made her choice and pulled the can of soda out from the circular door at the bottom of the machine.

"If you're still nervous about the ocean, you could take the long way around," she said as she stowed the can in her bag. Then, she turned back to Josh. "But I think you should just go for it. You really are the best flyer I've ever seen."

"Thanks."

Caitlyn shook her head at Josh but smiled. "I'm a little jealous, if I'm honest," she said. "It took me weeks before I got comfortable on my Fearow's back. And even longer before I started winning any battles on my own. Maybe old ways really are best."

"Old ways?" Josh asked.

"What you've been doing. Just going out there and learning by doing," she said, "Trainer Schools can be a bit stuffy, you know?"

"If they're anything like regular schools, I can imagine."

Caitlyn giggled. Then, she held out her hand. By now, Josh could recognize the gesture immediately. He pulled his phone out of his bag and handed it over. Caitlyn flipped it open and started typing with incredible speed.

"I wish I could go with you and watch your battle with Koga, but I have to be up early in Viridian tomorrow," she said as she typed.

"I thought you were done with classes?"

"I am, but one of my assignments is tutoring a group of underclassmen. I have to show them how to work a Poke Ball, take them around, show them how to catch — the basics, you know," Caitlyn said. She shut Josh's phone with a snap and gave it back. "Shouldn't even be my job, if the apprentices from the Viridian Gym would actually help out, for once. But whatever. I can use the extra credit. I want to hear all about how it goes against Koga, okay?"

"Sure thing," Josh said, "and thanks, again. For everything."

"No problem," Caitlyn said. Then, she smiled again. "And I'll let you know once the Gym here is open again, so you can get the inside track."

"That'd be awesome, thanks!"

Caitlyn nodded and shouldered her bag. She started to walk backward to her Fearow.

"You can message me about other stuff, too," she said. Then, she climbed onto her Fearow's back. "If you feel like racing again. Or just hanging out, you know."

Josh had never 'hung out' with a girl who wasn't Ash. He said nothing, and could only stare at her while she took off, her Fearow's wingbeats were so strong that it forced Josh to stumble back a few steps. And with that, she was gone.

Josh watched the sunset from above the clouds for the first time as he flew to Fuchsia City. The sky was dark blue and the ocean was pitch black by the time Josh saw the lights of the city on the horizon. The cities were even harder to tell apart at night, but Caitlyn was right — Josh recognized the massive enclosure that was the Kanto Safari Zone.

Josh had watched a documentary about it in school when he was a kid. The Safari Zone was made to preserve the populations of rare Pokemon that used to be poached illegally. At the time, most Trainers weren't even allowed to go inside. Safari Zone Pokemon were only given to skilled Trainers who promised to help with rehabilitation and breeding programs. If Josh was really being honest, he didn't remember most of that because of the documentary. But everyone had been assigned to pick a specific topic and make a presentation about it the next day. Ash's presentation had been the best — she brought three trifold displays and a pack of note cards for herself — and Josh remembered most of what he knew from that. Those rules had been relaxed eventually, and Josh couldn't wait to go inside.

But as Josh gently pressed down on Hermes's back, initiating a slow descent, something else on the horizon caught his eye. The outskirts of the city could be easily identified by their lack of street lamps and tall buildings. Josh could also see the white foam of waves cresting at the beach where he and Ryan had picked Ash up from. But what had caught Josh's eye was further down the coast from the beach. There was a two-lane street that had some buildings dotted along, which twisted and curved right along the jagged cliff against the ocean. Next to a small store, there were three giant dumpsters with their tops lifted up to expose the inside. But the dumpsters were empty.

Next to the dumpsters was a massive Pokemon. He had blue-green fur, pointed ears, and a round belly — a Snorlax. The Snorlax was asleep, flat on his back, and dwarfed the dumpsters next to him. There were bits of food stuck to his face and a ring of plastic containers and trash all around him — although Josh could see some bite marks on the plastic containers as well.

Only once Josh landed and hopped off of Hermes's back did he realize how loud the Snorlax was, despite being asleep. The Snorlax's belly was rising and falling gently, and with each breath, the Snorlax let out a deafening snore that Josh could feel in his bones.

"You're not from the Gym," a voice to Josh's right called out.

Josh turned to see a girl walking out of the store, the automatic doors sliding shut behind her. She was wearing shorts and a tank top but was still soaked in sweat and fanning herself with the top half of a pizza box. She had a pair of oversized blue headphones sitting on her shoulders — Josh could faintly hear the bass line of the music playing. Her red hair was long and straight, and stray strands of it were clinging to her neck. She looked about Avery's age.

"The Gym?" Josh repeated as stared for a moment. Then, he came to his senses. "Oh, you mean Fuchsia's Gym?"

"Who else would I have called?" the girl said. "This Snorlax has been coming around the neighborhood for the last week and a half. He goes through all the trash cans, dumpsters, and street carts. He ate half my produce before a Trainer showed up to chase him away. But he always comes back."

"So you called someone from the Gym?"

The girl nodded. Then, she pulled out a can of beer from one of the outdoor freezers.

Apparently, she's not Avery's age… Josh thought to himself.

She opened the can with one hand while continuing to fan herself with the pizza box.

Wait, how did she do that?

"This late, I figured I'd be lucky if anyone showed up at all," she said. "But I guess I'm out of luck."

"I could take care of it," Josh offered. "Can I catch him?"

The girl — or woman, rather — gave Josh a dubious look. "How old are you, 10?"

"I'm 13."

The woman shook her head. "You're just a kid."

"I have five Badges," Josh said.

The woman arched an eyebrow at him while she sipped her beer. Josh reached into his bag and opened his Badge case. The woman nearly choked on her drink for a moment. Josh suppressed a grin as he watched her gulp down the rest.

"… Okay," she said finally. "Give it a shot."

"So I can catch him?"

"What do I look like, his mother?" the woman said as she turned around and walked back inside. "Catch him, fight him, build him a sand castle, for all I care. Just get rid of him — and do it without waking up the whole neighborhood."

The doors to the store slid shut behind her. Josh turned his attention back to the Snorlax, still snoring loudly. Josh thought for a moment. Then, he turned to Hermes. Josh unzipped his bag and pulled out a sandwich he had made for himself at his house before leaving Pallet Town. He carefully unwrapped it, and his Pidgeot immediately approached.

"Ah-ah-ah," Josh said quickly, pulling the sandwich out of reach. Hermes squawked in annoyance. "Not all for you. You get a piece."

Josh broke off a handful of it and let Hermes eat it out of his hand. "… There you go. Now, I need you to take this, break it into pieces, and leave a trail going down to the beach. Okay? A trail of breadcrumbs."

Hermes nodded and grasped the sandwich in one of his talons. Then he took flight. A moment later, a slice of tomato and some pieces of lettuce dropped down where Hermes had been. Some ways away, down the street, another piece of tomato fell. Josh nodded. Then, he called out Zeus.

Josh's Jolteon emerged and quickly jumped between Josh and the Snorlax.

"Okay, Zeus, we're just gonna give him a little zap to wake him up. And then we let him follow the food down to the beach, okay?" Josh said.

Jolten looked back at Josh and nodded his head. Then, he turned to the Snorlax and gave him a small jolt of electricity. The Snorlax was mid-inhale when the jolt hit him, and he didn't even falter. The Snorlax continued snoring noisily.

Zeus turned back to look at Josh.

"Okay. That's fine," Josh said, "just hit him again. Give it a little more juice."

Zeus hit the Snorlax again, with a continuous stream of electricity for a good 10 seconds. Again, the Snorlax's breathing didn't even change. The massive Normal-type continued snoring but brought a claw up to scratch his belly for a moment.

"Screw it," Josh said. "Zeus, give it everything you've got."

Zeus's fur bristled, and Josh felt the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end as the air around his Jolteon became charged with electricity. Josh's Jolteon hit the Snorlax with a bolt of lightning so strong that the street lamps around them flickered, and for a brief moment, Zeus's electricity was the only source of light. Josh saw the woman take a peek out the window of the store at him. Then, the lights in the store came back on, and the woman walked away.

Finally, the Snorlax's snoring stopped. The Normal-type sat up. He yawned, and Josh saw another pizza box stuck to one of the Snorlax's bottom fangs. The Snorlax reached up with a claw and scratched at his teeth to dislodge it, and it fell to the ground in front of Josh. The Snorlax sniffed a few times and looked around.

Does he not even know he's being attacked? Josh wondered.

Zeus clearly had the same thought. His fur bristled again, and the Electric-type barked angrily at the Snorlax.

The Snorlax turned and looked in their direction. But it took a moment before the Snorlax finally looked down and noticed them. The Normal-type stared at the two of them with a blank expression, as if it was unsure if they were where the sound came from.

"Hey, buddy," Josh said. "You want food?"

The Snorlax's ears perked up.

Got you now.

Josh pointed to the slice of tomato and lettuce sitting on the road. "There you go. Have some."

The Snorlax couldn't be bothered to stand — he shifted his weight to roll over on the road, and the ground shook as he moved. Josh stumbled and almost fell over. That shake was even stronger than when his Graveler used Magnitude. The Snorlax leaned over, grabbed the tomato, and threw it into his mouth. He chewed for a moment.

Josh pointed down the street, where Hermes had dropped the second bit of sandwich.

"You want more? There's so—"

The Snorlax spat out the tomato and it hit Josh right in the face. Josh recoiled as the half-chewed tomato and juice slid down his face and plopped onto the road. Josh wiped his face and spat several times to get the stuff out of his mouth.

"Did you just spit that out?!" Josh yelled. "You just ate three dumpsters full of crap, but you won't eat a tomato? Are you kidding me!?"

The Snorlax picked at his teeth while he continued to stare at Josh blankly.

"That's it," Josh said. "Zeus, Double Kick!"

Zeus sprang into the air and hit the Snorlax with both his hind legs. The Snorlax grumbled as Josh's Jolteon back-flipped off the Normal-type's face and landed back on the road. But the Snorlax didn't move, didn't even get onto his feet. Instead, the Snorlax took a deep breath in and blew out a small, white cloud. The cloud flew through the air and hit Zeus in the face.

For a moment, nothing happened. Zeus looked at Josh in confusion, and Josh looked back. Then, Zeus's eyes began to droop, and then shut. Zeus fell to the ground, asleep.

"Zeus, return," Josh said while keeping his eyes on the Snorlax.

The Snorlax stared back at Josh. But this time, Josh thought he could see the Snorlax's mouth curl into a smirk.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Josh grumbled. "Let's see how you like it. Pan, Sleep Powder!"

Josh's Ivysaur emerged and shot out a puff of green mist. The mist floated toward the Snorlax's face. But at the last second, the Snorlax let out a belch so loud it made Josh jump in place. The force of the belch was so strong it blew the mist away.

The doors to the store opened again, and the woman with red hair leaned out and looked at Josh.

"Kid, what did I say? Do it quietly," she snapped.

"Yeah, I got it," Josh called back.

The woman shook her head. "Just in case this gets ugly, what's your name, anyway?"

"Josh Dale," he said, "yours?"

But the woman only nodded and went back inside.

Josh thought for a moment while he glared at the Snorlax. He recalled Pan. Then, he reached into his bag and pulled out another sandwich.

"Hey, buddy," Josh said. "You see this?"

The Snorlax gave a snort. He clearly wasn't interested. But then, Josh ripped the wrapping paper open and showed the Snorlax the inside.

"No tomatoes," Josh declared. "This is a meat lover's sandwich. See? Meatball marinara. My mom made this one. And she's a way better cook than me."

For a moment, Josh remembered that marinara was also tomato, but the Snorlax perked up at the mere mention of 'meatball'. Finally, he stood up. The ground shook violently as the massive weight of the Normal-type shifted around. The Normal-type took a step toward Josh. But then, Josh took the sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. He ripped off a big piece and chewed with his mouth open as obnoxiously as he could.

"Hau ya wike dat?" Josh said. Then, he took another bite. "Mmmm. Dis is so wood. Sux fo you."

The Snorlax growled. He started to walk faster, but Josh just jogged backwards down the street as he continued to eat the sandwich.

"C'mon," Josh said. Then, he thought of Ryan. "It's your own fault if you don't get any. I'll eat the whole thing in front of you, I don't care."

The Snorlax stopped walking. Josh stopped jogging but continued to chew. Then, the Snorlax tucked his legs and arms in and began to roll down the street. He picked up speed incredibly fast, and Josh nearly choked on his food.

"Oh, crap," he said. He reached into his bag and pulled out Helios's Poke Ball. "Helios, let's go, as fast as you can!"

Josh's Arcanine emerged and began to run down the street. Josh grabbed Helios's mane and pulled himself up onto the Fire-type while still holding the sandwich in his other hand. Josh had spent so much time flying on Hermes's back that he had almost forgotten how fast Helios was. The streets and shops blurred past Josh so fast he couldn't even be sure where he was anymore. But the trail of sandwich bites assured him he was going the right way.

Helios peeled off of the main road and ran down some stone steps, down the jagged cliff, and onto the sand of the beach. There were plenty of beach chairs and straw umbrellas dotted around, but at this time, there was no one around.

Josh hopped off Helios's back and recalled him into his Poke Ball. He called out his Graveler.

"Hephaestus, Defense Curl!"

Josh's Graveler appeared in the air, tucked his arms and legs in, and landed on the beach with a heavy thump. A moment later, the ground shook, and Josh watched as the Snorlax rolled down the stone steps and onto the beach with terrifying speed. The Snorlax slammed into Hephaestus, and Josh's Graveler was sent rolling down the beach and into the ocean. Hephaestus's arms were limp and his eyes stared at the sky in a daze as he sank below the waves.

"Hephaestus, return," Josh said.

Zeus is asleep and Hephaestus is already down, Josh thought to himself, I might have bitten off more than I can chew here

"Hades, Confuse Ray!" Josh said as he threw forward his Golbat's Poke Ball.

Josh's Golbat emerged and spat out an orb of flashing yellow and orange lights. Josh shielded his own eyes for a second and then brought his arm down. The Snorlax was growling and blinking in confusion.

"Now Wing Attack!" Josh said. He threw out Pan's Poke Ball again. "Pan, Razor Leaf, aim for his face!"

Josh's Ivysaur reappeared and threw two crescent-shaped leaves at the Snorlax, which struck the Snorlax in the face and threw him backward. Josh's Golbat flew forward and slashed the Normal-type across the face with his massive wing. The Snorlax grimaced in pain but did not fall over. Instead, the Snorlax swung his massive arm blindly. Hades wasn't fast enough to evade, and the Snorlax smacked Hades out of the sky. Hades landed facedown in the sand, defeated.

"Pan, Razor Leaf, again!"

Another pair of leaves flew at the Snorlax's face and stuck him. But the Snorlax shook his head violently rather than try to counterattack. Josh saw the Snorlax's eyes settle on his Ivysaur and understood instantly that the confusion had worn off.

And a lot of good it did, Josh grumbled to himself.

"Pan, stay close to me," Josh said, "Helios, Flamethrower, on the ground, now!"

Josh's Arcanine emerged and shot a massive jet of flame down onto the sand, which quickly threw up a column of smoke, and the Snorlax disappeared from view. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the smoke disappeared as a massive blue-green ball came barreling toward them. Helios quickly darted out of the way. Josh jumped out of the way as well — squishing the meatball sandwich and slathering his shirt with marinara sauce — but as he got back to his feet and quickly smacked his hands to clear the sand out of them, he saw that his Ivysaur had not been quick enough. Pan was squashed into the sand, his leaves and vines flattened, defeated.

This is bad, Josh thought to himself, I'm down to two Pokemon.

"Helios, Flamethrower!"

Helios ran forward and spat out another jet of flame directly into the Snorlax's face. The Snorlax yowled in pain and brought up a claw to his face to block the fire. With the other claw, the Snorlax grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Helios's mouth.

Helios's attack ended and the Arcanine coughed desperately to clear the sand out of his mouth. But thankfully, the Flamethrower had done its work. The Snorlax's arm was on fire, and the fire spread to the rest of the Normal-type's body. The Snorlax bellowed in a panic, and it ran down the beach and toward the water.

Josh knew this was his one chance. He ran to his Arcanine and smacked his fur and the back of his head with his hands to try to help get rid of the sand. At the same time, he looked up, and recognized the silhouette of his Pidgeot against a cloud, circling them in the sky.

"Hermes! Get ready to dive!" he yelled. He heard Hermes shriek back in response.

Josh looked back at his Helios. He was still covered in sand, but he didn't have any more time. "Helios, if you can't use Flamethrower, just hit him with Take Down, you keep him in the water no matter what, got it? Go! Go now!"

Helios nodded and sprinted down the speed. The red and orange blur made it down the beach in an instant, where the Snorlax was only just making it to the water and letting a wave wash over him to douse the flames. But Helios was already there and shooting another Flamethrower at him. The Snorlax growled in a rage, but he could barely wade through the water that was well above his waist — he was stuck.

"Hermes, now!" Josh said, "Brave Bird!"

The moon was big and bright in the night sky. But another, pale blue light appeared. The clouds around Hermes split and began to funnel down like a tornado as Hermes dove toward them with the speed of a missile. Hermes struck the Snorlax with so much force it created a shockwave that sent water and sand in every direction. Josh and Helios were thrown back and landed hard on the beach.

Josh sat up. His vision was blurry and his heart was pounding in his chest. His vision finally cleared, and he saw the results of his battle. His Arcanine was lying on his side — his chest faintly moving as he breathed — on the beach next to him. His Pidgeot was floating in the water, unconscious. The Snorlax was the last to appear. The water receded and revealed the massive belly of the Snorlax. The Normal-type was lying face-up in the water, his mouth hanging open and his tongue sticking out, his eyes dazed.

Josh jumped to his feet and pulled out an Ultra Ball — he wasn't taking any chances. He threw the ball and the Snorlax disappeared into it. The Ball shook once, twice… and clicked.

The woman stared at Josh as the automatic door slid shut behind her. Josh was covered in sand, mud, marinara sauce, and he smelled like something burnt. His hair was messy and clumpy from bits of debris from the battle.

"So, uh," Josh said quietly. "I got him. I got the Snorlax."

"… Okay?" the woman said. "What do you want, a medal?"

"I was going to check in to a Poke Center," Josh said, "but they don't like when Trainers show up like this and ruin their floors."

"Huh. That's odd," the woman in a monotone, "I couldn't give a toss about my shop's floor. Not even a little."

Josh scratched his head awkwardly. "I promise I'll clean up. I'll buy something, too, if you want. Just… can I use your shower?"

The woman finally broke into a grin and snorted. "I don't have a shower here, kid," she said, "I've got a hose out back, though…"