I was sorely mistaken.

Training with Korrina was actually hell.

Allow me to elaborate. We'd been training until dusk 'till dawn during our travel through Route 4, maintaining the same routine. Lucario would be teaching Yuffie the inner workings of Double Team, while Tifa would punch a boulder in quick succession as to gain a graso on her Aura to gain access to Drain Punch. After that, were the exercises. Korrina would have each and every one of us run through the forests of Route 4, do pushups, drag heavy rocks around, sit-ups, and even provoke one of the stronger wild Pokèmon to fight. These included us.

She said it was for physical conditioning, but I swear I could see her smile from the corner of my eye! She was taking amusement in our suffering!

Regardless, I can't say that the training hadn't payed off. Coupled with learning new moves, we've had frequent battles to polish up on our skills too. Korrina still kicked my ass six ways to Sunday, but I didn't care much for that. Still got the blood pumping!

Hell, Yuffie caught onto Double Team rather quick! Not only that, but she learned Bite as well when we came across a trainer and his Corphish. After being put on the ropes for a bit, Yuffie pulled through, and in a fit of frustration, literally bit into the Corphish's hardened shell!

I had a hunch that she was particularly accustomed and used to Dark Type energy, considering her innate knowledge of Pursuit. But I digress.

And Tifa?

"AUDINO!"

BOOM!

She let out a triumphant cry as she struck at the boulder again. Her fist igniting with a burning veil of energy. The boulder had began to sport several paw-sized dents and fractures thanks to Tifa's nonstop training. The surface of the jagged rock began to crack and splinter under such a mighy blow, before shattering into several small chunks and pieces. Korrina clapped in approval with a giddy grin, and I couldn't help but do the same out of astonishment.

Lucario gave a nod of approval. I could see Yuffie bouncing on the balls of her feet off to the side.

Safe to say that she was doing well for herself, and growing leaps and bounds. Yuffie wasn't the only one that's learned new tricks, after all! Hell, during training, Tifa had managed to learn Secret Power when trying to bring out her Aura.

I got a face full of supercharged leaves that day... and I will never forget such transgressions.

Honestly? Quite terrifying.

And now she knew Mega Punch. Which was apparently the first step to learning Drain Punch and any other move associated with the fist, according to Korrina.

"Nice Mega Punch!" Korrina complimented, and hummed to herself. "Y'know, I didn't think they'd catch on as quick as they did..."

"They're only gonna go further from here." I couldn't help but let a bit of smugness out. Could you blame me? "I'm gonna need the strongest team around if I'm gonna battle the strongest trainers!"

Korrina shot me a sly look. "Right~ just make sure not to use a Poison Type move on a Steel Type next time, Hot Shot."

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope!"

"It wasn't meant to HIT Lucario! It was meant to get him to back off!"

"Uh-huh~"

This chick is getting on my NERVES!

I let out a long winded sigh before deciding to ignore the giggling training maniac next to me and shifting my attention over to Tifa. Calling out, "Yo, Tifa! Let's practice that thing I told you about, aye?"

Tifa, who was currently busy catching her breath, blinked and nodded. Staring at her scuffed up paws, she closed her eyes and frowned tightly as she began to channel Heal Pulse pulse. However, instead of focusing the energy outwards, she kept it in, directing it towards her injured hands. Sweat rolled down her cheek as the bruises slowly began to heal. Bit by bit. And then...

It was as good as new! However, the process left Tifa heavily drained as she let out a tired whine and collapsed onto her back. I placed my hands on my hips as Lucario brought her some water and Yuffie padded over and poked her on the cheek.

Korrina crossed her arms, shooting me an inquisitive stare. "I didn't think of using Heal Pulse like that... I didn't think it was actually possible."

I shrugged, smirking. "Maybe I'm just a genius?"

Korrina let out a derisive snort and I chuckled. I wasn't lying, though. It was a pretty smart play. Being able to mimic moves like Roost and Recover without actually having to learn them would be a major boon, especially if Tifa could heal mid-battle. It also helps that Audino can't learn the move Recover.

... Which was weird. Considering the support moves it already knows, but whatever.

Also I am a cheap bastard, and if I can make Tifa heal at an accelerated rate without the need to buy any potions--for her, anyway--then that just made the endeavor even better in my eyes!

The process was painstakingly slow though, and tired Tifa out fast. Heal Pulse wasn't inherently meant to heal oneself, but use their own Aura to rejuvenate someone else's vitality. We were essentially altering the fundamentals of it to make it operate like Roost and Recover. That's gonna take time to properly hone before she can recovering from severe damage and keep fighting afterwards.

But you know what they say, baby steps

"We should be reaching Santalune a day from now." I was snapped out of my musings from Korrina, as she stared at her map. Guess she took it out while I was lost in thought. "That's if we decide to camp out again. If we keep going as is, we might reach it by midnight."

I weighed our options. It was common knowledge that wild Pokèmon were more active at night; and that meant more dangerous without proper supplies and plans. But I didn't feel like bunking it out in here any longer than I had to... so.

"Let's keep it moving then. I'd really like the comfort of a bed right about now..." I grunted, popping my back idly with a wince.

Korrina nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me!"

I nodded back and turned towards the others. "Alright, everyone take 5 and then we're hitting the road!"

Tifa groaned and sunk further into the ground.

[WHITEMAGE]

We'd made it to Santalune by nightfall. I won't bore you with the extra details, but we hunkered down at the local Pokèmon Center for the night. Everyone was pretty much exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. I, however, despite my exhaustion just... couldn't. I mean, how could I?

My first gym battle was just around the corner. A start to a perilous journey of epic proportions. I couldn't help but feel a sense of thrill and trepidition. Was I truly ready for this? Would I ever really be ready? I was thrust into this by the drop of a hat by some unknown cosmic force.

Did I truly have what it takes to do this?

... I groaned quietly into my hands and ran my face through them. Why was I getting jitters over the first gym? This was usually lightwork! I've played through this several times before already! I should be this wigged out. I knew how it went. I should be prepared...

...

And yet, I'm not.

Unlike before, this was all just a video game I'd played back to back. I knew the ins and outs, the right steps to take, and the right moves to play...

But this wasn't a game anymore. This was real. Everything about this was real. The Pokèmon, the people, the world. And it was my life now. I can't treat any of this like a game. And not anymore. And I guess, that's the scary part about it... I'm basically going in blind. This is a completely new experience for me.

"Can't sleep?"

I blinked, shifting to my right to see Korrina wide awake in her own bed. Eyes of diamond stared back at me intently. I sighed, slumping my head against the warm comfort of my pillow and turning my gaze towards the ceiling.

"... Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

I shrugged aimlessly, wearing a dry smirk. "First time jitters. Nothing too serious."

"Ooh," Korrina nodded in understanding. Sitting up and hugging her pillow against her chest. "Gotcha... it can be pretty nerve-wracking. But once you find your groove, you'll find that it isn't so bad."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Korrina nodded with a smile. "... I never got to tell you this, but I'm a Gym Leader. And let me tell, when I had one of my first challengers, I was scared out of my mind! I was afraid that I'd screw up. I thought that I wasn't cut out for being a Gym Leader... but when I battled, and fought alongside Lucario and the rest of my Pokèmon? Everything just... clicked, y'know?"

"I knew what I had to do. And I wasn't so scared anymore. In fact, I was pumped! That's the cool thing about Pokèmon battles. Whenever you get in the zone, all your other problems just... wash away. Nothing else matters except the battle in front of you."

I stared at Korrina in silence as she donned a wistful, almost nostalgic expression. Something about her words seemed to resonate with me. Like deep down, I knew what she was getting at. But I still couldn't help but feel nervous about it all.

I blinked when she looked back at me with a brilliant grin. "We may not have known each other for long, but I can tell you've got a whole lot of potential. You just gotta let it all out, Apollo! Just remember what we practiced, follow your guts, and you'll be fine."

She yawned into her hand, and collapsed onto her back. Pulling the covers over herself and closing her eyes with a soft hum. "Now... I think it's about time we get some rest. Big day tomorrow!"

As Korrina drifted off into sleep, I turned my attention back to the ceiling as I pulled up my covers. Korrina's words still heavy on my mind as I closed my eyes and slowly began to let sleep take hold of me.

[WHITEMAGE]

The next came by faster than I thought. We'd woken up bright and early to start the day. After some nice breakfast to fuel us up, we made our way towards the Santulune City Gym. My hands trembled in anticipation at the mere sight of the building, and it took in a slow, deep breath as steeled my nerves and pushed the doors open.

"Let's do this..."

I grunted when some guy brushed past me roughly. He was around me and Korrina's age with messy red hair with cross-shaped bangs, sharp silver eyes, dressed in a black vest, white-undershirt, red pants, and black boots. Following behind him was a Lycanroc. The Midnight form, judging by the red fur-coat, and overall menacing aura the canine seemed to give off.

I backed up when the Lycanroc let off a low growl in my direction, with the trainer shooting me a sharp glare as he stalked away. "Watch it."

...

Korrina frowned with furrowed brows. "What the heck is his problem?"

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"Welcome to Santalune Gym!"

We turned around and were met with a woman in glasses with curly brown hair. Safe to assume she was the building's receptionist. With a clipboard in hand, she stepped forward with a practiced smile. "How can we help you today?"

I put on my best smile and stepped forward. "My name's Apollo Pastel. I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader."

"I see!" the receptionist nodded and bowed her head. "If you can wait just a moment as I speak with Ms. Viola, we'll be right with you!"

As she left, I exhaled through my nose and decided to take a gander around, looking at the several portraits plastered on the walls. I'd forgotten that Viola was a photographer. These were really good photos... she definitely had to have been a master of her craft. Seriously.

"You ready for this?" Korrina snapped me out of my musings. I nodded tersely.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The receptionist returned and gestured towards the door at the end of the corridor. "The Gym Leader will see you now."

I took in another breath and made my way inside. I had to shield my eyes from the sunlight that beamed down upon me. Looking around, the gym's interior definitely took a page out of the anime's book, with lots of flora and trees sectioned off to the side, and a large rectangular battlefield. Clear ceiling windows were placed high above. On the otherside of the field, stood Viola.

With chin-length blonde hair styled in a bob cut, emerald-green eyes, and a slim figure dressed in a white tanktop, grey shorts and black ankle boots, she was definitely a sight to behold. Pretty for sure, with an air of confidence and strength not many naturally possessed.

She was a Gym Leader, alright.

"Welcome challenger, to the Santalune Gym! My name's Viola, and you'll be battling me today!" Viola greeted with a brilliant smile, placing her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side. "Got a name, kid?"

"Remember what we practiced." Korrina whispered to me, clapping my shoulder before jogging off to the spectator stands with Lucario not too far behind.

My heart thumped in my chest and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Confidence... you had to had confidence, like Ash.

I adjusted my cap and grinned sharply, rushing forward and leaping off the staircase towards the battlefield below. I stood up straight and clenched a fist. "The name's Apollo Pastel! And that gym badge is as good as mine!"

Viola smirked, raising a brow as she unhooked a pokèball from her belt. "Confident, huh? We'll just have to see about that!"

The referree had arrived to the field. Her arm raised, she announced loudly: "The battle between the challenger Apollo, and the Gym Leader Viola will now commence! Both parties are only allowed to use two Pokèmon, and the battle will be over when either side is unable to continue. Only the challenger will be able to switch Pokèmon!"

I unhooked a pokèball from my belt and enlarged, grinning. "You're going down!"

"My lense is always focused on victory, so you better try your hardest!" Viola winked and threw her pokèball into the air. "Surskit, I choose you!"

I threw mine out next. "Yuffie, let's go!"

Both Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. Yuffie let out a series of chitters and tensed for battle. I smiled down at her and then back up at Viola and Surskit. The referee swiped her hand down in one swift chop.

"BEGIN!"

"Alright, Surskit! Let's start off with Sticky Web!" Viola commanded with a snap of her fingers.

"Sur!"

"Yuffie, dodge!" I yelled.

As Surskit began firing off dense shots of web, Yuffie swiftly evaded every shot as they impacted the ground. Flipping around with grace, the small Poison Pin Pokèmon began to make a b-line towards Surskit. I threw out another command.

"Double Kick!"

Yuffie's legs shone with Aura and she launched herself off the ground, spinning through the air like an acrobat and bringing her hindlegs down in an ax-kick upon Surskit. I'd soon find out that Viola was prepared for such an attack.

"Use Protect and follow up with Bubble Beam!"

Shit. A barrier of Aura had materialized the moment Yuffie struck. She tried to kick at it again but she couldn't break past such a powerful defense. She blinked in surprise when a wave a bubbles slammed into her like a freight-train. Exploding on impact and sending her flying through the air with a pained cry.

I frowned tensely. Yeah, it wasn't gonna be that easy. If I remember right, in the anime, Viola was capable of creating an ice battlefield against Ash. He lost the first time because he didn't know how to counter it... and if she pulled that off here; I'd need to find a work around. But for right now, I need to focus on the fight.

"Yuffie, use Poison Sting! Rapid fire!"

Yuffie was quick to recover mid-air, twirling as her spines glowed an acidic purple and fired off several razor sharp, poison-tipped needles towards Surskit. Viola thrusted her hand out and issued another command.

"Counter with Ice Beam!"

Surskit creened and fired off a beam of ice in a clean arc, freezing the needles solid and generating another dense explosion as both attacks collided. I could feel the shockwaves from here. And I smirked as a smokescreen was created from the collision. Bingo...!

I thrusted my fist out. "Pursuit!"

Viola blinked in surprise. "What?"

Covered in a dark aura, Yuffie's eyes shone with malevolant glee as she darted off like a bullet. Tearing through the smokescreen and slamming right into Surskit! The Pond Skater Pokèmon was sent flying across the field but was quick to recover. Digging grooves into the dirt with it's spindly legs to prevent any further movement. It squinted it's beady eyes at Yuffie, who poked her tongue out in response.

"Interesting, but that's not gonna stop us!" Viola grinned and spread her arms out wide. "Surskit, Signal Beam!"

"Suuuur... SKIIIT!" Bug Type energy gathered at the tip of it's head, and Surskit unleashed a dense blast of sparkling energy directly at Yuffie. I wasn't gonna stand idly by and let her get hit, though!"

"Maneuver around it with Pursuit and then use Double Kick!"

Bursting forward into Pursuit again, Yuffie twisted around the beam and bounded across the field. The muscles in her legs tensed as she launched herself at Surskit and spun into a flying dropkick. She struck the Bug/Water Type with enough force to kick up a small, rippling shockwave. As Surskit's body bounced and skipped across the ground painfully, Viola's expression grew tense.

"Surskit! Can you stand?" her answer was given when the Pond Skater Pokèmon slowly but shakily pushed itself back up to it's feet. Determined little bugger. "Alright. Then it's time for the next shot! Ice Battlefield, go!"

Shit. I grimaced. "Yuffie, get out of the way!"

Yuffie immediately backpedaled as crackling Ice Type energy shot into the air and split off like exploding shrapnel; impacting the ground and spreading ice across the battlefield. As Yuffie narrowly avoided getting struck by a stray blast of ice, she found her movement impaired as she slipped on her paws and collapsed onto her stomach, sliding across a smooth, cold surface.

Yuffie blinked and let out a squeak of surprise as she bore witness to the entire battlefield being covered in ice!

Viola must've noticed my tense expression, because she chuckled and put her hands on her hips. "Impressed? The battle isn't over yet. So keep your eyes peeled! Surskit, let's go!"

Surskit began to skate across the frozen field with newfound agility, living up to it's classification. I frowned as it began to circle Yuffie, with the Poison Pin Pokèmon trying to keep track of it while maintaining her balance. I clicked my tongue and threw out a hasty command as Surskit closed in on her. "Push it back with Pursuit!"

Yuffie grunted and stood her ground before ramming into Surskit to shove it back. The moment she touched down however, she immediately began to slip and stumble. Meanwhile, Surskit used the strike to build up momentum and regain it's footing. Viola grinned.

"Okay, Surskit, Ice Beam again!"

"Yuffie, Double Team!"

Yuffie blinked and swiftly stood up as several copies of herself materialized in flashes of light. All of them leaped out the way as the a beam of ice whizzed by, managing to strike a few of the copies. I smiled slightly.

Ash managed to get past the Ice Battlefield by using Iron Tail to keep Pikachu rooted to the floor without losing balance. I didn't have moves like Iron Tail, but that didn't mean I wasn't out of options to counteract it!

"Now, use Double Kick on the field!"

Viola's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

Yuffie and her copies came crashing down with supercharged kicks. The ground shook under their collective strikes; as spider-web cracks began to spread across the ice. Some patches of it shattered to reveal the smooth earth underneath. Viola clicked her tongue.

"Surskit, stop them with Sticky Web!"

"Dart around the field, and use Poison Sting!" Yuffie and her copies hopped around, using the open patches of dirt to better move. Globs of Sticky Web tore through some of the copies, but she remained undeterred, firing off several poison needles at Surskit. The Pond Skater Pokèmon was quick to swerve out the way, but was nicked by several needles.

Considering Surskit's typing, though, I wasn't expecting much damage there. That was fine though.

I clenched a fist. "Now, Pursuit!"

Yuffie launched forward, coming in from the side as Surskit tried to evade like a homing missile. She pounced upon Surskit and drove it into the cold hard floor with a harsh grind, kicking up small shards of ice and dust. Viola let out a sharo gasp.

"Surskit, no!"

I grinned. "Double Kick, now!"

Yuffie pushed off against Surskit and flipped through the air. As she channeled Aura into her legs, she left a trail of light behind as she dove back down and performed a fierce dropkick right upon it! The ground cracked and ruptured under the force as Surskit released a pained cry. As an added bonus, the Ice Battlefield was cracked and further destroyed. As a plume of dust rose through the air and Yuffie hopped back, we waited in tense silence...

... the cloud of dust cleared, and revealed an unconscious Surskit lying within a crater of Yuffie's making. I restrained to urge to let out a roar of victory, knowing the battle was far from over. There was still one more to go!

"Surskit is unable to battle! Yuffie is the winner!"

Viola stared on in surprise before shaking it off and returning Surskit to it's pokèball. She smiled softly and closed her eyes. "You did a great job, Surskit. Now take a nice rest." she hooked it back to her belt in exchange for another, enlarging it while shooting me a curious glance. "I wasn't expecting you to find a work around my Ice Battlefield so quickly!"

I smirked in response, taking out Yuffie's pokèball. "What can I say? I catch onto stuff quick!"

That was a lie. I had bullshit meta knowledge and I was abusing the hell out of it right now.

"Good job, Yuffie. But it's time to return."

The cute little thing offered a little squeak in response as she was sucked back into her pokèball. Viola blinked in confusion as I grabbed ahold of another. "No longer going to use Yuffie?"

"Nah. I wanna give my partner a shot. This is gonna be both her first gym battle as much as Yuffie's!" I enlarged it and tossed it into the air with a grin. "Tifa, LET'S GO!"

Tifa landed on the ground in a crouch, before slowly rising to her feet and pumping her fists with a determined frown. "Audi!"

Viola smirked. "An Audino, huh? Okay then! Vivillon, I choose you!"

As Vivillon was released, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It was definitely a beautiful Pokèmon up close and in the flesh. But with that beauty came a lot of power. The thought got my blood and heart racing, as a small grin slowly began to grow on my face.

Here came the hard part...

Yes, you're being left on a cliffhanger. Sorry.

I'm ALSO sorry for how long this took. I ended up not liking the original direction of the chapter, tried rewriting it, didn't like that, burned myself out, suffered from writer's block on this, and decided to take a step back while I gathered my bearings.

That, and IRL gave me a beating. So I occupied my time writing out other ideas.

But, the motivation is back now! And I set a goal for myself.

I wanna see if I can get this story to 1,000 Follows and Favorites by the end of the year, just like the other great SI-OC Pokèmon stories before mine.

That and make it past 5 chapters...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. See ya next time!

Also I wonder if anyone will catch the little character easter egg thrown in this chapter...