Hey Guys, I've slowly chipped away at this chapter all month, but I really pushed it through to the finish line, because I know with legends coming out that I'm going to be heavily distracted. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 12

The Grass Isn't…

"Snorunt, let's give it a go! Let's try out your new Ice Shard technique on Tangela! Charmander, let's see if we can't trap Sandshrew with a Fire Spin! Chatot, unleash Chatter on Yanma!"

(SQUAAAAAWWK! Chatot want a cracker!)

"Tangela, fend off Snorunt with your Wine Whip! Use Rapid Spin, Sandshrew; don't let that Fire Spin trap you! Yanma, use Detect!"

It had been roughly a week since Chris had suggested camping just outside of Greenburg. With help from Melanie and Sakura, Chris had managed to help his Pokémon learn some new attacks that he figured might come in handy for his next gym battle. Thanks to Melanie, Chris knew that the Gym Leader of Greenburg used Grass type Pokémon, although she wasn't able to tell him their name or what Pokémon they used specifically. Out of respect for his friend, he didn't pry any further, or attempt to use his fledgling abilities to read her mind.

Watching their Pokémon going all out against each other, Chris couldn't help but smile. Thanks to all three of his Pokémon being strong against Grass types, he wasn't especially worried. The extra training certainly didn't hurt either.

"Hey! Chris! Melanie! What's say we call this now?"

Chris' concentration was interrupted by the arrival of Sakura. The brown-haired young girl had gone into town earlier to call her parents and to use a shower at the local Center. Chris himself had gone into Greenburg on a few occasions to give his mom a call and to have a couple of much needed showers himself. Melanie, however, had opted to just bathe herself in the nearby lake at night, with Tangela keeping watch. Chris couldn't exactly blame her; in fact, he even brought her Pokémon with him to the Pokémon Center, just to save her the agony of possibly running into her bastard of a father.

"That's probably a good idea, Sakura. Chris is definitely ready."

Chris looked at his lilac-haired friend. She had a smile on her face, but Chris couldn't help but feel that it was forced. This time he did try to read her mind, but he could feel himself being blocked out by some kind of force. That's odd. I don't believe I've been repelled like this before.

"Let's go into town then! I'm so excited to sleep in a bed tonight!" Sakura cheered, before darting back in the direction that she had just emerged from.

Chris sighed, as he watched the younger girl charge off without a care in the world, leaving both Melanie and him in the dust. Melanie and Chris returned their Pokémon, and slowly trudged on after her. Chris wasn't bothered by Sakura dashing off however, as this gave him a chance to have a slightly more private conversation with Melanie.

"How are you doing, Mel? Are you ready for this?"

Melanie paused, before giving Chris a sad smile. "Honestly, no. I'm not ready for this, but I think that I've just got to do it. I'm nervous, Chris. I want to see my mom and younger brother, but I don't know if I can face him yet. He tried to take everything from me, and I can only imagine what he will do to me if he sees me here."

"Well, if we do see him, I will not let him lay a hand on you. If he so much as even tries to pull anything, I'll kill him myself. I don't need to be a Pokémon trainer as badly as I need to make sure he can never hurt you again!" Chris decreed, reaching out his hand to give Melanie a gentle pat on the back.

"I can't ask you to do that. Promise me you won't kill him, Chris," Melanie whispered, loud enough that even if Sakura was still close enough to hear she wouldn't have been able to. "No matter what he did to me, he's not worth it. Don't throw your life away on my account. I appreciate the concern though. You really are the best friend I've ever had."

Chris felt relieved when he noticed that she smiled at her last statement, before a nagging thought re-entered his mind; a nagging thought that as much as he tried to, he couldn't ignore. "Do you really think your mother didn't know?"

Melanie frowned. She had always wondered the same thing, but deep down she wanted to believe her mom would have never in a million years let this happen to her. "I honestly don't think she did. It only really started happening once she began to work out of town a lot for business. I guess I helped him get over his loneliness…"

With that last statement, Melanie dropped to her knees. The painful memories overwhelmed her. The flashbacks pierced her mind like a series of knife stabs. Tears began to waterfall from her emerald-green eyes. "I can't do this, Chris. I can't! I'm not ready!"

Chris dropped to the ground beside her and did the only thing he could think to do; he wrapped his friend in a big Ursaring hug. It broke him to see her in this much pain. I know she told me made me promise not to kill him, but I don't think I can keep that. How could someone be so cruel to do this to anyone, let alone their own child? I'm going to kill him!

After a few moments, Chris removed his arms from around Melanie's body, before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Mel, why don't you take the day? I hate seeing you in this much pain. I'll come get you when we're ready to leave, okay?"

"But what about your gym match?" Melanie snivelled, "I should be there to support you. That's what friends do."

"Melanie, my match is inconsequential. You're far too important to me to risk your mental health on my account. Besides, with all the training we've done this Gym Leader doesn't stand a chance!" Chris beamed. "Like you said, friends support each other, and I'd be a horrible friend to force you into this uncomfortable situation more than I already have."

Melanie wiped her tears with her arm and gave Chris a sad smile. "Thanks for being so understanding. I really thought I was going to be ready. I thought I'd be able to steel myself over the past week, but maybe I just made it worse for myself."

"Mel, when you're ready to face your father, I'll be right behind you. I swear that on the lives of my mother and my Pokémon," Chris soothed, wrapping his friend back up in a warm embrace. He could feel her breathing slow, as if she was beginning to relax a bit. Her mind is so clouded, even if I wanted to know what she is thinking, I can't see what's going on her head. Got any ideas, Lugia?

No response. Must be away from keyboard, Chris mentally chuckled, before turning his mind back to Melanie. She wiped away the remaining tears that had enveloped her green eyes and stared up at Chris with a small smile. You know, this is probably the closest the two of us have ever been to each other. I never really noticed how green her eyes were. She very much lives up to her Emerald last name.

"Hey, Chris. Thank you for being here. I couldn't do this without you," Melanie murmured. "I think you should know one thing though. My-"

"Are you guys coming?"

Suddenly, the two teens realized they were wrapped in a rather intimate looking hug, and they also both knew that Sakura probably wasn't going to let that slide. Chris could see tell the look on Sakura's face that she really enjoyed the site she walked back in on. Her brown eyes were shining mischievously.

"Oops, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I would be interrupting something. If you guys needed some alone time you could have just asked!" Sakura cheered, absolutely delighted that she caught her two new friends in such a compromising position.

Chris and Melanie faces were now both beet red, much like a shiny Gyarados' scales, and quickly pushed away from each other. "It's not what it looks like!" Chris defended feebly.

"Just an innocent hug…" Melanie added, her face still brighter than a tomato.

"Whatever you guys say," Sakura snickered. "Are you coming or not?"

Chris grimaced, realizing he needed to come up with some kind of an excuse for Melanie. He figured she wasn't ready to tell Sakura the truth, but he also didn't want to make up some bad excuse that wasn't even remotely believable. There's got to be something I can make up. Think, Chris, think!

"Well actually, Chris and I were just talking about that. I asked him if he wouldn't mind if I went to visit my mom and younger brother while he battled. I hate missing his match, but my mom will be leaving for business tomorrow and I don't want to completely miss her again."

Melanie, you're a bloody genius! "As much as it bummed me out that Melanie wasn't going to make it to my match, I told her it was important to visit her family while we were here," Chris added.

"Well, if visiting your family was so important, why didn't you go into town at all since we've been here?" Sakura mused, causing Melanie to frown.

I wonder why she's being so nosy. What's the big deal, Chris wondered? "I guess the timing didn't wor-"

"Well to be honest, I ran away from home," Melanie interjected, saving Chris from having to come up with an entirely unconvincing fib. "I had an argument with my dad the day that I left on my journey. I've been too scared to go see them, until Chris here gave me the push I needed."

Sakura smiled, seemingly satisfied with that explanation. "You're a good friend, Chris. I'm glad I met up with you and Melanie! Well let's go then," Sakura asserted, before grabbing Chris' arm and dashing off in the direction of the city. Chris didn't even have a chance to react, before he inadvertently left Melanie in a lurch. Chris did not even know it was possible for a 13-year-old girl to be this strong.

"Hey! We didn't even say bye," Chris moaned. Sorry Mel, I'll make it up to you.

"Good luck, Chris! I believe in you! Kick their ass!" He knew that voice to be Melanie's.

Well, I guess she's not mad, Chris mused. Time to focus; I've got a second badge to win!

"Hello? Agent #381, are you here?"

The past few weeks had felt like a wild goose chase for Steven Galiano. He rubbed his hands through his jet-black hair, visibly frustrated. First, I was told he went back home to Hoenn, so I went to Hoenn. When I got to his island, I was told he went to visit his sister in Johto. Now finally, I've been told that both of them had come to Anotica. What an unlucky occurrence that turned out to be.

"Agent #381? Latios? Are you here?"

"Well, it's about time somebody showed up. I was beginning to think everyone on our side was dead with how little information had been shared with me of late."

Appearing as if from nowhere, was a blue and white Pokémon with a red triangle on its chest. It had a vaguely avian look to it, while also looking very much like a modern-day jet plane. On its forehead was a white oval, which was wrapped around it by a blue mask.

"Sorry, Latios. I can't speak for everyone, but I've personally been pulled in a million different directions of late. And, as you probably know, Lugia, Ho-oh and Co. are still in hiding, and our almighty lord has deemed it unsafe to descend to us at this time," Steven sighed. "Nevertheless, I'm glad to see you're well and unharmed."

Latios shrugged. "Like they could catch me, not that they seemed to want to. They only seem to be after the big guys."

"Someone sounds a little bitter," Steven joked, in attempt to lighten up the draconic Pokémon.

"Meh, I'm not going to complain about not being hunted to the ends of the planet. Would just be nice to be thought of, ya know?" Latios decreed.

"Well, if it helps, I've come to as-"

"Which one of them needs my help this time? For someone not involved with this prophecy, they sure like to drag me into their mess."

Steven smacked his hand against his face. Told you he was going to be difficult, he thought to himself.

"Who did you tell I'd be difficult to? I'm guessing it had to be one of Lugia or Palkia, and since Palkia is off world more often than not these days, I'm going to settle on ole' Lulu."

"Damn psychics…" Steven groaned, "but you're sharp as a tack like always. Lugia sent me to seek your help. Lugia's vessel has struggled to get a grip on some of Lugia's gifts and it was hoping you'd be able to lend your assistance, particular on the more psychic end of things."

"This doesn't seem like it concerns me. Surely one of Lugia's servant birds can handle this trivial task?"

"Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres all have their own gifts, but none of them are especially gifted with psychic powers," Steven defended, raising his voice at the stubborn legend. "You're the best suited for this task."

"Correction, that would be Lugia themself, if it could be bothered to grace us with its almighty presence," Latios sneered. He too was becoming fed up with this human trying to boss him around, especially on the orders of a fellow legendary Pokémon, who didn't even the gall to show up themselves.

"And you know as well as I do why that can't happen. So, are you going to help us or not?" Steven demanded, before reaching for his belt and grabbing a small red and white sphere.

"Seriously? You think you can defeat me?" Latios chuckled.

"Don't underestimate the bond between Pokémon and humans, Latios. Now answer me! Are you going to help us or not?"

"No-"

"Oh, stuff it, Ios. Just do it."

Much like how Latios himself had appeared; a similar looking red Pokémon appeared. It was almost identical in appearance to Latios, with red everywhere that Latios had blue, and a blue triangle on their chest in roughly the same spot that Latios' red one was. The only other noticeable difference is that the new Pokémon was a tad bit smaller than Latios.

"Oh good, Latias is here now. Are you happy now, human?" Latios sneered at Steven, shooting a glare towards him that would have made an Arbok jealous.

"You're being rude, Ios. You know his name, so use it," Latias scolded. "Hi Steven, how are you? Long time no see? How's your mission going? How's Mew?"

"Eh, depends on the minute," Steven decided. "Still haven't been able to track down Mew. It's made itself very difficult to find since all of this went down however long ago it was now. The Chaos seems disinterested in tracking down Lugia, Ho-oh and company right now, but no one can be sure if it's all a ruse, so they remain in hiding. Our team has tabs on a few of the awakened Hearts now. So far, we know of four who have awakened. The Silver and Gold Hearts are currently travelling together, the Diamond Heart seems content just doing their own thing, although we expect that they should intersect with the other at some point, and well, you know where the Yellow Heart is…"

"So, business as usual then?" Latias mused, stifling a chuckle in the process. "Well, I know I'm not the big draw here, but if Latios won't do it I'll be more than happy to help the young Silver Heart harness some of his abilities. I'm not as physically strong as my big bro, but I'm more of a defensive Pokémon just like Lugia, so I should be able to do the job just fine."

This seemed to surprise Latios, as Steven could visibly see his draconic jaw drop. "Ias, this doesn't concern us. These fools," he gestured his arm towards Steven, "made this mess. If they didn't try to genetically enhance their own kind, none of this would have happened."

"But Ios, what you fail to see here is that these people," she too pointed at Steven, "are on our side. They're trying to stop those that tried to genetically enhance their own kind. So, either you help them, or I will."

Latios sighed. Steven could tell he was beginning to resign himself to his fate. "So, what'll it be, Latios? Will you help us?" Steven asked hopefully.

"…Fine. But if the child shows no promise I'm leaving."

"And I'm going too. Two psychics are better than one after all," Latias decided.

"I can't all-"

"Tough, I'm coming. I would like an opportunity to start meeting the famed Valiant Hearts."

"So, it's settled then. Thank you both for your help. Our entire operation is in your debt!" The boss is going to love this, Steven mused.

The trip to the gym had been rather quick, thanks to Sakura dragging Chris the whole way. Greenburg, while larger than any of the other communities Chris had been to at this point, wasn't an especially large community. Chris did find himself liking Greenburg, though. The houses were various shades of whites, browns and greens, and there were lots of plants and trees dotted throughout the city. While lacking the novelty of Evertown, Chris found himself to be rather at home here. I'll definitely have to spend more time here in the future.

Finally, Sakura stopped yanking him by his arm. Directly in front of the two teens was a large greenhouse, with the word "GYM" lit up in neon lights centred above the door. Chris had seen plenty of greenhouses in Silver Town, as it was a fairly rural community, but this one was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"So, Christopher, you ready?"

Chris paused briefly, before giving Sakura a curt nod and reaching for the handle of the door. Unlike at the Evertown gym, when he opened the door and entered the building, the lights didn't immediately turn on. Instead, they found a blonde-haired man sitting directly in the centre of a Poké ball label in the middle of a grass field. His eyes were closed, and it appeared that he was either in a deep trance or lost in a sea of thoughts.

"Excuse me? My name is Chris Davis and I'd like to challenge the Gym Leader here!" Chris called out, hoping to get the attention of the man in the centre of the room.

"I guess that means you want to challenge me then," the man responded, after what felt like an eternity to Chris. "How many Pokémon do you have and how many badges do you have?"

"Uh… three Pokémon and one badge, Sir," Chris responded, although he was rather confused by the question. Teren never asked me that before our match.

"Hmm… alright, just give me a minute. I'll go get my single badge team, as well as the ref, and we can get this train wreck a-rolling," the blonde man chuckled. "The name's Rowan, and I specialize in the Grass type. I also happen to be the Mayor of Greenburg." With that said, Rowan retreated into the back of the building.

"Wow, a Gym Leader and the Mayor? That guy must be super busy all the time," Sakura mused, a fact that Chris couldn't help but agree with. "If I liked boys, he'd also be pretty cute."

This last statement caused Chris to do a double take. "If you liked b-"

Before Chris could finish his thought, Rowan returned from his backroom with four Poké balls on his belt, and a rather bored looking grey-haired ref walking behind him. Rowan seemed rather tall, probably taller than Chris himself, and he had piercing green eyes. A clean blonde goatee gripped the corners of his mouth, and his hair was slicked back.

"Are you ready, Mr. Davis? This will be a three-on-three battle. You can make substitutions, but I cannot. Typical rules. Your friend can go watch the match in our spectator's section," Rowan instructed, before gesturing towards Sakura with his hand. "Just so you know, miss, there is a fire escape located behind your seats for quick exits in the event of an emergency, or if you become too embarrassed to come back out after I crush your boyfriend into dust."

That's quite a shift in tone from the guy who was meditating in the middle of this building when I entered, Chris deadpanned to himself. If he were an anime character, he would have likely had a rather animated sweat drop at the top of his forehead.

"Good luck, babe," Sakura joked, causing Chris to lightly smack himself in the face with his palm, before making her way towards the spectator's seating area.

"She seems nice. How long have you been together?" Rowan asked, a bright ear-to-ear smile gracing his face.

"We're not dating!" Chris defended. "We're from the same town, and Professor Hemlock thought it might be a good idea to travel together. Safety in numbers, or something like that."

"Sounds like something Hannah would say," Rowan nodded.

"You know Professor Hemlock?"

"Of course! When someone signs on to be the regional Professor, it's a Gym Leader's duty to know them."

Chris groaned. I guess that was a dumb question. Good thing Melanie didn't hear that, she definitely wouldn't have let me live that one down. Chris frowned at this thought. He did wish she were here. Since they started travelling together, they hadn't really spent much time apart aside from Chris' hospital stay, and even then, she still made multiple daily visits.

"Well, shall we get this show on the road? I'll start this match off with my ole' pal Snover. Hope you dressed warm!" Rowan bellowed, chucking one of the shrunken red and white orbs clipped on his belt.

Appearing from the thrown Poké ball, was a small Pokémon that looked like a frozen tree. It had a white upper body, including its head that looked like the top of a fir tree. The lower part of its body was completely brown, with two hands and a tail that looked like the branches of a Christmas tree. Upon its entry to the field, Chris could feel himself getting pelted by small chunks of ice.

Should have worn a hoodie, Chris kicked himself. Snorunt would be right at home in this, but I know that Snover is an ice-type too, so Charmander would be the natural pick for this one. "Give em hell, Charmander!"

With a gentle toss, Chris released Charmander on to the grass field. He could see that upon her appearance, she was immediately annoyed at the weather.

(Hey pal, what's the deal? We're inside!) Charmander demanded, glaring at the frozen tree standing directly across the field from her.

(Sorry, Miss. I can't control it. It just happens,) Snover shrugged.

"A fire type, eh? Someone did their homework," Rowan declared. "First move goes to the challenger."

"Your funeral. Charmander, use Ember!"

(Who wants to see a forest fire?) Charmander cheered, launching three small fireballs at the Frost Tree Pokémon.

"Snover, blast an Icy Wind at the ember attack to block it!"

On command, Snover released a frozen blast of wind from its mouth. Chris knew all about the benefits of icy wind, but to him this seemed like a strange tactic. What good will that do? Ember should be able to cut right through it.

Chris' question was answered when the two attacks intersected at the midway point between the two Pokémon. Charmander's ember had managed to push further toward Snover, but it eventually fizzled out before it reached the ice-type. Neither Pokémon was even hit by an attack.

"Don't think you're the first trainer to stick a fire-type against my Snover, Chris. Because league rules dictate that Gym Leaders can't make substitutions doesn't mean we're sitting ducks, and thanks to Snover's ability, your Charmander is going to get continuously pelted with hail. Not so easy now, eh Champ?"

Chris gritted his teeth. He's right. I'm going to have to get her to get closer; otherwise, he'll just block all of our ranged attacks. Not going to let him stall me out. "New plan, Charmander. Charge in and blast a Smokescreen!"

(Roger that!) Obeying her command, Charmander charged towards the little tree, grimacing as the on-rushing hail pelted against her skin. Opening wide, she blasted a smokescreen in the direction of Snover.

"Snover, blow away the smoke with your Icy Wind!"

That might work. "Charmander, sidestep the Icy Wind and wind up for an Iron Tail!"

"Quick Snover, Ingrain!"

As Charmander charged in to deliver a point-blank iron tail, Snover glowed green briefly, dropping small little roots into the floor of the gym. With a loud thwack, Charmander smashed her silvery clad tail across the face of Snover, but to her surprise it didn't fly backwards, in fact it didn't even flinch at all.

"Trying to go melee instead of ranged was also a smart play, but thanks to ingrain Snover was able to not only not be thrown wildly by your attack, but he was able to recover some health too. And finally, your Charmander is now at point blank range. Sheer Cold," Rowan muttered coldly.

"No, Charmander! Fire Spin quickly!" Chris desperately cried. Sheer Cold would end this match in one turn, and I'd be at a severe disadvantage. You can do it Charm!

Both Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously, a spinning whip of fire from Charmander and a dangerously sharp looking icicle from Snover. Thanks to the close proximity of the combatants, a small explosion ensued. Between the new smoke cloud, and the raining hail Chris couldn't tell if Charmander was okay or not. Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay, please be-

"Snover is unable to battle. Charmander is the victor!"

The ref's call broke Chris out of his trance. In the center of the stadium, stood Charmander. She was panting slightly, but otherwise didn't seem too worse for wear. Snover on the other hand, was belly up; his eyes were spinning in an almost spiral like pattern, as Charmander's Fire Spin attack still swirled around him.

With a sigh, Rowan grabbed Snover's Poké ball and retreated it, which thankfully for both Chris and Charmander finally put an end to the miserable weather. "Good effort my friend. Sorry I went for the suicide play. I didn't see us winning otherwise."

"Great job, Charmander! Proud of you!" Chris cheered, causing his young fire lizard to beam with joy.

"Nicely done, Chris. Clearly, I underestimated how well you've raised that Charmander, seeing as how Sheer Cold didn't work. I just figured since you were battling me with a Charmander, it might be not all well trained. My sincerest apologies for misjudging the two of you."

(Not at all well trained? Just who does this assh-)

"There's a long story as to why she's still a Charmander, but let there be no doubt anymore that her and I are a great team!" Chris declared, raising his fist in a manner that he soon regret, as he felt it came off as completely cheesy.

"I certainly have no doubts now. But enough chatter! Lombre, take em down a notch!" Rowan yelled

"Way to go, Chris!"

(You were excellent, Charmander!)

Sakura, as well as her Bulbasaur, broke into cheers at the ref's announcement. Her Natu sat there as well, but he appeared to be as stoic as ever. Sakura had watched a few televised league battles over the years, but this was the first time she ever watched an official match on the sidelines.

"Thanks to his three Pokémon being effective against the grass type, you have to think he has this in the bag," Sakura mentioned to her Pokémon.

(You can never be too sure, Miss Sakura. A good trainer should be able to train their Pokémon to overcome their weaknesses,) Natu offered.

Bulbasaur nodded. (Natu's right, but we spent enough time training with them this week that they shouldn't have a problem at all. Charmander didn't take any hard damage in her match, and that Lombre should probably be able to be handled between Charmander, Chatot and Snorunt. Unless he's hiding a Venusaur as his third Pokémon, I like Chris' odds.)

(Charmander might not have taken heavy damage, but that's only because Sheer Cold failed. If you weren't aware, Miss Sakura, Sheer Cold is a move that instantly knocks out a Pokémon if it works,) Natu pointed out. (Snover tried to take Charmander out in one move, and as it turned out Charmander was strong enough to overcome it.)

Sakura couldn't help but chuckle. Bulbasaur is a bit of a cheerleader and Natu might be a bit too much of a realist for his own good. "Well either way, Chris has a good start. Just two more to go!"

"You know, you're awfully talkative for someone who is watching a battle by herself."

Sakura jumped. It was only then that she realized at some point during the battle between Snover and Charmander a middle-aged woman had snuck into the viewing area. She had long, straight blonde hair, and shiny green eyes, and wore a royal blue pantsuit.

"How… how long have you been there?" Sakura sheepishly stammered, face reddening out of embarrassment.

"Since about the point where your friend's Charmander hit Snover with an Iron Tail. I must say clearly that Charmander is well trained, because Rowan has knocked out numerous fire-types with a close range Sheer Cold attack," the blonde woman replied, flashing Sakura a warm smile.

"Yeah, Charmander's a tough little Pokémon for sure. We probably spent an extra week training for this gym match," Sakura laughed, "but I'm worried we might have overdone it."

"Don't underestimate Rowan yet, he's gotten himself out of tougher jams before."

Sakura chuckled, "I guess he's a Gym Leader for a reason. By the way, my name is Sakura."

"Pleasure to meet you, Sakura. I'm Jasmine, Rowan's Wife. So, I might be a bit biased," Jasmine laughed.

"It must be quite the life you must live, being married to both the Gym Leader and the Mayor," Sakura muttered.

"Well as you can see, Greenburg isn't exactly a metropolis, so whatever public events we attend are fairly low key, unless we're going to a conference with other community leaders. I work full time, and I'm a mother to two kids, so you might say my life is pretty busy," Jasmine sighed, but Sakura couldn't help but note a hint of sadness in her voice.

I wonder what that's about.

"What do you want to do Charmander? Wanna keep going or take a break?"

(May as well go, I think I can take this thing,) Charmander responded.

Replacing Snover on Rowan's side of the field was a bipedal mostly green Pokémon, with a light blue face and arms. It had a red bill-like mouth, red fingers and toes and a large lilypad on its head that reminded Chris of a sombrero hat.

If I remember correctly, Lombre is part water as well, so I would probably be doing Charmander a disservice leaving her in, but if she could do some damage to it at the very least it'll make for slim pickings for the boys.

"So, Chris, you've surely figured out by now that Lombre is also a water-type; A water-type who is awfully fond of the rain. Lombre use Rain Dance!"

Upon cue, Lombre began to shake its arms vigorously, as if holding a pair of maracas. To his dismay, the air above the battlefield became clouded over by ugly grey clouds, which promptly begun puking water onto the field.

Chris sighed, and grabbed Charmander's Poké ball to recall her. "I'm not going to do this to you. Rest for now, Charmander."

"Probably a wise move. Grass-type Pokémon have a plethora of weaknesses, so I've augmented my many gym teams with dual-types in an effort to surprise or rattle trainers who attempt to challenge me with the likes of fire, flying and bug types," Rowan explained, taking this brief pause as an opportunity to delve into his strategies.

I gotta say, this guy's good. If I didn't have three Pokémon that were super effective against grass-types I think I might be struggling here. I can only imagine how bad he'd be whooping me if I came here seeking my eighth badge. Guess I better send out Chatot, Snorunt would simply do neutral damage against Lombre. "Chatot, take flight!"

Chris tossed Chatot's ball on to the field, and released his Music Note Pokémon, who at first seemed excited at the prospect of battling, before realizing that it was literally pissing rain indoors.

(What's with the rain? We're inside!) Chatot demanded, glaring first at Lombre, and then back at Chris, who couldn't help but rub the back of his head in a guilty manner.

"Lombre used Rain Dance. Sorry, Chatot," Chris responded. I really wish I wore a jacket.

(Well at least it's not raining men… Hallelujah!) Chatot cheered, which caused Chris to smack his head with his palm. Why did I catch this thing?

"Lombre, charge in and hit that bird with a Fury Swipes!"

Upon receiving the order, Lombre dashed towards Chatot at a speed that Chris didn't even know was possible. In a panic, Chris did the only thing he could even think to do. "Chatot get out of there. Fly up… dodge… I don't care!"

(Squawk! Got it! Birdie go bye-bye!) Chatot cried, as he narrowly avoided having his metronome-shaped tail clawed to death upon his ascent into the rafters.

Rowan smirked. "Even in the air your Chatot is still a sitting duck. Thanks to the rain, Lombre's Swift Swim ability make it incredibly quick, and he'll have no problems launching ranged attacks at a good clip. Lombre strike it down with a Bubble Beam!"

From his spot on the ground, Lombre opened its red bill wide, and began firing a stream of bubbles towards Chatot.

"Chatot, dodge it!" Chris cried out.

(Squawk! Roger that!) Chatot decreed, before obediently flying to his left to avoid the stream of bubbles.

"Don't stop, Lombre. They can't dodge forever!" Rowan demanded, and Chris knew he was right. He could only watch as Chatot gamely flew through the downpour, avoiding the bubbles. There has to be something we can do! Think, Chris, what did we do in training? What would Melanie do...? Wait… I got it!

"Chatot, Mirror Move! Block it!"

(Roger that!) Chatot cried, before halting his flight pattern, turning a faint reflective silver-colour, and firing his own bubbles back at Lombre's, almost as if he had himself become a mirror. One after another, the bubbles collided mid-air and burst, much to the dismay of Lombre, who had the look of a child who had just watch the bubbles he worked so hard to blow disappear.

In the distance across the battleground, Chris could hear Rowan clapping his hands together in a rousing manner. "I've been a Gym Leader for a long time, and that's the first time I've had a trainer use Mirror Move to block a ranged attack. Bravo, Chris! Might I ask what made you think of that manoeuvre?"

Flashback

"Tangela, keep at it! Knock that bird out of the sky with Ancient Power!"

"Chatot, keep avoiding it. Don't let it hit you!"

"Aside from Chatter and Echoed Voice, Chatot doesn't currently know any other "ranged" attacks, according to your Pokédex. You're just going to burn him out by having it try and constantly avoid all ranged attacks. You need a new plan."

"Well, any suggestions?"

"Well, I can't promise any results, but I did notice when you were thumbing through Chatot's known moves that it did know Mirror Move. Maybe you could use that to block ranged attacks without expending so much of Chatot's energy."

"Well, it's worth a shot. Chatot, hold steady. Let Tangela attack."

"Tangela, Ancient Power!"

"Chatot, use Mirror Move!"

End Flashback

"A close friend of mine gave me the idea in training. She unfortunately couldn't make it today, so I'm going to win this battle using the technique she suggested!" Chris declared.

"Well sounds like your friend is quite the trainer herself, must have had an excellent teacher," Rowan smiled.

If only he knew how wrong he was, Chris mused. "But enough of this sidebar, Chatot hit Lombre with an Aerial Ace!"

(Red Baron, reporting for duty!)

"Lombre, get that bird with a fury swipes on its way in!"

Damn, so he knows he can't dodge it, Chris bemoaned. He's going to try and inflict his own damage.

With a mighty shriek, Chatot dive-bombed the walking lilypad at a breakneck speed, beak first with every intention on causing as much pain as possible to Lombre. In turn, Lombre fiercely brandished its claws in anticipation of giving Chatot a little bit of pain on the way by. Chris could only watch with bated breath, as Chatot connected against Lombres chest with its beak, only to receive multiple scratches upon his retreat.

"You okay, Chatot?" Chris nervously asked, noticing a small streak of blood along the side of his chest plumage.

(Meh, it sure beats being clubbed with a bone,) Chatot muttered, but Chris could see him wincing a bit. On the other hand, Lombre looked to Chris like he took the worst of that exchange. Lombre was visibly panting and had taken to one knee in an attempt to catch its breath.

"Let's end this Chatot, get up close and hit it with Chatter!"

"Lombre, hit it with a Bubble Beam, don't let it get close!" Rowan demanded, and Chris thought he heard a hint of panic in his voice. He knows Lombre is done for, if Chatter hits. Time to test my theory.

"Chatot, don't dodge the bubbles. Go in head on and use maximum volume! Full blast Chatter!"

(I AIN'T YOUR BUDDY, FRIEND!)

With a massive shriek, Chatot blasted out visible sound waves towards Lombre and the stream of bubbles it was currently releasing from its mouth. In his weakened state, Lombre couldn't help but bring its hands to the sides of its head and lost the concentration necessary to launch its attack. Chris noticed that Rowan had also raised his hands to his ears, and Chris found himself compelled to the same.

"Note to self, never ask him to go full blast again," Chris moaned quietly. "Nice work Chatot, did we get him?"

(No way that thing survived that, that thing is as good as croake-)

Chatot never had a chance to finish that sentence, as he got blindsided by a stream of bubbles upside the head, knocking him to the ground in front of Lombre. Chatot was completely defenseless.

"It's not over until I say it is! Lombre, finish it off with Fury Swipes!" Rowan roared.

Lombre ran towards Chatot, and brandished its claws, only to smack itself in the face. Then it smacked itself again. Then it did it another time. Finally, it gave itself one more smack upside the head, and toppled over in pain. Chris couldn't quite see Lombre's eyes from his position on the sidelines, but the sky clearing up confirmed his suspicions. Lombre had knocked itself out.

"Lombre is unable to battle. Chatot is the winner!" The ref declared.

"Wow, two down and Chris hasn't even lost a Pokémon yet! Chris has this match in the bag!" Sakura cheered, as she and Bulbasaur leapt up from their seats at the refs announcement.

"It certainly appears that way, doesn't it?" Jasmine sighed, although her face bore a hint of a smile. "Even if he is just using his one badge team, it's still unusual that he hasn't knocked out a Pokémon yet. Your friend must be quite the talented trainer."

Sakura shrugged. "He just takes training seriously. It helps that he can understand his Pokémon. Helps in building a solid foundation."

"Excuse me? He can understand his Pokémon?" Jasmine pondered incredulously.

Well, I don't think I was supposed to say that, Sakura kicked herself. "Uh… It's a long story. I can understand mine t-"

"Well, your friend looks like he's got this one in the bag, why don't we go elsewhere and chat? I'd definitely be interested to hear more about yours and your friend's abilities," Jasmine requested.

"Um… I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Sakura stammered. Man, I really screwed it here. I was explicitly told by Chris to not say anything to anyone, and I go and blow it to this random stranger.

"It's okay, Sakura, I understand your worry and hesitation. As a mother of two, I would have also warned my son and daughter to not agree to that very same thing. In fact, my daughter is probably around your age, maybe a little bit older. Well since you told me your secret, why don't I tell you mine?"

"Your secret?"

"No one in town knows this, but a few months back my daughter ran away from home. I was out of town on business. My husband called me in a panic. I'm scared every day that something has happened to her, and I can only pray that she comes home safely. Maybe if I didn't work out of town so often, I could have stopped her," Jasmine whispered, a single tear caressing her cheek as it cascaded from her green eyes.

Sakura couldn't help but frown and reached to place a comforting hand on the shoulder of Jasmine. "I'm so sorry to hear that, but I've been travelling for a few months, maybe I've met her. What's her name?"

"Her name is-"

Standing outside of the Greenburg Gym, Melanie Emerald was trying to work up the courage to enter. A blue mess of vines stood to her immediate left, making every attempt to soothe Melanie.

(You don't have to do this you know?) Tangela pointed out, knowing full well that without Chris here, Melanie couldn't understand her properly anyway.

"I should have told Chris the truth. I should have told him, Tangles," Melanie muttered.

(If you told him the truth this whole situation would have gotten messy. You did the right thing,) Tangela offered, again recognizing the feebleness of her actions. In lieu of proper verbal communication, Tangela used one of her vines to rub Melanie's back.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

(You can do this!) Tangela cheered.

"I'm going to do this! I'm going to support Chris! And I'm going to face my demons in the process!" Melanie cheered, but she still couldn't allow herself to move. She physically tried to reach her hand for the door handle, but she felt frozen in place.

In reality it had been about five minutes of real time, but it felt like an Eternity for Tangela, before she got an idea. With one vine she reached for the door handle, and with another she gently tapped Melanie on the arm.

The gesture snapped Melanie out of her trance, and she turned to her starter and gave her a forced smile. "Yes, Tangela, I'd appreciate if you'd open the door for me. Thank you for being here with me."

(Melanie, it is my duty and my pleasure,) Tangela declared, as she gently pulled open the door.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. No matter how many times she repeated it to herself, Melanie couldn't quite convince herself.

With a sigh, Rowan recalled his Lombre. Chris could hear him thank it for a nice battle, and also mutter something to the tune of 'damn confusion.' Chris couldn't help but feel a bit overconfident at the situation he found himself in. He still had three Pokémon on his side, all of which were super effective against the grass type. Rowan, however, was down to just one.

"Well, Chris, I have to say. You've beaten me fair and square. Your Chatot looks like he can still go another few laps, and your Charmander barely took any damage in our first battle," Rowan decreed, before reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a small green tree-shaped badge and chucking it towards Chris. With his left hand, Chris snagged the badge, although the whole scenario left him rather dumfounded.

"But you still have one Pokémon left?" Chris questioned, at a loss for what had just occurred.

"I do, that is correct, but I also know as a Gym Leader that it won't be able to take out all three of the Pokémon you have with you, especially if your third one is as well trained as the other two. It is in my rights as Gym Leader to deem you worthy of this badge, as well as giving you a copy of TM53, which contains Energy Ball. I'll make sure you have that before you leave this building. Instead, I have a bit of an unconventional request. The fourth Poké ball I brought with me contains my main battle partner. If your three Pokémon can defeat my Pokémon, I have a special gift for you. What do you say?"

So that's probably his strongest Pokémon he's challenging me with. I probably don't stand a chance, but at the same time I also don't really have anything to lose either. He's already given me the badge, and it might be a good training exercise for my team. Seems like a relatively win-win scenario.

"So, whatcha say, Chris? You in?"

Chris smiled. "Yeah, I'm in."

"Good choice, young man. Give your Chatot a potion or two from the back shelf there and let's get this show on the road!"

Obliging the suggestion, Chris walked to the shelf in question and pulled out an orange container of Potion labelled 'Super Potion,' which he promptly sprayed onto Chatot's wounds from the last battle. Chatot winced, but to Chris' surprise stayed silent, which may have actually been a first for him. With Chatot's wounds sprayed, Chris took his position back on his side of the battlefield, and Chatot returned as well. Chris figured he might as well leave Chatot in; he did quite well in less-than-ideal conditions in the last match.

"I'll be leaving Chatot in," Chris declared.

"Fine by me. Battle time, my friend. Let's show this trainer how much further he needs to go!" Rowan yelled and tossed the Poké ball of the Pokémon he claimed to be his strongest partner on to the field. In a brilliant white light, a rather large mess of blue vines appeared on the field. The lower third of its body was visibly black, and not covered with vines, and it had red feet and three red fingers on its vine-cladded arms. Chris immediately knew what Pokémon that was, and he immediately began to feel a pool of unconscious anger welling up in him. He couldn't be…

"Meet Tangrowth, Chris. Him and I have been through thick and thin. He usually only gets to battle trainers who come here seeking their eighth badge, but I just have a feeling you can give him a run for his money," Rowan declared. "So, give it your best shot!"

Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe this isn't what I think. Maybe I should just-

Chris' thoughts were interrupted as the front door to the gym opened wide. Entering the doorway was a lilac-haired girl with green eyes. Chris instantly recognized her.

"Mel-

"Melly! You've finally come home to us!"

Chris' stomached dropped. That nagging suspicion he had when Tangrowth emerged was finally confirmed. Rowan was Melanie's father.

Sorry for ending it where I did, but creatively that just felt like the best place to end the chapter. It was either that, or essentially double the length of this one, so it definitely felt like the right point to jump off. It's also going to rev up the tension pretty hard in the next one.

Sorry if the battle scenes felt a little lacking, that was one of the biggest hold ups for this chapter taking essentially the entire month to write. I've always found it's tough to find the balance between "attack, dodge, attack, dodge, block etc" so hopefully they turned out well for you. They might feel a little bit short, but hopefully they were concise and believable. If not feel free to let me know!

Hopefully all of those who are getting Legends enjoys it. I'm picking up my copy when I get off work tomorrow!

Until next time, thanks everyone!