Here's the longest Chapter of this fic so far.

"Let's see… Vee, Kai, Spring… Obviously I want to leave a free space in my team for the Oddish I'm hoping to catch. Then Aeris to counter the Bug-type weakness of both Spring and whatever the Oddish's nickname becomes. And one more… I think I'll pick Stiller. Mankey's a good Pokemon, it makes sense to give it some training".

Brian stepped into the lobby, looking over at his younger companion. "Hey, are you ready to go?"

"Just need to call Professor Oak and change my team around a little bit. Meet you outside?"

"Sure. Don't take too long though. We don't want to keep Cassie waiting any more than absolutely necessary."

"Of course".

As Brian nodded and headed for the door, Adrian turned in the direction of the phones.

Roughly 15 minutes later, he and Vee emerged from the Pokemon Center to meet with Brian and Cassie. Casie waved cheerfully at him. "Morning! Did you sleep well?"

"As well as can be expected, I guess. Routes 24 & 25 today, right?"

Cassie turned, looking at the lighthouse looming above them to the north. "Yup, that's the plan. North on Route 24, crossing Nugget Bridge. Then Route 25 east to Cerulean Cape, visit Bill, and back to the city".

"Sounds good, let's get going."

Cassie led the way north to the city outskirts, where a beautiful-looking wooden bridge crossed a deep blue river. Several Trainers stood on the bridge, most of them throwing Pokeballs up and down. "Looks like we've got a few battles ahead of us" Adrian observed.

"Eevee!" Vee chirped from his Trainer's shoulder, causing Adrian to chuckle and rub his partner's head gently.

Cassie nodded. "Should be good practice for you then. Come on, let's get started".

The closest Trainer to them, a Bug Catcher, looked up as the trio got closer. He stopped throwing his Pokeball up and down and held it out towards them. "Hey! How about a battle?"

Adrian pulled Aeris's Pokeball from his belt, already having an idea of what type of Pokemon to expect. "Let's do this! Aeris, you're up!"

As his Pidgey burst from her Pokeball, the Bug Catcher threw the ball in his hand too. "Venonat, let's go!"

An insect Pokemon with a purple body and large red eyes burst from the ball, landing in front of its Trainer. "Veno! Venonat!"

Adrian pulled out his pokedex, holding it out towards the creature. "Venonat, the Insect Pokemon. Its large eyes act as a radar. In a bright place, you can see that they are clusters of many tiny eyes."

Satisfied, he tucked his Pokedex away and nodded to Aeris. "Alright, Aeris! Let's start things off by kicking up some dust with a Sand Attack!"

Aeris nodded. Flapping her wings, she caused a cloud of dust to kick up around her.

"Venonat, Supersonic!"

The Bug Catcher's Venonat jumped up, pointing the top of its head towards Aeris. Thin, blue sound waves emerged from the top of its head and flew towards Aeris. Adrian grinned. Supersonic has a base accuracy of 55%. Couple that with Aeris's Sand Attack, and the chances of Supersonic hitting get even lower! "Aeris, get up into the sky to dodge those sound waves, then counter with Gust!"

Aeris soared upwards, the sound waves narrowly missing it, then swooped back down towards the Venonat, flapping its wings furiously.

"Venonat, Disable!"

The bug Pokemon's eyes started glowing a brilliant blue colour. Aeris was immediately surrounded by a matching blue light and froze in midair. Adrian's mind raced frantically trying to come up with a solution. Spring would be at a disadvantage here, as would Stiller. Kai's probably too weak to be of much help here. Guess that leaves me with two choices. Either I can keep Aeris out and risk her fainting, or…

He held out Aeris's Pokeball again. "Return!"

He reached up to where Vee was perched on his shoulder, stroking his partner's fur gently. "You up for this, partner?"

"Vee! Eevee!"

His silver-furred partner nodded in agreement before leaping down, landing nimbly opposite the Venonat. "Vee, Quick Attack!"

"Supersonic, Venonat!"

Here's where all our hours of practice come into play! "Dodge it!"

Vee dodged nimbly, the dust clouds making it easier to avoid the sound waves. Adrian nodded. "Now hit it!"

The Eevee and Venonat slammed into each other, sending the bug Pokemon stumbling. Vee twisted in midair and landed gracefully on the ground. Adrian smirked. "Now, Vee! Before it can get back up, let's finish this! Get in close!"

"Disable again!"

Adrian smirked. "Can't hit what you can't see! Vee, kick up another Sand Attack!"

Vee slammed its front legs into the ground, dislodging a huge cloud of dust that joined the rest of the dust swirling around the battlefield. Cassie and Brian grimaced, with Adrian's red-haired companion covering her mouth and nose to avoid breathing any of the dust in, and Adrian shielded his eyes. "Finish it! Tackle!"

"Venonat, on your feet! Use Tackle as well!"

"Vee!"

"Venonat!"

There was a muffled bang from inside the dust cloud, followed by the sound of something crashing to the ground. Adrian grabbed Aeris's Pokeball from his belt and called out the bird Pokemon again. "Aeris, blow up a breeze and get this dust cleared."

His Pokemon nodded and flapped her wings swiftly, and the dust was soon cleared. On the ground, unmoving, was the Bug Catcher's Venonat. Vee, silver fur sparkling with sweat, was standing over it, panting lightly. "Venonat is unable to battle!" Brian observed grimly.

The other Trainer nodded, holding out the bug Pokemon's Pokeball to recall it. He shrugged. "I did my best. I have no regrets".

After he had received his prize money, Adrian knelt down next to Vee, rubbing his partner's head affectionately. "Great job, partner. I knew you could do it."

He waited as Vee jumped eagerly back up onto his shoulder, then turned to look further down the bridge. There were still four more people waiting on the bridge, all of them Trainers if the way that they were all throwing a Pokeball up and down in one hand was any indication. "Alright then. This should be fun."

As they drew closer to the next Trainer, a young schoolgirl wearing the green skirt and white blouse with a red bow that Adrian recognized instantly from several of the Trainers he had battled in Viridian Forest, the Lass noticed them and smirked, catching the Pokeball and holding it out towards them in the same way the previous Trainer had done. "Hey! Time for a battle!"

Adrian nodded, his fingers already reaching down to pull a Pokeball from his belt. "Alright, what have you got?"

"I choose you! Psyduck!"

I choose you. Huh. Well there's a phrase that I haven't heard in a few years. "Spring, you're up!"

His Ivysaur burst from her Pokeball in a flash of light, appearing opposite the Lass's dopey-looking yellow duck Pokemon. Adrian smirked to himself. As tempting as it is to just win this entire thing with a Razor Leaf and a Vine Whip, this is the perfect opportunity for Kai to gain some experience as well. I'll have Spring Leech Seed it and then switch out. "Spring, let's start off strong! Leech Seed!"

A seed shot from the bud on Spring's back, quickly slamming into Psyduck. Vines sprouted from it, twining themselves around the Psyduck's body before starting to glow a soft red color. The Psyduck groaned quietly. "Psyduck, Water Gun!"

The Psyduck spat a stream of water from its mouth at Spring, who just shook her head, smiling as if she was enjoying a bath. "Perfect, Spring! Tackle attack!"

"Tail Whip!"

Psyduck wagged its tail cutely seconds before Spring slammed into it, knocking it back. Adrian facepalmed. What the hell was that supposed to even achieve? "Alright, Spring, return!"

His Ivysaur disappeared into her Pokeball, and he tugged a new one from his belt. "Kai!"

His Pikachu burst from its ball in a flash. "Let's get you some experience, Kai! Start off with a Quick Attack!"

"Water Gun!"

Water conducts electricity! Perfect! "Kai, now! Thunder Shock!"

The Pikachu nodded, sparks already starting to fly from his body. He glowed yellow briefly, before sending a large yellow bolt of electricity at the Psyduck. Psyduck was struck full force by the bolt and fell backwards onto the ground, eyes slipping closed. The vines from Spring's Leech Seed flared a bright red before disintegrating, and Adrian's opponent sighed in annoyance, holding out a Pokeball. "Suppose I should have seen that coming… Psyduck, return!"

"Kai, you come back too!"

His Pikachu disappeared back into the red and white ball in Adrian's hand. After receiving the spoils of his victory, the trio began walking again, but were soon stopped by a third Trainer's voice challenging them. Adrian shielded his eyes from the sun, looking ahead, and frowned slightly when he realized there were at least two more Trainers they would have to get past to make it to the end of the bridge. "Let's get this over with."

"Go, Sandshrew!"

"Go, Aeris!"

The two Pokemon appeared almost simultaneously. "Sandshrew, Poison Sting!"

Same strategy we used against that Team Rocket grunt back in Viridian! "Aeris, blow it right back at the Sandshrew with a Gust attack!"

The Pidgey flapped his wings furiously, creating a powerful wind that did exactly as Adrian had hoped, causing part of the attack to slam back into the Sandshrew. It glared at Aeris. "Sand Attack!"

"Aeris, let's keep that wind going! Gust again!"

"Another Sand Attack, Sandshrew!"

"Gust again! Then take it down with a Tackle!"

Aeris slammed into the Sandshrew, which reeled back before recovering. Adrian took a second to think. It's withstanding more damage than that last Sandshrew. Alright. Time for a change of tactics.

"Sandshrew, Scratch!"

"Aeris! Into the sky!"

Aeris flew upwards just as the Sandshrew leaped at it, sending the small mouse Pokemon tumbling across the bridge. Adrian smirked as it hopped to its feet. "Now! Imitate Scratch with Mirror Move! Aim for the eyes!"

"Poison Sting, Sandshrew!"

Aeris and the Sandshrew struck each other at the same time, sending both Pokemon crashing to the ground and tumbling across the bridge. Both Pokemon struggled to their feet after a couple of seconds, though Adrian could tell that both would faint soon. Aeris looked slightly unwell, Adrian suspected that some of the Poison Sting attack had made contact and actually managed to poison it. "Let's end this! Sandshrew, Scratch!"

"Blow it away! Gust!"

The Sandshrew lunged at Aeris as the tiny bird Pokemon began flapping its wings furiously, creating a breeze that sent it crashing into the edge of the bridge behind them. It struggled to its feet, where it seemed to stay for a few seconds, before crashing unconscious to the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Adrian crouched down next to his Pidgey as the small bird wobbled unsteadily, her eyes flickering, and scanned her quickly with his Pokedex. "Damn that one in five chance. Cassie, can you pass me an Antidote?"

The red-haired girl nodded, reaching into the bag and pulling out a yellow spray bottle, pressing it into his hand. "Thanks."

As he moved to spray Aeris, the Pidgey's eyes gleamed and she started glowing with a familiar white light. Recognising what it meant, Adrian stood and took a step back, watching his Pokemon intently. "I didn't think she had enough experience to evolve, but I guess that Sandshrew's Poison Sting must have just tipped the scales slightly."

When the light cleared, the Pidgey looked bigger and sharper, slightly more flamboyant as well. The dull white and brown feathers on her head were now pink. They were rough and angular, though at the same time they had an elegant curve to them. Her tail feathers had also become pink in color, and were also rough-looking, compared to what they had once been. There were also, Adrian couldn't help but notice, five of them compared to the three that his Pokemon had had as a Pidgey. The new Pidgeotto spread her wings, cried out as the light finished fading... and then promptly collapsed.

"Just because the Pokemon evolves doesn't mean that the status conditions are cleared… You might want to remember that for next time, Adrian," Cassie reminded him.

Adrian ignored her, reaching into their bag of medical supplies to put the unused Antidote away, and withdrawing a small yellow crystal. As he moved to give the stone to his Pidgeotto, Brian's voice stopped him. "I would suggest that you think very carefully before you use that one, Adrian. Unfortunately the amount of battles we faced on the way through Mount Moon yesterday cut deeper into our supplies than I anticipated, and that's our last Revive. The Pokemart was out of stock when I went to resupply this morning. They said that they'd have more by this afternoon, but until then we should be very careful."

Adrian looked torn for a few minutes, but soon realized his companion was right. They had to make the most of what they had. Sighing, he stood and recalled the fainted Pidgeotto, replacing the Pokeball on his belt and putting the Revive back into their bag. "Fine. I guess it's back to the Pokemon Center to heal her up then."

It was several hours later when the group returned from the Pokemon Center. The sun was slightly higher in the sky, though still not high enough to give them concern about time passing. With any luck, they'd be well on the way to Vermillion City, or at least back in Cerulean, before nightfall anyway. They quickly made their way past the first three Trainers to where Aeris had evolved into Pidgeotto, Adrian frowning slightly as he remembered they still had two Trainers to go before they could reach the end of the bridge. Stepping forward, they were swiftly challenged by the first of those remaining Trainers, a girl wearing clothes identical to the second one that had faced, who sent out a Meowth. Seeing an opportunity to test the strength of his recently caught Mankey, Adrian pulled the ball containing the small monkey Pokemon from his belt. "Come on out, Stiller!"

"Don't underestimate me just because you have the type advantage! I'm warning you, we're good!"

Meowth doesn't have the best defensive stats, let's lower those even further! "Stiller, let's start things off with Leer!"

"Taunt it!"

The Lass's Meowth stared at Adrian's Mankey, giving it a smug smile, and waved tauntingly at it. Adrian groaned inwardly as the monkey Pokemon fell for the taunt, ignoring his command and running forward to engage the Scratch Cat Pokemon up close. The girl grinned. "Now! Bite it!"

"Get out of range of its mouth, Stiller!"

Despite Adrian's command, Stiller refused to move. The Meowth opened its mouth, biting down on the Mankey's white-brown fur, causing him to cry out in pain. "Stiller, fight back! We can win this! Karate Chop, now!"

"Scratch!"

The Scratch Cat Pokemon lashed out with its claws, and Stiller reeled away, one paw held over its face. This is going badly… "Karate Chop! Please!"

Stiller reacted immediately, leaping towards Meowth. One hand began glowing white in midair immediately, and that same hand slammed first into Meowth, sending the Scratch Cat stumbling. "Meowth, Scratch again!"

"Get out of range of its claws, Stiller, and then counter with another Karate Chop!"

The Mankey danced nimbly out of range of the Meowth's claws, before countering with the attack that his Trainer had ordered. Another use of the same attack quickly followed, and the Meowth's Trainer soon sighed, recalling her unconscious Pokemon. "Ugh. Obviously I wasn't quite as skilled as I thought I was… Well done."

Adrian held out Stiller's Pokeball, into which the Mankey vanished in a flash of light, and the trio were soon facing the last of the Trainers on the bridge itself. The Trainer was a boy, wearing the same green cap, top and shorts as several of the Trainers Adrian and Cassie had encountered on their way to Mount Moon. He held out a Pokeball. "I challenge you!"

"Of course you do," Adrian sighed, eager to get off the bridge and search the tall grass he could see just to the side of the bridge. Hopefully he could find an Oddish there to fill up the empty space on his team as well as the remaining piece of his strategy against Misty.

He reached down and pulled a Pokeball from his belt. "Aeris!"

"Growlithe, let's go!"

The orange and black Pokemon burst from the Pokeball that the green-clad boy was holding out, landing easily in front of its Trainer and barking eagerly. Adrian blinked in surprise as his Pidgeotto took her place in front of him. Growlithe. Fire-type. Not something I have a counter for, but these things happen. Gotta make the most of the hand we're dealt. "Aeris, Gust!"

Aeris flapped her wings, creating a wind that blew the Growlithe back slightly. "Ember!" the other Trainer commanded.

The Growlithe obeyed quickly, opening its mouth and spitting a ball of fire at Aeris. "Climb and dodge it!"

Aeris soared upwards as the Ember reached her, just barely burning the tips of her tail feathers. "Mirror Move!"

Aeris opened her beak wide, spitting a ball of fire identical to the Growlithe's one. It struck the puppy Pokemon and fizzled out. The other Trainer grinned. "You shouldn't have done that! You just activated Growlithe's Flash Fire ability, powering up its Fire-type moves! Growlithe, Ember again!"

I feel like I should have anticipated that. Oh, wait. I did! "Aeris! Climb again! Then dive towards it after the Ember passes!"

The green-clad Trainer grinned. "Bite its wing, Growlithe!"

Got you right where I want you! "Aeris! Wing Attack right before its jaws close!"

Aeris struck the Growlithe with one of her wings just as the puppy Pokemon's jaws closed on that same wing, sending both Pokemon tumbling. "Aeris, right yourself and Wing Attack again!"

"Ember, Growlithe!"

The fireball slammed straight into Aeris as she dove towards the Growlithe, causing her to crash to the ground. Adrian held out his Pokedex, then winced. "Your health has dropped to a third… I'm not going to risk it again. Aeris, return!"

He recalled his bird Pokemon and then nodded to Vee. "You're up, partner! Let's finish this quickly with a Quick Attack!"

His partner nodded. "Eevee!"

"Ember again and again, Growlithe!"

"Dodge it!"

Vee darted from side to side rapidly as it ran towards the opponent, dodging every single one of the fireballs before slamming into it and sending it tumbling. It climbed to its feet, though Adrian could see from the grimace on its face and the way that it was breathing that it was close to fainting. "Growlithe, Bite!"

"Run circles around it, Vee!"

His Eevee did so, darting around the Growlithe so quickly that he was almost a blur, until a couple of minutes later when the puppy Pokemon closed its eyes, staggering dizzily. "Finish it with a Tackle!"

Vee struck the Growlithe from the side, sending it tumbling. It struggled, for a moment looking like it was going to get up again, before it fell and lay still. Sighing, Growlithe's Trainer recalled it. "Nice try, buddy."

Adrian tucked his winnings securely into his pocket as they finally stepped off of the bridge onto the grass of Route 4, only to be greeted by the voice of another man, this time an older-looking guy with black hair and sunglasses, who was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. "Excuse me! I couldn't help but notice your skills in taking down those Trainers. As part of the Nugget Bridge prize fund, allow me to present you with this."

He pulled a ball of gold from his pocket, offering it to the trio. Brian nodded and pocketed it. "That'll definitely be useful for restocking some supplies when we get back to Cerulean. Thank you."

The other man nodded. "If it was three years ago I probably would have had more to say to you… Probably would have tried to recruit you into Team Rocket and then battled you after you refused. I'm so damn glad those days are done. I've made my peace with the law and I'm doing my best to make up for the things Giovanni made me do. That's all I want out of life."

"Good for you."

Adrian and his companions moved past the man to a quiet grassy spot, where Adrian pulled a Potion from the bag of medical supplies and sent out Aeris, quickly healing the Pidgeotto before recalling her. "Let's go search that grassy area now."

They quickly made their way over there, with another Trainer challenging them on the way. Kai took the win fairly quickly, knocking out the other Trainer's Spearow with a pair of Thunder Shock attacks, and making Adrian proud of how well his training was progressing.

A rustle in the grass caught Adrian's attention, and he pulled Aeris's Pokeball from his belt, releasing the Pidgeotto. "Aeris, Wing Attack that particular patch of grass please."

Aeris slammed into the rustling grass, revealing a familiar blue weed Pokemon. Adrian smirked. "Exactly what I was looking for! Aeris, Wing Attack again!"

Aeris slammed her wing into the Oddish again, sending it tumbling. As she returned to hovering in front of her Trainer again, Adrian pulled an empty Pokeball from his pocket. "Pokeball, go!"

The Pokeball settled to the ground mere moments later, and Adrian recalled Aeris before reaching down and picking up the Pokeball containing his newest capture. With a simple tap, the Oddish appeared in a flash of light. Adrian crouched down before it, offering a hand as he sprayed it gently with a Potion to cure the wounds Wing Attack had done to it. "Hi. I'm your new Trainer. I'd like to give you a nickname, something other than just Oddish. How does Bitterleaf sound?"

The tiny blue Pokemon nodded, though cowered shyly. Adrian smiled softly, quickly pulling out his Pokedex and checking the data for his new capture. "Shy little thing, aren't you? That's okay, I think I can work with that".

As soon as the trio had fully recovered from the Trainers they had battled on the way across Route 24, they made their way down Route 25. Though numerous other trainers tried to get in their way, none of the Pokemon proved to be strong enough to defeat Adrian's team, with the young Trainer from Pallet Town finding himself frequently marvelling at how well his Pokemon were proving to be able to hold up. Reaching Cerulean Cape, the companions leaned against the fence, staring out at the rippling surface of the water. "It's stunning, isn't it?"

"It really is. This is one of my favourite places around Cerulean to visit. It's just so calming out here."

Cassandra turned away from the fence, pulling a Pokeball from her pocket before continuing. "It's also an excellent backdrop for a Pokemon battle. You're going to need all the practice you can get for your next Gym, and who better to practise against than someone who knows your team almost as well as you do? If you can defeat both of the Pokemon I'll send out before you lose all three of yours, then you'll probably stand a good chance against Misty."

She threw the Pokeball, revealing a familiar looking duck Pokemon. Unlike the Psyduck they had seen earlier, this one looked stronger, more serious. She smiled slightly in anticipation. "Now... don't hold back!"

Adrian nodded, holding out a Pokeball. "Go, Bitterleaf!"

His new Oddish appeared in a flash of light. She looked at him, then at the Psyduck in front of them. Adrian gave an encouraging nod. "Bitterleaf, start things off with a Sleep Powder!"

Bitterleaf nodded, releasing a blue, sparkling powder from the leaves on top of her head. The powder drifted towards the Psyduck. "Psyduck, use a Water Gun to clump the powder together and make it useless, then retaliate with a Confusion!"

"Plant yourself, Bitterleaf!"

Bitterleaf immediately buried herself in the ground so that only the leaves on top of her head were showing. The Confusion attack passed harmlessly overhead, and the Oddish waited a couple more seconds before popping back up. "Sleep Powder again!"

Adrian cheered as the powder move made contact, putting the Psyduck to sleep. "Now, use Absorb while it's asleep!"

"Snap out of it, Psyduck!"

The Psyduck stubbornly refused to wake up. Adrian grinned. "Alright, Bitterleaf, well done! Return!"

His Oddish disappeared into the Pokeball he held out, and he pulled a second one from his belt. "Come on out, Kai!"

Kai appeared in a flash of light, nodding to his Trainer. "Kai, Thunder Shock!"

A bolt of electricity burst from the electric mouse Pokemon's body, striking Psyduck. It staggered, visibly weak, though it opened its eyes. "Kai, finish it with a Quick Attack!"

"Fury Swipes, Psyduck!"

Both attacks made contact at the same time, sending both Pokemon flying. Cassie's Psyduck slammed into the railings and fell unconscious to the ground, and Kai spun nimbly in midair, landing in front of Adrian again. He looked a little winded, Adrian noted, but otherwise fine. "You okay to keep going, Kai?" he queried.

Kai nodded at his Trainer, and Adrian nodded. "Good. I think we can win this."

Cassie chuckled warmly, holding out a Pokeball to recall her Psyduck before pulling a slightly different ball from her pocket. This one was different in colour, a blue and white Pokeball with two red stripes on top rather than the standard red and white balls. "A Great Ball?"

"Glad you recognize it. We should grab a few before we leave to head to Vermillion, they have a better catch chance than standard balls do. Anyway, we're getting distracted. Starmie, you're up!"

She threw the Great Ball. It burst open, and a large violet starfish emerged from the Pokeball. Cassie's Starmie spun through the air gracefully before landing on the ground in front of its Trainer. "Starmie, Scald!"

"Kai, dodge it with a Quick Attack!"

Cassie's Starmie shot a stream of super-hot water from its upper-most limb at Kai, who dodged nimbly. Cassie clenched her fist. "Don't let up, Starmie! Scald again and again!"

The starfish Pokemon shot several more streams of water at Kai, who dodged agilely from side to side as he ran towards Starmie, before slamming into it. The attack barely seemed to phase Starmie, and Cassie grinned. "Psywave, now!"

Perfect. "Now, Kai! Thunder Shock from close range!"

"Piiika-Chuuuuuu!"

Both attacks struck at the same time, causing a large cloud of dust to appear in the middle of their makeshift arena. When it had cleared, both Pokemon were still standing. Cassie's Starmie seemed to almost be uninjured by the electric attack, and Kai was panting lightly, small beads of sweat beading on the small electric Pokemon's yellow fur. Guessing that his partner probably wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer, Adrian fumbled for Kai's Pokeball. "Confuse Ray, Starmie!"

A purple ball of energy shot from Starmie's core and struck Kai, who began trying to attack himself immediately. "Kai, return!"

Kai disappeared back into his Pokeball, and Adrian returned it to his belt, pulling another one free. "Bitterleaf!"

The Oddish appeared again. "Are you sure you want to do that, Adrian? Starmie is a Water/Psychic type, it counters Oddish's Poison typing…" Cassie taunted.

"I know what I'm doing. Alright, Bitterleaf, let's try Poison Powder!"

Bitterleaf waved the leaves on the top of her head, releasing a sparkling wave of purple dust towards Starmie. Cassie looked worried. "Starmie, Scald! Wash that powder away before it hits you!"

Cassie's command came too late, as the powder made contact, forcing her Starmie to wobble in place. Its violet colour seemed to pale slightly, a tinge of dark purple colour around the core showing what had happened to it. "Take it out with a Psywave!"

The core gleamed, releasing a blast of purple energy that slammed into Bitterleaf, knocking her out. As Starmie wobbled in pain from the attack once again, Adrian knelt down by the small Pokemon's side. "Hey… Well done, Bitterleaf. You fought really well and I am so proud of you. Take a nice long break".

Recalling her, he pulled his Ivysaur's Pokeball from his belt. "Spring, come on out!"

Spring appeared immediately, landing nimbly in front of her Trainer. "Spring, let's start things off with Razor Leaf!"

"Ivysaur!"

Razor sharp leaves streamed from the plant on Spring's back, streaking towards the starfish Pokemon. "Block them with Swift."

Stars of light streamed from Starmie's core, swatting the leaves aside before they could make contact. A few of them managed to strike Spring, though she didn't seem visibly injured by the attack. "Spring, grab it by the points on each side with your Vine Whip and throw it like a frisbee!"

Spring did as commanded, sending the star Pokemon crashing into the railings behind Cassie. It crashed to the ground and lay there for a couple of seconds before getting back up. Adrian could see the light in its core had started flickering faintly and he knew that it was only a matter of time before it ran out of energy to keep going. "Razor Leaf!"

"Psywave."

A wave of energy identical to the one that took out Bitterleaf shot from Starmie's core, causing the leaves to collapse harmlessly and slamming into Spring, sending her crashing backwards. "Spring!"

The Ivysaur gritted her teeth and got to her feet slowly, a soft growl escaping her mouth. Adrian could tell she was determined to win this for him. An idea hit him at that moment. "Leech Seed."

As if she could tell what her Trainer was thinking, Spring nodded. A seed burst from the plant on her back, slamming into Starmie. Long slender vines sprouted from the seed and coiled around the Pokemon's body, glowing a soft red. "Good. Now, Spring, return!"

Spring disappeared into her Pokeball, and was quickly replaced by Kai again. Cassie seemed a little surprised by the choice. "What are you playing at… Starmie, Confuse Ray!"

"Quick Attack!"

Unlike the last time Cassie had ordered Confuse Ray, Kai dodged easily to the side as the ball of energy zipped past it. Two more Confuse Ray attacks quickly followed, with Kai dodging them both. "Now, Kai! Jump! Get right above Starmie and then Thunder Shock straight down!"

Cassie realized seconds too late what was about to happen. "Psywave!"

The blast of electrical energy slammed into Starmie before it could even move. It wobbled for a second, the vines from Spring's Leech Seed flared red, and then its core dimmed and it crashed unmoving to the ground.

It took both Trainers a moment to react, but once Adrian had realized what had just happened he ran over to Kai, pulling the electric mouse Pokemon into a hug. "We did it! I'm so proud of you, Kai, you did amazingly!"

"Pika!"

Cassie watched the two interact for a minute, a soft smile on her face, before taking out a Pokeball and recalling Starmie. "You did well, partner. Thank you".

She leaned casually against the railings, Brian joining her a few seconds later, and the two of them watched as Adrian celebrated his win with his Pokemon. "You let him win, didn't you?" Brian asked softly.

Cassie shook her head. "Adrian won every second of that victory, Brian. He's come a hell of a long way in just a couple of days."

"He really has".

Current Pokémon teams:

Adrian Montgomery
In Party
Eevee (Vee) - Level 18. Knows Covet, Sand Attack, Tackle, and Quick Attack.
Ivysaur (Spring) - Level 19. Knows Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Pidgeotto (Aeris) - Level 18. Knows Wing Attack, Sand Attack, Mirror Move and Gust.
Pikachu (Kai) - Level 19. Knows Growl, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, and Thunder Shock.
Oddish (Bitterleaf) - Level 19. Knows Sleep Power, Poison Powder, Acid, Absorb
Mankey (Stiller) - Level 12. Knows Karate Chop, Leer, Covet, Scratch.

With Professor Oak
Nidoran (Amara) - Level 5. Knows Growl, Poison Sting, Scratch
Nidoran (Khonsu) - Level 9. Knows Leer, Poison Sting, Peck.
Rattata (Nibbler) - Level 3. Knows Tackle and Tail Whip.
Weedle (Lancer) - Level 5. Knows Poison Sting and String Shot.
Spearow (Copper) - Level 8. Knows Pursuit, Growl, Leer, Peck.
Ekans (Apophis) - Level 12. Knows Wrap, Glare, Poison Sting and Bite
Clefairy (Starlight) - Level 12. Knows Metronome, Double Slap, Sing and Encore.
Zubat (Bruce) - Level 10. Knows Supersonic, Wing Attack, Bite and Absorb.

Cassandra/Cassie Morgan
In Party
Starmie - Level 21. Knows Scald, Swift, Psywave, Confuse Ray.
Psyduck - Level 18. Knows Confusion, Water Gun, Fury Swipes.
Chansey - Level 25. Knows Soft-Boiled, Minimize, Double Slap, Defense Curl
Slowbro - Level 37. Knows Water Pulse, Confusion, Disable, Headbutt.
Snorlax - Level 33. Knows Rest, Sleep Talk, Snore, Body Slam.
Lapras - Level 32. Knows Ice Beam, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Perish Song.

With Professor Oak
Staraptor - Level 34. Knows Take Down, Aerial Ace, Whirlwind, Double Team.
Onix - Level 28. Knows Slam, Rock Throw, Dragon Breath, Bind.
Tangela - Level 27. Knows Mega Drain, Knock Off, Bind, Poison Powder.

Brian Williams
In Party
Electivire - Level 42. Knows Thunder Punch, Flash, Swift, Discharge.
Dewgong - Level 40. Knows Ice Beam, Take Down, Aurora Beam and Surf.
Scizor - Level 45. Knows Bullet Punch, Double Team, Iron Defence, X-Scissor. Capable of Mega Evolution.
Marowak - Level 40. Knows Boneclub, Bonemerang, False Swipe, Fling.
Exeggutor - Level 40. Knows Hypnosis, Egg Bomb, Psyshock and Wood Hammer.
Kangaskhan - Level 44. Knows Dizzy Punch, Crunch, Mega Punch, Outrage. Capable of Mega Evolution.

With Professor Oak
None/Unknown

Pokedex Entries:
Starmie - The center section is named the core. People think it is communicating when it glows in seven colors.
Psyduck - Always tormented by headaches. It uses psychic powers, but whether it intends to do so is not known.