The red-haired girl rushed at us like a missile, if missiles had pigtails and wore Marill print dresses. "Donny boy, there you are! So are you joining our club? Or are you torchickening out?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Elimination bracket with prizes."

"I'm thinking about it," Landon mumbled. His Wobbuffet and Geodude wrapped the redhead up in a big group hug, which she returned fiercely. "Anyway, Claudia, this is my friend Noelle."

"Hi," I said curiously. "What's this about a club?"

"It's a private battle club," snapped a rude voice. Stupid Sean stuck his nose up in the air, arms crossed. "Invitation only. What do you care, anyway? You're not even a trainer."

"She is," said Landon, blinking. "I just battled her."

Sean rounded on me. "So you lied? I knew it."

"I didn't lie." I bristled at the accusation, pointing at Panic on my shoulder. Her ears twitched suspiciously at the newcomers. "I just got this Zubat today. After I met you. Chimecho isn't mine, he's my Gran's," I added as his eyes fell on Sugar, who let out a trill.

"What about your lab starter?" asked a new, bored voice in a thick Kalosian accent. It came from the other blonde boy, still standing next to the Tropius, running a brush along its leaves lazily. He had a burn scar the size of a fist on the side of his face.

"I didn't get one." The Kalosian boy made an unimpressed humming noise, turning away to inspect his Tropius' fruit.

"But you have a pokédex," Landon pointed out. My hand shot to the bright red Dex sticking out of my jacket's pocket. "They don't give those out unless you're in the professor's program."

I shuffled my feet awkwardly. "...I got it second-hand."

"Probably a knock-off," Sean said, snorting.

"So what? We can't all be in Rowan's fancy shmancy program like you, wonder kid." Noelle stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyway, Donny boy, remember: Friday, five o'clock, be there or be square! Bring the new girl too." She clapped Landon on the shoulder, winking at me. I grinned back at her.

Sean scoffed. "Noelle, have some standards. Why even invite a random newbie with a shoddy Zubat–"

At the words shoddy Zubat, Panic stiffened and then launched herself off my shoulder. She lunged at his face like she wanted to bite off his nose, shrieking in rage.

All hell broke loose. Sean ducked and reached for his pokéball belt, a red beam shooting out from his hand. Landon gasped in horror. Noelle burst out laughing. I yelped and tried to grab my Zubat out of the air, but she thrashed against my hold, her fangs grazing my wrist. Even as a burst of pain raced up my arm, I just held her tighter, screaming at her to please calm down.

"RETURN THAT THING," Sean yelled, backpedaling. His Monferno materialized at his feet, red embers blooming in its mouth. "RETURN THAT THING BEFORE I BLAST IT WITH FIRE."

"I'M TRYING," I yelled back. Sugar and Landon's Geodude floated over to help me restrain her. As the Chimecho's Confusion struck, Panic went slack, twitching in short bursts. I clutched her to my chest with one hand, fumbling around for her pokéball with the other.

I realized then that I had a bunch of identical Great Balls in my pockets, most of them empty, and that I had not put any identifying markers on Panic's. Rookie mistake. It took me a few tries to find hers, and Sean kept yelling the whole time that he was going to kill us with fire and then report me to the League for having an out of control pokémon. All the while Noelle cackled like this was the funniest thing ever.

"Cousin," the Kalosian boy spoke up. His Tropius shook out its leaves and gave off a cloying sweet scent that assaulted my nostrils. "This is really not funny. Break it up already."

Noelle stopped giggling and sighed. "Fiiiiine, Michel." Then with a flick of her wrist she unleashed the biggest, most intimidating Ursaring I'd ever seen, twice my height and with claws as long as my forearm. The massive bear took a lumbering step forward, its eyes flicking back and forth from the red-faced Sean towards me accusingly. "Teach them to Play Nice, Junie."

The Ursaring sparkled beautifully like it was bathed in stars, and suddenly it grew less terrifying, almost gentle. Its fur looked so soft that a warm fuzzy feeling bloomed in my chest just from staring at it. Sean's Monferno swallowed its mouthful of embers and climbed on the Ursaring's back instead, cuddling up to it. They seemed cozy. Why couldn't we all get along and cuddle?

"I'm going... to report you," Sean mumbled softly, the fire gone out of him. He buried his face into the Ursaring's side. "Hi, Junie."

Noelle grinned, loping an arm around his shoulder. "Now let's go to the Pokécenter and eat a nice dinner, hmm?"

"The Pokécenter over here is closed," muttered Landon. Just as I finally managed to return my Zubat, who went shrieking in protest back inside her ball. "Try the other one."

"Oh?" said Noelle, pouting. "I was hoping to stay at this one. A robbery, you know, such intrigue."

My mouth dropped open. How did she know about that already?

"I beg to differ. Don't go looking for trouble playing vigilante again, Noelle," Michel told her sternly, then muttered something that sounded slightly rude in Kalosian under his breath. He mounted back on his Tropius in one smooth motion. "Come on."

"You're no fun," cried Noelle, but she dragged Sean aboard the Tropius. Over her shoulder, she called out as they flew up towards the clouds. "Bye, Donny boy! Come by on Friday! DON'T FORGET!"