Welcome to the newest episode of Pokéstars: Island of Challenge! To recap our last episode, Jax and Diego successfully managed to escape the Skarmory with bravery and intelligence! On the other hand, it seems that Team One and Team Katsuya have been getting some extra training in Pokémon battles. As for Team Regional, just wait and see!
Team Regional
Zeke and Claire were now at the tail end of the maze. Having walked around in circles and doubled back a lot, they knew that they were on the right path now.
The next turn they went down led to a long hallway. At the end of this hallway was what looked to be a spacious arena.
"This is it, I suppose," said Zeke. "Let's get this over with shall we?"
"You sound as if you're not excited," said Claire. "Or maybe it's just because I'm all fired up to win this thing!"
"You're attitude's sure in the right place. It's not that I'm not excited, I'm just more mellow."
"Pokémon battles are full of energy though. You should feel alive! But we're wasting time here, let's go!"
She jogged off to the arena, Zeke following behind her.
When they settled into the large space, a dark haze filled the area. The maze around them vanished, replacing the view with a grassy field dotted with large tents.
Standing in front of them were the two gym leaders. The first one had short, neatly combed graying hair, some of it being black. He wore a maroon-colored jacket and jeans. He had no beard and his eyes were a piercing black.
The second person was much younger. He had wild gray and white dyed hair poking out from beneath a beanie. He had excited brown eyes and was wearing a gray vest and black sweatpants. He also had a white hoodie tied around his waist.
"My name is Norman, a normal type gym leader from the Hoenn region. This young man beside me is training to become a normal type gym leader, much like myself."
"Yep!" said the man excitedly. "The name's Ryan! I'm going to be an amazing normal type gym leader, and this island is the perfect place to get ready! I'll show you my skills as a normal type gym leader and prove why I'm next in line as a Hoenn gym leader!"
"Well my name's Claire, a highly skilled Pokémon trainer!" said Claire, stepping forward. "I signed up on this journey to further my skills as a Pokémon trainer and come out on top while still having fun. I'm no easy opponent, so I hope you're ready!"
"And I'm Zeke. I; 'm mostly here for the competition and to have fun. I wish you too a good and fun match"
Norman nodded. "Same here. I hope you two are ready. Normal type Pokémon may not look all that flashy and powerful, but you shouldn't underestimate us, we battle to win."
During this time, two extra Rotom Drones as well as a match referee appeared from one of the tents. Standing between the two teams, he held out two flags. He briefly went over the rules.
"Everyone ready?" he asked, doing a little flourish with his flags.
All four trainers nodded, selecting their pokéballs.
"Then let's begin the battle! Good luck to all of you!"
In many flashes of light, all four trainers sent out their Pokémon. Ga'hoole, Weiss, a Spinda, and a Zigzagoon appeared on the field.
"Alright Zigzagoon!" shouted Ryan. "Start things off with a Tackle!"
The Zigzagoon charged forward, moving in its customary zigzag pattern. Ga'hoole flew upwards and prepared to fire a Leafage as Weiss charged up a Psybeam.
"Spinda, attack the Rowlet with Psybeam!"
"Zigzagoon, go for the Ralts!"
The Zigzagoon switched targets as he dove for Weiss, prompting her to Teleport away. Ga'hoole launched his barrage of leaves at the Zigzagoon before flying out of the way of the Psybeam.
"Get in close with Rapid Spin!" commanded Norman.
His Spinda spun around, gaining speed as it raced towards Ga'hoole. Ga'hoole whirled around and used Leafage, but the Spinda easily dodged the attack and spun into the air, slamming into him.
"Dual Wingbeat!"
Ga'hoole's wings glowed as he struck his left wing into the Spinda, knocking it down. He flew in to strike with his other wing, but it leaped out of the way.
"Dizzy Punch!"
The Spinda got up and spun around, trying to land a hit on Ga'hoole. He hopped backwards, using his wings to propel himself back as he dodged.
"Feather Dance!"
Ga'hoole whipped his wings out, sending a cloud of glowing feathers to spin around the Spinda, weakening it.
"Take this! Teeter Dance!"
Spinda spun around Ga'hoole, hopping from side to side as it did so. Unable to follow its rapid movements, Ga'hoole became dizzy as it spun around, causing confusion.
"Now, Psybeam!"
The Spinda fired a beam of psychic energy, hitting Ga'hoole square in the chest and sending him flying backwards. He hit the ground hard and got up, only to spin around and fall back down before rolling around.
"Snap out of it Ga'hoole!" shouted Zeke supportively. "We can do this together!"
On the other side, Weiss was still battling against the Zigzagoon. The Zigzagoon used Pursuit and chased her around the field, dark energy streaming from its body.
"Use Magical Leaf in front of it!" shouted Claire.
Weiss conjured magical leaves around her before sending them flying in front of the Zigzagoon path, blocking its view as it opted to barrel through and hope for the best.
"Now, Disarming Voice!"
Weiss let out a cry, blasting pink waves at the Zigzagoon. The waves of sound hit the leaves, blasting them forward and shrouding the Zigzagoon in a joint attack that blocked its view. When it dove out of the cloud, Weiss had already used Teleport and changed positions.
"Aw come on!" shouted Ryan. "Let's keep her guessing Zigzagoon, use Tackle!"
His Zigzagoon charged forward, leaping from side to side in a more erratic zigzag. Claire watched its movements carefully, trying to spot a pattern with its movements.
"Use Psybeam, off to the right!"
"Now Zigzagoon, change directions!"
Right when Weiss fired the beam, the Zigzagoon zigzagged to the left, dodging the attack while still keeping true to its movement. Unable to respond quickly enough, the Zigzagoon barreled into Weiss, sending her flying backwards.
"Secret weapon time! Extreme Speed!"
The moment the Zigzagoon's feet touched the ground, it exploded forward in a burst of newfound speed. It hit Weiss upwards before she could even land, sending her flying a few meters. It zigzagged around her as she fell, waiting to strike the moment she landed.
"Magical Leaf!"
Weiss fired a stream of leaves downwards, blocking the ZIgzagoon's vision as she crashed to the ground. Getting up weakly, she was able to use Teleport before the Zigzagoon could locate her.
"Let's go all out ZIgzagoon! Extreme Speed!"
The Zigzagoon charged straight for Weiss. She used Teleport and escaped from it before it was upon her again, moving too fast for even Claire to follow. Weiss kept teleporting around the field, trying desperately to avoid the Zigzagoon. Claire knew that one more blow would finish her Pokémon.
The only factor in her advantage was time. Extreme Speed was a powerful move, but it also cost a lot of energy. Most Pokémon couldn't use too many Extreme Speeds without resting for a while. She'd just have to use that to her advantage.
"The earth around here seems nice and dry," commented Ryan. "Perfect for a little dust! Run around and kick up dust Zigzagoon!"
In a flash, his Pokémon put on another burst of speed, racing around the field in a zigzag. It homed in on the middle, kicking up an expanding cloud of dirt and grass as it started forming and obscuring the view of the Zigzagoon, Ga'hoole, and the Spinda.
"Be careful!" shouted Norman. "You're obscuring the view of my Pokémon as well!"
"We got this. We've planned this strategy for a while now. Go for it, Zigzagoon!"
Something white flew out of the cloud, moving quickly. Taking no chances, Weiss teleported away without command, appearing opposite of the attack on the other side of the field.
Claire immediately knew that using Teleport was what Ryan was hoping for. After Weiss had used Teleport, Claire had realized that the Zigzagoon had used Swift inside the cloud, fooling her Ralts. The Zigzagoon burst out of the cloud the moment Weiss began its move, closing in on where she was now appearing.
"Disarming Voice!" shouted Claire, knowing that it was too late.
Weiss used the attack, sending pink waves hurtling at the Zigzagoon as it blasted through them and slammed into her. She hit the ground and rolled to a stop, fainting.
"Weiss the Ralts is down for the count!" shouted the referee. "Send in your next Pokémon Claire!"
Claire nodded, returning her Ralts. "You did good, Weiss. Let's take it from here Natsu! I choose you!"
In a flash, her Charmander leaped into action. It didn't hold back, breathing a torrent of flames that surrounded the Zigzagoon, trapping it.
Ga'hoole on the other hand, wasn't having much of a good time. The dust from the Zigzagoon's mad dash had obscured its vision and was making it hard to see. Not only that, but it took a lot more energy to stay in the air.
Zeke however, wasn't as lost as his Pokémon. Something was bothering him, so he zeroed in on that, the entire battle fading in the background. While he couldn't see through the dust cloud, nor could he locate the Spinda, something was definitely off.
As he knew from his time in Hoenn, Spinda loved to spin around a lot. Since the dust cloud had formed, it seemed to be settling in a particular pattern. Rather than just falling straight down, it seemed to gather at a slowly shifting spot, forming a weak spiral as he did so. Zeke also noted that the Spinda's speed had been enhanced due to Rapid Spin.
The strange swirl could only be explained by one thing. It was clear to Zeke that the Spinda was causing the strange formation in the cloud.
An announcement from the referee snapped him out of his thoughts. Ryan's Zigzagoon had just fainted, leaving him with his last Pokémon. Zeke came to a conclusion and nodded, planning his next attack.
"Ga'hoole, fly over here!" shouted Zeke, using his voice to direct his Rowlet.
His Pokémon faithfully flew out of the cloud, trusting his trainer. Zeke pointed his finger straight at the middle of the cloud.
"I've found the Spinda, it's up to you to defeat it. Leafage!"
"Get ready Spinda!" shouted Norman. "I can't tell where it's attacking from!"
Ga'hoole charged into the cloud, his wings glowing as he prepared his leaves. Ryan had just sent out his last Pokémon from the other side of the field, a Delcatty.
Ga'hoole found himself surrounded by dirt, but he didn't hesitate. He fired a stream of leaves at where his trainer had pointed. At that moment, the Spinda used Rapid Spin. The leaves were deflected as dust whirled around it intensely, turning it into a dust ball.
"Don't give up now! Dual Wingbeat!"
Ga'hoole dove forward and slammed his wings into the Spinda, moving in the opposite direction. It canceled out the Spinda's spin and sent it flying backwards, allowing him to follow up with a Leafage and defeat it.
Norman returned his Pokémon, the referee declaring it to have fainted. Producing another pokéball, he threw it and sent out a Vigoroth.
"You've done well enough Ga'hoole," said Zeke, taking out his pokéball. "You deserve some time to rest."
"Zeke has returned his Rowlet and has no more switches for the rest of the battle!" shouted the referee.
"I choose you, Abba!"
In a flash of light, Zeke's Oricorio appeared in its pom-pom form. It rubbed its hands together, electricity crackling as it did so. The Vigoroth charged forward, its claws swishing frantically. Abba dashed forward as well, heading straight for the Vigoroth.
"Alright Delcatty!" shouted Ryan as his Pokémon faced down Natsu. "Charge Beam!"
His Dalcatty charged up a beam of light at her mouth, shooting it at Natsu. Rather than crackling with electricity however, the beam of energy was purely white. Natsu leapt to the side, avoiding attack before using Flame Burst.
"Ha!" shouted Ryan. "Bet you didn't expect that!"
"Of course I did," responded Claire. "Delcatty's Normalize ability transforms all moves into normal type while boosting their power. Not too surprising. Natsu, trap it with Fire Spin!"
"Double Team!"
The Delcatty leapt out of the way, forming clones of itself as it landed. Ten clones appeared all around, making it hard to tell which Delcatty was the real one.
At that moment, the Vigoroth came flying over, crashing in between the two battling Pokémon as electricity arced around it. It got up with an enraged roar and scraped its claws together with Hone Claws.
"Zeke, I need you to take care of the Delcatty with Abba's wide ranged moves. Natsu, attack the Vigoroth with Flame Burst!"
"Abba, use Revelation Dance!"
"Delcatty, Helping Hand!"
"Vigoroth, attack with Fury Swipes!"
The Vigoroth rushed at Abba, emboldened by the power it received from the Delcatty. It unleashed a barrage of strikes towards Abba, not bothering to aim. Abba skipped backwards easily, adding a pirouette as it sailed away from its final slash. Her casual behavior in dodging only served to anger it more. A blast of flame then hit it on the side, causing it to whip around in fury. It didn't get very far when Abba shook her pom-poms and fired a huge blast of electricity around the field, zapping both the Vigoroth and a few Delcatty clones.
The Vigoroth was unable to take the assault of attacks as Natsu followed up with a Fire Spin, trapping it in place. Natsu dashed forward as Abba stayed back, attacking the Delcattys that were starting to run around. She leapt away from a Charge Beam as she fired an Air Cutter at her attacker, reducing it to smoke.
"Dragon Rage!" shouted Claire.
"Slash!" countered Norman.
Natsu leapt at the Vigoroth, draconic energy swirling around his arm. The Vigoroth brought its claw forward, meeting Natsu. Natsu was thrown back, landing unsteadily as he hit the ground. Te Vigoroth on the other hand, fainted.
"Norman's last Pokémon has fainted Only Ryan's Delcatty remains!" shouted the ref.
"Don't worry, mentor!" shouted Ryan. "I got this! Use Facade!"
All the remaining Delcattys leapt at both Abba and Natsu. The two Pokémon got close together back to back as they blasted the clones away with their attacks.
"None of them are the real ones!" shouted Zeke suddenly.
"Charge Beam!"
Only the real Delcatty remained, the only problem being it was too far away from both Pokémon. It fired a powerful laser of normal energy, striking Natsu on the side. Natsu was thrown backwards but quickly recovered, sprinting for the Pokémon along with Abba.
"Let's attack one at a time to cut off its movement," said Claire. "We have the two on one advantage here."
"Sounds like a plan, have Natsu attack first so Abba can follow up with Air Cutter."
Claire nodded. "Flame Burst!"
"Dodge it and use Double Team!"
Zeke expected the Double Team, and from his previous encounter with the Delcatty using the move, he knew exactly how to deal with it this time. Even the smallest of details failed to escape him when he really focused.
"The farthest Delcatty to the left! Use Air Cutter!"
Zeke registered a look of surprise on the Delcatty's face as Abba swung her pom-poms around. Abba noticed it as well and felt emboldened as she attacked, relying on her trainer for guidance.
"Now Natsu, Fire Spin!"
Natsu seized the opportunity to send out a whirling stream of flame, encircling and trapping the Delcatty. It did its best to escape, fighting through the fire. But it was too late. Abba spun around, electricity crackling all over its body. With a rattle of its pom-poms, it unleashed a burst of electricity, defeating the final Pokémon.
"Delcatty is unable to fight!" shouted the referee. "Claire and Zeke, representing Team Regional of Pokéstar Studios, are the winners of this gym match! Congratulations!"
Norman nodded stoically, approaching the two trainers as they high fived each other and cheered on their Pokémon.
"Good work you two. You were able to demonstrate the power of the bond between your Pokémon and the bond between you two as partner trainers. It is a n honor to confer upon you, the Plain Badge."
He held out one of his large hands, showing two badges. Claire and Zeke accepted them with smiles, returning their Pokémon. They thanked Norman and shook hands with him and Ryan, who seemed a bi sad that he lost. They then turned around for the Pokémon Care Tent to revitalize their Pokémon.
"Great work out there Zeke," said Claire as they walked.
"The same can be said about you."
Claire laughed. "That's so you, just mellow about everything. Honestly, I can't help but feel we're complete opposites sometimes y'know."
"I suppose so," said Zeke. "But when you think about it, everyone can be opposites of each other."
"I don't think so," argued Claire. "Just because two people are different doesn't mean they are opposites."
"It's based on your own interpretation."
With that, he strode quickly towards the tent, whistling a jolly tune.
Team One
Seth and Alicia were walking through the forest, Alicia still giving Seth the silent treatment. Seth found this very boring and tried to make her talk in any way possible.
"Why so silent?" asked Seth. "One loss doesn't matter."
"The same could be said for you," said Alicia. "One victory does not matter, yet that's what you focused on."
"Can you drop that?" asked Seth. "Just because I trained my Pokémon a lot doesn't mean that my only goal was to defeat you."
"Doesn't change the fact you still did so. Unlike you, I have bigger goals, goals I'm obviously going to achieve. Getting defeated by a half-rate trainer whose only strategy is to push his Pokémon to train for an unimaginable amount of time isn't even a minor setback. And to prove my point, I'll keep my regular training routine and still beat you next match, and the next match after that."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"At least one of us will be sleeping," countered Alicia.
Seth wisely decided to stay silent after that.
They continued down the route, heading along a forest path that had been premade. On some of the trees were blue streaks of trail paint, helping them to find their way through the forest.
"How long do you think it'll take for us to reach the flying type gym."
A shorter amount of time than it'll take you to shut up for once. I don't understand why you fail to reason that maybe I don't want to talk to you."
"Is it-"
"No, it's not. It's because you're annoying and your jokes are tasteless."
"Okay, Alicia. I don't need you to appreciate my jokes. I have my wonderful mother for that, no matter how bad they are!"
"Good for you," said Alicia, bitterly.
Seth continued on, oblivious to her obvious annoyance. Alicia shook her head and ignored him as he started to skip along the trail, appearing to be having a great time.
"Y'know, if you were to ask how I was feeling. I'd say a boost in speed while a drop in special attack. But if I were to be so Bold, I'd say a boost to my defense while a drop to my attack!"
"You're not funny and you're acting like a four-year-old," said Alicia. "I hope you know that."
Seth burst out into laughter. "You're so easy to troll. Best partner ever."
He continued to laugh as Alicia tried her best to ignore him. Suddenly, Seth stopped laughing as a loud crash was heard from beyond many trees.
"What was that?" asked Seth.
"How am I supposed to know?" asked Alicia, unconcerned. "Just leave it, it has nothing to do with us anyway."
"Could be worth checking out," argued Seth as more sounds were heard. "Sounds like there's a battle going on."
"Suit yourself," said Alicia. "I'm not waiting for you."
Seth shrugged and headed in the direction of the noises. It wasn't far and only took him a few seconds to break through the underbrush and make it to where the noises were coming from.
There's a Pikachu!" he shouted excitedly, his voice echoing in the open sky.
In front of him was a clearing with eight Pokémon. All of them were engaged in battle and for the most part, failed to notice him. A Pikachu, a Nidoran male, and a Phantump were currently fighting various cave Pokémon. There were two Geodudes, a Dwebble, a Zubat, and an Aron. The three forest Pokémon were currently backed into a corner, huddling together as the enraged cave Pokémon advanced.
"Looks like you were right for once," said Alicia, appearing at Seth's side.
"Well, well," said Seth. "Look who came running at the sound of a Pikachu."
"Be quiet, I only came over to see what all the hullabaloo was about."
"Sure you did. Be honest, I won't judge. In fact, I'd judge more if you didn't like Pikachu."
"Okay fine!" said Alicia. Can we get back to the problem at hand?"
"Problem?" asked Sth with a mischievous grin on his face. "I thought you said-"
"Forget what I said earlier!" snapped Alicia. "Whatever I said back then doesn't concern someone like you. It's clear that those cave Pokémon are trying to force the forest Pokémon out of their homes because theirs is being attacked by the Barbaracle or whatever. I'm sure it's been taken care of at this point, these Pokémon just don't know. So, I'll swoop in with Poseidon and save them all because I'm just talented like that. Then, the Pikachu will so gladly join my team."
"Why you?"
"Because what Pokémon would want to join your team over mine?"
"Well actually-"
Alicia didn't wait for him to finish. Two of the Geodudes had separated the Pikachu from the other two Pokémon and were proceeding to attack it with their super effective ground type moves. Leaping into action, she sent out his Piplup.
"Attack the Geodudes Poseidon! Use Bubble Beam!"
Poseidon burst out of his pokéball and fired a stream of bubbles at the two Pokémon. They flipped around, surprised by the new attacker. They were too slow, however. The bubble washed over them, dealing lots of super effective damage.
The Pikachu was surprised as well. It slunk back, unsure of who to trust. Poseidon ran forward and used Water Pulse, blasting the Geodudes to the side as he stood in front of the Pikechu, protecting it as per his trainer's wishes.
"Don't worry," said Alicia kindly, checking on the injured Pikachu. "We're here to help."
"So am I!" shouted Seth pointedly, Empress facing down the last three Pokémon along with the Nidoran and Phantump.
"Alright Empress, let's take things one at a time. Attack the Dwebble with Aqua Jet!"
Empress surrounded herself in water and dashed forward, striking the Dwebble before quickly retreating back a loud crash was heard from beyond many trees.
"What was that?" asked Seth.
"How am I supposed to know?" asked Alicia, unconcerned. "Just leave it, it has nothing to do with us anyway."
"Could be worth checking out," argued Seth as more sounds were heard. "Sounds like there's a battle going on."
"Suit yourself," said Alicia. "I'm not waiting for you."
Seth shrugged and headed in the direction of the noises. It wasn't far and only took him a few seconds to break through the underbrush and make it to where the noises were coming from.
There's a Pikachu!" he shouted excitedly, his voice echoing in the open sky.
In front of him was a clearing with eight Pokémon. All of them were engaged in battle and for the most part, failed to notice him. A Pikachu, a Nidoran male, and a Phantump were currently fighting various cave Pokémon. The forest Pokémon were huddled together and backed in a corner as two Geodudes, and Aron, a Zubat, and a Dwebble attacked them.
"Looks like you were right for once," said Alicia, appearing at Seth's side.
"Well, well," said Seth with a sinister grin. "Look who came running over at the mention of a Pikachu."
"No, it's only because I decided to see all the excitement. Either way, let's focus on what's actually important here," said Alicia, playing him off.
Seth raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said-"
"Who are you to worry about what I said before? Remember, you don't matter. Continue standing here and running your mouth as these Pokémon are being forced out of their home."
With that, she stepped into the clearing, sending out her Piplup. The two Geodudes had managed to separate the Pikachu from the group and were currently attacking it with their super effective ground type moves.
"Protect the Pikachu Poseidon! Use Bubble Beam!"
Poseidon sprung into action, running forward and expelling a huge blast of bubbles. Unable to respond to the new threat, the Geodudes were hit by the super effective attack as bubbles clouded their vision.
"Get in between them and use Water Pulse!"
Poseidon used the Geodude's clouded vision as an opportunity to get in close. Unable to see him, the Geodudes flailed their arms at random. Poseidon got between them and sent them flying away with Water Pulse, causing them to hit the ground and faint.
"Next time," said Alicia. "Stay in the caves where you belong."
She walked up to the Pikachu, who crouched back warily, electricity arcing from its cheeks. It was clear however, it was too weak to continue fighting.
"Don't worry," said Alicia sweetly, crouching down and gingerly patting the Pikachu on the head. "I'm here to help you. It looks like you're hurt. Do you want me to help you?"
The Pikachu hesitated, unsure of whether or not to trust her. It tried slinking away but collapsed in exhaustion instead. Alicia took off her jacket and carefully wrapped the Pikachu in it, picking it off the ground. She looked over to where her team's backpack was, only to realize that Seth still had it. He and Empress, however, were in the middle of dealing with the remaining Pokémon.
"Empress, use Aqua Jet!"
Empress nodded and dashed forward, surrounded by water. She smashed into the Dwebble and knocked it backwards before returning to her spot in front of Seth.
"All right Nidoran, Phantump, you guys ready?" asked Seth.
The Nidoran and Phantump both nodded, clearly ready for revenge against the invaders.
"Attack the Aron with Double Kick and Branch Poke! Empress, use Water Gun against the Zubat!"
All three Pokémon responded. With the Phantump and Nidoran united under one team, they were able to battle much more effectively. The Nidoran charged forward, leaping into the air, and landed two heavy blows on the Aron before it got a chance to attack. Following up on the attack, the Phanump charged its horns into the Aron, knocking it onto the ground.
The Zubat was unable to intervene as Empress blasted it with water. It detected the noise of the water and dodged, only for Empress to fire another Water Gun, knocking it to the ground. The Nidoran was immediately upon it, using Fury Attack with its horn.
"Great job guys! Phantump, keep attacking the Aron. Empress, let's finish off the Dwebble."
At that moment, Alicia came over to Seth, clutching the backpack.
"Quick, I need the backpack."
Seth took one look at the Pikachu and nodded. Not making any snide comments or jokes, he slung the hefty camping bag off his shoulders.
"Help yourself," he said as he faced back to the battle.
Alicia opened the bag and quickly looked through it. She only knew the basics of treating Pokémon, but that should be enough. It didn't look like the Pikacu had come down with any sort of disease.
She pulled out a potion and a few Oran Berries. Setting the Pikachu comfortably on the ground, she started tending to it. She focused on the parts where it was hurt the most as she sprayed it with the potion.
Slowly but surely, the Pikachu came to. She spoke softly to it as she fed it the Oran Berry, its strength slowly returning.
Seth came back over to where Alicia was crouching, the Nidoran at his side. The Pikachu rolled over and escaped Alicia's jacket, getting to its feet.
"Are you okay now?" asked Alicia.
The Pikachu, feeling a lot more comfortable now. Nodded its head. It looked over to the Nidoran, who was still standing at Seth's side, having decided to go along with him. The Pikachu then looked to Alicia before stepping closer to her.
Alicia couldn't help but smile. "You want to go along with me?"
The Pikachu nodded, electricity pulsing through his cheeks. Alicia reached down and patted the Pikachu on his head, only to shock her as she did.
She drew her hand back, slightly hurt. The Pikachu gave her a grin and nuzzled against her leg in a friendly manner.
Seth looked at the scene. "Looks like you also got a new Pokémon, good for you," he said with a smile. "But now that that's out of the way, it's time!"
"I said our next battle was going to be after the second gym," said Alicia.
"Not that!" said Seth, pulling out a deck of cards from his pocket. "It's time for the naming of my new Pokémon!"
Alicia put a palm to her face. "You're not serious."
"Oh yes I am," said Seth, shuffling through the cards. He drew one face down and held it up to his Nidoran.
"By the power of the Tarot Cards!" he declared, flipping the card around. "I shall name you Justice! Fitting for your determination in protecting your home and friends from those who wish to deal such cruel acts in an unjust manner!"
Alicia shook her head, her Pikachu sharing her sentiment. "Is it possible for you to get any less foolish?"
Seth laughed, returning Justice to his new pokéball. Alicia sighed, shaking her head as she put her Pikachu in a new pokéball. As Seth started skipping down the forest, Alicia let herself enjoy a small, private smile at her new, special Pokemon.
It appears that Team Regional is now 3rd in the gym race, with Team Distant Past being in dead last. But maybe things will turn around as we see them in the next episode! Will they be able to go through the flying type gym and claim their first badge? Find out next.
Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to catching up on our other teams! Sorry for not having them show up this time, but I was in the middle of typing their part when I realized I had gone past my chapter limit. I prefer to keep these chapters short (as opposed to my other story) because I wanted to experiment with shorter and easier chapters for a younger audience. I hope you'll forgive this miscalculation and stay tuned for the next one.