AN: Sorry, this took so long. Life has gotting to me and this chapter seen to take a long time to get written.

I finaling got it done, so here is Cecilia second Gym battle.

Pokemon is not mine.


In Cecilia's opinion, the west of Mesagoza was different from the east, though not by much. The area was more of a valley than a canyon, but it still had cliffs. Cecilia switched to the Autumn/Fall uniform, which consisted of a pink shirt, gray jacket, black shorts, scarlet socks, white sneakers, and her scarlet/violet headband. Since Deerling and its evolutions change between provinces, she should adjust her uniform to match as closely as possible. This change would help her with temperature regulation, especially in the north.

"Nemona was right about not getting lost. One can see for miles in any direction." Cecilia would admit that she spent the week thinking over the people she had gotten to know. Even before leaving Kalos, Cecilia wasn't close to many people, not even her family or one or two family friends. Now, she is familiar with most of the staff at her school and has a few schoolmates she would say she is on speaking terms with. "It is a hike to Cortondo, so let's see if Koraidon can make it without stopping." She let out the ridable Pokemon and climbed on as Agravain looked annoyed.

'Why is it that instead of walking or even using an actual bike, people in this region use Cyclizar' Agravain grumbled. 'it's good exercise.'

"Cyclizar has been a part of this region's history, and it might be the way the Pokémon exercise. Koraidon and Cyclizar are related somehow, although I'm not sure how yet, and that's why I'm doing it," Cecilia explained. "You can run alongside us, and I want to see if Turo was right about her speed boost."

'Thanks to your uncle, you spent a reasonable amount of time with Sycamore. That's why you think in a science-like way.' Agravain said. He realized the reason behind his trainer's way of thinking half the time. 'But at the same time, your emotions get in the way of that for better or worse, given the situation.' That was the other side of Cecilia's mind from Agravain's perspective of helping raise her.

The small group raced across the ground to the Pokemon Center as it was a stop on the way. Koraidon, despite gaining the speed boost, needed more stamina to run for long. While there, Cecilia found that not every Center had a league challenge, and she was likely to find one at Cortondo.

Cortondo was reminiscent of Los Plato, with older, one-story buildings that were more cottage-like than most houses. The town also had modern buildings, such as the gym building and the sandwich shop, which were popular among the Paldeans. Cecilia found the league member at the first Pokemon center and conversed.

"I take it you are interested in my challenge?" The Man asked.

"More or less, I might as well see what it's about," Cecilia said. It might help her get an interesting Pokemon or fill out the Pokedex. "So, what is your task?"

"Show me a Female Combee. It is hard for the most part because they are rare, as there is only one difference between the two genders," the rep said.

"Yeah, a red dot on one of the faces," Cecilia said. She looked through her Dex. "I don't have one, not even a male. So, I'm going to get back to you on that."

"That is fine. There is no time limit on these as some are quite hard to complete." The league man said," If there is a question, I will answer it to the best of my abilities."

"One question comes to mind: Is there a challenge involving collecting either four Deerling or Sawsbuck?" Cecilia wanted to know if there was one. If not, she'll do it for the challenge and maybe extra credit.

"There is one. It is located at the watchtower in South Province Area Four." The Man explained, "As far as I know, no one has succeeded, as those Pokemon change quickly."

"Brassius informed me about it, so I know it will be challenging," Cecilia explained. 'The question is how to overcome that obstacle. Taking a picture wouldn't work because a Ditto could be used to replicate at least three or all of them. Therefore, the only way is to capture all four at once by traveling around the region.' She then headed into town. The last time Cecilia saw so many bug types in one place was when she visited the Santalure gym to view the photos taken by the gym leader.

"Vagai Cecilia," Nemona greeted her as soon as Cecilia entered the gym building. Cecilia had mentioned to Nemona the previous week that this was the gym she planned to try next, but Nemona kept checking in as if Cecilia might have changed her mind. "If you hadn't told me this was your next gym, it would have been random for us to meet here."

'Let's make sure that never happens,' Agravain said, then shuddered. 'Ug bugs'

"What's wrong with Agravain?" Nemona asked, looking over at the mythical.

Cecilia explained why: "He's quad weak to bug types. He isn't afraid of them; he doesn't like them." She shook her head. Cecilia neither liked nor disliked bug types herself. "Thankfully, as far as anyone knows, there are no bug types bigger than a Centiskorch, at least naturally." The only time the fire/bug Pokemon got bigger was when it Dynamax.

"Yeah, that is good." Nemona agreed with a nod. "Luckily, I'm not waiting here to say, "Wow, what a weird coincidence. We're both here. Let's battle." And to prove it, I won't battle you today." she added, a bit saddened.

"Thank you. I'd rather save my battling enthusiasm for the gym. I need Pokémon that are strong against bug types. I saw several bug types around town while I was walking." Cecilia expressed her gratitude and understood that Nemona probably wanted to battle the next time they met. She had seen bug-type Pokémon with families and trainers in town and thought the fact people had Pokemon of a specific type might be helpful for future battles.

"I bet, and I see. You and your Pokemon have gotten stronger." Nemona said as she rummaged through her bag. "And these might help you get even stronger. While you take on the gym, I'll also get stronger; good luck." She handed Cecilia some either before jogging out the door.

'You're not going to use those, are you?' Agravain asked from his spot. He seemed happy that kids hadn't mobbed him.

Cecilia said, "I never thought to before, but I won't use them. I'll sell them at a Pokemart for some quick cash," as she put the bottles away. 'Now, to see what ridiculous test I'm going to do here.' She walked up to the male lobby staff.

"Hello and welcome to the Cortondo gym." The man greeted, "Are you here for a gym battle or tera test? I can help with either."

'Wow, I'm being asked why I'm here instead of just assuming,' Cecilia thought as she blinked at the unexpected question. Either the lobby staff usually asks, or Brassius had yet to inform the other nearby gym leader. Considering his focus on his newest art project, it was both. "I'm here for a Gym battle."

"Then I will register you as a normal challenger; phone, please." The staff member said, and Cecilia handed over hers. "Your name is Cecilia Rastus, correct? And is this your first gym?"

"No, it's my second."

"Interesting. As you know, to challenge the gym leader, Katy Acei, you must pass our gym test," the league man explained as Cecilia noticed the surprise on his face. Since Mesagoza was still accessible from Cortondo, the town was probably the first gym for most trainers, rather than Artazon. "Here, it means taking part in the olive roll."

"Dis quoi maintenant?(Say what now?)" If the gym test in Paldea couldn't get any weirder.

"Olive production is a significant part of life in Cortondo, and we have been holding the olive harvest for many generations to bring in bumper crops," came the explanation. "To pass, you have to roll an olive-shaped ball into the goal, and your effort should contribute to a successful harvest later in the year."

'That should be easy, but then again, I don't know how big the ball is, so I have to take it as I see it,' Cecilia thought as she stopped herself from getting ahead and thinking she could do it without messing up. "If you want some help, I can lend you my Zarude," she said, pointing to Agravain, who looked up at his name.

'Don't offer my help before asking me, brat.' Agravain grumbled from his spot.

"We'll keep that in mind," the lobby staffer said. "The staff member at the olive-rolling field will explain the rules in further detail." The staffer added, "I can mark the location in your map app. Now go out there and have fun." Like the person from Artazon, the man waved and wished her luck.

"Not sure how much fun it will be," Cecilia muttered to herself, and seeing that Agravain was getting up too, they left to start the test.


One look at the 'ball' and Cecilia knew it wouldn't be easy. It was larger than her, oval in shape and green. "That's what I have to roll?"

"Hello, are you here for the gym test version or to roll in a time limit?" The woman at the fenced field asked.

"You can roll outside the gym test?" Cecilia was initially surprised, then remembered that the olive roll was used to pray for a good harvest.

"Yup, based on your question, it seems you're a gym challenger," the staffer surmised. "All you have to do is roll the ball into the goal. There are shortcuts you can use if you defeat a trainer."

"While I'm not one for shortcuts, I might use one if it seems worth it," Cecilia explained. She would if the course seemed too hard.

"It is up to you; give us a few minutes to set up, and then you can have a go." the woman said as she signaled to workers to set up the gym test version.

It took them ten minutes to set up while Cecilia and Agravain discussed strategy.

'Why not use Koraidon? She could easily push the ball up the ramps,' Agravain suggested, 'it would be hard to do by yourself.'

"No, she may be a relative of Cyclizar, but the difference in power between the two is hard to determine. I saw her in apex form, breaking boulders. So I don't want to find out if the ball pops." Cecilia explained her reasoning for not wanting to use the dragon.

"Okay, we are ready for you." The female staffer called.

Cecilia stood at the starting platform with the ball in front of her. She looked over the course while waiting for the start signal. From ground level, the course looked different compared to a vantage point. Cecilia could spot the areas that indicated a shortcut.

"And start."

Cecilia pushed the ball down the starting ramp and onto the ground. Its bouncing sound indicated that it was filled with air. It moved like a ball she had seen at Ninbasa Sports Stadium in Unova. Steering was hard; it kept bouncing around, making it hard to keep it straight. Despite finding some open spots to maneuver the ball into, she decided to use the shortcut in front of the goal to cut down on the number of ramps she'd have to use.

"Beating me will allow you to get closer to the goal," said the man in front of her, apparently named Antonio. Go, Venoanat." Venoanat was a bug-like Pokemon covered in purple fur with big pink eyes.

"Go, Fletchling." Cecilia sent out her Kalosian bird. "Use Peck." Fletchling dived at the bug type.

"Use poison powder." The purple powder hit the bird Pokemon in the eyes, causing it to hit the ground.

"Passerouge(Fletechling)." Cecilia called the Tiny Robin Pokemon by its Kalosian name, as it wasn't a nickname, just what the local Kalosians called their regional bird in their language. "Try Acrobatics." Despite the poison in its eyes, the tiny bird moved gracefully around Venoanat while hitting it, causing the bug to fall to the ground.

"Nice work on getting through and landing a hit," Antonio said, recalling his Pokemon. "You may now use my shortcut." the line of Smoliv behind him moved to three on each side.

'So it was getting in a hit despite being afflicted by a status condition.' Cecilia thought as she used one of her antidotes on Fletchling. She nodded as she rolled the ball into the goal. Just after Cecilia pushed the olive ball into the goal, small fireworks shot up from the net.

"With that performance, we'll have a great olive harvest," the staff member said as she handed Cecilia a coin. "I'm happy to declare that you have passed the gym test. Please take this action and report back to the staff member in the lobby."

"Is this coin thing new, or has it always been a part of how it is done in Paldea?" Cecilia asked, looking over the coin. It had the symbol that was over the lobby attendant on one side; the other had a bear-like Pokemon that was brown-orange with black eyes; the most apparent part was the crescent moon on its forehead. 'why is there a Teddiursa on it instead of a bug type?'

"It's not old, having been implanted a few years ago. It was made to ensure the challenger was normal," the woman explained. "As you probably guessed, there is often a mix-up between challengers, so the Chairwoman ordered the coins to tell us who is who."

"Does each gym use a different coin image?" Cecilia wondered aloud. 'Brassius might have used a Sunfora on a stronger team; I thought it more likely because of Artazon.' The coins intrigued Cecilia, so she decided to hold off on it until she could find the chairwoman and ask her.

"Yup, and good luck." Cecilia nodded and left with Agravain.

"Welcome back; I heard that you were on a roll," the lobby man said, joking as he took the coin from Cecilia. Cecilia was not impressed by the joke. "Congratulations on successfully clearing the gym test."

"Thanks," Cecilia said. She wondered if it weren't too late to switch to the terastal training, but considering she often chose to stick to anything, she'd see this to the end.

"You've earned the right to challenge the gym leader," the man said.

"Once you're ready to face Katy Acei, the sugar bug, please tell me, and I'll lead you to the battle court."

"Alright." Cecilia wandered the town for a while and to get a female Combee to see if the prize was something she could use. "so, will you stay and watch or be in your Pokeball?"

'I'll watch from a greater distance, depending on where the battle court is. The sooner you beat the gym leader, the sooner we can leave,' Agaravain said. They found a bakery that was a bit odd, considering the bug types around. It was quaint and made like most of the town; the sign said it was called Patisserie Soapberry. The display showed sweets like cupcakes, though a few were unfamiliar to the two.

"The unknown sweets must be Paldean in origin, I believe," guessed Cecilia as she looked at the sweets. "After the gym battle, do you want one or just want to leave?" The sweet flavor was neutral for Agravain in terms of taste.

'Ask me after the match, and you probably won't eat one anyway,' Zarude said, and his trainer nodded, agreeing with his statement. The two left town to look for a Female Combee; it took them half an hour to find the right one as most of the Combee in the area were males.

"Here is an uncommon Combee," Cecilia said, showing the league man the bug type. The Bug/Flying type was a yellow bee-like Pokémon with three heads in one body, two on one. The bottom one had a red forehead that signaled it was a female.

"Indeed, before long, you will have a Vespiquen and maybe unlimited honey," the man said with a smile; Agravain snorted at that. "The prizes are a TM, LP, or an item."

After a minute, Cecilia said, "TM, it could be helpful for my gym battle." It was TM 027: Aerial Ace. "It is a flying move that is good." She began to look through the list of Pokémon that could learn the move to see who she had that could learn it. Afterward, Cecilia and Agravain returned to the lobby to start her second gym battle.

"I take it you're ready to face Katy Acei the Sugarbug?" The staffer asked, seeing Cecilia walk into the building.

"Yeah, And I have something that might help," Cecilia answered.

"Perfect, I will escort you to the battle court."


The battle court was similar to the one in Artazon, located outdoors above the pastry shop. They had to climb stairs, although not as many as in Mesagoza. On the way up, Cecilia saw some Vivillion (Fancy Version), and a woman in a brown apron was feeding a third. The woman had a tan chef coat and hat, green eyes, and hair in a bun.

"Eat up, my cute little Vivillion." The woman said, feeding the bug/flying Pokemon before noting Cecilia. "Oh? What a lovely trainer you are."

"Thank you?" Cecilia wasn't sure why the woman, most likely Katy, was saying that nor did she know why she deserved to be called that.

"I should express my gratitude for your skillful olive rolling; it was quite impressive," the woman said, then seeming to remember something. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Forgive me."

"It's okay. I'll go first. I'm Cecilia Rastus, a student at Huerta in General Education for now," Cecilia said, then pointed to Agravain, who stayed by the stairs. "That is Agravain; he isn't a fan of bug types."

"A dark or grass type, then. I'm Katy Aeci, the owner of Patisserie Soapberry." Katy said, then backtracked upon realizing what she had said. "Oh, right. My bakery is downstairs. Up here, I'm the gym leader of Cortondo."

"Do all Gym leaders have an occupation outside of the gym?" Cecilia asked. First Brassius, now Katy, it was a natural question.

"Most, I believe, my mentor is both a chef and a gym leader," Katy said. "I take this is your first gym." She sounded a little unhappy.

Cecilia blinked. "Didn't the desk guy tell you this is my second one?" She was surprised that it wasn't mentioned.

"Really? There is not much of a difference in my team, but I can go a little harder when battling." Katy sounded happy at that, even clapping her hands together. "Now for our battle. Will a three-on-three work for you."

"That is fine. I prefer to work and earn things," Cecilia said, then pointed again to Agravain. "He's not going to be part of this because I bet you specialize in bugs."

"Correct, my main line of work is crafting sweets as a pastry chef. I see little sweets as being happiness with one bite. Bug-type Pokémon hide in foliage, and both, while small, are quite powerful," Katy said with a sharp smile that made Cecilia nervous. "But don't let your guard down unless you want to be knocked off your feet."

"I will adhere to your warning," Cecilia said as the two walked to the edges of the battlefield.

"This is a battle between the challenger Cecilia Rastus and the Gym leader Katy Acei," a league staff member announced as a Rotom scoreboard floated next to them. "This will be a three-on-three battle, and it will end once all Pokémon on one side of the field have fainted. A Pokémon will be considered fainted if it has hit the ground and has not moved for thirty seconds. Additionally, after each fainting, if a minute has passed before a new Pokémon enters the field, the person without one will forfeit. Terastalling can only be used once, and only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon at any time if needed. Do these terms sound acceptable to both of you?"

"I do." Both trainers called.

"Send out your first Pokemon."

"Go Nymble. "Katy's first Pokemon was a small bug-type. It had a white body, gray head, yellow eyes, and what might have been wings on its back.

'Another Paldean Pokemon, a bug-type this time.' "Go Starly." Cecilia's was a bird Pokemon. The chick-like Pokemon had a light gray/ brown body, white face-like marking, and black feathers.

"Begin."

"Starly, use Aerial Ace." Cecilia chose to make the first attack. The Starly glowed as it flew towards Nymble.

Katy shouted, "Intercept with Double Kick!" as she lived up to her warning. The Nymble jumped up and struck Starly's wings one after another, sending the bird to the ground.

"Try Growl." Starly made its version of growling noise, and Cecilia knew that Nymble's attack state was lower, and any attack after this wouldn't hurt as much. "now, Quick Attack." Starly moved fast and managed to hit Nymble.

"Use Pounce," Katy called out a new move to Cecilia, much like Trailblaze, a Paldean technique. Her Nymble executed the jump and tackled Starly.

"Try Double Team." Cecilia was trying to get her Pokemon out of trouble.

"Nice try," Katy smirked. "Pounce lowers the attack Pokemon's speed. Use Double Kick again." Starly is kicked once more and then lies still.

"Starly is unable to battle the winner of this round is the gym leader." the ref called.

'She wasn't kidding about being tougher,' Agaravin said

"La Peanut Gallery est tenue au silence(The Peanut Gallery is required to be quiet)." Cecilia snarled but also knew her Zarude wasn't wrong. "Go, Bedi, use Sunny Day followed by Flame Charge." The sunlight sharpened just after the small fire type appeared, then covered himself in flame and ran forward.

"Dodge," Katy called, her Pokemon jumped out of the way.

"Keep using Flame Charge to increase speed and catch up to Nymble," Cecilia called as Bedi kept getting faster until he caught up and hit Nymble.

"Nymble is unable to battle; the winner of this round is the challenger."

"Interesting, but it's not over yet, goes Taraounula." Katy's next Pokemon was spider-like. Like most bug types, it was small; the head was yellow with green legs, and the webbing or string was in a ball shape around its body. "Use String Shot." String started wrapping around Bedi.

"Use Flame Charge to burn away the string," Cecilia ordered as her Pokemon started to burn the wepping.

"Struggle Bug." Katy tried to get ahead. Her Pokemon let loose some lime green lines that surrounded Bedi.

"Use Will-o-wisp as protection." Cecilia quickly called. Bedi formed the ghostly fireballs, burning the rest of the webbing and the Struggle Bug attack.

"Well, neither of us is willing to give in," Katy noted.

"You got that right," Cecilia shot back. "Use fire spin to cover the court." Like with the battle against Brassius, fire spun around the field, making it hard to get close.

"Use Faint Attack to get around the flames," Katy called as she started to sound worried. Nymble moved around, trying to get close to the fire type. "Now use Assurance." Nymble then hit Bedi in the stomach.

"Ember." Bedi let a small amount of flames hit the bug.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle." The ref called

"Thanks, Bedi," Cecilia recalled her Pokemon. 'We're both down to our last Pokemon. I bet she won't use a natural bug type but can turn it into one like Brassius.' "Well, this will put me at a disadvantage, but go, Olwin." Her younger starter Pokemon appeared.

"Go, Teddiursa." Katy's last Pokemon was the same one as the coin.

"Well, that explains the coin's image," Cecilia muttered. "Olwin use Désherbaffe(Trailblaze)." She found and utilized the kalosian name for the move, but Olwin's movements would tip Katy off what was happening as Olwin sped towards the bear-like Pokemon.

"Once the Floragato is close, use Scratch," Katy called, and her Pokemon did just that. Olwin backed up, growling. "Now it's time for my Pokemon to break out of their chrysalis." Katy pulled out a tera orb. After the crystal cocoon shattered, Teddiursa had white wings and an insect antenna colored green.

'I need to get pictures or a list of each tera type to identify them.' Cecilia planned to do that after getting back to school. "Not that this will give me an advantage as it puts me more at a disadvantage, but I'm going all in." She also pulled out her tera orb and gave Olwin a flower crown.

"Now, there is no time for sweetness, Teddiursa, to use Fury Cutter." her Pokemon let out a cry of energy not unlike Struggle Bug before running toward Olwin.

"Olwin, use Seed Bomb to slow down Teddiursa," Cecilia ordered. Olwin threw the seeds, which exploded, causing the little bear to move out of the way. "Aiguisage (Hone Claws), then Balayage (Low Kick)," Cecilia commanded. Olwin's claws glowed before she kicked at Teddiursa's feet, tripping the other Pokémon.

"Fury Swipes," Katy called her Pokemon, getting up and swiping at Olwin.

"Point-blank Seed Bomb," Cecilia chose to take advantage of the fact that the other Pokemon was so close that it couldn't dodge the exploding seeds. After the smoke cleared, the Teddiursa was on the ground, lacking the crystal skin.

"Teddiursa is unable to battle; therefore, the winner of the match is the challenger, Cecilia Rastus." The referee called as Olwin's shiny skin disappeared.

"All my sweet little Pokemon dropped." Katy sounded sad and oddly happy. Cecilia guessed it was because Katy was her second gym, but she still lost to her.

"Not that easy to accomplish." Cecilia snorted. She knew Agravain wouldn't heal their Pokemon, or at least not Katy's, so Cecilia gave the three Oran berries.

"Your strength rose like a nice loaf of bread in the oven during our match." Katy praised. "I seem to need to work on my own more." She sounded disappointed in herself.

"Thank you, but you are strong. I was struggling at the beginning." Cecilia countered, "Plus, this is supposed to be a challenge, not a one-sided beat down."

Katy chuckled and smiled. "Nevertheless, congratulations, you've passed, and this is proof of your victory- allow me- to give you this gym badge." She handed Cecilia a badge with the bug-type symbol "and some of my homemade sweet on top of it." Cecilia was given two cupcakes, one of which she gave to Agravain, who helped take the congratulatory photo. That showed Cecilia eating her cupcake while Katy looked smug.

"C'est tellement bon(This is so good)." Cecilia moaned as she finished her treat. "And I normally don't like sweets. By the way, what's with the picture taking?"

"The chairwoman thought it would be a great way to connect with our opponents." Katy explained as the group headed down to the front of the bakery, "Plus, it's fun."

'From one point of view,' Agravain muttered. Cecilia ignored him, as his mood would improve once they left town.

"Here is some frosting on the cake, a TM I like to use in battle." Katy headed Cecilia, the TM for Pounce.

"Thanks. I might not use it as the bug- type isn't something I see myself using, as Dark types are more my thing." After putting the disk away, Cecilia explained her typing preference. "Is it possible for you to make Kalosian sweets, or did you already make some and didn't put them out?" She might not like sweets, but she would like some to remind her of her childhood.

"I don't know any, so no, but if you get me some recipes, I can try them, and you can tell if they're close to the real thing." Katy said, "I take you know that once you scan a TM, it can be pulled up, and you can teach a Pokemon."

"I do the annoying part: finding the right Pokemon for the move," Cecilia said, annoyed.

Katy laughed. "I wish you luck on your future adventures, and may they be as lovely and sweet as desserts," Katy waved them off. "Off you go until we meet again, and I'll share my attempts as well." The two groups parted, with Katy going to her bakery and Cecilia returning to the gym building.

'Finally, time to leave.' Agravain couldn't wait to get out of town fast enough.

"Hold your Ponyta, will you," Cecilia said, mentally exhausted. Agravain's insistence on leaving wasn't helping. "Between another Titan or a team star base, which would be a good idea to tackle next?"

'Which one, which one.' Agravain asked, not sounding like he was thinking at all. 'Which one do you feel more attached to?'

"I feel more attached to Arven's task than Cassiopeia's operation," Cecilia confessed. "At least it feels more personal like I would understand it better."

'Then the sky titan it is.' Agravain said as Cecilia pulled out her phone to get a good route to the location. 'Do you have a Pokemon or two in mind?'

"I need to rest. After that, we can continue the journey to find the second Herba Mystica and perhaps discover why Arven is trying to find them," Cecilia said. She sat down as her Zarude sighed in disappointment, knowing they would have to wait to walk or take Koraidon to the nearest Pokemon Center.


AN: I know there are probly bigger bugs then a none dynamax/ Gigantamax Centiskorch and one will show up but it is the only one Cecilia had seen that big.

I have found a place to put all the Paradox Pokemon that will appear at least once.

As I plan to write the DLC story, would you as readers like it as a separate story or continue in this one? This includes short stories I have written.

To artist please look at my bio for guidelines and how to contact me.

Please comment/ follow/favorte.