Day two seemed to have reached in just a glimpse.

I managed to wake up rather early as I readied myself and headed towards the Mauville Gym. To my surprise, Cassie's figure went into my sight as I neared the gym, appearing to be waiting for at least a good few minutes.

"You're up early, Cassie." I was amused.

"I did say I would come and watch!" She grinned before lightly patting my shoulder before we both faced towards the gym entrance. Without saying anything, we nodded and entered the Mauville Gym. The small lobby looked normal with a couch and glass cupboards showcasing pictures representing the evolution of Mauville City. I was confused when Wattson was nowhere to be seen, as Cassie followed one of the workers to the arena seat, wishing me luck before doing so.

Then, a worker led me to the door I was going to enter for my next Gym Challenge. I nodded and opened the door, ready to battle once again-

"Huh?!" I was surprised by the scene in front of me. Instead of the battlefield I expected to step in, it was a huge platform with electric fences surrounding it, blocking my way to the actual battlefield behind the platform. I could see Wattson at the end of the platform, grinning as he knew he caught me by surprise.

He then took out a megaphone and announced, "Surprising, isn't it, trainer?! This old lad wants the Gym Challenge to start off with a bang to get your adrenaline rushing! You are currently in the first part of my Gym Challenge!"

I examined the area quickly as he explained, "The Mauville Gym has several electric fence puzzles around this platform. In order to get through, you'll have to move the fences by stepping on blue and red switches around the rooms!"

Upon him saying that, I noticed the blue and red switches, that were further away than I expected, but they were definitely reachable.

"That's not all!" Wattson continued, "There is a time limit to this as well! If you aren't able to complete the maze in less than ten minutes... you'll have to restart the maze once again, completely reseted! This shall get you as fast as lightning!"

The urge to quicken my pace and nervousness filled me as Wattson said through the megaphone, "Now... three, two, one! Timer has started, good luck! Hahahahahaha!"

I immediately analyzed a pathway clear from all the electric fences. Then, I ran at a decent speed towards one of the blue switches I needed to activate it.

I sighed in relief, thinking that the switch would help me with the annoying electric fences as I stepped on it...

The blue electric fences seemed to have stopped working, but that also activated a new set of red electric fences. Though that surprised me, I knew I had to immediately recover as the realization that the electric fences turn off based on what switch I step on hit me.

What was good was that everytime I stepped on a different colour of switch, it seemed like I was able to slowly move forward and closer towards the end of the maze. Although I did mess up a few times under pressure, I told myself to not dwell on the mistakes and focus on the present.

It took quite a while for me to finally reached the last part. However, this part was quite different from the rest. There was a blue switch on one corner, and a red switch on the other. I started off by stepping on the closer switch, which was the blue switch. However, the result of that move did not seem fruitful as the electric fences surrounded all possible pathways towards the exit. I sighed, found my way to the red switch and stepped on it almost immediately.

It surprised me further when I did not see any openings for the exit as the red electric fences were activated and blocked the exit from me. I had to make sure as I double-checked, the outcome being the same.

Surely, Leader Wattson wouldn't just completely block the exit... that would be unfair to the trainers.

Feeling a little frantic, I ran back to the blue switch, hesitated slightly whether to take a risk before stepping on it again. The same applied as no opening was found, the blue electric fences guarding the exit from anyone.

I knew I had to act fast. I decided to go for a different approach and went backwards to the previous part, checking on every path possible to see if there were any secrets behind the pathways that seemed to be dead ends.

My luck did not seem to go too well in finding the exit as time went on and on. I found myself in the last path I did not look through. I was sweating in nervousness and exhaustion as I looked through the seemingly dead end.

Something did catch my eyes though: There was space below one of the blue electric fences. The space was not too big, but enough to go through.

I'll have to take a risk.

I took a deep breath, ready to get electrified if something went wrong as I started crawling towards the small opening slowly and carefully. It was a tense situation, to say the least. I had to use all my mental strength to push away the anxiety of potentially getting shocked by electricity if any mistake was done.

After what felt like forever, I finally passed the small opening as I sighed in relief and got back up. I looked around, and it seemed like my prediction was right: A pathway without any electric fences was shown in front of me.

Excitement replaced my initial anxiety as I dashed along the path, and eventually, I found myself in front of the exit. There was a red button there which I assumed would stop the timer. I pressed it without any hesitation.

The moment I did so, a beep sound was emitted as Wattson walked towards me, smiling. He was more than ready to announce my result.

"Let's see... You have finished the maze with the time of... nine minutes and twenty-three seconds! You have passed the first test, and can move on to battling me, the Mauville Gym Leader!" He chuckled as I heaved another sigh of relief. But I could not let my guard down: The Gym Challenge was only at its beginning.

Wattson led me to the battlefield area as we stood on both sides of the battlefield. The referee announced the usual rules, "This match will be a four on four single battles. The challenger is able to switch his Pokémon and have the first move. When the opponent's four Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner is decided. Do you agree to the rules, Lows from Pallet Town?

I nodded as the referee continued, "The match between Trainer Lows and Leader Wattson will now begin! Trainers, please choose your first Pokémon."

I took out the first Pokéball from my belt and threw it into the air, "I choose you, Woody!" Woody appeared in the battlefield and readied for his opponent.

"Interesting choice, Lows!" Wattson grinned while taking out a Pokéball of his own, "Be electrifying, Fuse!"

Following that, he threw his Pokéball as a Voltorb appeared on the battlefield. Woody trembled slightly upon recalling the memories he had with another explosive Voltorb in the previous tournament, but after a while, he nodded in determination to win for the team.

"You got this, Woody." I tried reassuring him as the referee announced, "The battle between Woody and Fuse will now begin!"

"Woody, Bullet Seed!" I started.

As Woody quickly launched the seeds from his mouth towards the Electric type, Wattson commanded, "Fuse, dodge and use Sonicboom!"

The Ball Pokémon was barely able to dodge the seeds as Fuse released a sharp wave of white energy towards my Grass type. It was hard to identify the speed of the attack as it hit Woody almost immediately, giving him no time to dodge.

"Woody, Absorb!" Woodyquickly returned the attack by releasing two red beams from his arms towards the Electric type Pokémon. Fuse was hit as it glowed red and some energy was absorbed by the Hoenn starter. However, Fuse did not seem to get affected too much as Wattson commanded, "Fuse, use Rollout around Woody!"

The spherical Pokémon started rolling around Woody as it slowly gained momentum and speed. Woody tried to launch another Bullet Seed attack towards the Electric type but only to no avail.

I have to do something!

"Woody, keep up with Quick Attack!" Woody immediately dashed around the battlefield, trying to catch up with the Ball Pokémon. Woody's speed appeared to be higher compared to the Voltorb as he slowly got closer to Fuse once he adjusted his pace.

Wattson however, laughed and said, "Release your attack upon contact, Fuse!"

Just as he said that, Woody managed to get a hit onto the Electric type. However, the Voltorb's body became surrounded in light blue electricity as it released a beam of light blue electricity towards Woody. Woody, who was far too late from dodging the attack, got hit as he winced in pain despite the type resistance.

"I was just stalling time there for Fuse to charge up, young one!" Wattson grinned, "Fuse, finish Woody off with Sonicboom!"

"Woody, counter with Bullet Seed!" Knowing that Woody would go down anytime soon, I knew he had to at least deal some damage to the Electric type.

Woody seemed to know his limit was getting close too, as he released five seeds from his mouth almost immediately, four of them hitting Fuse. However, Fuse did not stop its attack as the white energy hit Woody, ending the battle as Woody collapsed onto the ground.

"Woody is unable to battle! Fuse wins!" I got nervous by the first loss, but I knew that this was just the beginning. We were far from done yet.

I took out another Pokéball, ready to fight till the very end.

Wattson and I were both three Pokémon down, one to go.

Grace definitely tried her hardest to bring this back for the team, taking down Fuse and Wattson's Electrike, Bolt. However, exhaustion eventually took her down after a powerful Magnet Bomb attack from Radar the Magneton. Just shortly after, Power was able to finish Radar off with the combination of Focus Energy and Mach Punch, but he was also done for when Radar returned with Shock Wave and Magnet Bomb attacks. They both collapsed at almost the same time, no longer able to battle.

"Both Power and Radar are unable to battle! This battle is a tie! Trainers, please send out your final Pokémon."

"Alright, you got this, Ziggs!" I threw Ziggs' Pokéball and the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. The fear and nervousness are visible in his expression and movements, in which I tried comforting him by patting him, "Ziggs, it's not the end if you don't do well. I believe in you."

Ziggs nodded, "I-I shall try my best, Lows."

Wattson threw his final Pokéball as well, "Shock the stage, Sparks!"

A canine, quadrupedPokémon was sent out from its Pokéball. Its body was mainly blue with a spiky, yellow mane on its head and yellow tufts of fur on its haunches and around its front feet. I took some time to scan it with my Pokédex, [Manectric, the Discharge Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Electrike. It rarely appears before people. It is said to nest where lightning has fallen.]

"The battle between Ziggs and Sparks will now begin!"

"Ziggs, use Rock Smash!" Ziggs rushed towards Sparks and landed a hit with his paws, but Sparks remained unfazed from the little impact of the attack.

"Sparks, use Quick Attack, following up with Shock Wave!" The Manectric dashed towards Ziggs at lightning speed and crashed onto the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon. Then, the Discharge Pokémon quickly became surrounded in light blue electricity and released light blue electricity towards my Normal type. Unable to dodge and take the full attack, Ziggs gritted his teeth, but he did not want to give up just yet despite the visible disadvantage he had.

"Ziggs, use Headbutt on Sparks!"

"I apologize, young one, but I believe it's over. Sparks, finish Ziggs off with Thunderbolt."

Ziggs used every bit of his energy to dash towards the Electric type, wanting to make something out of his attempt. However, the Electric type was merciness as it released multiple bolts of electricity towards Ziggs, hitting him and taking away any hopes of him winning the battle for the team.

"Ziggs is unable to battle... Sparks wins. The winner is Leader Wattson." The referee announced.

My initial disappointment was immediately replaced by worry as I accepted the results and rushed towards my Zigzagoon. "Ziggs..."

Ziggs slowly opened his eyes, some tears forming in his eyes. He struggled to say something, but I patted him softly, trying to reassure him. Then, I returned him back to his Pokéball.

Wattson approached me, trying to encourage me from my loss, "Young one, although you lost, it was a good attempt. I also heard that I'm the second Gym Leader you're facing against! Not many people take the more difficult route, you know."

I nodded, still slightly disappointed but not completely deterred, "Thank you, Leader Wattson."

"For the next time you challenge me, you don't have to go through that dreadful maze anymore! That's much better for you, isn't it?" Wattson had his grin remaining on his face, but it was a sincere one to try and cheer me up. I felt the positive energy from him and was slightly influenced by him. I bid farewell and left the gym, planning to take some time to fully recover from my loss.

Cassie quietly followed behind me, probably not knowing what to say to help out. Although she always cared about her friends, she was also a very straight-forward person. As a result, at times where friends need emotional help, she could not find the words of encouragement to do so.

I definitely appreciated her intention, though. It was the thought that counts. Besides, the silence allowed me to be deep in thought about what I could do to improve and encourage the team from the loss along with some mentality restoration.

Cassie and I stepped into the PokéCentre and healed our Pokémon. As I was about to bid goodbye to Cassie and head back to my room, Cassie said, "L-Lows, don't feel bad, okay?"

"Huh?" I was confused.

Cassie continued, "You know I'm not the best at helping when it comes to depressing stuff. But... never give up! One loss doesn't determine that you're not skilled. I'm gonna help you train, and you will be able to defeat Wattson with ease next time!"

Seeing Cassie feeling a little flustered while getting her words of encouragement out of her mouth was a little hilarious to me. I was going to nod in response and thank her, but instead, I could not help but let out a giggle.

"W-What's so funny?!" Cassie asked upon noticing my laughter.

"Nothing... It's just I never seen you talk like this in these times."

"There's always a first time for something! Besides, I wanted to."

"I get you." I slightly smiled, "You know what? You're actually smart with words for once."

"Shush..." Cassie chuckled, "You and I, let's put you back on track with more training tomorrow! You got this."

"Sure thing, Cassie. See you tomorrow." I nodded.

"See ya!"

"I think that most of our team members' movesets aren't good enough for type coverage. It'll be hard for us to ride the ways over time!" Surfer suggested.

"Y-You got a point! All I have so far are Fighting type moves. It'll be nice to have something to counter my weaknesses!" Power agreed.

"Should we focus on doing so, then?" Woody asked.

"The ones with different types of moves, like me and Surfer, shouldn't be settled just yet. We definitely should come up with different combinations of our moves. The Teleport gimmick is cool, but it could get stale sometimes." Grace explained.

"Alright!" I summed up, "We can decide on what types of moves for you all to learn."

"A-A Dark type move would be nice to go against Psychic types..." Power said.

"Hmm... Grass types like me unfortunately have many type weaknesses." Woody sheepishly said.

"It's okay, Woody. We'll figure something out for you." I smiled, then turned over to Ziggs, "Ziggs, what do you think is best for you to learn?"

However, instead of the usual enthusiastic Zigzagoon, Ziggs seemed like he was spacing out, not focusing on my question at all.

I immediately sensed that something was wrong, "Ziggs?"

"H-Huh?" I finally caught some attention from my Normal type, "D-Dinner would be nice."

"Silly Ziggs, we are discussing on what moves to learn!" Surfer chuckled.

"Oh..." Realization hit Ziggs, "I-I don't have much of a clue yet."

"That's fine. I heard that Zigzagoons can learn a variety of moves in terms of types, so I'm sure we can choose something great for you!" I reassured him.

"That's great." Ziggs said, not sounding too excited about the idea.

I knew something was off about Ziggs, probably being the effect of the lost on him. However, I kept the discussion going, the others being as enthusiastic to improve as a team and keep going forward from this loss.

It felt like time went by fast as we neared the end of our discussion, "I think that's more than enough for today. I can't wait to put all our plans to training with Cassie tomorrow."

"Let's ride the waves and win, team!" Surfer cheered, filling the room with somewhat positive vibes.

I then let them carry out their own activities for the rest of the day. Grace and Woody decided to watch some animated shows on the television, while I saw Power and Surfer doing some playful wrestling on the floor. However, Ziggs, who was usually part of the gang of the trio, went missing.

Just as I thought... I quietly roamed around the room looking for Ziggs. After a while, I found Ziggs sitting on the bed, hiding himself at the corner.

I patted him lightly as I said, "Ziggs?"

There was no response, but I definitely heard weeping coming from my poor Zigzagoon.

"It's okay, Ziggs... It's not your fault." I sympathetically looked at him as he finally turned towards me, tears in his eyes.

"L-Lows... I feel like I should leave the team." Ziggs confessed.

"Ziggs... why is that?"

"I-I don't think I'm good enough for the team." Ziggs weeped, "My performance in the recent battles is horrible... From the tournament to the gym battle... it was awful."

"Everyone starts somewhere, Ziggs. Even though you might be lacking behind right now, it doesn't mean it'll stay the same forever." I continued patting him.

"What if I can't improve? Even after I give it my all...?" Ziggs said, "Back in Route 101, my Zigzagoon friends all gave up trying to find trainers because of the general perception that Zigzagoons are just weak Pokémon. I want to prove them wrong, but I'm starting to doubt myself..."

"Isn't that the reason we are doing intensive training tomorrow? So we can get better as a team." I replied, "That includes you too, Ziggs. We're not leaving anyone behind."

"That's right..." Grace's calming voice suddenly appeared in the room as Grace was in front of us, "You and Surfer gave it your all to protect me from danger, didn't you? The least I can do is to assist you in getting stronger."

"For sure... I'm not good with words, but we care about you, Ziggs." Woody, who was right beside Grace, followed along.

"..." Ziggs stayed silent, but it was obvious that he took our words into heart. Slowly, he nodded, ready to give himself another chance to perform better.

"I-I'll give it another shot. I wanna become better! For the team, for all the people that doubted me, for myself... I'll work hard for it."

I sighed in relief and happiness and lightly hugged him, "That's the spirit. Now, let's go back to Surfer and Power. They must have been waiting for you."

I held him in my arms as I walked out of the room along with Grace and Woody, and put him on the floor to join Surfer and Power.

"Ziggs, where have you been? We were just hoping you can join in the fun." Surfer asked.

"It's nothing..." Ziggs replied.

"Well, it's good that you're here now." Power smiled, "Let's play some games for the day and rest up for the training tomorrow!"

"Yeah, let's!"

I looked at the three and smiled.

This team is really starting to form its shape together... I'm more than grateful.

"Time to train, team!"

I was currently at the field we recently trained before for the first Gym Challenge along with my team. We were more than ready to get stronger together after recovering from our loss, physically and mentally.

"Let's start off with general stuff first... Ah, this is a good one." I looked through my notebook, which had a list of what to do for the training session that day, "Stamina and speed training! Jogging around the field for five laps."

There were mixed reactions upon hearing the first task: some excited, some worried. With that, we started our training as we jogged around the field casually. Ziggs was the fastest, followed by Surfer and Woody. Grace seemed to be doing decent as well, but I noticed Power was greatly lacking behind.

I was worried that Power might fall behind as time went by, but Surfer noticed the situation and immediately reacted, "Power, you good?"

"I-I'm okay... just super tired." Power said, feeling slightly embarrassed about his low stamina.

"It's alright. Why don't we slow down and jog along with you, Power?" Grace asked.

"Y-You all don't have to!" Power was slightly surprised by the suggestion.

"It's okay. We did say we're not leaving anyone behind, right?" I agreed with Grace's suggestion as I slowed down, the others doing the same.

"I'm so sorry, Power! I was so focused on speeding through that I forgot that I should wait for others too." Ziggs apologized.

"I-It's alright! I appreciate you all for waiting for me." Power smiled, becoming more determined to finish the laps with everyone by his side.

Eventually, we were able to finish the first part of our training as we rested under a shady tree. My Pokémon were slightly exhausted, but were also eager to do more.

After everyone seemed to be well-rested, I continued my list, "Our next part is move boosting training, where you all can try to master your current moves that have the most potential. The best way to do so is by practicing!"

"How are we supposed to be practicing, then? Are we going to use our moves to break the boulders around or something?" Ziggs asked.

"Ahahaha, no Ziggs." I patted him as I continued, "I got someone to help me out. Now, she should be here soon..."

Just as I said that, Cassie reached our training location with a cheerful look, "What's up, everyone!"

My Pokémon were slightly surprised, but warmly welcomed her nevertheless. She grinned as she sent out her team: Flare the Charmeleon, Bubbles the Marill, and Bloom the Shroomish. I took the opportunity to scan the new entries into my Pokédex as our team members formally introduced themselves and had a short chit-chat. After that, training carried on as usual: Myteam each going against one of Cassie's team members as our Pokémon all got the chance to practice their current moveset and boost their moves. Coincidentally, they also got to improve their dodging and aiming skills, which could be deemed useful for future battles. Cassie and I did not relax either; we took our time to analyze how our Pokémon battled and what to do to help our Pokémon become better.

I specifically took a little longer to check on how Ziggs was battling. Although his dedication was undeniably amusing, he was also the one struggling the most. He was able to dodge most of the attacks from Bubbles thanks to his speed, but his head-on attacks could become reckless when not planned well enough.

Ziggs collapsed on the ground, exhausted, being the first to be defeated out of all the Pokémon training. Bubbles ran over to him and asked, concerned, "Ziggs, are you alright?"

"It's fine... It's part of the training! I'm glad you went all out." Ziggs said.

"I guess..." Bubbles said, the female Marill still feeling slightly unsure.

"Have more confidence in yourself, Bubbles! You're doing well. I still need to work harder to catch up to my teammates." Ziggs chuckled.

Bubbles smiled as she helped Ziggs up, "T-Thank you."

"No problem. Let's continue training!" Bubbles nodded at Ziggs' suggestion as they continued battling,

"Ziggs is definitely helping out Bubbles here..." Cassie confessed, "Bubbles is a decent battler, but she doesn't have much confidence in herself as she often gets overshadowed by Flare or Bloom."

"Ziggs is definitely a great member in the team. Although he can sound playful at times, he works the hardest here. When he's down, he tries not to bother anyone about it, either." I agreed.

"I believe he'll do well."

"I think so too..."

All of the Pokémon were currently resting after the move boosting training. Surfer was just casually enjoying the sunlight and regaining his energy when suddenly...

"Surfer, how did you manage to evolve in the tournament?" Ziggs asked.

"Huh?" Surfer replied.

"Yeah, that's right! When that happened, the crowd was going wild about it." Power said.

"I'm not too sure about it... all I thought about was riding the waves and winning it for the squad! Then all of a sudden, poof, I evolved!" Surfer explained.

"No real tips for evolution, then?" Ziggs said, a little disappointed.

"Surfer has no tips, unfortunately... You can ask Flare or Grace, though!" Surfer suggested.

"I can ask Flare, I suppose... Grace is just resting and chatting with Woody. I wouldn't want to interrupt them." Ziggs said, smirking as he noticed the two closer members on the team.

Surfer chuckled, "Go ahead."

Ziggs walked towards the Fire type and asked about the same thing. Flare started off by looking confused for an answer, before replying, "Hmm... Ziggs, I think it's just a natural process that's bound to happen to anyone. That goes with you too!"

"But... I want to evolve as soon as possible!" Ziggs replied.

"Well... just keep being determined, I suppose! I remember moments before I evolved, all I wanted was to burn the battlefield alive and impress everyone with my scorching moves. Then when I was at my peak, I evolved!"

"I guess I can't force it, then."

"Of course! You gotta let it happen when you are capable of handling it. Even I struggled with my new form within the first few days of my evolution!"

"H-Huh? Evolution's gonna take some time for me, then." Ziggs said.

"You never know, buddy! Evolution might come right at you like a fireball when you least expected it. Just face it head on when that happens!" Flare chuckled as he patted the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon.

"Alright..." Ziggs said, regaining some hope in him evolving very soon.

"Next up, it's time to learn new moves, everyone!" Everyone's ears perked up upon hearing what I said, excited to finally begin learning more powerful moves.

I had assigned a list of moves for each of them to learn. Of course, I would let them learn the moves at their own pace. Forced effort won't bring good results anyways.

I looked through the list, "Surfer... you don't have much to learn, having Water Pulse and Bite as your main moves. However, I decided to have you try and learn a supporting move, Mud Slap. It'll be good against Electric types and also blind others' visions before striking them."

"Sounds good to me! Time to ride the waves and... form some mud?" A bit confused by his own sentence, he went to a corner to start training.

"Ziggs, I have two moves for you to learn, actually. One is Dig and another is Swift. Dig would be easier since it's self-explanatory, but Swift will be a little difficult. Swift would definitely be useful if you need a break from head-on attacks, though."

"I'll work hard, Lows!" Ziggs nodded and went beside Surfer to start learning, beginning with an attempt to learn Dig.

"Grace... you do already have a good set of moves, but we can add it up a little to counter Ghost types. Shadow Ball seems to be a decent choice for you."

"That definitely seems solid. I'll do my best." Grace walked towards the other two before she started training herself.

"Woody, it seems like Rock type moves could be a good counter for your type weaknesses, so I decided to let you start off with Rock Throw." Upon hearing that, Woody nodded and did the same as his teammates.

Finally, it was only Power left to go, "Power, have you heard of the move Fling?"

"I-I think I heard about it once or twice from Harry..."

"Fling is a move where you launch objects towards the foe. If you hit your opponent with a heavy object, it'll deal a lot of damage."

"Really? Would I be capable of learning this move?"

"Definitely, Power!" I reassured him, "Not only that your strength is capable of doing so, it is also a Dark type move for you to counter Psychic types."

"I'll try..." He seemed to feel a little more confident as he held a boulder and walked to an emptier area to start his training, not wanting to injure his team members when learning Fling.

Cassie seemed to have finished her training with her team as she walked towards me. We decided to check on my Pokémon to check on how they were doing with training.

The first Pokémon we checked on was Surfer, who was able to slowly form a pile of mud above his opened palm, as he used his powers to launch it towards a boulder, hitting it in succession. He cheered upon landing the Mud Slap attack successfully.

Looks like he's doing well. I turned towards Cassie and nodded before moving on to the next Pokémon, Ziggs. My Normal type started digging on the ground, before forming a hole within seconds as he went into the hole. Shortly after, another hole was formed from below another side of the field as Ziggs came out of the hole, looking happy with his progress.

"Keep it up, Ziggs." I smiled. He happily smiled, clearly glad that his efforts paid off a little.

Suddenly, I heard Power's voice from another direction, "W-Watch out!"

I looked towards the direction of the voice as a boulder was seen in the air heading towards us, but eventually missed us for a decent distance. Power then ran towards the boulder, picked it up and apologized, "I-I'm so sorry!"

"That's fine, non of us got injured." Cassie smiled.

"Yeah, just focus on your aim and you'll be fine. You're doing well!" I encouraged Power as he nodded and continued training at the corner.

Grace did not seem to do as well, though. We saw her closing her eyes as she tried to focus her powers to form the shadowy blob of energy. However, the blob broke apart, proving that Grace's power were not strong enough just yet as Grace slightly lost balance, but maintained her position either way.

"Grace, you alright?" Cassie asked, clearly concerned.

"I'm fine... just having a short headache." Grace replied.

"You can take a short rest if needed to, Grace." I suggested.

"Thanks for the offer, Lows. I don't think it is necessary for now, though." She calmly rejected the offer.

"Alright then. Just don't go over your limit." I gave my advice in which she seemed to take it in heart.

Then I checked on Woody, who seemed to struggle with forming the rocks just yet, but I did not give as much advice as I knew he was capable of figuring things out himself. Besides, I am not Pokémon, so I would not know better either.

For now, we'll just have to let things play out on their own.

After a hard day of training, it seemed like everyone became better and learned something out of it. Everyone was able to learn the new moves assigned by me with just two exceptions: Ziggs for Swift and Grace for Shadow Ball. However, I was still very proud of the progress today.

While walking back to the PokéCentre for a well-needed rest, we came across the Mauville Gym once again as I stopped and stared at the entrance. I had the urge to step into the gym and registered for another battle once again, but for some reason, I was trembling as well.

"Lows?" Cassie noticed my trembling and asked.

"It's nothing... I'm just contemplating on whether I should have my second challenge this soon."

"Deep down... you're still afraid to get defeated again, aren't you?"

Slowly, I nodded.

"It's alright, Lows..." Cassie patted my shoulder, "The road for me to obtain three badges wasn't easy either. Of course, I've suffered from losses too."

"Really? How do you overcome them, then?"

"I just tell myself to just enjoy the stage with my Pokémon, and the thought of us shining on the battlefield just helps me to recover!" She grinned.

"Just enjoy the stage with my Pokémon..." I took her words to heart.

"I assume you'll take some time to decide today, so I'm just going to go back to the PokéCentre and take a shower before dinner. Tell me if you wanna enjoy another meal together later!" Cassie winked before running off towards the red building.

"W-Wait!" I yelled before she disappeared into the PokéCentre. I sighed, still slightly hesitant about registering again.

As I stood close in front of the entrance, someone lightly tapped my back and asked, "I'm sorry, may you let me into the Mauville Gym? I have something to discuss with Leader Wattson."

I was about to apologize and make way before noticing the identity of the person: Steven. I was slightly surprised as I said, "Mr. Stone, it's been a while."

"Oh, good to see you! You're Lows, the trainer I met at the route near Oldale." Steven was quicker to recover from the surprising encounter as he put back his polite smile on his face.

"What are you discussing with Leader Wattson, Mr. Stone?"

"Just some business stuff. Also, you can just call me Steven." Steven replied, "What about you, Lows? Why just stand in front of the gym without any move?"

"Well..." I briefly talked about what happened the past few days: how the Gym Challenge went, our short training session and other stuff, "...I just don't know if I'm ready for another challenge this soon."

"Lows, I would like to ask if you still remember your goal in travelling around the Hoenn region."

"I do... To explore around the region, obtain unforgettable experiences and form a team that can be my friends."

"What's stopping you, then?" Steven asked, "Sure, the loss must've sucked, but that managed to lead you to nice experiences, such as hanging out with your childhood friend and also trying out new training methods. I'm sure even if this next attempt doesn't go as well, you will still be able to learn something out of this challenge."

"..." I stayed silent, digesting his words as my mind travelled to what happened for the past two days after the loss. It was devastating at first, but it led us to being more determined to improve ourselves.

And it's time to show that though we trained for a short time, we improved.

I nodded before facing Steven and saying, "Steven, can you wait for a while for the business meeting with Leader Wattson?"

"Sure thing, Lows." Steven smiled, "Besides, you registering for the Gym Challenge technically secured Leader Wattson staying in the gym."

"Thank you, Steven." I said as I walked into the Mauville Gym.

Let's try this again.

Steven stared at the entrance as it closed after the entrance of Lows.

"..." He stayed silent before his usual smile returned to his face.

I believe in you, Lows.

You'll do well.

Because... I know.

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Wartortle, Male) Jolly Nature, moves: Mud Slap, Bite, Water Pulse, Water Gun

Ziggs (Zigzagoon, Male) Naive Nature, moves: Dig, Growl, Headbutt, Rock Smash; learning-Swift

Grace (Kirlia, Female) Calm Nature, moves: Teleport, Magical Leaf, Double Team, Psybeam; learning-Shadow Ball

Woody (Treecko, Male) Lonely nature, moves: Rock Throw, Quick Attack, Bullet Seed, Absorb

Power (Machop, Male) Timid Nature, moves: Fling, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Low Kick