It was Gym Challenge day again.

However, the moment I woke up and thought about the fact that I would be battling against my sister... made my hands tremble in a mix of excitement and nervousness

...Why am I acting like this?

Was it because... the person I was facing was my sister?

Or was it because... I finally got the chance to prove my skills to my sister?

Or... was it because the day I awaited for so long... was finally happening?

Till now, I'm still unsure of the reason behind my feelings that day.

But there was one thing I was sure of: I was going to battle my hardest and try to obtain victory.

I drank some water as a way of calming down, but it was to no avail as the shakiness remained, causing me to just barely be able to hold the glass of water.

Surfer, who walked towards me and noticed my condition, immediately became concerned, "Lows, you don't look so hot."

"Definitely not... I-I'm being way too nervous about this."

"No sweat, Lows!" Surfer tried reassuring me, "Even though I won't be facing the waves this time, the others will brave the waves for you and surf to their hearts' content!"

Knowing that's his way of saying we will be able to obtain victory, I lightly smiled and patted him, "I'll do my best, Surfer."

Surfer gave me another joyful smile, which made me wish I could be as optimistic as him when it came to these important occasions.

I gotta learn to have that mentality sometimes.

I looked at the time: It was still early before the match, and I knew more training would just wear me out and ruin my performance later on.

I just spent the rest of the hours wandering off to my thoughts and memories.

At that point, I just hoped all the remaining time would pass in just a glimpse.

Flashback...

My mother called my sister through the Pokégear as her face appeared on the screen, [Mom, Lows! It's been a while.]

My mother replied, "Charmaine, glad to see you doing okay. How are the preparations going?"

[It'll be tough, but I think I did what I could before the matches.]

"That's good! Anyways, regarding what you asked before... We have some news for you."

[Can you three make it to Hoenn and watch the Ever Grande League?]

"...We got some bad news for you." My mother shook her head.

[...Oh.] A hint of disappointment was heard from my sister's voice.

"I'm sorry, Charmaine. Your father fell sick, so I don't think he could travel far for at least a few weeks."

[That's fine.] Upon hearing the reason, her disappointment turned into worry, [Dad fell sick again?]

"...Yeah. I've always told him to do a check-up at the hospital, but you know how stubborn he is."

[I'm aware of that. I think it's the right move for you three to stay at Kanto.]

"Don't worry, big sis!" I exclaimed, "We will watch you on TV for your matches. You better win them for us!"

[Oh yeah! They broadcast every match live on TV.] My sister smiled, [At least you all can support me in some way!]

"Yup! Do your best, big sis!"

[I will, little bro. For you all.]

My sister's semifinals match was nearing its end, with her Ivysaur, Flora against her opponent's Combusken. We were frustrated throughout the whole match just from watching it from TV as the opponent clearly knew my sister's team mainly consisted of Grass types, as shown from his team composition including many Fire types compared to his previous matches. However, my sister was calm and every single one of her Pokémon battled against the odds in hopes of creating a miracle.

"Flora, Sludge Bomb!" My sister commanded.

"Combusken, dodge and use Blaze Kick!"

As the large purple blob was thrown towards the Fire and Fighting type, Combusken dashed forwards and barely avoided the attack as it quickly followed up with a leap towards the Ivysaur with flames around its feet.

"Flora, grab its legs with Vine Whip!"

The Combusken was approaching with high speed, so the Kanto starter had to react quickly. She launched two vines towards Combusken and the timing was almost perfect; they managed to tangle around its legs and cause it to stop and struggle.

"Combusken, finish Flora off with Flamethrower!"

"Flora, hurry and throw it away with the vines!"

Combusken adjusted itself and released a stream of fire towards Flora, hitting her directly and burning her up. Trying to endure the pain, she launched her opponent towards the air as high as possible. As Combusken landed on the group and took the huge impact, we were hoping it was enough to secure victory for my sister.

Unfortunately, it was not enough.

The Combusken slowly got up, barely able to endure the damage. Flora on the other hand, finally collapsed after a long fought battle. The audience was disappointed that my sister was unable to do what seemed impossible, but cheered for both players anyway.

But to me, it was what inspired me to become a trainer. She was my sister, and my idol.

She made me not want to give up like her, even if everything ahead in my journey may seem bleak.

And I wanted to show her what I learned from her...

When I finally had the chance to do so.

Back to the present...

By the time my thoughts ended, it was actually conveniently about time I should be heading to the Slateport Gym. I nodded to myself and got out of the PokéCentre as I continued walking towards the entrance of the large clay building.

I entered the Slateport Gym, but my sister was not seen in the lobby. The receptionist noticed me and asked, "Are you looking for Leader Charmaine? You can head towards the back of the Gym. She said she would be taking care of some gardening in the greenhouses."

After thanking the receptionist, I did so and saw my sister working hard and picking the vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes into a basket. I was quietly observing her until she eventually noticed me and seemed to finally remember the Gym Battle between us in just a few moments. She quickly picked the rest of the vegetables and ran out of the greenhouse.

She handed the basket of vegetables to the receptionist and said, "My bad! I was so focused on gardening, that I almost forgot about the battle. I didn't keep you waiting for too long, did I?"

"Not at all, Charmaine." I shook my head.

"That's a relief. Let's get this battle started as soon as possible, then!" She smiled and led me to the Gym Room as she opened the entrance door.

The gym was filled with the aroma of nature. There were small trees around the battlefield, and a few Grass type Pokémon can be seen playing around in a safe area from all the battling happening. The battlefield was a field arena, as short grass and tall grass covered most of the area.

We both went to our sides of the battlefield as the referee wearing gardening workwear walked to the middle of the field and announced the rules.

"This match will be a three on three single battles, in which the challenger has the first move as well as being able to switch his Pokémon. The winner is decided when the opponent's three Pokémon are unable to battle. Do you understand and agree with the rules, Lows from Pallet Town?"

I nodded firmly, knowing it was finally time for the battle I anticipated the most by far. Once obtaining agreement from both trainers, the referee announced, "The match between Leader Charmaine and Challenger Lows will now begin! Trainers, please choose your first Pokémon!

I took out a Pokéball and threw it into the air immediately, sending out my first Pokémon for the match.

"Ziggs, you got this!" I said as Ziggs appeared on the grassy field.

"Gardening time, Solana!" She threw her Pokéball as well, revealing a sunflower-like Pokémon with a big smile on her face, which I could not recognize at first glance. Not having enough knowledge towards the first Grass type, I decided to keep my guard up this time in case something surprising happens.

"Battle begin!"

"Ziggs, full speed approach with Headbutt!" I commanded.

As my Normal type hurriedly approached the Grass type, my sister commanded, "Solana, hide around the tall grass!"

The sunflower-like Pokémon immediately hid in small patches on tall grass and seemed to be moving around consistently. Besides the occasional rustling, she was nowhere to be seen.

My sister observed the two of us and when she found the opportunity, she quickly yelled, "Solana, Razor Leaf!"

Sharp blades of leaves were released from Ziggs' seven o'clock direction as the attack hit the Rushing Pokémon, making him slightly wince in pain.

Knowing the tall grass will be an advantage for not just Solana, but any potential Pokémon of my sister later on, I needed a solution. I said, "Ziggs, remove the tall grass with Swift!"

Ziggs leaped and did a spin, forming the stars above him as they hit the tall grass perfectly, slicing them out of existence.

I quickly followed up upon noticing where Solana was, "Ziggs, attack with Dig!"

Digging a hole and going underground, he quickly dug towards the Grass type. Solana tried to ready herself to dodge the attack, but Ziggs had trained enough to have enough precision, hitting the attack successfully.

"Not bad, Lows! We gotta work harder. Solana, full power Bullet Seed!"

Multiple seeds were released from her mouth as they approached Ziggs at full speed. Despite his efforts to dodge the attack, his speed was slightly inferior to the seeds as three seeds ended up hitting him.

Noticing Ziggs' stamina seemed to be at a disadvantage compared to Solana according to their conditions, I knew I needed to take her down as soon as possible.

"Solana, Bullet Seed again!" It was my sister who commanded first.

I knew Ziggs was not able to outrun the seeds, so I took a different approach for the counter, "Ziggs, dodge in a zig-zag pattern and approach her with Facade!"

Ziggs' hard work came to play again as the zig-zag pattern confused his opponent, missing all her shots at my Normal type. The Linoone became surrounded in an orange aura as he slammed the Grass type, bringing the battle back to his favor.

Aware that the battle seemed to be back and forth for both Pokémon, my sister smiled, "You're doing well, Lows. Solana, Sunny Day!"

As she summoned a scorching sun towards the battlefield, my sister quickly followed up, "Solana, hurry and use Solarbeam!"

By the time I realized what my sister was doing, she was already on the verge of releasing the powerful beam due to the presence of sunlight. Knowing that this could be Ziggs' final move, I yelled, "Ziggs, use Swift, full power!"

The star rays were released slightly earlier, traveling through the Solarbeam as they hit the Grass type. Solana still fought through the pain and unleashed her final strength towards my Normal type, hitting him directly.

As both attacks ended, both Pokémon seemed to be out of energy as they collapsed in exhaustion.

"Both Ziggs and Sunshine are unable to battle! This battle is a draw!"

I worriedly ran towards Ziggs and checked on his condition. Luckily, the Solarbeam attack did not injure him too horribly. I said, "Ziggs, thanks for your hard work. You did well."

"I-I tried my best..." He said as he winced in pain.

"Take a short rest. Don't worry, the other two will handle the rest of the match." I reassured him before returning him back to his Pokéball for a well-deserved rest.

I looked towards the scorching sun while slightly covering my eyes, Darn, this would be a huge advantage if I have a Fire type...

I guess I can't make good use of the sunlight, then.

My sister smiled as she held her second Pokéball, "I think you'll love my next choice. I hope you still remember her! You're up, Flora!"

Hearing the familiar name, and the Pokémon who appeared on the battlefield, past memories hit me as I recalled the time my sister stayed at home after the Ever Grande League she participated in. She offered Flora, who was an Ivysaur at that time, to play around with me. She was gentle and rarely got mad at my childish actions when I was younger. She was also my sister's trusty partner from start to end.

The Ivysaur in the past had evolved into a Venusaur, with a large pink, white-spotted flower on her back. She remembered me as well as she politely smiled and said, "It's been a while, Lows."

"...Flora, it's nice to see you again." I said, but I knew the reminiscing can come later; at that moment, it was battle time. She was aware of that as well as her expression quickly changed to serious as I threw my second Pokéball.

"Time to battle, Grace!" My Kirlia landed on the grassy field and noticed the size difference between her and her opponent, but she still remained calm as she readied for battle.

"Battle begin!"

"Grace, Psybeam!"

The psychic rings of energy were sent towards the Grass and Poison type. I thought Flora would not have the speed to dodge the hit, but I was wrong as she barely dodged the rings. She clearly trained enough to make up for her disadvantages.

"Flora, Razor Leaf!" This move was obviously a test of reflexes for my Psychic type, as Grace managed to dodge the somewhat simple attack.

My sister nodded in approval of Grace's reaction speed, "Not bad at all!"

"Grace, Shadow Ball!" Grace formed the dark blob of energy before launching it towards Flora, but Flora predicted the direction of the attack correctly as she took a small leap away from the Ghost type move.

Knowing that it would take much more than what we had at that moment to hit Flora, I waited for an opportunity. Luckily enough, it was presented just shortly after as my sister commanded, "Flora, Sludge Bomb!"

As the purple ball was formed and launched towards Grace, I immediately countered, "Grace, Teleport closer to Flora and use Psybeam!"

Fortunately, Grace was able to teleport away from the Poison type attack unharmed, as she appeared in front of Flora. Before Flora could react on time, Grace released the rings of energy quickly, hitting her target. The damage was not as much due to the attack not being full power, but it was enough to give us a slight advantage.

"Forgot about the presence of Teleport. Flora, Giga Drain!" My sister's starter released a beam of energy from the flower on her back, hitting Grace perfectly as it drained her opponent's energy. Grace was starting to feel tired, while Flora remained expressionless, which I knew was to hide her actual condition.

As the scorching sun finally disappeared from the grassy field, I wiped my sweat away from my forehead as it gave me some room to think, I swear there was another move Flora used in her battles all the time...

Recalling my memories from watching the matches on TV, and through observing the Venusaur, something clicked in my mind as I hurriedly yelled almost the exact same time my sister commanded Flora's next move.

"Grace, hurry and use a huge layer of grass as protection!"

"Flora, Earthquake!"

The ground started shaking tremendously as Grace managed to teleport to a patch of grass and stayed there. Fortunately, the grass negated some of the Earthquake's impact, but it still took a toll on Grace.

Noticing Flora panting slightly, I followed up, "Grace, use Psybeam!"

The psychic rings of energy managed to hit the Grass type, causing Flora to finally show signs of tiredness on her face.

"Looks like you still remember after all," My sister grinned, "Flora, don't give up! Razor Leaf!"

"Grace, just a little more to go! Shadow Ball!"

They both sent their attacks to each other at the same time, but Flora's attack definitely slowed down a lot more than before. That gave Grace the chance to avoid the sharp leaves, while Flora was too worn out as the shadowy blob hit the Grass and Poison type, which finally made her collapse. I felt slightly bad, but we both knew it was part of a battle.

"Flora is unable to battle! Grace wins!"

My sister remained unfazed as she thanked and returned Flora; she had been in this situation more than just a few times. She threw her last Pokéball, sending out the evolved form of Shroomish, Breloom.

Although I was aware that Psychic is more effective towards Fighting type Pokémon, I knew the battle was far from over as the referee announced, "Battle begin!"

"Grace, use Psybeam!"

"Puncher, dodge and use Fling!" I knew that it was going to be tough the moment Puncher used the grass to its advantage, dashing through the field as the male Breloom dodged the psychic rings.

Upon getting closer to Grace, he used the boulder beside him to launch it towards Grace, hitting her successfully as she cried in pain of the Dark type attack.

"Puncher, finish this with Iron Tail!"

Grace tried to recover from the Fling attack, but it was no use as Puncher rushed towards Grace as his tail glowed silver. He slammed her with his tail, the damage being too much for Grace to endure as she fainted. Shocked by how fast the battle went, I started to tremble slightly.

"Grace is unable to battle! Puncher wins!" The Breloom confidently smiled upon the victory; it was going to be tough to take him down.

I thanked Grace and returned her before taking out my last Pokéball.

I have to trust him... and give him the confidence he needed to pull this off.

I threw the Pokéball into the air with all my strength, "Let's go for the win, Power!" Power appeared on the grassy field, and his nervous expression was clearly visible as the result of the combination between him being the last to battle and the much stronger-looking opponent in front of him.

Noticing him trembling in fear, I patted him, "Power, I believe in you. You can do this."

"I-I'll do my best..." He tried to relax, but it was not working as well as he intended.

"Battle begin!"

"Power, use Low Kick!" I said.

"Puncher, dodge backwards and use Seed Bomb!" My sister said.

As Power closed into Puncher and went for a kick, Puncher took a leap backwards and stably landed on the field before firing multiple glowing green seeds from his mouth towards my Fighting type. The seeds were launched in all directions and despite Power's efforts in dodging them, he still got hit by three seeds, which exploded upon impact.

"That's fine, Power!" I tried comforting him, "Let's try Karate Chop!"

"Puncher, counter with Iron Tail!" The two faced each other head on once again, this time Puncher having the speed advantage as he hit Power with his glowing tail. Power managed to get two hits before getting pushed back by the attack and falling onto the ground.

Puncher started to become cocky and taunted, "You still got ways to go as a Fighting type!"

Although my sister did give her Pokémon a look of disapproval for him to stop what he was doing, what was said could not be retracted anymore. Power slowly stood up, his mind starting to crumble into pieces.

It felt like I could read his mind for a brief moment, but I could tell he was giving up on the inside, and if I had to encourage him, that was the perfect time I should do so.

"Power, don't give in to what he said!" I yelled, "You might still have room for improvement, but that just makes you have the potential to become the best in the future!"

Power seemed to have raised his head a little higher upon hearing my words.

...I wanted to join the team to get better... and prove Harry wrong, didn't I?

I can't give up here!

I won't lose!

"Puncher, Sky Uppercut!" Punched cracked his knuckles, ready to finish his opponent off as he rushed forward. However, as he almost managed to land his attack, a heavy object crashed against him, stopping his movement and causing him to lose balance as he fell onto the ground.

It was Power who reacted with a Fling attack. He seemed to have recovered as he gave me a thumbs up. He was still slightly trembling, but I could sense a hint of newfound strength from him. I nodded before noticing Puncher not giving up as he tried to use Sky Uppercut once again.

Knowing that the impact would be huge from that attack, I tried commanding, "Power, counter with-"

Power was the one who reacted first: he gathered his strength and before Puncher could land a hit on him, he grabbed Puncher and threw him into the air before crushing him down the field. Puncher was not completely out yet, but he was surprised by the sudden change Power went through.

That's the move Seismic Toss!

Power was still willing to battle till the very end, though I could see him getting tired. This battle was approaching its end.

"Power, Seismic Toss again!"

"Puncher, counter with Seed Bomb!"

Puncher was once again showcasing his faster speed as he released the seeds and hit Power as they exploded. However, Power fought through the pain and threw Puncher much higher into the air compared to his last attack. He used up every last bit of his strength and sent his opponent back to the battlefield before exhaustion caused him to crash on the battlefield, unconscious. I sighed, thinking that we lost, but I was still proud of how he did.

It was a good try...

"Power and Puncher are both unable to battle! This match between Charmaine and Lows is a draw." What the referee said surprised me, as I looked over towards Puncher: the Breloom was not able to endure the impact and collapsed on the grassy field as well.

I ran over to Power and asked the referee, "Am I able to get the badge, then?"

The referee replied, "The Gym Leader shall determine whether the challenger deserves to earn the badge!"

My sister returned Puncher and walked towards Power and I, "...I could tell all of you tried your hardest."

"...We did." I nodded.

"We were talking about a promise we had about the other day... about Soda Pop. That made me remembered... you promised to battle and defeat me once you started traveling in Hoenn, didn't you?"

I did not respond, but it was pretty obvious from my reaction that I always kept that promise in my heart.

My sister nodded, "You gave it your all... just for that one small promise we made together."

She sighed, "My departure... took a toll on you, didn't it? I was selfish, but I'm glad you still considered me someone close and remembered all the cool things we did together."

"...You were always there when I needed someone, sis... I understand that you wanted to chase your own dreams, especially after I started my own journey as well. It didn't change what I thought of you." I said, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"...Thank you, Lows. Not just for the close battle, but also... for being a good brother for me, and keeping your promise till now." She took out a flower-like badge with a pleasant fragrance, "This is for you."

I could not say anything as I was still trying to recover from my sudden emotions. Hence, I just nodded and took the Scent Badge from my sister.

"I'm sure you'll become stronger from here, Lows. I'll be cheering for you, just like how you had cheered for me all the time." My sister patted me.

"Thank you..." I responded.

Technically, I still did not fulfill my promise of battling my sister and defeating her…

But, I felt like one of the things that was going through my mind this entire time…

Could finally be put into ease.

"Don't sweat it!" My sister tried to brighten up the atmosphere, "You wanna have dinner together? I'm gonna use the vegetables I just picked at the greenhouse for a nice feast."

"I don't mind." That worked on me as I delightfully accepted the suggestion.

"Great!" My sister smiled, "Let's start preparing, then."

We walked out of the battlefield room together. It reminded me... of the time we always left home together, whether to travel out of town to get groceries for Mom, or just to have another fun activity for both of us.

Either way, there was one thing I was certain of.

I'm grateful for everything I have right now.

I won't forget this moment with sis...

Forever.

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Wartortle, Male) Jolly Nature, Moves: Bite, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Sand Tomb

Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature, Moves: Dig, Headbutt, Swift, Facade

Grace (Kirlia, Female) Calm Nature, Moves: Teleport, Magical Leaf, Shadow Ball, Psybeam

Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature, Moves: Pursuit, Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Rock Throw

Power (Machop, Male) Timid Nature, Moves: Fling, Karate Chop, Low Kick, Seismic Toss