Truth and Illusions; Adventure and Romance: A Unova Journey

Chapter 1: A New Journey


Our story is one about adventure and excitement, romance and broken hearts. There are bright days and sad days, happy moments and tense moments. There is so much to hear and see, but let us start at the beginning of this journey. We shall start in Nuvema Town.


Three young trainers had just entered the Unova region, and they were now on their way to Professor Juniper's lab. Gabi, the youngest, had just turned 10-years-old, and she was off to receive her first Pokemon! Dani, the oldest, had chosen Cyndaquil as her partner in her home region of Johto two years prior, and he was now perched on her shoulder, his arm around her neck as she walked. Shelly, the middle sister, had started out with Dani two years prior, and her Chikorita starter was tucked away safely in her Pokeball.


"I love the palm trees here," Shelly said, looking around.


"Quil!" said the fire Pokemon.


Dani smiled. "I think Mo does too. Unova is quite a unique region. I'm excited to start exploring."


"I'm excited to get a Pokemon!" Gabri said with a grin. Her sisters exchanged a knowing look.


Soon, they were at the door of the lab. Gabri knocked three times. "Come in!" said a female voice from inside the lab. Gabri opened the door and led her sisters inside. A young woman wearing a lab coat appeared to have just walked into the main room, and she was now making her way towards them with a warm smile on her face. "Good morning. How may I help you?"


"I'm here for my first Pokemon," Gabri said somewhat shyly.


"Of course," said Professor Juniper. Her eyes landed on Mo. "Is that a Cyndaquil?"


"We're from Ecruteak City," said Dani. "This is Mo. I'm Dani, and this is Shelly and Gabri. Shelly and I already started our journey in Johto two years ago, but our sister here wanted to start out in Unova with us."


The professor nodded. "That's great. I'm Professor Juniper. Just give me a moment to get the Pokeballs."


As she walked over to another side of the room, someone else entered from the same room Juniper had appeared from several minutes earlier. "I'm finished," said the boy as he came into view. He had spiky brown hair and wore a black shirt and purple pants. "Thank you, Professor Juniper." He looked in surprise upon the three girls. "Hey, a Cyndaquil." He started for Dani.


"Quil," said Mo. When the boy was close enough, the Pokemon hopped into his arms.


The boy laughed as he rubbed Mo's head. "You must have raised him well. Cyndaquil are usually quite timid."


Dani smiled. "Thanks. His name is Mo. I'm Dani. These are my sisters, Shelly and Gabri."


"Hi," Shelly said, smiling shyly. Gabri simply nodded at him in acknowledgment.


"Nice to meet you all," the boy said. "I'm Gary Oak."


"Gary is the grandson of my good friend, Professor Oak," Juniper said as she returned with three Pokeballs in hand.


"I've heard of him," Dani said. "That's awesome. What are you doing in Unova?"


"I want to become a Pokemon researcher like my Gramps," Gary said. "I don't have anything big going on right now, so I decided to visit Professor Juniper and take a look at her research and Pokemon she is studying."


"Cool," said Gabri. She turned to Juniper. "May I see the Pokemon now?"


Juniper chuckled lightly. "Of course." She opened the Pokeballs one by one. "This is Snivy, a grass type, Tepig, a fire type, and Oshawott, a water type."


Gabri squatted down to look at each one. Snivy appeared to be a snake with legs. Tepig was obviously a pig. Oshawott seemed to be a sea otter. All of them looked like they would make great friends, but the new trainer knew who she would choose. "I want the piggy!" She picked up the Tepig, which grinned at her.


"Tepig!" he said with energy.


"Yes, a fire type!" Dani said. Though she had Pokemon of all types, fire was her specialty.


Juniper smiled. "Excellent choice. I should tell you that this one thinks he is a dragon because he can breathe fire."


Gabri laughed. "Then I'll just have to call him 'Dragon.'" She held him to her chest in a warm hug.


"I remember when I got my first Pokemon," Gary said fondly.


"You were a trainer?" Dani said curiously.


Gary nodded. "I traveled Kanto and Johto collecting badges until I realized what I really wanted to do with my life."


"That's cool. Do you still have Pokemon with you?"


"Of course. They're my friends, and they help me out in thought situations.


Dani smiled. "Would you like to battle me? I want to collect badges in Unova, and I could use the practice."


"Now that I would like to see," Juniper said as she handed Gabri a bag of items.


"I accept," Gary said. "We can battle outside." He handed Mo back to Dani, and the Pokemon soon climbed up onto her head. Then all five of them walked out into the bright sun.


Several minutes later, they were all gathered in the backyard of the lab. Dani and Gary stood opposite of each with plenty of space between them. Dani was not going to use Mo, so the Cyndaquil sat next to Dragon on the sideline to watch. "You should recognize this Pokemon," the girl said as she took out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Luke!" A strong-looking Charmeleon appeared before her.


Gary brightened at the sight of the Pokemon. "A Charmeleon. Wow. That takes me back. I chose a Squirtle as my starter. He's a Blastoise now."


"Cool. Shelly has a Wartortle. We were just in Kanto."


"Nice. Alright." He took out a Pokeball and kissed it before releasing the Pokemon inside. "Come on out, Umbreon!"


Dani grinned at Eevee's dark evolved form. "Awesome! That's one of my favorite Pokemon."


Gary smirked. "Thanks. Mine too."


"Are you going to battle or what?" Shelly called from the sideline.


Gary chuckled while Dani rolled her eyes. "Ladies first," Gary said.


Dani smiled. "Thank you. Luke, let's start off with Ember!"


"Dodge it and use Shadow Ball!"


Luke opened his mouth and spit out fire balls at his opponent. Umbreon jumped in the air to avoid them. While in the air, he formed a dark ball of energy and sent it at the fire type, who was struck by the blow.


Dani could tell that Gary was no pushover. She was going to have to do something about Umbreon's speed. "Use Smokescreen!" Luke breathed out a thick, black smoke that made it hard to see anything on the field. Umbreon's bright yellow marks, however, were slightly visible. "Now Fire Fang!"


A cry was heard a second alter. "Umbreon!" Gary said, his teeth clenched. "Hang in there and use Psychic!" Luke soon hovered up above the smoke, looking around wildly. "Now throw him!"


Umbreon used his powers to throw Luke to the ground. The force of the attack caused most of the smoke to disperse. Luke slowly stood up and took a battle stance once again.


"Good job, Luke. Use Dragon Rage!"


"Shadow Ball!"


The two balls of energy collided in an explosion that sent both Pokemon flying back, tough it seemed to do more damage to Umbreon than Luke. Both Pokemon were still standing.


"Umbreon, use Sand Attack and Shadow Ball!" Gary called.


Before Luke could react, Umbreon skid forward, slinging sand in his face. While Luke tried to shield his face, Umbreon shot a Shadow Ball at him. The Charmeleon panted heavily. It did not seem like he could take much more.


"Now Hidden Power!"


"Ember!" said Dani.


The Ember hit before Umbreon could form his attack. He glared at his opponent, growling lightly.


"Shadow Ball!"


"Fire Fang!"


Umbreon shot a Shadow Ball out of his mouth, but Luke jumped up to dodge like the dark type had at the beginning of the battle. The Charmeleon came crashed down on him with his jaws wide open, creating a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Luke was still standing and Umbreon had fainted.


"Umbreon is unable to battle," said Professor Juniper. "Luke and Dani are the winners!"


Dani grinned as she ran forward to hug her Charmeleon. "Great job, Luke. You were amazing."


"Meleon," Luke said proudly.


Gary smiled sadly as he took out a Pokeball. "Thanks for working hard, Umbreon. We'll win next time." After returning him, he nodded at Dani as he walked over to her. "That was a great battle. You two were strong." He held out his hand.


Dani smiled. "Thanks. We're training hard so he will evolve into a Charizard." She shook his hand without breaking eye contact.


"I'm sure you'll get there soon." He paused before turning to our audience. "It's Gabri's turn now."


"What?!" said Gabri in alarm.


"You can battle me and Petals," Shelly said brightly.


"But your Chikorita is so strong."


"You'll have the type advantage, though."


"And battling strong trainers is how you get stronger," Dani added, taking out a Pokeball to return Luke.


"She's right," Gary said. "Even if you lose to a strong opponent, your next battle will seem a whole lot easier. Are you going to collect gym badges?"


"Yes," Gabri said slowly.


"Then why not get it a shot?"


"I'm sure your Tepig would enjoy it," Juniper said.


"Tepig! Tepig!" said Dragon, moving his tail back and forth rapidly.


"Well, ok," Gabri said. "Come on, Dragon." The two of them moved to where Dani had previously stood while Shelly took Gary's spot. Mo climbed onto Dani's shoulder to watch while she stood by Gary.


"Come on, Petals!" Shelly said, throwing a Pokeball in the air. A Chikorita soon stood before her. "This is Gabri's new partner, Dragon. It's their first battle."


"Chika!" Petals greeted her opponent.


"Tepig!" said Dragon.


"You can go first," Shelly said.


Gabri smiled slightly. "Thanks." She took out her Pokedex to see which attacks her Pokemon knew. "Ok, use Tackle."


"Reflect!" Shelly said.


Dragon charged forward, but a clear screen appeared before Petals, causing him to bounce back. The force of the attack pushed Petals back a bit, but she did not seem too affected.


Gabri frowned. "Ember!"


"Reflect!"


Dragon breathed out balls of fire, but these mostly disappeared as they passed through the screen. The Tepig looked back at his trainer in distress.


"How am I supposed to attack if you keep doing that?" Gabri said in frustration.


Shelly smirked. "You have to figure out a way around it. It's part of battling. Petals, use Magical Leaf!" Leaves flew from Petals, twisting around until they slammed into Dragon, causing him to grunt. "Good job. Keep it up." The leaves continued to come.


"Use Ember!" Gabri said suddenly.


Dragon opened his mouth and sot out his fire balls. The fire burned up most of the leaves coming towards him. He smiled happily.


Shelly just shrugged. "Fine. Petals, Solar Beam."


Gabri remembered something about Solar Beam taking a long time. This was her chance. "Tackle!"


Dragon ran forward and finally made contact with the Chikorita. Petals' eyes widened in surprise, and she was forced to end her Solar Beam attack.


"Don't let them distract you," Shelly said. "Focus on Solar Beam."


"Ember!"


A fury of fire came from Dragon's mouth. Petals winced, but she did not move as her leaf began to glow with energy and power.


Shelly held her breath, waiting for the right moment to release her attack. Thankfully, it was a sunny day. "Now!" she cried.


Petals tilted the large leaf on her head, and a bright beam of light poured out from it and hit Dragon straight on. Dragon cried out as he was flown back several yards. He struggled to hit feet, panting heavily.


"Dragon!" Gabri cried. She knew she had to do something quickly, and fire was her best option. "Use Ember!"


"Dodge it and use Magical Leaf."


Petals jumps to the side to avoid the Ember attack spewed at her. While still in motion, she turned and sent her spiraling leaves straight at the fire type. Dragon had no time to dodge this attack, and the damage seemed too much. He fell over on his side, and this time, he did not stand up.


"Dragon is unable to battle," said Juniper. "Petals and Shelly are the winners."


"Dragon!" Gabri rushed forward and picked him. "I'm sorry. Thanks for trying."


Dragon opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. "Tepig."


"Thank you, Petals," Shelly said, smiling at her Chikorita while rubbing her neck. Then she started across the field for her younger sister. "Nice battle. That was impressive for your first try."


Gabri smiled slightly. "Thanks." She shook the hand offered to her.


"It will get easier with practice," Dani said from the sideline.


Gary nodded. "Just keep training."


Gabri nodded back. "Right."


"That battling has made me hungry," Juniper said. "Why don't we all go inside for some lunch?"


"Ok!" said the group of four.

--


"So, where are you three going from here?" Professor Juniper asked the sisters as they all sat around a kitchen table eating sandwiches. She was on the end near Dani and Gary, who were sitting across from each other. Shelly sat next to Dani and Gabri across from her. Mo, Petals, and Dragon ate from bowls of Pokemon food on the floor.


"We're going to Striaton City for my first Unova Pokemon contest," said Shelly.


"And gym battles for us," Dani added.


"If I'm ready," Gabri added softly.


"You're a coordinator?" Gary said in interest. "You know, I've never actually seen a Pokemon contest."


"They're fun to watch," Juniper said. She smiled at Shelly. "Good luck to you."


Shelly smiled back at her. "Thanks."


Juniper turned to Gary. "And where are you headed off to?"


"I don't know, actually," Gary said. "I don't have anything big going on right now. I was thinking about exploring Unova to see what I can find since it's so unique and I've never seen all of it."


Juniper nodded. "That's not a bad idea. If you haven't been on a journey for awhile, it might help to clear your mind and discover areas where you might be interested in researching in the future. Taking a break can be a good thing."


Shelly nudged Dani and gave her a knowing look. Dani knew what she wanted. She thought Gary was cute and wanted her to invite him to join them, but she was too shy to ask him herself. She put on a smile as she looked across the table at him. "If you want to see a Pokemon contest, you could come with us to Striaton City."


"Oh, I don't want to impose," Gary said.


"You wouldn't," said Shelly.


"Yeah, it would be fun," Gabri said eagerly.


"Have you ever traveled with friends?" Dani asked.


"Well, no, actually," Gary said.


"Then you have to come with us at least to Striaton City!"


Juniper smiled. "She's right. It's an experience you don't want to miss."


Gary chuckled lightly. "Alright then. I'll go with you to Striaton City."


"Great," said Dani while Shelly hid a smirk.

--


An hour later, everyone was gathered in front of the Pokemon lab. Gabri held Dragon in her arms while mo clung to Dani's head. "Thanks for everything, Professor Juniper," Gary said.


Juniper nodded. "Of course. Go have some fun now."


Gary smiled. "Right." He turned to the girls. "I made a friend in Kalos that can help us out." He took out a Pokeball and released the Pokemon inside. A large goat-like Pokemon with saddlebags now stood before them. "This is Gogoat."


"Aw, he's cute," Shelly said as she rubbed the grass around his neck. "Hello, Gogoat."


"He can help carry some of our stuff so our packs aren't so heavy."


The four of them opened their bags and transferred some of their supplies to the Gogoat. When they were finished, the Pokemon snorted in satisfaction.


"We're all set," said Gary.


"Goodbye, professor Juniper!" Gabri said as she followed the others to the road.


"Goodbye!" Juniper called, waving to them. "Good luck in the contest, Shelly!"


"Thank you!" Shelly yelled back.


Then they were on the round, a determined look in all of their eyes. A new journey had begun.


***


A/N: I hope you enjoyed that little introduction. Here are drawings of the characters and their ages:


Dani (14): s23.postimg.org/yng05pnnv/dani.jpg

Shelly (12): s18.postimg.org/424mwwk95/shelly.jpg

Gabri (10): s4.postimg.org/8q08hpba5/gabri.jpg

Gary (15): s17.postimg.org/mm5iz6sb3/gary.jpg

Chapter 3: New Friends


The four travelers decided to only walk for a few hours during the day and spend the rest of the time training. It would take a lot longer to get to Striaton City that way, but they thought it was best since the contest was not until another couple of weeks. Besides, they all had a lot of work to do.


Gabri found out that her Emolga, which she names Cashew, did not know how to fly - or glide, as it was. She enlisted the help of Shelly's Butterfree in order to teach him. She did not want to be a laughing stock new trainer who had a flying type that did not know how to fly! After several days of intense training, Cashew seemed to have gotten down the basics.


Nine days after they had first set out, they found themselves on a hill overlooking a town. "Is this Striaton City?" Shelly asked excitedly.


Gary shook his head. "This is Accumula Town. Striaton City is beyond it. Let's stop here for awhile."


"Sounds good to me," Dani said as she led the way down the hill. It had been awhile since they had eaten real food and slept in real beds!


Soon, they were at the Pokemon Center handing their Pokemon off to Nurse Joy and her Audino to make sure they were in good connection. "Oh, Gabri and I need to register for the Pokemon League," Dani said after the Pokemon were taken away.


Joy smiled at her. "Alright. I will just need your Pokedexes." Dani and Gabri handed over their Unova Pokedexes. Joy scanned them into her computer and then gave them back. "You're all set. Will you be going to Straiton City for a gym battle?"


Dani nodded. "That's our next stop."


"Why don't you check out the Battle Club here in Accumula City? It would be great practice for both of you."


Dani blinked. "Battle Club?"


"There are battle clubs all throughout Unova. Trainers may go there to challenge others and gain experience as well as tips from the battle master. I can give you directions if you want."


Dani grinned. "Sounds good to me." She glanced behind her. "What do you guys think?"


"I'm in if that's what you guys want," said Gary.


Shelly shrugged. "Sure. I would enjoy watching a battle."


"It seems like a good idea," Gabri said.


"Here you are," Nurse Joy said as she held out a slip of paper to Dani. "I think they are closed for the evening, but you can check it out tomorrow."


Dani smiled as she accepted the paper. "We will. Thank you, Nurse Joy."


The group walked off to the side where they could talk better. "I'm going to call my grandpa, and then we can go get some dinner," Gary said.


Shelly nodded. "Ok."


"Can we say hi?" Gabri asked.


Gary smiled. "Sure. I think he would like that."


They found a video phone booth, and Gary dialed a number. It rang several times before the screen flickered on to reveal an older man wearing a white lab coat. "Hello, Gary," the man said in a pleasant voice. "It's good to see you. Who do you have with you?"


"I met these sisters at Professor Juniper's lab," Gary said. "I'm traveling with them to Striaton City to watch Shelly in a Pokemon contest."


"That's me," Shelly said, smiling shyly.


"I'm Dani," her older sister piped up. "Gabri and I are going to challenge the gym leader in Striaton City."


"Oh, that's right," said Professor Oak. "Professor Juniper told me you had found some traveling partners. It's nice to meet you girls."


"You too," Dani said.


"We're just going to Striaton City," Gary said. "I don't know what I'll do from there."


"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." His grandpa smiled at him. "It's good for researchers to know the land and Pokemon in every region, and there is no better way to do that than to go on a journey with trainers and coordinators. You'll learn a lot more than you think."


Gary nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. We're going to go find something to eat. Talk to you later, Gramps."


Professor Oak nodded. "Goodbye. Good luck to all of you in your adventures."


"Bye!" the girls said before the screen clicked off.


"He seems nice," Gabri said.


Gary nodded. "He is. Now let's find some dinner!" The three sisters could not agree more.


***


The next morning, the four kids followed Nurse Joy's instructions and found themselves entering the Accumula Town Battle Club. There were computers inside, but they headed started for the battle area to see if they could watch a battle or find some opponents.


"Welcome to the Battle Club!" a man said at the door. "I'm Don Georges, your battle master. What can I do for you? Wow, is that a Cyndaquil?"


Dani grinned. "Yep. My sisters and I come from Johto."


"My, what a rare Pokemon for Unova."


"I know. Anyway, we came to battle."


"Well, we have two challengers looking for a tag battle if you and one of your friends are up for it."


Dani glanced at Gabri. "What do you say? It would be good practice for our gym battle."


Gabri hesitated. "I don't know," she said, holding Dragon in her arms. "I'm a pretty new trainer..."


"So am I!" said a boy from the battlefield. He wore glasses and had deep blue hair. "Come on, it'll be fun! I'm Max, and this is my sister, May."


"Hello there," said the brown-haired girl next to him.


"Hi!" Dani said cheerfully. "I'm Dani. These are my sisters, Shelly and Gabri, and our friend, Gary."


"Max and May... Why does that sound familiar?" Gary mused.


"Nice to meet you," said Max. "So, are we going to battle?"


"Sure," Gabri said with a slight smile. She headed over to the other side of the battlefield with Dani while Don Georges stood off to the side to officiate.


"This will be a tag battle," said the battle master. "Each trainer will use one Pokemon. The battle will be over when both Pokemon on one side are unable to battle. Please choose your Pokemon."


"Alright," said May, "come on out, Glaceon!" A pretty blue Pokemon appeared before her.


Gabri set her Tepig down on the ground. "I'm choosing you, Dragon."


"You're up, Ralts!" said Max. The Psychic type soon stood before him.


Dani thought for a second before pulling out a Pokemon. "Let's go, Luke!" A second later, the Charmeleon stood beside his new fire type partner. "You guys can go first."


May smiled. "Thanks. Glaceon, use Ice Shard on Dragon!"


"Ralts, use Confusion on Luke!"


"Dodge and use Ember on Glaceon!" Dani said.


"Uh... you too, Dragon," Gabri said quickly.


Glaceon shot out shards of ice. Dragon tried to dodge, but most of them hit him. Ralts sent an odd wave at Luke, but the stronger fire type was unable to jump out of the way. Luke turned and spat out his fire balls at Glaceon. The ice type managed to dodge this attack but was not quick enough to get out of the way of the second Ember coming from Dragon.


"Alright, then, use Dragon Rage on Glaceon!" Dani said.


"Disarming voice!" Max said.


"Dragon, Ember on Ralts!" Gabri said.


"Glaceon, Shadow Ball on Luke!" May said.


While Luke formed a ball of energy in his claws, Ralts let out a shrill cry, causing both him and Dragon to cringe in pain. Still, the Charmeleon managed to fling out the Dragon Rage, and a second later, Dragon started up his fire balls. Both attacks hit their targets, but while he was distracted, Luke was struck by Glaceon's Shadow ball.


"Now, Glaceon, Secret Power on Dragon!"


"Dragon, Ember on Glaceon!"


"Ralts, Confusion on Dragon!"


Dani hesitated as she thought about what she should do. It looked like their opponents were ganging up on the Tepig. She did not like that. "Luke, Smokescreen!"


Right after the three attacks were sent out, dark smoke filled the room. Two Pokemon cried out, so at least two of the attacks had hit. However, now no one could see anything.


Dani glanced at her sister, and they nodded. "Double Ember!" they cried.


Fire balls were sent flying in every direction into the smoke. As the smoke started clear from the attacks, Glaceon and Ralts were seen visibly standing, but they appeared tired from being struck.


Dani looked straight at Ralts and then glanced at Gabri, who nodded in understanding. "Luke, use Fire Fang on Ralts!"


"Dragon, Tackle against Ralts!"


"Dodge!" Max cried.


"Shadow Ball on Dragon!" said May.


Luke raced towards Ralts with his fangs glowing. Ralts managed to dodge, but she was too late to run out of the way of the Tepig. After being knocked to the ground, Luke jumped up and bit down on her with his Fire Fang. At the same time, Glaceon hit Dragon with a Shadow Ball. Ralts and Dragon did not stand up.


"Dragon and Ralts are unable to battle," Don Georges said.


"Looks like it's just you and me," May said to Dani with a small smirk.


Dani smirked right back at her. "Right. Luke, use Dragon Rage!"


"Secret Power!"


The two attacks collided in the middle, causing an explosion that sent both Pokemon flying back.


"Icicle Spear!" May called


"Ember!" Dani watched as the fire melted the ice into water. She needed to do the same thing to that Glaceon. "Now Fire Fang - and don't give up until you hit!"


"Keep using Shadow Ball, Glaceon!"


Luke ran towards Glaceon, but she jumped out of the way and sent a Shadow Ball in his direction, which he barely dodged. As he ran towards her again, the second Shadow Ball hit. The Charmeleon got up quickly and started chasing the ice type around the field. Glaceon turned her head to use Shadow ball again, but this caused her to trip and fall on her face, giving Luke enough time to jump on her and bite down hard. He jumped off to the side, staring down victoriously at the fainted Glaceon.


"Glaceon is unable to battle," said Don Georges. "Luke is the winner, and victory goes to Dani and Gabri!"


Dani turned and grinned at her little sister. "We won!" She then smiled at her Charmeleon. "Great work, Luke." She took out his Pokeball and returned him.


"That was awesome!" Gabri said excitedly.


"It was fun even though we lost," May agreed.


"We'll win next time," Max said.


"Oshawott!" said a Pokemon near the sideline by Gary and Shelly.


The four trainers blinked as they stared at him. "What's that?" May asked.


"That Oshawott likes to watch our battles ere," Don Georges explained. "He comes from Professor Juniper's lab. No one chose him for a long time, so he escaped, and now he challenges everyone he meets. He loves to be at a type disadvantage."


"Hi!" Gabri said to the little Pokemon.


Oshawott stared at her before turning and walked out of the room.


"I guess he doesn't want to talk," Max said.


The four of them made their way over to the sideline. "That was a great battle," Gary said. "And I remember who you two are now. Grandpa said that some kids named May and Max traveled with Ash through Hoenn and the Battle Frontier."


"You know Ash?" May said excitedly.


Gary smirked. "We did grow up together in Pallet Town. We're rivals now. My grandfather is Professor Oak."


"You're Gary Oak?" Max said with wide eyes.


Gary smiled proudly. "The one and only."


May clapped her hands together. "Ash told us about you! It's great to finally meet you."


"I'm confused," Shelly said. "Who's Ash?"


"He's a Pokemon trainer from Kanto we used to travel with before I was a trainer," Max explained.


"That was when I first started out as a coordinator," May added.


Shelly immediately perked up. "You're a coordinator? So am I!"


"That's awesome! Have you been in any Unova contests yet?"


"No. We're headed to Striaton City for the Contest there."


"So are we! I guess we'll see you there."


"Yeah. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"


May shook her head. "No. I wanted to go shopping, but Max keeps complaining."


"Do you want to come shopping with me? We can dump Max on Gary and my sisters, who don't like shopping either."


"Hey!" Max exclaimed.


May brushed him away. "She didn't mean it like that. And I would love to. If the rest of you are fine with it, that is."


Dani and Gabri shrugged while Gary, "That's fine. Go have some fun."


May and Shelly grinned. "Great!"


The group made their way outside. Once they were out in the bright sun, Shelly and May dashed away together. The others turned t each other, but before any of them could speak, something said, "Oshawott!"


Dani looked down to see the Oshawott from before standing in front of her, pointing at her. She blinked. "Hi there. Do you want something?"


"Oshawott!"


"Remember what Don Georges said?" Gary said. "Maybe he liked your battle with your Charmeleon and wants to battle you."


Dani smiled down at the Oshawott. "Is that true?"


He nodded his head. "Oshawott."


"Well, Luke is resting now. Do you want to battle Mo?" The Cyndaquil waved from her shoulder.


Oshawott shook his head.


"Don Georges said he likes to be at a type disadvantage," Max said.


Oshawott nodded again.


"Oh, I have someone you might like to meet then!" The oldest girl pulled out a Pokeball and pushed the button, causing her Pikachu to appear before her. "Do you want to battle Cody?"


Oshawott brightened at the sight of the electric type. "Oshawott! Oshawott!"


Cody gave him a slight smile. "Pika."


"Cool, a Pikachu!" Max said excitedly.


"My sisters were recently in Kanto," Gabri explained.


Dani smiled. "Alright. Let's battle!" The group walked off to a grassy area so they were not blocking the Battle Club. Oshawott stood opposite of Cody, a determined look on his face. She liked the little guy's determination and decided she would catch him if she could. "Cody, start off with Slam!"


Cody ran forward on all fours. When he got close to his opponent, he stood up to slam into him, but he darted out of the way. Turning, the sea otter blasted Cody with a Water Gun, causing him to fall on his back.


"You're tough," Dani said. "Cody, use Electro Ball!"


Cody started to form an electric ball on his tail while the Oshawott started to run at him. He threw the ball, but the water type dodged and hit him with a Tackle.


"And fast," Dani added. "Let's see if you can dodge this. Thunderbolt!"


Cody stood up and took a second to gather his electricity. Then he sent a powerful electric bolt straight at the Oshawott, which made a direct hit. When the attack finished, the Oshawott looked like he had taken a lot of damage. Still, his eyes glowed with determination, and he started to blow more water at the electric mouse.


"Double Team!"


Before the water could hit, a whole bunch of Pikachu appeared and surrounded the Oshawott, who looked around in surprise. He seemed uncertain about which one to hit with his Water Gun.


"Now Electro ball!"


All of the Pikachu started to form their balls on their tails. Oshawott started to shoot water at all of them, making them disappear. Before he could get to the real Cody, the ball of electricity hit him in the chest, sending flying onto his back.


"That should have done a lot of damage!" Max exclaimed. "Try to catch him now!"


Dani nodded. She would love to have such a cute and tough Pokemon on her team. She pulled out an empty Pokeball and tossed it at the Oshawott. To her surprise, he struggled to his feet and swatted the Pokeball away with his scalchop. "You still want to battle?" He nodded. "Well, ok... Cody, use Slam!" She worried about how much more damage another electric attack would do.


Cody ran forward on all fours. When he got close, he stood up and slammed into the Oshawott with his body. It looked like Oshawott was crushed, but then he managed to push his opponent off of him with his scalchop. Then he blasted his Water Gun at him.


"I don't think he is going to give up," Gary said. "You need to end this now."


Dani nodded. "Cody, Thunderbolt!"


Cody released another powerful bolt of electricity. Oshawott cried out as he was hit, and he stood panting heavily when the attack finished. However, he still lifted his head and tried another Water Gun.


"You need to knock him out," Max said.


Dani looked around and noticed a rock nearby. "Cody, use Slam near the rock!"


Cody raced towards the Oshawott and the rock. He slammed into him, sending him flying. The water Pokemon hit the rock with his head and immediately fell unconscious. Dani raced forward to where he lay, and then she bent down and scooped him up in her arms.


"We need to take him to a Pokemon Center," Gary said.


Dani nodded. She knew this little one must have sustained a lot of damage. She wished she could have finished the battle sooner... She shook the thoughts away as she ran towards the Pokemon Center with her friends.


Luckily, the Pokemon Center was not far away. Dani barged through the doors with her friends on her tail. "Nurse Joy!" she cried. "This Oshawott is hurt!"


"Oh no!" said Joy. "Not that Oshawott again. Give him to me." She walked over to meet her halfway and took the Pokemon from her arms. She then turned and headed to a back room.


"He'll be fine, right?" Max said.


"I hope so," Dani said grimly.


-


Meanwhile, Shelly and May were having fun shopping together. After some time passed, they decided to go back to the Pokemon Center to check up on their siblings and friends. "So, is this Ash person you traveled with your boyfriend?" Shelly asked.


"Oh, no!" May said. "We were just friends."


Shelly examined her new friend, noting her relaxed expression, and decided to believe her. "Ok. Then who's your boyfriend?"


"I don't have a boyfriend." She smiled weakly.


"How long have you been traveling?"


May seemed to think about this for a moment before responding. "About three years."


"Then you've had to have come across some guy you like."


May hesitated. "No. I mean - I've been busy with contests." She smiled nervously.


Shelly raised her eyebrows. "Uh huh." Now this she did not believe, though she knew she would not get anywhere by pushing her. "What guys do you know? Any rivals?"


May seemed to relax slightly at this question. "I've met a lot of guys, but the two I keep running into are Harley and Drew. "Harley is really annoying and enjoys making me uncomfortable and causing me distress." She made a face. "Thankfully, he did not come to Unova."


Shelly nodded. She doubted that she had a crush on Harley. "What about Drew?"


"He said he's coming to Unova. I met him at my very first contest all the way back in Hoenn." She smiled softly at the memories. "At first, he would always make fun of me and act like he was better than me, but ever since I beat him in the Kanto Grand Festival, he seems to have a lot more respect for him and is a lot nicer to me, though he still enjoys teasing me."


Shelly smirked. "I see. Are you just rivals?"


"Well, I think we're friends. We've helped each other out in tight situations in the past, and we like talking to each other. At least I do..."


"Is he cute?"


May blushed and glanced down. "He's alright..."


Shelly smirked again. "I want to meet him." From what May was saying, she thought he liked her, but she would have to talk to him for herself.


"You will probably run into him at a contest sometime."


"Good." She could not wait to see if her intuition was right.


"So, do you like anyone? Like Gary?"


Shelly was taken aback by the sudden change in conversation. She bit her lip as she considered the question. "Well... He's definitely cute, and there is an attraction. I have to get to know him a bit more before I can decide if it's something worth pursuing."


May nodded. "That's a good idea. Good luck."


Shelly smiled slightly. "You too."


At this point, they had finally reached the Pokemon Center. As they walked through the doors, they were surprised to see their siblings and friends sitting in chairs looking quite glum. "Max, what did you do?" May said.


Max looked up at her in surprise. "It was Dani!"


Shelly sent her older sister a sharp look. "Dani."


"I didn't mean to!" Dani said quickly. "That Oshawott wanted to battle my Pikachu, and he wouldn't give up..."


"He sustained a lot of injuries," Gary said. "Nurse Joy is taken a look at him right now."


That moment, Joy walked back out into the front and headed to the kids, who all looked up at her expectantly. "Oshawott is going to be just fine," she said with a small smile. "He's resting, and I'm going to keep him here overnight."


Dani let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."


"Nurse Joy," Max said, "have you seen that Oshawott before?"


Joy smiled sadly and nodded. "I see him about once a week. Trainers say he challenged them to a battle and was easily defeated."


"What do trainers do after they bring him here?"


"They leave, and I release him the next day."


"Well, I'm not going to leave," Dani said. "I want to make sure he's fine in the morning."


Gary nodded. "Good idea. We'll stay."


Joy smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate. You can come in and visit him later if you want."


"Ok," said Dani.


"Waiting around here isn't going to help," May said. "I think it's time for lunch. I heard about this great noodle shop we can try out!"


"Yum, noodles," said Gabri. Everyone else agreed.


-


Soon, everyone was seated at a table enjoying some delicious noodles. No one spoke for the first several minutes while they ate their food. Finally, Max looked across the table at Gabri and said, "Is your Tepig your first Pokemon?"


Gabri gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yep. Who is yours?"


"Ralts," Max replied.


"Ralts isn't a starter," Shelly said, "and isn't it from Hoenn?"


"Yes," Max said. "You see, when May first started out as a coordinator, she let me tag along. One day, I found an injured Ralts and brought her to the Pokemon Center. We became close, and I promised her I would return for her once I was old enough to be a trainer myself. And that's what I did."


Shelly smiled. "Aw. That's nice."


Max nodded. "So far it's just me and my Rufflet that I caught." He glanced at Gabri. "Do you have any other Pokemon?"


"Just an Emolga," Gabri said.


"Aw, Emolga are cute," May said.


"They are."


"So, Gary, what are you doing in Unova?" May asked.


"My goal is to become a Pokemon researcher," Gary replied. "Right now, I have no projects going on, so I decided to travel with these girls to Straiton City to watch my fist Pokemon Contest."


"You'll enjoy it. Pokemon Contests are great."


"What will you do after that?" Max asked.


"I don't know," Gary admitted.


"You're welcome to continue traveling with us," Dani said. "Professors Juniper and Oak both said it would be good experience for you."


"And it's fun to journey with friends," May said.


Gary smiled. "I'll think about it. When are you two heading out?"


"After lunch."


"I think we're leaving tomorrow morning," Gabri said.


"Then we'll see you in Striaton City," said Max.


***


The next morning, the four remaining trainers stood in the lobby of the Pokemon Center as Nurse Joy walked up to them with Oshawott by her side. "Oshawott is all better," Joy said.


"Oshawott." The Oshawott smiled and waved at Dani.


"I think he's thanking you for visiting him yesterday afternoon.


Dani smiled. "You're welcome." She had gone to visit him in his room and had spoken encouraging words to him. "Take care of yourself. Thanks again, Nurse Joy."


As they all turned to leave, a panicked look crossed Oshawott's face, and he cried out, "Oshawott!"


Dani blinked as she turned back around and looked at him. "What is it?"


"Oshawott." He ran forward to stand right in front of her.


"I think he wants to go with you," Joy said.


"Is that true?" asked Dani.


"Oshawott." He nodded. Then he pointed at Mo, who rested on her shoulder. "Oshawott."


"You want to battle Mo? Will you let me catch you this time?"


"Oshawott." Another nod.


"Awesome," Gabri said with a grin.


"I think you will be a great trainer for him," Joy said.


Dani smiled. "Great. Let's go battle."


The five of them walked out of the Pokemon Center and found a grassy area. Mo jumped down in front of Dani while Oshawott stood a little ways back. Gabri, Shelly, Gary, and Nurse Joy watched from off to the side. "Ok, Mo, use Flame Wheel!"


Mo turned into a wheel of fire and rolled towards Oshawott. The water Pokemon quickly jumped out of the way before blasting him with a Water Gun. The Cyndaquil stood up, dazed.


"Fine. Use Flamethrower."


Mo's powerful fire hit Oshawott and sent him flying back. Oshawott struggled to stand up, but he did manage to hit his opponent with another Water Gun. He seemed to know that sticking with his water attack was the best strategy.


"Now use Swift!"


Oshawott jumped in the air to avoid the sharp stars. Upon coming back to the ground, he wagged his tail to lower Mo's defense. Then he shot out yet another stream of water, which hit its mark.


Dani was impressed with the Oshawott's skills and wondered who no trainer had wanted him. "Inferno!"


Mo lowered his head, and the fire on his back started to grow blue, which he aimed at the Oshawott. This time, the water Pokemon was unable to dodge. He was panting heavily as he struggled to stand up.


"Alright, let's see if this works!" Dani found an empty Pokeball and tossed it at the Oshawott. The Pokemon was sucked inside, and the ball started to move back and forth. After several seconds, it grew still. "Yes!" The girl ran forward and picked up the Pokeball, which immediately became small. "Right. I'm already carrying six Pokemon."


"You can switch out your Pokemon in the Pokemon Center if you want," Nurse Joy offered.


Dani nodded. "Right."


"Congratulations," Gary called to her as she headed back inside.


Dani looked back and flashed him a grin. "Thanks!"


The oldest girl returned ten minutes later. "Ok, let's go!" She tossed a Pokeball in the air, and the Oshawott appeared before her. 'I'm going to name you 'Simon.' How does that sound?"


"Oshawott," Simon said with a smile.


"I think he likes it," Gabri said.


"We better get going," Shelly said. "Goodbye, Nurse Joy."


"Goodbye," said Joy. "Good luck in Straiton City and take care of that Oshawott!"


"I will," Dani said.


Gary led the way with Gogoat by his side. Mo hung onto Dani's shoulder while Dragon walked beside Gabri. Simon ran up ahead so he was the one in front. Dani simply smiled at him as they continued their journey.


***


A/N: May: s1.postimg.org/z27i092nj/may.jpg


Max: s21.postimg.org/oyvzkjqqf/max.jpg

Chapter 5: The First Gym


The following day, the group finally reached Straiton City. "This is awesome!" Shelly said as they walked down the streets towards the Pokemon Center. "My first contest is in three days!"


"Don't forget about our gym battle first," Dani said.


"When are we going over?" Gabri asked.


"I think we should let Nurse Joy give our Pokemon a check-up and then head over after lunch," Gary said, placing his hand on Gogoat's neck.


"That sounds good to me," Dani said.


As the Pokemon Center came into sight, someone walked out of it: Paul. "Hey, it's Paul!" Gabri said excitedly.


Gary blinked. "So?"


"Who cares?" said Shell.


Gabri and Dani apparently cared, for they ran forward to greet the boy. "Hi, Paul," Dani said. She and her youngest sister stood before him, smiling at him. Mo sat on Dani's shoulder while Gabri held Dragon in her arms.


Paul frowned at them. "It's you two. What do you want?"


"Have you battled the Striaton Gym yet?" Dani asked.


"Yes. I easily won, though you two might have some trouble."


"We'll be fine," Dani said.


"Do you want to join us for lunch?" asked Gabri.


"No," Paul said without emotion. He then got moving again and walked past him.


"We'll see you later!" Dani called after him.


"Have fun with whatever you're doing next!" said Gabri.


"Training is not supposed to be fun," Paul called back.


Dani and Gabri exchanged looks. "The training we do is fun," said Dani. Gabri just shrugged.


"What was that about?" Shelly asked as she approached.


"We were just saying 'hi,'" Gabri replied.


Gary frowned. "Why bother? He's not worth it."


"You're wrong," said Dani.


Shelly rolled her eyes. "Just drop it, Gabri. Those two are crazy."


Her sisters knew they were not crazy, but they also knew they could not convince her of that. They remained silent as they entered the Pokemon Center. Hopefully both of them would see in time. Actions spoke louder than words.

--


The group ate at a nice restaurant in the city. When they were finished, Dani asked one of the waiters where they could find the Straiton City gym because she and Gabri wanted to challenge the gym leader. At this, everyone in the restaurant turned to look at them. The group sweatdropped.


"You're in the Straiton City Gym!" the red-haired waiter exclaimed.


Shelly blinked. "This does not look like a gym."


"The gym is in the back," said the blue-haired waiter who suddenly popped up next to the other.


"I'm Chili and this is Cress," the first one explained. "We're brother gym leaders here. We have a triplet, but he's off on a journey right now."


"Follow us," said Cress.


Dani shrugged and followed them to the back of the restaurant. A bunch of girls trailed behind. In the next room, they all found themselves inside a spacious gym. "Cool!" Gabri said. She had never seen a real gym before.


"You may challenge either of us," Chili explained. "If you beat the one you have chosen, you will win a gym badge."


"Let's each choose one of them," Dani said.


Gabri nodded. "Ok."


"Now we will let you see our Pokemon," Cress said. "Come on out, Panpour." A water type appeared before him.


"You too, Pansear," said Chili, and he released a fire type.


"Ooo... monkeys," Gabri said with a grin. She glanced at her sister. "You can go first."


"I choose Panpour," Dani said.


"Very well," said Cress. "I look forward to it."


After handing Mo off to Gary to watch on the sideline, Dani followed him onto the battle field. She glanced near the restaurant and noticed the girls from before acting as cheerleaders, which she thought was odd. Once they were on opposite sides, she pulled out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Cody!" Her Pikachu appeared with a flash of light.


"I haven't seen a Pikachu in awhile," Cress said with slight surprise. "Do not think this will be easy. I defeated the last Pikachu I was up against. You may have the first move."


Dani knew from experience that gym leaders always had a strategy to make up for disadvantages. She was prepared to meet that challenge. Once she found out his strategy, she could develop a counter-strategy. The best way to figure him out was to start off with an electric move. "Cody, use Thunderbolt!"


"Panpour, aim your Water Gun at the Pikachu's feet," Cress said.


Cody jumped up and prepared to use Thunderbolt. Before he could get an attack in, however, Panpour shot water at his feet, causing him to fall flat on the ground on his belly.


"Ok, use Electro Ball."


"Mud Sport!"


Cody started to form a ball of energy on his tail. Meanwhile, Panpour dug up mud that coated him and also flew in a stream towards the Pikachu. Cody was knocked back, the attack was stopped.


"Good job, Panpour. Now use Water Gun."


Just as Cody stood up, a stream of water knocked him right back off his feet. Dani could tell this was not looking good. The water type had not taken any damage at all! Maybe it was time for a different strategy. "Cody, use Slam!"


"Double Team!"


Cody ran towards the Panpour, but he skidded to a halt when many of them suddenly appeared. He looked around in confusion.


"Now Scratch!"


"Use Thunderbolt to find the real one!"


Cody released his electricity, hitting fake Panpour that disappeared. Just as he got to the second to last one, the real Panpour jumped on him and scratched his side, causing him to cry out.


Dani knew she needed to think of something quickly to turn this battle around. Then an idea occurred to her. "Cody, plant your tail in the ground!"


Cress looked at her in confusion. "What are you doing? Panpour, use Water Gun!"


Cody jumped up with his tail down. As he fell down, his tail became planted in the ground. The Water Gun hit his feet, but it did not knock him down.


"Now Thunderbolt!"


Cody released a powerful stream of electricity that hit the Panpour. When the attack finished, the water monkey was panting.


"Clever," said Cress, "but it won't be enough. Use Scratch!"


"Double Team!" Dani said.


Panpour ran towards the Pikachu, but this time he was the one surrounded by doubles. "Use Water Gun on them all!" his trainer said.


"Electro Ball!" Dani cried.


Panpour sot streams of water at the Pikachu that were all getting ready to use Electro Ball. Before he could it the real one, Cody sent his ball of electricity flying. The Panpour cried in surprise as he was flown backward, badly injured.


"Finish it with Slam!" said Dani.


As Panpour struggled to his feet, Cody raced forward. The water type had just stood up when the Pikachu slammed into him. Panpour slid across the field before fainting.


"Panpour is unable to battle," Chili said. "Cody is the winner, and victory goes to Dani!"


Dani grinned as her Pikachu raced towards her. "We did it, buddy!" Cody jumped in her arms, and she hugged him tightly.


"Good job," Shelly said as her sister returned to the sideline.


"That was amazing," said Gary.


"Cynda!" Mo said in agreement from his shoulder.


"Congratulations," Gabri said with a small smile.


Dani nodded. "Thanks, guys."


"That was an impressive battle," Cress said as he approached her. He held something out to her. "You've earned this. It's a trio badge."


Dani grinned as she accepted the badge. "Awesome. Thanks!"


"Would you like to battle me now?" Chili asked Gabri, smiling at her.


Gabri hesitated before nodded. "Yeah."


While the two of them left for the field, Dani took Mo back. The Cyndaquil climbed onto her right shoulder while Cody perched on her left to watch the battle.


"I will be using Pansear," Chili said as he stood on one side of the battlefield with his monkey before him.


Gabri set her Tepig down in front of her on the other side. "I'm going with Dragon."


"Fire against fire? Alright. We're ready when you are."


"Dragon, use Tackle!"


"Pansear, use Flame Charge!"


The two Pokemon ran right at each other. However, Pansear soon became engulfed in flames. When the two collided, it was the Tepig that was flown back.


Gabri frowned. She had not been expecting that. "Dragon, Tail Whip and Ember!"


"Pansear, dodge and use Fire Punch!"


Dragon whipped his wiggly tail back and forth before shooting out fire balls at the monkey. Pansear dodged as he ran forward. When he got close to the Tepig, he came out him with a flaming fist. Dragon cried out as he was struck.


"No!" Gabri exclaimed. This was hard. She did not know how her older sister did it. "Use Ember again." This time, the Ember struck its target, and Dragon wagged his tail happily.


"Pansear, use Fire Blast!"


"Dodge it and use Tackle!"


Dragon ran forward while Pansear gathered up energy. Before the Tackle could hit, Pansear blasted the Tepig with an intense fire. The fire seemed to have badly damaged Dragon, but he started running again until he knocked into his opponent.


"Good job, Dragon. Now use Ember."


"Fire Blast, once more!"


Dragon's fire balls hit Pansear, but he responded with another swirl of fire. The fire spin hit Dragon and sent him flying back near his trainer, where he promptly fainted.

"Dragon is unable to battle," Cress announced. "Pansear is the winner, and victory goes to Chili, the gym leader!"


"Yay!" the cheerleaders exclaimed, waving their pom poms.


"No!" Gabri cried as she rushed to pick up her Tepig. Dragon gave her a small smile as he opened her eyes. "You were great. Thanks for trying." She returned him to his Pokeball to give him a rest. Then she sadly walked to the sideline to face her sisters and friend.


"That was a good try for your first battle," Dani said weakly. "We'll be in Striaton City for awhile, so you can train and challenge the gym again."


"We would be happy to have you back," Cress said.


"I can help you train," Gary offered.


"Thanks, guys," Gabri said with a slight smile. She nodded at Cress and Chili. "Yeah, I'll be back." She was disappointed in her defeat, but she was determined to get stronger and leave this city with a badge just like her big sister!

***


The next day, the group visited the contest hall so that Shelly could get her Unova pass and register for the Striaton City contest. After that was taken care of, they left the hall with plans to find areas to train separately. They stopped when they saw two people they recognized headed for the hall. "It's May and Max!" Shelly said, waving.


The two of them noticed the group and headed for them. "Hey, guys," May said, stopping in front of them. "How are you doing?"


"Great!" Dani said. "I won my first Unova badge."


"Awesome," Max said with a grin. He glanced at Gabri. "Have you challenged the gym yet?"


Gabri hesitated. "Yes, but I lost." She smiled sheepishly.


May gave her a sad smile. "That's alright. It happens. You'll just train harder and win next time, right?"


Gabri nodded. "We'll be here for a few days more, so I'll challenge the gym again after the contest."


"How have you two been?" Gary asked.


"We're doing well," May said. "I'm excited for my first Unova contest."


"Me too!" Shelly said.


"I'm excited for my first ever gym battle," Max said. "Oh, and I caught a Tympole!"


"Cool," Gabri said as she checked er Pokedex for the Pokemon.


"Oh, May," said Shelly, "we met your boyfriend."


May blinked. "My boyfriend?"


Shelly smirked. "Yeah, Drew."


May's eyes grew wide. "Drew's not my boyfriend! Why would you think that?"


Just then, Dani noticed Drew several yards away walking in their direction. He certainly had great timing. "Hey, Drew!"


"Hello," Drew said, stopping in front of the group. "What's going on? What are you talking about?"


May's face grew white. "Nothing! I need to go register for the contest! Be back later!" Color returned to her face, and she blushed as she turned and fled for the contest hall.


Drew furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he stared at the spot where she had just stood. "Did I do something?"


Shelly smirked. "Not at all. Don't worry about it. You need to register too, right? Go do that and see how she's doing."


Drew looked at her oddly. "Ok..."


"This is going to go well," Max commented to Gabri, who held back a laugh.


"If you want help practicing later, we could battle," Dani said to Drew as he walked away.


Drew simply nodded at her in acknowledgement.


Shelly elbowed her older sister in the side. "Dani, don't flirt with him; he's taken," she said under her breath.


Dani rolled her eyes. "Battling isn't flirting, Shell."


Gary laughed. "I'll battle with you, Dani."


She smiled at him, ignoring Shelly's annoyed look. "Great."


"After my sister recovers, do you want to watch my gym battle?" Max asked Gabri. "It might help you with your rematch."


"Ok," Gabri agreed, smiling at him. "That sounds like a good idea." She was not sure what it was, but there was something she liked about the boy. Maybe it was the connection they had because they were both new trainers with the same goal.


"I am going to go practice my routine for the appeals," Shelly said. "See you later."


With that, they all went their separate ways.

***


Training continued into the next day. Dani decided to take a break and explore the city. After lunch, she found herself back near the contest hall. In the distance, she could see a coordinator and Pokemon working on combinations. Walking closer, she saw that it was Drew and his Bayleef. "Hi," she greeted them, stopping a couple of yards away.


"Hello," Drew said coolly, "can I help you?"


Before she could respond, she heard the noise that was made when a Pokemon was released from its Pokeball. Then, standing before her, was her Oshawott. She looked at him in surprise. "You let yourself out, Simon?" She had never had that happen before. It did not seem normal to her.


"Oshawott," Simon said confidently, pointing to the Bayleef.


Bayleef blinked. "Bay?"


"Uh, sorry about that," Dani said. "He likes to battle Pokemon who have an advantage over him."


"It's fine," said Drew. "I like his attitude. I'll battle him."


Dani had not been expecting this, but she nodded. "Oh, ok." She set Mo down on the ground so that he could watch. Then she backed up to give them room to battle.


"Since you're so eager to battle, you can have the first move," Drew said. Bayleef stood confidently before him.


Dani was not sure how this was going to go, but she would give it her best. "Ok, Simon, use Tackle."


"Dodge and use Razor Leaf!" called Drew.


Dani let out a breath of relief when Simon ran towards the Bayleef. Unfortunately, the grass type jumped out of the way before shooting sharp leaves at him.


"Ok, Water Gun," Dani said.


"Magical Leaf."


Simon shot a stream of water at the Bayleef, but Bayleef sent a spiral of leaves crashing right through the water, sending droplets flying everywhere. Simon's eyes widened, and at the last second he was able to dodge.


"Try Tackle again."


"Razor Leaf."


Simon jumped up and used Water Gun, which hit this time. Bayleef spun out some leaves, but as Simon fell back to the ground, he was able to dodge them.


"Get close and use Poison Powder."


"Water Gun!" Dani said, hoping he would listen this time.


Bayleef ran towards the Oshawott, who ran towards her as well. It looked like the two would collide until Bayleef skidded to a halt and poured purple dust on the water type. Simon cried out as he tried to wave the dust away with his arms.


Dani gritted her teeth. This was not good at all. Then she got an idea. "Use Water Sport!" That should wash the poisonous powder right off!


Simon did use his water, but he aimed it at the Bayleef, hitting his mark.


"Bayleef, use Synthesis."


"Simon, now is the time to use Tackle." Synthesis took time to work, so they needed to get an attack in now.


Once again, the Oshawott ignored her and used his Water Gun. Bayleef was pushed back in the ground, but she dug her feet in and finished her attack. She seemed to glow with energy as she smiled.


"Magical Leaf!"


"Dodge it!"


A twirl of leaves whipped through the air straight for the water Pokemon. Simon tried to bat them down with his Water Gun, but this only sent a few of them flying off to the side, leaving the rest to hit him.


"Fine. If you want to use Water Gun, sue it now!" Simon seemed to think this was a good time for a Tackle, for he ran straight towards the Bayleef. "No! Water Gun!"


"Razor Leaf!"


Simon finally used Water Gun while running. Bayleef jumped to the side to avoid it. Some of the water hit her, but she shook her head to get it off. Then she stopped the running Oshawott by hitting him with her razor-sharp leaves. Simon fell to the ground and did not get up.


"No! Simon!" Dani ran forward to where her Pokemon lay. "Are you alright?" she asked him as she helped him up.


"Oshawott," Simon said sadly.


"That was pathetic," Drew sneered.


Dani looked up at him with a frown. "What?"


"That Oshawott didn't listen to anything you said. He's never going to become strong and win battles if he keeps acting so immature."


"Osha?" Simon seemed hurt by Drew's words, and tears formed in his eyes. Then he turned and fled.


"Simon!" Dani called after him, but he did not stop. She glared at Drew. "Nice going. Come on, Mo." After the Cyndaquil climbed into her shoulder, she took off after the Oshawott. Bayleef followed on her heels. Shaking his head, Drew took up the rear.

-


Meanwhile, May was practicing combinations with her Beautifly. She turned her head when she heard the sound of someone running towards her. It was an Oshawott. "Oh, hello." The Oshawott stopped before he crashed into her and looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Hey, don't I know you!"


"Simon!" Dani called as she ran towards the Pokemon. She stopped and smiled apologetically at May. "I'm sorry if he bothered you." She frowned at the water type. "You shouldn't run off like that."


"Oshawott," Simon said sadly.


Bayleef then approached. She let one of her vines out and touched Simon's shoulder. "Bay?"


"Oshawott," Simon said, jerking his shoulder away. Drew stood back and watched the scene unfold.


"Isn't that the Oshawott from Accumula Town?" May asked as her Beautifly landed on her head.


Dani nodded. "After Nurse Joy let him go, he let me battle him and capture him."


"Oh. So what's wrong with him?"


"He had a battle with my Bayleef, but he wouldn't listen to any of her commands and lost," Drew explained. "He ran off after I called him out on it."


"Oshawott," Simon said, glaring at Drew. Bayleef tried to approach him again, but he ran from her into May and clung onto her leg.


"Thanks for trying," Dani said, smiling slightly at Bayleef.


May bent down and patted the blue Pokémon's head. "Well, he has been on his own trying to become stronger by himself. It might take awhile for him to realize he needs to work together with his trainer."


"He has a lot to learn," Drew said. He paused. "Maybe he's not the one to blame. It is the trainer's job to control their Pokemon, after all."


Dani frowned. "What does that mean?"


"You can't let your Pokemon run wild like that. Whatever you're doing is not working. You're never going to become stronger if you keep this up. How do you expect to get into the Unova League?"


"Hey, she's trying," May said, sending him a sharp look. "You don't have to be so mean."


"No, it's fine," Dani said. The tension from the moment had passed, and now she could think more clearly and calmly. "He's just trying to act tough. His Bayleef is so sweet that he must be too in order to raise a Pokemon like that." She smiled and rubbed Bayleef's neck.


"Bay," the grass type said, smiling back at her.


Drew crossed his arms and turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about."


"I bet you have a good heart."


May smiled. "I agree."


"Bayleef, we need to train," Drew said, seeming annoyed with the turn the conversation had taken."


"Bay!" Bayleef said, having at the two girls with her vine before following her trainer.


"Bye, Drew!" May called after him. "See you at the contest!" He made no sign that he heard her.


Simon let go of her leg and walked over to Dani, looking up at her sadly. "It'll be alright," she said to him. "We'll do some special training."


"How did you handle that situation so well?" May asked. "I would have gotten angry with him."


Dani shrugged. "I don't like conflict."


"Still, I know what you said is true because I've known Drew for awhile, but how did you know?"


"It's a skill, I suppose. Once I am able to push my own emotions away, I can look beyond what someone is saying or doing and see their real motivations."


"Oh, that's cool. I can't seem to figure him out."


Dani paused, wondering whether she should reveal what she knew. "He likes you. He thinks of you as a friend."


"Really?" May said in surprise. "How do you know?"


"My group and I met him in the forest, and he had lunch with us after we battled. Shelly got him talking, and he mentioned you."


"Oh." She smiled slightly. "He didn't run off after the battle?"


"Well, he wanted to, but I convinced him to stay for a bit."


"That's good. I can't seem to get him to stick around."


"You just need to be persistent and not let him get to you. His bark is worse than his bite." As she watched her Oshawott staring up at her, she wondered if she could through to him.

Chapter 7: Eggs

"You're ready for your rematch?" Cress said as he and Chili stood before Gabri and the others in the Straiton Gym.

The young girl nodded. "I'm ready. I would like to challenge Chili again."

"Very well," Chili said. "Pansear and I look forward to it."

Dragon had a determined look on his face as he strolled onto the battlefield with is trainer. The two of them had done a lot of training over the past few days. Gabri thought that watching Max's gym battle and the contest battles had been especially helpful. She not had a new strategy to help her win.

"Come on out, Pansear," Chili said, releasing his monkey.

"The battle between Chili the gym leader and Gabri the challenger will now begin," Cress said from the side.

"Dragon, use Tackle!" Gabri called.

"Pansear, dodge and use Fire Punch!"

"Now Ember!"

Dragon raced towards the fire monkey Pansear ran forward to meet him with a flaming arm. Before he could hit him, the Tepig jumped to the side and hit him with his ember.

"Not bad," Chili said. "It will take more than that to beat us, though. Fire Blast!"

"Tackle!"

Pansear blasted out fire shaped almost like a star. Dragon found space in the middle to run through. Some of the fire hit him, but he kept on running until he slammed into his opponent.

"Now Ember!" Gabri said.

"Flame Charge!"

Dragon's fire balls hit Pansear, but he ignored him. Soon, the monkey was covered in flames as he ran towards the Tepig. Dragon was unable to dodge, and he slid across the floor with a sequel.

"It's alright," Gabri said. "Use Tail Whip."

"Now it's time for Solar Beam!" Chili exclaimed.

Gabri knew all about this attack from Shelly. She had to be careful not to get it, but she also wanted to take advantage of the time it took to use the attack. "Quick, run and use Ember before you Tackle!" She hoped this would work. She trusted her Pokemon to know to get out of the way of the Solar Beam.

Dragon raced forward as quickly as his little legs would carry him. He shot out his Ember, which hit the Pansear but did not stop his attack. He then slammed into him full-force. Pansear dug his feet in the ground and kept up his attack. He then turned with a ball of energy in his hands.

"His tail!" Gabri cried.

Dragon bit Pansear's tail and held on tightly. The monkey cried out as he let his attack go loose. He tried to aim, but it was difficult to strike the Tepig when he was right on him.

"Now Ember!" Gabri called.

When Dragon could see that Solar Beam was over, he let go of Pansear's tail and shot out fire at him. Pansear fell over from the force of the attack and did not get back up.

"Pansear is unable to battle," Cress said. "Dragon is the winner, and the victory goes to Gabri, the challenger."

"We did it!" Gabri said happily.

"Tepig!" Dragon raced towards his trainer and jumped into her arms. She smiled as she rubbed his head.

"That was impressive," Chili said as the two of them returned to where the others were waiting for them. "You sure learned a lot in a few days."

Gabri nodded. "Thanks. The Pokemon contest was helpful. I learned there is more to battles than the attacks."

"Strategy is important," Dani said. "You did a good job today."

"It was a great battle," Gary said.

"Yeah, good job," said Shelly.

Gabri smiled at them. "Thanks, guys."

"Tepig," said Dragon happily.

"And we have something for you," Cress said. "Proof of your victory here at the Straiton Gym."

Chili held out a small object to her. "The Trio Badge. You've earned it."

"Thanks," Gabri said as she took the badge. She had finally earned her first gym badge, and it felt great!

"If you're ever in Straiton City again, stop by and say 'hi.'"

"We will. Goodbye."

The group waved as the gym leaders as they departed. Once they were outside, they stopped to consider their next move. "Where should we go next?" Dani asked.

Shelly took out her Pokenap to look something up. "There's a contest in Luxuria City in three weeks. Can we go? I really want to win my first Unova ribbon."

"That's fine with me," Gary said.

"Sure," said Dani. "We have plenty of time for gym battles, so there's no hurry."

Gabri nodded. "Let's go."

Shelly grinned. "Great. It's off to Luxuria City!"

***

The group took a leisurely pace as they made their way to Luxuria City. They were purposefully pursuing the long route so that they would have more time to train and catch Pokemon. As long as there was no hurry to make it to the contest, they found this pace quite refreshing and rewarding.

All four members of the group were enjoying each other's company. Gabri found that she loved traveling. She had missed her sisters the last couple of years, so it was great to be spending all of this time together. Gary took a liking to all three girls. They four of them casually talked and go to know each other as they walked through the forest and made meals together.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened until several days had passed since they left the last city. They were walking along a path, minding their own business, when a red, furry Pokemon suddenly ran past them.

"What was that?" Gabri exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Gogoat stopped walking and snorted.

"I think that was a Flareon!" Dani said.

"What's a Flareon doing in Unova?" Shelly asked.

"That is quite odd," Gary said.

Before anyone could think of an explanation, something else came running towards them and slammed into Shelly, sending them both crashing to the ground. "Hey!" Shelly grunted, finding herself stuck underneath a person.

"I'm sorry!" the boy said quickly as he hopped off her. He held out a hand to help her up. He had blond hair and bright blue eyes. "I was chasing after that Flareon. I didn't mean to run into you."

"It's alright," Shelly said as she brushed herself off. She then blushed upon realizing that this boy was cute.

"Is that your Flareon?" Gary asked.

The boy shook his head. "No. I'm trying to catch it, but it's tricky. Hey, would you guys want to help me?"

"Maybe we want to catch it," Dani said. "Flareon are awesome."

The boy frowned. "I saw it first. There may be more rare Pokemon where it hangs out."

"Why would you think that?" Gabri asked.

"Eevee and its evolutions aren't native to Unova, so that Flareon might want to hang out with other Pokemon not usually form here."

"I guess that makes sense," Gary said.

"I say we help him," said Shelly.

Dani shrugged. "Ok."

The boy grinned. "Thanks, guys. I'll pay you back alter if I can. Oh, my name's Henry."

"I'm Gary," said the other boy. "This is Dani, Shelly, and Gabri."

"We're sisters," Gabri said.

Henry smiled. "Cool." He then stared at Mo curiously. "Hey, what kind of Pokemon is that?"

"This is a Cyndaquil," Dani said. "I got him from Johto. His name is Mo."

"Cynda." Mo waved at the boy.

"Cool!" said Henry. "Anyway, I'll show you where that Flareon hangs out, and we can try to find it."

He led the group deeper into the forest. Soon, they reached a grassy area hat had dips and turns and a small pond. There was a hill covered in trees, which made it difficult to see what was up there. "This is it," Henry said.

"Let's split up and look around," Gary said.

Mo and Dragon started sniffing around the area. The both ended up at the base of the hill. "Quil!" Mo said.

"Tepig."

"What is it, guys?" Dani said curiously. She walked over to where they were standing and stared up at the hill. "Maybe the Flareon is up there."

"Oh, cool," Henry said, popping up beside her. "Let's check it out."

"Maybe we should wait for it down here," Gary said. "We don't want to scare it again."

"Oh, right. Good idea."

"Let's hide," Dani said.

There were plenty of hiding places in the trees and bushes around the area. Everyone found a different place all around the hill so that the Flareon would have no means of escape. Then they waited.

The sun was starting to go down when they heard a noise. Then, just as expected, the Flareon trotted down the hill. She stopped at the base and looked around. Figuring it was safe, she took several more steps forward.

"Flareon!" Henry said, stepping out from the tree. "I challenge you to a battle."

The Flareon looked around wildly. Then the others emerged from their hiding places, surrounding the Pokemon. The fire type looked back at Henry and growled, her hackles raised.

"Let's go, Swanna!" Henry said, releasing a white water and flying type. "Use Water Pulse!"

From his beak, Swanna sent a blast of water flying out. Flareon grunted as she was hit. She responded by hitting the other Pokemon with a swirl of fire.

"Ok, now Bubble Beam!"

Flareon jumped out of the way of the bubbles by running quickly, zipping back in forth. She then slammed into Swanna, causing him to fall back.

"Careful," Gary warned.

"Swanna, try Bubble Beam again."

This time, the bubbles hit their target. Flareon growled as she shook the water off. Then she ran forward again. This time one of her teeth glowed with fire.

"That's Fire Fang!" Dani exclaimed. "Watch out!"

"Fly into the air!" Henry commanded. "Ariel Ace!"

Swanna flew straight up just in time to dodge Flareon's attack. Then he zipped down, smashing into the fire type.

"Alright, now use Water Pulse!"

Flareon was hit straight on by the blast of water. She fell to the ground and struggled to stand up.

"That water has done a lot of damage," Gary said. "Try catching her now."

Henry nodded. "Go Pokeball!" He tossed the spherical object at the Flareon. The Pokemon was sucked inside, and the ball began to wobble. After a moment, it grew still. The boy let out a breath of relief as he walked to retrieve the Pokeball. "Yes! I caught a Flareon!"

"Swanna!" is Pokemon said happily.

"That was awesome," Gabri said. "Good job."

Henry grinned. "Thanks. I have to get going, but you guys should check out that hill to see if there are any cool Pokemon around. See you later!" He returned Swanna to his Pokeball, and then he was off before anyone could say anything else.

"I say we do it," Shelly said.

"I could use an adventure," Dani agreed.

The group started the long climb up the hill. It was not a very steep hill, but it took several minutes before they reached the top. They all gasped at what they saw waiting for them. There was a large nest with three brown eggs that looked oddly familiar. Mo, Dragon, and Gogoat stepped forward to sniff the eggs.

"I think those are Eevee eggs," Gary said.

"You don't think they're Flareon's eggs?" Shelly said with wide eyes.

"Probably," Gary said grimly.

"Do you think they have a father around?" Dani asked.

"I don't know. I doubt he would come around while we're here. Let's set up camp nearby. We can check on the eggs in the morning."

"Ok," Gabri said. They all reluctantly left, worried about the future of the eggs.

***

The following morning, everyone returned to the clearing just they had planned. They stopped at the base of the hill and looked around. There were several forest Pokemon roaming around. "Mo and Dragon," Dani said, "go ask some of these Pokemon if the eggs have a father. Then meet us at the nest."

"Cynda," Mo said as he climbed off of her shoulder onto the ground.

"Tepig," Dragon said as he followed him.

The humans made their second trek up the hill. When they arrived, the scene was the same as the previous evening. "It looks like nothing has been moved," Shelly said, sounding worried.

"If the father is an Eevee evolution, a trainer may have already captured him," Gary said, placing his hand on Gogoat.

"Or he was scared off by humans," Dani said.

A few minutes later, the two fire types made their way up the hill, panting. "Cynda Cyndaquil," Mo said sadly.

"You didn't find anything?" said Dani.

"You either?" said Gabri.

Dragon shook his head. "Tepig."

"What do you think we should do?" Shelly asked, glancing at Gary worriedly.

Gary hesitated before responding. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave the eggs here. They need someone to care for them, and a Pokemon could cause them harm if they stay. I think each of you should take one."

"Really?" Dani said in surprise. "What about you?"

"I don't need an egg, and I've already had an Eevee. There are three girls and three eggs, so it makes sense."

"Well, if it's what's best for the eggs..." Shelly said.

"I think it's a good idea," Gabri said.

Dani smiled slightly. "I've always wanted an Eevee."

"I don't know much about eggs, so we'll have to get them check out by Nurse Joy at the nearest Pokemon Center," Gary said. "They seem healthy to me."

The sisters each picked up and egg and held them tightly in their arms. "We'll take care of you," Dani whispered to hers.

"You'll be a part of our family," Shelly added.

"Yeah," Gabri said, excited at the thought of having three new babies soon. Mo and Dragon appeared just as pleased.

---

That night, the girls made a makeshift nest with their bags so that the eggs would have a safe place to rest that night. They stood back and examined their work as the last rays of light disappeared. "I hope that will work," Shelly said.

"It looks pretty good to me," Gary said. "We're doing the best we can. Umbreon, come watch the eggs." He released the Eevee evolution. Umbreon stared at the eggs before walking over to lie next to them.

"I'm sure the eggs will appreciate it," Gabri said.

Dani nodded. "Yeah." She watched her Cyndaquil stand by the eggs and yawn. "You tired, Mo? You can go to sleep, but I'm going to lie down and watch the stars." Mo curled up in a ball near the eggs to rest. Dragon walked over to join him.

Dani grabbed her sleeping bag and set it down a few yards away from the eggs. She than laid down on top of it and stared up at the sky. Only the brightest stars were visible this early in the evening. She could still see some clouds, and she tried to form shaped with them in her mind.

Several minutes later, Gary set his sleeping bag down on her left side a foot away from her. She did not say anything as he copied her. Soon, Gabri and Shelly joined them on her other side.

"We're going to be moms," Shelly said after a long time of silent.

"Sure, if you want to put it that way," Dani said.

"I hope I do well since I'm a new trainer," Gabri said.

"You'll all do just fine," said Gary. "You seem to come from a kind and loving home. You'll know what to do."

"Thanks," Dani said, smiling slightly even though he could not see it. She let another minute pass before she spoke up again. "Gary, can I ask you something that might be a little personal?"

"Go ahead," Gary said. "We're traveling together, so I should try to be as open with you as possible."

"Is Professor Oak the only family you have back in Pallet?"

Gary grew silent, and she was worried that she had offended him. Finally, he calmly said, "Yes. I don't have any siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, are any of that sort of thing."

"What about your parents?"

"My mom left when I was a baby, and my dad died a few years later of a broken heart.

Dani frowned. She had not been expecting this. "I'm sorry." She turned to her side to look at him. He was staring at the sky, his expression unreadable.

"Growing up with Gramps is all I ever knew. I had a great childhood. I have nothing to complain about."

"Still..." Shelly said with uncertainty. "Don't you miss them?"

"Sometimes, but why dwell on what I don't have? I'd rather focus on solving future problems."

"Don't you ever wonder where your mom is?" Gabri asked.

"I used to when I was little, but Gramps won't tell me anything, and it's hard to find her when I don't know her last time. When I got older I realized that, if she is the kind of person who would leave a baby, then I don't want to find her. I don't care about her."

"That's better than hating her, I guess," Dani said softly.

Gary's expression softened as he turned into his side to face her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking like this. I guess you couldn't understand."

"Just because we have an intact family doesn't mean we don't know suffering. We all do – in our own way. We don't have to talk about these types of things if you don't want. Not now."

"Maybe someday," Gary agreed. He returned to his back and gazed up at the stars. "It sure is beautiful tonight."

"Yes," Dani agreed, staring up as well.

"Very lovely," said Shelly.

"I'm enjoying it," Gabri added. It was one great part about her new, exciting adventure.

Chapter 9: Battles and Friends

The gang arrived in Luxuria Town five days later. They immediately headed to the Pokemon Center for a checkup for their Pokemon and their eggs. After handing everyone off to Nurse Joy, the stood around in the lobby to talk to each other.

"We should go to the battle club tomorrow," Dani said.

Gabri nodded. "Yeah."

"Ok," said Shelly. "After we get our Pokemon back, we should send one back to Professor Elm so we have room when our Eevee hatch."

"Good idea," Dani said. It would be terrible if they were not able to catch their babies because they already had six Pokemon.

"After you guys do that, I'm going to call me grandpa to tell him I'm still traveling with you," Gary said.

It was not long before Nurse Joy returned and handed back the Pokeballs plus Mo and Dragon. "Your eggs should hatch in a few weeks," she said.

Shelly smiled. "Great. Thanks, Nurse Joy."

Then it was on to the video phone, which contained a teleportation device for Pokeballs. Shelly sent back her Butterfree while Dani gave Professor Elm her Ghastly. Now they were all ready for their eggs to hatch. Gary took over and proceeded to call Professor Oak.

"Hello, Gary," the professor said once he appeared on the screen. "It's nice of you to call. I can see you're still with those lovely girls."

Gary smiled. "Yeah. I decided to travel with them through Unova."

"Oh, excellent. I'm sure you'll have a marvelous time. Say, is that a Cyndaquil?"

"Cynda!" Mo said from Dani's shoulder.

His trainer smiled. "This is Mo. I got him from Professor Elm back in Johto."

"That's nice. And you have an egg?"

"We found them in the forest. They're Eevee eggs."

"They had been abandoned," Gary explained.

"Well, I'm sure you girls will take good care of them," Oak said.

"Hi, Professor Oak!" a female voice said from behind them.

Dani almost jumped out of her skin from fright. She turned to see a grinning blue-haired girl holding a small Pokemon standing there next to a boy. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," the girl said.

Professor Oak chuckled. "Hello, Dawn. Hello, Piplup. It's nice to see you again."

"Piplup," the Pokemon said.

"Dawn, I didn't know you were in Unova," Gary said.

Gabri blinked. "You all know each other?"

"I traveled with Ash back in Sinnoh," Dawn explained. "I saw Gary there a couple of times. Of course, I knew Professor Oak way before then. He writes the bet poetry! Gary is pretty good too."

Dani looked at Gary and smirked. "How come you haven't recited any poetry to us?" she teased.

A sweatdrop appeared on Gary's forehead. "That's really not my thing..."

"Don't be modest," Dawn said.

The boy standing next to her laughed.

"Anyway," Gary said, turning back to the screen, "we should get going. Talk to you later, Gramps."

Professor Oak nodded. "See you later, Gary."

"Oh, I haven't properly introduced myself," Dawn said once the screen clicked off. "I'm Dawn, and this is Piplup."

"I'm Kenny," the boy said.

"Your boyfriend?" Shelly said with a smirk.

Kenny blushed and looked away.

Dawn frowned. "No. We've been friends since we were kids. We decided to travel together. We're both coordinators."

Shelly perked up at this. "Oh, so am I! I'm Shelly. These are my sisters, Dani and Gabri."

"And this is Dragon," Gabri said, nodding at the Tepig on the floor.

"And Mo," Dani added.

"Cynda," Mo said.

"We have Eevee eggs," Gabri said.

Kenny looked at the eggs in awe. "Cool."

"I had a Cyndaquil that hatched from an egg," Dawn said. "He's a Quilava now. Want to see?"

"Sure!" Dani said.

Dawn set Piplup on the floor before taking out a Pokeball. "Come on out, Quilava."

Mo climbed onto the ground to meet his evolved form. "Cynda!"

Quilava smiled at him. "Lava."

With a flash of light, Simon popped out of his Pokeball. "Oshawott," he said, pointing at Quilava.

Dani blinked. "You know he's a fire type, right?"

"Oshawott," Simon said, crossing his arms and nodding.

Dawn smiled. "Aw, that's a cute Oshawott."

"It looks like he wants to battle," Kenny said.

"I guess he wants to battle everyone now," Shelly said.

Dani glanced at Dawn. "We were going to go to the Battle Club tomorrow. How about a battle between these two then?"

"Sure!" Dawn said eagerly. "That sounds fun!"

Dani smiled down at the Oshawott. "Got that, Simon?"

"Osha." He frowned but did not protest.

"In the meantime, why don't we all get something eat?" Gary suggested.

"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed.

***

"Are you ready?" Dawn called to Dani as the two of them faced off against each other on the Club Battle battlefield. Quilava and Simon stood facing off. Shelly, Gabri, Gary, and Kenny were off to the side along with Don Goerges. It turned out there were a lot of Don Goerges running the Battle Clubs in Unova.

"I'm ready," Dani said. "You can go first."

"Alright. Quilava, use Flame Wheel!"

Dani's Cyndaquil may not have evolved, but she was still familiar with the line's move set. "Use Water Gun, and keep on him!"

Quilava curled into a ball and sprung forward. Simon shot out a stream of water that missed at first, but with some effort, he managed to hit the wheel of fire. This did not stop Quilava from slamming into the Oshawott. They both appeared injured as they toppled to the ground.

"Simon, use Razor Shell!"

"Swift, Quilava!"

Simon jumped to his feet and took hold of his scalchop. When he pulled it back, however, it did not start to glow like it was supposed to. He hit the oncoming stars uselessly with the shell. Then one of the stars hit the scalchop, sending it flying; it landed several yards away.

"Oh no!" Dani exclaimed. "Go get it!" It looked like they had more work to do on Razor Shell. At least the water type was listening to her commands this time.

"Smokescreen!" Dawn said.

Simon's eyes widened in horror as thick smoke filled the battlefield, making it impossible to search for his scalchop.

"Stay calm," Dani said. "Listen carefully and Focus Energy. Then use Water Gun."

"Flamethrower!"

Simon took a deep breath and stood still. Suddenly, he heard the sound of fire coming towards him. He jumped to the side, barely missing it. Then he sent a stream of water flying in that direction. Hearing a grunt, he knew he was successful.

"Good job," Dani said in relief. "Use Water Gun on the floor to find your scalchop." The smoke was starting to fade, but it was still difficult to see clearly.

"Quilava, use Swift!"

Just as Simon aimed his Water Gun at the floor, he was struck by flying stars. He let out a startled cry, but he kept up the Water Gun. He ran around the battlefield, away from the Swift, as he used his water as a tool to find what he was looking for. His eyes brightened when he saw something on the ground, covered in water.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Dawn said.

Dani watched as Simon picked up his scalchop. They needed to be close if they were going to use Razor Shell. "Tackle!"

Unfortunately for Quilava, the water on the floor seemed to weaken him and slow down his attack. Simon ran straight for him, slamming into him with his body. He was harmed by the fire, but he did not take as much damage as the Quilava.

"Use Swift!"

"Razor Shell!"

Simon grabbed his scalchop and used it to hit back the sharp stars that came his way. While doing so, he pulled it back and caused it to glow. Then he leapt up and came down, slashing Quilava with the extended scalchop. Quilava fell to the ground in a heap.

"Quilava is unable to battle," said Don Goerges, "Simon is the winner, and victory goes to Dani."

"We did it!" Dani exclaimed.

"Osha?" Simon shield as he ran over to his trainer. "Oshawott!"

Dani picked him up and hugged him. "You were great."

"Thanks for the battle, Quilava," Dawn said as she took out his Pokeball. "Take a rest."

"Do any of you want to battle?" Don Goerges asked the group standing next to him.

"How about we all have a tag team battle?" Kenny suggested. "Coordinators against others!"

Shelly smiled. "That sounds like fun."

"Sure," Gary said. He looked at Gabri. "We can take them." Mo had been sitting on his shoulder, and he jumped onto Dani when she came close.

"Good luck to all of you," Dani said as she took her egg back from Gary. Shelly and Gabri set their eggs down on their bags, and Simon and Piplup walked over to watch over them.

"I'll be going with my new friend, Angel," Shelly said once she was on the battlefield, tossing the Mincinno's Pokeball in the air.

"Then I'll go with Cashew," Gabri said across from her.

"I'll use my partner," Gary said from beside her. "Come on out, Blastoise!"

"I'm going with Breloom!" Kenny said. Soon, all four Pokemon were visible. "Breloom, start off with Energy Ball on Blastoise!"

"Angel, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Shelly said.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump on Breloom!" Gary called.

"Cashew, Quick Attack against Angel!" said Gabri.

Breloom's Energy Ball and Blastoise's Hydro Pump collided, causing an explosion that affected both Pokemon. Angel bade her eyes big and cute while Cashew flew towards her. The Emolga landed towards her and stared at her, finding her too cute to attack.

"Angel, use Pound!"

"Breloom, help her out with Seed Bomb!"

"Blastoise, protect Cashew!"

Angel jumped up in the air and slammed her tail against Cashew, causing him to cry out. Breloom jumped and spit seeds at the Emolga, but Blastoise jumped between the two and took the brunt of the attack.

Gary looked at Gabri to Breloom to Gabri. The young girl nodded in understanding. They would take out Breloom first because he was the biggest threat.

"Cashew, get on top of Blastoise and then use Thunder Shock against Breloom!"

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon against Breloom!"

"Breloom, Energy Ball at Blastoise!"

"Angel, use Helping Hand!"

Cashew flew up and rested on Blastoise's head. The water type proceeded to blast water at the grass type. Meanwhile, Angel put a hand on Breloom to give him more power as he sent a ball of energy flying. The energy avoided the water, and both attacks hit their targets full on along with the Thunder Shock from Cashew.

"Now Seed Bomb," said Kenny.

"Helping Hand again," said Shelly. Since her Mincinno did not know many damaging moves yet and grass attacks were great against both of their opponents, she figured this was the best strategy for now.

"Fine, we'll get both of you," Gary said. "Hydro Pump!"

"Thunder Shock, again!" said Gabri. "Combine it with the water!"

Huge amounts of water came forth from the cannons on Blastoise's back. Cashew's electricity joined with the water, making both attacks more powerful. Angel climbed onto Breloom as he jumped up to use Seed Bomb. Once again, all of the attacks hit like expected, but this time, Angel was also struck.

"Go after the Emolga," Kenny told his partner. "Breloom, try to hit him with Energy Ball!"

"Angel, use Tickle against Blastoise," Shelly said, getting an idea.

Angel ran forward and tickled the Blastoise's stomach with her tail. Blastoise laughed, and the movement caused Cashew to fall off of him. Before he could glide, the Emolga was hit by Breloom's Energy Ball.

"Now use Pound!" Shelly called.

"Thunder Shock on Angel," Gabri said.

Blastoise and Breloom paused to watch the collision. Cashew stood on the ground and struck Angel with a Thunder Shock. Angel held on long enough to Pound him with her tail. Then both of them fell over and fainted.

"Cashew and Angel are unable to battle," said Don Georges.

Gary smirked at Kenny. "It's just you and me. Blastoise, Flash Cannon!"

"Breloom, Seed Bomb!"

Breloom jumped up to use the attack, but Flash Cannon hit him first, sending him flying across the battlefield and onto the ground. He slowly stood up, glaring at the Water Type.

"Use Stun Spore," Kenny said.

"Water Gun," said Gary.

Breloom released a sparkling dust, but Blastoise's water washed most of it away.

"Energy Ball!" said Kenny.

"Let's use Bite," said Gary.

Blastoise started to run forward. He grunted when the ball of energy hit him, but he kept on going. Breloom's eyes widened as his opponent lunged forward and grabbed him in his jaws.

Kenny clenched his teeth in annoyance. "Mega Punch!"

Breloom brought his arm and threw a strong punch at the turtle Pokemon with incredible power, forcing him to let go.

"Now use Seed Bomb!" Kenny said.

"Flash Cannon!"

Breloom jumped in the air and hurled seeds at the Blastoise. The water type grunted in pain, and he responded by shooting out water at high pressure. The water forced the grass type to crash onto the ground, where he did not get back up.

"Breloom is unable to battle," said Don Goerges. "Blastoise is the winner, and victory goes to Gary and Gabri!"

"Great job, partner!" Gabri said, grinning. "Your Blastoise was awesome."

Gary smiled at her. "Thanks, kid. Your Emolga was pretty good as well." He looked over at Shelly and Kenny and smirked. "The coordinators need to practice more."

Shelly frowned. "Yeah..."

"Well, you won't be in the contest," Kenny said. "We'll be fine."

Shelly remembered what had happened at the last contest. Maybe Kenny would be fine, but what about her?

***

The next day, Shelly and Dawn ran off to go shopping in the city. Gary walked around the city alone to gather supplies. Dani and Kenny stayed behind to train together. Gabri was tired of training, so she found a park where she could play with her Pokemon.

The three of them were playing tag. Currently, Cashew was IT, and he glided through the air, chasing Gabri and Dragon as they laughed. Suddenly, Dragon skidded to a halt, his ears twitching. "What is it, Dragon?" Gabri said, frowning.

"Tepig." Dragon turned in the direction of a bush, where Gabri could see a Pokemon peeking out.

"Hey, do you want to come out and play with us?" She offered the Pokemon a smile. "We won't bite."

"Tepig."

"Emol!"

The Pokemon hesitantly emerged, and Gabri could see that it was a Deerling. She cautiously stepped forward. Cashew flew over and landed in front of her. The Deerling stared at her curiously. Then Dragon bounded over to greet her as well.

Gabri smiled but decided to stay where she was right now. She remembered the last time she had encountered a Deerling. "We're playing tag. You can join us. Cashew is IT."

"Emol," Cashew said, puffing out his chest.

"Deerling," the Pokemon said, dipping her head.

"Emolga." Cashew jumped into the air to catch the wind. Gabri and Dragon turned and ran. At Cashew's mischievous look, the Deerling took off as well. The Emolga flew after them, trying to catch up to them so he could tag one of them.

---

"I can't believe you're really traveling with Gary Oak," Dawn said to Shelly as they exited a clothing store. Piplup trailed behind them, not looking too happy about the activity they were engaging in.

"I know, he's so cute," Shelly said.

"Oh, do you like him?"

Shelly blushed and glanced down. "Well, kind of.."

The other girl grinned at her. "That's great! I'm sure you two will make a lovely couple."

"I'm just not sure that he likes me. He spends a lot of time with Dani..." She knew they had no ill intentions, but she could still not help but be slightly jealous.

"That might just mean he hasn't noticed you yet. You need to spend some time alone together. Maybe ask him to help you with your training before your sisters can."

Shelly bit her lip. Alone with Gary? She was worried she would run out of things to say or become too nervous. However, she knew that Dawn was right. She could not blame Gary for choosing Dani is Shelly never took the time to get to know like her sister had. "I guess so. I'll try that." She paused, wanting to switch the subject off of herself. "You seem to be spending a lot of time with a boy."

"I told you, he's just a friend!" Dawn said defensively.

Shelly raised her eyebrows at her. "Are you sure?'

Dawn hesitated before sighing. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure he has feelings for me, but I don't know if I return them. We've known each other for so long that I just don't see him like that."

"Sometimes it takes awhile to feel an attraction for someone, especially if you're used to seeing him in a certain way."

"That's why I agreed to travel with him. I want to see if there is something there without the pressure of being anything more than friends and rivals."

Shelly nodded. "That's a good way to approach it. Good luck with that."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks. You too."

"And if it's not Kenny, I'm sure you'll wind up with someone else amazing."

"Piplup," the blue penguin said in agreement.

Dawn smiled. "Yeah. You and I both."

---

Gabri and her Pokemon were playing with their new Deerling friend when Shelly and Dawn entered the park. Dawn smiled as she watched them play, but Shelly was eying the Deerling curiously. When they stopped for a break, she sauntered over to them and said, "Where did that Deerling come from?"

Gabri smiled at her sister. "She was watching us play and wanted to join."

"I wonder what a Deerling is doing in a city," Dawn said. "They're usually quite timid."

Piplup walked over to the group of Pokemon and stopped before the Deerling. "Piplup."

"Deerling," the wild Pokemon said with a smile.

"I don't know," Gabri said, "but I like her."

"Are you going to catch her?" Shelly asked.

Gabri did want to catch the Deerling, but she thought it best to seek out permission first. "Do you want to come with us, Deerling? We'll have lots of fun. Do you want to battle?"

The Deerling nodded and took a battle stance.

Gabri smiled. "Great. Let's go, Dragon."

Dragon stood in front of his trainer while Cashew flew over to the Eevee egg sitting on Gabri's bag. Shelly, Dawn, and Piplup joined him to watch.

"Ok, Dragon, use Ember!"

Dragon breathed in and exhaled fire through his snout. The Deerling jumped out of the way while moving forward. She kept running until she slammed into the Tepig.

"Try Ember again!"

Dragon shot out his fire balls before the Deerling had time to dodge. She cried out but did not seem dismayed. She got close to the fire type again and kicked him with her legs before running off.

"Use Tail Whip and then Tackle!"

Dragon moved his tail back and forth before charging at the Deerling. The Deerling evaded the attack by kicking up sand and dirt and flinging it in his face. Then she ran around him and tackled him herself. As he tried to get up, it looked like she was closing in for another attack.

"Defense Curl! Then use Ember when you're ready!"

Dragon curled up into a ball as the Deerling kicked him. As soon as he felt her hooves leave him, he sprang up and pelted her with embers of fire. The Deerling felt to the ground with a cry.

"Alright, that's good, Dragon." She took out a Pokeball and threw it at the Deerling. The Pokemon was sucked inside, and the ball began to shake. Finally, it grew still. The girl ran over to pick up the Pokeball with a smile. "I caught a Deerling!" She pressed the button on the ball and released her new friend. "I think I'll call you 'Grace.'"

"Deerling," Grace said happily.

"Congratulations," Dawn said. "That was awesome."

"Thanks!"

"You have three Pokemon now," Shelly said. "That's enough to challenge most gyms."

"That's right." She smiled at Dragon, Grace, and Cashew. "Are you ready to train?" All of them cheered in agreement.


***


Dawn: s2.postimg.org/3kcdty1qh/dawn.jpg

Kenny: s10.postimg.org/v0yw4xxsp/kenny.jpg

Chapter 11: Mint Chocolate

Two days later, the group found themselves in a very colorful city. "This place sure looks interesting," Shelly said as they walked past water fountains, stained glass windows, and buildings painted all sorts of colors.

"Nacrene City is known for its artists," Gary explained.

"Well, I like it," Dani said.

"Me too," Gabri said with a smile.

"Besides art, is there anything else to do here?" Shelly asked, glancing at their male companion.

Gary held up a book that talked about all of the main cities in Unova. "It looks like there's a battle club."

Dani and Gabri exchanged looks. "Let's go!" the eldest sister said excitedly.

Shelly frowned. "But the sun's about to set, and we still have to go to the Pokemon Center to get our Pokemon a checkup."

"We could head over to the battle club tomorrow after breakfast," Gary suggested.

"That works," Gabri agreed.

Dani grinned. "I can't wait!"

***

The four friends were at the battle club early the next day. No one else seemed to be around, which was disappointing. Then they all decided to check out the machines that were placed within the main room. "I wonder what these are for," Dani mused.

"Those computers show you information about the trainers that are in town," Don Georges said, popping up behind the kids. "Some trainers have xtransceivers, which allows other trainers to video chat with them through the computer."

"That sounds like an efficient system," Gary said.

Dani nodded. "Cool. I'll see if I can find an opponent." As she began to look through the profiles, it did not take long for her to stop. "It's Paul!"

Gabri gasped as she stared at Paul's picture on the screen. "You should battle him so we can say hi!"

Shelly rolled her eyes. "How about you don't?"

Gary crossed his arms and frowned. "I second that."

Dani ignored them as she pressed the button to call Paul. Within seconds, his face became visible on the screen. "Hello?" he said in a gruff voice. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"I want to challenge you to a battle!" Dani said confidently.

"I'll pass," said Paul. "I defeated you easily our last battle."

Dani's face fell. "Simon just wasn't trained then. We want a rematch!"

"I don't think so."

"I told you he's a jerk," Shelly commented.

"Hey, Paul," Gabri said, moving to stand beside her oldest sister, "have you caught anymore Pokemon?"

Paul blinked at her. "Yes."

"How about we have a battle? Then if I win you have to battle Dani."

"I don't know about that."

"He's probably just scared," Gary sneered.

"Fine," Paul grumbled. "I'll be right there."

"It looks like we'll be having two battles," Don Georges said.

A minute later, they all turned as they heard someone enter the building. Paul walked inside and did not stop as he headed for the battle arena. "Let's get this over with," he said. The others hurried to follow him.

Gabri passed her egg to Gary and took her place on the battlefield opposite of Paul. She was ready.

"This will be a one on one battle," said Don Georges. "The battle will be over when one side's Pokemon is no longer able to battle. You may now choose your Pokemon."

"Woobat, stand by for battle!" Paul tossed a Pokeball in the air, revealing a weird looking flying type.

Gabri glanced down at the Tepig by her side. "Are you ready, Dragon?"

"Tepig," Dragon said confidently as he stepped forward.

"Woobat, use Gust!" Paul called.

"Dragon, Defense Curl!" Gabri countered. The fire type curled into a ball as a strong wind attempted to blow him back. When the wind ceased, Dragon hopped back onto his feet, not appearing too affected. "Now use Ember!"

"Dodge that," said Paul. Woobat swerved to the right, but he was still hit by the fire balls.

"Good job, Dragon," Gabri said with a smile.

"Don't mess up again," Paul growled at his Pokemon. "Confusion!"

"Ember, again!"

Woobat opened his mouth, and an odd wave came out, headed towards the Tepig. Dragon stood his ground and released another Ember, but this time the flying type was able to move out of the way.

"It's alright," Gabri said, determined not to lose her cool. She had to think about strategy here. Tackle would hard to use against a flying attack, so they would have to stick to fire. "Run around and use Ember!"

"Heart Stamp," Paul said.

Dragon ran around the battlefield, firing out balls of fire that hit the Woobat. The Woobat snorted before using his own attack. First, he acted cute, causing the Tepig to stop and blink. Then he rushed forward and attacked him viciously, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Dragon!" Gabri exclaimed. She knew she had to act fast, for her Pokemon appeared exhausted. Suddenly, Dragon started marching into place, and his body soon became covered in flames. "What's that?"

"That's Flame Charge!" Shelly called.

Gabri watched excitedly as Dragon raced forward. He leapt into the air, smashing into the Woobat and sending him hurling to the ground.

"Get up," Paul growled, "and use Confusion!"

"Dodge and use Ember!" Gabri countered.

Woobat flew into the air and sent out rays, but Dragon dodged them all. While still running, he raised his head and spat out his Ember. Woobat was struck and fell to the ground once more. This time, he did not get back up.

"Woobat is unable to battle," said Don Georges. "Dragon is the winner, and the victory goes to Gabri!"

"We did it!" Gabri said with a grin. Dragon turned and ran into her arms, and she laughed as she hugged him.

"Such a disappointment," Paul grumbled to Woobat before returning him to his Pokeball.

"Great job!" Dani exclaimed.

"That was a good battle," Gary agreed.

Shelly smiled at her sister. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Gabri said as she took her egg back from Gary. She glanced over her shoulder at Paul. "Now you have to battle Dani."

Paul let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."

Dani strolled over to the place where her youngest sister had previously stood. She was ready for this! "Alright, let's go, Simon!" She threw her Pokeball into the air to reveal her Oshawott.

"Osha," Simon said as he puffed out his chest.

Paul did not appear phased. "Larvesta, stand by for battle." With that, he released his fire type.

He did not say anything else, so Dani figured she had the first move. "Simon, use Water Gun!"

"Dodge it and use Ember," Paul said swiftly.

Simon released a jet of water, but Larvesta jumped to the side and spat out fire balls. The Oshawott's eyes widened as he was struck by several of them.

"Focus Energy," said Dani. She watched as her Pokemon took a deep breath to calm himself. "Now use Water Gun."

"Take Down!" Paul bellowed.

"Keep using Water Gun!"

Simon shot out his water at the fire type as the Pokemon came charging towards him. Larvesta slowed down, but the water did not stop him from slamming into the sea otter, sending him falling to the ground.

Dani knew which attack to use now. "Razor Shell!"

"You learned a new move," Paul mused. "String Shot."

Simon grabbed his scallchop and swept it in the air. Unfortunately, nothing happened. Before he could react, Larvesta shot a sticky string that stuck to the scallchop. He then pulled the shell out of the Oshawott's hand and flung it to the side.

"Ember," Paul said.

Dani gritted her teeth in frustration. They needed to get that attack down! "Dodge while using Tackle."

Simon ran back and forth, dodging the fire balls that came from the Larvesta. He soon got close to him and rammed into him.

"Leech Life," said Paul.

"Razor Shell!" Dani said, deciding to risk the attack again.

Larvesta leapt towards Simon while the water Pokemon ran towards his shell. It seemed to be a contest based on speed. Larvesta seemed to be gaining fast, but before he could latch onto his opponent, Simon snatched his scallchop and swung it in the air. This time, blue formed underneath it, and he was able to slash Larvesta back, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Stand up!" Paul shouted. "Use Take Down!"

"Water Gun!" Dani said swiftly.

"Jump in the air!"

Simon blasted of water, which Larvesta dashed to the side to dodge while running towards him. Simon took a deep breath before jumping into the air and releasing another stream of water. This time, the water hit its mark. Larvesta fell to the ground and stayed still.

"Larvesta is unable to battle," Don Georges said. "Simon is the winner, and victory goes to Dani!"

"We did it, Simon!" Dani said, grinning at her Pokemon.

Simon turned and stared at her. "Osha?" Then he grinned back at. "Oshawott!"

"Return," Paul muttered, zapping his Pokemon back into his Pokeball. Then he looked over at his opponent. "You've been practicing."

Dani smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Paul turned away. "It's the minimum that's required of trainers."

Dani's smile faltered when she realized he was going to leave. Something inside of her did not want that to happen. "Wait-"

"Great work, Dani," Gary said, slapping his free hand on her shoulder (he was holding her egg).

"Yeah, you sure showed him," Shelly said as she came to stand beside her.

Gabri, however, seemed to be thinking the same thing as her eldest sister. "Paul, where are you going?" she called to the retreating boy.

"The Pokemon Center," Paul replied without stopping. "I have no more business here."

Dani and Gabri exchanged looks. They both knew he was looking after his Pokemon, even if he would not put it that way. After grabbing their eggs and Pokemon, they both started towards him. "Wait up," Gabri said.

Gary frowned as he watched them leave. "Hey, where are you going?"

Just then, a boy and girl appeared at the door. "Hey, do any of you want a tag battle?" the girl inquired.

"I'm sure Shelly and Gary would love to," Dani said. She glanced over her shoulder at Gary. "We'll be back by the time you're done."

Shelly blinked. "Sure. What are your names?" She glanced at Gary, who crossed his arms in annoyance but did not say anything.

Dani and Gabri heard nothing more as they followed Paul out the door. Once they were out the door, the boy said, "Why are you two following me?"

"We want to walk with you back to the Pokemon Center so we can talk to you," Gabri said.

"Why?"

"We like you," Dani answered. "We want to be your friends."

"I have no use for friends."

"Everyone needs friends," Gabri said.

"Not me. Friends distract you from what's really important."

"That's not true," said Dani. "Friends can help you become stronger because of their different experiences and viewpoints. Plus, they're there for you when you really need them."

"Friends can cause pain and misery," Paul said coldly. "It's best to stay away from them."

The sisters exchanged hurt glances. "We're not going to harm you," Dani said gently.

"You may not desire it, but you will once you really know me."

Gabri shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Friendship may involve risk, but the benefit is worth it," Dani said. "Friends enrich your life."

"My life does not need to be enriched," said Paul. "What I need is to reach my goal of becoming as strong as I can be."

"What is the point of achieving that goal if you have no one to share it with? And why not have some joy along the way? Are you really happy right now?"

Paul turned his face away. "That is not your concern."

"You should at least be friends with your Pokemon," Gabri said gently.

"I need my Pokemon to be strong, not soft."

"I'm friends with my Pokemon, and they're not soft!" Dani exclaimed. "Mo and I have won lots of battles together."

"Cynda!" Mo said from her shoulder.

Paul eyed the Cyndaquil. "Based on my last battle with him, I find that hard to believe."

Dani frowned. "We were mismatched that time. I could be you with a fairer opponent."

Gabri nodded. "It's true. She's really good."

Paul stuffed his hands in his pant pockets and looked away. "I see."

Gabri could sense this topic was not going anywhere, so she decided to change it. "So... do you like chocolate?" Chocolate calmed people, and it looked like he could use some.

Paul gave her an odd question as he walked. "Chocolate? What kind of question is that?"

Gabri shrugged. "It's just a question."

Paul hesitated before responding. "I do enjoy mint chocolate everyone once in a while."

Dani smiled. "Cool."

Gabri made a face. "Ew, I hate mint."

"You have no taste," said Paul.

Dani smirked. "I agree." She saw Paul looking at her almost in amusement, and she realized that, for a second, they had the same mind on something.

Gabri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." She could now see the Pokemon Center coming into view.

"You should head back," Paul said, looking at Dani again, "your boyfriend is probably worried. He did not look too happy when you left."

Dani blinked in surprise. "My boyfriend? Oh, Gary!" She blushed and looked away. "He's not my boyfriend... he's just a friend. A friend who should stay out of my business, just like Shelly."

Paul stared at her, his expression unreadable. "I see."

"Maybe we should go back," Gabri said as they approached the door of the Pokemon Center. "Their battle will probably be over soon."

"Ok," Dani said. "Goodbye, Paul."

"Quil!" Mo said from her shoulder.

"See you later," Gabri said.

"Tepig," said Dragon from the ground.

Paul grunted his acknowledgement as he swung open the doors of the Pokemon Center and the sisters turned and headed back the way they had come.

The girls walked back mostly in silence. When they approached the Battle Club, they could see Shelly and Gary just exiting. Shelly spotted them, and they headed over. "We won; thanks for watching," Shelly said sarcastically.

"We wanted to talk to Paul!" Gabri said defensively.

"Did Paul want to talk to you?" Gary said with raised eyebrows.

"We should go stock up on supplies," Dani said suddenly, not wanting an argument to break out.

Shelly clapped her hands together in glee. "And I can go shopping!"

Gary shrugged. "Ok. Let's go." He took the lead as they all started for the center of town to check out the shops.

***

After shopping and lunch, the group spent the rest of the day training with their Pokemon. Then they ate dinner and went to bed early to get a good night's rest. Dani and Gabri seemed anxious about something, but Shelly and Gabri just shrugged it off as concern for their next gym battles.

"I think we should head to the next city," Gary said as they were gathered in the lobby of the Pokemon Center after breakfast.

"We can't leave yet!" Gabri said quickly. Dani nodded in agreement.

Shelly gave her an odd look. "Why not? And, Dani, why are you holding a box of mint chocolates?"

"Because..." Dani looked around nervously. She suddenly brightened when she saw Paul walk into the room. "Paul!" Ignoring the question, she moved towards him with Gabri on her heels. "We got you something." She held out the chocolates.

Paul blinked at her, seeming almost surprised. "These are for me?"

"Yeah, even though mint is gross," Gabri said, earning a nudge from her sister.

Paul took the chocolates and stared at them as if he did not know what to do with them. He appeared perplexed.

"You're welcome," Dani said brightly before turning to skip away with Gabri.

Shelly rolled her eyes when they approached. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," said Dani.

"He's never going to be your friend," Gary said with a frown.

Dani and Gabri exchanged looks. "We'll see," said the younger. They were up to the challenge!

Chapter 13: The Power of Fire

"Wow, it's so big!" Shelly stared at Castelia City with wide eyes as she and the others walked across a long bridge to reach it.

"Castelia City is the hub of business and economic activity in Unova," Gary commented as he walked behind with Gogoat.

"You're so smart, Gary!"

He rubbed his neck and gave her a slight smile. "I just read the guidebook."

"I was reading it too," Dani said. She had her left arm around her egg while she tried to read a small book in her right hand. "This place is famous for their ice cream called Casteliacones! We should get some!"

"Yes, ice cream!" Gabri said with a grin.

"Later," Shelly said. "I have to register for the contest and then train. It's only two days away!"

Gabri frowned. "Aww..."

"The contest hall should be right around the corner," Gary said.

Sure enough, a big, beautiful building soon came into sight. Shelly grinned as she raced towards it. The others were slow to follow. As the pink-haired girl reached for the doo, it suddenly opened and hit her in the face. Gary, Dani, and Gabri let out gasps of shock.

Drew stood there on the other side of the door. He stared at Shelly and blinked. "Oh, sorry."

Shelly rubbed her face to ease the pain, and then she gave Drew a sheepish smile. "I guess I got a little excited."

Drew smirked. "I hope that excitement doesn't turn into overconfidence. You'll have to beat me if you want another ribbon."

"Oh. How many ribbons do you have, Drew?"

He folded his arms. "That's none of your business."

"That's not very nice," Gary said as he and the other girls finally reached the door.

"Well, then I won't tell you how many I have," Shelly huffed.

"Probably none," Drew said, flipping his hair before walking off.

"I have a ribbon!" she shouted after him.

"Just ignore him," Dani said with a roll of the eyes. "He's looking for that reaction."

"And this is why you are getting him and May together."

Dani blinked. "Right." She was still not sure how she was going to do that, but she had promised her sister. The only thing she could think to do now was to become his friend, which was easier said than done.

After Shelly signed up for the contest, she and her friends had a quick lunch and then reserved a room at the Pokémon Center. Shelly ran off to practice for the contest, Gary and Gabri left to shop for supplies and buy ice cream, and Dani decided to stay behind and see if she could find Drew.

The eldest girl did not have to look far, for the green0haired boy was behind the Pokémon Center practicing combinations with his Masquerain. Dani smiled as she jogged over to him. "Hi, Drew!"

The boy paused to glance at her. "Oh, hi, Dani."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine. Just getting ready for the contest."

"Do you want to take a break and go get some Casteliacones?"

"That would be a waste of my time."

She frowned. "Oh, then do you want to talk?"

"Still not interested."

She was starting to get frustrated, so she went with her last idea: "Well, then how about I help you practice with a Pokémon battle? I need to practice for my gym battle against the Castelia City gym leader."

"The Castelia gym leader specializes in bug types. Your fire Pokémon should do well against him."

"Yes, but gym leaders always have tricks up their sleeves. Come on, it'll be fun."

Drew shrugged. "Fine. Masquerain return." He put the Pokeball away and took out a different one. "Absol, you're up!"

Dani admired the dark Pokémon with fluffy white fur. Now it was her turn. "Ok, come on out, Luke!" She threw a Pokeball in the air, and her Charmeleon appeared before her. "You can have the first move."

"Fine by me. Absol, use Water Pulse!"

"Dodge that and use Fire Fang!"

"Iron Tail!"

Absol shot out a ball of water from his mouth. Luke dodged the water by running forward diagonally. He then changed directions to come at the dark type with a glowing fang. Absol leapt into the air and came crashing town on the Charmeleon with his now-silver tail.

Dani knew this was no time to worry. "Ok, use Dragon Rage."

"Razor Wind!"

While Luke gathered up his dragon power, Absol whipped sharp wind at him. He cringed in pain, but he held his ground and continued his attack. A blast of dark dragon power was thrust forward by his claws and hit his opponent, knocking him to the ground.

"Good job," Dani said. "Now Smokescreen!"

"Use Flash," said Drew.

Luke opened his mouth and released a thick, black smoke that covered the field. Absol was not dismayed. A bright light shone out of his forehead, and he used this light to locate the Charmeleon.

Drew smirked. "Water Pulse."

"Get out of the way!"

As soon as the light shone on him, Luke darted to the left, narrowly avoiding the Water Pulse attack. Both Pokémon were now hidden once again.

"Ok, now use Flame Burst!" said Dani.

"Listen for it and then use Water Pulse."

Luke gathered a large fireball from his mouth and then spat it in the direction of the Absol. The dark type heard the attack coming and countered it with his Water Pulse. The two attacks hit, resulting in an explosion of steam, which helped to dissipate the smoke in the air.

Dani could see that this battle was going to be tough. The two Pokemon seemed evenly match, and she needed to come up with a good strategy in order to win. "Alright, use Fire Fang!"

"Water Pulse, once more!"

The Charmeleon raced towards the dark type. At the last second, he leapt in the air to come crashing down on him with his glowing fang. At the same time, Absol sent a ball of water straight at him. Both attacks hit their mark, causing the Pokemon to fall to the ground. Luke appeared to be struggling to get up while Absol stood easily.

Drew smirked. "It's time to finish this. One last Water Pulse, Absol!"

"Luke, get up!" Dani cried in a panic. If that water hit...

Just as Absol readied his attack, Luke started to glow. Dani and Drew stared with wide eyes as he suddenly grew big, and wings sprouted out of his body. Then a mighty Charizard stood where the Charmeleon had once been. He let out a might roar before jumping into the air to avoid the Water Pulse.

A wide grin spread across Dani's face. "Awesome! Luke evolved! Let's see if he knows any new moves..." She pulled out her Pokedex and searched through it. "Ok... Luke, use Wing Attack!"

"Razor Wind, Absol!" Drew cried.

Luke swooped down near Absol. He glided out of the way of the Razor Wind before knocking his opponent off his feet with his right wing. He then turned and landed in front of his trainer.

Drew clenched his teeth in frustration. "Water Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Flame Burst," said Dani.

Absol shot out a ball of water from his mouth, but Luke flew up to dodge this. The Charizard then spat out flames, which hit Absol and caused him to slump to the ground, no longer moving.

"Luke, you did it!" Dani exclaimed as she raced forward and flung her arms around the Charizard's stomach. "You were amazing."

"Quil!" Mo said from his spot on the ground next to the Eevee egg.

Luke roared in approval.

"Good job, Absol," Drew said as he returned him to his Pokeball. Then he gazed at Dani with a small smile. "Not bad. Your Charmeleon evolved just in time."

"Yeah. We've been training hard for him to evolve, so thanks for the help."

He nodded. "It was great training for me as well." He paused. "What are you going to do now?"

Dani flashed him a grin. "I'm going to ride him!"

Drew blinked in surprise. "Ride him?"

"Of course. Watch my egg for me, will you? Come on, Mo." The Cyndaquil ran over to her and climbed up her leg to reach her shoulder. She took a deep breath before climbing onto Luke's back. Truthfully, she was nervous about flying, but she was not going to let Drew see that. "Ok, let's go."

Luke suddenly jumped off the ground and started flying straight up. Dani had to hold his neck tightly to keep from falling off. The feeling was frightening yet exhilarating. When they were high above the trees, he started flying level to the ground. The girl opened her eyes and dared to look down. "Hey, this is actually kind of cool."

Luke grunted in agreement.

Her fear slowly evaporated, and she began to enjoy herself. After awhile, though, she knew she best get back to Drew. "Alright, it's time to go back." Luke seemed to be disappointed, but he obediently started his descent.

Soon, they were back on the ground, facing Drew, who looked worried and fascinated at the same time. "How was it?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"It was great!" Dani said as she slid off the Charizard's back. "Come fly with me!"

His eyes widened. "What?"

Dani picked up Mo from her shoulder and placed him on the ground near her egg. Then she grabbed Drew's wrist and pulled him over to Luke. "Come on; it'll be fun. You're not scared, are you?"

"O-of course not!" He reluctantly followed Dani onto the Charizard's back. He wrapped his arms around her securely. "Ok. I'm ready."

"Luke, let's go," Dani said. Once again, the Charizard took off in the air. Drew let out a small gasp and held onto Dani tighter. "Are you alright?"

"I - I'm fine." Just like Dani, it took Drew few minutes before he was able to relax and look down. "This isn't so bad."

"It's kind of freeing, isn't it? Like all of your worries are being washed away."

A smile lay on Drew's lips as he gazed down at the city below. "Yeah. It's amazing."

-

On the way back to the Pokemon center after shopping in the city, Gabri and Gary came across Shelly practicing in a park. Gabri decided to help her train while Gary carried their supplies to their room. Before the sisters could start practicing, a shadow came over them that caused them to look up.

"Hey, it's a Charizard!" Gabri exclaimed.

Shelly squinted her eyes to examine the Pokemon better. "Isn't that Dani and Drew?"

The younger girl squinted her eyes as well. "I think it is. Luke must have evolved!"

A small frown crossed Shelly's face as she glanced at her sister. "Why is she with Drew? She's supposed to be getting him together with May, not flirting with him herself."

"I don't think she's trying to flirt with him, just like she's trying not to flirt with Gary or Paul. She just likes being friends with guys."

"Maybe you're right. The problem with that is that she may start to actually like one of them without even realizing it. I think Paul is the best one for her at the moment, so why not push her in that direction if she'll end up falling for one of them eventually?"

Gabri seemed to consider this for a moment. "Well, maybe you have a point... Fine, I'll try to bring up Paul in that light. I still won't be a matchmaker, though." She was no good at that stuff.

Shelly smiled at her. "Thanks. Now, have a practice battle with me?" She took out a Pokeball.

"Of course!" She could use the practice as well.

-

After returning to the ground, Drew agreed to go into town and have a Casteliacone with Dani. The two of them were now licking their cones as they walked around the city. Dani had an egg in one arm and her cone in the other while Mo sat on her shoulder. "There sure is a lot going on in this city," she commented. She didn't know what to think about it just yet.

"I think it's overrated," Drew commented.

"Where is your hometown?" Dani asked curiously. She knew he was form Hoenn, but she was not sure about the specific city.

"I'm from LaRousse City," Drew replied. "It's a big city like this, but technology has been incorporated into everything." He shrugged. "It's ok, I guess."

"When is the last time you've been back there?"

"Since I left to start my journey."

Dani's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Don't you have family you want to visit?"

"Not in particular. My parents could care less if I visit." His eyes shone with indifference.

She frowned. "Do you have any siblings?"

He looked away. "No."

Dani thought she could detect a hint of sadness in his voice, but she could have just been imagining it. "Oh. I love traveling, but I miss my family. That's why I'm glad I can travel with both of my sisters now."

"Siblings are great," Drew murmured. "They're friends who will never leave you." He paused. "Or so I've heard."

She smiled. "Yeah. Have you made many friends on your journey?"

Drew seemed to lighten slightly at this question. "I've met many people, but only a handful I would call close friends. I don't waste my time talking to people who have nothing to offer me. I only choose to be friends with those who have something special about them."

A smile twitched on Dani's face. "Does that mean you think there's something special about me?" He was taking the time to talk to her, after all. That had to mean he thought it was worth being her friend.

Drew smiled while staring straight ahead. "You could look at it that way. You're not a waste of my time."

Dani smirked. "Thanks." She had licked all of the ice cream at the top of the cone, so she bit into the cone. "These are pretty good."

"Yes, they are quite enjoyable." He bit into his as well. "Do you want to head back to the Pokemon Center? I do not like to be in the center of a city for long."

"Sure."

*

Dani and Drew returned to the Pokemon Center in time to see Shelly and Gabri approaching from the opposite direction. Remembering her news, the oldest girl ran up to her sisters. "Guess what?" she said excitedly. "Luke evolved!"

"We know!" Gabri said with a grin. "We saw you flying with Drew!"

Shelly smiled slightly. "Yeah. Weren't you scared?"

"I wasn't scared," Drew said haughtily as he approached the girls.

Dani smirked. "Sure you weren't." She turned back to her sisters. "Do you guys want to try?" She pulled out a Pokeball.

Shelly and Gabri exchanged looks. "We can try," said the youngest.

"Ok, come on out, Luke!" She pressed the button on the ball and released the Charizard. The other girls looked at him in awe.

"Hey, is that a Charizard?"

Dani turned to see Gary exiting the Pokemon Center. "Yeah, Luke evolved!" she said.

"Dani is going to give us rides," Gabri said.

"Do you want a ride?" Shelly asked.

Gary smiled. "Sounds like fun."

Luke spat out fire towards the sky to show his agreement.