Immediately upon the battle starting, Tirtouga cloaked himself in water and rushed Oxide. Slamming into her almost instantly and knocking her into the air a bit.

  “Use the knock-back,” I shouted, “he gave you altitude for free!”

  Oxide was way ahead of me, spreading her arms wide to catch the air, and then began gliding right back towards Tirtouga.

  “Use Nuzzle!”

  Oxide’s cheeks sparked with energy as she dived towards the grounded Pokemon, who very much so didn’t want to take the Electric attack. He blurred forward, forcing Oxide to miss, before his shell glowed with power and then he body checked her. Sending her into the ground with a cry of pain as she impacted the dirt and sent dust flying.

  Smack Down, Oxide won’t be able to get airborne for a bit, let alone the type matchup.

  The dust cleared to reveal Oxide pushing up to her feet while fixing our opponent with a glare.

  Tirtouga only chuckled under his breath and nodded at her tenacity, before his eyes glowed purple and multiple chunks of glowing rocks were ripped from the ground around him.

  “Oxide, use Quick Attack to get out of the way!”

  With a grin matching my own, Oxide glowed white and leapt. Her speed was enough to leave after images as she kept jumping from place to place to confuse Tirtouga. Who was waiting patiently for the move to end.

  Quick Attack, while a very important movement tool, had one big drawback.

  It wore the user down a lot.

  Tirtouga kept waiting until Oxide flagged a bit, the move beginning to fail.

  Two rocks were suddenly flung at her.

  I cried out, “Use the last bit of the move to springboard off the rocks!”

  With a grunt, Oxide jumped and was able to land on top of one of the rocks and jump off it, bouncing back into the air and just barely dodging a third hunk of rock.

  “You can’t get close Oxide! Use Thundershock!”

  Oxide didn’t even hesitate, gathering electricity up while weaving erratically to dodge the last rock before pausing and releasing the electricity which streaked towards the prone Water Type.

  Upon impact Tirtouga was enveloped with the roiling electricity as he took it head on. Once it ended, I lowered my hand from where I had raised it to shield my eyes and saw Oxide hovering just over the ground, clearly worn down, but still conscious while Tirtouga just laid there breathing heavily.

  He moved slightly and Oxide landed before tensing up to fire another Thundershock when he spoke to her.

  The fight left her body, and she stepped aside.

  Tirtouga bowed his head to me, I had beaten him, and his song, while quieter, felt even more resolved than before.He wanted to gain more strength by my side. I didn’t ask if he was sure, as that would be an insult. So instead I returned the bow, grabbed an empty canvas ball, and threw it.

  He disappeared in a flash of red light.

  The ball hit the ground.

  One shake.

  Two shakes.

  Three shakes.

  Click.

  I smiled as I walked forward to retrieve the canvas ball and Oxide from the field, the feeling leaving me now that the battle was over.

  “You did good, Oxide,” I praised before moving to grab the canvas ball. “Ionia, can you give them both a Life Dew?”

  With a nod, Ionia hopped forward and conjured that droplet of healing water before dropping it on Oxide’s head with a small splish that had the pair giggling.

  “Come on out Tirtouga!” I shouted as I tossed the ball toward the ground next to the rejuvenated Oxide.

  He appeared in a flash of blue light, and was quickly given his own Life Dew splish.

  Vitality came back to him as he looked at Ionia in shock, then nodded his gratitude to her.

  He then turned to look at Oxide, who was only slightly acting a bit boastful, and he sprayed her with a weak stream of water. “Okay you two that's enough,” I scolded, “I’m going to take you both to the Pokemon Center where you will be healed okay?”

  The pair nodded, and Tirtouga was returned to his ball, while Oxide was returned to my head.

  I turned to find Professors Juniper and Fennel, Colress, and a few Lab assistants (who were looking slightly disappointed) had stayed for the whole thing.

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  “Congratulations on the new team member Psyche,” Juniper commended, “go ahead and rush over to the Center and get your Pokemon healed.”

  She smiled, “Tomorrow is a big day for you and Iolani after all.”

  ***

  The nurses at the center weren’t surprised at all when I said Tirtouga had already had a battle.

  “He’s a fossil Pokemon.” One of them explained, “They commonly request for a test of strength battle if asked to join a team. It’s just as important to them as it is to Dragon Types.” She paused and shuddered, “I don’t envy the Centers near the Fossil Lab in Kalos, those Tyrunt are a stubborn bunch.”

  Soon enough, the pair were returned to me in good health. Tirtouga’s ball went on my belt right behind Ionia’s on my left side. Oxide’s ball was returned to my right side as she jumped up to land on my head and snooze.

  “Thank you for healing my Pokemon so late,” I said with a tip of my visor, “I need to get going now.”

  The nurse echoed the sentiment, and I left the Center with a wave.

  ***

  The next morning I woke up with a yawn, just to find Ionia curled up beside me, Oxide resting on a tall shelf next to the window, and Tirtouga laying in one of the massive bean bags and looking like he was the most comfortable he had been in his life.

  I stood up and stretched before heading to the bathroom to splash my face with a bit of water, and looking up at the mirror.

  What met my eyes wasn’t the scared little kid from a few scant years ago, wondering why her body was changing in all the wrong ways, nor the dead eyes of a girl with no friends outside of the head of the cleaning staff.

  What stared back from behind those storm cloud eyes was the fire of a Pokemon Trainer who wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of her goals.

  With that thought the fire gained a bit of confusion.

  What even IS my goal as a Pokemon Trainer?

  The question spun around in my head as I got dressed, packed up everything, and even through breakfast.

  “Psyche you’re more quiet than usual today.” Iolani noted with a bit of concern, “What’s wrong?”

  I sighed, less at my travel companion, and more at the question still circling in my brain. “I was looking in the mirror this morning, and I asked myself what my goal as a Pokemon Trainer is.” I paused to take a bite of scrambled egg, “When I first set out, the plan was to rescue Tirtouga, and then probably go to White Forest and try and get a place there.”

  I paused to collect my thoughts, “That all changed when I got the sponsorship, I never really considered the Circuit as an option before, because I know how Jason-my older brother-would react if he saw me out there.”

  I shuddered, thinking about that possibility further was a quick way to panic about something that wasn’t even going to happen.

  “At the start, I figured I would go out, do my best, then come back. Hopefully with enough strength to set out on my own, or I would go through it again until I had reached that level of strength needed.”

  Iolani looked at me from across the table, “What changed?”

  “You did.” I answered instantly, “Or at least the battle with you did.” I looked at my hand and flexed my fingers, “When that battle started, I felt… different somehow. Like I was being vitalized by it.” The words just continued to flow from there, “Ever since, everytime I train or battle, that feeling comes back, and I feel sharper when it does.”

  I looked back at her with a smile, “And it feels great! Like it’s what I should’ve been doing my entire life!”

  The moment having passed I retreated back into myself a bit, “I don’t know if that makes sense but-“

  Iolani reached out and grabbed my retreating hand with hers, “Psyche, you’re absolutely fine, that feeling is excitement! You have a knack for being a trainer! You know so much about Pokemon and moves, and come up with somewhat interesting strategies on the fly! Last night the dorm was cheering when you ordered Oxide to jump on top of that attack and use a move you two have been working so hard on for the past week!”

  I blushed from the praise and the skin contact, “T-the dorms saw?”

  “Psyche,” she replied with a raised eyebrow, “the dorm windows all look out over that field. Everyone saw it and it was amazing!”

  She squeezed my hand, “Congrats on catching that Tirtouga by the way, did you come up with a nickname for it yet?”

  “Not yet,” I answered, “it hasn’t come to me as easy yet.”

  “It’ll come to you.” She said with a smile and another hand squeeze, “Now eat up! We’re leaving today and I’m so excited!”

  “But what about the question that keeps swirling in my head?”

  “Oh right, I forgot.” She thought for a moment then smiled, “Who’s to say you need one right now? You’ve been a trainer for a week! It will come with time, you just gotta be patient.”

  I squeezed her hand in thanks, “’Patient’ isn’t a word I’m used to hearing from you.”

  “Well that’s ‘cause I can’t stand being patient.”

  ***

  After breakfast, I went back to my room and grabbed my backpack, and went to leave. Only to turn around and take in the emptied room.

  The first space I could truly call mine.

  I gave a silent goodbye that I barely finished when Oxide tapped me on the head. Turning to look outside the room, I saw Professor Juniper and Colress waiting a bit down the hallway. In Colress’ hands was the case I had brought here a week ago.

  “Good morning Professor,” I greeted while shutting the door, “Good morning Colress.”

  I received a pair of ‘mornings’ back as I walked towards them.

  “I guess this is goodbye?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Not at all!” Juniper exclaimed, “You’re always free to call us for help with any issues or advice with your Pokemon! This is just a farewell for now.”

  Colress nodded, “Besides, it’s been delightful seeing you bring out the power of your Pokemon! I might request to come out there and study the progress you made!”

  “Um okay,” I thought for a moment, “I’ll have to ask Iolani first, but I think she’ll be okay with it.”

  Colress nodded, then held the case out to me. “Krane said that the people you need to deliver this to will be in Accumula Town for the next week,” His face screwed up in thought for a few moments, “He didn’t give us names did he?”

  Juniper sighed with exasperation, “No he didn’t. All he said was that you should look for a Jumpluff and Altaria flying together.”

  I stared at her, “Thats-I don’t even know how to start with this.”

  “Indeed,” Colress said with a shake of his head, “Mind turning around? I’ll strap it back into where you had it before.”

  A bit of adjusting later and I had the case strapped to my back again. I felt a bit of tension in the air now, as if the world itself had gone silent as if waiting.

  “I guess I should be meeting up with Iolani at the front entrance.” I mused before looking at the pair of scientists in front of me, “Thank you for this opportunity, I won’t let it go to waste.”

  As I walked past them towards the door I could’ve sworn I heard Professor Juniper speak quietly.

  “You won’t.”

  Boilerplate time!

  As always, a big thank you to for help editing!

  Current Team:

  Ionia (Hatenna)

  Trained Abilities: Anticipation

  Moves: Teleport, Confusion, Play Nice, Life Dew, Disarming Voice, Mystical Fire

  Oxide (Emolga)

  Trained Abilities: TBD

  Moves: Nuzzle, Tail Whip, Double Team, Quick Attack, Thundershock

  Tirtouga

  Trained Abilities: TBD

  Moves: Water Gun, Withdraw, Aqua Jet, Smack Down, Ancient Power, Bite

  Do you want more words written by me?

  A Spark of Sylvan Flame A story about a trans farmgirl facing off against plant aliens, with items bought from an AI chip in her head!

  Thanks for reading! :D

  -DeliriousSprite