About half an hour after lunch, we had to split up—each of us had a match scheduled around the same time.

  Flavio and Koa were heading to battle Max Anderson and his Machop. Melody and Meli were facing Colton Smith and his Kantoan Vulpix. And Teddy and I were up against Lily Parker and her Shinx.

  I was assigned to Field 12, and one of the graduate students walked me there.

  “There are twenty-five regular fields like this one,” said Johnny, the grad student, his clipboard tucked under one arm. “Most are booked solid on weekends. Official matches, practice sessions, and such…”

  “Guess it’s gonna be a while before I can walk in without a reservation,” I said.

  He smirked. “The Battle Center has over a hundred arenas in total. But the good stuff—type-specific terrains, elemental hazard zones—that’s second year and up. For now, you get the dirt and concrete.”

  “I’ll take what I can get.”

  We made it to the field just as Lily arrived, jogging in with a slightly frazzled look and a hand up in apology.

  “Sorry! I got lost again.”

  “It’s fine,” said Johnny. “First week’s a maze for everyone. Just try to get your bearings before next time.”

  She nodded, catching her breath.

  Johnny raised his voice, speaking with a practiced tone. “This is a 1v1 battle for one point between Lily Parker and Gabriel Santos. Trainers, take your positions and prepare to release your Pokémon.”

  We took our places on opposite ends of the field. I unclipped Teddy’s Pokéball and tossed it forward with a flick of my wrist.

  He emerged mid-yawn, flopping onto the ground like he was waking from a nap.

  Classic Teddy. Acting lazy to throw off our opponents was practically his signature by now.

  On the other side, Lily released her Pokémon. “Let’s go, Bibi!”

  A bright flash revealed a small blue-and-black feline, its fur bristling with static, golden eyes gleaming with excitement.

  I scanned her instantly.

  Shinx – The Flash Pokémon

  Shinx generates electricity by contracting the muscles in its forelegs, causing its fur to shimmer. When threatened, its whole body dazzles to blind enemies. Though small and feline in form, it has an aggressive streak and takes patience to tame.

  Level: 7

  Only level 7. That was a gap. Teddy had the advantage—on paper. Still, I didn’t want to get cocky.

  “Thunder Shock, Bibi!” Lily called. “Keep your distance!”

  A static hum filled the air as Shinx charged electricity through her forelegs, her fur starting to glow.

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  “Teddy, move in fast before she finishes charging,” I said calmly.

  Teddy burst into motion, surprisingly quick for his size. The Thunder Shock fired, crackling through the air just behind him as he veered right.

  “Covet.”

  He closed in, his face slipping into that innocent, pleading expression—tongue slightly out, eyes wide.

  Bibi hesitated just a second.

  Too late.

  Teddy’s paw connected, landing a solid strike to the side that knocked the electric-type back a step.

  “Quick Attack!” Lily snapped.

  Bibi vanished in a blur of motion, darting to the side and reappearing several feet away.

  “Play Rough!” I ordered.

  Teddy chased, paws glowing faint pink, but Bibi’s Quick Attack was just fast enough to keep her out of reach.

  They circled like that for almost a minute. Bibi would dart in and out, occasionally letting off a Thunder Shock, though most were too weak or too slow to do much. Teddy kept pursuing, trying to land a clean hit.

  “Shinx is fast,” I muttered. “Annoyingly fast.”

  Lily was keeping her cool, directing her partner with precise movements. Every time Teddy got close, Bibi slipped away.

  I needed to disrupt the pattern.

  “Teddy, use the Diana tag”, I exclaimed, hoping he would remember how my sister would fake a rush before going for her target when playing tag.

  He darted forward, then stopped just short. Bibi moved away, expecting a hit.

  “Now!”

  Teddy surged with a burst of pink light—Play Rough flared to life, enveloping both of them.

  A moment later, the glow cleared.

  Bibi lay still on the ground, her fur faintly sparking.

  Johnny raised his hand. “Shinx is unable to battle. The winner is Gabriel Santos and his Teddiursa.”

  “Nice job, Teddy,” I said, walking over to scoop him into my arms. He let out a low satisfied grunt, resting his head on my shoulder.

  We made our way toward Lily, who was crouched beside her Shinx, gently petting her fur before returning her to her Pokéball.

  “Good match,” I offered.

  She stood and gave me a sheepish nod. “I… definitely underestimated you.”

  “Did you scan Teddy before the battle?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I usually do, but I was running late.”

  “Go ahead,” I said, smirking.

  She scanned him.

  Teddiursa – Level 13

  “Thirteen? Seriously?” she asked, eyes wide. “He’s almost double Bibi’s level.”

  “And still had to work to catch her,” I admitted. “You made it tough. Using Quick Attack like that? Very annoying.”

  Lily smiled a little. “Bibi and I play a lot of tag. It’s kind of her thing.”

  “It shows. She’s got great movement. But you might want to focus on tightening Thunder Shock—it charges too slow. That gave us an opening.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that too. Thanks,” she said. “You were good. Your Teddiursa’s crazy strong.”

  “He eats a lot,” I said, half-joking.

  We shared a short laugh before parting ways.

  I left Field 12 with Teddy resting in my arms, his head nestled against my shoulder, and a whole new level of respect for Shinx flickering in the back of my mind.

  Fast, smart, hard to pin down.

  Bibi had been tough—not because she hit hard, but because she didn’t let us hit her. And tomorrow’s match would be worse.

  Irene’s Electrike.

  If Shinx was slippery, Electrike was lightning. Literally. Another speedster, it could turn out into a similar kind of battle. I’m guessing there won’t be such a gap in levels, and this one had a trainer who was clearly more experienced.

  Play Rough and Covet won't cut it if we can't close the gap.

  I thought about how Bibi used Quick Attack to keep distance, and how Thunder Shock had just enough sting to chip away over time. Electrike could probably do the same—but better. And if Irene was as sharp as she seemed, she’d know how to keep Teddy chasing shadows.

  We needed a way to hit back before Teddy got in close.

  Fling.

  It was right there in his move list, but we’d barely used it. The problem had always been the item. He needed something to throw.

  I pulled out my Pokédex and made a mental note.

  To-do: Ask where I can borrow—or buy—a held item for Fling. Something to land a good hit… if timed right.

  It was risky, sure. One shot, one throw. But it might be the edge we needed to knock Electrike off rhythm.

  Teddy snored softly in my arms.

  “Rest up, little guy,” I whispered.

  Time to find Flavio and Melody, and see how their battles went.

  Region:

  Starter Egg and Companion Pokémon of choice, feel free to give them a Nickname and let me know their gender.

  Remember, the companion must be a small Pokémon. Something you would hand a child as a playmate.

  Physical description, if you want to be more specific.