[X] My Assistant

[Umbrae Calamitas]

"Me First," Tuesday muttered, eyes locked onto the xatu. "That means... Zorro, Endure!" she snapped suddenly. "Don't attack."

The riolu dropped down into a defensive position, drawing his arms across his face as though to shield his eyes, as his defense rose. With the use of a non-damaging move, Tuesday knew that the xatu's Me First would fail, as there was no damage to copy.

Tuesday flicked her eyes between the Duosion and the Xatu, her teeth clenched. Future Sight had been used twice, and there was no way to combat the attack. Zorro was gonna get hit by it, and she only hoped he could hold on long enough to take one of them down with him.

"Zorro, endure it, and then copycat their Future Sight!" The riolu nodded sharply and ducked his head against his arms, as the psychic attack struck.

Tuesday fingered the third pokeball in her possession. She didn't want to drag Zorro down... force him to fight in a battle he certainly couldn't win. She'd have him copy Future Sight, to hopefully give her next pokemon a leg-up, but then she'd call him back. She didn't want him hurt.

She only hoped her next pokemon could handle it a two-on-one match, with a third pokemon waiting to join in.

[Living Arrow]

“Enough is enough now.” Vega curled the edge of his lip. The Berdison girl may not have had the best technique ever but damn her Pokemon were persistent. He would have expected to have been at his favourite coffee shop by now with an iced latte and a smile on his face but here he was, still slogging away at the match.

Order’s Future Sight, an invisible blast that swarmed in from all directions, took the Riolu up into the air with an audible rush of air. The Fighting-type, however, managed to clap his hands together into a defensive pose that kept the bedraggled Pokemon on the lighter side of consciousness. Then, with a flash of blue in its tired eyes, Copycat was launched in mid-air.

“Order, Peck right now!” Vega commanded, his Xatu sweeping along the ground with bizarre speed for a bird Pokemon on the ground, and thrust directly upwards at the airborne Riolu. The sharp beak of Order stabbed true and in a moment the challenger’s Riolu was catapulted high above the arena with a yelp where it soared, hanged motionless for a brief second, and then plummeted back to the ground with a crash.

The referee raised his flag and Vega raised an eyebrow.

*She putting up a fierce, if unpredictable battle. I must not forget about Future Sight but it’s 3-to-1 now… Surely her resolve will be fading… Let’s see what mettle this particular Berdison is made of!*

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday recalled Zorro in a flash of crimson light and held his pokeball between her hands for a moment, mourning the fact that she had been unable to recall him, as she had wished, before he had been fainted by the opponent. Zorro would be disappointed that he had not been able to withstand the onslaught of the attacks driven at him, but he had done well, incredibly well, for himself. Tuesday was very proud of him.

She tucked his pokeball into her left pocket, where she knew he would remain safe until the match was completed and she could take he and Ashleigh swiftly to the pokemon center to be revived. Likely, too, her next pokemon would not escape this battle unscathed, but she would not count him out, yet. She had not had him as long as the other, but still, she had seen him battle. She would not know until the end of this match how thoroughly he would fare.

Tuesday gripped his pokeball tightly in her hand, pausing a moment to think. She could spare a moment.

There were two ways that she could initiate his introduction to the field, and she had not yet decided on which.

On one hand, she could through his pokeball into the center of the field and initiate an attack before his species became known to Vega, thereby giving her a moment in which she held the upperhand. It would not be much, and would not last long, but every second in which she held something within her grasp that the other did not have could mean victory or defeat in any match. That was something that Brone had taught her, as pale fingers moved chess pieces around on a checkered board. She had learned the lesson well.

On the other hand... Tuesday reached up and touched the pendant that hung from a cord around her neck. Revealing her third pokemon's species to her opponent before the initial attack would give him that small amount of time to begin to put together a strategy, but as knowledge was truly an asset, so could the littlest of things be just as so.

Tuesday nodded and tried to ignore how her hand shook lightly. She had decided the three pokemon she would be using for this match, and she would not go back on that choice, even if part of her decision did frighten her. It was a step toward recovering, and she was not afraid of him.

"Odysseus."

The pokeball flashed open, the crimson light coalescing beside her, releasing the buizel she had been holding until the end of her match. She had not had him as long as Ashleigh or Zorro, and she did not know him as well, but he was older than them, she knew. He may not have an advantage in this fight, but he was strong, and she had faith in him. She trusted him.

She was not afraid of him.

Tuesday pulled the necklace up over her head and dropped the cord over Odysseus', the Mystic Water pendant hanging down the front of his chest. The buizel glanced down at it for a moment, before looking at her. He wore a wary expression, one she had seen on his face before - an uncertainty in her decision, but she smiled at him and tucked his pokeball back in her pocket.

Glancing at her now empty hands, the buizel seemed to understand that she would not go back on her decision. He nodded slightly to himself and turned to face his opponent.

"As you say, lass."

"Sonic boom on the xatu, Odysseus. Take him out!"

[Living Arrow]

*A Buizel!*

“Order, Ally Switch Now!” Vega commanded the sacrifice without blinking. It was time to step things up. Now Ms. Berdison had called out a water type, his reserve Pokemon would be at a disadvantage should he be forced back onto the field and as much buffering and forward planning would be needed as possible, given the beating Peace and Order had already taken.

In a flash of white light, Peace and Order switched places and the arc of Sonicboom hit the Duosion square in the face.

“Duuuu!”

“Duosion is unable to battle!” The referee signalled with a raise of his flag. Vega swiftly recalled the Pokemon.

“Unable to battle but still fighting!” Vega laughed as Peace’s Future Sight made its arrival. Psychic energies swarmed in from all directions at once and crushed the water-type Pokemon in an invisible vicegrip. Vega mentally punched the air. Future Sight was an excellent move for throwing an opponent off guard, even for just a moment.

“Follow up with Night Shade!”

[Umbrae Calamitas]

The fainting of the duosion was something of a surprise to Tuesday. She had expected to possibly take out the xatu, but not the other pokemon. Not that she wasn't pleased. Not only did that leave her without having to worry about the duosion, but the move Ally Switch could no longer be used, since they each only had one pokemon on the floor.

The Future Sight that Zorro had copied should be striking soon, either onto the xatu, or if Odysseus managed to take him out, the krokorok.

Tuesday pondered her choices for a moment. She knew the pokemon Vega would send out next would be the krokorok, so at least she wasn't in the dark about that. She wished there was more she could do to prepare for the next pokemon's arrival.

She didn't worry herself too much about that. Tuesday was just glad that Odysseus knew what he did, and that she had taken one of the pokemon down already.

Now, for the next.

"Odysseus, use Pursuit!" With a chattering growl, the buizel lunged forward.

[Living Arrow]

The Challenger’s Buizel plunged right into the path of the Night Shade attack, its growl gurgling out amid the crackle of the midnight energy swarming from Order’s eyes. Vega knew very well that an attack like Pursuit was super effective to his bird Pokemon and he also knew when said Pokemon was at its limit.

“Order, get back and use Wish right now!” Vega commanded swiftly.

The Xatu swept its wings at the Buizel and catapulted backwards, just out of the reach of the water-types claws as they swiped at the spot where he had stood. With a tilt of his beak, Order sang a high-pitched cry to the rafters where tiny balls of light began to shine like a sea of tiny stars.
In a flash, the Buizel was upon him once more and a swipe of its claws rewarded the challenger with a burst of feathers.

“Xaaa!” Order’s weakened squawk echoed throughout the Gym as he fell and the referee’s flag was raised.

“Xatu is unable to battle!”

“Order, return!” Vega recalled his Pokemon and raised his third Pokeball. “I must say, Ms. Berdison, that I am impressed that you have managed to get this far in our battle with the strategy that you have decided to employ. We both know that you are about to gain an advantage for the remainder of this battle but let me remind you – this is a Gym battle and Badges are not easily earned. Now, let’s do our best in this final round! Go, War!”

A flash of white light and the Krokorok was back on the field. A glittering aura surged around him as Light Screen flickered its reminder that it was still in play for both sides of the field.

“War, use Crunch attack!”

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday sighed with relief as the xatu went down. With one pokemon left to each of them, she and Vega were almost evenly matched. Odysseus had taken a few hits so far, and Vega had more experience, but as he had said, Odysseus had an advantage over the krokorok. They were at the end and the choices she made here would decide the battle.

She flicked her eyes upward to the gym leader as he spoke, before her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. She wondered if Vega was aware of who her father was. Were he, he should know she wouldn't take the gym battles as being an easy feat to overcome. Anika might, but she wouldn't. They would hardly be worth attempting if they did not require practice and skill, but she said none of this, her eyes leaving Vega's face and staring absently at the arena before her.

Flexing her fingers as though she were preparing to throw a hit herself, Tuesday's eyes moved to the krokorok and she watched as it lunged forward, prepared to use an attack she recognized as a Dark-type attack. Crunch. Briefly, her memory brought up moments before when she had seen the attack used by others. And what could stop...

Wait, three turns...

"Odysseus, Swift backpedal!"

The buizel's back legs tensed and he sprang backward, at the same moment as he released his Swift attack, slamming the star-like projections at the krokorok. The air had filled with a tense power, as well, and a moment later it was revealed why, as the Future Sight Zorro had copied made its debut, tearing through the air viciously.

[Master Houndoom]

Jaima sat forward, his fingers steepled in front of his face so that his nose was practically resting on his fingertips. His eyes darted minutely from side to side, taking in the action in the arena below, but little else. He had started a little bit in reaction to Tuesday's calling out Odysseus, again glancing back at Meiko. Evidently satisfied that she agreed with him, he turned back to the action.

Meiko wasn't even watching the battle now, however. The ideas that had come to her before, that perhaps she couldn't quite trust in Jaima's ability, or even desire, to protect her, had expanded. If she couldn't trust him to protect her, what else could she trust him with?

Is it even that big of a deal? I can protect myself, can't I? She began to sit up, only to push back as a frightening revelation hit her. There was a time when she felt she couldn't protect herself, a situation she had vowed she'd never let herself into again. Now... now it seemed she had.

She remembered the kiss at Tuesday's uncle DeBrody's house. Hadn't she seen a smirk on Jaima's face just before his lips crashed down on hers? Hadn't his hand gone a little too far down her back? Hadn't he pushed her, deliberately, into a corner?

She looked over at Jaima now, swallowing thickly. He kept glancing back at her. Weren't his eyes full of that same overconfidence she'd seen that one night before, seen behind closed eyelids for weeks after Toshiro had let his hands roam where she'd told him time and time again they shouldn't, couldn't, until she was ready? Jaima glanced again, and Meiko's eyes widened. He nodded. That look. That smug look...

What had she gotten herself into?

* * * * *

What have you gotten yourself into? He's the same. Exactly the same, just slyer about it all...

Squit, the gardevoir, had spent days tracking this group. His trainer hadn't been angry, but the woman's disappointment in him still stung, like in an open wound. It was bad enough he had evolved into a gardevoir rather than a gallade, but he couldn't even keep a kirlia, an inferior slip of a kirlia, at bay long enough for her to get to their objective. He hadn't stuck around to let her express these feelings: They were all there in the forefront of her mind. And Perra hadn't made it any easier, not that he'd expected her to...

So he followed them, racking his mind for a way to open the door for his trainer to get her hands on the little girl. He thought he had the solution.

The reason for the human group's success, he was sure, was that they were a close knit team. He begrudgingly had to admit that trying to separate them in the forest was a good idea, even if they hadn't waited for Squit to muddle the younger group's minds. Squit had no way to physically separate them, but he was certain, given the right circumstances, he could drive a wedge between one, maybe more, of them.

The coordinator had left on his own, so that was one obstacle out of the way. The vulpix which was with that one was no psychic type, but she was stronger, mentally, than she looked. The other boy's defenses were strong, put in place by that annoying slip of a kirlia and bolstered by the lucario that was always with her. For a while, his girlfriend was similarly protected. For some reason, however, that protection had fallen away.

In her mind, which had been easy enough to slip through, he found a veritable treasure trove of insecurities and doubts. She had, evidently, been frightened in the past, and doubted herself. It wasn't hard to turn that doubt against what had, at first, been a near bastion of hope for her. Sifting through her memories, he found the worst one, the one that had both frightened her and shamed her, and tweaked it just enough that the boy she had allowed herself to trust seemed to be on the verge of betraying that trust. A smirk here, a grab there, bits of the memories that frightened her spliced into memories that had at least comforted her, or, better, overlayed on her current senses, began the wedge that he could use to splinter the bond between the two.

Awwight, what do you think you'we doing?

Squit started, losing the tenuous hold he'd had on the girl's mind. He turned, slowly, annoyed, and spotted what looked nothing more like a Jynx in a black dress and short cropped black hair.

Oh brother. Scat, kid. I have work to do.

The gothita's eyes narrowed. Oh? Wike what? Scwewing awound with that girw? She crossed her tiny arms as the gardevoir turned to give her his full attention.

I think you'd better leave, little one, he ground out in a menacing tone. The tiny psychic snorted.

Don't twy to get aww impwessive, you'ww wwinkwe youw dwess... She sneered, then glowered, floating up to eye level with the gardevoir. Weave youw diwty paws off or my mawk, got it?

Squit rolled his eyes, turning to put his attention back to the girl, who was beginning to doubt the suggestions he'd put into her mind. Great, now I'm going to have to start over...

There was a slight change in the gothita's mental voice. It was harder, now, like silk covered steel. Angry, but still juvinile, like a hot cinnamon candy. Pewhaps I haven't made mysewf pewfectwy cweaw...

Squit turned his head to send her away with a mental shove, and was shocked to see that she had disappeared, a dark, mist-like substance melting in her stead. He turned his head, wondering if she had been a mental illusion, when a tiny foot impacted with his cheek, sending him realing. He could feel the cold shock of dark energy in the Faint Attack.

What in th-- The little Gothita was in his face now, her ribbon-like feelers glowing brightly. Rearing back, she sent both little "hands" at his face, hitting first one side, then the other. It stung more than truly hurt, but still being off balance from the Faint Attack, he fell anyway.

Can you heaw me now, cweep? Do you undewstand what I'm twying to teww you? Keep away fwom that giww untiw I am done with hew!"

Squit pulled himself up, levitating to slightly higher than his full height. Now you've gone and pissed me off, kid! I tried to be nice, bu- A Pound interrupted him, and he snarled as he sent a Psychic attack. The smaller pokémon shuddered, but merely looked at him after it passed, her eyes hooded.

Oh, pwease... That just annoys the cwap out of me... She lifted her "hand", and dark energy spiraled around it. With an annoyed screech, a Dark Pulse erupted from her, slamming into Squit's chest.

He couldn't breathe for a moment, and stayed on the ground, fuming. She floated about him, but he didn't move. The humiliation would be hard to take, but it was better than being fainted by a baby pokémon.

Touch hew again, and I won't stop when you faww down. She turned and floated away. Squit stood, thrusting an arm forward to send an attack into her back.

Oh, the little pokémon's voice sounded in his head. In case you figuwed you'd attack me as I weft, I awwanged a wittwe pwesent fow you...

He felt the coalescing Future Sight attack before it hit him, but not long before. Despite the fact that it wasn't very effective, it sent him reeling.

Nightwish looked back, sneered, and re-entered the arena.

* * * * *

Jaima looked back, his face alight as Tuesday knocked another of Vega's pokémon out. His face fell as he saw Meiko's. "You OK, sugar," he said, leaning close, his voice soft and warm.

In fact, for a moment, she almost shrunk away, almost shook her head with a hiss. She had never, not once, felt like this before: Like she was nauseous, but in her head, not her stomach. Her thoughts were in turmoil. Some things were... wrong. She couldn't put a finger on it (and if she could, she was sure she'd throw up all over her boyfriend), but it was...

fading.

Fading, with nothing but a sense of horror in its wake. She swallowed, clearing her throat. "I'm... I think I'm tired...?" She tried to smile, and Jaima leaned forward, putting his forehead on hers. It was comforting, and she found she craved such comfort... why was that a surprise?

"You want to get some air..?"

"No," she said softly. "I'll be all right..."

Jaima looked at her, then nodded. "I'll get you a drink..."

Before she could stop him, he was up, scurrying off to take care of what she knew now was a very small need... and somehow, that was comforting.

She turned back to the combat. She felt as if she'd missed something, but it didn't take long for her to get caught up in the battle, and when Jaima returned, she wrapped her arm around his bicep, without a thought to spare about how that might be too much trust.

[Living Arrow]

War’s teeth slammed once, twice, numerous times into the incoming Swift stars – shattering them into gold dust as he charged the arena. Swift projectiles still rained down upon his face and arms but he was used to taking attacks and some little Swift wasn’t going to hold him back. His trainer watched on in silence as the crocodilian pounced after the speedy Buizel.

“Retreating won’t help!” Vega warned the challenger as his Krokorok closed in on the Water-type. “Do it, War!”

Future Sight swept in from all directions and War continued to charge…

“KROKO!” Teeth slashed through the air, snagging the Buizel by the tails and Crunched down hard. With a mighty over-head swing, War slammed the buizel into the ground.

“Future Sight is a Psychic attack.” Vega schooled the challenger once more. “My Krokorok is a Dark-type. You know what that means – you employed the strategy yourself not so long ago. Now, let’s step this up. War, use Dig!”

With his tail snaking behind, War dove into the ground and disappeared from sight.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday couldn't believe how stupid she was. When the battle had begun, she had guessed that the krokorok was likely a dark type. She knew he would be unaffected by psychic attacks. It provided a good defense against trainers who had pokemon capable against only one type of pokemon, or who they themselves only had one type of pokemon, to use two types that naturally conflicted with each other. Like earlier, however, with her worry over Ashleigh, she had forgotten that the psychic attack would not be effective against the krokorok.

It was beyond embarrassing to have Vega point out something so obvious to her, and the fact that she should already have known it. And that lecturing tone he used, in the middle of a gym battle...

Tuesday cringed and resisted the urge to look up into the stands and see if Jaima and Meiko were watching. She was sure that they were. She grimaced, imagining how disappointed they would be, to realize that she really had no idea what she was doing. She really was just a kid playing pokemon trainer. She should have stayed in the lab...

Odysseus chirped, calling Tuesday's attention. She glanced his way, to see him looking at her over his shoulder, his back still facing her. When he was sure he had her attention, he spun his twin tails shortly, and then smacked them against the ground. It took Tuesday a moment, but when she realized what he meant, she felt herself relax. He was right.

Odysseus' tailbone had been fractured when she'd caught him. She had splinted it and kept it positioned so that it would heal properly, and it had. She had done it herself, without the aid of a nurse or even one of her older companions. She wasn't a genius when it came to everything about battling, but she wasn't an idiot. And she had been doing really well as a battler. Yes, Zorro and Ashleigh had both been fainted, but so had Vega's duosion and xatu, and he was the leader of the gym.

She could do this.

Tuesday smiled at Odysseus, and the buizel let his tails spin freely, chattering in pleasure. He was pleased with Tuesday's quick retreat from her uncertainty, but he didn't expect what came next.

"All right. Odysseus, let's give this crocodile a proper mudhole to play in. When he comes up, use Aqua Jet!"

Odysseus distinctly remembered the last time Tuesday had commanded him to use Aqua Jet. She had gone nearly catatonic in fear. But he could see the same determination in her blue eyes now that had taken over then, when she had combatted the fear with the help of Zorro.

She was truly coming into her own, sailing into the storm and facing her fears. And Odysseus couldn't... be... prouder...

He shuddered, glancing down. Was the ground shaking? No... there was a feeling inside his chest, like the tide, pulsing forward, trying to break up the shore. Trying to reach further than the force of its own momentum would allow it...

Odysseus' form was seized by light, enveloped in a wave of it. He chattered, feeling altered as a course is altered by a wave, tossed as a ship is tossed. Changed, as the moon changes the tide.

The white light faded, and a floatzel stood where the buizel previously had. Odysseus gaped down at his fins.

"Color me splintered, would ya look a' me. Like turnin' a dinghy into a galleon..."

"Odysseus!" Tuesday cried in delight.

At that moment, the floatzel felt the ground beneath him shift. His eyes sharpened and narrowed, and on instinct, he jumped, his tails whirring like a propeller. The wind shifted just slightly at the speed of his tails spinning, and Odysseus leaned to one side, jerking himself to the left in the air. The snapping jaws of the krokorok missed him only by centimeters.

Huffing, the floatzel slowed his tails to a stop and dropped to the ground, landing on all fours and crouching there, watching the krokorok lift its body the rest of the way out of the earth. He glanced back at Tuesday quickly.

The lass was gaping at him. Evidentally, she hadn't known he could hover. He probably should have revealed that earlier, but as smart as she was, he supposed he had just expected her to know.

Though he had to admit, he didn't recall it ever being that difficult before. He supposed he was heavier now, though. Flying might be out of the question, but a good surprising hover now and then...

Odysseus grinned, and the lass seemed to come back to her senses in the same instant, for he heard her shout "Aqua Jet!" just as he let the waves swirl around his body, and shot like a soaking bottle rocket toward the krokorok.

[Living Arrow]

Vega absolutely hated and yet at the same time loved seeing evolution on the battlefield. On the one hand, a stronger and altogether more competent battler would be on the field at the end of the development process (spelling out a more probable loss for him) and yet the thrill and sheer of excitement of being faced with a sturdier foe made him want to whoop with joy. A mix of such juxtaposition made him want to call a Time-Out so that he could take a moment to take it all in but there was no pause button on a Gym Battle.

The Buizel’s timely evolution granted him the speed to dodge War’s Dig attack in the nick of time and before he knew it, Vega found himself taking up defensive strategies as a rip-roaring Aqua Jet speed towards his Krokorok. Better yet, Vega’s only option for defense with War on the field was a vigorous offense.

“War, dig in your heels and use Crunch, right now!” Vega ordered.

The swirling bullet that was the Floatzel crashed into the accepting arms of War. Water-met-Groud-Type in a head-on collision but the ordinary hiss through a trainer’s teeth when on the receiving end of a critical hit did not pass Vega’s lips. Why? Order’s Wish was coming true.
Under the torrent of the Aqua Jet, golden light shimmered in the flow of water and underneath, Vega knew War was recovering. Though under a shower of foam, he could practically feel the energy leave his Pokemon and then return with a vengeance.

“KROOOK!” War’s claws grasped deep into the Aqua jet and found the floatation device of the challenger’s Floatzel, swinging him around and press him down to the ground with a crash. Water dripped off of the crocodillian’s body in stinging rivulets but for now he was one step ahead. With a loud cry, War buried his face into Odysseus’s back.

“Zeeeeel!” A scream rent the air and, almost immediately, it was followed by another.

“Krokoooor!”

“What?!” Vega’s jaw dropped, astounded. Glittering crystals shimmered around the Floatzel’s mouth where it too had retaliated and suck its own teeth into War’s leg. Ice gripped the Krokorok’s leg tightly and the cold of the attack began to spread. Who would have guessed it? Upon evolving that Floatzel had learned Ice Fang… And the tables were being turned once more. “No, War! Get out of there before it’s too late!” The Gym Leader cried, urging his Pokemon to escape the fate that was claiming his leg. But, try as the final Gym Pokemon might, the end was all too near…

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Today was certainly one for surprises. Not only had Tuesday learned that Odysseus could all but fly, but he apparently now knew Ice Fang, likely due to his evolution. But now, the tables had turned and where the krokorok had taken the lead against Odysseus by thwarting his Aqua Jet, the crocodile was now held fast in an icy grip.

For a moment, Tuesday's mind was adrift in the possibilities. Could she somehow merge an Aqua Jet and Ice Fang attack, freezing her opponent only to have a wave of water hit him a moment later, flowing around him to freeze from the remaining cold of the previous attack? Would it work like she imagined, encircling her opponent'a pokemon and forming a cocoon of ice around their body?

Oh, she wanted to try it. Her fingers twitched in desire to test it, her head buzzing, the skin of her scalp tingling. She could barely resist the temptation. Still, she held herself back and kept her mouth from forming the words to the combination. She did not know if it would work, how it would go. It wouldn't be fair to Odysseus to attempt such a merging attack stream when he hadn't time to get used to his new form. She watched the krokorok attempting to retreat and found herself calling out. "Odysseus! Keep on him, and use Ice Fang again!"

With a growl, the offer leapt forward, teeth bared, and clamped frozen fangs tightly upon the crocodile's arm.

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko's grip suddenly became tighter, and slightly more painful as her nails accidently dug into his forearm. "Jaima, did you see that?!" she squealed.

Jaima, luckily, was a little too stunned to be aware of the minor trivia of sharp nails in the soft skin of his forearm. He turned and looked at Meiko with a similarly wide eyed look on his face.

"She used a water attack," he said, his voice that flat, near monotone of the newly stunned.

"Willingly!" Meiko crowed, softly, her voice in the near dog-frequency tones of a young girl seeing something she thought she would never see, and approving of it.

Neither noticed Nightwish re-entering the arena.

Did you take care of him?

Nightwish glared at Mercury, but instead of lashing out, settled behind Meiko's head. If you knew he was thewe, you should have done something.

It would have been rude, and you've made your stance clear on that particular subject.

Nightwish humphed, but said nothing more as the battle came to its conclusion.

[Living Arrow]

Another Ice Fang dug deep into Vega’s Krokorok and the Gym Leader hissed through his teeth. The match was practically over and not really due to any sort of strategy from his competition but from sheer persistence and dumb luck. Yes, that still meant that he was going to lose, no he didn’t like how it was happening, but yes, he was impressed. Vega had always been a firm believer in people making their own luck in life and by seeing the relationship between Tuesday Berdison and her Pokemon, he could see why the coin toss was going to tip their way. Their bond was… deep. It was corny but true.

“War, counterattack! Use Crunch!” Vega ordered the move.

War the Krokorok snapped visciously at the Floatzel pinned to his arm but the speedy Water-type dodged just in time, ducking under the crocodillian’s jaws and latching onto his other arm. Ice crept up his flesh and locked it in place, spreading to his neck and cementing his head in place where it snapped ineffectively at air. Compeltely frozen, War’s body began to slow and shut down, Odysseus’s icy teeth leaving their mark all over his body until he finally stopped moving completely.

“Krokorok is unable to battle!” The referee swung his flag. “The challenger, Tuesday Berdison of Pallet Town, wins the match!”

Vega took no pleasure in recalling his last Pokemon and meeting the challenger in the middle of the field to pass on the Twilight Badge but he couldn’t help feeling that pang of seductive joy that any good Pokemon battle managed to bring to him. It had been an unpredictable one and had taught him not to underestimate inexperienced trainers as the relationship between trainer and Pokemon could mean more than any amount of battle scars.

“Congratulations, Tuesday.” Vega smiled as he placed the Twilight Badge into her palm. “The Twilight Badge is yours. That was a battle that I won’t forget in a hurry. I wonder how you and your sister are so different in your approach to battling but I’m sure that’s something to be discussed another day. In any case, be proud of your achievement here today and I wish you well in any other Gym battles that you may participate in. Now, I must see to my injured Pokemon – congratulations again.”

And with that, Vega the Gym Leader of Petropolis left the battlefield with his referee in tow.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday watched the referee wave his flag sharply, calling the krokorok's inability to battle and the end of the match. She could hardly believe that she had won. She waited for a moment, almost expecting Vega to call out another pokemon, but she watched him recall War and put the pokeball away. The gym battle really was over.

She help the grin that curled over her lips and Tuesday dashed over to Odysseus, who looked tired but pleased with himself and the outcome. He was larger and much heavier than he had been the last time she had touched him, but she still made the effort to wrap him in a hug. She managed the hug, but not lifting him up like she could when he was a buizel.

She buried her smile against his smooth, short fur and heard his chirp at her in response. "I never expected that, Odysseus. You were incredible."

She felt the sinewy muscles beneath her shift and the floatzel slapped his tails on the ground. Tuesday looked up to find Vega walking toward her. She hugged Odysseus tight once more, before releasing him and straightening.

Tuesday knew from hearing her father talk that some gym leaders were very professional when speaking with challengers who had defeated them. While there remained a barrier of professionalism which separated Tuesday from Vega, the man was not so stoic as to remain completely distant.

She took his comment about her being different from Anika in the manner that she battled as a compliment in her mind, but she did wonder what he had thought of it in his. Briefly, she entertained the idea of asking, but the temptation of the words didn't even touch her lips. It would be rude, for one, and childish, another. She also shouldn't be bothered with it. She had decided long ago that she would not be like Anika, and she was not, and here was an unbiased person, a gym leader no less, telling her such a thing again. She was happy with that.

"Thank you," she said, smiling happily as she took the badge from him, "for the chance to battle."

When Vega had given his farewell and left to attend to his pokemon, Tuesday turned back to Odysseus and almost broke into a Happy Dance. Her first gym battle ever, and she won! It might have been due to luck in the end, but she had directed her pokemon well and the three of them had done wonderfully, even if Zorro and Ashleigh did end up fainting before she was able to recall them in time.

Squeezing the Twilight Badge tightly enough in her hand for it to leave an imprint in her palm, Tuesday turned toward where her friends had been sitting to see Meiko and Jaima making their way down toward her. Tuesday couldn't help her smile, and though she knew they had, the words slipped out before she could stop them.

"Did you see me? I won my first gym battle!"

"We saw you, Tuesy," Jaima assured her, grinning. "You did great." He slowed as he got closer to her, but Meiko had no such reservations.

The redhead nearly flew right up to her and wrapped her tightly in a hug that all but lifted her from the ground. For a moment, Tuesday was sure she was airborne.

"Tue-chan!" Meiko cried, pulling back so she could look the younger girl in the face. "That was incredible! And Odysseus evolved! I am so proud of you!"

Tuesday blushed at the praise and was pulled back into another hug by the older girl. As she wrapped her arms around Meiko's neck to hug her back, she was surprised to spot a third person over her shoulder.

In the back of the seating area, half-hidden in shadow, Reilly Coons made his way toward the door with his red hair unkempt as usual, and a buneary curled up contentedly in his arms. Just before he exited the building, he seemed to sense her eyes and turned, spotting her watching him. He hesitated.

Tuesday was surprised when the slightly older boy gave her a slight nod, in approval, or acceptance, or even a backward-insulting "That'll do, pig," she didn't know. And she wasn't sure it mattered.

Tuesday grinned widely back at Reilly. He sparred a moment to roll his eyes, and then was gone.

"Come on, Tuesy," Jaima said, apparently oblivious to the presence of Reilly, "let's get back to the Pokemon Center so your pokemon can be healed."

Tuesday smiled in response, a small skip in her step as the trio began to head out of the gym. "And I want to call Professor Oak and tell him about my battle!"

~*~

"A job?"

"Yes, of course," Professor Oak replied, leaning back in his chair and smiling at Tuesday through the video screen. "You are my field research assistant, after all." He chuckled at the automatic smile this brought to his apprentice's face.

After giving her pokeballs (all of them, even though only Zorro, Ashleigh, and Odysseus had battled) to Nurse Joy, Tuesday had gone to the video phones to call Professor Oak. He had been in his laboratory, as was usual for this time of day, and listened with rapt attention to Tuesday's tale about her gym battle, congratulating her when it was finished.

After she had told him of it, their conversation turned slightly more serious. Apparently, Professor Oak had two problems. Both, he seemed to think, were problems that Tuesday and her pokemon were likely to be able to solve.

"You seem concerned about leaving Ashleigh with me."

"It's not that," Tuesday reassured him quickly, frowning. She tapped her fingers to her mouth, trying to find a way to describe her disconcertion at sending the houndoom to spend some time at the lab. Professor Oak was having some trouble with a few wild canine pokemon terrorizing the more docile members of pokemon he watched for some of the trainers who looked to him for guidance. He believed that Ashleigh would be able to help him stop those pokemon, chasing them off for good if not managing to capture them.

"It's just going to be different, being separated from him. That's all."

"Well, it's up to you," Professor Oak assured her, "but I promise I'll have him back to as soon as possible."

"I'm sure he'll enjoy spending some time there. I'm not worried about that. I'm just going to miss him, is all. I miss everyone when they're gone."

"Even me?" Professor Oak asked, raising an eyebrow while he grinned at her.

"Especially you, Professor. Now... you said something about a job for me?"

"Yes. There's a pokemon I'd like you to capture for me. It's recently be introduced into that region, and I have a map I can send to you that will show you where a pack of them is thought to have settled. I'd like you to get a young one, male. And once you've captured it, I want you to raise it. I'd like to do a comparison with a female version of the species I have here at the lab...

Tuesday glanced down at the ticket to the most recent PokeCon that had come for her in the mail that Mr. Postman had brought. She chewed her lip for a moment, before looking back at the screen. "I'll be happy to capture the pokemon for you, Professor."

"Wonderful!" he said. "I'm sending the map to you now. You should be able to print it out, and you can contact me if you have any questions, of course. I have no doubt you'll be keeping notes of your progress as you go on."

"I always do," Tuesday said, smiling. Her mind briefly wandered to the fact that she needed to replace her writing equipment. She was running out of space in her journal.

"Will your friends be going with you?" Professor Oak asked curiously.

"No, I don't think so." Tuesday glanced behind her to where Jaima and Meiko were sitting at a table and eating dinner. They had saved her a seat. "They've been invited to PokeCon. We'll probably both be finished at the same time and can meet up afterward on the road."

"Well, just be careful while you're travelling on your own. I almost hate to take one of your pokemon away from you..."

"I'll be all right," Tuesday said. "Ashleigh will be happy to help you deal with those pokemon, and I still have Zorro, Tempest, Dante, and Odysseus."

"Very well. I do have one pokemon I think you'll be happy to have with you, though."

"Which one?" Tuesday asked, smiling in thanks at the Chansey who brought over her pokeballs, her pokemon all completely healed.

"Eowyn, I believe you called her."

Tuesday grinned at the professor. "You've examined her?"

"Both DeBrody and I have looked her over thoroughly. I don't know what has caused her albinism, but I'm including a list of things you should watch her for, just in case she develops any other issues as she grows, as well as some vitamin supplements, to help with her nutrition. I thought you might enjoy having her company while I borrow Ashleigh for a few days."

"Yes!" Tuesday laughed, trying to duck away from Ashleigh, who was licking her face. The houndoom had been released from his pokeball and had apparently learned of her winning her gym battle. He was quite happy about it. As she spoke to him, his tail whipped dangerously back and forth and he let loose a few loud barks. He was in no way concerned about spending time with Tuesday's mentor and helping him deal with a few pests.

Tuesday recalled the houndoom after one tight hug and a few slobbery licks to the face. "I'll take good care of him, Tuesday."

"I know," she said, smiling as she placed Ashleigh's pokeball in the transfer machine and watched it disappear, to be replaced by a different one.

She looked up and smiled at the professor.

"Good luck."

After cancelling the call and packing up her pokeballs, Tuesday drew a deep breath and headed over to the table where Meiko and Jaima were sitting. Darryn had left their group before her match, and now, after it, Tuesday was separating, as well. It would only be for a short while, she was sure, but it would still be very different for her to be on her own again. But she could handle it.

There was a flash of red light and Tempest popped out of her pokeball and hopped up onto Tuesday's shoulder. Tuesday grinned up at the pikachu.

She had her pokemon to take care of her, and her pokemon had her. Her first mission as a Pokemon Field Researcher was about to commence!

Please close and lock.