[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

The roleplay is reserved for Living Arrow and Zohariel and is not looking for more members. Any bunnying has been agreed etc. Enjoy reading!

Lori Pardare clung to the rails of the S.S. Lady of Furoh as it came into port, grinning from ear to ear as her six hour boat journey from Canalave City was finally coming to an end. Her hair danced about her head in uncontrolled wisps of infinite red that she brushed away with a flick of her pale hand. The sun didn’t usually agree with the girl from Littleroot Town but seeing the port come into view was simply not something that could be watched from the cabin. She had to see it!

In the foamy waters below, Lori spied dark shapes moving below the surface in small schools racing the boat toward the shore. Never once did one break the surface but she bet they were Pokemon – maybe even one of the Pokemon that she had been sent to capture! Since diving in, however, was ill advised she decided to make do with her perch on the rails despite the urge to plunge into the depths in search of adventure.

“Piplup!” A small blue and white Pokemon chirped by her ankle, bobbing on the spot with barely suppressed glee. She grinned and scooped him up, pressing him safely between herself and the wide rail.

“Look, Pipster! Port Barley – the Gateway to Furoh! Our adventure it going to start there, y’know? I’m so excited! Just think of all the Pokemon we’re going to meet and capture and battle with and make friends with!” Lori crooned, her excitement bubbling through her body like a stirring volcano. “This is where we’re going to train up and Ill become a Pokemon Master!”

*Just like Kino!* She added mentally. Oh, how her famous sister was going to be so proud!

“Are you ready for this, Pipster?” Lori held out a pinky. “Let’s promise to fight for our dreams, no matter what!”

The Piplup beamed back, hooking her finger with the tip of his wing.

“Lup!”

*****

On the boardwalk in the harbour, Lori made sure to check everything in her bag twice before leaving the boat behind her – if she had misplaced the Pokedex that Kino had donated to her, she’d be dead! Luckily, the grey and green device was stowed safely in its pocket along with Kino’s special brand of green Pokeballs. With those, she was to catch any sort of Pokemon from Unova and train it, researching all the strengths and weaknesses that the specimen had to offer and report her findings to the Unova League Champion. Content that she was ready, she headed into town with her partner in tow.

“So, Pipster,” Lori said as she drank in her surroundings, “what I thought we’d do is hit up some local snackbar and then make a move for the beach – we might find some Pokemon there that are on our list… Or maybe even some trainers to battle!”

Pipster puffed out his breast and thumped it with a stubby wing in a ‘hell’s yeah!’ gesture but ended up winding himself.

“And that’s when we’ll…hey, what’s going on over there?” Lori grumbled, coming to a halt and signalling for Pipster to keep close to her heel. He obeyed instantly, hugging her calf with a wing.

Ahead of them, at the bus depot lining the promenade, a group of boys around her age were gathering in a circle. They made a lot of noise while something or someone in the middle was prevented from leaving the confines of their human prison. Lori frowned. Something was up. She nodded to her partner, who nodded back in agreement, and together they approached the group of teens.

[Zohariel]

The bus was old and creaky, but comfortable, and the seats were covered in a worn, patchwork fabric. Will had no problem with any of these facts, save for one – every time the rickety old thing hit a pothole, the entire thing bounced up, launching Will with it; and then down, bringing him back to the seat with a thump.
His tailbone was bruised and he was getting a little sick. He groaned. Barley could not come soon enough.

He contented himself with gazing out the window in between jolts. The hills were rolling on the horizon, and the valleys were filled with tall, deciduous green trees. The sun was shining cheerfully across the landscape, birds were twittering mindlessly amongst the branches and a river rolled merrily through the valley down to the shore in the distance. None of these happy things improved Will’s mood. He was feeling ill, but more than that; he was incredibly nervous. Barley was approaching, and his adventure was about to begin.

He set his jaw as the port town approached. There was nothing a small port town could hold that would discourage him. He was a free man now, and there were foes to face! Challenges to overcome! He smiled and reached for his belt, detaching two small pokeballs and returning them to normal size.

“Come on out, guys.” With a flash of red light, both pokeballs opened. First to appear was Sentret, who scampered happily around the bus –

“Sen-sen-sen-sen-sen...”

- before coming to rest on Will’s lap.

“...TRET!” With a happy smile he pinned himself to Will’s window.

Next was Baltoy. Will rolled his eyes as Baltoy hopped from bus passenger to passenger, spinning furiously and apparently assessing each of them for ill intent. Will received more than a few irritated looks from his fellow travellers as Baltoy’s red eyes squinted at each one of them in turn.

He rolled his eyes. “Baltoy!” The Baltoy’s head turned on its spinning body, looking quizzically at Will.

<TOY?>

“Come over here! I’ve got something I want to show you.”

The little brown spinning top hesitated a second in front of one particularly large, tattooed passenger (his expressionless face almost seemed to be frowning) before hopping over, bouncing on its perfectly balanced point down the aisle of the bus to Will’s window, where he and Sentret were waiting.

“Look out the window.” Will pointed, and both Sentret and Baltoy followed the motion of his finger. “That there? That’s where we start.”

And sure enough, there was Barley, looming in the horizon, with the glittering ocean laid out before it and a carpet of green trees behind.

Yep, thought Will. This was going to be an adventure.

****

It was just a shame then, that the trouble started as soon as he got off the bus.

The rickety old bus pulled into the depot by the promenade which, thought Will, was as good a place as any to start off. He paid the driver and hopped down onto the pavement. There were a couple of stalls lining the beach, selling knick-knacks and tourist trinkets (Will made a mental note to think of himself as a tourist), a group of older boys leaning against the woodwork, and there were a couple of Krabby sidling down by the beach.

Will, fascinated, pulled out his brand new Pokedex –from his father, either an early birthday gift or a late holiday gift, he was never sure – and flipped it open. The screens were dim at first, but then lit up. Will was delighted – he’d never used a Pokedex before, and somehow seeing it powered up for the first time made his new adventure feel somehow real. This is where it began!

KRABBY, it began, THE RIVER CRAB POKEMON...

“Whatcha got there, shortstuff?”

Will became suddenly very aware of the light vanishing, leaving him standing in shadow. As he looked up someone snatched the Pokedex from his hands – he was surrounded by five boys, all of them 7 feet tall or more (he estimated) and most of whom bore a striking resemblance to Machoke. The ringleader was the tallest but also the skinniest, a greasy-faced kid with long, lank hair that covered one eye and a superior smirk on his face. In one hand, he was holding Will’s Pokedex.

“Aww, guys, look at this! The kid’s got a new model Pokedex!” He laughed in Will’s face. “This is far too valuable for the likes of you, little guy. Why don’t you just let me hold on to it, yeah?”

It was the first time in his life that anyone had directly confronted Will, and he was almost overwhelmed by the new emotions he was feeling. He was afraid, certainly, tense, looking for an escape, but more than anything was a new emotion, one he’d never felt as strongly before.

Will was angry. Here he was, on the very first steps of his adventure, and this was his first challenge. He was not about to let some spotty lowlife end his story before it had begun.

He began to struggle violently, trying to escape the clutches of the goon holding his down by the shoulders, when out of the corner of his eye he could see a red-headed girl approaching...

[Living Arrow]

“S’up, Mother…” Lori searched for a less offense alternative… “Hubbard?”

Pipster facepalmed at her side.

The group of teen boys turned her way with narrowed eyes and the look of a bunch who did not like to be interrupted. She pursed her lips with contempt. There were more ripped jeans in this group than in a 90’s music video and their hair was, rather shockingly, even worse from said videos. There were six boys in total – five were older, maybe her own age or so, while the last was younger and considerably smaller.

“Beat it,” a lanky boy with and overly greasy face curled a lip, “ginger.”

Lori stomped a foot. Oh, how she would have taken that back straight after she did it. Stomping feet was not for strong, independent women like her… or Kino. Her face bloomed a violent beetroot.

“Hey! I am not ginger!” She protested. “get your eyes tested you…”

“Pip!”

“Yeah! You, Pip!” Lori’s face froze but her eyes worked manically. That wasn’t right… You ‘pip’? What was she thinking!?

“Get rid of ‘er,” the lanky long-haired one gestured at one of his cohorts who steeled himself visibly and grabbed Lori’s arm. She hissed automatically and yanked back from the guy but failed to loosen his vice-like grip. Pipster launched himself into action but was immediately scooped up and held in place by another yob where he struggled in vain to be released.

“Hey!”

Everyone blinked and turned toward the smaller guy who had spoken up.

Lori forgot her own embarrassment for a moment to remember why she had bothered to get herself involved with these goons in the first place. He was smaller than her but no by much. Maybe a couple of inches? No, wait… she was wearing heels! Even so, he was definitely younger than her and dwarfed completely by the other boys who were all verging on six feet tall. His dress was sombre and his appearance plain – someone who could fade into a crowd at a moment’s notice or go missing for weeks before anyone bothered to check on him – but his eyes were angry and stern and his jaw set. The way his brow creased so easily meant that he was no stranger to a good old fashioned frown but to Lori, frowning didn’t suit him. People were meant to smile.

“Shut it, Shortstuff,” long-hair spoke up again, “or this’ll be shoved somewhere real unpleasant.” He hefted a bulky-looking Pokedex. Lori thought fast. Well, it wasn’t that fast. If she had actually thought fast she would have realised that getting involved in whatever these goons were doing with the kid (he clearly wasn’t part of their bunch) would have been a very very bad idea.

“Ugh, what’s that?” Lori turned up her nose. “Is that meant to be a Pokedex or a brick?” She muttered. “This is a Pokedex.” With her free arm, Lori fished Kino’s Unovadex from her pocket and brandished it triumphantly.

“A state-of-the-art, up-to-date Unovadex with complete data on one hundred and forty three new species of Pokemon that are being introduced to Furoh around now.” Lori stated loftily. “It’s way better than that piece of junk.”

The long-haired leader looked to her then down to the Pokedex in his hands in confusion. He considered it for a moment before reaching out a hand.
“Hand it over.”

“Are you out of your tiny little mind?” Lori rolled her eyes. “I’m employed by the Unova League Champion herself to carry this thing around and capture more Unova Pokemon and research them. You think I’m just going to hand it over?”

“No, I think you’ll give it over.” He snapped back, moving towards her menacingly.

“Leave her alone!” The little guy piped up again, rewarding him with a rough shake from the dude restraining him.

“You should take his advice,” Lori sighed as long-hair took the device from her hand without any resistance, “or things might get ugly for you.”

“Ha! Oh, really?” Long-hair took a step back waving both Pokedexes in front of her face with a taunting grin. “What you gonna do?!” She smiled back.

“Triss! Vine Whip attack!” Lori ordered.

In a flash her Snivy burst from cover behind the coach and threw out her vines in a deadly arc that slapped long-hair’s wrist and sent the hand-held computers flying. In a returning arc, they were snagged up and the Grass-type fled. Long-hair screamed with pain and clutched at the burning red skin on his forearms where Triss had left her mark.
Lori surprised even herself. If a prediction had ever been made as to which of her family was ever prepared for anything it was guaranteed not to be her! Then again, she watched so much Naruto these days that she had grown to think outside of the box on occasion. True, sometimes she ended up in another box completely, but at least it worked out this time!

“Damn, bitch!” Long-hair cursed, moving for her again. “I ought to-”

“Triss!” Lori wailed. Like a green lightning bolt, Triss appeared again, descending upon the gang from above by leaping from the coach roof. All eyes were on her as she landed amid them and her golden collar rose and rattled in warning. Lori squeezed her eyes shut. “Flash!”

Before she knew it, the grip on her arm was gone and soft cool air was allowed to her wrist once more. She opened her eyes and bolted, Triss springing to her shoulder as Lori grabbed the arm of the smaller boy and ran. Luckily, amid the confusion of being blinded, he had also been released and so they broke away without interference and began to make their get away.

“Piiiip!” A wail from behind brought Lori up short.

“Aw dammit! Knew I forgot something!” She smacked herself in the head and turned about, raising a Pokeball. “Pipster, return!”

With a gleeful ‘lup’ of escape, Pipster swooshed back to the ball, leaving his captor dazed and confused on the spot, staggering with the others like a loon. Long-hair blinked away the Flash as best he could only to find the rapidly shrinking image of Lori and Will escaping down the street.

“Nargh! Get them!”

[Zohariel]

Things were becoming a little bit crazy. First Will had been accosted by a group of bullies, then some red-headed girl had got involved, and there’d been a Pokemon he didn’t recognise, and then suddenly a huge flash of light...

...and now he was being dragged by the arm, dazed, confused, and more than slightly unable to see. He kept blinking and rubbing his eyes with his one non-manhandled fist as he stumbled along besides whoever was dragging him, trying to make the spots and stars disappear. Eventually his eyes began to adjust to the daylight again and he began to make out what was going on around him. First the worn, dusty cobbles beneath his feet - then buildings, shops, the streets around him and the slightly puzzled looks of passers by as he and whoever was dragging him charged past them. He stumbled, blinked, and looked up at his assailant.

It was the redhead! She was a little taller than him, with pale skin and a nice face, for a girl. In his dazed state he marvelled at her hair - it wasn’t just ginger, the sort of washed-out orange colour some people had, it was a bright, luminous red, and there was a lot of it - so much in fact that a little bit of it was blowing in his face, and he spluttered a little to get it out of his mouth. Gross.

As his head cleared he suddenly remembered. Looking back, sure enough, there was a gang of boys following them, and suddenly everything came into focus. They wanted to steal his pokedex and beat him up, and that could not be allowed.

They turned a corner and were suddenly on a busy street, crowded with people and lined with shops on each side. He scanned the layout quickly and saw it - an alley. Perfect! The bullies were a little way behind them, and hadn’t turned the corner yet. If they ducked into it and hid, there was a chance they wouldn’t see...

“Stop a second!”

The girl stopped and looked at him skeptically, but Will pointed to the alley.

“We can’t run forever. We should hide in there, we’ll give them the slip. At least long enough for them to get bored and stop looking for us.”

She frowned at him, then nodded. They both rushed to the alley... which stopped at a dead end. Nothing but some half empty garbage cans and a surprised-looking Rattata, which quickly dashed into a nearby drain to hide from the intruders into its private property.

Will thought quickly. “Behind the garbage cans, hurry!”

He stopped for a second, and his hand went to his belt, picking out Sentret’s pokéball and releasing his twitchy little friend into the dank stillness of the alley. He stared up at Will adoringly for a second, before scrunching up his nose. It was a warm day - Will could only imagine the garbage cans were fermenting.

When Sentret caught Will’s expression, his face became serious. “Sen!”

“Sentret, we’re in some trouble. We’re being chased. I need you to climb up that drainpipe,” Will pointed to a large pipe that scaled the height of the wall of the building on the left side of the alley, “and use your Foresight to keep a lookout. Can you do that?”

Sentret looked at the pipe, then back to Will, then back to the pipe, then back to Will and nodded, his expression businesslike. “Sen sen!” And with a flash, he disappeared up the pipe and found a perch at the top, overlooking the street outside the alley, his face intent.

Will turned again to the redheaded girl who’d dragged him all this way, and for a second before speaking he noticed again the radiance of her hair... before shaking his head and getting back to business.

“Come on! Behind the garbage cans. It’s the only way!”

[Living Arrow]

*The only way, eh?*

Lori wasn’t a fan of limited options – especially those offered by kids who needed her more than she needed them. That considered, this kid did have the ‘best’ option on offer for that moment whether she wanted to admit it came from him or not… She gave in. Triss quickly dove under a nearby dumpster with an urgent hiss and Lori followed suit.

“Then, move!” She insisted, shoving Will behind the nearest trash can and squeezing herself next to him, squashing him against the wall. He spluttered and pushed back as he attempted to remove the swathe of Lori’s red hair that had made its way into his mouth. She pouted.

“It might look that way but it really isn’t good enough to eat…” She hissed, snatching her precious locks back and pulling it all over her opposite shoulder. “Gross…” She muttered.

“But I-”

“Gross.” She glared at him. He stared back stolidly but said nothing more. Lori liked that – he was ballsy enough not to back down but polite enough to get the hint that talking right now would be inappropriate. Plus, up close he was kind of cute… In a nasty boy sort of way.

“Seeeen!” A high-pitched whisper sounded from above. Lori awkwardly twisted her neck to see the young boy’s Sentret waving urgently over the lip of some guttering. Lori’s breath caught in her throat. Did that mean those thuggish boys were still after them? And if they were, what did they intend to do to Lori and her newfound scruffy-haired teen sidekick? Beat them up? Worse?

Pressed against her flank, Lori could feel the boy tense up but like her he was holding his breath. They froze in place for what seemed like an hour before they heard the sound of voices from he entrance to the alley. Angry voices that grew clearer as they approached until they could be heard word for word. Lori chanced a glance past the trash can. They were almost on top of them! A mere ten feet separated them! She pressed herself against the boy next to her more intently as she tried to make herself even smaller.

“-get that damn bitch and make her sorry.” The unmistakeable tone of Long-hair could be heard. Clearly, someone had gotten out of the wrong side of bed that morning! Instinctively, Lori rubbed at the bruise that was slowly forming around her wrist. Several dark red spots had been left where she had been forcibly restrained by a very tight grip and a dull ache accompanied them.

“But she didn’t really do anything, Kyle.” Another voice spoke with a confused tone that was almost apologetic. A goon of a follower.

“Didn’t do anything?! She made a fool of me in front of the whole gang! Gonna cut that scrawny bitch’s hair off when we find her.” His threat rang home and Lori had to fight down the urge to gasp. Her chest felt tight and her eyes stung. How’d she ended up in this situation?! That guy was a nutcase!

A poke from her side and Lori flicked her eyes towards her fellow escapee with annoyance. He was rolling his eyes pointedly at the dumpster across the alley. Ever so slowly, a single whip-like vine was slithering across the uneven paving stone from under the dumpster directly for this Kyle guy. It was unwavering in its advance, calmly and coldly approaching the boy’s leg with clear deadly intention. Lori watched with stunned awe as the vine reach out closer and closer…

“Triss!” Lori whispered desperately. “Triss, don’t!”

The vine stopped moving.

“That’s right. Cut the dumb bitch’s hair off and take her shoes. That’ll humiliate a priss like her. You’ll see.” Kyle went on, having not heard Lori’s plea.

“Well, look’s like she ain’t here…” His partner remarked. “Maybe we should move on?”

“Uh? Yeah, whatever.” Kyle snorted. The sound of running footsteps followed and in a moment everything was quiet again.

“Treeet!” Another whisper squealed from above. The coast was clear and Lori could finally start breathing again.

[Zohariel]

Sentret clambered nimbly down from his drainpipe perch and settled absently around Will’s shoulders. Will reached up and scratched behind his friends ear.

“You did really well, Sentret. Thank you.”

Sentret beamed happily, then almost immediately began to snooze. Will smiled briefly, then turned his thoughts to the matter at hand.

They’d dodged a bullet, for now. The gang appeared to have passed them by - but they hadn’t stopped looking, and Barley didn’t seem to be the biggest place around. They were angry, the more so for having failed to find them the first time. They’d keep looking, and find them eventually, and that worried Will. They’d said some nasty things about what they’d do to the girl who’d rescued him - and yes, she had rescued him, you had to give her that much. With a shock he realised they hadn’t even introduced themselves. All they knew about each other was that they were being chased by the same gang of bullies. While he knew that she’d involved herself, he was glad that she had. Plus, he had to admit, he felt just a touch responsible.

Besides, she’d run into a dank, stinking alley with him. How bad could she be?

He turned to assess his new companion slash saviour. She looked grumpy, but at least they were both still in one piece... except he hadn’t noticed her pokemon, a Grass-type by the looks of things, which was slowly retracting a single vine from the entrance. What was it called? Snidy? Snooty? Something like that... whatever it was, it shared the same flinty determination as its trainer. Will found himself wondering what a battle against a pair like that would be like. He was surprised to find that he was rather looking forward to it.

Ah well, he thought. First thing’s first.

He stepped forward and offered a hand to shake.

“My name’s Will, and I owe you in a big way. What’s your name?”

[Living Arrow]

Lori felt sick. That had been a horrible experience for everyone involved - not least herself. This gang-leading kid, Kyle they called him, had said some stuff that she had really really not needed to hear. He'd cut her hair off?! Who did he think he was?! More seriously, why wasn't he in a padded cell somewhere?! The thought of that greasy guy getting a hold of her made Lori inwardly groan. Whatever happened, she'd not be letting that happen in a hurry. Absent mindedly, she smoothed her hair over one shoulder and stepped out from behind the trash cans.

The kid, stocky McNerdison, thanked his watchful Sentret once it return to the ground and it lapped up the praise with aplomb. Lori sighed to herself. Whatever the case with the goons, it seemed this kid was a nice one. He treated his Pokemon well and had been smart enough to ask for help when they needed it. Plus, despite the last few minutes, he appeared to be relatively calm - whatever he was taking, Lori wanted some.

He approached her with an open hand, introducing himself as Will.

“My name’s Will, and I owe you in a big way. What’s your name?”

"Uh, yeah y'do." Lori rolled her eyes sarcastically and grabbed his hand. "Lori Pardare, my sister's the Unova League Champion - Kino Pardare." She was met with a blank expression under that adorable messy fringe. "Y'know? Kino Pardare? She's only like the best trainer from the Sinnoh region? Last month's cover of 'Unova Today'?"

"Um... No, sorry." Will's response was not the one Lori had been looking for. "Not a great deal of news reaches us from the Unova region - it's so far away." He explained quickly.

*Ah! Bumpkin, I see! He's forgiven, I guess.*

Triss emerged from under her dumpster and hopped over, looking up at the trainers while dandling two very different Pokedexes from her vines. The older Gen IV model was passed to Will while Lori's precious Gen V was placed neatly back into her own palms, free from scratches or any other damaging marks. She grinned and shoved it back into her pocket.

"Thanks, Triss." She congratulated the Snivy and held out a Pokeball. "Kino said we could rely on you and she was right. For now, though, take a rest." And with a flash the Grass Snake was sucked back into her ball and plopped into Lori's bag. She dusted down her dress and allowed Will to finish checking over his own Pokedex for damage before nodding to the street outside the alley.

"How about we get to the Pokemon Centre and calm down for a while?" She offered. "You can tell me why those idiots were hassling you and buy me a milkshake. A large milkshake."

[Zohariel]

…

She wasn’t kidding. It was a large milkshake.

It came in a glass nearly a foot tall, and was swirled with pink and white and red. Bits of what could have been strawberries occasionally pressed themselves against the sides like desperate commuters on a Magnet Train. It was topped with a mountain of whipped cream, except that mountains weren’t usually covered in little bits of rainbow-coloured stuff. In short, it was what milkshakes wanted to be when they grew up.

Will had ordered a green tea. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

The cafe was a small one, just off the main town square of Barley, but it had a pleasing, rustic look to it - all wooden furnishings and brass doorknobs - that appealed to Will. Lori hadn’t seemed impressed, but he was paying, so what did that matter? Besides, she’d cheered up immediately after seeing the waiter taking a milkshake to another table, and immediately ordered a “Ditto”, which was currently casting a shadow across the table.

And so they talked. At least, Lori talked. She talked constantly, pausing only to take a quick sip of the masterpiece she’d ordered - Will privately wondered if she’d somehow developed a means of breathing while speaking, just to save time.

She told him about her hometown (Littleroot), her parents (alright but could be soooo lame at times), her pokémon (Pipster, her beloved Piplup, and Triss, her Snivy) and her sister, Kino. Will very definitely heard about Kino. According to Lori, Kino was tall, Kino was beautiful, Kino was brave, Kino never came out second best. Kino was the best trainer in Unova, and Pokemon League Champion to boot. The way Lori told it, Kino could take on the world and stand a fair chance of winning. Kino was badass.

Will listened, rapt. He’d known girls who never stopped talking, sure - that being most of them, and it was annoying as anything because they only ever talked about themselves - but Lori was a born storyteller. She described places and people so vividly that Will almost felt like he could remember them himself. Her eyes lit up as she told him the story of how she came to be a Pokémon researcher (because that was what she was) and with every step of the narrative her face was its own theatre. At one point she got so wrapped up in describing the battle in which Kino had won the Championship that she flung her arms out and very nearly knocked the magnificent milkshake flying over Will. She even illustrated it with photos from a dog-eared magazine from her bag. Will had a sneaking suspicion that she carried it everywhere with her.

“See, there’s Tsubaki - that’s Kino’s Serperior - defeating a Conkeldurr with Wrap! The commentators said it was a close thing, but I never believed it. Kino’s the best.”

And yet there was something about the way she looked, when she talked about Kino. She was so proud of her sister, Will could see that, but there was... something else. It was almost as if talking about Kino made a small part of Lori very sad indeed. You could see it in her eyes.

You’re looking into her eyes! Stop it, you freak!

Will blushed and turned away. Change the subject, that was the thing...

“So... I’ve been thinking.”

Lori paused, and looked a little put-out at having to stop the flow of conversation.

He clenched his fist. “Your sister... she sounds like she’s tough. Just the kind of tough I want to be. And I don’t think we’ll be safe in Barley while that gang of bullies is looking for us.”

He looked out of the window. The town square was packed - no chance of being spotted. Still, being by the window made him nervous... and being nervous made him angry. They’d made him feel like a scared little boy.

They would pay for that.

“What do you say we teach them a lesson?”

[Living Arrow]

“Teach them a lesson?” Lori raised her brows and pouted petulantly. “Those mindless thugs that were going to beat you up and cut my hair off? Do you have any idea how stupid ‘teaching them a lesson’ sounds?”

Lori was not impressed. First of all, they had forgotten to top the Forever Sundae with chopped nuts that she Will had paid good money for and secondly all of her good-samaritan-protectiony-work had gone to waste! Why for the love of shoes did he want to face up to those hoodlums again!? If she had her way, she would never have to lay eyes on those greasy, dirty, evil boys ever again!

“And what happens when they find us but we don’t get away?” Will asked back. A bit of colour had made its way into his cheeks but his mouth was set. Lori liked that – he was stolid enough to actually have complete intention on following through on what he had said. The fact that his intention was stupid was another matter. “The only way we can be sure they’ll leave us alone is if we make them.”

“And how exactly would we go about doing that?” Lori took another long drag on the straw in her rapidly diminishing milkshake. “We’re way smaller than any of them and if we set our Pokemon on a human, we could get arrested.”

“So we challenge them to a Pokemon battle.” Will shrugged. “I saw a couple of them had Pokeballs before… If we beat them down hard enough, they’d be too ashamed to do anything else but get lost.”

“And if we lose?” Lori hated that she had to bring up that particular eventuality. Like her sister, Lori was a very bad loser and, even worse for her, she lost a lot.

“We won’t lose.” Will’s fists were visibly flexing around his cup of green tea. *Pretentiiiooouuus* “As long as we have a plan going in, I’m sure we can out smart them – they weren’t exactly college material.”

Lori inwardly groaned. She already knew what was going to happen before it did. Clearly, this guy was determined – she got that. In fact, she revelled in it since it was rare to find someone like her who was ready to honestly push for what they believed in or wished for. She did not like, however, that he was pushing all of her buttons to agree to something that would get them killed. Part of her wanted so badly to jump right in and say ‘Hell, yeah! Let’s smack that ugly face in!’ but after what had been threatened she had just been left with ‘I’m calling Officer Jenny if he shows up again’.

There was only one simple thing that helped make her mind up. Will’s stubborn frown. Even if she didn’t agree to it, he’d probably go off and try to do something on his own and end up getting battered because of it and, being the way she was, Lori wasn’t prepared to let that happen. He was actually a really nice guy and she hadn’t gotten involved with his little situation because she didn’t care that someone was getting stepped on.

She folded her arms.

“And what’s in it for me this time?” She demanded.

“This time?”

“I saved your neck from those guys before and now I’m doing it again.” She nudged the empty glass in front of her towards the middle of the table. “Gonna need payment.”

Will blinked. “…Another milkshake?”

“Deal.” Lori clapped her hands with delight. “So? What’s the big battle plan?”

[Zohariel]

And so they hatched a plan.

*****

Fezzer (real name Jeremy Fezzick) had been born big and stupid, neither of which were his fault. Turning out mean could be blamed on his father, who was even bigger and stupider and had a temper. It could be blamed on his classmates in school, on the days he actually went, who taunted him about being as stupid as he was until he’d realised the ways a bigger boy could make smaller ones shut up.

He did not, however, have anyone to blame for being in this gang at this moment, with Kyle, who was acting weird.

The gang had seemed like a good idea at the time. It was a reason to skip school, which was always OK by Fezzer. The other boys weren’t quite friends but they did help him beat up the kids who needed it, which was also OK by Fezzer. And more than anything, the gang got big, stupid Fezzer something he’d never had before, not from his peers or from his dad - it got him respect.

Fezzer was not stupid enough to forget why, though. Kyle, as their leader, was the cause of most of the respect that the gang got. He was the thinker. Mostly he thought about where the best places to hang out and menace younger kids were, but that was still thinking after all. He was the meanest too, and he never backed down, and he never, ever let some little twerp get away if he thought the twerp needed to be taught a lesson.

So when the shortarse and the ginger had escaped earlier, it had sent Kyle into a vicious mood. Fezzer and the others had been traipsing all over Barley all afternoon looking for his prey, but to no luck. He was wound up, and even Fezzer knew that was usually bad news.

“Kyle, I’m bored” Dazz whined. “Let’s go find some other kids to shake down, yeah?”

“Shut up, idiot. I’m thinking.” Kyle resumed his sulk and the gang kept pacing through town... just as something caught Fezzer’s eye.

“Hey Kyle” he pointed. “What’s dat?”

Kyle looked up from his sulk and followed Fezzer’s finger, to...

A Sentret, closing in on them, running faster and faster towards them, until it was almost upon them, at which point it leapt, sailing over Fezzer’s head and landing on Kyle’s...

“Tret!”

...before tumbling off, having Coveted Kyle’s hat.

Fezzer watched in shock as it sprinted away, hat between its teeth, and watched his leader erupt.

It hadn’t been a good day for Kyle, he reflected. He’d been disrespected one time too often today.

“AFTER IT!” Kyle screamed. Fezzer sighed. More running.

*****

It was a couple of blocks later and they’d managed to corner the rat. It had run into a dead end back alley, which seemed dumb even to Fezzer, but he wasn’t going to argue.

Kyle was creeping towards the Sentret, grubby fingers grasping from fingerless gloves, waiting for the right moment to pounce...

BAM!

He’d pounced alright - into a garbage can. Man, but that Sentret was fast! It dashed over the heads of three of the gang members before gliding almost insolently through the space between Fezzer’s feet. As he swung down to try and catch it, far too slow, he smashed his head against Dazz’ as he did the same, and they both went down. Kyle was at his feet now and lunging in fury at the open mouth of the alley, where the Sentret had escaped to, and for a second it looked like he was gonna catch it, but...

BAM!

He crashed headfirst into... nothing. Which was weird, wasn’t it? Fezzer thought about it, and decided that yes, that was weird. Until he saw them.

The ginger and the shortarse were standing just by the entrance. A Baltoy was projecting a wall of slightly reflective light over the mouth of the alley, and the Sentret was perched smugly on the shortarse’s shoulder. He smiled, grimly.

“We’ve come to make you a deal. We let you out, and when we do, we have a Pokemon battle. When we win, you leave us and all the other kids alone. Sound fair? Or are you too chicken?”

[Living Arrow]

The plan was, somehow, something that Lori was unexpectedly satisfied with. Yes, she was still scared that getting involved with those older and just plain mean kids was going to get her hair cut off and Will a black eye. Yes, she was very aware that her battling skill was novice at best. Yes, she was feeling Butterfree trying to escape her stomach... Yes, she was fired up.

She didn't know how but amid all of that excitement and fear, Lori was beginning to feel psyched that she was about to lay the smackdown on another trainer. It didn't matter that she was a fresh trainer with no battle experience - she was the sister of a League Champion! Nothing could stop her! Not even a greasy thug with his sights set on her lustrous crimson locks. Locks that were firmly gripped between both hands over one shoulder.

“We’ve come to make you a deal. We let you out, and when we do, we have a Pokemon battle. When we win, you leave us and all the other kids alone. Sound fair? Or are you too chicken?”

The plan had worked a treat so far - baiting the goons and luring them away to where Lori and Will could attempt to 'reason' with them had been easier than expected. Lori was secretly very impressed that Will had such great control of his Pokemon and that Sentret was super-fast. She wondered if Pipster or Triss would have been able to do the same if she had allowed asked them to do it. Unlikely. Pipster wasn't fast enough and Triss would have been more prone to whipping the boys where she found them rather than bring them back to the team.

"Chicken?! You're the ones behind a Reflect!" One of the guys sneered back, rubbing a sore spot on his head where he had collided with the idiot, Kyle.

Lori was extremely glad Will had come up with that portion of the plan. In fact, it was the strongest reason why Lori had agreed to go along with any of it. Rather perfectly, the younger trainer had worked out his Baltoy's Reflect would be enough to hold the bullies at bay if they had to make a run for it again and so far everything was ticking along as Will had said it would. From that moment, she had realised the kid was not only stubborn but pretty clever, too.

"And you're the ones stuck in an alley." Will repeated. "Only way you're getting out is with a Pokemon battle."

"Why you-"

"Shut it, Fez." Kyle snapped, his fingerless gloves curled around a tiy Pokeball that had been clipped underneath his torn baggy t-shirt. "We can beat these brats easy." He maximised the ball and glared at Will and Lori angrily. "A single battle until neither side has any Pokemon remaining."

"Uh, Kyle-"

"I said shut up, Fez!"

The Reflect attack flickered in the air - a shimmer that signalled the barrier was removed.

Will opened his mouth. In that moment, everything flashed before Lori and built itself up into a fever-pitch of excited energy that burst from her very pores. Her sitting at home, watching the TV and reading the magazines as Kino became a true Pokemon Master, battling her way to the top with her unstoppable team. Then her mind turned to her own Pokemon - a Piplup sired by the mighty Empolia and a Snivy sired by the great Tsubaki. Her Pokemon were the next generation of championship winners and nothing, nothing could stand in her way!

"Sounds fine to me!" Lori stepped forward, brandishing her own Pokeball. Will's brow turned down with annoyance.

"But, Lori-"

"I think you are all forgetting who I am." Lori announced, flicking her swathes of hair back over her shoulder and raising her green-capped Pokeball. "Lori Pardare, sister to Unova League Champion - Kino Pardare. My Pokemon are more than a match for you ugly stooges. Bring me your best and I'll knock 'em back like a tennis ball."

*Great metaphor, Lori. Way to think on your feet... ugh.*

"Yeah right," Kyle dropped his Pokeball, "show 'em who's boss around here, Cubone!"

In a flash of white light, a bipedal tan coloured Pokemon emerged wearing a large and cracked white skull over its face while twirling a bone in its paw like a baton. Lori gave a light laugh.

"Ah-HAH!" She giggled merrily. "Everyone knows Cubone is a Rock-type, so I'll chooooose yoooou, Pipsteeeer!"

She span on the spot and pitched her green pokeball aloft like she had seen other trainers do on TV. While sticking the spin without making yourself dizzy turned out to be harder than it looked, Lori couldn't help but feel the exaltation of her performance. DAMN it felt good!

"Pip-LUP!" Pipster threw down his flippers on his hips and puffed out his chest proudly. Lori was the perfect imitation several feet behind him.

"Um, Lori? Cubone are a Ground-type..." Will muttered from over her shoulder. Lori's eyes widened and her stature faltered.

"What? Seriously? But... Oh no! Did I do something wrong?" Lori's original panic began to creep back towards her bones and her hand came up to her mouth with worry. She had been so sure!

"Cubone, Bone Club now!"

Lori gasped as her opponent already called the first move - not waiting for her to get ready!

"Pipster, no!" She wailed as the Water-type was cracked in the side of the head with the bone weapon and he went flying across the alley. Though his cry was short, her faithful Pokemon got to his feet shakily. That had been a powerful attack... Then that meant lori would have to return the favour! "OK, Pipster! Stand your ground and use Hydro Canon!"

The goons gasped and their faces changed from those of intense distaste to shock. Lori mentally high-fived herself. It was time they met a real trainer!

"Piiiiiip... lup?" Pipster coughed terribly and winced, unable to produce the attack. Kyle laughed - a sharp sound that was more like a bark.

"Bone Club again, Cubone!" He called.

"Cu-BONE!" The weapon came down hard on Pipster again, battering him down to the paving stones with a single smash. The Penguin Pokemon cried again, struggling to find his feet and square off against the opponent. Lori flinched with the strike, feeling her best friend's pain as though it were her own.

"Pipster!" She cried desperately. What was happening?! She should be winning. Her Pipster was a Water-type! They were strong against Ground-types! Everything was wrong! So wrong! Instinctively, Lori's thick hair found its way back to her hands over her shoulder where she tugged at it fearfully. What should she do!? The plan wasn't meant to end up like this!...

"Ginger bitch doesn't even know what attacks her own Pokemon have!" Kyle laughed again - even harder than before. "Let's finish it, Cubone."

"Pipster, return!" Lori held up her Pokeball in defeat, bringing her friend back to her swiftly where she hugged the device to her chest. She couldn't let him continue... she just couldn't!.

"Coward's called it back already." Kyle rolled his eyes. "Sister to a Champion she said. What a joke."

"I'm not laughing." Will's super-stubborn frown passed by Lori's stunned face as he took up the lead. "And we still have Pokemon that are able to fight so don't count your Torchic yet."

Kyle's lip curled. "Bring it."

[Zohariel]

Will gaped at the scene unfolding in front of him. Certain things were becoming clearer. One thing for certain: Lori had no idea how Pokémon battles worked.

Will knew. He’d watched all the battles he could find on TV, all the championships and sometimes even the friendly tournaments. He’d studied the older kids in the neighbourhood when they’d had their fights. On holidays the adults would get involved too, and that was always a treat, because the grownups usually had the more evolved stuff. The mayor even had a Venusaur, back from the days he’d spent as a trainer, which was huge (and which the mayor always roped into pulling floats and giving the neighbourhood kids rides).

The battles were the main thing though. He’d never really battled before, but he knew how it was done. Trainer and Pokémon had to be completely in sync - the trainer had to know his companion’s abilities, their limits, and personality. The Pokémon had to trust their trainer implicitly, and - more than just follow orders - they had to want to win for their trainer. You could tell when a trainer had had a Pokémon a long time because the trainer barely had to give any orders at all.

Whereas it was becoming obvious what Lori’s problem was. She must have seen only the glamour, the fame, the end result. She didn’t know how hard you had to work to get there.

So, he thought. Maybe if she can get her confidence back a bit, and know her limits, we can still win this.

Moron boy and his Cubone (Will didn’t have the heart to insult it, not even in his head, it was so cute) were still waiting for a battle... so a battle they were going to get.

“Baltoy, take the lead!”

Will heard Lori gasp, though he couldn’t think why... unless it was about the type advantage. But this was the best matchup he had. Sentret was fast but that Cubone looked strong... whereas Baltoy was tough, and would do better against Ground-type moves, surely? How much can it hurt to be hit with something you’re made of? He idly rubbed a bruise on his arm from where one of the bullies had grabbed him earlier as the irony sailed over his head.

The boy Kyle sneered. “One twerp down, one to go. Cubone, use another Bone Club!”

A sudden surge of panic filled Will. Oh god, what do I do, what do I do...

You keep calm, said a voice in the back of his head. You think. And then you act.

And then it came to him. “Baltoy, use Harden!”

The Cubone was sailing through the air, club held aloft, about to land a stunning blow to Baltoy’s head...

...which was suddenly and incomprehensibly as hard as diamond. The club struck Baltoy’s head and shuddered, sending a jolt of displaced momentum all the way through Cubone. Visibly rattled, it staggered backwards a bit before gathering its wits about itself again and readying itself for another attack.

There’s something you’ve missed, said the voice again.

Will looked. Cubone was shaken, but not hurt... but on his club was a small fracture, running down along its length. A weakness!

Neither opponent nor Pokémon had noticed. “Stupid Cubone,” snarled Kyle, “Hit it again!”

As Cubone rushed forward, Will saw his chance. “Now, Baltoy use Confusion - on the club!”

Baltoy paused, then, as if understanding Will’s reasoning, sprang back into action. Its eyes glowed a soft green, which surrounded the club with a nimbus of green light. Cubone brought the club back to strike down on Baltoy’s head again, but as it was on the backswing the glowing green nimbus pulled it just slightly to the left... where it crashed down on Cubone’s head. Bone met bone, the crack split the bone club into three pieces, and Cubone slumped over on the ground fainted.

Will realised he hadn’t been breathing and exhaled in a rush of air. He’d done it! His first major Pokemon battle, and he’d won it! Giddy from the thrill of winning, Lori’s voice snapped him back into reality:

“Will, your Baltoy!”

He turned to look. Yes, he could see it now. The first blow to the head had been harder on Baltoy than he’d thought at first, and its spinning was becoming increasingly erratic, staggering all over the place trying to catch its balance. Will was tugged by a feeling of guilt - he’d won a game, but Baltoy was hurt, and that was his responsibility. He should have noticed.

He looked to the bullies - who were scrambling to their own Pokéballs to help their fallen leader - and then back to Lori. She might not know much about battling, but she had a much closer connection to her Pokémon than Will did. He could learn a thing or two from her after all... and maybe she from him. He made up his mind.

“OK, we’ll do the next one together. My Sentret, your Snivy. We’ll work as a team - just go easy on your Snivy and we’ll be fine. With me?” And with that he risked a smile.

[Living Arrow]

*He's winning...*

Lori stared through glistening emerald eyes that held the unshed tears of her defeat. When Will had taken over the battle she had almost instantly given up and declared themselves the losers before he had even called Baltoy to battle. Fear had flooded her chest and the urge to just run while the short guy battled was close to overwhelming - they said they'd cut off her hair!!! But then Will was winning... Winning!

With a deft reverse-swing of the Bone Club by Baltoy's Confusion, Lori was astounded to see defeat run the other way. Well, a defeat at the expense of a tired Baltoy...

"Will, your Baltoy!" Lori gripped her hair tightly, urging the spinning-top to steady itself but it had clearly been weakened by the previous attack from the Cubone. It was spinning slowly and floating lopsided with a drunken tilt in its slitted eyes. If it had had a real face, she would have said it was looking dazed.

Kyle and his goons rallied faster than either Lori or Will had expected and between the group, two more Pokeballs had found hands and were being pitched towards them. Lori caught Will's eyes flicking her way and she hesitated, waiting for him to make that Baltoy blast whatever came their way again but even she wasn't slow enough to realise the doll Pokemon wouldn't be able to take on two Pokemon at once.

“We’ll do the next one together." Will was saying to Lori with some confidence behind his stoic frown. "My Sentret, your Snivy. We’ll work as a team - just go easy on your Snivy and we’ll be fine."

Lori wanted to refuse and run - they'd never win at this rate - but there was something strong about Will that she just couldn't back away from. Despite his size, he was clearly no pushover and he could battle really well but more importantly his nature inspired a sort of faithful confidence in her that she simply couldn't shy away from.

"With me?” He urged her with a smile.

"What the heck!" Lori finally let go of her hair and wiped an arm across her eyes to clear them. When it came away from her face, a broad grin had replaced her worried frown. "Let's do it, Will!" She grasped the second green Pokeball at her waist and drew her arm back, maximising it with a touch, and letting loose. "I choose you, Triss!" *Squee! Calling them out like that will never get old!*

"Sni!" Triss planted her hands on her hips and raised her nose disdainfully across the alley to the gang, her partner Sentret materialising alongside her. Before them appeared the bodies of two Pokemon - one the growling snarling form of a Poochyena and the other the stench-inducing form of a Stunky. Lori blinked and hesitated again. What Pokemon were those?! What if she battled as bad as last time?! It was a much better option to just run and be done with it - why had she come back again in the first place?!

Will was looking at Lori again. He nodded towards her and tilted his head slightly towards her hip. She looked down and let a few moments claim her before realising he was tell her to check stuff out with her Pokedex. She grabbed up the green device quickly and aimed it at the opposing team.

[Poochyena. The Bite Pokemon. A Pokemon with a persistent nature, it chases its chosen prey until the prey becomes exhausted]
[Stunky. The Skunk Pokemon. It sprays a foul fluid from its rear. Its stench spreads over a mile radius, driving Pokemon away]

"Isn't that pathetic!" Kyle cackled at them from behind his two Dark-type Pokemon. "Ginger bitch got her Pokedex lesson for today!"

"Why, you!" Lori balled up her free hand into a fist and glared angrily at her opponent. Triss also narrowed her eyes dangerously and unfolded her short arms, her muscles becoming fluid as she entered her battle posture. Will, still with his attention directed mostly toward Lori, opened his mouth but she anticipated his next suggestion. "Don't worry, Will." She pursed her lips and clipped the Pokedex back to her belt. "I know exactly what moves Triss has."

"No more stalling! Poochyena use Bite on the Sentret and Stunky use Posion Gas on the Snivy!" Kyle commanded and the next battle was underway.

[Living Arrow]

Right, so Zohariel has given permission for this to be wrapped up since he has been inactive for so long.

“Triss, Flash attack!” Lori’s call was fast and her Snivy even faster. A brilliant light illuminated from the leafy collar around her neck and her opponents’ attack fell far short of their targets. The Stunky’s Poison Gas cloud was easily avoided after the skunk had to turn away at the last moment and fired it off at the alley wall while the Poochyena squeezed its eyes shut, allowing Will’s Sentret to dodge nimbly out of the way.

“Sentret, use your Quick Attack!”

SLAM! The Poochyena was nailed in the ribs by the sentry Pokemon and Lori could help but feel a pinch of glee that the tables were finally turning. In all honesty, she was lucky to have a trainer like Will around (even though he was the one that got her into this mess in the first place) to pick up the slack that she had accidentally made.

“Stunky, use your Screech!”
“And Poochyena use your Howl!”

Lori clapped her hands over her ears as the double audio assault split the air. Triss and Will’s Sentret shuddered and winced as they were exposed to the attacks and shook their heads almost in unison to get out of their daze. With a hiss, Triss leapt into action with the Sentret racing along next to her.

“Sentret use Defence Curl!” Will ordered. His Pokemon jumped into the air and tucked up tightly, a red aura of strength momentarily emitting from his body. Will turned to Lori. “Quick! Have your Snivy use Vine Whip on Sentret!”

“What?” Lori blinked and looked back at her Pokemon. Why Vine Whip? Shouldn’t Triss be going with a head-on Tackle? Thoughts of protest swam through her head but a more powerful urge pushed her the other way – Will had been right before so why not now? “Right! Triss, use Vine Whip on Sentret!”

With her vines lashing around the hardened bundle that was Sentret, Lori and Will’s Pokemon became a deadly spinning club that swept around in a wide arc to club the Stunky and Poochyena hard in the side. Tangled together, the opponents were picked up and delivered smartly into a wall where they cried out in pain.

“Hey! That’s not a real move!” One of the goons yelled angrily. Kyle shot him a deadly look.

“Shut up and beat ‘em!” He spat at the gang member. “No way we’re letting a short-ass and a ginger win this!”

“NOT. GINGER!” Lori screamed back at him, her hair gripped in a white-knuckled fist at her side. “C’mon Triss! Do a tackle!”

“No, Lori! Don’t rush in!” Will protested but her Pokemon was already on the move.

“Stunky! Fury Swipes!” The counter attack caught Lori’s Snivy by surprise and in a moment the grass type was being slashed every which way from Friday. Although Will’s Sentret did managed to relieve the snake by Quick Attacking her opponent off, the enemy Poochyena was on top of him just as fast and just as quickly as they had taken the lead, it was stolen back.

“Ha! Dumb bitch got what was coming!” Kyla laughed at them.

“Why you!” Lori stamped a foot. “Triss! Let’s try a-“

“Wait a second!” Will held out an arm. “Double battling means working together. Let me attack first! Sentret! Quick Attack on the Poochyena one more time!”

“Dodge it, Poochyena!”

*Working together, huh? We can do this! I might not be the best at battling just yet but I won’t let Kino down!*

“Triss, don’t let it get away! Use Glare!”

The foe’s Poochyena glanced at Lori’s Snivy. Bad idea. The Grass-type’s paralysing glare held it rooted to the spot and, unable to move, the canine was slammed into unconsciousness by Will’s Pokemon. Almost immediately, the Stunky was on top of Sentret, slashing wildly with a Fury Swipes.

“Sentret Defense Curl!” Will hurriedly called out. His Pokemon wrapped himself into a ball for protection while the attacks continued to rain down on his back but Lori wasn’t finished just yet.

“Vine Whip!” Two snaking vines arced through the air to wrap tightly around the poison skunk and hold it aloft, unable to reach the Sentret. Lori punched the air. “Right! Now, finish it with Wrap!”

The gang of idiots watched with stunned expressions as the Snivy literally wrung the last HP out of the Stunky and popped it back to the pavement with disdain.

“Yes! We did it, Lori!” Will exclaimed as his Sentret partner ran back to him and scampered to his shoulders where the trainer scratched its ears fondly.

“Huh, a lucky shot.” Kyle snorted. Lori and Will glared back at him. He was not a happy goon but at least he wasn’t punching Will or cutting off Lori’s hair as he had promised. “Get out of here, losers.” Lori Pardare did not need telling twice and in a moment she was hurrying away with Will in tow.

*****

Lori’s farewell to Will was one without a long ceremony. He had been the very first trainer that she had met on her journey and he had gotten her into a whole bunch of trouble but somehow taught her a good deal about battling. His stoic outlook was something that she really could have done with as she travelled but she was convinced that pairing herself with someone so much more capable than herself right then would only serve to hold her back from reaching her goals.

“Ready, Pipster?” Lori hefted her bag to her shoulder and smiled down at the Piplup saluting her happily.

Leaving the Pokemon Center and Will behind with a wave, Lori headed for the bus depot and the next stop on the road to the Fuorh League Championship.

So that's it! Shame about the abrupt end but hopefully the grading won't be too harsh