Eterna was… dark.

  The group walked through the trees with trepidation, even Chloe felt subdued under the atmosphere of tension that filled the forest.

  Sunlight trickled through the thick canopy, illuminating patches of dark grass. Dense undergrowth surrounded towering trunks, and the constant, eery silence lay heavy throughout, interrupted only by the distant sound of frantic, buzzing wings.

  They had stopped briefly at the Ranger station on the edge of the forest to check in. Every year the Rangers blazed and patrolled a route through the ever shifting forest, and the group had been provided with a map, and a flare. The flare had been issued to them with the express instructions that it was to only be used in an emergency. The sombre nature of the discussion had somewhat cooled their enthusiasm for the adventure, and now? Now they were focused.

  Chloe led the way, Reinette in front of her, and Thistle flitting ahead to watch for wild Pokemon. Fiona followed, Star by her side. The Ponyta was not pleased with his surroundings, but as the only Psychic type, he was on protection duty. Eleanor and Lumen came next, the girl nervously eyeing the surrounding forest, while Troy brought up the rear, Salad sitting on his head.

  They had decided that come afternoon, Echo would take Thistle’s place as scout, while Reinette and TJ would relieve Salad and Mochi. The intent was to spell the Pokemon as much as they could. Mimi stayed in reserve, her role as nightwatch to continue.

  When their first Pokémon encounter came, it came quickly. Star looked up and gave an urgent whinny of warning. A second later, Thistle came zooming back to take position in front of Fiona.

  “Incoming,” Fiona said. “Looks like four.” Star stamped the ground four times, which Thistle confirmed with a sharp cry.

  Chloe immediately backed off, while Reinette jumped from her shoulder to land in front of the group.

  “Troy, watch our rear,” Fiona ordered, and the Pokémon were upon them.

  A quartet of Beedrill burst out of the trees, heading straight for them.

  “Intercept!” Chloe called, and Reinette sprang forward, flinging a Razor Leaf that sliced through the air and struck one of the Beedrill, slamming it into a tree.

  “Aerial Ace!” Fiona shouted, and a second Beedrill was intercepted by Thistle, who swooped in and crashed into it.

  Reinette leapt, spinning into the third with a Rapid Spin just as its stingers began to glow for a Poison Sting.

  The fourth, left unimpeded, fired a Pin Missile at Chloe. She squealed and ducked, only for the missiles to slam into a transparent shield as Star used Protect.

  “Psybeam!” Fiona commanded, and a rainbow beam shot from Star, slamming into the Beedrill. Dazed and confused, it careened into the first one that had just recovered.

  Reinette landed smoothly and fired another Razor Leaf into the Beedrill she had struck before, knocking it out cold.

  Thistle likewise finished his opponent with a vicious Wing Attack, leaving just the last two. They were still untangling themselves when Reinette cut across with another Razor Leaf and Star followed with a Psybeam. Both Beedrill hit the ground, unconscious.

  “Great job!” Chloe cheered, grinning at Reinette’s performance. Fiona praised her own Pokémon as well.

  “Everyone okay?” Chloe asked, looking back.

  Troy was faithfully watching the path behind them, with Salad puffed up at his feet, trying his best to look threatening. Eleanor simply stood, staring at the fallen Beedrill.

  “You okay, Eleanor?” Chloe asked.

  “What? Oh, um… yeah. Good job, guys.” Eleanor forced a smile, and Chloe frowned but let it go.

  “Anyone want to catch one of these?” Fiona asked, gesturing at the unconscious Beedrill.

  Chloe shook her head. The others declined as well.

  “Then let’s move,” Fiona said, and they stepped around the bodies to continue their trek.

  Eleanor followed in silence. Every so often they ran into wild Pokémon, but Chloe and Fiona swept them aside as easily as they had the Beedrill. Eleanor barely had a chance to react before her friends ended the battles.

  Fiona’s calls came sharp and instinctive, her Pokémon moving without hesitation. Eleanor had had Echo just as long as Fiona had Thistle, yet her Chatot still barely listened, let alone reacted like that.

  Chloe, meanwhile, seemed to trust Reinette completely, despite only meeting her two days ago. That bond was just as impressive as Fiona’s coordination.

  Eleanor already hadn’t been confident about her chances in the Challenge, but now she realised the gap between her and the others was even larger than she thought.

  A big hand settled on her shoulder.

  “Hey,” Troy said. “You okay?”

  “Mmhm,” Eleanor hummed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You’re brooding,” he said.

  “I’m not brooding,” she snapped. “I’m fine.”

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  They walked in silence for a while longer. Up ahead, Chloe and Fiona dispatched a group of Paras without even slowing down.

  “They’re good,” Troy said.

  “Yeah,” Eleanor admitted.

  He was quiet for a moment, his voice gentler when he spoke again. “They are. But so are you, you know.”

  Eleanor scoffed, hugging her arms tighter. “Sure. If by ‘good’ you mean ‘carried,’ then yeah, I’m amazing.”

  “Well, yeah, they’re doing the heavy lifting. But you’re not useless.”

  “I feel pretty useless.”

  Troy bonked her on the head.

  “Ow!” She glared at him. “What was that for?”

  “For doubting yourself.” He grinned. “They’re good, yes, but they were made for this. They’re trainers. You’re not.”

  “Not helping, Troy.”

  He shook his head. “You’re not a trainer. You take photos. Great photos. That’s why you’re here. We’re here to get strong enough to chase our dreams.”

  Eleanor looked away. “I just… I’m not like them. They know exactly what they’re doing. And I’m here with a Chatot that doesn’t listen and a Mareep that hates me.”

  Troy slowed his stride to match hers. “You’re right.”

  “Wow. Thanks for the confidence boost.”

  “You’re not like them. And that’s fine. You’re not supposed to be.”

  She frowned, not following.

  “You’re not a battler. Not yet. Fiona and Chloe? This is why they’re here. They’re aiming for the top. You came out here for something different.”

  “I came to take pictures,” she said softly.

  “Exactly.” He nudged her shoulder. “And you’ve got the perfect model right here.”

  Troy struck a heroic pose. Eleanor giggled despite herself.

  “But that doesn’t help in a fight.”

  “It helps more than you think. Not every battle is about who hits harder. Sometimes, it’s about who sees it coming. And you do.”

  She let out a slow breath. “Still feels like I’m tagging along.”

  “Everyone feels like that sometimes.” He grinned. “Even me.”

  Eleanor arched an eyebrow. “You? Mr. “I once tried to toast bread by slapping it”?”

  “That was a calculated experiment.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  They both chuckled, and the tightness in her chest eased.

  “Seriously though,” Troy said, softer now. “I wouldn’t be doing this if you weren’t here. You gave me the kick I needed. You’re important.”

  Eleanor blinked at his sincerity. “…Thanks. I needed that.”

  A bump at her leg drew her gaze down to Lumen, watching her with steady eyes. He gave a small nod, then returned to scanning the forest. Eleanor smiled. She hadn’t known him long, but his approval meant a lot.

  “Anytime,” Troy said. “Just don’t run off next time we find some Zubat.”

  She punched his arm, and he chuckled.

  They walked in comfortable silence until Fiona called back, “Everything okay back there?”

  Eleanor straightened and gave a thumbs-up. “All good!”

  “Well, hurry up. We don’t want to get strung out.”

  Eleanor and Troy quickened their pace, stepping around the fainted Paras that Chloe and Fiona had already dealt with.

  The group stopped for lunch and rotated their teams. Chloe swapped Reinette for Mochi, Fiona recalled Thistle so Eleanor could use Echo, while Salad and Lumen stayed out, still fresh.

  The afternoon passed much the same, though Eleanor began to contribute more. With Lumen and Echo supporting Mochi, she felt like she was finally keeping up. Even so, Mochi was on another level. The Jigglypuff was a puffball wrecking machine, battering foes with Hyper Voice while the others provided cover with Thunder Shocks.

  But later that afternoon, they met their first real challenge.

  They were fending off another swarm of Beedrill when a massive Pinsir charged from behind. It crashed through the undergrowth, effortlessly sweeping Salad aside as the little Oddish tried to block. Troy stumbled, the Pinsir lunging straight at him, only to slam into Star’s Protect.

  Troy yanked out a Pokéball. “Junior, let’s go!”

  Eleanor barely had time to react before a second Pinsir burst from the brush, heading straight for her.

  “Shit, Mimi!” Chloe shouted, and in a flash of red, her Mawile appeared. Mimi darted forward, intercepting the bug with a sucker punch. Eleanor’s eyes widened at the sight of the small Mawile standing toe-to-toe with something three times her size. Chloe’s Pokémon really were absurd.

  But she didn’t have time to gape. Ahead, Mochi was fighting Beedrill with Echo and Lumen at her side. They were holding their own, but with Star tied up helping Troy, nothing was stopping stray Beedrill from breaking through.

  Fiona and Chloe came to the same conclusion at once, sending in their last Pokémon. Reinette and Thistle leapt into the fray. Eleanor made a snap decision.

  “Echo, help Troy!” she called. With Beedrill covered, freeing Star was the priority, he was their best defense against chaos.

  Echo peeled away, winging to Troy’s side where Junior was locked in a slugfest with the Pinsir. Salad stubbornly clung to its legs, Absorb doing little more than being annoying, but still refusing to let go.

  Echo landed on Troy’s shoulder and blasted the Pinsir with Hyper Voice. The bug reeled, giving Junior the opening to hammer it with Arm Thrusts. Salad let out an adorable war cry and redoubled her efforts, draining whatever strength she could.

  The Pinsir staggered, showing wear.

  “Thanks!” Troy shouted, sweeping an arm back to pull Eleanor closer. “Get behind me!”

  “I can handle myself!” she shot back, but ducked anyway, her heart thudding.

  Meanwhile Mimi and her Pinsir were locked in a brutal brawl, Play Rough against Close Combat. Each blow shook the ground, but Mimi held her ground.

  At the front, Thistle and Reinette tore through the Beedrill, giving Mochi room to unleash a devastating Hyper Voice that dropped two at once. Echo followed with a Thunder Shock, finishing the fight.

  “Star, pin it!” Fiona commanded. The Ponyta’s eyes glowed as he slammed the first Pinsir into the dirt with Confusion.

  “Finish it!” Eleanor cried, and Junior and Echo leapt in. Brick Break and Peck landed in tandem, and the Pinsir collapsed.

  Eleanor turned back in time to see Mimi clamp onto her Pinsir with Crunch and hurl it into a tree. The bug staggered, then Mimi ended it with an Iron Head.

  The battlefield went still. Eleanor slumped to the ground, drained. That had been the most intense fight of her life.

  “Star, you okay?” Fiona rushed to her partner, whose knees had buckled.

  “Good job, buddy. Rest now.” She stroked his mane before recalling him.

  Chloe was already tending to Mimi and Mochi, spraying potions and offering hugs, while Reinette stood aloof but pleased.

  Troy, Junior, and Salad, meanwhile, were posing for selfies with their defeated Pinsir.

  Eleanor felt a hand on her shoulder. Fiona again.

  “You good?” she asked softly.

  “Yeah,” Eleanor said, nodding. “Just… tired.”

  “Cool. Take a breather, then we move.”

  Chloe wandered over, recalling her tired partners and leaving Mimi to trail close behind. “I think we should camp soon. There should be a good spot ahead.”

  “Yeah, agreed,” Fiona replied. She glanced back. “You done posing, big guy?”

  “Never!” Troy shouted, echoed by cheers from Salad and Junior.

  Still, he recalled Oddish and moved to rejoin them.

  Fiona helped Eleanor back to her feet, then looked to Chloe.

  “You want to take point?”

  “Sure thing,” Chloe said brightly. “We heading off?”

  With nods all around, the group pressed deeper into the forest.