The latter half of the battles passed by uneventfully. Some failures, some successes. Most battles were lower level, around the group's skill level, or one badge below and above. One fight had been particularly interesting though, a seventh badge battle, Roxanne using Pokemon much of the crowd had never even seen before. Evolved forms of Geodude and Nosepass, along with a large rock snake that towered up to nearly 30 feet tall. Lucas counted his lucky stars he wouldn't have to fight anything like that.

  Then, in what felt like no time at all, it had come for Lucas' turn to battle. With a couple quick goodbyes and good lucks from his friends, Lucas strolled down into the lower ends of the gym, awaiting the signal that he was ready for battle. Torchic still clung to his shoulder, pecking the side of his head, begging to be let on the team to fight Roxanne. But, Lucas had remained firm on Torchic taking the day off. Shroomish and Zorua would take care of it all.

  Similarly to how Harry had rolled into his gym battle, the team lacked a real core gameplan to hold them all together. The only real thought that Lucas had would be using Shroomish against Geodude specifically, for the best type matchup possible. Rock and Ground were both weak to Grass, if Lucas recalled correctly from his schooling. But, even that strategy could change on the fly. Especially when Shroomish would have a type advantage no matter which Pokemon it fought, and Zorua would fare the same against either or too.

  "Everyone ready?" he asked Shroomish, who clung to his head slightly tighter, vines tugging at his sides. Lucas took that as a yes. And, Zorua seemed as ready as it would ever be, nodding its head and giving a little yip, cradled in Lucas' arms. It even used the time to flicker between illusions, eyes scanning between Torchic and Shroomish, repeatedly shifting forms to try and practice. Lucas didn't have any plans for illusionary tricks this time. But, could never be too bad to practice.

  "Roxanne is ready for you." Lucas' thoughts were interrupted, eyes darting towards the receptionist's direction. She smiled. "When you're ready?"

  "I was born ready!" Lucas jumped to his feet, dropping Zorua to the ground, then bursting through the door. His body jittered, some cocktail of nerves and excitement bringing unsteadiness to his heart, thumping against his chest. But, above all, he wore a real smile, ducking out of the tunnel into the light of the gym. His arm arced, waving at Ellie and Harry as he passed by, eyes taking in all the sights of the Rustboro Gym.

  Reaching the platform, he was met with the sight of Roxanne at the other end. Her hands clasped together, Pokeball held between them, she addressed Lucas with a smile. "Welcome challenger," her eyes glanced over Lucas' team. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't heard of you, too. Hopefully, you have had a better experience than your friend."

  "Oh, well, I've learnt a lot, so I suppose I've enjoyed my time here!" Lucas chirped, although, after a moment of thought, he added. "Even if I do get distracted quite a bit. I was never really the best in school."

  Roxanne hummed, satisfied. "If you try regardless, that speaks volumes more about your character than a student who breezes by everything with ease." The gym leader let her hands part, raising her Pokeball into the air. "But, you didn't come here to talk. So, shall we begin?"

  "You bet!" Lucas responded, fists clenched, awaiting the referee's instructions. Once the courtesy was finished with, both sides giving their formal nods to establish they understood the rules presented to them, Roxanne launched a Pokeball across the battlefield.

  "Geodude, let's teach them a thing or two!"

  Pokeball tapping against the earth, out popped the rounded boulder, fists smashing against the earth. Lucas took a deep breath, eyes looking up to where the edges of Shroomish's flaps hung over his head. Gently, Lucas began to wiggle Shroomish free, even if the Pokemon seemed insistent on staying snug on the top of his head.

  "Come on, just let go!" Lucas giggled, vines eventually starting to wilt, getting a solid grasp of Shroomish and lifting it so he could see the Pokemon in person. The Grass type shivered in his grasp, and especially when it gazed out at the open battlefield. So vast, with a Pokemon Shroomish had no idea about stood right at the end of it.

  "It'll be fine, I promise!" Lucas chirped, tone cheery, believing every word he said. The belief in his own words made Shroomish's shaking die down a little too, turning to make eye contact. "You've got a really good chance against this guy, I promise! Just go out there, and you'll be great!"

  Lucas crouched down, gently dropping Shroomish to the ground, rolling its Pokeball along. A couple moments of hesitation passed, Shroomish glancing between its trainer and Pokeball, before the mushroom huffed, knocking its head against the Pokeball. Lucas clenched the Pokeball tight, rising back to his feet, then launching the Pokeball at the battlefield. "Alright, Shroomish, I choose you!"

  Shroomish appeared on the battlefield shortly after, a good distance away from Geodude, still with minor tremors in its stubby legs. But, nevertheless, it squashed those fears down. Worry it still wore on its face. But, to try to pretend like it wasn't there was good enough for both trainer and Pokemon.

  Taking a quick glance to either side, the referee threw up their flags. "Battle, begin!"

  Lucas burst into his first command immediately, forgetting any ounce of hesitation that might've held him back. "Shroomish, Leech Seed!"

  Shroomish's body suddenly tensed, face squeezed tight in concentration, before popping brown kernel seeds from the top of its head. Like mortar shots from above, they descended upon Geodude, seemingly harmlessly at first. But, once all dropped onto the rock type, they sprouted out into small vines, wrapping tight around Geodude's body. Some sprouted from its back, while a few tied around its arms, restricting its movement.

  "Nice!" Lucas clenched his fist. "Now, Tackle!"

  Shroomish hurried along the battlefield, feet clacking against the earth's surface. Those stubby limbs left a lot to be desired for speed, looking more akin to bumbling along the battlefield rather than sprinting. But, the tight vines meant Shroomish had plenty of time to work with. Geodude attempted to struggle out, but its efforts mostly were in vein, as Shroomish approached before it could break free. Its mushroom head smacked as hard as it could against Geodude.

  The Rock type toughened it out without a problem. In fact, it looked like Shroomish may have come off worse from the interaction, whimpering slightly as it recoiled from the impact of the Tackle. Lucas pouted, energy dampened.

  "Maybe, not the best move," Roxanne advised, throwing her hand forward. "Respond with your own Tackle!"

  Geodude stored its strength, fists tightening. A wave of green energy passed over its body, slowing the Rock type's escape, as a white orb drifted from its body over to Shroomish. But, with enough strength mustered, and one final push, Geodude broke free, letting out a triumphant roar. Then, its fist clenched near to its body, barging into Shroomish and sending the Grass type flying.

  "Shroomish!" Lucas cried, watching his Pokemon be launched across the battlefield, beige skin scuffing against the rocky surface. Shroomish wailed, beginning to climb back to its feet, taking a moment to find its balance again.

  "Rollout!" Roxanne cried, affording the mushroom no chance to find its bearings. Geodude murmured in agreement, falling to the floor, and rolling on through the battlefield with a push off from its palms.

  "Dodge it!" Lucas cried, anticipating his Pokemon waiting to dodge. But, Shroomish panicked. With no thought of timing the dodge, Shroomish turned tail and ran, huffing as it put all of its speed into trying to outrun the oncoming Rollout. But, with Geodude's momentum building, it stood no chance of seriously outrunning the oncoming boulder. With a mighty crash, Geodude flattened Shroomish against the earth.

  "Turn around, and Rollout again!" Roxanne cried, awaiting Lucas' response. For the first time in the battle, hesitation gripped him, forcing him back from calling out a command. Did he need to be more specific with his commands? He'd anticipated Shroomish fighting just like any other of his Pokemon, but would that really be true?

  No, he couldn't overthink this now. Not with a hurdling boulder heading Shroomish's way, and the mushroom looking terrified to boot. "Shroomish, Spore!" Lucas finally cried out. Although, he had his doubts over whether or not it was his cry that made Shroomish release the sleep inducing Spores, or the Grass type's natural instincts.

  The explosion of yellow dust plumed from Shroomish's head, fluttering through the air before beginning to settle around. Geodude continued to roll on through, smacking Shroomish again. A hefty cry escaped the Grass type's mouth, struggling to return back to its feet. But, with the follicles lining the floor and air, it wouldn't be long until one inhale from Geodude sent the Rock type stumbling.

  The Rollout began to slow, fatigue settling over the entirety of Geodude's body, before it dropped onto the ground, loud snores echoing throughout the battlefield. Lucas' body tensed, looking over at Shroomish. Half of him wanted to call out a command. But, Shroomish already struggled to stand up again, let alone enough to run over and begin attacking Geodude.

  "Shroomish, return!" Lucas made a split second decision, drawing Shroomish back to its Pokeball, and beckoning Zorua into it's own next. Then, with a giant toss, aimed towards Geodude, he released his next Pokemon. "Zorua, Fury Swipes!"

  Zorua burst onto the battlefield, taking a deep breath, before diving on top of Geodude, claws at the ready. Fast asleep, the Rock type was none the wiser to Zorua's attack, striking with finesse and speed. Lucas cringed with the sound, harsh nails tearing at Geodude's rocky surface. And, it seemed to remain that way for some time. Even with Zorua's constant strikes, Lucas' own experience telling how severe they could be, Geodude never afforded more than a grunt for the fox's attack.

  It seemed even Zorua was conscious of it too, huffing with frustration, putting an extra ounce of effort into every attack. But, again, nothing. Geodude continued to nap in relative peace. Zorua aimed for its closed eyes, hoping to draw some more damage. But, it seemed its eyes were just as hard as the rest of it's body.

  Roxanne watched for a moment, then glanced to Lucas. "I'm guessing Harry didn't enlighten you with any of the knowledge I gave him?"

  Lucas' head tilted, trying to recall anything from their conversation earlier. But, all he can remember was celebrating after Harry's victory, then Harry making funny comments about every battle that they watched. His expression told Roxanne everything. She sighed. "Should've expected so."

  With one final swipe, Geodude finally awakened from its nap, grunting and groaning. Not with Zorua's constant attacks, but the mental exhaustion of dealing with its induced sleep. Lucas' eyes darted back to their foe, quickly jumping back into battle mode. "Bite!"

  Zorua snarled, leaping on top of Geodude, planting its entire body weight on top of the Pokemon. Then, opening its mouth wide, it bit down hard into Geodude's body. The Rock type grunted, shaking its entire body, hands trying to reach behind its body and drag Zorua off. But, the fox remained locked onto Geodude's back, snarling and howling as its teeth tensed tighter.

  "Rollout!" Roxanne yelled. Instantly, Geodude dropped to the floor, palms flat against the floor. Then, it spun on the spot, palms pushing off to build up extra momentum. And, with it, flung Zorua straight off of its back, knocking the fox to the floor. Then, it kicked off, squashing the fox beneath its boulder-like body, leaving a trail of sediment all over its blackened fur.

  Geodude pulled out ahead, then spun around, opting for another Rollout. Just the same as before, and just the same as when Harry had fought against Roxanne. That time, however, Treecko had a mound of rocks to lead Geodude into. No such cases for Lucas, and thus, no opportunities to slow down the oncoming Rollout.

  "Dodge it!" Lucas applied a haphazard solution, Zorua scampering to its feet and throwing itself out of the way. In a blind desperation, Lucas quickly searched through the Pokedex, taking a momentary glance while Geodude rolled on by. Then, his eyes snapped back up to the battlefield. "Leer!"

  Zorua, returning back to its feet, shot a glare Geodude's direction, eyes turning fiercely red as it let out a snarl. A shudder slowed Geodude's roll slightly, as a red wave passed over its body. But, it still kept on running like a runaway train. "Dodge!" Lucas cried again, Zorua once more throwing itself out of the way. Then, Geodude's Rollout picked up momentum again, but Lucas remained steadfast in their strategy.

  Another glare, another snarl, and another red wave passed over Geodude's body. But, its momentum never slowed, like Lucas had wanted from the attack. Still, it had to do something else. And, eventually, Lucas would have to find out exactly what it did. Another Rollout was dodged, but Zorua hardly had time to pick itself up from the earth before Geodude came barrelling forward yet again.

  "Bite!"

  Zorua dug its claws into the earth, letting out a heavy breath. Shaking the earth with every bounce, the boulder approached with a speed the fox would struggle to match. But, Zorua could stand against it. Opening its mouth, fangs shining, the two attacks collided. Zorua howled, claws digging into the earth to repel the Rock type's momentum. But, with every second, its fangs cut deeper.

  The crunch of rock echoed throughout the arena. Geodude grunted, then wailed, the momentum of its Rollout disappearing in an instant. The fox snarled, biting down harder, sediment lining its darkened fur, exploding from the Rock type's body. Then, with a howl, Zorua slammed Geodude against the earth.

  "Tackle!"

  "Dodge!"

  Geodude floated from the floor, a woozy hook aimed in Zorua's direction. But, the fox slipped by it with ease, taking no time to sink its teeth into Geodude's back once more. Another sickening chomp, and Geodude wailed.

  "Finish this! Fury Swipes!"

  With whatever remained of the fox's stamina, it dug into Geodude with its claws, ripping apart the Pokemon with blows that it had previously slept off. Geodude attempted to struggle, swinging at the hallucination of Zorua in front of it. But, ultimately, one final swipe, and the Rock type succumbed to its injuries, drifting off, and hitting the ground with a thud.

  Zorua swiped at the lifeless body. Once, with no reaction. Then, a light tap followed, batting at Geodude gently. But, the Rock type still gave no reaction. The fox finally settled, flopping back onto the battlefield floor, panting. With a glance over the two Pokemon, the referee called out. "Geodude is unable to battle! Zorua is the winner!"

  "Great job, Zorua!" Lucas cheered, clapping his hands. Zorua didn't seem to revel in its own victory, however. It took the short break to rest, then dived back onto all fours, huffing and looking at Roxanne. The gym leader smiled, returning Geodude and addressing both trainer and Pokemon.

  "Good use of Leer to lower Geodude's Defence. Glad to see you you remembered a little more than your friend did."

  Lucas blinked twice. Oh yeah, that lesson he had been given did say that Geodude's Defence was high. So, that must've been what Leer was doing. "Oh yeah..." Lucas muttered, a little too surprised to be taken earnestly, before snapping back out of his thoughts. "Yeah, just needed to break down Geodude's Defence, right?"

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Roxanne's smile coiled into something like amusement, sighing. She didn't respond, merely put away Geodude's Pokeball, switching it out for Nosepass'. Then, she launched the Pokeball onto the battlefield. "Let's show them the real test, Nosepass!"

  From the Pokeball appeared the Compass Pokemon, landing with a strong thud against the earth, shaking the entire battlefield. Zorua groaned, staring at the Rock type in the eyes. Its talons already felt blunt from swiping against Geodude for so long, and the idea of wearing down another of the Rock types nearly brought Zorua down all by itself. But, until Zorua was left without a breath to spare, it'd continue to fight. To the very end.

  "Rock Throw!"

  Nosepass slammed the floor with its foot, a boulder rising from the earth, flying into the air and arcing towards Zorua. "Dodge it!" cried Lucas, Zorua making a haphazard dodge to the side, before picking itself up and beginning to run towards Nosepass. "Bite!" Lucas added, Zorua baring its teeth, darkened energy overcoming its jaws. The fox dodged another boulder hurdling towards it, before diving for Nosepass, sinking its teeth in.

  Nosepass huffed, unamused, shrugging off the attack like it was nothing. "Tackle!" yelled Roxanne. Nosepass suddenly barged forwards, force knocking Zorua away, sending it straight to the floor. The fox whimpered, feeling the rubble beneath graze against its skin. But, it refused to stay down. And so, Roxanne ensured it would.

  "Rock Throw!"

  "Dodge!"

  Zorua attempted to rise again. It succeeded. But, its stamina ran dry on the climb to its feet. So, when it came face to face with the incoming rock, all Zorua could do was stare. The boulder smacked against the fox's body, throwing it to the floor, swirls in its retinas as its momentum ground to a halt.

  "Zorua is unable to battle! Nosepass is the winner!"

  Lucas felt a sinking feeling, watching Zorua's body slumped, fur scuffed all over from debris. But, ultimately, he smiled, pride brimming in his heart for how it'd handled itself. Returning the fox back to its Pokeball, he said, "You did amazingly. Take a good rest."

  Switching Zorua's Pokeball out, he clenched Shroomish's tight. The first half of the battle hadn't gone as they'd planned. Even Torchic seemed uncertain of Lucas' choice, staring at the ball and tensing its talons on his shoulder, like a reminder he should've thrown his starter in instead. But, he committed to his choice. And, Shroomish could still win. They had the type advantage. They could still win this.

  "Shroomish, let's go!"

  The timid mushroom popped out of its Pokeball, initially stumbling to maintain its balance. It glanced around, before its eyes settled on the tiki head in front of it. About three times as tall, with a steely neutral expression to boot. Shroomish shook. The scratches it had accumulated shone in the light. This time, it couldn't find the strength to settle its nerves.

  "Leech Seed!"

  Shroomish tensed its body, mortar shots of seeds spewing from the top of its head. But, unlike the focused rounds from earlier, the kernels flew in all kinds of directions, only a few stray seeds landing on Nosepass' body. They burst open on contact, vines wrapping over its stony surface, slowly eroding away at the energy held within the tiki head's core. But, the Pokemon was nowhere near constricted, like Geodude had been earlier.

  "Nosepass, Rock Throw!"

  From the floor arose a boulder, with Nosepass' vine laden arms squeezing the rock together, before throwing it across the battlefield. Shroomish shuddered at the sudden impact of the rock appearing from the floor, then stared as it approached.

  "Shroomish, dodge!"

  The Grass type froze. Defenceless. It may have even dropped its guard entirely. Lucas' clenched fist loosened, watching the boulder fling down onto the battlefield. Disbelief overcame his expression, as the perception of how Shroomish would handle this crumpled entirely. No, the perception of how the battle would go in general. Gone, shattered.

  A small cry echoed. Then, came the mighty thud, as the boulder crashed against Shroomish's body. The mushroom flew back across the battlefield, beige flaps dragging through the earthy battlefield. Then, when it finally settled, it did so with swirls in its eyes, defeated.

  "Shroomish is unable to battle! Nosepass is the winner therefore the victor is Roxanne!"

  Lucas stared at the battlefield for a couple moments, feeling the platform gently begin to lower down towards the battlefield floor. His eyes remained locked on Shroomish, still and unmoving. Rubble coated its body, and Lucas couldn't help but feel his heart get squeezed tight at the sight of it. The gates around the platform soon opened up, and Lucas sped to Shroomish's side, bringing the Grass type into his arms.

  Lucas gently scraped down what he could of the pebbles that clung to its body, before applying a light trace of Potion. Torchic jumped from its trainer's shoulder, watching everything going on with a slight frown. Once satisfied with his work, Lucas dropped the mushroom onto his lap. "You did the best you could. Take a long rest," he muttered, dragging out its Pokeball and gently tapping Shroomish on the head.

  Roxanne appeared not shortly after, Nosepass waddling along beside her, arms moving in a clockwork motion. She offered a hand, which, after a look at Torchic, Lucas took, raised back to his feet. "Shroomish is a newer capture, I presume?"

  Lucas gave a nod. Roxanne continued. "I expected so. And, with that, Shroomish likely doesn't have a lot of experience in battling, right?"

  "I think this..." Lucas laughed. The fact that he had only thought of this now suddenly became amusing. How had he only thought of this now? Stupid. "I think this is Shroomish's first league battle."

  "Mhm." Roxanne didn't appear shocked, like she'd expected it to be the case. "While it does have a great advantage in my gym, experience comes before everything else." Roxanne's eyes glanced down to Torchic. "Your Fire type may have done better than Shroomish as a result."

  Lucas winced. That little comment did not make Torchic's attitude about not getting to battle any better, stomping its talons against the ground in a huff. Then, the comment began to dig its way through Lucas' own mind, looking up to Roxanne, asking. "So, what should I do?"

  "All I can advise is that you work hard. Give your Pokemon the experience they need, and work on a strategy for the next time we battle."

  Lucas gave a wavering smile. "Of course."

  "Sprigatito, Magical Leaf!"

  A flurry of lightly coloured leaves blasted from the darker tuft of fur sat upon the small cat's chest, aimed straight towards Nosepass. The Rock Throw aimed for the starter was blasted into smithereens, rushing leaves passing by and striking Nosepass hard. The old tiki head grunted, body rocking with the force of the blow. Then, after a moment of silence, where no one dared to speak a word, Nosepass toppled, face planting onto the floor.

  "Nosepass is unable to battle! Sprigatito is the winner!"

  With a winner declared, the hoodie wearing trainer stared at the battlefield a moment, as the platform slowly descended downwards. Then, he ran to meet his partner. And, in a rare show of affection, the prissy cat turned with a smile to its trainer, leaping up into his arms. Soon, gym leader and trainer exchanged a few words, then a badge, with the claps of the crowd echoing in the background.

  Harry gave a half hearted clap, Ellie clapping the ends of her wrist, before immediately going back to jotting down some notes. Harry had tried involving her in conversation. But, it seemed his brand of humour didn't exactly land as much on Ellie as he hoped. So, eventually, he'd given up and watched the battle, with only the murmurs of the crowd as background noise. But, one thing stood out clearly to the two of them.

  "Ok, where the hell is Lucas?" Harry jumped to his feet, calling on Ellie's attention with the mention of their mutual friend. "You got any ideas what's taking him so long?"

  "None, really." Ellie admitted, closing up her notebook, checking her phone quickly. So far, no messages from him on where he could be. Judging from Harry's reaction, they both hadn't received a text, either. "You wanna go find him?"

  "Yeah, obviously. We don't want him to be in a sulk after his first loss, do we?"

  Ellie's thoughts drifted back to her own loss. When Mudkip had been cut down to size, and all she could think about was the crushing loss inflicted on the two of them. Lucas had helped her then. So, she wouldn't just sit and wait for him to return now. Not if there's something she could do.

  "Not at all. Let's go," Ellie finally responded, gathering her things and sneaking out of the crowd. Harry was half certain that the teacher spotted the two of them leaving, but opted to do nothing about it. Sneaking down the stairs from the classes' booth, overlooking the battlefield, they bumped into the victorious trainer on their way out, hurrying a congrats to him and his adorable cat, before escaping out the door.

  "Pokemon Centre?" Harry asked, Ellie thinking for a moment, before nodding. The most obvious choice, being that he'd likely wanna get his Pokemon healed immediately after their battle. The two moved quickly, with Harry at a brisker pace that Ellie mildly jogs to keep a track of. But, before they knew it, they were back in the warm lights and comfort of the centre, where it didn't take them long to spot a familiar face.

  Lucas sat on one of the stools, currently being harassed by a very peeved chick pecking him all over. "Ow, ow, ok!" Lucas' face turns flush, seeing the eyes of half the lobby fall upon him trying to control his Torchic. "I know you're mad about me not picking you for the gym battle but-" his drifting eyes eventually found their way towards Harry and Ellie, staring at him from just in front of the entrance.

  His face went as red as Ledian. "Oh, hey guys!" He waved, before Torchic bit the ends of one of his fingers, dragging his hand down again, wincing.

  "This why you couldn't leave me a text?" Harry chuckled, sitting next to Lucas.

  "Yeah, sorry." Lucas' eyes drifted between the two of them. "Should've let you know."

  Harry hummed, accepting the apology quickly. Torchic seemed even more mad at that, continuing to be a general nuisance to Lucas in a way that neither had really seen of the chick before. Lucas couldn't look at Torchic with anything but fondness, however, his expression mostly melding into a sort of sorrow for having left his passionate starter out of the battle. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just please stop pecking me!"

  Harry reached into his bag, dragging a Pokeball out, cradling it in the centre of his palm. "How about we distract Torchic out the back while we talk?" The Pokeball turned slightly, showing a crude note of Poochyena's name on the front of it.

  Lucas huffed a sigh of relief. "That'd be great."

  Out onto the back court of the Pokemon Centre they went, Poochyena doing an excellent job of dragging Torchic away from harassing Lucas, the two locked into some wild chase across the courtyard. Torchic used Flame Charge at one point to catch and knock the pooch to the ground, leading to howls of accusations of foul play, while Torchic batted its eyelashes and pretended it didn't combust into flame a second ago.

  Harry, satisfied with the distraction, turned to Lucas. "So, how's things?"

  Lucas hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, "I mean, they could be better, but you know that already." Lucas shifted slightly on the bleachers, sitting upright. "I just wanted to stick around so I could be there when my Pokemon are all healed up, which is why I didn't go back to the gym."

  "You sure that's all?" Harry asked.

  Lucas smiled. "I'm less upset than I thought. Sure, I lost, but Zorua put in some good work on Geodude!" Lucas' smile upturned a notch, before his tone dropped again. "But, Shroomish...yeah, it was my fault to throw it into a battle so soon with so little experience. Stupid decision," the little venom he speaks with settled in the air for a moment, before disappearing entirely. "But, we've got time to improve! So, I'm doing fine overall!"

  Ellie pouted. Not the reaction Lucas wanted. "You don't believe me?" he asked.

  "No, it's not that. I'm happy for you if you're really doing okay, it's just..." Ellie groaned. It sounded stupid aloud. "I kind of had the idea of me comforting you after your first loss in my head. Like, how you comforted me when I lost."

  Lucas stopped for a moment, then burst into fits of giggling. "Really?"

  Ellie flushed. "Look, I know it's selfish, but, I was a mess! And, you're just...fine!"

  "You'll have plenty of other opportunities to console Lucas when he ends up a mess, no doubt," Harry smiled, imagining Lucas a sobbing mess after watching a sad video about a mother Blaziken being separated from her Torchic kin. "So, just save the uplifting speech you were gonna give for when you really need it."

  "Which'll be never." Lucas smirked. "I'll be perfectly fine with everything that goes on in the future, no doubt."

  Ellie rolled her eyes. "Lucas, are you familiar with the concept called a jinx?"

  "Like...the Pokemon?"

  "No like-" Ellie stopped. "Ok, there's no way you've heard of Jynx before."

  "Ice Pokemon, they help in Santa's workshop?"

  Ellie groaned, leaning back and pulling at her eyelids. "I can't...of course you know Jynx from there." She shook her head shortly after. "We're getting off track, point is, when I say jinx, it means-"

  "You've cursed yourself." Harry suddenly cut in, grinning as he turned to Ellie, stealing her thunder entirely. Ellie huffed, before her attention was dragged away by Lucas' reaction.

  "So, by saying I'll never be sad, I've cursed myself to be sad all the time?" Lucas sounded mortified. "Does Jynx enforce that?"

  "Nope, it's Giratina themselves." Harry grabbed tight hold of Lucas' shoulders, violently shaking his friend. "Giratina's gonna make your life a living hell!"

  "I don't want thatttttttt!" Lucas whined, Ellie chuckling as the conversation quickly went off the rails. But, before Harry had the opportunity to drag the topic elsewhere, probably to all the ways Giratina would mess with Lucas' life, they heard the click of the Pokemon Centre door. A Nurse Joy appeared, eyes glancing around at the courtyard, before settling on the trio sat at the bleachers.

  "I have your Pokemon here," the nurse presented a tray with a couple Pokeballs laid upon them, Lucas quickly swiping them, then sending the nurse away with a quick thanks. Lucas walked back to the bleachers, setting one Pokeball aside while he threw up the other into the air.

  Without any issues, Zorua emerged from its Pokeball, stretching its limbs and yawning. Eyes drooping slightly, it blinked, taking a glance at its surroundings. Then, when its eyes eventually settled on Lucas, it tilted its head curiously. It wanted to know if they had won the battle, clearly. A question Lucas found himself reluctant to answer. But, through gritted teeth, sucking the air between them, he broke the bad news. "We didn't quite...manage to beat Roxanne."

  Zorua pouted. But, Lucas was quick to respond. "But, it wasn't your fault! You did great!" He reached down, lifting Zorua into his lap, stroking the fox's fur. "Was just some poor thinking on my part."

  Zorua seemed to ease with that answer, settling down into Lucas' lap without a worry. Now, came the harder part. Lucas glanced at Shroomish's Pokeball, before clicking the capsule open. Or, at least, it should've clicked open. But, the Pokeball remained shut up tight.

  "Is...Shroomish, you ok?" Lucas placed the Pokeball down, prodding the button with a finger once more. But, every time it looked ready to crack open, it shuttered back down again. He glanced around to his friends, worry lit up in his face. "Do you think the Pokeball's broken?"

  "I can take a look at it." Ellie reached a hand out, Lucas gently passing the Pokeball along to her, cautious of the Pokemon still held inside.

  "Don't think anything could've caused it to be broken." Harry watched the Pokeball closely, as Ellie scanned for any defects. But, she found nothing of the sort, passing it back to Lucas.

  "Nothing. I think there's just the possibility..." Ellie hung on those last words, like preventing her from saying what she thought. But, Lucas could gather what she meant.

  "Shroomish doesn't wanna come out?" he asked. Ellie gave a slow nod. Lucas gently lowered the Pokeball to the bleachers, watching it settle. "Is that true?"

  The Pokeball didn't rattle. Nor did Shroomish pop out. Lucas winced, hands gently rubbing over the smoothened steel. "I'm really sorry for throwing you into the deep end like that, I...I obviously shouldn't have done that. But, I promise you, I'll do better so we're a lot stronger! You've just gotta trust me!"

  No movement, once again. Just a small little rattle to let Lucas know Shroomish had heard. But, that it still wanted to take a rest. Lucas still pouted, fingers pinching the end of his trousers. But, ultimately, Harry settled his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe just leave it until tomorrow."

  "Yeah, maybe." Lucas' expression didn't quite lighten in the way Harry would have wanted. In fact, it seemed to get darker as a thought swept through Lucas' mind. "But, you'll be gone by tomorrow, right? Now that you've got your gym badge, you don't have to stick around in school."

  Harry stopped, hand lifting from Lucas' shoulder. Ellie's eyes fell onto Harry, whose head tilted to the side, deep in thought. "Yeah, I suppose I've got no real reason to stick around now. I can keep on moving." Harry reached into his backpack, drawing Numel's Pokeball. "Guess I'll...drop off Numel's Pokeball tomorrow morning."

  "Can't keep you trapped in school any longer, can we?" Lucas lightly chuckled. But, his heart did give a tight squeeze, knowing Harry would have to be off again. Lucas couldn't keep him there, though. Not in the place he despised the most, when there was no reason for him to be there anymore.

  "Suppose so, it'll be nice to finally explore again, no more lectures!" Harry's voice picked up a small notch. But, still, his hand toyed with Numel's Pokeball, the touch of his finger gently combing over the surface of the immaculately kept Pokeball. His eyes then drifted up to Lucas', spotting the slight dip his lips made when glancing at Harry. "But, you'll be joining me in that no lectures club soon, I'm sure. Just gotta train up Shroomish, right?"

  Lucas chuckled. Not the point at all. But, still, vaguely uplifting to hear. "Yeah, we'll get stronger. Can't be trailing too far behind." Torchic ran along to Lucas' feet, plenty burnt out of energy thanks to Poochyena's games, and with a lot more will in its heart to forgive Lucas for his sins. Jumping up onto Lucas' shoulder, it rubbed its cheek against his, bringing a gentle warmth to balance out the drafty cold. "Will we see you in the morning?"

  "We'll see how things turn out, might sleep in, might leave early, who knows?" Harry shrugged.

  "So, does that mean we say our goodbyes now?"

  Harry snickered. "No need for that. We've got a few hours left before it gets dark. Unless you just want a hug."

  The moment hung for a second, both staring at each other. Harry sighed. "Alright, fine, bring it in."

  Harry opened his arms, and Lucas fell in, both squeezing each other tight. Well, more Lucas hugging tight than Harry, to the point of nearly squeezing the oxygen out of his lungs. "Just a reminder that I don't plan on dying tomorrow, so you don't gotta hug me like I'm gonna!"

  "Stillllll!" Lucas whined, eyes glancing over to Ellie. The girl sat there awkwardly, nails tapping against the bleachers, averting Lucas' eyes when the two made eye contact. Clearly, she was just waiting for them to get it over with, not wanting to make any noise or interject to ruin the moment. But, she had a feeling she was making it more awkward just from being near to the two.

  "So, you gonna sit there, or are you gonna join in?"

  "Hm?" Ellie looked to Harry, thinking for a second. "Isn't this like...a thing between you two?"

  "It's a thing between friends," answered Lucas, freeing a hand to gesture her over.

  "So, stop sitting there like a Magikarp out of water and get over here!" Harry shouted. Ellie sighed, dropping her duffel bag to the metallic benches, then clasping her hands around Lucas' back. Harry laughed. "We made a Lucas sandwich! Good thinking, Ellie!"

  "I don't wanna be a sandwich-" Lucas' chest tightened, now feeling the burn of getting squeezed by two people from either side.

  "Shouldn't we still get the credit as part of the sandwich?" Ellie asked, squeezing Lucas a little tighter, giggling as he exaggerated his gasps for air.

  "We're just the bread, we don't matter." Harry joined in with squeezing Lucas as tight as possible. "How does it feel to be the filling holding the sandwich together? Must be great right?"

  Lucas croaked. "Help me-"