The morning light streamed in through the window, and I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Today, I’d be teaming up with Leo for double Pokémon battles. While I was eager for the experience, I also worried about how well we’d perform together.

After a quick breakfast at the Pokémon Center, I met Leo outside. He was waiting eagerly, his Torchic hopping around him. “Ready to battle?” he asked, a grin on his face.

“Sure, let’s see how it goes,” I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I couldn’t shake the thought that we might not be strong enough.

Leo pointed to a pair of trainers ahead. “How about them?” he suggested.

I hesitated, assessing the trainers. They looked experienced, and a wave of doubt washed over me. “Do you think they’ll be tough? We should probably be careful.”

Leo shrugged, his confidence unwavering. “We won’t know unless we try! Come on!” He waved to the trainers, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Hey! Want to team up for a double battle?” Leo called out.

“Sure!” one of them replied, a boy with spiky hair. His partner, a girl with a friendly smile, looked excited. “We’ve been looking for a match!”

We took our positions, and I felt a mix of nerves and anticipation. “Let’s do this!” I said, trying to inject some energy into my voice.

“Three, two, one… battle!” Leo shouted, and the match began.

The opposing trainers sent out a Poochyena and a Shroomish, while Leo and I released our Pokémon. “Staryu, let’s go! And you too, Torchic!” Leo commanded.

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“Staryu, use Water Gun on Poochyena!” I called, forcing myself to sound assertive. I had to trust in Staryu’s abilities, even if I was worried about the outcome.

“Torchic, use Ember on Shroomish!” Leo added.

Staryu shot a jet of water at Poochyena, and while it hit, I felt a nagging concern. Was it enough? Torchic’s flames flickered brightly, striking Shroomish, and I felt a brief surge of hope. Maybe we could make this work.

“Let’s keep our attacks coordinated!” Leo said. “Staryu, aim for Shroomish next!”

I nodded, determined. “Alright, Staryu! Use Water Gun again!” I directed, watching as the water struck true. Poochyena yelped, but I could see it still had fight left in it.

“Don’t let them recover!” I shouted, feeling the adrenaline kick in. As Poochyena lunged at Staryu, I braced for impact. “Staryu, dodge!” I called, but I wasn’t sure if we could keep this up.

“Staryu, focus! Use Water Gun again!” I commanded, and the blast hit Poochyena, forcing it back.

“Torchic, let’s finish Shroomish!” Leo commanded. “Ember, full power!”

Torchic unleashed a burst of flames, and I felt a flicker of optimism. “We can do this!” I encouraged, trying to push away the doubts. But as Shroomish staggered, I knew it could retaliate.

In a flurry of attacks, we pushed our opponents back. I felt the tension ease as Shroomish fell, leaving only Poochyena. “Now, Staryu! Finish it with Water Gun!” I shouted, and the blast sent Poochyena tumbling.

“We did it!” I exclaimed, allowing a smile to break through my cautious demeanor.

“Great teamwork!” Leo cheered, his excitement infectious.

The opposing trainers approached, grinning. “You two make a great team!” the girl said. “Thanks for the match; it was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, let’s battle again sometime!” the boy added.

As they walked away, I felt a mix of pride and lingering doubt. “That was good, right?” I asked Leo, my voice still uncertain.

“Definitely! And we earned some Poké Dollars from that match, too,” he replied, his confidence undeterred.

“Yeah, maybe…” I said, glancing at Staryu. “But we should prepare more before taking on stronger opponents. It’s better to be realistic about our skills.”

Leo nodded, a grin still on his face. “We can keep practicing! Let’s find more battles today!”

With Staryu and Torchic ready for more action, we set off to find our next opponents. I tried to balance my worries with the thrill of the challenge. While I couldn’t ignore my realistic perspective, I also knew every battle was a chance to grow and learn.