They checked their surroundings thoroughly before moving into the next block of forest. The two watched and waited for another ambush, but none came. Instead, something flared, as a unique energy signature appeared near them. It wasn’t close, but not too far either.

Absol gave Lilith a nudge.

“What is it girl?” She asked.

Absol nodded in a direction to their left. They were close enough for her to pick up on the new Pokemon, and with her curiosity peaked, they inched closer. Lilith, being a human, but also Touched, found herself in a unique position. When it came to dark types, she had started to pick up on them from far away. It was a tingle down her spine, like a 6th sense. She just seemed to know the direction and distance from her location.

Other types proved to be a different matter entirely. It was so bad that she couldn’t feel the energy of other types at all. Sam and Levy had done experiments with her, having Darumaka exert his influence. She would close her eyes as the Pokemon circled her position, trying to locate the degree at which she stood. They tried for hours, but Lilith proved to be all but blind. Alder was right, it was both a blessing and a curse.

Light started bouncing off the trees in the distance. They flickered in an uneven beat. It signaled something much different than what she expected.

‘Not a flashlight.’ She thought.

The two became intrigued by the disturbance in the forest. None of the other wild Pokemon had fled from the area, so the duo felt no need to either.

‘Must be a fire, and if it’s not spreading, a campfire.’ She thought.

Lilith wondered who had put together a campfire so far into the forest. It was obviously human made, because Pokemon had no need for fire. There was also the chance that it was a fire type flexing its muscles late in the night. She knew it was a possibility, but was ultimately discarded. Fire was to warm people up or for light, and neither would be needed for a Fire-type Pokemon.

The trees grew especially thick in their path. Their vision was obscure, but the dup could start to make out the silhouettes of people . Her hunch was confirmed as she decided to check out the party. The chance of them being a part of Team Plasma crossed her mind, but also seemed unlikely.

They had no need to be in such a low leveled area, they much preferred the stronger settlements to acquire Pokemon in the wild. The nearby cities might have been good targets for mischief, but no warnings had been issued in advance.

“It’s got to be some kids from school, right? They just got out like we did.” She whispered to her partner.

A second light appeared to their left as they went through their options. They watched as the light bobbed through the trees moving in their direction. Thinking that they had been caught, the duo moved back a few paces to see what was about to happen.

A boy appeared in the night carrying a makeshift torch. It didn’t seem like the best choice for visibility, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She didn’t recognize him, but he was clearly young. It reinforced her earlier thought about the group being students. His movements were slow and sluggish as he and his Pokemon moved into the space between her and the camp.

The person served as an obvious scout, as he patrolled the surrounding areas. What drew her attention was the small dog at his feet. It too, was on fire, much to the duo’s surprise. They started at the head and flowed backwards, creating a mane of fire. Growlithe bounced up and down, sniffing anything that seemed interesting.

Neither spoke, but continued their rounds. It left an opening for Lilith to sneak into. She concluded that he wouldn’t return for some time, setting off her pulse.

“Let’s have some fun.” She smiled at Absol.

Lilith loved the adrenaline rush from sneaking around where she didn’t belong. Her inner rebel flared at the challenge.

With nothing between them but trees, Absol took the lead. She stepped over branches and leaves, marking a path for her partner to follow. The closer they got, the more voices that they could make out. They were all jumbled together, as no words could be made out.

A small clearing opened up before them, as people sat around a large bonfire. It had died out and only the embers remained. It was enough light to start making out faces. She was only a few meters away, but could make out some familiar faces. Some left her at a loss, but they were definitely new Trainers from the school.

The voices started to gain more substance as she had come so close. Only one dominated the conversation.

“So I said, you take one move from Darumaka here, and I’ll show you what ugly is!” the voice finished.

“Hahaha!” The campfire burst into laughter at the story.

‘One, two, three, four, five, sentry makes six.’ She counted out the number of people before her.

Two people sat together, facing the fire. Their backs were hard to see, given all the lighting in front of them, so Lilith had a hard time making them out. The sound of the voice was unmistakable however. She knew exactly who the life of the party was.

“I tell you! Nothing gets by me!” The same voice boasted after everyone else had calmed down.

Lilith rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help but take the opportunity when provoked with such words. The perfect chance presented itself. With the others distracted by Sam’s boasting, she approached the small campfire from behind.

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She blended into the night while stepping out into the open. Despite being in their line of sight, she remained unseen. Five quick steps and she was in position. Lilith leaned in next to his head, finally becoming visible.

“Nothing, Sam?” She whispered right next to his ear.

“AHHHHH!” Sam shrieked.

His friend appeared like a ghost, scaring the daylights out of him. He wasn't ready at all, jumping to his feet. His arms pulled up into a defensive position before he would even think, as the others followed suit. Their Pokemon got ready for battle as Levy and Axew twisted towards their intruder.

“Lilith!” She screamed, jumping towards her friend.

The tension was all but lost as Axew jumped up with her partner, recognizing them immediately. Levy pulled her into a hug. Darumaka tried, but she couldn’t get up due to laughing so hard. The rest of the group read their reactions and settled down. If their two companions knew the trespasser, then they should be alright.

“Why did you leave without us!” Levy yelled.

“Ahh, who cares why she left! Why did she have to go and scare me so bad?!” Sam cried.

Levy turned to glare at her rival, shutting down any protest he might try. Sam puckered up in a rather dramatic fashion, sitting back down with a scared face. Lilith didn’t expect the chaos, but it was pleasantly surprising.

‘I really have taken them for granted…’ Lilith thought, returning the hug.

Absol sat next to Axew as they reunited with one another.

“Cough cough, who might this be?” Duncan asked.

Their reunion had been rather one-sided, with all three ignoring the others present. It became awkward until one of the boys stepped up to break the stalemate.

Levy continued her hug, but spun around to face them, not letting go just yet. Despite all the jerking around, Liltih grew more uncomfortable by the second.

“She was in our class, we hung out almost every day! She ran away after her Gym battle and we haven't seen her since!” Levy explained.

“I can vouch for her strength!” Sam butted in, patted his chest in approval.

The three shared a look as the sentry came charging back into the clearing.

“Who’s there?! Are we under Attack?!” he shouted.

“Calm down Colby, Levy and Sam know her.” Duncan waved at the newest arrival.

Colby watched as Lilith tried peeling her friend off.

“Lilith… Lilith…” I don’t remember that name on the list of kids in our class that got their Gym badge on the first day…” Landon, one of the other boys, tapped his chin in thought.

They group of kids who had shown promise were put together by Cheren to help foster friendship and bonds between their fellow Trainers. It was a way to increase the chances of growing more powerful, while also giving them a reason to stay in the Region. Lilith had simultaneously lost her challenge and also left the next day, guaranteeing the chances she knew nothing of the arrangement.

“Because she didn’t.” Sam tapered off as everyone scrutinized her more thoroughly.

“Its Her…” Eva nudged Landon in understanding.

She emphasized the ‘Her’ as everyone in the firelight turned towards Absol. A look of understanding dawned on them.

“Hemm…” Duncan cleared his throat.

Rumors of her partner Pokemon had already started spreading. It wasn’t every day that a Pokemon of disaster was seen. Most gave worried frowns.

“Why don’t we all sit.” he offered.

Everyone took up the offer as Colby sat down to join them. She had obviously snuck past him, making his efforts relatively useless.

“So, what brings you out here at this hour?” Duncan tried gathering some information.

Lilith turned towards him and gave a funny look.

“Training. And why are you guys still up?” She stated rather blandly.

“But at night?” Eve asked, slightly interested in being less outnumbered by the boys.

“I sleep during the day.” She gruffed, noticing the lack of response from her question.

She didn’t push, creating an awkward silence that filled the campsite.

“Are you going to the Floccesy town tournament?” Sam asked encouragingly.

Before she could answer, Levy cut her rival off.

“Why did you leave so suddenly after the Gym and not talk to us?! I was so worried.” She asked the question that had been eating at her for days.

“Training.” Lilith reiterated.

She would never admit she threw a tantrum and ran off. Despite finding friendship with them, they weren’t at the stage where she could air out her weaknesses anywhere. It didn’t help the current company.

“Oh…” She sighed, catching her glances at the others. She knew Lilith was uptight and would never share in front of strangers

“Tournament!” Sam tried pushing back into the conversation.

Lilith rolled her eyes and exaggerated her head roll towards Sam.

“What is it, Sam?” Lilith asked, slightly intrigued.

“It's a battle between schools! Our school is going to battle it out with the one from Virbank! How can you not have heard about it?! It's a rivalry that’s been going on forever!” Sam’s energy increased. “

Each year we all congregate in Floccesy, which is between both cities, to duke it out! Every man for himself! Last man standing!” Sam threw punches in the air during his explanation. He jumped around, increasing his hype once more.

Despite the awful explanation, the sound of a tournament intrigued her. It would be a good chance to test her training thus far.

“Hmm…” Lilith pondered the thought.

The format was her biggest concern. If it was just 1v1’s then she would be all for it, but if it were team battles then she would be at a major disadvantage. It would just bring up bad memories of her previous defeat.

“When does it start?” She asked.

“In 3 days! We are getting in some last minute training before heading to Floccesy town.” Sam replied, noticing he had hooked her.

The three other kids looked at her skeptically as Levy tried hugging her once more.

“Please come, this bozo refuses to talk strategy with me…” she whispered.

The two embraced one more. It appeared Lilith would have to go now.