Levy poked Sam in the arm. Their banter continued off to the side as the others sized her up. Duncan and Landon seemed to question her strength, while Eve and Colby seemed content whispering amongst themselves.

“There are only a set amount of contenders from each school, do we really want someone who didn’t get their badge? We need someone who can really hold their own.” Landon whispered to his neighbor.

Lilith acted like she hadn’t heard his comments, but the lack of faith seemed natural. They had just met and neither had seen eachother in action. It hurt, but she didn’t think any less of them for it. The less they knew about her battle strategies, the better.

“Who knows, with an Absol by her side, anything could be possible. They’re said to be able to chew through even higher level opponents with ease…” Duncan whispered back.

Her mouth couldn’t help but perk up a little at their talk.

“So what’s the format of this tournament?” Lilith turned towards Eve.

“It’s a gym battle format with a three cap limit.” She replied, short and sweet.

“Hmm…” Lilith couldn’t help but frown.

Her team still couldn’t match up to numbers. They were getting better, but Absol’s power was still just too low. If they did participate, then a huge power up would be in order.

“What’s your problem?” Landon asked, slightly hostile.

Her frown deepened, with Duncan joining her. Neither was shore where the sudden animosity came from.

“Come on Landon, chill out.” He placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We don’t even know how strong she is though! No one who loses their gym battle goes on to participate in the battles!” he raised his voice slightly.

Landon’s own Growlithe perked up, giving a bark of approval. The commotion had drawn all the other eyes in the circle, things becoming slightly awkward.

“I vouched for her, isn’t that enough?” Sam stood up to defend her, Levy’s mood souring.

“I think we need to see her battle!” Landon declared.

Before things could go too far, the others tried stepping in.

“Bro, you need to calm down.” Colby inched closer to his twin.

Even with the terrible lighting, anyone could see the resemblance.

“No, it's fine. I can leave” Lilith brought her own hand up.

She was a big girl and could speak for herself. It didn’t mean she disliked the help, or would forget their stances, however. “ I was in the middle of training when I came across you guys. I’ve already taken up too much time sitting around.”

“No wait!” Sam shouted.

He tried to get Lilith to stay with the group.

“It’s late. You guys need rest, while I still have training to do. I won’t be hanging around here to watch you sleep. I think it’s best to part ways here.”

Lilith turned as she stepped away from the campfire.

“Will you be going to Floccesy?” Levy stopped her before she could leave.

The two exchanged one last hug before their separation.

“I will. If we are going to compete though, we need a big boost in strength. The hot head’s right, I’m probably not strong enough as I am now. If anything I can go and cheer you guys on. Just think of all the planning we could get done.”

Levy tried wiping the tear in her eye before anyone else noticed. They had bonded so much in the past month, and finally felt like she was making friends. That was, before Lilith had disappeared after her defeat. She couldn’t help but take it personally, but her journey with Sam had lessened the initial shock. Once she stood before her, she just couldn’t bring herself to get mad.

Levy understood her drive to get strong, as it was something they both shared. In order to reach their full potential, they would have to part ways for a short while. She clutched Lilith’s hand for a second before letting go. She knew that there was no way she had been intimidated by Landon, as it was only an excuse to leave. This time, their parting would be mutual.

“Three day’s time.” Lilith whispered into her ear before the duo turned to leave.

***

“What was her deal?” Landon scoffed after she had disappeared from view.

“Her deal? What’s yours!? Don't get too full of yourself. Do you really think the first badge is such a good indication of strength!?” Levy got into his face.

Just because Lilith had let it go didn’t mean she wasn’t still mad. Quite the opposite in fact. Levy barely knew Landon enough to not get mad.

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“She’s only going to have a week to sure up her power, do you really think someone could grow enough after having been defeated?” Landon asked.

“How could anyone know?” Sam repealed flippantly. “We are all new Trainers and have no idea what could happen next. You shouldn’t burn bridges before you have the bigger picture.” he finished.

Everyone looked around skeptically.

“Even if she wasn’t as strong, you didn’t have to be an ass about it.” Eve spoke up

“Hmm, I second that. Who knows what an Absol is capable of….” Duncan pondered.

“Uncool, bro.” Colby could only shake his head.

With the mood ruined, everyone decided to call it a night. Levy and Sam tucked themselves away as Colby and Eve joined them. Duncan kicked back and watched the stars as Landon sat alienated, thinking about his actions.

***

Lilith didn’t stay and listen to their chat. Instead, they traveled north. It occurred to her that the format didn’t really matter. Battles were experience just waiting to be harvested. She had been so caught up on winning and losing that her perspective had started to slip.

Absol would have to get stronger, so the two looked for any new Pokemon to fight. It didn't matter their strength at this point, only if they boosted her. Absol needed strong matches like Pidove to make up the time. They angeled their direction Northwest, moving towards their destination.

“There.” Lilith pointed through the underbrush.

A familiar Pokemon presented itself. All the Purrloin in the area seemed to be drawn to her like a magnet. The cat had climbed a tree and stared back at them from above. Both parties stood motionlessly, after fighting them so many times, their quirks started to present themselves.

Purrloin always started a battle with Fake Out. It didn’t matter the context or advantage, it seemed instinctual in how they fought. It seemed like a good tactic, but an annoying one to fight against. Absol watched and waited for the opening move so they could start the real battle.

Purrloin jumped down from his vantage point right onto Absol. She tried backing up from his claws, but instead was met with his tail from underneath. It was a new variation on the move, and caught her by surprise. Despite the shock, Absol knew what would happen next. Pidove’s previous battle had pushed her over the edge.

The air around her changed as a brown film materialized all around her. Absol’s entire body was covered as her newest move intercepted the oncoming attack. Detect had been obtained.

The move was a Protect derivative which stopped all incoming damage temporarily. Absol had finally increased her energy to the first star, middle stage.

“Yes!” Lilith couldn’t help but shout.

With Absol’s increase in power, a new clarity filled her mind. It was as if a fog had been lifted, chasing away whatever had been keeping her down. Lilith felt more like herself than the past few days. She cast the thought aside, considering it just a byproduct of her partner’s increase.

She recognized the move straight away. Nullifying damage would be huge, especially at their low level. If she had the move in her repertoire back at the Gym, then the outcome might have ended differently. It would be a great asset in the days to come.

With the move countered, Purrloin was a sitting duck. Absol had been practicing on all the cats they had come across, so the next move came much faster. Pink energy formed around her head as she ran into the unprepared cat. It didn’t matter how strong Purrloin was, Play-Rough decimated him with one hit.

‘Could we take on a two star Purrloin with a Play-Rough and Detect combo?’ She wondered, feeling slightly giddy.

Lilith’s spirits were lifted once more. Their strength while in the wild had been skyrocketing. A new move was obtained, and they were finally getting a handle on their most difficult move to activate. If it wasn’t for the news about the tournament, they would be on their way back to Aspertia ro rechallenge the gym. It was definitely time to test their mettle, as they went in search of a strong opponent.

***

“Anything?” Lilith called out.

Despite their excitement, nothing interesting happened. All one star Pokemon they came across were swept away. She could feel Absol stagnate in her growth, their momentum coming to an end. It would take some time before any more change could happen.

The thought to go and challenge Palpatoad had popped into her mind, but was quickly discarded. The direction they would have to go was due East, and they might not make it in time to Floccesy if they went too far out of their way. The swarm of Sewaddle led by Swadloon was in their path, but that thought was dropped even faster. The sheer quantity would have overwhelmed her.

That only left the two wandering North, unsure of what they would find. They stopped going out of their way to challenge every Pokemon they met, and instead practiced their stealth. Despite Absol’s natural coloring, she proved to be adept at sneaking around. Mud still caked her fur, so she was having a much easier time. The two snuck around Patrat or under unassuming Pidove as they continued to explore.

The duo was about to call it a night, until they came across something strange.

“What is that?” Lilith whispered to her Partner.

A strange collection of trees huddled together in an alcove. They weren’t very tall, but their leaves were long and wide, nothing like the surrounding area. The forest was filled with trees that reminded her of Oak, nothing like the new trees in front of them.

“Is that a banana?” She wondered aloud.

Small yellow fruits hung from the tops of the trees. They looked ripe, yet no Pokemon approached. The oddity of the situation had her alarm bells ringing, any food source like that should have been well guarded.

‘There must be a two star Pokemon guarding the trees. We should do some recon before jumping into anything.’ She thought.

The ground around them was relatively flat, with no vantage points. They would have to hang out in the open to watch the target. The terrain wasn’t the best it could have been, but they would make do.

Lilith decided to back up a good distance before getting ready for their ambush. Sitting out in the open wouldn’t work. Some Pokemon would have to be in the area soon to contest for the food. She knew her best chance at recon would happen in the morning. Shirley had taught them that it was best to fortify right as the Sun came up or went down. The change in time always had increased Pokemon activity.

The duo backed up until they were about one hundred meters away from her target. Lilith settled down to get some sleep, as the only thing they could do now was wait. She couldn’t make the Sun rise any faster.

Lilith leaned against a tree, looking out at their target. Absol lay in her lap as they stood watch. It would still be some hours before the turn of day, but it would be their best chance at fighting something worthy.

What they didn’t consider was their own bodies. Both had been up long into the night, tiring them greatly. Epic battles had taken place along with reunions. Without even taking notice, both drifted off to sleep.

It was only hours later that they were woken up. Rays of light beamed down on them, creating great irritation. Lilith rubbed at her eyes, before the previous day’s events replayed. Their slip came to the forefront of her mind.

Pushing away the drowsiness, Lilith nudged Absol awake. Both hoped they weren’t too late, as they checked to see if their bait was still there.

“Where did they go?!” She couldn’t help but exclaim.