Friday, June 2nd, 1978, 1300

The sun hung high in the sky over the isolated complex, and you could almost hear the ground sizzling in the sweltering heat. The arena we would be fighting in was of middling size, stretching roughly ten meters in diameter. It had a few rough-hewn log benches along the edges that were only partially filled; six other trainers were watching the match, including Ellie. From my brief glance their way, it looked like a group of boys about my age. They were likely also first years, as near as I could tell. They somehow seemed nervous and uncertain about everything they were doing.

I hope I don't look like that.

I strode confidently towards my side of the arena, taking in our opponent. She stared back at me coolly but didn't give anything away. The trainer didn't look scared, or excited, or much at all. It was hard to tell what she was thinking behind the collected mask she was putting forward. Although her words earlier had sounded a bit cocky, it was clear that she was taking this seriously.

Maybe my earlier assessment was wrong, and she was just that good with nothing to prove. Not that it mattered, now.

I was going to win; I had to.

Just from the brief observation of the earlier match, it was apparent she was the most experienced in their group; they were likely traveling together from Fuchsia City. Trainers commonly grouped together, especially in more isolated areas like Route 14. It made things much safer since pokémon were more liable to attack individual targets.

I gave a sharp whistle, and Eon and Nana sauntered towards us from their positions on the edge of camp to assume positions on either side of me. I could hear whispers from the sides of the arena at the disciplined response. From what Sula had told me, there was a lot more to battles than just having strong pokémon, especially in trainer-to-trainer battles on a non-professional level.

With gym leaders or more experienced trainers, it was a lot more challenging to rattle them. Much of the battle was won or lost based on the mindset of the trainer in charge; if they were confident, the pokémon would perform well. If they were scared, it could easily lead to a poor performance. Intimidation tactics worked wonders, according to Sula. Still, I thought it was because she was so unhinged when she battled, and I had no confidence in myself to duplicate her feats.

"Can we get a volunteer to officiate the match?" I asked politely as I looked on at the stands. I could hear a spattering of whispered comments and saw some brief jostling around. After a few seconds, the same trainer that had just lost hesitantly walked towards the referee box. He was short and pale with sandy brown hair and lots of freckles. "This match will be a two-on-two match with no substitutions! Trainers, send out your first pokémon," he shouted, with a much stronger voice than I anticipated.

I looked down and gave Eon a brief nod. "You're up. Don't go easy. I know you're sick of losing." Eon merely looked at me with fire in her eyes before heading into the ring with something of a swagger.

Across the way, the trainer—Dani—sent out the same Venonat that had just cleanly disabled the Meowth a few moments earlier. The tiny bug hopped to attention as it waited attentively for its trainer's instructions.

"Match, Start!" the makeshift referee commanded, and we both sprang into motion.

I beat her to it and rattled off a detailed string of orders, "Eon, start with Wish and keep your distance. Hit it with two Swifts to soften it up before closing in to lock it down."

"Venonat, use Psybeam! Don't bother dodging the Swifts," Dani called confidently. "If it gets close, hit it with a spore attack!"

The pokémon jumped to obey their trainers; Eon concentrated briefly, and a bright white star shot up into the sky over the arena and started drifting lazily downwards. The Venonat hopped forward to get in range for Psybeam, and Eon shot off a large stream of pale-yellow stars that slammed into the Venonat, causing it to screech in pain.

Eon was much faster than the small bug pokémon and could easily stay out of the range of Psybeam. The move was strong, but it required the pokémon to get relatively close to use it accurately on a target as agile as Eon. Eon shot off a second round of stars at the injured pokémon before shimmering with a shroud of white energy, briefly disappearing before remerging behind the now bleeding pokémon.

Eon ruthlessly bit into its flank and savagely slammed it on the ground repeatedly. The bug-type let loose a cloud of purple spores that there was no way Eon could dodge. She was most likely poisoned, but it didn't stop her from thrashing her opponent until it passed out. Dani returned the unconscious pokémon in a flash of red light. She was frowning, now, and the air of confidence she had demonstrated previously faltered just a bit.

We have this, easy. Just one more.

I could feel my heart throb heavily in my chest at an ever-faster pace as I imagined what our first win would feel like.

Eon defiantly walked up just a few feet away from Dani as if to challenge her personally. It wasn't like there was an easy way to tell if your pokemon was poisoned, but by the heavy breaths she was taking, I didn't like her odds, but Eon clearly didn't care. Even I was surprised, and Dani looked utterly caught off guard at the aggressive posturing, but she recovered quickly and pulled out a second ball after deciding between the two hanging at her side, rolling it around in her hand in what I could only assume was nerves?

"V-venonat is down. Send out your next pokémon," the referee said shakily as he glanced at Eon in confusion and surprise at her tactics.

Most people were caught off guard by Eon, as she did things a bit differently than the average member of her species, which were really not known for battling until they evolved, and for most, not even then. The "eeveelutions,' as they were known, were largely kept as pets rather than battlers.

I calmly waited, gauging my opponent; although Dani initially looked startled at the abrupt resolution of the first bout, her face was now an impassive mask once more and I mentally planned my commands for whatever might come out.

Honestly, I was impressed, considering her pokémon hadn't even managed to land a hit, after all. But she didn't look scared, so I figured she had something more substantial up her sleeve. Eon growled impatiently at the delay until Dani finally sent out the pokeball she had selected with a cool glare at my excited pokemon.

"Beedrill, you're up. Don't let me down," Dani muttered as a giant murder hornet materialized in the classic flash of red. Beedrill were notorious for their high speed, and this particular one shot toward Eon menacingly with its needle-sharp lances poised to strike.

"Use Fury Attack," she ordered. "Don't stop until I say so. She's already poisoned!"

"Don't bother trying to outrun it; it's too fast. Stand your ground and bring it down to the ground," I commanded, hoping Eon could hold out. Beedrill were notoriously fragile, so I hoped a battle of attrition would end in our favor.

The Beedrill arrived in a flash and immediately jabbed at Eon with its stingers; the first attack broke the skin on her flank, leaving behind a large stinger, which pulsed sickly as it injected a burst of poison. The second attack stabbed into Eon's front right leg, causing her to lurch over in pain. Eon did her best to ignore the attacks, lunging forward savagely with her teeth bared, managing to barely bite through the hornet's tough carapace to gain purchase into the vulnerable flesh underneath.

The wound spilled a yellow-green ichor onto the dry dirt of the arena, which sizzled as it landed. Eon dug her paws in, using the surprising power in her small frame to drag the larger pokémon down to the ground with her, using her weight to hold it down as best she could. The Beedrill tried to shift out from underneath, but it lacked the power.

The trapped pokemon eventually concluded it would be better off continuing to stab Eon as much as it could. And stab it did. I winced as a myriad of wounds opened up across Eon's coat, which was quickly becoming matted with blood and dirt. Things were not looking good for her, but she continued her assault on the Beedrill, using her claws to open up small puncture wounds. She might not match the offensive capacity of the Beedrill, but she certainly wasn't going down without a fight.

"Don't let it bring you to the ground! Get out of there," Dani cried out, not realizing her pokemon had already committed to the attack.

Time was against Eon—I could see the poison working its way through her system as her movements slowed and the force of her bite waned. "Just a second longer. I know you're strong enough!" I shouted encouragingly to her, knowing the Wish was just seconds away.

Hearing my voice gave her a last rush of motivation, and she kept the Beedrill pinned to the ground just long enough; the Wish she had cast at the beginning of the match finally made its way into play. The bright star suffused Eon in a sheath of healing energy, and her wounds began closing as if sutured together by an invisible needle. Her breathing eased, and her attacks regained some of her earlier power.

"Eon, use Take Down! Try to hit it where it's bleeding!"

"Beedrill, get some space! It's poisoned, all you have to do is stay up and it'll eventually fall!" called out Dani in reply.

Eon immediately released the wounded Beedrill only to glow with a subdued white light as she slammed her shoulder into the insect's carapace in a spray of ichor. Beedrill screeched in pain but took the opportunity to flee towards the arena's edge, where the pokémon hovered shakily. It was clearly having difficulty maintaining its own weight after the damaging hit.

However, Eon was not unscathed and was breathing hard. Too hard. Her small face was tight with pain, and more than a few drops of blood hit the ground beneath her. As if drawing power from pain, Eon gave no indication of faltering and I had no intention of pulling her from the match early. She needed this as much as I did.

"Quick attack and bring it down. Use Detect if anything comes your way. It can't take much more. You've fought a lot worse than this!" I said, leaning forward in excitement.

Eon's form tensed, and she powerfully leaped up at the flagging hornet, crashing into it with her shoulder. They tumbled down to the ground in a pile of bloody fur and shattered exoskeleton. Eon caught one of its flimsy arms in her tiny jaws, closer to the thorax and away from its flailing spikes.

"Beedrill, use Pin Missile!" Dani screamed, but it was too late, and her shoulders slumped at the realization there was nothing her pokemon could do.

In the same fashion as before, Eon violently slammed the bee pokémon onto the ground until it simply couldn't resist. Although Eon was breathing hard and was visibly shaking, she still padded back towards me proudly, seemingly ignoring the grotesque collection of stab wounds dotting her body too densely for my liking.

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I knelt down to brush her damaged fur. She leaned into my hand and purred softly, happily enjoying the praise for the tough battle. Our first win, I corrected.

While she was distracted, I snuck my other hand down and yanked the embedded stinger out of her side with a grunt of effort. It had been deeper than I thought, wedged between her ribs. She whined in pain, finally starting to feel the damage that had been done to her petite frame as the adrenaline wore off.

I reached into a side pocket on my pack to grab a potion and sprayed it generously onto her many wounds. Eon hissed as the torn flesh knitted back together, leaving only silvery scars behind. "I knew you could do it," I grinned as I rubbed her coat more vigorously, now that she wasn't in as much pain. I picked her up and met my opponent in the center of the arena.

The other trainer appeared upset, as evidenced by her big frown of disapproval. "You could've told me you weren't a beginner," she complained. "I might have done things differently or not even taken the challenge at all."

I scoffed. "That's quite the attitude. If I wasn't experienced, you wouldn't have agreed to the match? You're not going to improve like that. Besides, I'm only technically a beginner. At least on paper," I replied as I held my hand expectantly to receive my winnings.

"Why is your Eevee so strong, then?" she asked with a genuinely quizzical expression as she shelled out a handful of bills. "Also, I didn't say that I wouldn't have accepted it, not exactly, but I might've thought about it a bit more. I know I won't get better if I only take matches I know I can win."

Dani looked around before leaning in conspiratorially to whisper, "In fact, traveling with this group here makes me keenly aware of that. I don't think I could lose to any of these amateurs if I tried. Good match." She held her hand out and smiled brightly, clearly moving past the loss in seconds.

"R-right," I stammered, caught off guard by the abrupt shift in demeanor. Her handshake was firm, and her hands were well-calloused, indicating physical training of some kind.

I was pleasantly surprised by her candor and decided to respond in kind, as I whispered just as softly back once I recovered, "My family is kind of intense, so I've been practicing for the last few years. They just never let me win. I think it might be nice to win against some newbies for a while. But only for a day or two," I explained sheepishly while blushing at our proximity.

I cleared my throat, taking the opportunity to get some space. I earnestly hoped nobody could tell through the sunburn I knew I was getting in the uncovered arena.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your pokémon. Eon needed a confidence boost to start off the season. You can have the rest of this potion if you want," I offered, holding out the remains of the partially used potion.

"Thanks," she said as she snatched the offering from my hand. "You really did a number on my pokémon. You're lucky I have a few more; I could've been in real trouble if those were my only two."

I shrugged apathetically. "I suppose it's a good thing you do. I already saw two more pokéballs on your belt before I made the challenge. I would never intentionally want to put a trainer in an unsafe position. But in my defense, it is your job to be responsible enough to not let your pokémon all get injured just for battling. Plus, I just gave you a potion in apology," I replied with a raise of my eyebrows.

"Speak for yourself! I only see two pokéballs on you, and both of your pokémon are already out!"

I shrugged casually before catching her gaze directly. "I knew I was going to win with just Eon. Thanks for the battle," I called out as I returned to where Ellie and Nana were waiting, leaving Dani standing alone in the hot sun.

I ignored the chilly gazes I felt after issuing that last comment. Nana looked disappointed that he wasn't needed for that battle, and I could tell he had been raring to go after a few days without serious battling.

"Okay, I'm definitely glad I agreed to my dad's stupid plan. That was really impressive," Ellie told me as we approached the center of the checkpoint. "I knew Eon was cute, but she was something else out there. Are all Eevee's that tough? I thought you were just talking out of your ass when you said all that stuff about how strong she was," Ellie admitted.

She cocked her head in thought. "I know I'm supposed to become a battle maniac, but I'm not sure I could've watched Petal get beat up like that."

"No, they aren't. In fact, Eevee is a notoriously fragile pokémon," I answered. "Eon is like this because we've worked at it diligently for the last five years. She's been on the right diet and frequently subjected to matches as bad as that, if not worse. The reason I made her learn Wish was because that was the only way I could find to keep her functional through most of the battles with Sula."

I shuddered as I recalled the many times I had to hold Eon together long enough to get a potion out. "Sula is relentless and pushes her way through with pure force. Eon here has been a wall against that force nearly daily," I explained proudly as I gave her a well-earned neck-scratching.

"So, how do you feel after your first big win," Ellie asked.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. She was pantomiming holding a microphone up as if she were a news anchor interviewing the latest celebrity. "Especially shirtless," she quipped with a mischievous grin. "Really had to show off like that, did you?"

My laugh cut off abruptly as I processed the additional information.

"W-wait, shirtless?" I said in a panic as the fact that I had just shamelessly battled shirtless in front of a crowd of teenagers dawned on me. "I wasn't trying to show off, I swear! Un-fucking believable. They probably think I'm such a tool! We usually battle shirtless at home so it just felt natural. What a fucking rookie mistake," I groaned, causing Nana and Eon to look up at me in concern before apparently deciding I was being dramatic and ignoring me.

"Dude, chill; it's alright. I won't argue with you there, but it could have been worse. At least you won," Ellie pointed out with an entertained smile. "I might've had to reconsider this whole plan if you lost after that showing."

She was clearly enjoying herself at my expense. Arceus, I'm really losing my focus out here, I thought in resigned embarrassment, choosing to just move on to the first part of Ellie's question and drop the issue entirely.

I cleared my throat. "Anyways, In the back of my head, I was worried that I was going to get smoked and that my sister had been lying about the average quality of most trainers. It probably would've crushed my soul if I lost my first battle. But enough of this," I said as I pushed the 'microphone' out of my face, feeling self-conscious at the unfamiliar attention.

"Let's check in and see if we can get a cabin here. I'm embarrassed, but that battle took much more out of me than I expected. Are you okay with just taking a half-day today? We can rest up and snag a few more battles from those other boys. Petal could probably take the Meowth we saw earlier without much issue. I think River needs a bit more work before we throw him right into things, though," I pondered as we searched for the ranger on duty.

Ellie looked at me ludicrously, "Do you seriously think I'm going to be the one forcing us to continue marching through the forest right now? It must be at least thirty degrees out there! I'm drenched in sweat. Do you think they have a shower here?"

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully before answering her question. "It's unlikely they have water out here, but you might be able to use River to help you shower? It could probably work if you can get him to spray water in a fine mist."

"I can work with that. I will make River the finest shower pokémon in all the lands!" she joked as she pumped her fist dramatically. "Any advice on how to actually do that, though?" Ellie asked as she looked at River expectantly, who promptly started attempting to create a fine mist, much to Petal's amusement. She chortled at River's silly starting attempts and set a pleasant, relaxed mood for us.

I burst out laughing, "Strangely, I don't doubt it! This is the most motivated I've seen you so far! Unfortunately for you, my only elemental type can't stand water, so I have no suggestions. You should experiment a bit. It'll be good for him in the long term, though. Control exercises like that are some of the best for developing your elemental attacks. Keep me posted on your progress. I could use a shower," I said as I inconspicuously took a whiff of myself.

I stopped to pull my tunic back on before we greeted the ranger. I may have messed up so far, but I'll get this part right, I thought determinedly. I could immediately feel the difference but ignored it. My dignity was worth any amount of heat.

I still had difficulty processing that I had been so focused that I forgot I was shirtless. I felt like a total idiot. Now, all the other trainers there would think I was some kind of show-off. The stares I felt as we walked away made much more sense now.

We found the camp center without any problems. It was overseen by a friendly old ranger on her way to retirement, and she got us checked into one of the cabins on the edge of the encampment.

The price was dirt cheap; the League never expected to make a profit on outposts like this, and they were basically necessary for people to travel through isolated areas.

We made our way over to our cabin, excited to get the packs off of our aching and, in my case, sunburnt shoulders. Using the key we received, we opened the door and assessed our temporary lodgings; there were four bunkbeds in each corner of the room and little else.

Ellie immediately dove onto one of the mattresses with a theatrical groan. I shook my head at her antics and claimed the other bunk across from hers before setting down my gear. It felt really nice to finally get the heavy pack off my shoulders. I glanced at Ellie and was surprised that she seemed to have fallen asleep in seconds.

I hadn't expected to feel so worn out from the match. After some thought, I concluded that battles in an uncontrolled setting with new variables were simply more stressful than drilling the same moves with the same pokémon as I had usually done at the clan training grounds.

It would be imperative for me to throw myself into as many new situations as possible to ensure that I could handle the change. Making a mental note of this epiphany, I started unloading grooming equipment for my two pokémon.

Unlike Ellie's pokémon, who didn't have fur, Nana and Eon had been running through the brush for the last day and a half, and their coats were filled with twigs and burs.

Eon's fur was thoroughly matted with blood and ichor from the match in a disgusting morass of bodily fluids. The grooming kits were simple: a few different brushes, oil, and lotion. Not only did grooming help bond you closer with your pokémon, but it also helped keep you aware of your pokémon's condition and notice any wounds or deficiencies. I felt guilty that I hadn't made time for our usual grooming routine the previous night.

As a bonus, most pokémon loved being treated so lovingly by their trainers. At the Seiichi compound, every member was expected to spend at least some time in the morning or evening to keep their pokémon in immaculate condition. This bond helped them respond faster to commands and trust their trainer more.

Since we trained in a military capacity, much more focus was put on the connection between a trainer and their pokémon than outsiders would likely expect. It wasn't strange to see Seiichi retainers spread out across the compound, lazing about and brushing or playing with their charges.

Starting with Eon, I poured some water into a bowl and gently cleaned her fur, beginning with the areas around the wounds. Although the punctures had largely healed from the potion, the flesh was still tight, and blood and dirt clung in chunks. Eon purred in contentment as she enjoyed the loving ministrations.

I only stopped when her damaged coat gleamed healthily. In the background, I could hear Ellie snoring softly, and River and Petal watched us in fascination. Although I was no pokémon empath, it seemed pretty apparent that they were jealous. I would need to speak to Ellie about her pokémon routine so those two didn't feel so left out.

I'd never had a reptilian pokémon, but I was sure they sold grooming kits for all species. I added this thought to my growing list of mental notes to address once we got back to actual civilization. After finishing with Eon, Nana stoically presented his belly for his turn with the brush and licked my hand affectionately.

I smiled in response, happy to oblige. Nana was generally much less expressive and only showed his soft side at private moments like this. He took his duty very seriously and had lofty ambitions. His sire was my mother's legendary Arcanine, an absolute warrior of a pokémon. He had served her throughout the War of Unification and had been instrumental in keeping her alive. He was a bit grizzled and scarred at this point but still served as Kiriel's ace in the few personal battles she was ever challenged to these days.

As we enjoyed ourselves in the post-battle stupor, I was interrupted as my rickety camp bed started shaking. I dropped the brush in surprise and didn't have to search long before I realized it was the egg incubator! Kiriel had not been kidding when she said this thing was top-notch.

I watched in anticipation as the egg continued to shake until the top of it abruptly shattered. I had seen a few pokémon eggs hatch before with my dad at the Safari Zone, but none of the pokémon had exited quite so dramatically.

A prominent horn jutted out of the top of the egg, and the baby pokémon awkwardly climbed out of the egg's remains. The scaled pokémon was sage green, with black diamonds adjacent to its red belly. Its eyes were blood-colored, with sharp black triangles angled downwards from the bottoms of its eyelids, like war paint.

The Larvitar looked around curiously before its eyes found mine; it clumsily ambled forward before it grasped the hand I had stretched forward. "Tar?" it mewed questioningly as it looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Hey there, it's a pleasure to meet you, Larvitar. My name is Mare, and you'll be working with me starting today. I promise that if you do what I tell you, we will crush anything in our path," I pledged, looking deeply into its innocent eyes.

Although he might not have understood my words, the meaning was clear; Larvitar nodded slowly before clasping his two small arms over my hand in tacit agreement.