Cashe watched the gym battles with Lindon and Emilia until they came to an end and the Iki Town gym closed its doors to the public. During the few hours they spent there, a small number of trainers successfully challenged the Third Circuit gym trainers. However, the successful challengers were almost entirely younger trainers who were matched up against the weakest of the gym trainers. The two tough gym trainers Lindon had pointed out did not lose a single match and they were joined by two more Third Circuit trainers that looked just as difficult to face. By the end of their time in the gym, Cashe felt like any of those four trainers would be challenging to defeat, with one or two pushing the bounds at his abilities as a trainer.

It was intimidating, but it was an issue he was aware of from his first days in the pokemon world. Alola had the strongest gyms, it wasn’t a place for struggling trainers to build their confidence. It was for elites only. This was reinforced by the Second Circuit gym trainers. There were only a few Second Circuit challengers battling while Cashe was in the audience, but the few that did show up lost, and lost badly. The Second Circuit challengers came prepared for their matches, they knew what their opponent’s pokemon and strategies were, and they still lost.

“All the Second Circuit gym trainers had full teams of six,” Cashe wondered aloud once they had arrived back in their hotel room.

“It’s the standard for all gym battles,” Lindon said, flopping onto the suite’s couch. He was joined by Sneasel, who had managed to stay awake through the entire afternoon while they were watching the battles, “Gyms are almost always singles, six versus six.”

“A lot of the Third Circuit gym trainers and challengers didn’t have six pokemon,” Cashe pointed out.

“Most don’t, it's tricky to have six battle-ready pokemon and still be on the Third Circuit, but they allow for you to bring six pokemon if you have them,” Emilia said, “A lot of gyms are kind of traditional.”

“So they don’t have to let me bring all my pokemon if they don’t want to?” Cashe said.

“You challenge the gym,” Emilia said, “That works just like any other challenge - the person challenged gets to choose the format and the rules. If the trainer you end up battling only has two pokemon and doesn’t want to be at a big disadvantage, they could make the battle singles, two versus two if they wanted. But like I said, most gyms are traditional when it comes to the format.”

“Speaking of traditions,” Cashe said, glancing over at Sneasel. The sharp claw pokemon was currently sitting on the couch, attempting to emulate Lindon, but was much too small to have his back against the couch cushions and have his feet hanging over the edge. It resulted in Sneasel laying on the couch with only his head propped up by the furniture while his legs dangled over the edge of the couch. “I haven’t given a reward to you for doing so well today.”

“Sneas?” Sneasel sat up with interest.

“No, I don’t have any eggs right now,” Cashe said, “Usually I give my pokemon their favorite berries.”

“Sneasel!”

Cashe grinned, “I thought that might be the case.” He reached into his backpack and took out one of the packages he purchased from the butcher. It was full of leftover meat scraps. He tossed a few to Sneasel, who jumped into the air to catch them before they hit the ground, popping the straight into his mouth with a satisfied grin.

“Sneasel!”

“Glad you like it,” Cashe said, “Don’t get used to it, though. You’ll be on a proper diet just like the rest of my pokemon. Once I get them out of the Pokemon Center, we can introduce you to the rest of the team.”

“Before we do any of that,” Emilia said, taking the place on the couch that Sneasel vacated. She shuddered slightly when she felt how cold the spot was, “I think we need to talk about a certain promise a certain young man made today.”

She looked at Lindon and he swallowed visibly, looking down and rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry,” Lindon started, “I know you are mad because it will be so hard to find a Vulpix-”

“I can’t speak for Emilia,” Cashe interrupted, “But I don’t think either of us are upset that you promised to find an Alolan Vulpix, though you really should have asked us first to find out if we were alright with a search like that.”

“You don’t have to come with me!” Lindon protested, “I can do it myself. I started out on my journey alone, I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

“Don’t be silly,” Emilia said, “We’re not going to abandon you. Right, Cashe?”

“Of course not,” Cashe confirmed.

Emilia reached out and patted Lindon on the leg in a comforting manner, “I just wanted to let you know that you got completely screwed in that deal.”

Lindon’s eyes went wide, “What?”

“An Alolan Vulpix for a Teddiursa? You know you could get a Teddiursa basically anywhere, right?”

“I, uh,” Lindon flushed slightly, his neck and ears turning pink, “I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”

“We could tell,” Cashe said.

“And so could Jack,” Emilia followed up, causing Lindon to blush further.

“Do you think that-”

“I doubt Dalia noticed,” Emilia said, “She doesn’t have any more experience than you.”

Lindon almost looked like a beet at this point, “I meant do you think Dalia tricked me, too?”

“No, and I don’t think Jack tricked you, either,” Emilia smirked. Lindon gave her a confused look.

“You tricked yourself,” Cashe clarified, “All Jack did was hold out on a suggestion because he knew you would ask Dalia eventually. He probably knows all of Dalia’s favorite pokemon and had a good idea about what she would suggest. All he had to do was agree to it once you offered.”

“Oh,” Lindon looked down at his hands, wringing them together.

“This is a good learning experience for you,” Emilia said, “Don’t feel too bad about it. Everyone has to make mistakes in order to learn.”

Cashe nodded, joining them on the couch on the other side of Lindon, “Next time, just ask us before you want to make a deal. This one was a little one sided.”

“On the plus side, if you do manage to find a Vulpix, Jack and Dalia will be on your side for life,” Emilia said, “Having a pokemon as rare as Alolan Vulpix is the kind of thing breeders dream of. That could have major benefits down the road.”

Lindon perked up at Emilia’s words, though Cashe thought he was probably not thinking about the benefits he would receive as a trainer.

***

“Okay,” Cashe said to Sneasel, “It’s time to meet everyone else.”

They were on Route 1, just outside of Iki Town. Cashe was here alone as Lindon elected to train for the gym and Emilia had an appointment at the Pokemon Center. Cashe brought his pokemon here just in case the meeting between them did not go well. He didn’t want to get in trouble for wrecking a building or two if anything happened. Not that he thought it would. Sneasel chose to stay out of his pokeball overnight and was on his best behavior, so he doubted there would be any problem. Still, it didn’t pay to take risks.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Cashe chose a shaded spot for Sneasel’s comfort and released his three other pokemon for their pokeballs. They were in the wild area of the route, surrounded by trees and brush. All three pokemon were used to similar environments, and Ivysaur and Primeape cried out greetings as they emerged from their pokeballs. They noticed Sneasel and eyed him with interest, but Hatenna chirped in fear and scurried behind one of Ivysaur’s legs.

“Hatenna, what’s wrong?” Cashe said, walking over to Ivysaur and picking up Hatenna in his arms. She was shaking and buried her face into Cashe’s chest.

“Hat!”

“No, that’s Sneasel,” Cashe said, “He’s my new pokemon. He’s not going to hurt you.” Cashe walked over to Sneasel and sat down in the grass with Hatenna still squirming in his arms, “Remember what we learned? Use Calm Mind.”

“Ha-hatenna.” Hatenna squeaked and concentrated until a soft purple glow formed around her head.

“Feeling a bit better now?” Cashe said, patting Hatenna on her head.

“Hat,” Hatenna wriggled in his arms and did not turn to look at Sneasel.

“I know some of his emotions are scary, but I don’t know if he can help it,” Cashe said softly, “He’s a dark type. Dark types are a little more sinister than someone like Ivysaur, but Sneasel is a good pokemon, see?”

Cashe turned Hatenna around so she was facing Sneasel. As predicted, Sneasel was well behaved, and was watching the entire exchange with a concerned look on his face. When Cashe turned Hatenna around, Sneasel smiled and waved. It would have been comforting, but Sneasel’s grin revealed his rows of sharp fangs and Hetanna yelped in fright and squirmed in Cashe’s hands, trying to get away.

“Sneasel?” Sneasel’s smile fell and his body drooped at Hatenna’s frightened response.

“Hatenna, look, he’s not doing anything, he’s just standing there,” Cashe coaxed.

Primeape walked over to them, sitting down beside Cashe and yanking Hatenna out of his hands. She held the little pokemon up to her face, “APE!”

“Hat!”

Hatenna squeaked and her eyes flew open. Primeape shook her in the air and plopped her down in front of Sneasel. Disoriented, Hatenna staggered for a moment before freezing in place when she realized she was only a few inches from Sneasel.

“Sneas?” Sneasel reached out a tentative hand towards Hatenna, gently patting her floppy hair.

Hatenna flinched at the initial contact, “Hat!”

“Yes, Sneasel is very cold,” Cashe said, failing to suppress a smile at Hatenna’s complaint, “He’s an ice type as well.”

Having not been viciously mauled from the contact, Hatenna relaxed a little, opening her eyes and staring up at Sneasel.

“Hat, Hat, Hatenna!”

“Sneasel?”

“You can’t scold him for having cold hands, Hatenna. He’s an ice type. It’s not like he can help it.”

“Hatenna!”

“Enough,” Cashe shook his head, “Everyone, this is Sneasel. Sneasel comes from a pokemon breeder and this is his first time outside of the farm. Lots of things are new to him, but he has been trained and he is strong. Sneasel, this is Hatenna, Primeape, and Ivysaur.” Cashe gestured to each of his pokemon in turn, waving Ivysaur over from where he was laying in the grass. The not-so-little guy trundled over, laying down in front of Sneasel and closed his eyes, grunting out a lazy greeting.

“Ivy.”

“Sneasel.” Sneasel patted Ivysaur on the head, just as he had Hatenna. Ivysaur shivered and a vine darted out from the flower on his back, wrapping around Sneasel and moving him a few inches away.

“Ivysaur.”

“Don’t be rude, Ivysaur,” Cashe said, “If your flower stinks when it blooms, you’re not going to like everyone calling you Mr Stinky.”

“Ivy!”

“You don’t know that,” Cashe crossed his arms, “It might smell like wet socks.”

“Primeape,” Primeape nodded.

Ivysaur cracked open an eyelid, glaring at the pig monkey pokemon in disdain, “Ivysaur.”

“Hatenna!” Hatenna said, joining in the conversation.

Cashe smiled and stepped back, letting his pokemon settle and get comfortable with each other. Sneasel was quiet at first, skirting around the edges of whatever the conversation was about, but eventually found his place, sitting down in the grass as the pokemon took turns saying their own name.

***

Lindon glanced to the stands, taking his eyes off the battle for a split second. She was still there. He pretended not to see her, returning his eyes to Goomy. She wasn’t here for him, was she? It was just a coincidence. Yeah, it must be.

“Goomy, use Dragon Breath!” Lindon ordered. Goomy puffed herself up as big as she could go and exhaled a beam of purple and gray energy at her opponent. It was cute how she made herself move in order to use the attack. Lindon’s eyes darted to check the bleachers again. Did she see how cute Goomy was?

The Dragon Breath flew across the practice yard, kicking up little clouds of dust in its wake. Even the sight of dust made Lindon wrinkle his nose. The experience on Route 3 was too terrible. He never wanted to be near dust again.

The move struck the opponent pokemon, a Ferroseed that weathered the attack without visible discomfort. Its trainer, an old man around Emilia’s age, smirked as the attack failed to leave a mark.

“You’ll have to do better than that, kid,” he shouted, “Steel resists dragon!” He pointed directly at Goomy, “Ferroseed, use Bullet Seed!”

Ferroseed fired a stream of glowing, green seeds at Goomy. Goomy was much faster than her opponent, but she was still too slow to dodge the quick attack. Not that it mattered. Goomy chirped in glee as she absorbed the attack with her Sap Sipper ability, each seed filling her with energy.

“Goom!” Goomy cried out, her elation obvious.

“What the?” Lindon’s opponent frowned in confusion at the failed attack. Clearly he did not know much about Goomy’s abilities. Lindon looked away from the battle again. She was still there.

“Goomy, keep it up,” Lindon shouted, “Just wear him down. You can do it!”

Goomy chirped and ballooned up again, firing off another, stronger Dragon Breath that sent Ferroseed spinning. His opponent grimaced and shouted for his Ferroseed to use Leech Seed.

The battle continued like that for a while, with Lindon’s opponent taking a surprisingly long time to figure out what was happening to all of Ferroseed’s grass type attacks. By the time he did (only finding out because someone in the small crowd told him), it was too late. Goomy’s attacks may not have done much, but the constant chipping away gradually built up to the point where Ferroseed could no longer hang on, with one final Dragon Breath putting it out of commission.

Lindon barely noticed the time it took, however, surprised when Goomy was struggling to make her way back to him out of exhaustion. Someone clapped as she moved across the practice field, which was weird. Nobody clapped after practice battles.

Lindon glanced towards the noise only to see that she was clapping. Lindon waved and the clapping died down as she noticed that no one else was applauding with her. Lindon quickly looked away to save her from her embarrassment, returning his attention to Goomy.

“Good job!” Lindon said, walking over to Goomy and picking her up in his arms, much to the pokemon’s delight. Goomy cooed happily as Lindon sprayed her down with a regular spray bottle full of water. She didn’t need a potion, considering how much his opponent used grass type moves against her, but the sun could cause her to dry out and she loved the mist of the spray bottle.

“Good job Lindon and Goomy!”

Lindon turned to see her standing beside him. Dalia was all smiles, her eyes glancing at Goomy with interest.

“Thanks!” Lindon said, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I like watching the trainers,” Dalia said, “And then I saw you with Goomy! She’s so cute, I had to come watch!”

“Do you want to hold her?” Lindon offered.

Dalia’s face lit up, “Can I?”

“Sure,” Lindon passed over Goomy and Dalia took her in her arms.

“Oh, she’s so light!” Dalia said in surprise, “Is it because she lost all her water in the battle?” Dalia glanced at Lindon’s spray bottle, “I heard that can happen to Goomy.”

“She can dry out in the sun,” Lindon confirmed, “But she just likes getting sprayed down. Watch.” Lindon gave Goomy a few squirts from the bottle and she squirmed in pleasure, causing Dalia to laugh.

“She’s so happy!” Dalia smiled, “You must be a good trainer.”

Lindon rubbed the back of his head, “I don’t know about that. There was this big tournament that I battled in and I didn’t do very well.”

“You battled in a tournament already?” Dalia said, eyes wide, “Aren’t those for adults?”

Lindon shrugged, “Maybe. I still lost, though. Both my friends did better than me.”

“You mean Mr Cashe and Miss Oak?” Dalia said.

“Uh, well, yeah,” Lindon said, scratching his chin and looking away from Dalia’s intrigued expression. She shouldn’t be allowed to look at him like that. It made it hard to think. “They are pretty strong.”

“They came first and third at the True Rookie Tournament!” She gasped, “Was that the tournament you battled in?”

“Goom!” Goomy confirmed.

“Lindon, that's a really big tournament! You got to battle in that?” Dalia said.

“Yeah, but I only got to the top thirty-two.”

“What?” Dalia yelled, “You got all the way to the top thirty-two? Really?”

“Yes?” Lindon said. He didn’t know why, but talking with Dalia was making him feel a lot more confident in himself, “I have to go and see if a restaurant has a bowl that they will let Goomy splash around in, but I can tell you about it if you want to come along.”

“You will?” Dalia’s eyes gleamed, “I’d like that a lot.”

*****