"Well, this looks like a good spot. It even has a stump to sit on and everything. Have you caught anything yet?"

"…"

Five minutes after I take my seat and cast my line, the pink Pokémon I asked finally turns to me with a dopey look, probably wondering what question I posed to it in the first place.

Whoever discovered and named this thing, you were spot on. "Don't worry about it, Slowpoke." It stares at me for ninety seconds with the same expression on its face. Finally, Slowpoke gives me a sage nod, turning its face forward to stare vacantly in the distance while it leaves its tail in the water.

Saturday still isn't here and I've made zero progress on determining what Pokémon Gardenia is going to bring to our upcoming battle; despite my nonstop grilling of the gym trainers, my mother included, they always seem to be able to dance around and deflect my questions. I can't even get a yes or no on whether Gardenia will use her signature Roserade.

Which means I need to regroup and try again later. Maybe being patient, and taking some time in between questions will make them pity me enough to drop some tidbit of information. I'll take anything at this point.

Fishing is one of the oldest time-passing activities in the book, and armed with my mom's trusty old rod, a handful of fishing lures, and a couple of poffins that I won't tell Ursula that I'm using as bait for a wild Pokémon, I'm ready to land a whopper. Word on the street is, a powerful Pokémon has made a river west of Eterna its home, and I'm gonna find out its identity. Being privy to Lucas's project of rediscovering an ancient Sinnoh, or Hisuian, as I've been repeatedly informed is the correct term, is getting me so excited. What if this river monster is this region's version of Relicanth, a Pokémon lost to time? I cast my line out into a lazily flowing section protected by the riverbank and plop down next to Slowpoke, who doesn't even acknowledge me. I settle in and start waiting for a bite.

Half an hour later, I haven't caught anything. Slowpoke got a Magikarp to bite on its tail, but by the time it noticed and pulled its tail out of the water, the fish was long gone. But I'm here to practice patience! No going back until I've at least managed to hook something. Although, I could totally see myself in a beach chair with a sunhat, dozing in this gentle sunshine while I wait for my bait to be taken.

I'm jerked out of my pleasant daydream by some annoyed shouting. "Oy! If you think that I'm just going to let you take the best spot, you've got rocks in your head!"

I look over to see a middle-aged fisherman with way higher-tech fishing gear than me over his shoulder making his way down the riverbank. He's also holding a bucket in one hand, and when he finally nears, he scatters the contents in front of him, flipping his bucket upside down to make it a stool. He sits on it heavily while holding out a Pokéball. "You heard me, girlie. That's my spot for catching Pokémon, and I'll battle you for it, if that's what it takes."

I shake the rod I'm currently holding with both hands to make my point. "How are we supposed to battle when I'm focusing on this, exactly? I haven't had a bite yet, but if you want this spot so badly, you can have it."

His whole attitude shifts at my words, as he scratches the back of his head with one hand. "Oh. You're a hobbyist fisher like I am. We don't have to trade then. I can show you how to set up your rod so you don't have to hold it the entire time."

One of the items he was carrying in his bucket is some type of steel holster with two stakes that he drives into the ground. He adjusts the angle once he casts his line, and hooks up his rod to the stand so it maintains the angle, and then he comes over with one more and does the same for me, introducing himself all the while.

"You sure have some fancy equipment for being a hobbyist, Andrew."

He brushes some sand and rocks off his pants as he gets up. "Blame the guys I work with. They've been suffering a midlife crisis or something, spending all this money on fishing gear. I told myself I'd be more like them this morning, but truth be told, I can't take it that seriously. Anyways, it'll stay even if a Pokémon grabs the line, so you can reel it in once you see it start to move."

"Thanks. Does that mean we can battle?"

The now nonchalant fisherman shrugs. "Sure, if you still want to. It's a great way to pass the time. Do you want to call it off as soon as either one of us gets a bite?"

I agree to that, and a small smile graces his features. "Awesome." He backs up several paces and throws out a Pokémon, apparently also unconcerned with me getting a type-advantage. One moment later I see why.

I eye his choice with utter confusion. "Are you sure this is what you want to battle with?" His Magikarp continues to flop, and I glance back at Slowpoke, wondering how that match would go. I'd put my money on Slowpoke, though it might go on long enough that Magikarp evolved.

"I have four others, if you'd rather battle one of them," Andrew says in amusement. He answers my unspoken question about why anyone would make themselves a Magikarp specialist before I can even ask it. "I'm a pretty easygoing guy, I guess. Catching and raising Magikarp suits me."

Raising Magikarp to do what, exactly? That issue aside, this is going to suit me too, surprisingly enough. Finally, I have an opponent that Spewpa should be able to defeat on his own. I send my newest Pokémon out, and he does his usual cower, but at least he straightens up a little when he realizes how pathetic our opponent actually is.

"There's no way that thing can hurt you," I tell my timid Pokémon, trying to instill some self-confidence in him. "Listen to me and we'll win for sure." I give Andrew the go-ahead to start the battle.

For a guy who specializes in Magikarp, he sure seems confident. The fisherman's command is certainly a practiced one. "Use Bounce!"

Apparently, Andrew spends his time teaching them to jump. Magikarp slaps its tail on the ground so hard that it manages to launch itself high in the air, arcing towards my Pokémon. It would be a fearsome attack from a Gyarados, but this is more like a fish being thrown at the market. It's hilarious how the fish Pokémon looks as it flops madly and comically through the sky.

"Protect, Spewpa." I also make the first order one I know he can perform. All of Magikarp's effort is wasted as a green bubble protects my Pokémon from the Bounce attack, and now the fish is back to flopping around in the river bank. "Now use String Shot."

"Use Flail to break yourself free!" Andrew calls in vain, as his Pokémon is wrapped too tightly in sticky thread to do anything.

"Finish this with Tackle," I tell my Pokémon, who looks nervous to get in potential retaliation range, but he obeys, launching a series of headbutts that eventually knock Magikarp out cold.

I don't know what's worse, the fact that it took five Tackles to take out our opponent, or that Andrew tells me that was his strongest Pokémon before sending out his second Magikarp. Still, this is battle experience, and I start repeating the process again.

Midway through me defeating his fourth, Andrew's three friends finally appear, and they're all carrying way fancier equipment than he or I. They set up their super, high tech rods before one of them opens the cooler he brought, tossing a couple of beers to his fellows before he cracks open one of his own and sits on the cooler with a satisfied sigh.

"Found someone to play trainer and fisherman with, Andrew?" he teases good-naturedly, taking a swig.

"Fishing maybe, but this one here is a genuine Pokémon Trainer. She'd give you lot a run for your money."

"Is that so," challenges one of them. "Well, we fish up some tough Pokémon all the time. Way tougher than what Andrew has. Let's have us a battle!" He brings out a Lure Ball, specialized for catching Pokémon while fishing and sends out a Corphish, who raises its large pincers menacingly.

Spewpa at this point is hiding behind my leg at the rapid arrival of several new faces, and a much more threatening Pokémon. That's fine with me, since I have a better option for some Water-type trainers. "Good work today, Spewpa, return. Alright Oddish, you're up!"

"Of course she has a Grass-type," the fisherman mumbles, now slightly worried. His nervousness is well-founded as Oddish proceeds to go on an absolute rampage, taking out his Corphish and his following Wooper with ease. The next fisherman's Pokémon, a Marill and a Krabby, fold just as easily. We pause before his third Pokémon as his line starts to pull, but he throws the Goldeen he's hooked back into the water after inspecting it. Even his third Pokémon, a part Flying-type Wingull, is no match.

Oddish is seemingly sprouting with every single victory, delighted in how strong she has become. The second fisherman recalls his bird Pokémon sheepishly, looking toward the last, seated fisherman. "You're our last hope Cade, or else we won't have defeated even one of her Pokémon."

"We sure landed ourselves a fiesty trainer, haven't we!" Cade says while standing up. He chugs the remainder of his beer and tosses it aside. He wipes his mouth with one hand while he throws out his Lure Ball with another. This time though, he throws it over the water, rather than on land. It materializes into a decent-sized fish Pokémon with an impressive horn.

Oddish and I stare at Seaking in some confusion. How are we supposed to fight a Pokémon in water?

Cade couldn't be more pleased. "Hah! Your face says it all. Time to end that winstreak! Seaking, use Water Pulse!"

Seaking fires off a familiar blue orb, with only its head poking out from the water. "Dodge, Oddish and use Magical Leaf!"

"Dive, Seaking!"

Oddish sidesteps the attack and fires off her own, but even the homing leaves of Magical Leaf can't track Seaking when it goes underwater. We both scan the river until finally Cade gives his Pokémon another command. "Mud Shot this time!"

His Pokémon appears partially above the surface again, launching a ball of mud this time. We dodge and retaliate with Acid this time, but again, Seaking avoids it by diving underwater. How is this fair? My Pokémon can't swim like a fish!

"Most Pokémon trainers go for a Water-type that can fight in water or on land," Cade tells me. "I have a Bibarel for that, but since they both match up poorly, I figured to go with the one you might not be used to battling." He grins at me. "Looks like I was right. Seaking, keep it up!"

We blast through another Mud Shot with Magical Leaf this time, hoping for a surprise hit, but it's all too easy for Seaking to quickly dip underwater. We can't touch this thing, and eventually, one of its attacks will land.

Although… there sure is a lot of wasted time while Seaking is underwater. Instead of twiddling our thumbs and waiting for it to show itself, maybe we should be more productive, since battles normally don't give you this much time.

"Oddish, everytime you force Seaking to hide like this, I want you to soak up the sun." That being code for Growth, which I don't want Cade to know about.

"You can't heal forever, you know. And you can't even hit anything!" the fisherman calls, assuming Synthesis, most likely. I notice he lets his Pokémon battle mostly for itself rather than calling out constant commands.

I ignore him in favor of using my time to try and see if I can't predict where Seaking is going to emerge from, so we can hit it right when it emerges.

Thus begins the very slow process of me trying to suss out where and when Seaking is going to pop up, all while Oddish uses Growth intermittently. I tell her not to dodge a couple attacks to keep up the facade that we're healing, when in fact we're increasing our power. At first I'm looking for air bubbles, but then I want to smack myself for my stupidity. Seaking is a fish; it has gills. Fish don't breathe regular air!

Finally, I spot what I'm looking for. Seaking has to stay in one place to launch its attack, which means it needs to tread water against the current. It's more than capable, likely possessing the ability to swim upstream in a much more powerful river. But like a rock in a stream, the current parts somewhat when Seaking begins to obstruct it.

I let this opportunity go in favor of taking the next one. After all, this is going to be another one hit wonder, where I have to take my narrow opening to win. "Oddish, use Moonblast."

She looks back at me, us both knowing that it takes Oddish forever, to the point that it's unusable for combat, to gather enough energy to use Moonblast. In this battle though, time is a resource that we have an abundance of. I give her a nod and she starts glowing silver, slowly building a mini moon-like ball of energy above her head.

I keep one eye on her, while I scan the river for the other for Seaking. I'm taking the shot as soon as I see it, even if we're not fully formed. It's still going to pack a huge punch with how many times Oddish has used Growth. Moonblast is three-quarters of the way ready when I see the river flow change to the right of us. "Oddish. There." I point out the spot.

"You're not ready yet," Cade tells me, not realizing how much strength Oddish has accrued. "Seaking, Mud Shot!"

"Moonblast attack!"

Moonblast is launched while Seaking is underwater, but it arrives just as Seaking pops its head out with a ball of mud in its mouth. Cade's jaw drops as he sees his Pokémon consumed in a massive explosion of silver.

There's no sign of Seaking thereafter, and then a couple things happen at once. Seaking floats to the surface having fainted underwater, and a jet of water shoots up behind it as a new challenger appears. It lands on the beach and the water clears to reveal a wild Buizel, gesturing to Oddish and I that it wants a battle.

The fishermen speak in hushed tones among themselves. "You found it! The monster people have been looking for!"

This? It's just a Buizel! Granted, it must be a confident Pokémon, if it's challenging us after Oddish has used Growth so many times and took out that Seaking with one attack. Buizel is one of the most common Water-types native to Sinnoh; basically every area west of Mt. Coronet has a population. What's so special about this one?

Buizel's face tells us it's not leaving without a fight. Might as well get this over with. "Oddish, use Magical Leaf!"

Buizel's response is a Water Gun. It's no match, and Buizel is forced to cancel and use several crescent shaped attacks from his tail to hold our attack barely at bay. It immediately takes the initiative, covering itself with water and bursting forward. The high speed of the attack makes me think it's Aqua Jet.

"Take it and use Stun Spore!" Buizel pushes Oddish back, but while Aqua Jet is fast, it lacks power; as soon as Buizel lets up, Oddish releases a cloud of yellow into his face. Buizel grimaces before sending itself backwards by using a Water Gun on the ground in front of it. It may not know it, but this battle is finished.

"Magical Leaf, and don't let up!" Buizel's tail starts spinning like a propeller to fire off a stream of those crescent-shaped attacks. The inevitable paralysis comes; Buizel is locked up for a second, and that's enough for Magical Leaf to break through and batter it until it's prone on the ground.

It looks at me for a while, and when I chuck a Cheri and Oran Berry at it, Buizel slowly gets up. It eats both berries at the same time while making a series of gestures that I interpret as "I'm going to get stronger and challenge you again" before it retreats into the water. Unfortunately for it, I'm probably not going to be back here for a while, and barring a bizarre stroke of fate where someone catches this very Buizel and uses it against me, we won't see each other again.

Cade, Andrew and the other two give me surprised looks. "You didn't try and catch it?"

Oh, was that what Buizel was waiting for? I shrug in response. "There'll be other Water-types. For a supposed monster, it was kinda average, wasn't it?"

Their expressions are all varying forms of disbelief. Eventually Cade shrugs as well. "Your loss is our gain, then." He passes me four trainers worth of prize money, along with a shrunken Lure Ball. "In case you ever decide to catch a Pokémon you fished up."

I pocket everything and turn to Oddish, who seems bursting to the brim with energy. Probably an after effect of using Growth so many times. "How many in a row did you win just now, Oddish? Seven if we count Buizel, right? You're freaking awesome, you know that?"

She gives me a wide smile and makes a delighted sound before her whole body lights up. Everyone watches as Oddish grows taller, wider, even sprouting two small arms. Her petals fold downwards to make new space for the beginnings of a large flower.

"Oddish, you evolved!" I take a step back when the light fades and I get my first image of my newly evolved-Pokémon. "Into a…"

"Gloom?" my former Oddish asks, probably wondering why I'm reacting like this.

There's a couple of reasons why, actually. Whatever appeal, simple though it was, that Oddish had is now gone. Gloom's body resembles a potted plant, with the world's ugliest flower, four brown petals each with a large white spot, surrounded by Oddish's once green leaves, that have now turned a similar color. Gloom's face isn't appealing any more either with all this drool dripping out the side of her mouth.

Something is pulling on Cade's line, but he's going the opposite direction, as are the rest of us. Away from the massive zone of stink that Gloom has become.

I don't really know how to describe how bad she actually smells now. One time I went out for a vacation and the power went off in my home; when I returned all the food in the fridge had gone rotten. Gloom smells worse right now than when I opened that fridge door. She smells worse than when my Economics teacher in high school brought this fruit called durian into class to prove that a fruit that smelled this terrible actually existed. It tasted okay, if you could get over the fact its odor was like standing next to the backside of a cow.

Gloom's scent easily puts both a fridge full of rotten food and a durian fruit to shame. I hold out one hand while covering my nose with another when she starts trying to follow us as we back away. "Stay right there!" I wince as her face falls, and continue in a softer tone. "I'm happy that you evolved, Gloom, I really am, it's just that-" I cut off myself while trying to find the words to say. The best thing is to come out and say it. "You smell super bad now."

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She looks around as if it were someone else putting out this stench, and I think the stink is getting stronger as my Pokémon is getting more and more worked up. "Calm down, Gloom," I say, trying to get her to do so. "Use Sweet Scent, and everything will be fine."

The hope that there would be an easy solution for this is quickly dashed when Gloom starts to use Sweet Scent. It smelled nice in her previous form, but now it's so overwhelmingly, mind-bendingly awful that there's only one action I can take.

I abruptly return to Gloom to her Pokéball, and while her stench lingers for several minutes, without the culprit producing it, eventually it disperses.

"Leaving to fix that serious problem you've got on your hands, huh?" Cade asks me, as I start to gather my things.

Pretty much, because Oddish evolving has thrown the one thing I had confidence in, my team, into chaos. How am I supposed to battle with Gloom when I can't even tolerate standing in her vicinity? I'd take a whole squad of unruly Charmeleon's over this.

I don't have any idea on how to solve this issue. Luckily, I know quite a few Grass-type experts who hopefully are willing to help me out. I throw my fishing rod over my shoulder and wave goodbye to all the fishermen I've befriended this morning.

Right as I'm doing so, Andrew's line snags. He grabs his rod and starts reeling it in eagerly, letting it run for a few seconds before restarting the process. With a powerful tug, he ejects the Pokémon from the water onto the riverbank.

"Woohoo! Number six!"

I shake my head and laugh as I take my leave. Some people are so easy to please.

----------------------------------------

"Moooooom, I'm hoooome! Mom?"

"I'm in the kitchen!"

I make my way over to the sound of her voice and plop down in a chair. She hangs up her apron and looks at me inquisitively. "Are you hungry, Luna? You left before eating breakfast and it's fifteen after twelve."

The smell of yummy food wipes the residual stench of Gloom from my nose, and my stomach rumbles. "Yeah, I guess I am. So much stuff happened this morning that I managed not to notice."

"Well, eat up." She pushes a nice large piece of lasagna towards me, and the scent wafting off it nearly makes me tear into it with my bare hands.

"Everyone else already ate?" I ask, snatching up a fork.

"Lucas left to go to the Pokémon Center, and he hasn't been back yet. Ursula's out doing more contest practice." Mom gives me a conspiratorial glance. "Interesting character, that one."

I mime putting on a jacket in between bites. "She's not that bad. As long as you wear your Mirror Coat, and let her insults bounce right off you, that is."

She chuckles at the analogy while she watches me devour my lunch. I indicate that I want seconds, but she pulls the plate away from me instead. "Let the food digest before you eat more. That way you won't overeat. You can pass time by telling me what happened."

"At least let me have ice cream," I bargain, before plunging into a recap of this morning. "But yeah, I went to the river. Battled some fisherman. Made some friends. Discovered the monster people have been talking about, it's just a regular Buizel, by the way, and after all of that, Oddish evolved."

She parses through everything and gets to the most important point rather easily. "How do you like your new Gloom?"

I don't like Gloom very much now, actually. I'd still like to have Oddish. Gloom's ugly, nasty, and worst of all… "She smells really bad."

"Gloom is really famous for smelling really bad. Don't tell me you didn't know that," Mom says.

Yeah, but knowing the Pokédex entry on Gloom and actually experiencing the stink are two wholly different things! How can I put this in terms she'd understand? "Remember when the garbage guy didn't come for a while, and that Garbodor and its Trubbish friends showed up in our trash can?"

"Funny, I remember it differently," she replies, flicking me on the forehead. "You kept forgetting to put out the trash on the right day, and then you'd tell me that the garbage man didn't come and you had to put it back. And you're exaggerating. There's no way Gloom smells worse than that."

"Your word against mine," I retort, waving my hand in the air dismissively. "Gloom doesn't normally smell as bad as that normally, but I had her use Sweet Scent to try and fix her stench, and then she was definitely worse. Worse than anything either of us have smelled before."

"I'll be the judge of that," Mom declares, getting up from the table without giving me my ice cream. She goes to the living room and starts clearing some space. "Alright. Bring her out."

Ugh. Here we go. "Gloom, I choose you," I mutter, summoning my newly-evolved Pokémon. Within a few seconds, we're coughing and our eyes are watering because everything smells rancid.

"That's certainly a powerful stench," my mom manages to say, though her voice is muffled by how her arm is over her nose. "Can you use Sweet Scent now, Gloom?"

Gloom turns to me to make sure, both of us knowing how using Sweet Scent went last time, and that was in the open. "Just do it," I tell her. This is like going to the doctor, right? We need to know how bad this actually is before we can be prescribed a cure.

Sweet Scent comes out, and we've officially gone past sewers, landfills, and rotten fish markets and entered new territory for how disgusting the room smells. Sixty seconds is all we can last before I unceremoniously recall Gloom, though the stench remains everywhere.

"Open the front door, Luna. We need to get this smell out of here," my mom coughs, bringing out her own Pokéball. It's only after I force the door open that I realize who's going to be using the wind attack since Tropius is too large to fit in here.

"Hurricane!"

Luckily, most everything important is too heavy to be picked up. Papers go everywhere, we're probably going to have to replace a couple lightbulbs from lamps that get knocked over and all the cushions and pillows from the couches are sent flying, one right into my face. I'm sure Whimsicott did that on purpose, but at least most of the smell has been forced out the door.

"Thank you, Whimsicott. Return." The Fairy-type cackles evilly before she's back in her Pokéball, and sure enough, when I run my hand through my hair, a couple of cotton balls come out.

My mom does the same thing, though she doesn't have my problem. "Well, Gloom certainly is strong," she thinks aloud, starting to pick up things.

"I thought we'd already established that Gloom smelled as bad or worse than anything I've smelt before," I reply, haphazardly grabbing pillows and cushions and throwing them onto the couch. "Tell me you can help me, with a perfume that counteracts the smell or something."

"That's not what I meant," she says, straightening what I throw. "There's no counteracting a Gloom scent. It was used to make repels back in the day, before they realized the scent was far too strong, and kept away wild Pokémon for days."

"Then what did you mean?" I ask, confused.

"Gloom's scent correlates directly to how strong it is as a Pokémon. The stinkier the scent, the stronger the Gloom. Congratulations are in order, because the one you've raised is extremely strong."

I could have done with raising a slightly weaker one, actually. And what kind of measuring stick is this? I'm not saying I need a nice array that tells your Pokémon's stats for you. I can think of a bunch of better ways to find out your Pokémon's strength than how stinky it is. Off the top of my head, oh I don't know, literally all other ways.

"So, what does that mean? I should still use Gloom during my gym battle?"

"If you were planning to use Oddish before, then yes. She's not weaker now, by any metric."

That doesn't account for the smell factor, even if Gloom is stronger than Oddish was. "I was going to use Oddish, considering Spewpa is nowhere near ready for a gym battle, and Oddish heavily resists Grass. Plus, the only Grass-type Pokémon I can think of that is neutral to both fire and ice is Lotad's line, which Oddish and now Gloom would do well against." Other than water, the only type that resists both fire and ice is fire itself.

I throw out the possibility. "Unless Gardenia's discovered a Grass and Fire Pokémon, which would mean I'm really screwed." My mom struggles to keep her poker face, and now I fire off a barrage of questions hoping she'll crack.

"She actually found one? What's its name? What would a Pokémon that typing even look like? Is it a burning tree that shoots fire from its hands like Magmortar? Come on, you gotta tell me!"

"It's called Scovillain, and it's a two headed plant, where one is a spicy pepper and breathes fire and one is a mild pepper and uses Grass-type moves normally. I'm not telling you anything else."

I'm trying to imagine this Pokémon, but all I can think of is the double peashooter from Plants vs Zombies, except one of the heads is red. Not exactly an intimidating image.

"This hasn't been all that helpful," I complain. "I still don't know what to do with Gloom, or what's in store for me at the gym. Tell me if she's going to use Roserade like I think she is, at least."

Mom looks like she's tired of having this conversation. "I've already told you more than I should, which is nothing." She sighs at my stubborn face. "Let's make this a learning experience. If you manage to work with Gloom through this you'll be able to work through any problem with any of your Pokémon. I promise that Gardenia will help you out once you beat her. In fact, she'll probably let you trade for any Pokémon in her collection. As for the smell…" Mom disappears into the house, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I don't need a new Pokémon! I loved my Oddish. All I need is a permanent and complete solution to this stink!

She returns and tosses something at me. "That'll help."

I catch it and stare at the object I'm holding. "This is a clothespin."

"It's for your nose."

Well, it's not exactly high-tech, but it's better than nothing. "Fine. Deal. How should I start?"

"People in this city often go to the statue of the legendary Pokémon when they're looking for inspiration. Maybe you should do the same. Unless you still want ice cream?"

I grimace, though I don't know if it's because of the lingering stench or the fact that I've been told to see the lamest signature attraction in the history of signature attractions. There's only one thing, in my opinion, that redeems the Eterna City statue. "I'll just buy ice cream over there."

My mom sniffs the air and makes the same expression. "Dinner outside does sound good right now."

----------------------------------------

This day of unfortunate events continues when I eventually get to the statue, where the stall operated by my favorite ice cream store has a tall blonde lady taking forever to decide on what flavor she wants. Fifteen minutes is all I can tolerate waiting behind her before I leave.

"Ah. The famous statue of the legendary Dialga. Or Palkia. Well, I don't feel inspired at all." Probably because I know vaguely what Dialga and Palkia actually look like, and this statue is basically a bastardized conglomeration of them both. The sculptor must have had a terrible visual reference. It's standing on four legs and the orb is in the center of its chest like Dialga, but its head is curved and long, and it has wings instead of spikes on its back like Palkia. The only thing that could have told us which Pokémon it is is the descriptive plate on the statue's base, but it's totally illegible, and no one alive knows originally what it said.

I trace the plate and stand back, vaguely noticing someone standing next to me. We both take in the statue before they speak, although they have awe in their tone, and I don't have any of that emotion.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

I slide my gaze over to the speaker, and now this pointless trip has instantly become memorable. Right now I must be seeing things. Because the Champion of Sinnoh is standing right next to me, eating ice cream! I could squeal. Had she been standing a foot closer to me, I probably would have.

For how amazing Cynthia looks on TV and in pictures, they don't do her justice. She's so tall, and pretty, and poised. Everything about her screams powerful Pokémon trainer, even for someone who didn't know she was the Champion, and one of the best in the world. I used to always make sure I watched Volkner's matches, because he is such an attractive man, but Cynthia has that same effortless grace and elegance about her.

Even in her simplistic black outfit, with the only instance of color a pendant with an orange ball with a swirly blue and red pattern.

Please tell me I've got all the cotton balls out of my hair. I really don't want to embarrass myself in front of her.

Like by not saying anything! My brain does its best to operate with Cynthia in my immediate vicinity. "Right! It's so- I mean you're so- uh- incredible."

I want to slap myself in the face. Cynthia's got me out here stammering like a teenager with a crush. I mean, that's technically what I am, but I should be beyond that!

Thankfully, she doesn't comment on that mortifying statement, or the fact that I've been admiring her the whole time she's been admiring the statue. I think she thinks I've been staring at her triple scoop of rocky road ice cream. She takes a long lick and gives me a kind smile before addressing me. "I know. There are so many flavors, I can never decide, so I end up going for this."

Whew. Ice cream is a topic I can't possibly screw up. "I usually go for a banana split," I advise her. "You get one scoop of each of the three classics, a banana and a glaze. It's great for sharing too."

"I'll have to remember that for next time!" She expertly eats her dessert so not a single melted drip comes onto her hand. I content myself with watching her, and all I can think is that please let it be me she shares that banana split with next time.

Cynthia finishes the cone and wipes her hands with a handkerchief. "Sorry if I interrupted your time with the statue. I always make it a point to visit here when I come to Eterna, because I love Pokémon mythology, and this statue is of a super-powerful Pokémon that had a hand in the creation of the Sinnoh Region."

"Um, you weren't interrupting me or anything." In fact, feel free to interrupt me any time. "I was just thinking about stuff." Wow, Luna. Way to make yourself seem interesting.

Somehow, Cynthia takes it like I was analyzing the statue. "Really? Everyone has different interpretations on what Pokémon it represents. I'd love to hear what your thoughts are."

Second chance! What am I supposed to say though, to one of the foremost experts on Sinnoh mythology? This statue isn't an accurate representation of either legendary Pokémon? There's a third member of this trio that holds domain of a realm between time and space?

Thinking of Giratina gives me an idea. Maybe Cynthia would be fascinated in other region's lore as well. "I think the statue has features of two different Pokémon. I'm not originally from Sinnoh, and it sorta reminded me of a story from back home."

She looks interested, so I press onwards. "In Unova, the legend goes that we used to have a great king, who ruled wisely for many years alongside his Dragon Pokémon. Eventually, when age started to catch up with him, he decided to pass down his kingdom to his sons. The elder son wanted to rule with truth being the guiding principle, while the younger was more concerned about ideals. Their difference in philosophies eventually led to an irreconcilable split between them, and their father's Dragon-type split into two as well, into Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals and Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth."

"Each brother had a legendary dragon, and each believed that they were right. The two decided that the only way to settle their differences was a battle. So a terrible battle raged for days. Lightning lashed the ground, forest fires raged, and the region was brought to the brink of ruin, yet still no victor was in sight."

"Realizing what destruction they had wrought, the two declared that neither side was better; as long as one ruled with fairness and justice, what they believed was secondary. It's said after their deaths that the Reshiram and Zekrom transformed into stones, waiting for heroes with the heart and conviction in their beliefs to return to the world."

"And this is where it gets interesting. Some legends say that the separation of the original Dragon Pokémon left a third Pokémon, a cold husk of a dragon, which has since been forgotten, and is also waiting for a hero to come and reunite it and make it whole again."

Cynthia remains silent, and I'm wondering what she's thinking. "So, yeah, that's what's running through my head whenever I see this statue," I lie. "Did you like the story?"

"It was fantastic," she tells me genuinely, and I can't help but match her wide grin. "I need to put more thought into getting a villa in Undella Town, because Unova sounds like a place I would love to visit." Ah, she's rich too. As if Cynthia needs more excellent qualities.

"I do feel a bit rude though," she continues. "You've told me such a wonderful tale, and I can't properly thank you because I don't know your name."

"It's Luna."

"Luna… Oh! You must be Sera's daughter. Well, now I'll definitely remember your name."

"You know my mom?" I ask dumbly. My mom hangs out with the Champion of Sinnoh? And she didn't tell me?

For the first time since we started speaking, the tiniest frown crosses her face. "We met the other day. I helped your mother and Gardenia with the cleanup in Eterna Forest. Unfortunately, similar plots have been popping up with greater regularity," she says, mostly to herself as an afterthought.

Other poaching plots? Before I can ask for some more details, her smile returns.

"Though you should leave those issues to people like me, and focus on your upcoming gym battle. Gardenia is very excited about it, you know."

"Trust me, I'm aware," I grumble. "She's got me spinning in circles trying to prepare. Ever heard of a Pokémon called Scovillain?"

Cynthia puts a finger to her chin. "I can't say I have. Are you stressed because you're worried about losing?"

I take my time before answering. "I don't want to lose, but I'm not worried about losing. The result doesn't matter as long as you're learning from it, right? Even if Gardenia beats me, I'll use that knowledge so I can win next time." That sounded good, I think. Not like some megalomaniac coming to usurp her throne at all costs. None of what I said was a lie, either.

"If that's the case, why don't I help you prepare with a friendly match? After all, you can learn something regardless of the result, and in the end, I'm a trainer, like you."

Did I mention how smart Cynthia is? Throwing my words back in my face so flawlessly. I might be slightly delusional about my chances with Cynthia, but I know for certain what the supposed result of this match is going to be. "We might both be trainers, but the difference between me and you is like from the ground here," I crouch down and hold my hand an inch off the ground for emphasis. "To the top of that mountain behind you." She turns to look where I'm pointing, at the top of Mt. Coronet, which is ironically where you can meet Dialga and Palkia in-game.

She turns around chuckling at my comparison. "I'll show my Pokémon first, and I'll let you have the first move. We won't dodge or counter your attack."

I'm going to get smashed. But then again, how many people get the chance to be personally destroyed by Cynthia herself?

This is an honor.

We end up going to a training ground east of the statue, one that I used to practice with Glaceon all the time. I naturally start thinking of what she's going to send out. The Gastrodon that's basically been retired from all her matches? Spiritomb, which Lucas and I both agree is her weakest Pokémon, though it always performs phenomenally in her matches?

Keeping her word, Cynthia brings out her Pokéball first, though she whispers to it before throwing it. "Now! Garchomp, battle dance!"

Never mind! I can hardly believe that Ursula's lazy Gible eventually evolves into this absolute monster of a Pokémon. Like Cynthia herself, television does Garchomp no justice. The Dragon-type is taller than Cynthia is, with dark blue scales, though its underbelly is gold and its upper chest and throat are blood-red. Garchomp's head sort of looks similar to a hammerhead shark, though its intelligent eyes are still on its face, which makes me think they look a bit like airplane engines as well. The rest of its features are very shark-like: a powerful tail, a long dorsal fin protruding from its back, and two large fins at the end of its arms.

As if needed to be anymore menacing, Garchomp has wicked claws on its arms and feet, and gleaming spikes on its forearms and thighs. I catch a glimpse of its mouth and it is filled with row after row of razor-sharp teeth.

All in all, this is a Pokémon fit for a Champion. Charmeleon would salivate at the opportunity to challenge Cynthia's ace, but I think she wants me to take my best shot. For all of Garchomp's incredible qualities, it also has a glaring weakness. To ice.

"Let's go, Glaceon!"

My ace takes one step back in surprise when she sees what we're up against. Cynthia regards my Pokémon and hums. "Glaceon is a great choice to go against my Garchomp," she compliments me.

"We get the first attack, Glaceon. Let's make it good, one ok?" That seems to restore some of her confidence, and she gets into a battle stance. "Water Pulse! Maximum power!"

Garchomp doesn't give anything away, but Cynthia's eyebrow rises a bit when she hears my command. "Water Pulse?" she repeats, probably expecting me to go straight for the super-effective move.

I will, Cynthia, don't worry. You let me have this one free attack, so I might as well take full advantage. Maximum power means building up Water Pulse to the absolute limit, to the point the ball of water is large enough for Glaceon to fit inside with room to spare.

"Flash Frost! Go!" I shout. Glaceon freezes the center before she brings her head back with great effort. She sends the attack forcefully at our opponent, though all that power means sacrificing quite a bit of speed. Had Garchomp wanted to dodge this, it easily could have.

Instead, it's stationary as Glaceon freezes the attack so a giant ball of ice is headed directly towards it. Cynthia's smile hasn't dropped at all. If anything, it's only gotten wider. That's what we call a bad omen. All Garchomp does is bring one wing up to shield its face. I can only produce a strangled noise in my throat as I watch the attack.

"Wha-?" Garchomp's reaction stuns me. Because we literally did no damage! You'd think I sent out a Pichu and used Thundershock, because Garchomp doesn't react at all, not even flinching the tiniest bit as our attack shatters into a million ice crystals on its body. It digs its claws in, and likewise doesn't cede one inch of ground.

That was quadruple super-effective. Throw out my analogy about how the difference between us is the height of Mt. Coronet. You could throw in Mt. Silver, Mt. Chimney, Twist Mountain and every other one in the Pokémon world and it wouldn't be enough, because Cynthia and Garchomp are essentially on another planet compared to where Glaceon and I are.

Always humble, Cynthia still has nice things to say. "That was a really impressive attack!"

I don't even know how to respond. I couldn't fucking tell!

"Now it's our turn. Garchomp, Brick Break!" Garchomp leaps into the sky, and its whole right wing starts glowing. The pseudo-legendary then folds both wings and starts heading for Glaceon like a torpedo.

I frantically wave my hands at Cynthia like I'm signaling a plane to land. "Hey! I forfeit! Call Garchomp off!"

All I get is a wink before Garchomp arrives. The shockwave that's released when both feet hit the ground makes me flinch back, so I don't see Garchomp bring its wing down to strike.

No sickening crunch ensues, but what I see almost has me as shocked as the failure of our attack. My jaw drops as I see Garchomp managing to hold back its glowing wing a centimeter above Glaceon's head.

That's all my wobbling legs can take before they give way, so I'm kneeling on the grass. I've lost battles, and struggled in others I've won, but I'm so outclassed here it's ridiculous. Cynthia and Garchomp's strength and control are unbelievable. This is the power of a Pokémon Champion.

It's incredible. Absolutely awe-inspiring.

I scoop up Glaceon in my arms when she comes over to me, and I can tell she's as stunned as I am. Cynthia thanks and recalls her ace and gives me another bright smile. She sends out her smiling Togekiss and climbs onto its back.

"Best of luck with your gym battle, Luna! I look forward to seeing what else you and your team will come up with. Oh, and can you give my regards to Professor Rowan? Nice meeting you!"

Togekiss lifts off, and soon Cynthia is nothing more than a speck in the distance. I find myself smiling, and not just at the prospect of meeting Cynthia again.

Glaceon uses her paw to turn my head so it's staring directly at hers. I think she wants to know what's going through my head right now.

I clutch my first Pokémon closer to me. "I don't know if we will ever get to that level, Glaceon," I say.

"But now I really want to find out."