Time seemed to come to a standstill as Tommy held the Pokéball in his hand. His heart beat so fast he was worried it was going to burst from his chest and his hands were shaking as he clasped the Pokéball tightly. He didn’t think he had ever held a Pokéball before, not counting the empty one that his mother had given him earlier in the week. Sure he was raised on the ranch around Pokémon, but it wasn’t the same. He was finally about to participate in his first ever battle. He smiled down at the Pokéball wondering if the Pokémon inside knew that it was about to be released or that it was going to meet a new trainer and fight in a battle.

He glanced around the locker room then down at the Pokénav on his wrist. It was still early in the day, not yet one o’clock, so there were hardly any other trainers in the locker room with him since he had shown up so early.

Should he call the Pokémon out now? The attendant had said he couldn’t leave the locker room with the Pokémon but had said nothing about not being able to call it out before the match. He wondered if he should risk it or not - he didn’t want to get in trouble before his first match.

He gave one last cursory look around the locker room and seeing no one in his immediate vicinity he tossed the Pokéball onto the ground in front of him.

Tommy shielded his eyes as a brilliantly blinding flash of light filled the corner of the locker room. When he reopened them, a little ball of green had been deposited onto the floor in front of his feet. Tommy grinned down at the Pokémon, failing to contain the excitement he felt as he met his first ever battle partner.

“Hey there Solosis,” Tommy said, smiling maniacally. He was trying his hardest to remember all of the things his father had taught him to do around new Pokémon like not baring your teeth and approaching the Pokémon calmly. He was finding it difficult to follow those rules.

“I’m excited to meet you! My name is Tommy and I’m going to be your trainer today!” Tommy had been extending his hand slowly but the little green blob hopped away just out of reach everytime Tommy got close.

“Alright, alright. I’m not trying to scare you.” Tommy tried to reassure Solosis. “I have a present for you, something I made.”

He reached into his bag that was sitting on the bench next to him and pulled out the small sealed container with the food in it. He unboxed the lid, allowing the smell to permeate the room. Solosis gurgled happily, bouncing up and down in anticipation.

“Yeah, that’s right bud.” Tommy said, still smiling. He placed the opened box down in between his feet. “This is all for you but you’re going to have to come closer if you want any. I promise I’m not scary.”

Solosis warbled and hopped over to Tommy, jumping on top of his shoe and settling down to eat. He started chomping away at the food so Tommy extended his hand again, hoping that he would be able to touch Solosis.

“I’m going to pet you now buddy,” Tommy spoke soothingly as his hand got nearer and nearer. “You just keep eating your food, I made it all for you.”

His fingertips finally reached the membrane surrounding Solosis and he brushed them back and forth atop the little ball’s head. Solosis warbled and trembled but then resumed his eating.

Tommy couldn’t believe it, he was touching his Pokémon. He was surprised that it had been so standoffish at first since most of the Pokémon around his ranch weren’t, but he supposed that since he and his family hadn’t been the one to catch Solosis that that could have been the reason why.

He marvelled at the way that Solosis felt; he had wondered if Solosis would be slimy and wet to the touch but it wasn’t too bad. Solosis was a little moist but Tommy didn’t mind; it was an afterthought, completely overshadowed by his excitement for his first battle with his partner. Solosis finished eating so Tommy picked him up, holding him in his hands.

“Hey Solosis,” Tommy beamed. “Did you enjoy your food? I just wanted to say thank you for battling with me today. I’m excited that we get to battle together and that you’re my partner.”

Solosis warbled and trilled in Tommy’s hands and Tommy laughed to himself. He looked on with happiness as he watched the little Pokémon dance and hop up and down in his grasp. He felt proud of himself for overcoming Solosis’ initial apprehension. He had bribed Solosis but Tommy didn’t care; he knew they were friends now and that’s what mattered.

Tommy felt a small prickle in the back of his head as he locked eyes with Solosis. The Pokémon had settled in his hands and trilled happily, keeping steady eye contact with Tommy for the last few seconds. Tommy idly scratched the back of his head and frowned at Solosis who continued to stare up at Tommy unblinkingly. In an instant Tommy felt a wave of euphoria wash over him, causing him to take in a sharp breath. His mouth opened and closed as he sat there foolishly.

“What was that?” Tommy whispered to the Pokémon. “Was that you?”

“Mr. Hartford!” a voice boomed from further inside the locker room.

Tommy tore his gaze away from Solosis to see Professor Larkspur striding over towards where he was seated, stern gaze plastered on his face. Tommy swallowed as his heart started hammering away again, not in anticipation or happiness but now in fear.

“For what purpose is Solosis out of its Pokéball?” Professor Larkspur asked as he came to stand right in front of Tommy.

If Tommy had thought that Professor Larkspur had looked intimidating from far away in the amphitheater, it was nothing compared to being in front of the man himself. The Professor still wore his coat unbuttoned with no shirt underneath and Tommy swallowed as he traced the scar across the man’s chest up to his face, wondering what could have given him such a gnarly wound. He looked up into Professor Larkspur’s eyes and tried to not be distracted by the one that was pale white.

“Were my directions not clear to you? I said that the only place your Pokémon may be out of its Pokéball on this campus was in the park. Why have you not followed the simplest of directions that I’ve given?” Professor Larkspur spoke firmly.

“I’m sorry sir,” Tommy said, trying with difficulty to find his voice. “I thought that it would be okay here in the locker room. I’m really sorry.”

“Answer my question,” Professor Larkspur said. “Why was Solosis called out?”

“I was just offering it some food,” Tommy stated. He gestured down to the empty box that was in between his feet.

“Do you believe that the school does not know how to properly care for its charges?” Professor Larkspur continued, face still an unreadable mask.

“No sir! I meant no offense sir, please! I just simply wanted to offer food to Solosis. As a thank you for going to battle for me today.” Tommy told Professor Larkspur quickly. He glanced down at the little green ball who was still nestled in his hands and smiled when Solosis gurgled. “This will be my first ever battle and I’m nervous. I just wanted to meet the Pokémon who was fighting for me today and say thank you, I don’t know when or if I will be able to see him again.”

He looked back up at Professor Larkspur who Tommy could have sworn had been smiling for a moment. If he had been, the smile was gone, as the Professor was now looking down at Tommy, face stern and unchanging.

“Very well, it appears that Solosis enjoyed the meal, I have no doubt that your feelings have reached your partner,” Professor Larkspur spoke. His massive arms were folded across his chest and Tommy was finding it increasingly more difficult to not stare into the professor’s blind eye. “I must insist that you recall Solosis to his Pokéball now. It is almost time for me to start the matches for the day.”

“Am I in trouble sir?” Tommy asked, trying his best to look apologetic.

“No Mr. Hartford,” Professor Larkspur rumbled. “You will not be punished this time as I believe in you and your well-meaning intentions. But I was very clear when I said you may only have your Pokémon out of its Pokéball in the park and I expect that rule to be followed from now on. You do not have a Pokémon of your own and this is the very reason we do not want you to spend time with rentals. It is best not to form a bond with them as they must be returned to the school. Now recall Solosis - this is my final warning to you.”

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Tommy looked down at Solosis who was smiling happily and hung his head. Any bond that he formed with Solosis now would just be harder to break when he caught his first Pokémon and could no longer use Solosis as a rental. He gently set the Pokémon down on the ground and then recalled it into its Pokéball in a beam of red light.

“I must begin the first match,” Professor Larkspur said simply. “I wish you luck in your upcoming battle. I will have my eyes on you. Familiarize yourself with Solosis’ moveset if you have not already.”

“Professor!” Tommy called out before Professor Larkspur had gotten too far away.

“What is it Mr. Hartford?” Professor Larkspur spoke tersely as he turned around to face Tommy one more time.

“Um, when I had Solosis in my hands after he finished his meal…” Tommy began.

“Yes?” The Professor asked shortly when Tommy didn’t speak any further. “When Solosis was in your hands what happened?”

“I just thought that…” Tommy started again. He looked at the ground and frowned.

Had Solosis actually been trying to communicate with me? Or was that something I imagined? Should I even ask the professor a question that foolish?

“It was weird but I just thought that Solosis was trying to communicate with me,” Tommy said, taking a chance though he wondered how the professor would respond. Tommy raised his head wondering what look was on his professor’s face but the man had already left. I took too long to speak my mind I guess.

He followed the professor’s advice and opened up his PokéNav, navigating over to his trainer card and list of Pokémon. There was a small image of Solosis in the first spot followed by the images of 5 Pokéballs. He clicked on the image of Solosis so he could familiarize himself with his battle partner as Professor Larkspur had suggested.

Solosis (Male)

Power Level: 8

Ability: Regenerator - The Pokémon will recover HP upon switching out of battle

Moveset: Acid Armor, Protect, Confusion, Recover, Endeavor.

Tommy tried to focus as hard as he could as he read through the notes about Solosis. He had no clue what the two moves Acid Armor or Endeavor did so he clicked on both of them to get descriptions of each.

Acid Armor - Sharply Increases the Defense of the user.

Endeavor - Lowers the health of the opponent to match that of the user.

Tommy leaned back and exhaled trying to come up with a plan that would get him through his upcoming battle. Solosis looked like it had some great moves and that it was very strong defensively. He decided his best bet would be to play a defensive strategy like Nessa had done. Building up his defense in the beginning of the match would allow Solosis to last for a long time in battle. He could lower the opponent’s health to match his own and then use Recover to heal back to full health. Confusion was a great finishing move and Solosis even knew Protect as a last line of defense.

Tommy smiled and nodded as his plan came together in his mind. Now all he had to do was execute it properly. The minutes ticked by and Tommy became more and more nervous.

Thomas Hartford to the arena - He heard his name called over the loudspeaker. With a final nervous exhalation, Tommy stood from the bench and made his way to the door leading out into the arena. His heart was beating harder than it ever had as he walked through the tunnel. He tried to imagine how how he would feel when he finally stood on the pitch. He pictured all of the people in the stands cheering for him and hoped that it would’nt put too much pressure on him.

He exited the dimly lit tunnel into the bright lights of the arena and made his way onto the pitch. He smiled as he looked around and laughed at himself for expecting anything different; there were no students anywhere in the stands, after all this wasn’t a showcase match.

“Tommy!” He heard some feeble shouts from somewhere on his left. He turned his head to see his four friends waving and cheering so he smiled and waved back. The only other students in the stands must have been friends of Frank or just seriously crazy battle fanatics.

Tommy returned his attention to the field in front of him and strode forward to meet his opponent at the center of the pitch. He clasped arms with Frank who looked just as nervous as he did and the two boys wished each other good luck.

Tommy made his way back to the edge of the pitch where the trainer box was and unclipped the Pokéball from his belt. He watched as the barrier was erected by some Abra and got ready to throw his Pokéball out onto the pitch.

“This is a one on one Pokémon battle between Thomas Hartford and Frank Jenkins,” Professor Larkspur called through his headset. “Are each of the trainers ready to begin?”

“Ready!” Frank spoke through his own microphone.

“I’m ready!” Tommy said.

“Begin!”

Tommy threw his Pokéball inside the barrier at the same time Frank did his. Solosis popped out from the Pokéball and gurgled happily while Tommy saw an Alolan Meowth appear on the other end of the pitch.

“Meowth use Scratch, go!” Frank yelled.

Meowth’s claws extended and started to glow white as he raced across the field toward Solosis. Meowth was fast and in no time at all he was bearing down on Solosis who had yet to receive an order from Tommy. Tommy was playing it slowly though, taking a page out of Nessa’s book since she was also a defensive minded trainer. When Meowth was only a few meters away from Tommy he finally made his move.

“Use Protect Solosis!” Tommy called out. He heard his friends cheering in the stands and smiled. “Then follow it up with Acid Armor!”

Just as Meowth was about to pounce on Solosis the little green blob warbled and erected a blue barrier in front of his body. Meowth was going too fast, just like the Growlithe from Nessa’s match, so he slammed into the barrier and bounced harmlessly off to the side. While Meowth was shaking his head trying to recover from the daze he was in, Solosis began to shimmer purple. He excreted some liquid through the membrane surrounding him which quickly hardened when it came in contact with the air. Tommy watched on in amazement as the membrane surrounding Solosis became thicker and thicker.

“Meowth get back in there!” Frank was hollering from the other end of the pitch. “Hurry, use Bite before their defense gets even stronger!”

Meowth snarled and jumped back into the air towards Solosis, powerful jaws opened wide. He landed and clamped his jaws down as hard as he could, sinking them deep into Solosis’ membrane even though it was now twice as thick as it was when the match started.

“A super effective attack!” Professor Larkspur shouted. “I know Solosis felt that one, will he and Mr. Hartford be able to get out of this pinch?”

“Shake him off Solosis!” Tommy called out frantically, desperation in his voice as all semblance of tactics slipped from his mind.

Solosis yelled and began to roll around, successfully dislodging Meowth from his face. Tommy watched on in horror as some of the liquid began to seep out from different puncture holes and Solosis cried out in pain.

Being in a battle was totally different from just watching one. Tommy tried to ignore the pain that his partner was feeling but found it difficult to do so. He rubbed at his face and tried to keep his feelings in check over the pain that Solosis must be going through. Meowth was back in the air, Frank capitalizing on Tommy’s momentary lapse in focus. He clamped his jaws back down on the top of Solosis’ head and extended his claws out to try to Scratch Solosis.

“Hang in there Solosis!” Tommy screamed. He blocked out the pain his partner was experiencing knowing that it was necessary for his strategy to work out. Now that Solosis had been bitten twice Tommy knew it was time to go on the offensive. Solosis was struggling and his health was dangerously low.

“Get him off you, then use Endeavor!” Tommy yelled.

Solosis was able to shake Meowth off for a second time and before the cat could get to his feet and charge again, Solosis bounced forward with an attack of his own. Solosis was glowing white as he flew across the pitch at an unbelievable speed. He rammed into Meowth’s ribcage with a sickening crunch and sent the dark cat flying back towards Frank on the other side of the pitch.

“A great use of Endeavor,” Tommy heard Larkspur call from somewhere far away. “Endeavor lowers the health of the target to match that of the user. All of that damage just came back to hit Meowth!”

Meowth cried out in pain as he lay crumpled and broken in front of Frank. Tommy looked on in amazement finding it hard to believe that his strategy worked, when he remembered that Meowth was only hurt that badly because Solosis was in just as much pain.

“Use Recover!” Tommy told Solosis. Solosis warbled and glowed green this time and Tommy exhaled a sigh of relief as the the cells in Solosis’ membrane began to multiply and plug up all of the holes where liquid was leaking out. Solosis smiled and trilled, bouncing up and down now that he had recovered some HP. Tommy smiled with him, his partner was no longer in excruciating pain though Tommy knew he was still hurting badly.

“Alright then Solosis,” Tommy started. He looked across the field at Meowth who was still struggling to get to his feet while Frank could only watch in horror. “I think it’s time we wrap up our fight!”

Solosis yelled, ready to deliver his finishing blow. Tommy extended his hand, pointing across the field at Meowth.

“Let’s finish this Solosis! Use…”

Tommy stopped mid sentence as he was hit by a horrible realization.

Psychic moves didn’t affect Dark Pokémon.