The following morning, the gentle chirping of Pokémon outside the window mixed with Beca's soft snores as she nestled on my chest. Champ was already hard at work with his morning exercises. Sunlight streamed in, casting a warm and cozy glow over the room. The tranquil moment was tempting, and part of me wanted to stay in bed and relish it.

However, as the alarm on my phone began its persistent ringing and displayed the time, weather, and a new message from Meredith, I knew the tranquility wouldn't last. I carefully moved Beca to a nearby pillow and reluctantly left the comfort of the bed.

Meredith's message informed me that she would be a little late and suggested we meet at the café around noon. With the clock showing eight in the morning, I had plenty of time to spare. After assessing my remaining funds, roughly four hundred and fifty thousand Pokedollars, I decided to research potential moves and items to bolster Champ and Beca for the upcoming tournament and gym challenge.

Room service was ordered, and I settled on the balcony, overlooking the lush forest. Various bird Pokémon fluttered through the air. A Swellow led a flock of Taillows in a graceful display of aerial acrobatics. However, I needed to focus on preparations. Champ and Beca required new moves and items.

As I perused the available move options for Champ, one skill, Bulldoze, captured my interest. It cost ten thousand Pokedollars, and I promptly placed an order for it. Then, I explored the list of legal held items. A particular item named Warrior's Bracers caught my attention, designed to enhance a fighting-type Pokémon's offensive and defensive capabilities. This unique accessory, developed by a small company called WarriorWares, came at a cost of three thousand Pokedollars.

The WarriorWares page on my Rotom Phone had more than just items; it had a slogan too. I couldn't resist taking a look.

"WarriorWares: Equipping victory! One 'wear' at a time!"

I couldn't help but let my lips curl into a faint smile as I processed the cheesy slogan. My attention was then drawn to a video featuring a Tyrogue decked out in stylish, darkened battle armor with a black headgear. It was intriguing.

Beneath the catchy slogan, a video of the Tyrogue in action played. Its opponent was a fearsome Druddigon, a large, blue, draconic, bipedal Pokémon with thistle-shaped wings on its back. The Druddigon's fierce, bright red head boasted two menacing yellow eyes that were locked onto the tiny Tyrogue.

Champ joined me as the video began to auto-play. The video featured a one-versus-one exhibition match, where anything goes, and it was introduced by an enthusiastic announcer. The Tyrogue in the video sported a grin as the camera zoomed out to reveal a modified boxing arena, with a cheering crowd. Surrounding the ring were several psychic Pokémon, creating a psychic barrier when the battle commenced.

With a powerful roar, the Druddigon charged, dispelling any assumptions of it being a lumbering creature. It moved like a rocket toward the small Tyrogue, which stood its ground. To my astonishment, the Tyrogue blocked the Druddigon's powerful slash attack with the bracers on its arms, the blow merely scratching the surface of the metal. In response, the Tyrogue countered with a fierce low kick to the Druddigon's left knee. The Druddigon, roaring, fell to one knee. In a display of brilliance, the Tyrogue executed a devastating uppercut with a shining white fist, followed by a spinning kick to the Druddigon's chest.

To the Druddigon's credit, it endured these attacks. It opened its maw wide, generating an intense ball of flames before launching it in a powerful Flamethrower attack. The Tyrogue, demonstrating remarkable skill, shielded his face with the bracers, taking the brunt of the flames, which smoldered and burned the area around him. The Druddigon, standing up, advanced on the Tyrogue. With its maw wide open, it clamped down on the Tyrogue, the flames wrapping around its fangs. In a regular battle, the Flamethrower and Fire Fang combo would be devastating. The announcer commented on this potent combination.

To the Druddigon's dismay, the Tyrogue still stood strong, the armor having absorbed most of the physical damage. An intense orange aura enveloped him, signifying the "Bulk Up" effect. Seizing the opportunity, the Tyrogue delivered a series of powerful blows to the Druddigon's face, with a white-glowing fist repeatedly striking until it found purchase in the Druddigon's eye. This caused the Druddigon to roar in pain, its mouth wide open.

The Tyrogue followed up with a mighty kick to the Druddigon's abdomen, propelling it back several feet. During this brief pause in combat, the camera focused on Tyrogue's battle armor, revealing minimal damage to both the armor and Tyrogue himself. He sported a confident grin as he taunted the Druddigon. The camera then shifted to the battered Druddigon, displaying its bruises, black eye, and a sinister gleam in its remaining eye.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

An ominous, dark-red aura enveloped the Druddigon as it unleashed a fearsome roar that silenced the crowd. Its yellow eye turned a deep crimson as it gave in to the power of its Outrage attack. What followed was a fierce and relentless battle, resulting in Tyrogue's Earthquake attack causing half of the arena to collapse, burying the raging Druddigon beneath the rubble.

The video concluded with the announcer promoting the company's battle armor products. Champ and I watched in stunned silence, my finger instinctively hitting the "Buy" option for the WarriorWares bracers. I also purchased a copy of the Protect move for Champ, despite the steep price of thirty thousand pokedollars. Arsene had been right; Champ needed extra protection.

The affordability of the bracers left me in disbelief. It might be because the company was relatively new, but I couldn't pass up such a great deal.

As I leaned back in my chair, I contemplated what to get for Beca. While pondering, I instructed Champ to take a shower and prepare for our outing. I needed to finish our shopping before we left.

Browsing through the forums, I stumbled upon a few move suggestions for Beca. "Magical Leaf," "Trailblaze," "Iron Defense," and "Seed Bomb" seemed promising. While Beca possessed surprising agility, especially with "Agility" as part of her moveset, her offensive capabilities were lacking. Considering that Champ was teaching her to use her silk to navigate the battlefield, she needed more power in her attack department.

After much contemplation, and going through several stages of internal struggle, I decided to go for all the suggested moves, as Beca required better coverage. The total cost was twenty-seven thousand pokedollars.

I felt a pang of financial regret, but I steeled my resolve and continued searching for the perfect item for Beca. I perused the WarriorWares website, hoping to find something suitable, but their products were primarily geared towards Normal, Fighting, and Psychic types.

So, I returned to the forums and discovered another small startup company, BugBloom Emporium, which specialized in products for Bug and Grass types. Their offerings ranged from natural miracle grow to berry seeds and specialized Pokémon food. I kept scrolling until I came across their battle items section. Surprisingly, the first item I found seemed like an excellent fit for Beca.

It was called a "Swiftleaf Band," resembling an elegant band adorned with intricate silver leaf motifs, made from all-natural bamboo mixed with miracle seed extract and other materials I couldn't identify. The item had mixed reviews, with a few negatives, but overall, most customers seemed satisfied with the results.

I decided to go for it, spending ten thousand pokedollars. According to the website and the reviews, the Swiftleaf Band could enhance a Pokémon's speed and concentration, making their attacks more accurate, especially when targeting vital areas like joints or weak points. I envisioned Beca as the group's speedster, flitting across the battlefield with agility and precision, and the thought had me excited.

However, the real challenge was getting Beca to embrace the band. Perhaps a few treats could serve as an initial incentive, but I didn't want to condition her to perform only when rewarded. As I heard the shower running in the background, accompanied by Champ's singing, a small smile tugged at my lips.

No matter, I'm sure Champ is going to make her work her butt off.

My smile falters into a frown as the image of Zephyr's bloody corpse comes to mind. Phantom pains rock my body as I remember how I almost died at the hands of Lysander.

Taking a deep breath, I push it out of my mind and look up human armaments online. There's been an increase in Pokémon hostility in the past year, allowing for the sale of weapons for the specific protection of humans against Pokémon. If I had been able to fight… If I had a weapon of my own, then maybe…

I shake away the thoughts and keep looking. Eventually, I settle on ordering a combat knife that allows the user to embed phials of Type Energy into the blade. Only trainers are allowed to buy these weapons, and they aren't allowed to carry them in cities or populated areas without authority from the local Indigo Enforcers. The knife is the cheapest I could find at forty thousand pokedollars, not including the price of the phials themselves. A pack of eighteen phials goes for two thousand pokedollars. Each pack contains one of each type, so I purchase ten packs for twenty thousand.

I hold off on buying anything else for now but make a personal commitment to get into better shape. Perhaps sparring with Champ can help me achieve that goal.

Beca lets out a cute yawn as she stirs from her slumber, just as Champ walks out of the bathroom. Another message comes in from Meredith, informing me that she'll be running even later and to meet up at two. Well, that changes things for us. Grinning like a madman, I turn to look at Beca.

"Good morning, Beca! You woke up just in time! Meredith gave me a heads up that she'll be running late. Guess what that means?"

Beca blinks a few times, looking from me to Champ, who's also sporting a growing grin.

She lets out a chortle of despair as she immediately covers her face with her leaves, pretending to sleep. I go over and pick her up despite her chittering protests.

"Rise and shine, Beca! It's time to warm up those silk glands and get some sunshine on those leaves! We're having a training day!"

I won't let what happened to Zephyr happen to any of my other Pokémon.

I'll make them strong. Stronger than anything that can challenge us.

I'll be stronger, too. For their sake as well.

But for now, a good hearty breakfast along with some exercising and training should bring about a good day before meeting up with Meredith.

I wonder what she could be doing that's delaying her so much? Ah well, it doesn't matter.

Room service came and went with boiled pidgey eggs, hashbrowns, oatmeal, and Pecha berry juice.

We left the hotel to go back to our spot at the lakefront - turns out the lake is named Lake Crystalbloom, due to some legend about it having been clear as a mirror reflecting the sky upon its surface.

Looking out at it now, with the sun shining down on it creating a magnificent display of a thousand sparkling ripples upon its surface, I could believe the legend.

It is truly peaceful and tranquil here. I sat down on the cliff's edge and started to meditate, having forced Beca to sit next to me to do the same as Champ joined in as well.

It was going well until I heard the fatefully annoying words

"Hey! It's that one eyed weirdo that fought against Arsene. Hey! Ogre face! I challenge you to a battle!"

A high pitched nasally teen voice sounded from behind me.

So much for peace and quiet I thought to myself as I got up and turned around to face the annoying runt.

At least this will be good practice for Beca.