Sabrina

  —

  There was something beautiful about watching the human mind race frantically. The unique way every single person I had ever encountered dealt with their own worries, their own insecurities, their own determination. To face a challenge, or Challenge, and persevere.

  It was one of my greatest pleasures as a Gym Leader, in fact. Even the lower badge battles would show me a collection of minds grappling with reality, with adversity, and I truly enjoyed watching their determination firm up. Them faltering was much less welcome, but there were very good reasons to not pass many people who defeated me, and to pass those who failed.

  It was far more poignant for my sixth, seventh, and eighth badge battles, in fact.

  Erin Greenwood wasn't exactly my typical challenger, of course, but the fight had played out almost exactly how I had expected. Almost. I certainly hadn't expected Stabby's insane Substitute barrage, of course. They had been far weaker than a normal Substitute, sure, but that didn't matter when the act of creating them didn't drain your stamina, just… fae magic. I wasn't afraid of the fae, but even for me, one not contracted was… dangerous. They all had uncontracted fae, too, and Hope?

  I wasn't looking forward to that battle.

  Still, Erin had realized at least some of her issues, and was aware of the training she would require. I hadn't lied when I said she wouldn't have won a seventh badge from me, either. In fact, I was one of the few Gym Leaders who would give out a badge after a loss at these levels. Her intense pride and rage warring with her desire to be a good sport was partially what had won her my badge, however. You could train yourself and your Pokemon, but it was much harder to train that kind of behavior. A sore loser at higher ranks wasn't just annoying, they could be dangerous, so along with testing their skills, I tested their reactions, their mentality, how they faced adversity and defeat.

  A defeat I had aimed for, of course. If I had used a sixth badge Alakazam instead of a seventh, Hecate may have been able to knock it out before it managed a Future Sight, but I was testing them, and loss was so much more informative than victory.

  She had still come close to winning, in fact, but honestly… That was Hecate's doing more than anything, even if she had been taken out as well. That was one very determined Pokemon, not to mention vicious! Just like her trainer, and the rest of her family…

  Erin's rage at being given a 'pity' badge was also a bit of a test as well. Those that easily accepted such a thing, even if they expected it, generally didn't have the… mentality to rise above the masses of common trainers, even those who had placed decently in Conferences. For every Ace Trainer, those who managed to reach the top eight in any given year, there were dozens upon dozens of those that were still strong compared to, say, a fisherman and their team of aquatic Pokemon, but lacking that… steel under the surface.

  There was a quantifiable difference simply in mannerisms and temperament, to say nothing of actual, individual Pokemon strength, and not all bright young trainers had it in them.

  As I watched Erin scramble for the transfer device I smirked a little, though. Internally, of course, but not maliciously. She had done well, and I knew she would put some training in before they attempted their next badge.

  Alex was nervous as she strode out, but she already had the confidence part down. She was also the more technical fighter among the three from what I had gleaned…

  She certainly didn't disappoint.

  They were all going to start off facing a Kadabra, simply because they fought like the typical Psychic did, and to see the way they adapted was informative. Erin had used Stabby for the first time, but I was still mildly surprised to find Alex releasing her little Noibat first.

  I shouldn't have been.

  Joy the Noibat barely had to worry about dodging any attacks, considering the sheer volume of her screech- not even a Move, just pure noise!- had quite disabled poor Kadabra after he managed a single Psybeam, and I returned him after a single Wing Attack that knocked him out with devastating force. That was certainly one way of breaking your foe's concentration… The Noivern line was, of course, very dangerous with sound-based attacks as well…

  I had been prepared for their teams in general, however, and while I found them to be quite aggravating Pokemon in general, Jynx were very good at fighting dragons. She also took great amusement in her easy, injury-free victory over the small dragon… A poor choice considering her next opponent, and poor etiquette, but…

  She was a Jynx…

  Hakamo-o were intimidating Pokemon, however, and Honor didn't disappoint. He had taken a single devastating Ice Beam that had frozen his left side closing in, but the Drain Punches that followed got him back up to snuff, if with a stiff left arm.

  Not all psychics liked to fight at range, however.

  Reuniclus were fascinating psychics, and while they may not be unique, they were certainly one of the rarer psychics in battle… because they really enjoyed punching their opponents.

  Hard.

  Honor had actually enjoyed the following fight, and so had Alex, watching her dragon proudly, happily exchange blows… Unfortunately for Honor, Reuniclus also knew Drain Punch, and it paired quite well with Zen Headbutt against a fighting type…

  Dignity was quite the impressive sight, I must admit. Dragonair were known as some of the most stunning Pokemon in existence for very good reasons… She was also a poor, yet good choice all at once. She was Alex's strongest Pokemon, but her Clefable would have been a better option, considering the last Pokemon she planned to use… Although, her reasons for not choosing Unity were obvious, and Duncan was not just new to her team, but also not a dragon…

  Dignity almost managed to surprise me and Reuniclus, but just like Erin's fight, I had almost scripted the results of these matches… Her last Dragon Rush, straight into a Giga Impact, had almost struck first… I had planned for a close knockout, not a draw, but it served my purpose well enough.

  When I released my Xatu, I couldn't stop the small smile at her unease. She knew how the match would go, but to break her word to a Pokemon like Yanmega? Not possible… or advisable.

  It was still closer than I expected, in all honesty.

  Yanmega weren't just huge, fast, and surprisingly maneuverable, of course… They were also determined. They were an odd form of Evolution, one that seemed to be more… primal than many modern Evolutions. I had picked up on some of Erin's knowledge, but Ancient Power wasn't actually a requirement for them to Evolve here in reality…

  That didn't mean that Yanmega had let one of his best offensive options go untrained.

  Yanmega seemed to explode with small boulders as soon as the match started, already in motion as he rushed my Xatu… Xatu were hard Pokemon to strike outright, though, considering their precognition. Xatu were rarely able to be struck by a direct blow, not unless the attack was devastatingly fast…

  Yanmega's Ancient Power wasn't that fast, but it was versatile, for sure… Versatile enough that, in the three minutes it took for our match-up to occur, Yanmega actually managed to get a few good strikes in with misdirection and overwhelming numbers, including one that broke a wing…

  The huge, aggressive dragonfly finally went down after a series of Air Slashes ended in a devastating Fly, though. A devastating Fly that took the last of my Xatu's strength, to the point she could barely stand long enough to be declared the winner before passing out.

  Another loss, but another close loss…

  There was some anger and disappointment there, but Alex still accepted the badge I passed to her. She even did it gracefully, which was never a certain thing with Dragon Tamers.

  She was still pissed, but she would get over it, same as Erin.

  —

  —

  Leaf was an entirely different fight than I had been expecting.

  For one thing, she sent out Tinkatink to face my Kadabra! I actually paused in confusion and instinctively 'looked' in her direction, but I found quite the unpleasant expression peering out from her mind.

  Morgrem was highly amused as he saw me flinch backwards. I had seen Hope in there before, and… honestly, Hope was far more terrifying than Morgrem, if only because of her… uniqueness, but Morgrem's mind was not at all pleasant to view.

  The minds of most non-psychic Pokemon were not simple, but more… basic. The depth of thought was still there, of course. Someone had even taught a Magikarp how to play chess, if not well, but their minds were… dull to a psychic. Still stunning to look at, but even smarter non-psychics such as Chansey or even Porygon were… A very detailed, well-drawn sketch, perhaps even photo-realistic. There was no… vibrancy, no sense of being solid, real like a psychic's mind was, though.

  The minds of the fae weren't something I deliberately peered into often, but psychic/fairy's were fairly common, especially here in Kanto with Mr. Mime. Most represented a concept, a desire. Despite her terrifying nature, Hope's concept was warm and inviting, the hope of a better future.

  Morgrem's mind was a dark pit that echoed with screams. It was fascinating, honestly, because some of the screams were joyful… some were not… Fear, in all its forms. The fearful, joyful screech of a child being found during hide and seek, and the screams of true terror. The little scares that brought a smile to one's face, and the kind of terror that cut.

  Then he smirked at me, at my fear, and Leaf smirked at the exact same time, right alongside him.

  I managed not to reel backwards, but only barely. I had never encountered one of the Grimmsnarl line before, and wouldn't have attempted to peer at his mind even if I had… I scowled at her little smirk, and she grinned right back at me, pleased with herself and her trick.

  Tinkatink did very well, in all honesty. A fast, obviously well-trained Astonish flashed out to nail Kadabra, but he managed not to flinch, and quickly Teleported to the far corner. Her followup Fairy Wind did almost nothing, but after striking a Psybeam right out of the air with what looked like Metal Claw, she managed to make Kadabra flinch with another Astonish this time.

  He was still conscious after her next Metal Claw, but stunned enough that I simply returned him when I saw Tinkatink's hammer begin to glow with the tell-tale orange of fighting energy. Healing or no healing, I didn't want Kadabra's brain to get violently rocked by that weapon…

  Even Tinkatink's comparatively small hammer was a devastating weapon, and not illegal for her species. In fact, it was illegal to separate them from a hammer they made, considering their wails… That entire line hit very hard, far harder than they should, and it only got worse the stronger they got.

  I frowned lightly as I adjusted the order of my Pokemon. I wouldn't be changing my choices for this fight, not a sixth, but I would adjust. I honestly hadn't expected her to lead with her youngest Pokemon, even if Tinkatink was well trained…

  Metang were simultaneously some of my favorite psychic Pokemon, and those that I found to be most annoying. Logic was important for all psychics, but logic was almost the entirety of the Metagross line's thought processes! They had personalities, of course, but even a 'playful' Metagross was… stiff.

  As soon as the match began Tinkatink was barely dodging a Bullet Punch, one that still clipped her. The followup Zen Headbutt wasn't very effective, especially as it had been blocked by Tinkatink's 'hammer', a Metal Claw of her own, in fact… but it didn't need to be effective. It just needed to be a strong blow.

  Tinkatink reeled back from the impact, even as Metang glowed with steel energies again.

  The next Metal Claw, this time from Metang, was a full-force blow to the body, vivid, deep red lines instantly appearing on Tinkatink. I glanced at Leaf in worry, but she was… smiling? I almost reached out in that split second, instinctively, but the fear made me flinch back before I fully completed the motion. I still managed to get a glimpse of Morgrem's mind, as he watched out of Leaf's eyes…

  As he gleefully watched Tinkatink growl in fury, Dark energies radiating from her hammer, and turn the momentum of the blow into a spin, a brutal Brutal Swing, if rough and weak. It was still a solid hunk of steel, despite how a decent amount of the energy radiated out from the strike…

  I recalled my unconscious, dented Pokemon as Tinkatink cheered wildly. She looked a bit sad even through the intense pain radiating from her wounds, and I knew without checking that it was her inability to harvest Metang, to improve her already-impressive hammer with hunted metal.

  Her very impressive hammer, that she knew she would never lose.

  Leaf didn't look very surprised to see the light of Evolution shine from her youngest Pokemon, and I smiled at the sight. It wasn't a pleasure I got to experience every day, but seeing Pokemon Evolve was always a rewarding experience. The surge of their minds adapting to a body that was usually very different than they had known before, the joy, the excitement…

  Tinkatink, or rather, Tinkatuff gazed down at herself in wonder for a second before turning back to Leaf, smiling, and passing out, hand still tightly gripping her suddenly-small hammer. She was returned before she could tip over entirely, Leaf smiling so widely it was a wonder she could speak to her Pokeball. Normally I would be able to tell what she said, but with Morgrem in her mind and the crowd still cheering, it was impossible.

  Well, that had been slightly unexpected, but not terribly. Now it was time to prune back her advantage.

  Medicham were always a bit of a surprise to those who thought the mind was more powerful than the body. Well, for psychics it was… A disciplined mind was also greatly helped by a disciplined body.

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  Not that Hope cared about that, as she gave me a wide smile, lightly bouncing on her feet. I quite liked Hope, and she had a positive impression of me, considering I was the girls' therapist, but the sight still managed to chill my blood slightly. I dealt with psychic fairies, fairies whose minds I could know, understand. Pure fae like Clefable were not comforting…

  I still smiled in anticipation at the sight of her.

  Hope immediately leapt as the match started, trying to gain distance, but Clefable weren't the only flight-capable Pokemon in the world, and now that she was up, she would need a Move to maneuver, or to use her wings, which were slow. She was also only fifteen feet in the air…

  Aerial Ace didn't do much as it broke on Hope's Protect, the Flying energies dragging Medicham upwards, but the following Poison Jab did. The second broke it, and Medicham's left hand snatched the top of her head. The next Poison Jab was straight to Hope's face, and she screamed. Not just in pain, though, as Medicham reeled backwards, left hand still stubbornly clinging on. The Disarming Voice wasn't very powerful, but her next Play Rough was.

  Medicham managed another Poison Jab to her face before he was flung away, reeling and disorientated. Hope didn't look much better, though, the dark discoloration of severe poisoning darkening almost her entire front. I knew she was communing because she frowned harder than she had been frowning, shook her head in stubborn refusal, and lifted an arm. The Moonblast she unleashed was… bad. She was obviously almost unconscious, and Medicham dodged towards her, fist rising… then skidded to a halt as she collapsed.

  I smiled faintly as Leaf intentionally ran the timer down, letting Medicham stand there uncomfortably as his wounds throbbed. Was it 'mean', as Erin had thought? Not at all, it was a strategy, an advantage to use. Erin's motivations had still won her some 'points' in my test, but Leaf won more with her refusal to care. She still did, of course, but it was Medicham's choice to remain out, along with mine, not hers. To act like it was her own fault was to take agency away from a thinking being. Nobody was forced to be here, to fight.

  Noibat came out with a yawn, but after a moment he perked up so rapidly I thought I must have imagined it… or I would have, if I couldn't get an impression of him. He was… irritated by having to fight, but eager to prove himself… Well, that was easy enough to help with.

  He was sorely disappointed when he found that Medicham was more than used to fighting Flying opponents. Noibat finally managed to scratch a win out, but it was close, honestly, even despite Medicham's wounds and exhaustion. Noibat could hit hard, but to hit that hard required being close, and he was still fragile. Air Slash's weren't all that fast from a safe distance…

  I let a full-blown smile come to my face as I released my last Pokemon, enjoying the look on Leaf's face.

  Gardevoir were beautiful Pokemon, but also otherworldly in a way that few full fae were. They were also highly intelligent, and provided you found the correct one, wonderful lifelong companions.

  This one was not that to me. At all. Totally not. In fact, she was extremely annoying, but she was trustworthy… She was also one of my more experienced fighters.

  Noibat got offended when she came out, though, and with a deafening screech dove towards my suddenly-Confused Gardevoir. She still managed to concentrate long enough to avoid the… Dragon Claw? Noibat wasn't stupid, why- Oh.

  It was a feint.

  Even at the speed of thought, my warning was too slow.

  The Super Fang was devastating, even if he had only gotten a shoulder. He latched on and began to swipe at my Pokemon with his claws, but she was done being Confused after the shock of pain.

  The Draining Kiss was similarly devastating to him, not to mention insulting. He reeled back from her with a piercing screech even as her shoulder stopped bleeding, his face enraged, and received a rapid Moonblast to his face for his troubles. I expected him to collapse, as the only thing on his mind was how tired he was…

  I underestimated him, though, as he roared out from the ground, wings shaking as he struggled to stand, infuriated that a fae had done that to him, and not one of his fae! I felt his mild surprise at his own rage, that he cared that badly, before he embraced his rage, his desire to win.

  Then he began to glow.

  I idly, amusedly wondered if Leaf's last Pokemon would Evolve as well… I had seen three Evolutions in one Battle before, so another would be interesting…

  When the blinding light died down, Noibat was Noivern, and I smiled at the sight. He was larger than average for a Noivern, over six feet tall hunched over on his wings… His next attempt, another Super Fang, was blocked by a Protect, and Gardevoir smiled widely, innocently at him for a moment.

  Then she lifted an arm and a swirling black vortex appeared next to her. It wasn't a true Move, just an expression of her power, but it could drag in an opponent and damage them…

  Noivern resisted, but with a roar of anger was sucked into the portal… and thrown twenty feet into the air. Normally not a problem for a Noivern, but a large problem for him, considering he was unconscious already. He thumped back to the ground and lay still as Gardevoir 'politely' chuckled.

  Leaf looked delighted as she returned her dragon, though, and I shared a smile with her… and with Morgrem, who came out next and last.

  The entire crowd at the very least shifted in their seats at the sight of him, and there were many gasps, murmurs, and a singular scream that was quickly cut short. Morgrem was a trainer's Pokemon, so he was safe and under contract, of course… as far as the crowd was aware, because who would be insane enough to not use contracts?! Even with a Pokemon you trusted with your life? Promises could be broken! Promises couldn't be lied during, of course… A fae wasn't obligated to follow their word the way they were obligated to tell the truth or follow contracts, though…

  I didn't get nervous, but I wasn't looking forward to this fight, honestly… I had seen what a pure fae's magic could do… What could a dark fae's magic do?

  Apparently turn a Sucker Punch into something far closer to a theoretical Teleport Punch, considering how fast Morgrem launched himself into Gardevoir the instant the match started. The Sucker Punch wasn't all that strong due to the speed of its creation and execution, and Morgrem was still relatively weak physically… His strike didn't need to be that strong, though, as Gardevoir were not physically inclined Pokemon, and she was violently twisted backwards by the force.

  She still caught his follow-up Bite on a rapid Protect, quickly launching him away with a small Moonblast. He skidded across the floor briefly, and by that time my Pokemon had bowed her head, eyes closed. A moment later she opened them again, Calm Mind honing her already sharp mind into an even sharper blade.

  Then she focused.

  I had seen the Pokemon of these three girls do this before, so I knew they were capable of it, but even for those trainers given direct training, the temptation to simply… use 'stronger' Moves could make them forget. A foolish thing, and one that I hoped all three girls, not to mention their Pokemon, would remember after this demonstration.

  Because a barrage of weaker Moves could often be far, far more devastating than one large Move.

  Such as the barrage of Dazzling Gleam's that blasted towards Morgrem, each one very weak due to its rapid creation, but each still a Move.

  He managed to dodge many of them, and he managed to intercept many on his Protect before it broke. He even managed to coat his arms in two weaker Protects each after that, using them to partially deflect most of the energies. The tactic was obviously untested, but it showed brilliant tactical innovation from him.

  The barrage didn't stop, though, and with a yelled command from Leaf he once again launched himself with a Sucker Punch.

  This attack was stopped short, though, as the barrage concentrated on him, and he fell to the ground ten feet from my mostly-healthy Pokemon. A Pokemon who was gloating right now, curtsying to Leaf, but… let her. It was a cheap price to pay for her not being the annoying pain in my ass she normally was. I caught a stray -very rude- thought from her, and smiled.

  Then I turned the smile to Leaf and stretched my hand out as she approached.

  Luckily for me, Leaf was not a dragon, despite her dragons, and happily accepted my badge. She had come far closer to victory than her two sisters, honestly. It had paid off, of course, two Evolutions to show for it, but had she used Hazard and Grace instead of Noibat and Tinkatink, I would have lost… that had been another point in her favor. She valued their growth over her own potential disappointment in a loss.

  I was still smiling as Leaf turned to leave and join her family, and I kept smiling as I extended my mind towards her belt…

  They were good kids, and now I was really looking forward to their next gym…

  —

  Nova

  —

  I wasn't exactly sure why I was here. I mean, yes, I liked the three younger girls, considered them friends already, and I had enjoyed meeting their mother, then watching their Badge Battles…

  Why was I sitting at the outdoor section of The Jeweled View, on top of one of the tallest buildings in Saffron, though? Why was I awkwardly sitting next to Splash, Wiggles behind me on a steel-covered part of the deck? Why were we at a corner 'area', one with a great view of Saffron?

  Well, it was called the Jeweled View, and Saffron did look like it was filled with jewels from way up here… Most of them were the same color, but still!

  Most importantly, why was I still trying to find something on the menu that I could afford other than water?

  "Nova, dear, just order whatever you want. I'm not going to invite you to a restaurant and not pay for you, of course!" I briefly smiled at Ms. Greenwood before refocusing on the menu in my hands.

  Somehow she did not surprise me at all, her or her terrifying Pokemon. I mean, sure, she was… not plain, she was beautiful, but she didn't have the air of visible insanity that Erin did… or even Leaf, and from what I knew, her and Alex hadn't interacted all that much. She was still intense, though, if in a different way than her daughters. It didn't stop her motherly aura, of course… Not in the least.

  Even Splash had happily greeted her! He was always so surly with most people, human or Pokemon, but her? He liked her! Somehow!

  I mean, I did too, to be fair…

  "Erin, stop pouting, we got our Badges and get to leave Saffron!" Leaf was completely unbothered by receiving a badge, not winning it, but Erin wasn't taking it very well… Neither was Alex, but Alex's scowl wasn't nearly so large… or pout, as it were.

  "Leaf, just leave it. I get why I received it, because even the act of making myself receive it was a lesson, but… still!" She was still pouting, and I couldn't help myself. Terrifying little girl who could kill me in moments? Sure, also funny to watch her get messed with… or to mess with.

  "Don't feel bad, Erin! Learning lessons about losing is good for you! I beat you twice, didn't I?" We couldn't have a full battle, considering my two Pokemon, but still!

  She turned her pout on me, and it looked closer to a snarl now.

  "Sure you did! Want to fight Hecate next time?" I shook my head rapidly. No, no I did not! Hecate might be the 'cutest' of Erin's Pokemon, but she was also one of the more terrifying, if in a very different way than Leto… or Cerberus, really. I wasn't worried about Leto, not even as she loomed over our table, but Cerberus was… scary, even acting like a chair as he was now.

  Leaf's grandma broke in, voice a little weak… I didn't blame her, though. Our table was almost surrounded by Alpha's, fairies, dragons, Alpha dragons, an enormous dragonfly glaring at everything thanks to his compound eyes, and one giant ghostly anchor glaring at everyone preparing to enjoy their food as he worked to slowly mend what remained of his wheel.

  "So where are you girls going next?" I didn't miss how everyone froze or paused briefly at her words, all but the grandparents and me, of course.

  Erin looked conflicted as she spoke up, not to mention a little… Wow, a lot infuriated!

  "Well, Cinnabar sucks from what I can tell, and Viridian is worse, so we're going to head to Johto next." Okay, what the hell was that? Mr. Greenwood noticed, and spoke up quickly, attempting to get ahead of the temper I could almost see still growing.

  "Well, I guess you're starting in Goldenrod, then? Going to take the train in Viridian?" They were all shaking their heads though, and after a moment Ms. Greenwood stopped, looking embarrassed. Leaf noticed and laughed a little bit.

  "Nah, we're going to take a ferry, probably! We haven't really planned this part yet. We each have six badges, and there's still almost four months till the Conference starts! We…" She frowned, and after a moment the other two did as well. "Well, we need to train. Kind of badly, honestly…" I nodded at that.

  They had done better than I expected, but Sabrina, and Sixth Badge Battles in general, were not easy to beat. They would need to outright win their next Badges…

  Ms. Greenwood clapped her hands at that, face delighted.

  "Does that mean you can come for a visit?!" It was relatively common for trainers to do that, actually. I had visited home once during my first Circuit too, actually, before I headed to Johto… That hadn't gone well, of course…

  The three of them shared a long look, but it was easy to see what their answer would be as all three smiled. Leaf turned back to her mother and smiled wider, somehow.

  "Sure! We were going to try and meet Heather and them here, but they got stuck on Erika… Training doesn't really need to be at a certain place, either!" She looked at me next.

  "What are your plans, Nova?" I simply shrugged.

  "I don't really have any? I'm focused on Wiggles right now, so… nothing?" Even if Wiggles Evolved and had no issues tomorrow, I still only had two Pokemon, and I hadn't been trying to find more this Circuit… Although, if Wiggles kept improving…

  We fell back into companionable silence as our food finally arrived, and I tried not to think about how much this dish cost. It was easy, though, because it was delicious!

  —

  —

  I expected to see them off at the Pokemon Center, but I was once again surprised as Ms. Greenwood invited me to their huge room.

  It didn't take too long to figure out why, and it wasn't some scheme of Erin's. I had known her only a few days, but I could already tell that she enjoyed scheming…

  No, it was her mother who surprised me.

  "Would you like to come visit our Ranch, dear? You don't really have a direction you're heading in right now, correct?" She was serious? We had just met, though? I mean, I liked her, sure, but… She had a look in her eyes as well, one that I couldn't quite place…

  I looked at her blankly for a second before I caught the eyes of all three girls behind her. They were resigned, amused eyes, and Erin shrugged. After a moment's thought, so did I.

  "I mean, sure? I'm just taking care of Wiggles for now, so…" Wiggles had been a good bit… calmer so far, but it hadn't been long… I really didn't have any plans for this Circuit, I simply stayed near cities so I could make money for food. Battles, yeah, but also various small jobs posted at Pokemon Centers.

  Ms. Greenwood's smile grew wider, her parents watching fondly.

  "That's great! There's plenty of beds at my little visitors center, not to mention the couch… Although the Rattata line usually comes inside these mornings…" I smiled a little at her enthusiasm. Ms. Greenwood was pretty awesome, from what I could tell… maybe a bit crazy, too, but I think that was just Erin's influence… and Leaf's…

  —

  —

  I had assumed that we would be flying there the next morning, but it only took me a moment to see the issue with that.

  A Dragonite and Alpha Fearow could take the adults back, easily. Leaf's newly-Evolved Noivern could have flown her, in theory. In practice, he was kind of slow compared to them, and not used to his new size in the least.

  We stood there in confusion for a few moments before Leaf began laughing. She grinned and stifled her laughs at our intent looks.

  "Sorry, Grace was just telling me something. Sabrina said she knew this was going to happen, and offered her services as a Teleporter." There were some very confused faces on the grandparents, but Erin began to giggle as well.

  "Well, that's one way to do it… Dexter, can you shoot her a text, please?" Dexter flew out of her jacket and nodded before going still.

  I tried to get my thoughts in order, and under control, but I had barely begun before Sabrina was standing there, her Teleportation once again completely silent. I jerked a little, but the elder Greenwood's both jumped, hands on their chests, and I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of me.

  Sabrina looked around for a moment before her eyes locked with Ms. Greenwood's. For a moment they just stared at each other, at least from what I could tell, before Sabrina smiled. It looked a little tight on her face, but it was an open, easy smile.

  Thankfully the greetings only lasted a few moments before an Alakazam was there, floating in midair.

  We linked hands, and a moment later I was standing on a… hill? We were standing in a large, lovely gazebo that stood on a hill, a small pond in front of us with a small willow already beginning to lean over the water slightly.

  I turned and my breath caught briefly.

  I had expected many things when I heard about this Ranch, and I knew this was the ridiculous 'garden hill' I had heard about… I had heard about the large Barn, the rows of crops, the Grimer and Muk's stone hut along the long wall… I had heard about their private forest.

  I hadn't heard about the cloud of Koffing floating up here, nor the huge Gyarados floating on the surface of the gigantic pond down below!

  I managed not to react negatively, but it was hard. The Gyarados was just startling for an instant, sure, but even knowing that they couldn't Explode, a damn cloud of Koffing was instinctively terrifying, okay?!

  After another second I was able to really take in what I was seeing, and I grew delighted. I had always enjoyed growing things when I was younger, and still would if I wasn't an active, traveling trainer, and the sheer variety of different plants just on the small 'top' of this hill was astounding, various bushes, grasses, and flowers in neat sections, small stone pathways leading around the plethora of young fruit trees that ringed the top of this hill.

  I tore my gaze away from the horticulturalists dream I found myself in and saw the three girls almost as surprised as me! The comparatively huge Alpha Bellosom giggled at their looks, and mine too, probably, before chiming her flowers together.

  Ms. Greenwood laughed at the sight.

  "Petals has been very busy the past few weeks! We haven't really added anything recently, considering summer is over, but everything that could handle our winters, and that we could buy in Viridian, has been added!" Yeah, I bet the garden stores in Viridian were wiped out! What?!

  She turned back to me with a warm smile, indicating the expanse before us, her house just close enough I could see into the alcove on it, and the two intimidating Skarmory staring at us.

  "Welcome to our Ranch, Nova!"

  Everyone jumped a little at the Skarmory's 'welcome home' screeches…

  reputation with who it hires, and I might not even be the worst candidate!