“With less than 24 hours to go until the start of the Gym Challenge, let's have a look at some of our contenders.”

  Chloe lay on her bed in the Pokecenter, Mimi and Mochi cuddled around her, watching the TV. On the screen, a pair of well dressed former Trainers were sitting behind a large desk, conversing about all the various details of the upcoming Gym Challenge.

  Chloe hadn't really considered the idea that she might end up on TV, but watching the panel show hosts drone on and on about the various gym leaders and rules changes, she was beginning to understand exactly how large scale this whole thing was. There was an entire damn channel dedicated to it, after all.

  “The exciting thing about the Challenge is that we have no idea what to expect,” one of the hosts, a man with disturbingly white teeth, was saying. “Every single competitor is a rookie, which makes it impossible to predict.”

  “Not impossible,” argued his co-host, a woman who was wearing the ugliest shoes Chloe had ever seen. Someone needed to fire their wardrobe manager, she mused.

  “Fortunately for us, we do have a decent amount of information on some of the trainers, thanks to the Ace program,” the woman continued.

  “True enough,” the man agreed, “while the information isn't complete, and we won't know what to expect until we see a few gym battles, there are a few stand out names.”

  “That's right Cliff, names like Marcus Reed, the brother of last year's Indigo League winner come to mind,” the woman said, and Chloe let the information fade into the background.

  She was excited. Extremely excited. Tomorrow the Gym Challenge would begin. She had her outfit carefully laid out, her gear ready, and her Pokemon groomed to perfection. The only thing she didn't have was a plan. All she knew was that she needed to get eight badges.

  She was considering Oreburgh first. Roark was supposed to be beginner friendly, and as a Rock type trainer, it should be a good match up for Mimi. After that… she wasn't sure. She had a map open on her phone, and was currently searching the forums for advice on what route to take. Naturally, everyone seemed to disagree, and every discussion quickly turned into personal attacks on the other parties. It was rather frustrating.

  “Then there's Fiona Abernathy,” the man on the TV said, drawing Chloe's attention.

  “Miss Abernathy, youngest daughter of the family that has spawned no fewer than four former champions will be making her debut in the Challenge,” he continued, and Chloe listened with interest.

  She had spent the last few days training, shopping and getting used to being in Sinnoh, and her new friend, Fiona, was a big part of that. Neither of them were familiar with Jubilife, and found themselves exploring the city together, when they weren't training, of course.

  Fiona's Ponyta, Star, was just as amazingly adorable as Chloe had hoped, and Fiona had been taken with Mimi. All four of the Pokemon had gotten along rather well, when Thistle and Mochi weren't trying to battle each other, of course.

  A knock at the door caught Chloe by surprise, and she opened it to find the girl in question.

  “Fiona!” Chloe said, ushering her friend into the room, “What's up?”

  Fiona took in the program on the TV, wincing a little as she saw that she was being discussed, then grabbed the remote to turn it off.

  “Hey,” she said, turning to Chloe, “What's your plan for tomorrow?”

  Chloe shrugged, “I was thinking Oreburgh.”

  Fiona nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense for you.”

  “What about you?” Chloe asked, and Fiona looked suddenly bashful.

  “I, well I had an idea,” Fiona said, opening up a map on her phone.

  “I was thinking of heading to Eterna first,” she said, pointing, “then going up to Snowpoint.”

  Chloe frowned. “Why’s that?” she asked.

  “Well,” Fiona explained, “Better match up, for one. Byron and Roark are both pretty rough for me right now. Also, this means I can beat the queues. Byron and Roark will be crowded, even with Ace privileges. Gardenia will be mostly free for the first few weeks. And heading to Snowpoint early means getting there while the weather is good.”

  Chloe nodded, it made sense. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, she was kind of hoping that Fiona would also be going to Oreburgh. It would have been nice to have a friend.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “So, I was wondering,” Fiona said, uncharacteristically awkward, “Do you want to come with me?”

  Chloe blinked.

  “Sure,” she said.

  “I know it's… wait, you will?” Fiona said, interrupting herself.

  Chloe shrugged, “The plan sounds good, besides, I’d rather have a friend. And this way I get to snuggle Star more.”

  Chloe bounced down the stairs the next morning, bright eyed, bag packed, ready to go. She had debated for some time over what she would wear, of course. Being properly dressed was the most important first step on a journey. She had settled on a cute but practical sun dress and a pair of hiking boots. Fiona was already up and waiting for her, clad in the same attire she had on when they first met. It made sense, even with their fancy bags they were limited in what they could carry. Pokeball technology had led to some wondrous creations, including the ability for Chloe to haul around half her wardrobe, but compromises still had to be made.

  “Morning Princess,” Fiona greeted as Chloe approached.

  Chloe blushed, “I’m not a Princess,” she protested.

  Fiona snorted, “Sure, that's why you have two fairy types and are twenty minutes late, probably because you were doing your hair.”

  “I wasn't doing my hair!” Chloe replied, “I was choosing an outfit.”

  Fiona snorted, “I think my point stands. Now come on, we have hiking to do.”

  Fiona led the way, the girls heading towards Route 204 and Floaroma Town. It would be a two day hike to get there, and Chloe was not looking forward to it. Not the walking, though the entire route was uphill, which sucked. No, she was not looking forward to the Ravaged Path. Chloe had never been underground before, and the idea of getting lost in the dark, being swarmed by Zubat was not a fun one. But, she had Mimi to protect her. And Fiona, she supposed, the other girl was definitely capable. Which reminded Chloe, she had a question to ask.

  “So you’re like, some sort of big deal, right?” Chloe asked as they left Jubilife, heading north, “They were talking about you on the TV.”

  Fiona sighed, “Me? No. But my family is. My Dad’s a former Champion, my Mum is a contest star, my Uncle is the current Champion and my brothers are both on the circuit.”

  Chloe whistled, “That's impressive.”

  Fiona shrugged, “People like to pretend that it means something. Really, it just means that people expect things from me.”

  Chloe nodded, “Still, it can't be all bad. They gave you Star, after all.”

  Fiona snorted in response, “I wanted a Houndour. But nooo, Mum said that’s not lady like and gave me Star instead. I’ve seen the dresses Mum wears on stage, nothing lady-like about that hussy.”

  Chloe blinked. It sounded like Fiona had… issues with her parents. Which really wasn't something Chloe could relate to. Well, at least on the Mother side of things, Chloe had never even met her Dad. She decided to change the topic.

  “So how did you become an Ace?” she asked, “Your uncle?”

  “Nah, fuck that,” Fiona said, “I earned my spot. Top of the class at the Trainer School. You?”

  “Open Qualifiers,” Chloe replied, “I still can't believe I won.”

  Fiona laughed, “I’m not, I saw your Mawile. She looks strong.”

  Fiona paused, stopping in place “Speaking of, we should probably let out some Pokemon. We're entering the Route proper here.”

  Chloe blinked, looking around. They were too. She examined the area with interest. Ahead she could barely make out the cliffs that marked the entrance to the Ravaged Path. Sinnoh was so different to Kalos, it was amazing.

  Both girls released a Pokemon. They then immediately had to stop them from fighting. Thistle, the Rufflet, naturally wanted to battle anything that moved, and Chloe’s battle obsessed Jigglypuff was up for any scrap.

  Still, both Pokemon were obedient, if pouting, and they were soon on their way, enjoying the weather and the simple pleasure of being on the move.

  They passed other trainers. Not many, but some. They were mostly training in the grass around the route, though some were headed the same way that they were. There were even a handful coming back the other way. Still, it appeared as if Fiona’s predictions had been right. Eterna was definitely the less popular destination at this stage.

  The walk was peaceful and relaxing, though Thistle did have to chase away the odd Starly. Overall, they made good time, and soon found themselves approaching the base of the cliffs, and the dark hole that was the Ravaged Path.

  Chloe felt a little bit of apprehension as they approached. It was… so dark. What if she got separated and lost? She had a terrible sense of direction, and her phone wouldn't work in there. She quietly stressed as she walked.

  Fiona, of course, noticed her discomfort.

  “What's wrong Princess, scared of the dark?” she teased.

  Chloe shook her head, “No, of getting lost.”

  Fiona nodded in response. “Don't worry, the path is marked. Besides, it's not very deep, even if you do make a wrong turn you’ll be basically within earshot of the path.”

  Chloe looked at her with surprise, “You’ve been here before?”

  Fiona waggled her phone at her, “I read, dummy. Did you not look up the route beforehand?”

  Chloe flushed, “I started to, but I got distracted by Floaroma Meadow. It's so pretty! We have to visit.”

  Fiona rolled her eyes, “Of course you did,” she replied.

  Then, she added “And of course we will. Now come on, let's get moving or we’ll be stuck in there overnight, or do you need me to hold your hand?”

  The Ravaged Path was nowhere near as bad as Chloe had feared. Partly because of the clear path markers, in the form of gently glowing fluorescent paint marks on the cave walls, and partly because of Mimi.

  The little Mawile had been ecstatic to be underground, reminding Chloe that was where her species usually lived. It was impossible to be frightened when her little Princess was so adorably happy. Besides, Mimi’s intimidate kept the Zubat away, which was a huge plus. All in all, it wasn't awful. Not exactly pleasant, but not awful. Which was probably a good thing considering that they had like, three trips through Mount Coronet on their route. She was sure about spending a literal week underground, but she’d worry about that when it came up.

  Instead all she had to worry about was not tripping on the occasional patch of rough ground.

  Of course, Chloe beginning to relax meant that the scream from up ahead just startled her even more when it came echoing down the cave.

  The girls paused, exchanging a look.

  “That sounded like a girl,” Chloe said, trying to peer into the darkness ahead.

  “Definitely sounded human,” Fiona agreed.

  “Do you think someone is in trouble? Are we in trouble?” Chloe fretted, but Fiona shook her head.

  “Probably just someone getting spooked by a Zubat. But we better go check, just in case.” Fiona replied, before hesitating.

  She grimaced, “Star is going to hate me for releasing him in a cave, but we might need him here.”

  She released her Ponyta, who appeared, a grumpy expression on his face as his hooves came into contact with the rough stone beneath them.

  “Sorry bud,” Fiona said, patting Star gently, “Sounds like there might be a little bit of trouble.” Star shook his mane grumpily. Which only caused little sparkles of rainbow light to scatter into the air. Chloe suppressed a squeal. She was so damn jealous of that Ponyta.

  “Come on,” Fiona said, turning to Chloe, “Let's go have a look.”

  Chloe nodded, and the two moved forward to find the source of the scream.

  Chloe just hoped that it was nothing.