Rustboro! City of science and nature, intertwined! Where people walk and talk about the newest technological advancements among innumerable parks and fountains!

Rustboro! Home of research and business! Where even the tallest of buildings were dwarfed by the twin golden skyscrapers of the Devon Corporation!

Rustboro! The first stop of many would-be Pokemon Masters! Home to the illustrious Rock-type Pokemon Gym commanded by the city’s own Roxanne!

It was to the outskirts of this grand metropolis that our determined duo had finally arrived.

They would have made it a lot farther had Astra not immediately been sidetracked by a gardening shop on the way in. The walls were covered end to end with blooming flowers of all colors and shapes, bouquets and flower pots laying neatly in display racks across the floor. A sweet aroma filled the air.

“Oh wow.” Astra said, staring at the large purple-pink berry in her hands. She had seen a tree just outside with an unfamiliar fruit on its branches and had rushed to investigate. “What did you say this type was? A Pecha?”

“That’s right.” The proprietor of the Pretty Petal Flower Shop confirmed with a smile. She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and was proving to be very knowledgable. “They’re very sweet and tender; they tend to bruise easily if mishandled, that is. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and they even have mild antidotal properties.”

“Antidotal? They can cure poison!?” Astra exclaimed, staring at the fruit with newfound awe. She had to get a packet of seeds for these. A cure for poison that didn’t involve moss? What a find!

“Not all of them,” The botanist said, gently. “And not completely. You should still see a doctor if you fall ill. But for most poisons created by Pokemon this berry is sufficient to cleanse the worst of the effects remarkably quickly.”

“Astounding.” May said. She was leaning against the wall near the door, staring at the ceiling through lidded eyes. She had been less than enthused with Astra’s priority shift. “Just fascinating, really. Certainly the best use of my time today. Yep. Indeed.”

Astra winced as the shopkeeper frowned at her friend. “Don’t mind May,” She said with an embarrassed grin. “I sort of dragged her in without warning.”

“Did you really have to do this now?” May questioned, waving to indicate the store. “We just got here! Shouldn’t we be looking for a decent hotel first?”

“We’ll find one before noon!” Astra promised. “Just a little longer, though? Please?”

May grumbled, but relented with a sigh. “Yeah, whatever. I’ll be waiting outside. Have fun with your plants, damn berry maniac.” She muttered, the door shutting behind her with a click.

Astra turned back to the shopkeeper, smiling. “Sorry about that. Still, this is a really useful berry! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it.” She paused as a thought struck her. “...How many types of berries are there, exactly?”

The shopkeepers face lit up. “Oh my, I’m not very sure myself. There are so many exotic types, and more are discovered every year. I only know the eight local varieties, but I believe there are over forty.”

Astra felt faint, and slightly giddy. “Forty types?” she whispered, eyes wide. A whole world of undiscovered recipes opened in the distance. “What else do you have here? Do you have seeds?” she asked, a manic glint in her eye.

They talked for a little longer and Astra ended up buying one packet of seeds of every type she had. Her Grandpa was going to have conniptions when she showed these to him. She wondered what they tasted like.

“Well, I certainly haven’t seen this type of enthusiasm for gardening in someone as young as you in quite a while! It’s downright refreshing.” The shopkeeper smiled as she put the tiny bags inside a larger one. “I can see that you’re a pokemon trainer as well. As thanks for your patronage, would you like a free TM?“

Astra tilted her head. “Uh,” she said, hesitating. “What is a TM?”

“Oh, it’s this little doohickey here,” the shopkeeper explained, retrieving a small metallic disc from under the counter. “They’re little discs that contain lessons on a specific type of maneuver that pokemon can learn! Feel free to take it; this one contains the Grass-type move ‘Bullet Seed’, which lets your pokemon fire off seeds! Pew pew pew!” She made a strange motion with her hands in time with her words, pointing with her thumb raised and jerking the hand back.

Astra was a little confused by the shopkeeper’s gesture, but the strange disc demanded her attention. It could teach her pokemon a new move? She took the disc gingerly, examining it. Her face stared back at her from the reflective yellow surface. How could something like this teach anyone anything? She hesitated.

“How does it work?”

“Oh you just take the ball with your pokemon and scan the thing. Easy peasy!”

Grass type, she said? So Treecko might be able to learn it. Pulling out his pokeball, she pointed it at the TM. Red light shone out and flickered across the disc. To Astra’s surprise the disc began to degrade rapidly, the luster fading from its surface as chips and cracks ran rampant.

“Uhhhhh!” Astra looked at the shopkeeper in panic, but she didn’t look worried. Was this normal? After a few more seconds the light vanished, Treecko’s pokeball softly chiming. The ruined disc sat in Astra’s hand, dull and empty.

She stared. Was it over? She looked around uncertainly. “Um?”

“You can just throw it in the recycling, dear.”

Astra tossed it in the bin. “So that’s supposed to happen?” she asked, curious. “Why did it fall apart?”

“My specialty is plants; I got no clue about computer whatsits.” The shopkeeper shrugged, then glared at the recycle bin. “I wish those darn things weren’t single use. I hope they fix that little issue; a lot of plastic is going straight to the dump ‘cause of that.” She shook her head and smiled, handing Astra her purchases. “Will you be needing anything else?”

She didn’t, so she bid the shopkeeper farewell and left. Outside, May was leaning on the wall next to the door.

“Finally!” she said, pushing off the wall. They took off down the road. “I took a look around while you were fondling your berries. Some idiot left a couple pokeballs and a super potion in the grass behind the store.”

Astra glanced at May, bewildered. “Who would just leave something behind like that?”

“Fuck if I know. Doesn’t matter; their loss, our gain.” Fumbling around in her pack, May took out a couple pokeballs and a pink spray bottle. “Here,” she said, tossing them to Astra.

A memory surged: a Zigzagoon and a young boy, May behind, a red and white sphere hurtling at her head. Astra yelped and jumped away, the Pokeballs sailing into the bushes behind her. She stared at them, heart pounding like a drum.

“Wow.” May said, eyebrows raised. “Jumpy much? What was that about?”

“Ahehe...” Astra scratched her head and looked away, embarrassed. The balls hadn’t even been activated; there had been nothing to worry about! She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself as she picked them up. “Sorry. You... you surprised me a little, that’s all.”

“Really? I thought I was pretty noticeable there, what with the slow-ass lob and verbal warning.”

“I- I guess.” Astra picked up the potion last, examining the pink bottle for a moment. So these were souped up versions of potions? Considering how well lesser potions already treated injuries, she hoped she never needed to use it. “Just... please don’t throw things at me.” Especially pokeballs, she added silently.

“Alright?” May eyed her friend uncertainty. “If you say so.”

“Thanks.”

They walked to the hotel in silence, May shooting Astra narrow-eyed glances the whole way.

After an unexpectedly long stay in their hotel room, they were finally headed to the gym. The rocky building loomed in the distance. The sight left a pool of anxiety sitting in Astra’s stomach like a fetid bog. Roxanne would be inside, she knew.

A prickle of fear snaked through her mind. Would she even be able to fight her? What if she rejected her like Norman had? And even if not, what would she do if she lost? Would she be able to challenge it again, or would she have to return home in failure and await the end with the others?

“Seriously, we have got to get you some new clothes.” May grumbled, interrupting Astra’s musing. She was looking across the street at a clothing store. A number of headless figures were behind the front window, all wearing brightly colored dresses in various poses.

Astra stared at them for a moment, comparing them to her cloak with a frown. Was there something wrong with it? It wasn’t like she would object to new clothes; the ones in the window looked very pretty! But the vehemence in May’s voice wasn’t really warranted, was it?

“Why?” she asked, curious.

May gave her a flat look. “Seriously? We had to sit around for an hour just so your whatever-the-fuck could go through the wash!”

Astra blinked. “Ah.”

“Yes, ‘Ah’.” May sighed. “You know, regular people have more than one outfit. Even I have a few changes in my bag. Do you really only have that... that?” She waved at Astra’s ensemble.

“It’s a cloak,” Astra insisted, not for the first time, “And it works perfectly fine, thank you! Also, well... yes.” she admitted. Clothing had never been a thing in the village after all. Their coats did just fine against all but the most inclement weather. The winter snows were the only outlier, but they had their own ways to deal with that. That they had the one cloth roll was lucky enough; had Astra walked into Petalburg or even Birch’s lab covered head to toe in woven grass, she had no doubt the jig would have been up before she could say a word.

“Really?” May asked, squinting. “Nothing else?”

Astra paused a moment. Ah, right. Regular people. “Well, nothing else I had was anything like my cloak,” she said, fiddling with the edges of her sleeves. “I needed to cover everything I could; back home I never needed to worry about, y’know, staying outside for the entire day, and stuff. This is all I could get.”

A flash of realization. “Right, your, uh. Thing.” May said, scratching her head and looking away awkwardly. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” she muttered.

A sour feeling made Astra turn her head away as well. She wasn’t fond of this particular excuse, but what choice did she have?

“Still,” May mused, “Couldn’t that grandpa of yours just get something new from a store?”

The image of her Grandfather unabashedly waltzing into a human shop and attempting to haggle for a supremely ugly dress with jam jars came unbidden to Astra’s mind. A horrid wheezing noise escaped her, a half strangled combination of a sob and helpless laughter.

“N-no,” she choked out. “Just- no. Horrible idea; I’d never let him do that, even if he could.”

“Let me guess, he’s the type that get some big poofy monstrosity, right? Hah! I’d pay good money to see that.” May chuckled, but a puzzled expression crossed her face soon after. “Wait, even if he could...?” she repeated, befuddled. “Why wouldn’t he-”

“Oh look we’re here!” Astra blurted out, rushing ahead. Drat, drat, drat! She really needed to watch her words more carefully. Now she’d have to come up with an explanation for that if May got too curious. Yet again, maintaining a cover was proving much harder than she expected.

“Race you!” she called behind her, picking up speed.

“Wh- oh you dirty little-!” May screamed incoherently behind her, racing to keep up.

The rocky edifice of the Rustboro Gym grew ever larger as they drew near, a massive building that seemed to be entirely coated in stone. The entrance was a wall of pale blue columns, and two doors the color of rust marked the entrance. Yanking the doors open, Astra slipped inside moments before May caught up. “I win!” she cheered, thrusting her arms in the air.

A hand forcefully shoved her head down, halting her celebration. “Congratulations, you’ve won a free noogie!” May said cheerfully. She raised a fist in Astra’s face and the psychic gulped at the sight. “Would you like to redeem your prize now or now?”

“Wah!” Astra yelped, slipping down and wresting herself free from May’s deadly grasp. She danced away, laughing. “How does never sound?” she taunted, sticking her tongue out.

“Now it is!” May exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. “Come here you fuckin’ cheater—oh wow.” May paused, looking past Astra. Following her gaze, Astra echoed May’s sentiment wholeheartedly.

The Rustboro Gym was completely unlike Petalburg’s. Whereas the latter was a center for practice and athletic training alone, the former’s entire front entrance appeared to double as a museum. Across the entire area stood a dozen glass cases containing oddly shaped stones, fossils, and other relics. The floor was sparsely inhabited; a lone, bored secretary inhabited the desk at the back wall while a trio of elderly people discussed something in small murmurs in the corner. However, it was not any of them that had caught their attention.

The empty shell of some unknown ancient pokemon stood propped up in the center. Though dulled by age, its sky-blue chitin plating still gleamed under the shining lights. Both of its enormous single digit claws were raised, the skeleton posed as if it were about to attack. Abandoning her pursuit, May walked up to the display with wide eyes, Astra following suit. They examined the display, slowly circling around to see it from every angle.

“It’s funny,“ May mused, “I’ve seen stuff like this on TV or online a few times, but seeing it in person is something else. Didn’t expect to see one in a gym of all places, though.”

“Well, Brendan mentioned Roxanne likes archaeology. Maybe that’s why?” Astra suggested. She frowned. “It’s a shame they’re missing some bits, though.”

May paused. “What do you mean?”

“Well all the feathers on the neck are absent, the tail is completely gone,” Astra circled back around, briefly scanning over an informational plaque. “And... I think they’ve confused the eye holes for ears?”

May peered over her shoulder, reading the plaque herself and muttering as she went. “Armaldo... one of the most complete skeletons ever discovered... theorised to use echolocation? It doesn’t say anything about what you said.” She raised an eyebrow. “You trying to pull my leg?”

“What? No, I’m telling the truth!” Astra insisted. “Why would I lie about that?”

“Fuck if I know, but you’ve literally been living under a rock. How the hell would you know anything about them?”

“Well it’s because I’ve seen one, obviously!”

May looked back at the plaque. “Astra, these things have been extinct for thousands of years.”

Astra stilled. “... Extinct?”

“They’re all dead. What, did you have one of these bastards hidden back home or something?”

“I- no?” Astra looked back at the statue. She could visualize what it looked like clear as day. Red and white feathers adorning its neck, a long, powerful tail with two spikes on the end, the two cavities extending off its head no longer empty, but filled with one eye each. They were all dead? “No, I’ve- I’ve seen it before, but...?”

But where? She stared at the thing, a faint ache spreading through her head as she tried to remember. There had never been one of these Armaldos in the village. There had never been any stories. She hadn’t encountered a single one on her journey either. But she clearly remembered seeing this creature, seeing its gigantic claws swinging towards... what? That had never happened. She’d never seen this thing before in her life.

“I- I don’t...”

But she had.

But she hadn’t.

Memories flickered in her head like crackling thunder, jumbled and incoherent. A spike of pain erupted from behind her eyes. She stumbled forward as the world seemed to spin around her, reaching out to clutch at one of the rope poles.

“Ah!?” she heard May say, distantly.

A pair of hands helped to steady her, leaving her free to clutch one hand against her head. What was happening? How did she know this creature? Where did these half formed memories come from? She grit her teeth. Was this the work of that same entity who had forced literacy upon her without notice or permission?

“Dude, are you okay?”

“I’m... just dizzy.” Astra ground out, focusing on stymying the tempest in her head. But the more she fought, the larger the storm grew. Incomprehensible visions of people and places she had always—never known flashed by, faster and faster without reason or purpose—

“Dizzy? Uh... here, drink some water.”

Her concentration broke as a bottle found its way to her hand. She stared at it for a half second as the onslaught stilled. Then she drank, deeply and without pause; every bit of concentration she possessed abruptly switching to downing as much water as she could. Miraculously, the pain seemed to lessen as she did so. She emptied the bottle and gasped for breath, blinking as the world swam back into focus.The memories, foreign but familiar all the same, vanished like the morning fog.

May was half-crouching beside her, watching with uncertainty and concern. “You good?” she asked, eyes flicking across her face.

Astra looked back at the water bottle. “I think so,” she said, handing it back. What just happened? Why did the water fix it? Was it the water at all? She looked up at the Armaldo, and now there was no familiarity at all. Though she still knew what it was ‘supposed’ to look like, whatever had seen fit to give her that knowledge had vanished without a trace.

“You sure?” May asked. “We can always come back later-”

“No!” Astra protested. Even with all the strange happenings, her goal was right here, delaying it any longer would be unacceptable. She would have time to freak out later. “Sorry. No, I’m- I’m fine. It was just... vertigo, or something.” she explained, lamely.

May raised an eyebrow. “Vertigo?”

Astra shrugged. May eyed her friend for a moment longer, but sighed. “You’re weird, you know that?” she muttered, poking Astra on the forehead.

“Wh- hey!” she yelped, brushing her hand away. “I’m not weird!” she said, pouting.

“You’re totally a tiny little weirdo. Seriosuly, it’s like we can’t go ten minutes without you doing something absolutely fuckin’ bizzare.” Disregarding all of Astra’s varied protests, May straightened back up and cast a glance at the Armaldo skeleton. “Like that stuff about ol’ shelly boy over here. What was all that about?”

Astra just shrugged again. “I don’t know. I guess...” She looked at the creature again, pensive. “I guess I was just remembering something wrong.”

May snorted. “Well, next time you ‘remember something wrong’ try not to pass the hell out, would you?”

Astra paused, then shook her head and grinned. “Oh, but how could I resist?” She moaned dramatically, resting the back of her hand on her forehead. “The sweet siren call of fainting, it beckons me.”

“Wh- is this really happening right now?” May asked, looking pained. “Please don’t.”

“The eternal bliss of oblivion sings my name; I must heed its command!”

“Refrain.”

“Alas, the void is rushing to meet me. Farewell!” She let out an exaggerated gasp and fell onto May, who caught her with an exasperated grunt.

“This is a brand new level of completely fucking ridiculous,” May complained, awkwardly shifting around the sudden onslaught of dead weight. “Congratulations, you’ve ascended to the vaunted position of ‘Sack of Potatoes’. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

Astra continued to earn her new title in May’s arms. “Blergh,” she added.

“Is it time to cash in on that noogie?” May wondered, her grip tightening. “I think it’s time to cash in on that noogie.”

“Ah?” Astras eyes shot wide open, filled with horror. She jerked upright, struggling to free herself from her tormentor’s iron clutches. “Noooo!”

“Too late, punk!” May crowed, holding tight despite her captives wriggling. One hand raised in preparation to deliver a truly righteous bullying. “Your scalp is mine!”

“Ahem.”

Both trainers froze in place. They knew that tone, one only someone who regularly dealt with unruly children could produce: livid, cold, and disappointed. Slowly turning to face the source of the voice, the two of them winced upon seeing the speaker’s face.

The woman stood only a few paces away, sharp red eyes staring at them with clear disapproval. Her brown hair was held back in a pair of twintails that circled her petite frame, locked in place by a spiked, fan-shaped piece of red cloth. She wore a dark blue dress with a skirt that barely reached halfway down her thighs, accompanied by light red leggings.

“Are you quite done?” she asked, tapping her foot. The sound echoed in the silence of the hall, each reverberation somehow magnifying the intensity of her rebuke. May and Astra sprang away from each other as though repelled.

“Ah,” May began, holding both hands up as if to ward away the oncoming lecture. “We were just-”

“Fooling around right next to an ancient and irreplaceable historical artifact?” the woman cut in, glare intensifying. “Yes, I could see. I do not appreciate people roughhousing in my museum when there is an entire other half of the building specifically built for that purpose!”

“S-sorry!” Astra stammered out. She shivered as the woman focused on her, the sheer force of her disapproval pressing down on them like a mountain. “We won’t do it again!”

The woman stared down at them for a moment longer. “See that you don’t,” she said, sighing. The pressure dissipated, both trainers letting out a sigh of relief at its absence. “Hm. I don’t think I’ve seen you two around here before, right?” she asked. At their hesitant nods, her face lit up. “Oh, wonderful! Have you been enjoying the exhibit? I’ve managed to get this skeleton on loan and it’s really rather wonderful, don’t you think?” She motioned to the Armaldo behind them, smiling brilliantly.

Astra was a little bewildered at how abruptly her mood shifted. “Oh, um. Yes? The Armaldo is really nice. We hadn’t gotten around to looking at anything else, though,” she said, uncertainly.

The woman nodded. “Feel free to take your time. I’ve always found ancient life fascinating, and sharing it with others is a passion of mine, alongside teaching and my usual duties.”

“Wait, back up a second,” May said, eyeing their new conversation partner. “Your museum? There’s only one person who can say something like that.” She took a step forward, grinning. “You’re Roxanne, aren’t you?”

The woman continued to smile, a glint of amusement dancing in her eyes. “Ah, you did not know? You would be correct; I am Roxanne, leader of the Rustboro City Gym. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She curtsied, inclining her head in acknowledgement. “I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. Now then, who might you two be?”

Astra boggled at May’s words. This was Roxanne? She faltered, words dying before they were formed and memories of the last time she had been to a gym resurfacing. Was success possible here? She had already made a fool of herself moments ago; would her challenge even be acknowledged?

Abruptly, Astra bit down on her cheek, the faint taste of copper flowing over her tongue. Thinking about how she could crash and burn would do nothing. So what if everything could fail again? If she didn’t even try, then what was the point of coming all this way?

“My name is Astra!” she said, determination flashing in her eyes. “I want to be the Champion, so I’ve come here to challenge you for your badge!”

May jerked a thumb at herself, still grinning in anticipation. “Name’s May, and I’ll be taking one of those too!”

“Mmm,” Roxanne said, a small smile flitting across her face. “As I thought. Well then, far be it from me to turn down a battle, but it is traditional for a challenger to face off against several of the trainers in the Gym first. Do you wish to—”

“Hell no!” May scowled, waving away the very thought. “You think I came all this way to face small timers? I’m ready to go here and now!”

“Is that so?” Astra winced at Roxanne’s words, half expecting her to lecture them again. But, surprisingly, she seemed entertained by her boast. “Not taking the opportunity to learn from those under me... I wonder, will that impatience be your downfall? Or will a trial by fire be what you need to excel in this world? I look forward to finding out!” The smile she wore didn’t quite reach her eyes. She turned away, leaving Astra with a sense of dread. What had her friend brought on her head? “May, Astra, follow me if you would.”

The two trainers followed the Gym leader past the front desk, pushing through a massive set of double doors at the far end of the exhibit. A cavernous expanse painstakingly moulded out of stone opened up before them, the sounds of people and pokemon echoing across the chamber. A large section was marked out for a few pokemon arenas, the rest dedicated to various mostly rock-themed practice zones.

Astra watched as a man and what appeared to be a sentient boulder climbed up a sheer cliff face at astounding speeds. That looked kind of fun, actually. She wondered if she could try that later. Though the shape of her hands weren’t that conducive to grabbing onto the handholds. And her robe would hamper her even further. And she didn’t really have any feet to speak of.

Saddened, she mentally shelved that idea.

“If I might inquire,” Roxanne said, breaking Astra out of her funk. “How many badges do the two of you possess?”

“We don’t have any yet,” Astra said. She hesitated for a moment. “I tried to get one from Petalburg, but the leader there didn’t want to fight me.”

“Same here. Dad’s a dick, news at 11,” May muttered sourly.

Roxanne paused. “You’re Norman’s daughter?”

“Yeah?” May scowled at the gym leader, folding her arms. “What about it?”

“Hm. Nothing in particular. It is just always a little odd to meet a co-worker’s child. The last time it happened, they were replacing their parent. You even remind me of her, in a way. The world truly is smaller than one thinks, is it not?” Roxanne turned a piercing eye on May. “Though I hope you do not expect me to go easy on you because of it.”

“You better not!”

Roxanne smiled. “Good, because I fully intend to push both of you to your limits.”

Before Astra had any time to worry about that little comment, they had come to a stop.

“And here we are.”

The arena Roxanne had led them to didn’t look much different from the others in the gym, the painted lines and rocky flooring same as any other, if slightly bigger. What Astra did notice were the multitude of cameras set up at the edges, alongside a massive series of ascending benches on either side. A multitude of workers were sweeping the stands and wiping down the seats.

Roxanne held a hand up to her mouth and whistled, long and sharp. “Alright everyone, we have a pair of challengers!” she called. She pointed at a specific pair of workers. “You two, set up the cameras and lights! The rest of you prepare your materials! Chop chop!” she finished, clapping her hands for effect.

“Yes Ma’am!” they chorused, rushing off to their tasks. A few of them sped by the trio as they left. “Good luck!” “You’ll need it!” “Give us a good show, will ya?” “Do your best!” A chorus of voices sounded, each calling out encouragement as they passed.

“They seem excited,” Astra said, watching as they scurried about. Were they all going to watch? The last time she had stepped in front of a crowd was back during the pre-party speech in the village. Even if it had been magnitudes larger, it had only lasted a short time, her grandfather had taken the majority of the spotlight, and she wasn’t trying to hide. This time, all eyes would be on her. It was a bit nerve wracking, to be honest. Any mistake she made would be out in the open for anybody to see. She fiddled with her sleeves, anxiety rolling in like a bank of fog.

A hand landed on her shoulder. “That’s cause we’re gonna give one hell of a performance, right?” May said, grinning.

Astra stared at her for a moment before exhaling, feeling some of the tension drain. “Yeah, they won’t know what hit them!” she said, grinning right back.

“I’m glad you two are so invigorated,” Roxanne said, returning from directing her underlings. “I hope you don’t mind, but I record most of the challengers who fight me. I use the tapes for educational purposes at the Pokemon Trainer School.”

May shrugged. “Do what you want.”

“Pokemon Trainer School?” Astra asked.

“Why yes! Have you never heard of it? It’s a famous institute in Rustboro that helps students learn how to work with Pokemon!” The brunette closed her eyes, sighing in remembrance. “I remember my days there fondly. I became the Gym Leader after I graduated, but I still make time to go back and teach a class myself now and then. And as you can see,” Roxanne motioned to the others scurrying about, “I even let some of the students intern in the gym itself. They help me with various odd jobs, and get real world experience with Pokemon and battling in general.”

“Oh, that sounds really nice!” Astra looked at the interns, slightly jealous. “I wish I had something like that; I’ve had to figure everything out from scratch.”

“Well if you plan to stay in Rustboro, I can see about letting you attend a few of my classes,“ Roxanne offered. “It would be no trouble at all, I’m certain you could pick up a lot from the experience!”

Astra thought about it. The offer was tempting, if she had to be honest. Having any sort of insight as to how all of this was ‘supposed’ to be done would be helpful. But she had no idea how much time a class took. Would it only be a few hours? Days? How much benefit could it give her in the first place?

She was still weighing her choices when a thought struck her. She had to become the champion quickly, yes, but how fast was May planning on going? She glanced at her friend. “How long did you book the room for?”

May looked like she had bit a lemon. “You’re really going to- no, no, of course you would,” she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve got it for a week. I dunno when Brendan is gonna get here so I thought we’d check out the city for a while. See the sights, pick a couple fights, the works! Might’ve been fun!” She slumped as though someone told her that a holiday had been cancelled. “And yet here we are. Talking about going to school.”

“A whole week!?” Astra exclaimed, wide eyed. That was way too much time; she had been expecting maybe two or three days at maximum!

“Yeah?” May looked back up, eyebrow raised. “What’s the problem?”

Belatedly, Astra realized that she had only actually told Brendan about her timetable. Her hand impacted her face with a dull slap, accompanied by an exasperated groan. “I’ll tell you later,” she said, waving off May’s confused look. She turned back to Roxanne. “As it so happens, we seem to be staying longer than I thought!” she chirped, and if her tone was more forced than usual, well, she didn’t let it show. “I’d love to come by sometime!”

Roxanne beamed. “Oh lovely! I assure you, you’ll have a wonderful time!” she promised. She turned to May. “My offer extends to you as well, if you wish.”

May rolled her eyes. “Pass. You couldn’t pay me to go to school again,” she grumbled. “Biggest waste of time I ever went through.”

At her words, a dark cloud seemed to passed over Roxanne’s expression. Her posture stiffened and she stared at May with thinned lips, as if the brunette had personally desecrated something sacred.

“Well,” she said, voice as hard as the stone they stood upon. “I’m sad to hear that. Hopefully your view will change, one day.”

Perhaps sensing the thin ice she trod, May merely grunted and said nothing more, looking away from Roxanne's cold gaze.

One of the interns jogged up, panting. Roxanne exchanged a few hushed words with them before they nodded and ran off again.

“It seems we are ready to begin. Now then,” Roxanne clapped her hands, a smile once more gracing her features. “Who is going first?”

Astra and May blinked in unison. “One moment,” May said, taking the smaller girl by the shoulder and spinning them both around. “Okay so how do you want to do this? Rock paper scissors? Coin flip?”

Astra still didn’t really know what rock paper scissors was, but the other option sounded simple enough. “Coin flip!”

“Works for me.” May fished around in a pocket, retrieving an old coin the color of rusted copper. “Heads or tails?”

“Heads!”

“Then I’ve got tails! Alright, c’mon big money big money big money...” A thumb flicked, and the coin sailed into the air. It flipped around and dropped into May’s waiting palm. Slapping it onto her arm, both trainers leaned over to see the result.

“Heads!?” May groaned, slumping. “Damnit, I wanted to go first!”

“Yes!” Astra cheered. “Just sit back and watch, you’ll get your turn in no time!”

May stared at her friend with a barely concealed smirk. “You mean you’ll get knocked out in under a minute?”

“Wh- No!” Astra pouted. “Come on!”

“Hah, you better not! Break a leg out there; preferably hers!” She clapped Astra on the back with a grin, then wandered off to find a seat.

Astra turned to face the gym leader, who was looking on the display with patient amusement. “I’m going first!” she announced.

“So I see.” Roxanne motioned to the field behind her. “Proceed to the field, if you would.”

As she walked, Astra took note of the spectators. The benches were far from packed, but it seemed that almost everyone in the gym had gathered to watch. Many of them seemed to be interns with identical uniforms, but the majority consisted of a wild mob of sundry colors and styles.

A gaggle of children huddled near the top, legs swinging wildly and chattering excitedly. That rock climber Astra had spotted earlier was in the front row, surrounded by several of his friends. That sentient boulder pokemon she had no name for was with them as well. The rest of the crowd was too wildly divergent to classify as one thing or another.

And all of them were looking at her, their gazes an invisible pressure upon her shoulders. She shuddered as the weight pressed down; excitement and anticipation filling the air like a thick blanket.

One part of her wished they would just stop feeling things so loudly. It was easy to ignore a few of them but this was way too many! For the first time, she wished humans were psychic like she was, just so they would know how to shut up. She did not need to be distracted by all this unshielded emotion! Honestly, even newborns were better than this.

The other part of her wanted to look away. To find a pillar or a rock to hide behind and get away from their prying eyes. Did they all have to look at her so intently? Would one of them see through her? Maybe she should have requested the match be private. Too late for that now, she supposed. She redoubled her illusion, just to be safe.

“Welcome one and all, new and old alike!” Roxanne announced once Astra was in position. “Once more a challenger has come to fight for our gym’s Stone Badge! So let us not dawdle.” She raised a hand to her heart and smiled brilliantly. “As you all know, I am Roxanne, leader of this gym! I am here because I wished to apply what I learned at our beloved Trainer School in battle, and assist others in doing the same!”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the stands, all voices unified in support of their gym leader. Roxanne took a split second to bask in it. “Now,” her arm swung out, directing all attention to her opponent. “Dear challenger, introduce yourself and tell us: why are you here?”

Astra bit back a wince as all eyes fell upon her, that ethereal weight redoubling in force. Just... ignore it, she told herself. You’ve been preparing all this time for this exact moment. You have the type advantage. You have Marill’s power. Treecko’s speed. Slakoth’s... sloth? Okay, maybe not him. She hadn’t had the time to train him at all. And it was her first badge! Surely Roxanne would go easy on her, right? Breathe in. Breathe out. Let’s go.

“My name is Astra,” she said, setting down her violin case with a thunk. A pokeball appeared in her hand, pointed at Roxanne. “I’ve come to challenge you for your badge so I can become the Pokemon Champion!”

Another round of cheers came from the crowd, May the loudest of all.

Roxanne waited for it to die down, eyes locked upon her opponent. “A bold claim. Many have said the same, but so very few have succeeded. Do you seek it for money? For prestige? Or perhaps a deeper reason?” She hummed, smiling. “But first, you must defeat me. I will be using three pokemon! Defeat them all and you’ll win my badge! Let us see what you have learned so far, for your first test begins now!”

A pokeball soared into the air. “Go, Geodude!” Roxanne called. From the light coalesced a pokemon shaped entirely of stone. Its rough, spherical body looked like a large rock had grown arms and a face, and it hung in the air in much the same way other rocks didn’t.

Astra took a brief moment to stare at the thing, flabbergasted. Clearly (He? She? It? It.) it was a juvenile version of that hulking boulder in the stands, but how was it alive!? Nearly all of its head was taken by its mouth and eyes! And how was it floating!?

“Geo!” it roared, slamming the ground with its hands, cracks and chips of stone flying into the air.

Questions for later. “Let’s show them what we got, Marill!” she called, her own ball arcing high in the air.

“Marill mar!” Marill trilled as she materialized. She looked upon her opposition, a vicious grin spread across her face. Her tail slammed into the ground behind her, a new crater answering Geodude’s challenge in kind. “Rill!”

“An excellent choice!” Roxanne complimented. “But preparation is only half the battle! Can you put it into practice? Geodude, use—eh?” Roxanne stalled out, blinking in surprise.

Across the arena, Astra clicked the case by her side open, retrieving the violin stored within. With a deft movement, she raised the instrument to her chin, resting the bow upon the strings. The crowd muttered in confusion as a clear note rang across the halls of the gym.

Roxanne stared at Astra for a moment, lost for words. "...Is that a violin?” she asked, an edge of incredulity in her voice.

“Why yes.” Astra grinned. “Yes it is.”

With a thought, she reached out and connected her mind with Marill, two sets of eyes flaring as their vision doubled in scope. Emotions flickered across the bond, determination and excitement shared between pokemon and master in equal measure. Thoughts turned toward music and tactics, and she took in all that was arrayed in front of her: the crowd, her friend, her opponent, and the field of rocks that separated them.

“Hey May,” she called, sparing a glance toward the stands. “Mind giving me a beat?”

Her friend rolled her eyes. ‘Already asking for my help?’ she seemed to say. Standing up, May brought her hands together once, twice, three-four-five. The sound rang through the air, clear and sharp in the cavernous hall. Astra nodded her head to the rhythm, and raised her bow.

Across the arena Roxanne eyed the display with fascination. "I must say, I've never seen a strategy quite so unique.” Her tone was even, but her grin betrayed her excitement. “Audience participation is usually forbidden; but I must admit I’m curious to see where you’re going with this.”

“Oh? I’ve stumped a gym leader?” Astra returned the grin. “Well then, let’s just call it a learning experience!”

And then she began to play. The first notes tore across the arena, a surprisingly harmonious echo rebounding off the spacious walls of the gym. It was a song of rocks and stone, of deep crevices and fantastic peaks. But more than that, it spoke of the river that cut through the rock, a swift, endless stream that would carve away the mountain and form the very valleys it would run through. Her bones resonated with the rhythm, body swaying in time to match.

The music sang, and Marill moved. Three bounding strides found her face to face with a shocked Geodude. She spun, sending the rocky pokemon flying with a heavy strike of her tail. Spiralling across the arena, Geodude righted itself and punched the ground below, embedding its arm and halting its momentum. It barely had time to shake its head before the music sped up, a torrent of water barreling down from midfield-

“Stonewall!”

-only to fail at the last moment as Geodude jammed his hands into the floor and pulled. A slab of rock erupted from the ground, shielding Geodude from the deadly spray. “Geo!” it said, a smug look plastered on its face.

“Commanding your pokemon through your music?” Roxanne asked, eyes gleaming. “My my, such an elaborate tactic for a novice. Let’s see how it holds up; Geodude, rock throw!”

Gripping the slab, Geodude spun around and let it fly. A wordless command and Marill ducked, the projectile passing just overhead and crashing in a distant cacophony. A water gun repaid the assault in kind, but Geodude punched the ground, a wall of stone blocking the attempt outright.

The crowd whistled and cheered, a few even following in May’s stead and clapping to her beat. Roxanne grinned dangerously, even as her attack failed.”You may have the type advantage,” she said, “But how can you take advantage of it when you can’t land an attack? Geodude, pebble shot!”

Geodude punched the ground with a roar, chunks of stone breaking from the floor and launching themselves at Marill. Without skipping a beat Marill swelled like a balloon and began to shoot them down, a sharp spray of water enough to divert most of the projectiles. Any attempt at shooting Geodude directly was thwarted when it ducked behind its wall. Astra winced in sympathy as Marill was struck by the few rocks she had missed, the aquatic pokemon gritting her teeth as the stones tore at her skin.

“Rill...” Marill growled, scowling at her opponent.

Astra felt the frustration and agreed wholeheartedly It was past time to take this guy down. Thinking quickly, she relayed new orders to Marill. Increasing the tempo of her song, Astra’s strings sang of determination and Marill shot forwards once more.

Shooting down what projectiles she could, the watery pokemon endured through the downfall and sprinted at Geodude’s shelter. Coming close, she spat a water gun at Geodude, who yelped and hid behind its wall, a rain of rocks blindly showering down soon thereafter. Sprinting up to the wall, Marill leapt into the air and spun, bringing her tail down upon the wall. A crack echoed through the arena as the barricade crumbled into rubble.

Geodude, blind to her advance, looked up to see Marill grinning evilly mere inches away. They dropped the rock they held, eyes wide with fear.

“Dude.”

Water gun.

A cold deluge drowned out Geodude’s scream as they were blasted into the floor. It thrashed wildly under the surge and then fell still, the onslaught obliterating its vitality in a single blow. Astra blinked, idly observing Marill performing a victory dance. Wow, she had known they were weak to water, but that weak? She should have led with the water gun as her surprise opener!

A red light shot out to the sound of wild cheers, enveloping the fallen rock pokemon and returning it to Roxanne. “Impressive. Round one goes to you. Precise directing of your pokemon and hiding your intentions in the same move. You’re no ordinary trainer, are you?”

“Heh.” Astra grinned cheekily. “You could say I’m one of a kind.”

Roxanne nodded, swapping to a different pokeball. “Two left. Come, Geodude!” she called, a flash of light revealing another Geodude, fresh to fight.

“Another?” Astra smirked, the music accelerating once more. “Second verse, same as the first!”

Water gun!

“Stonewall!”

Water met rock in a showering spray, stopping the attack cold. Astra glared at the hiding Geodude in annoyance. This again? Good thing she already knew how to beat it!

“Ah ah ah!” Roxanne tutted, waggling a finger as Marill rushed in. “A good teacher knows not to give the same test twice. Don’t think you can give the same answer and expect it to work! Geodude, rock slam!”

Geodude gripped the edges of its stone shield and twisted, cracking the entire thing off its base. It charged with a gravelly scream, holding the chunk aloft like an unwieldy mace. Surprised, Marill came to a screeching halt and spat water at his suddenly exposed form. Geodude shifted his grip, the slab coming down to block the attack even as he closed the distance.

Furious, Marill spun, wrapping her tail around herself. She then reversed direction as Geodude drew near, her tail rocketing out in a meteoric whirlwind. The ball collided with the stone slab with a dull crunch, the sheet of rock cracking into pieces. Undeterred, Geodude grabbed the largest fragment and cracked Marill across the face.

Marill’s head snapped away with the force of the blow. She held still for a moment, before looking into its eyes and grabbing its arm in an iron grasp, her bloodied nose only adding to the wrathful expression on her face. Geodude’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Marill to withstand its attack so well. Astra smirked as Marill swelled up. This was it; one last water gun and it was over!

“Geodude,” Roxanne called, her voice cutting across the arena like a knife. “Thunder Punch!”

Astra blinked. What!?

A light shone on the battlefield, crackling arcs of lightning streaking across Geodude’s clenched fist. It met Marill's panicked gaze, grinned, and then snapped its arm out. Electric knuckles slammed into her gut with a thunderous snap of energy. Marill doubled over, eyes bulging, and then she fell. She spasmed on the ground as the lightning streaked through her body, the unfinished water gun uselessly splattering across the floor.

“Marill!?” Astra looked between her pokemon and the Geodude in shock. “What- lightning- how!?”

“TMs are wonderful things, aren’t they?” Roxanne answered, hand on her hip. “Allowing certain pokemon access to latent elemental abilities they otherwise never would have expressed.” She smiled, adopting a well used lecturing tone. “Let this be a lesson: an overwhelming type advantage doesn't mean you can act carelessly, you will never know what tricks an opponent might pull!”

Astra scowled, then shook her head. Refocusing, she urged Marill to get up. She was strong, one little shock wouldn’t be enough to keep her down! Marill grit her teeth and pushed herself off the floor. Suddenly she stiffened and collapsed, crying out as lightning surged anew across her limbs. Astra gasped at the sight. What was happening!?

“Judging by your expression, you’ve never encountered something like this, have you?” Roxanne queried. “It appears your Marill has been inflicted by Paralysis. Simply put,” she explained, “many electric attacks leave lingering effects which stop your pokemon from moving at all!”

Astra’s eyes widened. But that meant-!

“Rendering them completely helpless.” Roxanne concluded, finishing the thought. “Geodude, Thunder Punch.”

A voltaic fist descended and Marill seized once more, arcs of electricity surging through her nerves even as the granite force behind crushed her ever deeper into the stone. She was unable to scream, and yet Astra could feel the agony blazing brilliantly. Right until she couldn’t.

The music faltered, and then both it and Marill fell silent. Geodude huffed in satisfaction as it returned to their side of the field, leaving its beaten foe in the dust.

“Round two goes to me!” Roxanne said, cheerily. “You’ve done well, but it seems we’re even now.”

The crowd went wild once more as Astra recalled Marill, May the lone voice of dissent. “Boo!” she called. “You can do better than that, girl! Take her down!”

Astra smiled at the encouragement. Did she really need to say it? This fight was far from over! Her hand snapped out and Treecko appeared on the field. The green pokemon stretched his legs, eyeing his opponent coolly. His thoughts spun with the new move he had learned, and he felt eager to test it.

“Well, don’t count on it staying that way for long!” Astra countered, raising her bow yet again. “I didn’t come all this way just to lose!”

Her strings sang once more, wild and vibrant. They spoke of swaying flowers, rustling leaves, and tree pollen that would fill the air, shining like stars caught in the breeze.

Bullet Seed!

“Stonewall, rock throw!”

Treecko dashed to the side, spitting brilliant yellow seeds at a rapid pace. Geodude grunted as the bullets struck home, chipping away at its rocky body. Tearing chunks of stone from the ground, it blocked a volley of bullets and roared, flinging the slab at Treecko with wild abandon. Treecko jerked to the side, grinning smugly as the stone sailed past.

It was a deadly game they played. For every rock and stone Geodude hurled, a flurry of golden pellets would be fired in return. If Geodude tried to hide behind a wall, Treecko would simply dart around it and fire upon it instantly. Yet while the rocky pokemon’s face and arms were littered with pockmarks, Treecko had yet to be scratched.

Astra ginned, music soaring to greater heights. No matter how hard Geodude could throw, she could see where it would go.

And so could Treecko.

Left, she sang, and he went, sidestepping a jagged shard of stone.

Jump, she played. He leapt, and a spray of rock flew harmlessly below.

Fire! she commanded, and Geodude roared in pain as yet more bullet seeds rained down.

Ah, if only Marill had been this fast on land! As long as they kept their distance, Geodude couldn’t hope to hit Treecko, and Treecko could fire upon Geodude with impunity. The rock pokemon was already faltering, its expression pained and accuracy suffering. If this continued it wouldn’t stand a chance.

Roxanne seemed to realize this as well. She thrust out a hand, her voice washing across the field.

“Geodude,” she called, “Defense Curl, Tackle!”

Geodude grunted and retracted its arms, curling in on itself as a brief shimmer washed over its body. Roaring a battle cry, it rushed at Treecko. Backing up, Treecko fired yet another barrage of bullet seeds at his foe. The shots struck true, but to his surprise they left mere scratches instead of the deep scars of before.

Unprepared for Geodude to be totally unphased by his assault, Treecko made to dodge but couldn’t make up for his foes head-start. Geodude furiously rammed himself directly into Treecko’s abdomen. His eyes shot open, almost bulging out of their sockets as all the air in his lungs vacated his body. Treecko shoved Geodude away, then doubled over, wheezing.

Astra furrowed her brow at the scene. Drat, why didn’t that work? She had expected the seeds to divert Geodude’s course. Why were they suddenly so weak? Was it that move Roxanne used? ‘Defence Curl’? She reconsidered her question. Okay, well, yeah, obviously. Time to change tracks, then.

Absorb!

“Rock slam!”

Stone broke and shattered as Geodude ripped another chunk from the floor. Treecko looked up, glaring at his opponent. He coughed, sucked in a new breath of air and rose to meet them. Geodude roared and swung. Recovering faster than Geodude clearly expected, Treecko leapt forward and slid underneath the swing and his floating foe. He sprung to his feet behind Geodude and twisted around, launching himself at its back.

Verdant light flared as Treecko sunk his hand into Geodude’s unprotected back, the needles drilling into its rocky skin with ease. Stolen vitality flowed, re-energizing Treecko and patching up what few injuries he had racked up. Geodude fell to the floor, its frantic struggle fading away as it finally succumbed to exhaustion.

The crowd went wild, cheers and heckles ringing through the arena in equal measure.

“Now that’s more like it!” May roared. “Turn her ass to grass!”

Astra grinned at Roxanne. “Seems round three goes to me!” she chirped.

“Indeed.” Roxanne agreed. Geodude vanished, and she brought out a third pokeball. “You’ve done well thus far. However, there is one last combatant in my arsenal! Nosepass, come on out!”

Light flared, and a new creature materialized upon the field. It was blue and angular, and seemed to be made out of stone. Its body was roughly shaped like a hexagonal pillar that tapered upwards. Two short, thick footless legs stuck out from its base, and its arms were little more than lengthy chunks of digitless stone that hung from its sides. Four circular holes were scattered over its body, two on its palms and two in the place of its ears. Its eyes were closed, covered by a black line that spanned its face. Its most distinctive feature was the giant pyramidal red nose protruding from its face.

“Nosepass!” it rumbled.

Astra stared. It sounded like a boulder had gotten a head cold.

“How does it eat if it doesn’t have a mouth?”

“Defeat her and I just might tell you.” Roxanne teased. Red eyes glinted in the light. “But for now, I’ll just demonstrate how she fights!”

Astra’s eyes widened, and her strings thrummed.

Bullet seed!

Treecko inhaled, cheeks swelling-

“Nosepass, Rock Tomb!”

Nosepass jumped, and the earth trembled. Treecko tensed, ready to dodge any attack thrown at them, but he didn’t expect it to come from below his feet. He choked on his attack as a multitude of stone columns burst from the ground, slamming into him from all sides and pinning him in place. He gagged and spat the seeds to the side, struggling to free himself.

“Treecko!” Astra gasped.

“‘Rock Tomb’.” Roxanne said, her tone clear and firm as if she was speaking to a classroom. “A special rock type move that inflicts moderate damage and hinders an opponent's movements. A formidable technique that sets the stage for any number of followup maneuvers.” She smirked. “It’s a personal favourite of mine. If you do well enough, I might even give you a copy of the TM!”

Astra, watching Treecko struggle to loosen bonds, glanced at the brunette in annoyance. “I’m not even in your classroom yet and you’ve already given me three lectures!” she complained. “Do you always do this during battle?”

A few students in the stands laughed at her remark. Roxanne looked amused.

“I consider fighting to be pointless if nobody learns anything from the experience,” she said. “I just tend to be a bit more... on the nose about it.”

“Yeah? Well, here’s a new fact for you,” Astra replied, a sharp chord accompanying her words. “I won’t lose!”

Treecko jerked one last time and the stone rods crumbled. Free of his prison, he scampered away and fired a fresh wave of radiant seeds at his foe. Nosepass lifted an arm in a futile attempt to block, groaning as the shots pockmarked her face. Astra grinned. As long as Roxanne had to call out the move, she doubted that her Rock Tomb would ever snatch Treecko again.

Roxanne laughed. “Then show me! Your moves, your strategies... come at me with all you have, and let me see your strength! Nosepass, Seismic Shield!”

Nosepass’s eyes shot open, blue eyes glowing as she brought all her power to bear. She shimmered, a grey light flowing across her body and culminating into her nose.

“Nose-”

Both arms swung upward, and the stadium trembled.

“PASS!”

The ground erupted. Great, heaving blocks of stone tore themselves out of the ground and Treecko scrambled as the floor underneath slid into the ditches left behind. Nosepass gestured and the masses of stone began to orbit around her, each one twice as large as Nosepass herself. They scraped and ground on each other, drowning the arena in a rough cacophony.

Astra felt her eye twitch. She knew, intellectually, that gym leaders were supposed to be the biggest challenge in her way. But did she have to be this challenging? Who tears up an entire floor for a shield!?

The melody took on a note of frustration, its player glaring at the shield. At her call, Treecko continued to dart around the swirling mass, firing ever more potshots into the gaps between. The rocks swerved, intercepting a majority of the projectiles. The few that did pass through dug deeply into Nosepass, leaving ever more grooves in her skin.

Well this wasn’t ideal, Astra thought to herself, but as long as it was preoccupied with maintaining that ridiculously over the top shield she could still wear it down-

“Rock Tomb!” Roxanne called, sweeping an arm out.

Astra skipped a note in shock. It could still use other attacks!?

Nosepass stomped her foot and Treecko, unprepared for a double maneuver, yelped as rocky pillars slammed into his body yet again. Squirming, he only managed to get one arm free before Roxanne spoke again.

“Rock Slide!”

Trainer and pokemon paled in unison as one of Nosepass’s gargantuan blocks broke off and began to rise. Panicked, Treecko writhed against his restraints and shifted one of the pillars aside. The boulder shot forward and he raced free, just barely escaping before the area was demolished in a cloud of dust and rubble.

Astra bit her lip, watching Treecko fire another barrage of seeds. The pellets homed in on Nosepass, only to fall upon her stony shields. Treecko leapt into the air, a Rock Tomb closing uselessly below him. A flung boulder was narrowly avoided by sheer dint of speed. Treecko gasped haggardly, glaring at the expressionless Nosepass.

This wasn’t going to work for much longer, she realized. Treecko could dodge the rock tombs and outrun the flung boulders with ease, especially with her forewarning. But he couldn’t do it forever. If even one of those boulders hit home, she wasn’t sure if Treecko would get back up again. The only option left was to get up close and personal.

“Rock Slide!”

Glaring at Nosepass, Astra blinked. Was her shield always that frayed? Wait, no, all of those rock slides were depleting the boulders that made it up! This could be just the opportunity she needed!

Charge!

Nosepass raised its arms into the air. A boulder broke off from the shield and shot forward, intent on crushing Treecko. The green gecko focused and then jumped, a white shimmer trailing in his wake. He landed on top of the boulder, and a second burst saw him leaping off the projectile before it hit the ground.

For an instant, Treecko flew. He soared through a gap in the barrier and saw Nosepass. Emotion was a hard concept to sell when one’s face was literally an immobile chunk of stone, but somehow she still managed to look deeply alarmed.

Drain her dry.

He fell, hands tinged in green.

Nosepass roared in pain, wildly twisting back and forth as viridescent streams of energy were stripped away. Atop her head, Treecko clung with all his might, every drop of parasitized vitality restoring him bit by bit. Around them, a thunderous racket resounded as Nosepass’s shield fell apart.

“Astonishing!” Roxanne exclaimed, stars in her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen a beginner pull off something like that! Exploiting a weakness of my shield, and in such a cinematic fashion! You really are something else, I’m impressed!”

Astra perked up. “Impressed enough to surrender?” she asked, hopefully.

Roxanne laughed. “And deny my students a finale? I would never! Nosepass, Rock Tomb!”

“Nose!” Nosepass slammed one leg into the ground, rocky spears jutting up around both of the battling pokemon. Treecko looked around, confused. Astra tensed; what sort of trick was this? Why would Roxanne make Nosepass trap themselves?

“Tackle!”

Nosepass crouched down, and only then did Astra realize their plot.

Treecko, let go!

But before Treecko could move, Nosepass leapt. Shoving herself backwards, the stone pokemon crushed Treecko against the pillar. And then she did it again, and again, and again. Though Nosepass was clearly on her last legs, Treecko’s leeching could not keep up with the sheer damage she was inflicting.

With a choked gasp, Treecko fell.

“Rock Throw!”

Move!

But he couldn’t. Nosepass gestured and one of the stone pillars broke off, slamming into him with fury. Treecko flew back with a pained cry, crashing through another pillar and coming to rest outside the prison.

“Rock Tomb!”

The ground rose up and swallowed him, leaving only his head exposed. Treecko opened an eye, struggling to keep his head raised. His eyes were narrowed into slits, a yellow gaze glaring in defiance.

Astra held back a horrified shout. If Treecko fell, then all she would have left was Slakoth and she’d had him for barely any time at all! He was strong, sure, but he wouldn’t be able to dodge at all, let alone get close enough to use it! Treecko was the only one who could win!

Get out of there! She begged, but the damage was too great. Treecko was too exhausted to break his bonds as he did before.

“Time for the finishing blow!” Roxanne announced, grinning. “Nosepass, Rock Slide!”

Astra watched in horror as Nosepass’s nose glowed. One of the boulders began to float, and soared above the arena. No. No! It couldn’t end like this! She couldn’t fail here! Everyone was counting on her! She needed a new plan, a new strategy, anything! But there wasn’t any time, and she couldn’t interfere herself.

The boulder began to fall.

She just-

Needed-

To think!

The world slowed to a crawl. Colors seemed to fade, and Astra looked upon the ring as if from a great distance.

She saw the boulder, its lumpy mass descending upon her friend.

She saw Treecko, still defiant in the face of defeat.

She saw the Arena. The rocky pillars and boulders left behind.

She saw Roxanne, a joyous expression upon her face, and yet hidden within was a hint of disappointment.

She saw May, her friend’s face contorted in anger and anguish, hollering from the sidelines, begging her to win.

She saw Nosepass, expressionless yet triumphant.

And then she saw her goal.

Her mind linked with Treecko; a line was drawn, a target picked, and a promise made in a fraction of a second.

Seed Snipe

Treecko drew all the energy he was able to muster, a dim, flickering glow that contained everything he had left. Astra’s violin sang a melody of victory so close at hand; a hero’s final, desperate gamble to reach for that one last strand of light.

His head tilted up, her eyes guided the way, and he fired.

The bullet, blazing and incandescent, ricocheted off the bottom of the descending boulder.

It shot off, bouncing off a rock pillar.

It hit yet another pillar, within the prison of stone.

And then it burrowed directly into Nosepass’s ear.

Treecko vanished as the boulder fell upon the earth.

Silence fell. Roxanne blinked. Astra held her breath. The audience watched, rapturously.

And then Nosepass sunk to her knees, and soundlessly collapsed upon the floor.

To the side, a hitherto unnoticed student rose from the stands. He raised his arm and roared.

“DOUBLE K.O!”

The crowd went wild. The students rose as one and a storm of noise was unleashed in a single, deafening moment.

“Holy fuck, now that’s what I’m talking about! YEEEAAAH!” May yelled, raising a single fist to the sky.

Astra stared at the fallen Nosepass, uncomprehending. She lowered her violin. Had she done it?

Nosepass vanished in a flash of red light. Roxanne held up a hand and the audience fell silent. She walked up to Astra, every footstep ringing loudly in the sudden quiet.

“My my, you’ve certainly made things interesting, haven’t you?” She asked. “A double knockout without the use of self destructive abilities? That’s rare. But in the case of a tie it is the Gym Leader who is given the victory by default. Unless, of course... you have more pokemon?”

Astra stared at Roxanne. She had been so certain that she was going to lose, in that moment. The words the Gym Leader was saying seemed incomprehensible.

Astra took out her last pokeball and threw it. Slakoth raised his head from the ground and looked around.

“Slaaak...” he complained. Then he curled up and fell asleep.

They all stared at him.

Roxanne snickered, and then began to laugh. It rang through the gym, bright and joyous. Astra looked at her. The situation still seemed unreal. Roxanne composed herself, and then looked at Astra fondly.

“I must say this has been one of the best fights I have had. The way you and your pokemon worked together. Your voiceless method of command. Your strategy, your tactics. That final trick you pulled. All of it, every moment a wonder.”

She reached into a pocket, and pulled something out. It was a small, flat thing. A red and yellow diamond, split in two and diagonally offset by a small, brown rectangle in the center.

She held it out and Astra reached out to take it. She held it up, and it gleamed in the stagelight.

“As the leader of the Rustboro City gym, I admit my defeat and award you the Stone Badge. Well done, Astra.”

Astra ran her finger over the shining surface of the badge and finally, as the audience erupted once more in cheers, it sunk in.

She had won.

“I did it...” she whispered. Then she said it again, louder. “I did it. I did it! I did it I did it I DID IT!” she cheered, quite literally jumping for joy. Relief flooded every pore of her body. Finally, finally! She had taken that first, crucial step to becoming the Champion!

That final, distant goal that would help her save her home.

May ran up to them, having ditched the cheering crowds by jumping the stands.

“Dude!” she said, grabbing Astra in a shoulder hug. “That was amazing, you totally kicked her ass! How the hell did Treecko pull off that shot at the end? It went all over the place!”

Astra grinned, the rush of victory pulsing in her veins. “I’m just that awesome, that’s—ugh!?” She doubled over, her brag unfinished. A pulse of something shot out from her chest, and she suddenly realized that rush wasn’t fading. Instead it seemed to be growing in intensity, a strange pressure emanating from her very core.

“Eh? This again!?” Astra heard May ask, almost exasperated.

Roxanne made a noise, confused. “Is there something wrong?”

Astra shook her head. “N-no,” she said, struggling to figure out what was happening. Another pulse rung out, and she winced. It wasn’t painful; if anything, it felt good. But what...? “This is something else. I don’t—”

A memory flashed. Her eyes shot open. “Bathroom.”

“Eh? Why—”

“Bathroom, now!” Astra demanded, pulling her cloak over her face. The pressure redoubled, but she pushed it down as far as she dared. Not now, not here.

“There’s a room just over there.” Roxanne pointed at a pair of doors on the far side of the arena.

Astra took off, running as fast as her legs could take her. May jogged up alongside her a moment later.

“Yo, do you need—”

“I’m fine go away!” Astra screeched, grimacing as another, more intense pulse flared. “I’ll be right back, don’t worry about it!”

May didn’t respond, but Astra didn’t hear any more footsteps behind her. She dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

The floor was tiled in white, and a multitude of sinks, mirrors, and stalls were arrayed in front of her. All of them were empty, thankfully. Astra sprinted down the line and jammed herself into the one furthest from the entrance, her heart pounding in her ears.

The pulse rang out again, faster and more brilliant than before. Astra looked at her arm, a white light starting to glow from underneath the black cloth. She discarded her robe on the floor, her hat covering the pile.

She stared at her hands, her arms, her everything. All of it was shining more brilliantly than the lights above. Another pulse raced through her body, and the pressure surged again. This was...!

She knew what this was. Should she be excited? Should she be happy? She thought she would be. But instead she was just alone, a thousand miles from home.

She wished Grandpa was here. She wished May could be here.

She took a deep breath. The sensations surged, the keys to a lock, the door to another world.

She wished she wasn’t doing this in a fucking bathroom stall.

And then she let go.

And the world fell a p a r t.

We were happy there

For a time

In that village nestled in the canyon

Where the winds blew through the tall grass

And the forests whistled with life

His father was a strong man

He could lift a tree without strain

And none could best his skill at arms

And his mother was kind, and knowledgeable

She could read and count

And owned all the books in the world

The children of that place shunned us

For reasons I could not tell

The cruelty of children is fickle

But then why the adults as well?

But he did not care

And nor did I

For we had each other

We would laugh and sing and dance

Until the moon rose into the sky.

The man would tell us stories

Of battles won and lands afar

Though of his forefathers he remained silent

And the mother would read us books

She taught us how to read.

To write.

To count.

And it was wonderful

Occasionally

We went to the spire to pray

For the land

The sea

The sky

And all others who brought this world to be

I was happy

For a time

But one day

That day

That time

Everyone stood still

And though we did not know why

We knew in our hearts

That a presence that had always been there

Had abruptly gone out

Everyone was silent

And black cloth unfurled

For we knew not why

But we mourned ever still

The light that died

Time passed

And then a message came

A courier had been sent

To all corners of the land

He told us the news

And our days did darken

For our lord had called

To prepare for war

I learned that day

Of humanity’s sin

For far to the north

On a land ever distant

A dark kingdom did ride

For a prize to seek

They found it there.

Near that white capped peak

In that temple of snow

For chains of ice

For mountains blow

For iron rod

They went below.

For sake of power, lost to damnation

To force all others within their nation

Ripped the chains from broken hands

And dealt a blow felt ‘cross all lands

That day I learned of the cruelty of man.

That day I learned that they were flawed.

That day

When humanity killed their god.

The light faded. Astra blinked.

Then she rushed to the toilet and vomited. She wiped the disgusting remnants off her mouth with a patch of toilet paper and scowled.

Again? It had happened again!? Here? Now?

What was with these memories? These... visions!? And what were they even about? There had been flashes of a couple of people, a tower, and a moment of time that was only notable for when something intangible had vanished.

And something about... a figure with seven eyes, laying in the snow. For some reason, the thought filled her with a distant sense of sorrow.

Astra rubbed her head. The only other time she had gotten one that intense was when she had poked...

The orb. That black, cracked sphere her Grandpa had entrusted to her for emergencies. Was that thing doing this? But it was still back in her room, how could it have affected her all the way across the city?

She frowned. That orb was left behind by the Ancestor. Were these visions connected to her, somehow? If so, what did that even mean? What could she do?

Get rid of it? She discarded the thought immediately. Her grandpa gave it to her for a reason, and if it was doing this to her—who could actually detect and defend against psychic attacks—what would it do to any passing, defenceless human?

Should she go back to the village? Astra considered the option, then shook her head, scowling. Grandpa might know something about it, but... if he had, wouldn’t someone have told her? If he didn’t then she would have lost a lot of time for no reason. May would certainly be suspicious and upset if Astra suddenly had to ditch her to run back home, and she would rather not do that.

And it wasn’t threatening her, really. Just... showing her things.

Just shoving stuff into her head. Without her knowledge or approval.

Had it been the reason she could read?

She sat there, confused and frustrated.

Maybe if she poked it again? Well, she was a Kirlia now, so it might work out better—

She paused, and realized she wasn’t looking through a curtain of hair anymore.

She stood up and looked at her hands. She wiggled her fingers, each hand sporting a new digit. Two fingers and a thumb! She could use a cup handle! She looked down. Her coat had risen and split apart, six sheets flaring out around her, three to each side like a dress. She could see her feet without screwing around with her coat now.

She felt at her head. Her once bowl-shaped hair now flowed down the middle of her face and tapered to a point near her chin. Four long tails sprouted from the sides of her head, two on each side. And her horns. They had moved to the sides of her head as well! No more single large one jutting out above her forhead!

She was a Kirlia. She was a Kirlia!

She laughed, forgetting her problems in the sheer joy of evolution. She reached out, and out, and out further than she had ever felt before. The whole of the gym revealed itself, and she felt every last person inside. Their emotions, their locations. The new battle taking place, May’s Lotad showering one of Roxanne's Geodudes in water. Treecko and Slakoth placed to the side—oh shit she forgot about Treecko and Slakoth.

She laughed and reeled herself back in. Where once was a puddle now stood a pond. The power thrummed under her skin, newfound depths begging to be unleashed.

With a contented sigh, she reached for her clothes.

Was the floor always this far away?

Astra paused, frowning. Then she paled.

Well fuck. How was she going to explain that?