Cynthia calmly gazed upon her friend who took out a PokeBall. In a flash of red, Squirtle appeared on the battlefield.

" You know what to do ." Cynthia calmly exclaimed as Garchomp nodded while remembering the strategy that her trainer had devised to counter Water types.

Squirtle meanwhile adjusted his glasses as Austin said," Bubble Mania !"

Squirtle smirked before going back to his shell and began to spin at high speed while releasing a bubble beam.

Cynthia frowned at the confusing turn of events before she calmly said," Rest ."

Garchomp bobbed her head as she went to sleep while Austin frowned, not expecting Cynthia to have Garchomp use rest but it made sense with all the attacks that Garchomp has been tanking.

" Rain Dance !"

Austin chose to not attack Garchomp while it was resting, rather he decided to change the terrain to his favor.

A cumulonimbus of clouds covered the battlefield as drops of rain fell to the ground causing the previously erupted sandstorm to be stopped.

Cynthia wasn't deterred by the stymied sandstorm but she wondered what her opponent was thinking.

He didn't even try to power up rather he manipulated the terrain to his advantage.

Then it hit Cynthia, Austin chose to go with a strategy that will help the pokemon he would send out later.

It looks like her lessons finally settled in his mind.

A battle can be quick but against an overwhelming foe always go for the strategy that would favor the majority.

Austin knew that he can't defeat Garchomp so he is staking the efforts of all his pokemon to defeat her.

Cynthia smiled as she realized her friend's play.

He and his pokemon truly did improve a lot during this week.

" Dragon Rush !"

"Miner's Strategy !"

Garchomp flew towards Squirtle who pulled its head, arms, and legs into its shell and spins like a disc as Garchomp's two appendages on its head glowed light blue. Then, her body was enveloped in a light blue dragon-shaped aura.

While Garchomp charged forward Squirtle used rapid spin to launch the mud that had been formed all around it toward Garchomp but it resulted in the mud being sprayed everywhere.

" Austin, I just got this swimsuit!"

" Sorry, I'll buy you another one."

" Austin, you're a perverted child, telling a lady that you will buy her a pair of underwear."

Cynthia said as she enjoyed Austin's face shifting from calm to flustered.

" I n...never said that ."

Cynthia giggled before her face went to calm and calculated mask when she saw Garchomp miss Dragon Rush along with Squirtle seemingly disappearing.

Squirtle was using the mud as camouflage.

Cynthia snorted,' A good play but it doesn't accomplish anything.'

" Dragon breath ."

Garchomp's maw glowed with draconic energy but right below her feet, the ground glowed.

" Fly !"

Under Cynthia's command, Garchomp jumped into the sky as the ground exploded with Squirtle's shell smash.

Squirtle looked up and fired an ice beam.

Garchomp's dragon breath and Squirtle's ice beam meet in the middle as Draconic energy and Ice energy clash out.

Even though Squirtle's ice beam had been powered by two shell smashes, the level difference between Garchomp and Squirtle was too much.

Austin's eyes widened as he saw Squirtle's ice beam being overpowered by a dragon-type attack.

' Just how powerful is that monster? '

Squirtle struggled to keep up the momentum as he took one step back.

' No, I can't..... ' Squirtle thought as a memory flashed in his mind.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

" How can you lose to a fire type? " A trainer outside of the pokemon center screamed at an injured turtle pokemon.

The young Squirtle had tears in his eyes as he was being screamed at by his trainer.

The trainer took out a pair of sunglasses and threw them at the young Squirtle who flinched.

A few tears escaped the eyes of the young Squirtle as he gazed upon the sunglasses which were the prize of the first battle he had won for his trainer.

The trainer clicked the button of the PokeBall which flashed blue before returning the young Squirtle.

At night, nurse joy released an extremely hungry Squirtle out of his abandoned Pokeball.

" S...Squirtle !"

Squirtle looked around for his trainer as nurse joy had a melancholic look in her eyes.

" Sq...Sq...Squirtle !"

Chansey looked at nurse joy as if asking her partner if she should disclose to Squirtle about his abandonment.

Nurse joy knew that she shouldn't gatekeep the information and cause more pain for the Young Squirtle.

Chansey under Joy's commands told Squirtle about its abandonment, tears began to flow down Squirtle's eyes as his mind flashed to the battle earlier today.

He had lost so badly against that Growlithe.

Squirtle wiped out those tears as he knew that shedding tears over the past wouldn't accomplish anything.

" Chansey Chans !"

Squirtle's eyes widened as he heard Chansey's words about him being put up for adoption.

Was that all he was worth?

To be discarded and given away.

Squirtle released a water gun before using it as a distraction to escape.

Nurse Joy and Chansey ran to look for the young Squirtle who had hidden inside the trash can.

Inside the trash can, Squirtle tried to keep his tears in as he gazed upon the black sunglasses he had won for his trainer.

Putting on the sunglasses, Squirtle vowed to himself.

That he will never let a human capture him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

On the beach of the sulfur island, as Garchomp's dragon breath seemed to be overpowering Squirtle's ice beam, Squirtle glanced back at his trainer who had a look of worry in his eyes.

Squirtle remembered why he choose this human as his trainer who was nothing like Derek.

He is kind-hearted and smart and most of all he treated all of us like family.

Squirtle will be damned if he let himself lose after all the effort his human, his partner put up.

Suddenly Squirtle's body was engulfed by blue light.

" No, way !" Austin's eyes widened as he saw Squirtle's body evolving into a bipedal, indigo reptilian Pokémon similar to a turtle. It had brown eyes, a dark blue streak on each cheek, and two sharp teeth protruding from its upper jaw. It has three clawed fingers and pointed toes. On each side of its head are feather-like ears covered in pale blue fur. A brown shell with a pale yellow underside encases its body. A thick, white rim separates the upper and lower halves of the shell.

" Wortortle !"

Squirtle's evolved form wortortle gazed upon Garchomp as his ice beam began to turn more chaotic.

Cynthia's eyes widened as she recognized wortortle's attack which was overpowered by Garchomp's dragon breath, Blizzard.

" Blazing Hurricane!"

Cynthia's shout caused Garchomp to patiently wait as Blizzard came near it.

" Now !"

Garchomp immediately spun around as guts of wind empowered by Draconic energy circled her.

Opening her maw, Garchomp released a flamethrower into cyclonic winds all around her.

Austin's jaw dropped as he saw the flaming vortex in the sky that melted Wortortle's Blizzard.

" Waterfall !"

Austin called out but Wortortle had other plans as its ears glowed with white light before the ground broke apart as a tidal wave covered the sky.

The flaming vortex and tidal wave of Surf met in the middle before wet steam covered the entire beach in a veil of grey and white.