Daisy sighed, but I was excited to see the boy again. Now we could finally have our rematch. "What do you want, Blue?"

Blue scoffed. "What, I can't say hi to my baby sister? It's been so long since you last saw me, after all."

"That didn't work when you said it last time," Daisy reminded him. "And you aren't fooling me now, either. I ran into some of your friends, Blue. Yellow and Bill say hello."

The boy's eyes widened. "You talked to Yellow about me? Wh-what did she say?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Not much. Why, scared she'll tell some embarrassing stories?"

"Oh shut up, Daisy." Blue snapped. "Let's just drop it. You want to know why I'm here? I'm taking the boat to Olivine. I need to take care of some errands before getting my last badge."

Last badge. So, Blue now had seven badges. Just like Yellow. I went up to Blue and held up a Poké Ball. "What do you want?" I pointed at it, and the boy sighed. "Really, kid?"

Daisy crossed her arms. "You promised you'd battle him, Blue. It's only fair."

"Fine," Blue huffed. "Let's make this quick. I want to battle a real trainer."

Huh? What's that supposed to mean? I wondered.

Blue started walking over to the pool. Fortunately, nobody was in the mood to swim. "This'll hopefully be a good warm-up before I smack down Solus."

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Someone's cocky, huh? You think you're going to be able to beat him?"

Blue nodded. "Actually, I do. Solus has no idea what he's doing, he's full of himself and needs to be knocked down a peg. Total egomaniac doesn't realize how a defeat is right under his nose."

We decided to let the dramatic irony sit as Blue sent out his Pokémon. A Seadra burst from his Poké Ball and landed in the pool. The Pokémon had a blue body and resembled a seahorse. It looked angry and much less peaceful than a seahorse, however.

This must have been the evolved form of the Horsea that had beaten Daisy. It was going to be a water battle, and I would need to coordinate with my Pokémon to avoid getting beaten by Seadra's visibility control.

Squirtle it's your time to shine! I sent out Squirtle and he dove into the pool. Squirtle faced down the opposing Pokémon and grinned, eager to get a rematch against Blue. Here we go! We've got this!

"Seadra use Dragon Pulse!" A purple ball began to form at Seadra's mouth and he unleashed a purple beam that surged through the water. Squirtle use Rapid Spin! Squirtle retreated into his shell and dashed out of the way of the beam, then he raced forward and slammed into Seadra.

It was nice to see that he hadn't forgotten what we learned when battling Misty. Squirtle, use Water Pulse! Squirtle fired a ball of water through the pool, which slammed into Seadra. Keep it up! Get in close and use Bite! Squirtle swam forward and bit down onto Seadra.

Squirtle suddenly let go of the seahorse and began to shudder. Purple energy surged through his body, and the turtle seemed to have been poisoned.

Blue grinned. "Poison Point got you! Now use Smokescreen!" Seadra unleashed a spray of smoke that consumed the entire pool. Squirtle, get out of the water! Quick!

Squirtle jumped out of the water and into the air. Squirtle then unleashed a white beam on the water, freezing it over. My Pokémon landed on the frozen layer, grinning proudly.

"You better get out of there Seadra! Make 'em pay!" Blue stomped on the ground. His sunglasses had slipped down to his nose and I could see the frustration in his eyes.

Cracks began to spread across the ice. Like a web, they expanded from end to end. Squirtle, get ready! I called to him. Purple energy surged from beneath the ice, and then an explosion blew Squirtle into the air. Seadra jumped out of the water and followed Squirtle into the air.

Blue grinned. "Now use Hydro Pump!" Seadra unleashed a deluge of water that carried my Pokémon down into the pool. Seadra landed in the water while Squirtle faded back into consciousness. "Smoke Screen!"

Smoke filled the pool again, obscuring the battlefield. I tried to think of something we could do, while Blue started to shake out his hands. "Seadra, use Twister!" The water started to twist and turn.

My eyes widened. Squirtle, you need to get out of there! Use Rapid Spin! I had no idea what was happening in the water, but a twister started to emerge. I squinted and saw that my Pokémon had been lifted into the air.

"Now use Dragon Pulse!" Blue called. Seadra unleashed a blast of draconic energy that rocketed into Squirtle.

My Pokémon seemed to have fallen unconscious as he crashed back into the pool. "Aww, poor little guy. It's alright, these are Champion-level strategies and your Pokémon is still an unevolved little baby."

Squirtle's eyes snapped open. Blue energy surged through the Pokémon and he faced down the Seadra. Torrent had kicked in, and he was ready to use it. Squirtle, use Water Pulse! Squirtle immediately unleashed a massive ball of water that slammed into the opposing Pokémon.

Seadra was blown back, wincing a bit. Blue rolled his eyes. "Let's end this! Use Hydro Pump!" Seadra prepared to fire off another surge of water. My mind began to race as I formulated a plan. Squirtle, use Rapid Spin to get out of the way! Then, we can finish this with Water Pulse! Go!

Squirtle tucked into his shell and began to spin. However, he sped directly forward as Seadra unleashed a stream of water. Squirtle! Dodge it! I called, but he ignored me. The Pokémon spun into the incoming water move, trying to fight against it.

However, Seadra's attack overwhelmed Squirtle and carried him into the wall of the pool. Squirtle seemed to have been fully beaten, and I returned him.

"Haha, got 'em! You put up more of an effort kid, I'll give you that!" Blue gloated, recalling his Seadra.

Daisy sighed. "Blue, Red's got five badges and yet he almost beat you."

Blue shook his head. "No, he didn't. I can assure you of that."

I wished I could say something to the trainer. Blue fixed his sunglasses and his smug grin returned. "Now, don't let this get you down kiddo. You're getting somewhere. Maybe in a few years, you'll finally have a shot. I've got some Champions to take on, though." Blue hurried away from us.

Daisy grit her teeth. "I can't stand him! Why is he such an endless jerk? I'm sorry, Red. You did amazing, and you're going to keep doing incredible things."

I just want to talk to him. I concluded. I feel like... I can see so much in him. Blue needs someone to reach out to him, to say something to him. Otherwise, he'll be on the same path as Solus.

A bit of silence descended on us. I continued to think about things. Daisy seemed to be considering what she wanted to say. There were a few sounds of battling down below for the next few minutes.

Daisy was about to respond when we heard a crash from below deck. We ran to see the source of the commotion, finding that Blue's Umbreon had been knocked unconscious.

Solus returned his Pokémon and slowly clapped. "Very impressive, you made it a decent way through my first Pokémon. Keep up the good work, kiddo." Solus's tone was incredibly patronizing, and he turned to walk away from Blue.

A few trainers started to whisper and followed after Solus, leaving Blue alone. The boy tossed his sunglasses from his face and stared at the ground.

Daisy looked at me, and motioned for us to leave. I shook my head and went up to Blue, tapping him on the shoulder.

Blue tensed up and then turned around. He had been crying. "What do you two want?" Blue snarled.

Daisy, I need you to translate for me. I said to her. Blue, I know about what happened with your family and I'm sorry. It makes sense that you want to win so badly, to try and reach the level your father was at. But, you're letting it consume you and pushing everyone away. You don't have to, though. You can become strong by working with your Pokémon and the people around you instead.

Blue's pupils began to shake, and then it seemed like there was a fire exploding from them. "Shut up! You stupid kid, you have no idea what you're talking about! Keep my family out of your stupid head! Don't act like you understand me, because you don't know who I am and you don't know my life!" Blue then stormed off.

I felt like I should shrink up into nothingness after that scolding. He... Did he hear me? Was the only thought I could manage.

The P.A. System crackled to life. "Attention passengers, we will now be departing." The boat lurched forward, jostling me from my paralysis. I glanced at Daisy, who was speechless.

Daisy, what's up? I asked her. The girl shook her head. Please... Daisy sighed. "You shouldn't have done that, Red. That wasn't your place to say any of that. I don't really know what you were expecting to happen, but you kinda seemed like a jerk."

I looked down at the ground. Embarrassment surged through me. I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to help. I told her.

Daisy took my hand. "Red, it's ok. Everyone messes up, but I'm not going to lie to you when you do."

I glanced into the girl's eyes. I'm not good at this talking thing, I guess. Daisy shook her head. "Don't think things like that! It's amazing you're able to do this! It's incredible that I get to hear your voice, and you get to make these mistakes! Listen, Blue'll be fine. You'll get better with time, and I've got your back while you learn."

I smiled and threw my arms around the girl. Thanks, Daisy. She chuckled. "Of course Red, that's what we do. We've gotta have each other's backs." I just hope we can avoid Blue and Solus for the rest of the trip.

"I think we can manage that," Daisy responded. "C'mon, let's enjoy this cruise while we can!" She took my hand and we ran down the hallway.