Word Count: 1995

◼️𝐏 𝐎 𝐊 𝐄 𝐌 𝐎 𝐍◼️

Lyra~

It was tough trying to defeat Karen. I had a hard time predicting her Pokémon's moves. Bayleef was against her Umbreon whose speed startled me. I shouldn't be surprised; Karen is a member of the Elite Four. As I fought her, Bayleef's improved strength and speed surprised me as well.

From what I saw during the battle, Bayleef's attacks struck Umbreon with more strength and precision than the last time I battled with her. I had Ethan to thank for this. Bayleef grew stronger under his guidance, and her performance in this battle amazed me. Umbreon's strength, speed, and defence were amazing as well, to which I didn't think Bayleef would be on par with her at my current level.

"Karen, that's enough," Blue intervened from the side.

I noticed Karen flicking her hair over her shoulder and turning her head towards him.

"Don't be so protective, Blue. She hasn't felt the thrill of battling in three years. Her skills are still rusty. Consider this match a way for her to remind herself the battling ways."

Blue was concerned for me. I was thankful to him for looking out for me, but Karen was right. The more this battle dragged on, the more I realized how confused I am. As Umbreon continued attacking, all I could think about was to tell Bayleef to dodge or use a countermove.

During the beginning of the battle, Bayleef acted on her own accord. She would glance back in my direction before barely dodging most of Umbreon's attacks. Eventually, I stood my ground and began calling out moves for Bayleef to attack with.

"Blue, it's okay. I want to finish this battle. I need to finish this battle," I told him.

How could I defeat Silver if I can't beat her?

"Excellent that we are on the same page. Let's elevate that confidence. Now Umbreon, use Shadow Ball."

Umbreon opened its mouth and formed a black and purple ball in front of it, before firing it at Bayleef. Noticing the attack, Bayleef instinctively dodged before I could command her. Bayleef knew what I'm thinking.

"Okay... Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!"

Bayleef swung her head in a 'U' shape to her right, as multiple leaves flew out from the leaf on her head and at Umbreon. Karen commanded Umbreon to counter with Dark Pulse. Umbreon responded by opening its mouth and releasing a beam of black and purple circles at the attack. Each leaf was knocked to the side and the beam charged straight for Bayleef.

"Bayleef, dodge the attack. Then use Vine Whip."

Bayleef leaped to her right, away from the beam before extending her vines under her neck and towards Umbreon. Because of Bayleef's improved attack speed, the attack hit its mark. Bayleef lifted Umbreon to the air before slamming the Dark-type Pokémon back to the ground. Umbreon managed to still be able to stand on its feet.

"Not bad. The simplest attacks can lead to a devastating blow. However..."

As she spoke, Umbreon instantly appeared in front of Bayleef. She barely had time to react, as Umbreon tackled Bayleef backward. Bayleef stood her ground, though she wasn't unfazed. Umbreon hopped back to its original spot.

"...Pokémon battles won't get easier. You need to prepare yourself for whatever's about to come. However, I commend you for battling with Pokémon you prefer than Pokémon that would've favoured this match."

I stared at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Out of the Pokémon you have in your party, the optimal choice would be Ninetales whose speed can match Umbreon's, or possibly surpass Umbreon's speed. It would've at least allowed you to get the upper hand in terms of stats; however, I won't deny your Bayleef's speed and attack power as well. Truly skilled trainers should try to win battles with their favourites."

She knew I had Ninetales on my team. How did she know that?

"I'd figured that after I wake up; should I have to battle anyone it would be with my starter Pokémon. Bayleef and I have travelled this far together, and we're going to continue travelling and battling together no matter what," I replied.

"Well spoken. Now then, we shall finish the battle. Umbreon, Psychic!"

Umbreon's eyes glowed in a light blue colour, and suddenly Bayleef was lifted in the air in the same way Bayleef had lifted Umbreon into the air with Vine Whip. Then Bayleef was slammed to the ground. She shook her head before refocusing her gaze towards Umbreon.

The battle pursued on, with both Bayleef and Umbreon fighting to their best. I kept calling out the moves, while Karen did the same. Bayleef fought as if she knew we had to win.

Eventually, I commanded Bayleef to use Vine Whip one more time. Karen attempted to counter by commanding Umbreon to use Shadow Ball; however, in this one moment during the battle, Bayleef had the upper hand when it came down to who got to attack first. Bayleef grabbed Umbreon with her vines, hoisting herself up and over Umbreon before slamming her to the wall behind Karen.

As it happened, Karen didn't flinch for a second and stared directly at me with a calm expression.

Bayleef panted heavily, gazing at the Umbreon slammed against the wall. I thought the battle was over, but I was wrong. Umbreon stumbled for a bit but got on its feet, breathing as heavily as Bayleef. I knew it wasn't going to be easy to take down Umbreon, as Karen herself was a member of the Elite Four.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's call it here, Karen and Lyra," Blue called out after had running to the middle of the field and raising his hands to stop us.

"I'll agree this time," Karen sighed with a smile, closing her eyes briefly before gazing towards me again. "Let our next battle be an official battle at the Pokémon League. What do you say?"

I nodded, which seemed to have given Bayleef permission to relax. Bayleef fell to the ground but got up to a sitting position. I rushed to her side, dropping to my knees to wrap my arms around her neck.

"You did very well, Bayleef. I'm so proud of you," I sighed happily.

As Bayleef hummed back, I noticed Khoury's battling with his Croconaw against Will's Xatu, according to my Pokédex.

"Xatu; the Mystic Pokémon. They say that it stays quietly still while its right eye sees the future and its left eye views the past at the same time."

Khoury appeared to be having a hard time against Will's Xatu. It was as if this was the first battle he ever had against anyone. Xatu had the upper hand against Croconaw with Khoury's experience. It felt strange to me to see this. Khoury continuously stuttered trying to command moves.

I couldn't help but feel a knot in my stomach, as I began to recall the times I had a battle with other Trainers in the past. There was one that stood out from the rest: my first battle. Not to mention Khoury's Croconaw was on the field, which reminded me of Silver's Totodile. It was as if the incident replayed before my eyes; Silver standing behind me and telling me how to command a Pokémon, dominating the next battle with the next Trainer.

It felt like I traded places with Silver and Khoury with me. I felt like the expert between me and Khoury, so I couldn't help but want to step in to help him. That's exactly what I did, as I raised myself to my feet and approached Khoury.

I stood beside Khoury and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't panic or take your mind away from the battle," I told him, repeating Silver's words.

He looked back at me for a moment before turning towards Croconaw desperately dodging Xatu's attacks. I noticed Will watching us intensely with a smile as if he was amused by Khoury's panicked state. He tilted his head to the side as if he was waiting for Khoury to do something.

"Don't close your eyes or wait for the attack. Tell Chikorita to use Vine Whip."

"Don't panic; just focus on the battle," I instructed him, placing my hand on his shoulder. He tensed, just how I did three years ago. With a quick inhale, he commanded Croconaw to use Water Gun.

I watched the battle continue, reminding Khoury to focus on the battle and calling out moves to attack the Xatu. His Croconaw's attacks weren't as aggressive as Silver's Feraligatr while still a Croconaw. Khoury's Croconaw relied on distance and range attacks, matching with Khoury's idea of staying far from the opponent. No matter how many times Xatu approached Croconaw, Khoury would command to dodge or get away from Xatu.

Will is a member of the Elite Four and a strong Trainer overall. Khoury wasn't going to get anywhere by playing safe. He had to be like Silver; he needed to be more aggressive with his attacks.

"Croconaw, use Water Gun again!"

"Khoury, you had been calling out the same move for a while. You can't expect the exact same move to defeat your opponent. You need to utilize Croconaw's other moves," I told him.

"I don't know if you noticed, Lyra, but Xatu is flying. You can't always expect Croconaw to miss if I use the same move. It can attack Croconaw at any time if I'm not careful."

"You're playing too safe. You have to get closer if you want better accuracy and power. Yes, Xatu is flying; but if you were close enough to it, you could land attacks with a stronger impact."

"How can you expect me to get close if Xatu keeps flying everywhere—"

"You are relying on luck, not Croconaw's strength."

Silver knew this, how much power his Pokémon must have to defeat their opponents. I remembered how upset I was when he kept pushing his Pokémon to their limits in order to get stronger. Thinking about it, and watching Khury struggle, I believe I'm starting to understand Silver's point of view.

Maybe power is the real way to defeat any opponent.

"It seems you're not taking the battle as seriously as Lyra to her battle with Karen," I heard Blue comment, turning around to notice him approaching the battlefield. Bayleef approached Croconaw with a neutral expression. Karen, who flipped her hair off her shoulder, turned to Will and smirked.

"I think the boy had enough with your fun and games."

"It appears to be so. What a shame," Will commented, Xatu instinctively landing beside its Trainer.

I turned back towards Blue, only to notice someone else approaching us: Morty.

"You said you wanted to help us, Khoury. Whether or not you defeat Will, this battle proves your capability. Think about it; how could you help Lyra if you can't even battle a Trainer or even bring Croconaw's potential to its fullest?"

"Morty, do you know Khoury?" I asked.

Morty nodded. "He challenged my Gym once and lost. From my perspective, he wasn't much of a battler. More likely an observer. Also, I encountered him the second time when he tried to reach Lugia's chamber."

"Any updates?" Blue asked, changing the topic.

Morty leaned against Blue's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Afterwards, Blue nodded and turned back towards me. "Lyra, come with me. We're going to go on a little stroll together."

"Oh okay, where to?" I questioned, skipping my feet to him with Bayleef by my side.

"Around Viridian City. I did mention I would give you a tour, so right now would be a good opportunity."

◼️𝐏 𝐎 𝐊 𝐄 𝐌 𝐎 𝐍◼️

Be sure to vote and comment on the story. Also, please correct me on any mistakes that might have appeared in this chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter~

~Lisa~