After the mayor presents the contestants' number and battle block, Nyla looks around for her partner, who is supposedly number 20.

"Hm? Where would my partner be?" She pounded with Pikachu sitting on her shoulder while showing their number.

Her thought was distracted when her sight fell on Paul, who had already found his partner, making her approaches them.

"Hey, Paul." The boy greets Paul with dark spiky hair and a black vest with a white collar and yellow stripe paired with a red hat with a blue pokeball print.

"A friend of yours?" Nyla asks innocently, eyes glimmering with excitement.

"Huh?! Like this pathetic can even see eye-to-eye with me. But, of course, I have no choice." Paul crumples his number in annoyance and declares. "You just make sure you don't get in my way!"

"Hold on! That's no way to talk to your tag battle partner!" The other boy argues. His Pikachu starts trying to calm him and jumps down to approach Elekid.

"Pika! Pika!"

Elekid smiled sheepishly and offered a shake which Pikachu happily took, but it ended up being a trick as it sent a jolt that threw the other electric-type pokemon away.

"Pikachu, no!"

Both electric types start revving their attack when a pair of feet block their view of each other.

Elekid visibly flinches when it notices Nyla watching it with her hands on her side with a disapproving look.

Nyla's Pikachu jumps off her shoulder and greets the fuming Pikachu.

"Oh wow. Another Pikachu." Nyla heard the other boy exclaim, watching his pokemon interact with its kind.

"I'm very disappointed with you—both of you!"

Paul merely looks away, with Elekid looking down to avoid the stares.

"Sorry about those two—" Nyla spun and greeted the Pikachu's trainer. "They aren't people person if you noticed. I'm Nyla, by the way." She offers a shake.

"Ash Ketchum." Ash introduced himself, accepting her hand but still confused by her appearance and her calmness with Paul. "You two knew each other."

"Believe it or not, I'm this guy's travel companion and a teacher!" The reddish-brown hair girl proudly points at herself.

"Don't flatter yourself—"

"That's quite a strong Pikachu you have there!" Nyla ignored the purple-haired boy and lowered herself with her eyes glued on Ash's Pikachu. "Nice to meet you."

"Pika!"

"Thanks! Pikachu and I have been travelling together!" Ash states proudly, making his Pikachu climb on top of his head and let out a cheerful voice.

"That sounds pathetic." Paul scoffs.

Nyla sighs. "Sorry about grumpy over there." She points over at the boy, who glares menacingly from behind her. "A baby took his candy away!"

"Stop saying nonsense! If you think this pathetic was any good! Why don't you have him?!"

"Are you in any pain when you are in a team with him?" Nyla asks with a stoic look.

"Huh? No—"

"Then suffers in silent."

The mayor presented the Soothe Bell as the reward that would be given to the winners of the tag battles.

"Such a calming tone." Nyla sighs with her eyes close, along with Pikachu, who melts on her shoulder.

"Are you number 7?"

Someone asks, snapping the girl out of her trance.

Turning around, a girl with minty green hair, a red cap paired with dungarees, and a white shirt inside greeted her with a big grin and a card showing 20.

"Nice to meet you?!" She greets. "The name is Aema, what's yours?"

"I'm Nyla. Nice to meet you too. I'm guessing that we will be partners then."

"Yup! And we are so going to crash this!" Aema jumps enthusiastically with the reddish-brown-haired girl claps at her cheerfulness.

Paul watches from the side at Nyla new found partner and back to Ash. The later boy notices that he is being watched and frowns.

"Better you than her," Paul mutters as he walks away, a bit glad Nyla didn't let him change partner since the loud girl seems more of a drag than Ash will be.

"Huh? What's he talking about?"

"Pika?"

The match started with Dawn and her partner Conway winning the A block making their team move to the next match.

Nyla starts preparing herself and gently nudges her shoulder over Paul's.

"What?"

"No good luck for me?"

Paul's eyebrows twitch. "Don't be a kid. Those are just a bunch of losers. You would look like an idiot if you lost."

"Aw!" Nyla cooed, poking the purple-haired cheek that earned her irk mark. "Those are the nicest thing you can possibly say to me."

"Just get over it already!" Paul shouts, making the girl giggles and walk over the battlefield.

"I'm going, I'm going!"

From their side, the trio watches them in awe.

"She's one funny girl, ain't she?" Dawn chuckles, sweating.

"Glad that Paul found someone that can get along with him," Brock adds, smiling in approval.

Ash hums, tilting his head. "She looks like someone, but I can't remember who."

Paul throws out a Pokeball, revealing Chimchar, who looks around in confusion and is a bit scared by the number of people around the stadium.

"Hey, there, little Chimmy." Nyla lowers herself to greet the fire-type Chimp.

Chimchar's eyes twinkle at the sight of the female trainer, and he jumps to greet her.

"Don't be pathetic!" Paul scolds, making Chimchar freeze and lower its head.

"Don't be like that." Nyla sighs, hands on her sides. "Little Chimmy just want to greet me. At least someone can be a bit kinder."

"Hmph! Whatever. Chimchar, use Flamethrower!"

"We should be doing these too, Paul—" Ash, who had been focusing on Dawn's battle, was caught off guard by the blast that flew over his head, making him fall in shock. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Give Chimchar your suggestion," Paul states, not caring that those attacks almost hit his tag partner.

"Chimchar?" Ash gape before smiling. "Wow, you have been working on your Flamethrower, haven't you?"

"Chim!"

"A weak flamethrower for a weak flame." Its trainer scolds, making Nyla sigh as she watches Chimchar lower its head in shame. "Even though you have no control over it all."

"Chim—"

"I thought it was great. But, say, why don't you let us all help you?" Ash offers, with Pikachu following behind him.

"Sorry, we don't need your help."

"This is a tag battle!" Ash argues. "That means we work together to win!"

"It's all about you, isn't it."

"What's that?!"

Nyla picks Chimchar up over her chest. "I rarely see grumpy gets railed up except when I pick on him."

"Ka~"

"Sounds like you might forget the purpose of this competition." Dawn voiced out after reaching over to the arguing duo. "Back to the matter, trainers and pokemon have to constantly think about each other in a tag battle. That is what Cynthia said."

The name perks up Nyla's interests. 'Now I know why Sis is so interested in these two.'

"When every life met another life, something will be born." Paul quoted back the words Cynthia said. "So, Chimchar, let's go. Now!"

Nyla stood by Aema as they readied themselves for the battle. "Ready?"

"Never better!" Aema nods and calls out her pokemon. "Help me out here, Charmeleon!"

"Let's win this round! Come out, Larvitar!" Nyla calls out her Larvitar, who nods to greet the fire-type pokemon.

Their opponents call out their pokemon, Vaporeon and Geodude.

"Oh, man!" Aema gape at the opponent's types. "I'm so sorry, Nyla. I picked the wrong pokemon."

"Hm?" Nyla remained unfazed and shook her head. "Don't say that. The battle hasn't started yet. We never know until we try."

"Right!" The other girl huffed, pumping her chest out.