Schoolwork. What a joy. Well, Ellie had no reason to be sarcastic. This part, she could actually make good use of.

  "Pokemon have different attributes that make them better or worse at certain things. Typically, trainers will call these things 'stats'."

  The more lax and unknown parts of Pokemon biology. Just what made a Pokemon unique. What were they good at, what were they poor at, what place did they take on a team? Ellie'd done some research into it earlier, but found stats varying wildly depending on the source. Especially for the rarer Pokemon. Pokemon like Ralts, with limited scientific research, scarcely had concrete data on what it was good at. Just the notes of trainers taking care of the Pokemon.

  "HP, how much your Pokemon can take before fainting. Attack, the physical strength of your Pokemon. Defence, how well your Pokemon takes physical attacks. Special Attack, the mental strength of your Pokemon, that strength most often manifesting in projectiles. Special Defence, how well your Pokemon can endure these attacks. And, finally, Speed. Self explanatory."

  Ellie's head tilted to her side, noticing Lucas beginning to take notes. It seemed he took the notes in earnest, too. Seriously? He hadn't even known of the basic stats that a Pokemon has? Ellie supposed he'd never mentioned them, making the most surface level answers when asked about a Pokemon's attributes. Plus, his Pokemon attacked largely the same. Zorua and Torchic, scrappy and fast.

  "These stats are never absolute, and we don't have concrete values for a lot of Pokemon, due to the strenuous process required to grab that data."

  Another thing Ellie had heard. Only the most dedicated of Pokemon were typically willing to endure the kind of tests they needed to determine a Pokemon's stats. The attacking stats weren't so hard to measure. Speed could be complete by setting it up on a track, and comparing its sprinting capabilities to data of other Pokemon. Similarly with Attack and Special Attack. Measure the Infinity Energy exerted with each attack to get a general grasp for how it ticked.

  But, the defensive stats were another deal entirely. Forcing them to endure constant attacks, one after another, from all sorts of sources. Then, at the end of it all, some scientists were unable to conclude where their defence was most strong. Was it because of high HP, or high Defence, or Special Defence? So much for enlightenment.

  "But, there is still some agreed upon data ranges." an image of a Geodude flashed up on the board, their lecturer slapping a ruler against the stats to the side, a neat column of six different ranges. "So, for a Geodude, their best attacks would be Defence and Attack."

  Ellie made an actual note of that in her notebook, under the small area that she labelled as 'Roxanne notes'. From what she'd heard out on the playground, Roxanne most often used a Geodude as her starting Pokemon against beginners like herself. So, it'd be useful to track some of its stats, and form a strategy later. Ellie glanced to Lucas, making sure he was taking notes. Then, back to Harry, who sat giving his Numel pats on the head, not paying any attention. Typical.

  "There are some more attributes that affect Pokémon's stats, but those tend to be shown by the ranges."

  Ellie waited for another comment on that. On the change in attributes of Pokemon she'd vaguely heard of, but wasn't educated on enough to make any amount of observation. But, that thought was quickly dampened by the ringing of the bell.

  "Well, I believe that's all I have for you today! Enjoy your lunch."

  Ellie pouted, end of her pen tapping against her notebook, faintly leaving traces of ink upon the page. Everyone was already beginning to pack away, and Ellie just had to accept only getting one piece of information that she could've likely just searched up anyways.

  Was public school always this much of a waste of time? Harry was right, she should count her lucky stars she was homeschooled when she was.

  At least she had the time to write plenty in her notebook, a passtime she'd sorely missed. A couple rough sketches of her Pokemon even popped up amongst the pages. Or, doodles, to be more precise. More than a few of Mudkip, a couple of Ralts. Then, the makings of one of Taillow. But, it was hard to form something close to accurate when she didn't even have a clear shot of Taillow most of the time. Not like she could tell it to sit still either, the bird would just ignore her entirely.

  Even when she'd called in Seijo to try and help, Taillow gained a new rebellious streak for him too. And, the days following that hadn't been much better. Maybe the bird would find Ellie's effort to draw it mildly endearing. But, the more rational part of her brain told Ellie that it'd just rip out the paper from her notebook.

  "Earth to Ellie!"

  Ellie blinked awake, feeling Lucas' hand gently shake her from her trance.

  Harry leaned against the wall, arms folded. "Class's over. So, pack up your 'studying' notebook, and let's head out."

  "Please?" Lucas added, a tiny levity to Harry's snarky tone. Ellie closed up her notebook, gathering everything into her bag and letting Harry take the lead out of the classroom. After a short queue to grab their food, they found their accustomed bench, seemingly claimed by them with their continued presence there.

  "You think it's ok to feed our food to our Pokemon?" Harry asked, moreso to Ellie than to Lucas. Yet, Lucas was still the first to answer.

  "I mean, I'm sure it'd be okay!" Lucas looked to Ellie, who thought for a second.

  "And, who do you plan on feeding your pizza to, exactly?" Ellie eyed the portion split off at the side of his tray.

  Harry smirked, gesturing over the table to where Numel patiently waited. It didn't even seem insistent on being fed. Harry just wanted to do it regardless. "Think Numel can eat it?"

  "Your responsibility if it can't." Ellie shrugged, not wanting to take any blame for why Numel was throwing up lava later in the day. Harry seemed to burden that responsibility without much second thought, however, dropping the pizza right into Numel's mouth. The Pokemon chewed, swallowed then smiled. The same smile as before, so none could really tell if they were about to have a problem. But, in the immediate aftermath, it seemed a success.

  "Well, I'll get a full slice for you next time!" Harry laughed at the thought of his cute fire camel devouring a whole slice of pizza. But, before Ellie could advise against it, Harry sat up from the table, asking. "Now, how's about we get some training in?"

  Numel nodded in agreement, and Harry called his two Pokemon to his side, interrupting Poochyena's chase of Torchic around the field. The dog bounded back to his side, just as Treecko swung right onto Harry's extended arm with the elegance of an acrobat. "Showoff." Harry smirked, Treecko matching his expression. Then, they moved to a free side of the field, where a couple kids were already practicing their moves and abilities.

  Harry would soon command the attention of all the trainers around, however. Setting Numel up, the Pokemon pelted out constant Fire type moves, Embers flying across the battlefield. Meanwhile, he assigned Treecko and Poochyena both to dodge around the incoming projectiles. A little of him wanted to try out practicing the strength of Numel's Bulldoze. But, almost every part of him was certain he'd receive a lecture for sending shockwave tremors through the school. So, he opted just for Embers.

  Treecko dodged with greater ease than Poochyena, the dog's body not quite as nimble. But, the pooch wouldn't quit either, running even as it panted with attrition, even stuffing out some of its flames with a strong Bite that made its fangs tinge slightly red. Treecko sometimes even stopped its usual dodging and weaving to send out a stream of leaves to block the blow, clearly working on strengthening its Leafage.

  Most of the time, the Ember would burn through the leaves. But, every time Treecko seemed to use it, the leaves got more plentiful, tinting with a different energy. But, before Harry could notice any more major change, the projectiles suddenly stopped coming. Numel huffed, trying to throw out more Embers. But, the fire roaring inside had disappeared, leaving the Numb Pokemon standing there, producing nothing but smoke from its mouth.

  "Alright buddy, time for a rest." Harry pushed his Numel down gently, dropping to the earth on its belly, huffing out smoke. Treecko looked to Poochyena, the hound still panting. But, both were still left with the urge to continue battling. And so, Harry orchestrated their own training, dodging and weaving around each other's moves.

  Lucas watched the training with a smile, noticing a few more trainers take inspiration in Harry's training, dropping by to ask a couple questions too, or setting up to train their own Pokemon. "Seems he's doing well for himself!"

  Ellie, despite her grievances with her own rented Pokemon, smiled. "Yeah, Numel and Harry get on well. Wish I could say the same between me and Taillow."

  Lucas glanced up to the tree where Taillow perched. The only sign of amicability he'd seen from the bird in days was when he loaded up a bowl with Aspear Berries for it. But, even when Ellie tried the same thing, Taillow had intentionally dragged the bowl away from Ellie to eat it separately from the rest of her Pokemon.

  "What on earth is the matter with you?" Lucas recalled Ellie screaming. But, Taillow just huffed and moved its bowl even further at that scream. Ellie'd given up after that. And, it seemed now she was still following that mantra. Letting out Taillow whenever they were outside, but expecting nothing but attitude from the little swallow.

  Lucas nudged Ellie with his elbow, gesturing to Taillow. "You gonna try again?"

  "You think I should?"

  "It's your decision, but it'll be worth a shot, right?"

  Ellie reached down, lifting Ralts onto the bench, pointing up towards Taillow. "Think you can try and read what Taillow is feeling?"

  Ralts nodded, always up to the task. Sneakily teleporting closer, landing on a branch just below the peak of the tree where Taillow sat, it closed its eyes. Purple energy radiated from its hands, taking deep breaths in. Then, finally, it opened its eyes, returning to Ellie. The little Psychic type shrugged, waving its arms around until it eventually combined into one.

  "Messy?" Ellie guessed. Ralts nodded. Perfect.

  "Maybe the knot of emotions will be the perfect opportunity?" Lucas came up with a laughably weak excuse, that still somehow motivated Ellie to give Taillow a shot. Reaching into her bag, she grabbed an Aspear Berry, pinching it between two fingers. Then, she stood in front of the tree, calling up to Taillow.

  "Got you an Aspear Berry!" she called out, Taillow cocking open one eye, squinting at Ellie. Then, its feathers began to ruffle, straightening into wings that swiftly took into the sky. Diving towards the ground, Taillow snatched the berry from Ellie's finger, leaving a cut upon the hand that fed in the process, before swooping back up to the top of the tree.

  Ellie winced, pinching her fingers closed, but with faint traces of blood still trickling down her fingers. "Seriously?" she called out to Taillow, watching the bird struggle to swallow the berry in one go. It was doing it just to rub it in Ellie's face. Even when its body wasn't meant to eat in one bite, gagging slightly, Taillow forced it down. "Not even a thanks, something of a greeting, anything?"

  Taillow didn't respond. Ellie combed her brain for anything that could've possibly made Taillow this mad, before raising her head to the sky. "Is this about the gym battle? You not being able to beat one of my Pokemon?"

  Lucas cringed. That mess of emotions got even more tangled, and it could be evident as Ralts cringed alongside him, bracing for the inevitable screaming match. And so, the crying rained like thunder, angry bellowing making Ellie's heart thud. Mudkip backed her up, barking out its own responses. But, ultimately, it did nothing but attract unnecessary attention to them.

  Still, Ellie couldn't quite let it go. "Well, if you're so mad about that, then why don't we have a battle? Mudkip or Ralts versus you?"

  Taillow stopped. Ellie took that as a sign of consideration, that she might be getting somewhere. But, just as soon, it devolved back into cursing out Mudkip and Ellie in the same breath, until eventually it was returned back to its Pokeball.

  "Why couldn't I just get one of the rental Pokemon..." Ellie groaned, trudging back to the table, where Lucas held Shroomish in his arms, comforting the little mushroom from the choir of angry screams.

  "Maybe someday?" Lucas provided some feeble optimism, while most of his attention went to ensuring his Shroomish was all taken care of. Placing it onto the table, Torchic jumped up to help, cheeks gently brushing against Shroomish. Warmth spreading throughout Shroomish, the Grass type had to be careful again not to get nervous and spread its spores everywhere. Arceus knows it'd happened so many times before. But, for now... "At least there's some progress here!"

  "Maybe, one day, Shroomish will not look terrified to be surrounded by other, non forest, Pokemon." Ellie remarked, Torchic's chirps at making progress bringing a light smile on her face. But, before Lucas could contemplate adding more Pokemon to the mix, the school bell rang, signalling the end of their lunch. Harry hung his head, pouting. But, ultimately, the three walked together back into the classroom for another couple hour stint of education...

  Week's end was approaching. Or, at least, the typical week's end that Lucas had grown to expect from his time at school past.

  He expected the weekend to follow shortly. But, truthfully, he hadn't an idea of how long he was actually meant to be there at all. Someone had to have come around to explain that part, Lucas was almost certain of it. But, he was equally certain that he zoned out during the long explanation, eyes flickering to the windows at the side of the classroom, longingly gazing outside.

  A paper slipped over Lucas' arm, gently bringing him back into the real world, snapping his eyes from the window. There wasn't even anything interesting out there. His brain had just blanked. Even Torchic seemed a little out of it. Where it once would've snapped its beak at him for getting distracted, Torchic now seemed just as distant. The fatigue of the end of the week was getting to them, it seemed.

  Still, Lucas tried his best to listen in, especially as the paper in front of him looked an awful lot like a test.

  "And, here's a small quiz on Types and their different matchups, just to check your understanding!"

  On a Friday? Lucas held in a sigh. Some of his classmates weren't so kind as to hold it in, letting it be known. Harry was one of them, and Lucas had to shuffle around to catch a look at his exasperated face. The look didn't disappoint, amusing as always. But, Lucas had to be careful to turn around before Harry noticed him taking a peak. Didn't want that angry glare to fall to him, after all.

  Ellie looked from her notebook to the test, shrugging her shoulders, and getting to work writing her name down. Lucas wasn't really surprised in the slightest, given how she'd approached pretty much every topic with the utmost ease. But, the feeling seemed not to be mutual amongst the whole class. Including Lucas.

  Still, he buckled down, and got to work. Despite the plentiful distractions, from either his Pokemon or his own mind, Lucas felt he had learnt a lot from this class. Enough to be able to jot down type matchups with relative ease, beyond the basic ones he already knew. The start had ones he could've asked himself when he was five, and Lucas would've still got them right. Water beats Fire, Grass beats Water, Fire beats Grass.

  'If a typical Rock type move hits a Fire/Poison type, how effective would it be?"

  A quick tick of super effective, and Lucas moved on. Through all of the questions he went, Torchic on its best behaviour to peck him on the head whenever he got distracted. But, Lucas found himself done with a little time to go. A rare oddity, but one he was delighted with. Maybe he'd learnt more in his Pokemon journey than he thought.

  Still, the talk of type matchups did get him thinking more about the upcoming gym battle. Particularly, the trouble of having his strongest hitter being weak to the gym leader's specialty. Meanwhile, his most inexperienced Pokemon would be the best at fighting against Roxanne's Rock types. Torchic seemed ready and raring to go at any time. But, the thought of Torchic's Fire type moves not even leaving a scratch on Geodude or the like did worry Lucas a fair bit.

  "Alright class, time's up, so I'll be taking in your tests now!"

  Lucas blinked twice, looking at the clock. Huh. A lot of time had passed. Must've zoned out again thinking of Torchic buried underneath a Rock Tomb. A thought that Lucas swiftly wanted out of his head. So, he wasted his time checking his paper over one last time. Turns out, no changes necessary. Except his name. He'd completely forgotten to write down his name.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Handing off his paper with a smile, Lucas glanced to the others around. Ellie seemed completely composed, going back to writing in her notebook. Actually, it looked like she hadn't stopped for a while, Lucas just hadn't noticed when she stopped doing the test and when she started writing. Harry seemed ok with the exam too, shooting Lucas a thumbs up when he turned. Good enough for all of them, then.

  "Thank you class. Now, some of you may have noticed that we've stopped class a few beats earlier than we're used to," the teacher began, calling attention to a detail Lucas had no awareness of until he looked at the clock. Seemed that he was the only one too, Ellie seemingly aware for no reason, while Harry knew from staring at the clock religiously, waiting for this nightmare to be over. Seemed his heart jumped in excitement at the teacher's announcement that they would be leaving early, too. Although, he reserved any excitement for after she was done talking.

  "A number of you may already be familiar with the end of week battles, but I'll give a recap for those who are new to our cohort," she continues to explain, Lucas imagining Harry doing backflips in the back at the mention of battling. "For the rest of the day we'll be hosting a tournament, similar to the one at the beginning of the week. Each student will fight three battles, and if a student successfully wins three battles in a row, they'll move on to have a battle versus Roxanne over the weekend!"

  Lucas felt the tension in the room grow a little thicker with those last words. Putting it all on the line for a chance to battle against Roxanne. Ellie wrote down a quick note, then snapped the book shut, eyes glancing around to check Lucas and Harry's reactions. Harry sat with a grin, already reaching for his backpack.

  "But, that'll come after lunch. So, eat up, and we'll meet on the battlefields after lunch in about forty minutes!"

  The bell didn't ring. But, the open invitation to leave was taken without grace or dignity, as a stampede of students wobbled from the classroom into the cafeteria. The three convened, quickly grouping together, grabbing their food, then establishing their places at the wooden bench.

  "Listen." Harry dumped his tray down onto the bench, stabbing a fork into his mac and cheese. "I can't deal with any more of this. I ain't losing. Not to anyone."

  Lucas smirked. "You better hope not to run into me then!" he jested.

  "Lucas, I will Bulldoze your Torchic with Numel until the Milktanks come home, I don't even care anymore." Harry threatened, with such a tone that it just made Lucas laugh. Especially as he cupped his face, almost screaming into his hands. "I can't be cooped up in here any longer! I just wanna travel again! I can taste the freedom, it's so closeeee!"

  Ellie watched with amusement, taking a bite of her pasta and chewing slowly. "It isn't that bad."

  "You're not on my side, homeschooler?"

  "Condescending nickname aside..." Ellie shot Harry a momentary glare, somehow playful as she transitioned elegantly into a smile, shrugging. "I don't know, it's a nice change of pace, not on the move all the time. Just get to relax, and write in my notebook for half the lesson."

  "The adventure around the region was my change of pace!" Harry sighed, leaning back while grabbing onto the table so he wouldn't topple off. "Which is why I won't be around here any longer. Moving on to bigger and better things."

  "I do miss exploring the routes..." Lucas glanced outside the chainlink fence to the outer reaches of Rustboro. "But, at least I'm still learning."

  "Nerd," Harry teased. Lucas feinted throwing a Pokeball right at Harry's head, earning a little flinch before settling his arm back down in satisfaction, all three eventually digging into their food, and settling into natural conversation. At least, until the forty minutes came to a close, with a great number of students disappearing to head towards the battlefields. The three included.

  All stood, side by side with their Pokemon, ready to be assigned to their battles.

  They just had to hope they wouldn't run into each other.

  So far? They'd made pretty good work on that plan. Two battles had passed by, without either of them being matched into each other. On top of that, things appeared to be going well. Neither had dropped their first battle, and deep into the second battle, each looked confident and primed to win.

  "Treecko, Quick Attack!"

  Treecko was the first to prevail from their second battle. After a strong start, courtesy of Numel's strengthened Embers and Bulldozes, Treecko followed it up with its own head strong, lightning fast style of battling. A few Quick Attacks, Pounds, and Leafages later, the Skitty he had faced off against fell to the floor, Harry swiftly declared victor.

  "Ember!" Lucas followed it up shortly, Torchic huffing slightly as it put its all into one last Ember, honing in on a particularly speedy Zigzagoon. Ultimately, the racoon's stamina waned, leaving it open to a blow right to the side, fainting on impact Another win on the board, Lucas beaming as he stormed the battlefield to bring Torchic into his warm embrace.

  "Water Pulse!"

  Same couldn't be said for Ellie, as Mudkip struggled to let out another Water Pulse. The same Slowpoke that Lucas had fought initially, Ellie now stood in opposition against. And, just as Lucas had complained about before, the Slowpoke did a whole lot of nothing.

  The battle had became a slow battle of trading blows. Ellie would land a Water Pulse, a Tackle, and Slowpoke would counter with a Water Gun or a Confusion.

  Slowpoke took every attack. But, no matter what Ellie threw at it, it always seemed to shrug off the next blow. Something Lucas had talked about too, but she had insisted was just hyperbole. But, now, looking at Slowpoke's dopey face seemingly never changing, Ellie began to reconsider that thought.

  The Water Pulse whizzed through the air, spinning in loops before smashing against Slowpoke's body. A small trail of mist left the collision, lifting up into the air. Slowpoke emerged from the mist. Same expression. Not a sign of discomfort.

  "Water Gu-"

  Slowpoke's head finally dropped. Same expression. Just with its eyes swirled. Mudkip huffed out a long breath, collapsing onto its belly. Ellie took a deep breath enough to match Mudkip's own, looking up to the passing clouds above, thanking the stars for that being over. But, when she looked back down, she was reminded of only one thing.

  There was still a battle left to go.

  Picking Mudkip up in her arms, she called the Pokemon back into its ball to rest up. Her finger traced over Ralts' too, having been dealt an unlucky matchup against another Poochyena for her first battle. Disarming Voice helped them through. But, Ellie strained Ralts more than she would've liked to win that fight, leaving her with two Pokemon exhausted, and one without any ambition to listen to her.

  "You sure you wanna exhaust Torchic again?" Harry asked, walking away from the battlefield with all his Pokemon in tow.

  Lucas nodded, Torchic panting a little, but having a fire freshly stoked behind its eyes regardless. "Well, I've decided I'm not gonna use Torchic in the gym battle tomorrow. So, better to have my other Pokemon fresh for the gym battle when it comes."

  Harry took a moment to respond, then shrugged. "Alright, your choice," he said, leaving the thoughts in his head about that decision unspoken, instead turning his attention towards Ellie. "Still on your winning streak?"

  "I suppose," Ellie spoke, with less confidence than Harry would've expected.

  "5-0 is pretty impressive!" Lucas smiled, looking around for any of her Pokemon. "But, what's up with returning them so soon?"

  "You sure you're not lying?" Harry teased.

  "Am not." Ellie pouted, then tilted her head to the side. "They're just...these battles have been a lot harder for them."

  Lucas glanced to the side of the battlefield, where his former opponent sat, letting out a little sob over her defeat. Seemed tears were a common thing for her. "Yeah, can't blame you, I had a lot of difficulty too." Lucas responded, praying to every legend above that he wouldn't get matched into her again. He'd probably have to break the whole Torchic run if that happened.

  "Just have to hope I have an easier time in the next round." Ellie sighed, hearing the vague announcement for a short, and needed break. The three kids convened on the floor, swiftly splashing Potions on their Pokemon, talking strategy until the time came for their next rounds to be announced. Harry split off from the group first, Poochyena by his side. Lucas soon disappeared too, waving to Ellie and wishing her luck.

  Well, at least they weren't matched against each other, just as they'd hoped. Ellie just had to get an easy fight, without any difficulties. Especially not personal ones!

  "Ellie vs Cole!"

  Oh. Oh dear.

  Cole turned to Ellie, recognising her instantly. Ellie put on a smile, hoping to convey she had no intentions of harm or hostility. But, it seemed his frown only grew deeper.

  Ellie suddenly regretted taking that piggyback ride from Seijo. Especially as he stormed off without even co-ordinating anything. At first, Ellie had assumed he'd just given up fighting her, opting to strop off to a teacher. But, he soon arrived at the end of a battlefield, staring at Ellie.

  "Well, come on then!" he shouted a little too loudly, drawing a couple pairs of eyes.

  "R-Right-" Ellie responded, slightly startled by the shout, but ultimately she couldn't blame his haste or impatience. Steadfast, she moved to the other side of the battlefield, watching Machop's Pokeball click against the battlefield, cracking open to reveal the Fighting type. Ellie looked down, knowing her Ralts would be her best option. But, with the battle against Poochyena earlier on, she couldn't help but think Ralts may have voided its battling energy for the day.

  Her eyes were drawn to the other Pokeball. Not technically hers, yet still under her possession. Flying would have the type advantage against Fighting types such as Machop. No doubt, Taillow would've had its few to fight in its time at Seijo's gym too, dealing with Normal's only weakness. Plus, maybe a battle could be the thing to finally get Taillow going. The bird did love fighting a lot, after all.

  Maybe...just maybe...

  Ellie clenched the Pokeball tight, taking a deep breath, then lobbing the Pokeball onto the battlefield. "Taillow!"

  The Pokeball cracked against the earth, and out popped the tiny swallow, eyes darting around in confusion. They first settled onto the Machop in front of it, puffing out its muscles. Then to the trainer, looking a little sceptical of Taillow's presence. Then, Taillow turned, with an already furrowed brow, knowing who it would soon face. Ellie attempted a smile.

  "Come on, it's a battle I know you can win." Ellie continued to smile. Taillow huffed, and turned. Ok, progress! Maybe, they could finally end up getting somewhere, if Taillow chose to stand and fight.

  "Enough waiting, Machop, punch the stupid bird!"

  Surely. Ellie had to try not to laugh at the command, plus he insulted Taillow in the same breath that it took him to command his Pokemon. Taillow would have to give him a piece of its mind.

  "Wing Attack!"

  Taillow watched Machop come forth, footwork sloppy, fist reeled all the way back. The punch came, and Taillow swiftly ducked out of the way, Machop's fist swerving high above the swallow's head. And, with its opponent's balance toppled, came the perfect time for Taillow to strike back. It swept up its wing...

  And went flying into the air.

  Ellie watched Taillow soar, Wing Attack prepared, but not acted upon. Wings flapping, it took to a height, soaring out of reach of Machop. Then, it looked down at the earth. At all that stood beneath its talons. A deep breath inwards...

  Then, it spat on Machop's head.

  Ellie cringed. Why did she think this was a good idea?

  "Hey! You-" Cole grimaced, Machop rubbing its hands all over its head, trying to get rid of the saliva now dripping from its curved grooves. "Jump in the air and try and punch it straight to the ground!"

  Machop shook its head, keeping the saliva away from its eyes, readjusting again. Spotting Taillow high into the air, it squatted onto the ground, tensing its calves. Then, with all the strength it could possibly muster, Machop dove into the air, fist outstretched to punch upwards.

  At least it made it...halfway...to Taillow's height?

  Ellie tried to gauge the distance, it was difficult to tell. Didn't help that Taillow saw Machop make it halfway, and somehow decided it was of any danger of getting hit, choosing to ascend even higher into the air. It reached a point where it was a small dot in the sky, that both trainers had to squint to see.

  "Oh, come on, there's no way that's allowed!" Cole stomped his foot, calling a teacher's attention with his raving, pointing to Taillow. The teacher who strolled past took one look at the battlefield, finding only a sulky Machop. Then, craning their neck to the sky, they saw Taillow flying high, the two making eye contact.

  The teacher clicked their tongue. "Yeah, call Taillow down, you'd get disqualified in a League match for stalling if you did this."

  "I know, just..." Ellie shook her head, cupping her hands around her mouth, praying to Calyrex that Taillow would listen. "Taillow, get down from there!"

  Taillow took one glance at Ellie, cutting her with just a stare. Expecting to be the victim of a barrage of spit, just as Machop had been before her, Ellie prepared to dodge. But, much to her surprise, it seemed that Taillow...was following her commands exactly. Ellie beamed, watching Taillow slowly trudge back down towards the battlefield, glancing at the teacher for support.

  A little lower she gestured. A little lower, a little lower, a little lower. Until, Taillow had reached a point where Machop could feasibly reach Taillow.

  "Alright, Machop, punch it!" Cole called out, without even a confirmation from the teacher that the battle could recommence. But, with a shrug, the teacher accepted the command, gesturing almost solely to Ellie that they could indeed continue.

  "Dodge!" Ellie quickly blurted out, Taillow diving out of the way of the oncoming punch with what seemed like ease. Another command followed. Ellie's expression coiled into a wider grin. "Peck!"

  With its beak pressed forward, it seemed a sure fire hit, especially as Machop's balance toppled. But, to Ellie's surprise, Taillow swooped past, the energy glowing around its beak beginning to dip down. Tilting her head, she shrugged it off. Maybe Taillow missed its alignment, and just wanted to have more momentum going into the attack. So, she let it be.

  Then, it happened again. Taillow would fly past, weaving around one of Machop's wide swings. But, no counter attack ever came. It did follow Ellie's commands. Whenever she commanded a Wing Attack, its wings would become encased in that silver, Flying type energy. But, never would its wings smack against Machop's grey skin. Its beak, too growing a light silver, would soon fade upon a successful dodge.

  Maybe Quick Attack would be different? But, no. In fact, it only seemed to be embolden Taillow's dodging more than anything. Gaining a white cloak, leaving a trail of the aura in the wake of its speedy flying, running circles around Machop. The poor Fighting type's head was left spinning in circles every time she called out for the move. Even Focus Energy allowed Taillow to concentrate further, and simply dodge with even more elegance.

  Cole huffed, until it turned into more of a growl, fingers combing through his hair. "What are you doing? You're not even attacking!"

  "I-I'm trying!" Ellie insisted, pointing to Machop. "Taillow, attack Machop!"

  She winced. It sounded just as amateurish as the commands that Cole had given earlier. Taillow did dive in for an attack on Machop. But, before it could land any significant hit, it turned, so only the ends of its feathers clipped Machop's grey skin. A light tickle was all that the Fighting type felt. A single feather would drop from Taillow's wing onto its grey skin, then fall down onto the floor.

  Taillow swooped back around, a smirk on its face as it looked to Ellie. Malicious compliance. The little rotter.

  "Attack Machop like you mean it!" Ellie attempted to edit her command, leaving no room for disobedience in compliance. But, Taillow put next to nothing into its next attack. Clearly, the battle meant absolutely nothing to the bird. The task was impossible.

  "Kick Taillow!" Cole commanded. Machop swung an overhead kick to catch Taillow. But, once more, the bird slipped out of the way, Machop falling into the dirt. Cole gasped, looking around for a teacher, pointing at the battlefield in disgrace. But, all the teacher saw was his Machop in the dirt, with Taillow looping in the air above Machop. They quickly moved on to oversee the next battle. Cole's face flushed brighter red.

  "Come on..." Ellie whined, watching Taillow continue to swoop around, making a training exercise out of a battle. Ellie's attention went to the other two of her friends. Harry and Lucas were deep into their battles, fighting with all their heart through. Torchic huffed, exhausted from the weight of the past three battles. But, still, with Lucas' cheers behind it, flames swept its body anew, throwing itself back into the midst of battle. Same for Harry, Poochyena howling as it dug into the battle with sharpened jaws, fierce and ready to battle to the end.

  And, here Ellie was, Taillow not only making a fool of her opponent, but also of herself. She should've just sent in Ralts. A loss from exhaustion would be worse than facing the confused stares of her fellow pupils, wondering what on earth was going on with her battle.

  "T-Taillow!" Ellie's voice wavered, feeling her word worth nothing, but still vainly trying to get Taillow to listen. "Wing Attack!"

  Once more, Taillow swooped by, Machop toppling off balance as it swung a kick, then feeling the gentle tickle of a single feather. Cole huffed. "Machop, grab Taillow!"

  "Peck!"

  Taillow swooped back around in the air, looping twice for extra flair, before bursting down, beak lightly silver.

  Machop waited, then grasped Taillow's body with its arms, pulling the bird close. Taillow's entire body halted. Ellie's heart skipped a beat.

  "Now, drop to the floor!"

  Machop, squeezing Taillow tight to its chest, let its legs drop to the earth, full body weight squashing the bird. Taillow's back struck the hardened concrete battlefield, letting out a squawk. Its wings spread wide, Taillow bucked under Machop's weight, but held no signficant strength to its struggling.

  "Grab Taillow, then punch it!"

  "Get out of there!"

  Taillow finally followed Ellie's command earnestly. But, Machop's hand squeezed tightly around Taillow's body. For all of its lack of elegance, Machop's muscles weren't just for show. Taillow thrashed, but its wings refused to be freed. It raised its head for a Peck. But, its Peck contended with Machop's overhead punch, the Fighting type easily prevailing, smashing Taillow's head against the earth.

  Ellie's hands tensed, attempting to find a quick solution. But, with Taillow pressed against the ground, as another punch made its mark, Ellie's body slackened. Just, watching, emptily. No more commands came out of her mouth. The only sound would be Taillow's screech, as it took yet another punch to the face. Cole's expression finally stretched into a smile, for the first time in a long while. Machop landing blow, after blow.

  A teacher strolled by. The same that had intervened before with Taillow's stalling. They watched the match unfolding, with Machop atop Taillow, beating it into the ground. Taillow's eyes flickered towards fainting, with Ellie staring vacantly at the floor. Her body lacked tension, eyes vacant, not raising a Pokeball, or raising her voice to end the fight.

  "Hang on!" the teacher intervened, placing a hand on Machop's shoulder, stopping the Pokemon right away. It took a moment. But, eventually, Taillow's thrashing stopped, swirls settling in its eyes. "Taillow is unable to battle! Machop is the winner!"

  "I..." Cole sounded almost surprised for a moment, before his expression stretched into a smug expression. "I won! In your face, WOO!"

  A couple seconds passed, then Ellie snapped back to reality, as the teacher gently shook her awake. She nodded at whatever the teacher said, seemingly an appropriate response, as they soon walked away from the battlefield to oversee another battle. Careful steps tapped against the battlefield, Ellie gently walking, until she reached Taillow's unconscious body. Crouching to the ground, she glanced up the length of the bird not quite hers, then up at Cole, celebrating with his Machop, seemingly all smiles.

  Ellie couldn't even be mad about the loss. Deep apathy gripped her, more than anything. Looking down at the bird that refused every bit of help she gave, the trust she put in, and where it had led her to. Watching Taillow get beat should've been therapeutic. But, it wasn't, even in retrospect. She just sighed.

  "Hey, Ellie! How's things..." Lucas waved, but his voice dropped a tone lower, spotting Taillow laid out on the floor. Hurrying along, Torchic cradled in his arms, Lucas came to a stop by her side. It took a moment for him to speak. "You battled with Taillow."

  "Yup," Ellie responded, tone as sour as a Rowap Berry. "It went as well as you could imagine."

  "Right," Lucas tapped his fingers against his thigh, trying to find an appropriate response. "Well...at least...you tried?" His voice wavered halfway through, making the statement sound oddly sarcastic. Ellie dryly chuckled, Lucas' expression falling. "Wait, that probably sounded bad, I didn't mean it li-"

  "You're trying too, Lucas, it's fine," Ellie responded, clicking Taillow's head with its Pokeball, before turning her head towards Lucas. "You won, I'm assuming?"

  "Yeah!" Lucas' tone lacked enthusiasm to start, but it picked up once he held out Torchic, held tight. The Pokemon was cut and bruised, clear as day. But, still kicking. "Tough battle, but a couple hops and Embers later, we came out on top!"

  "Told ya I wasn't gonna lose."

  Harry strolled by, gently nudging Lucas in the shoulder. In his arms, he held Poochyena, his dog beaming from another successful battle, tail wagging and rubbing against Harry's chest. A bright smile on his face, he looked to Ellie, dusting down her skirt as she climbed to her feet.

  "Your battle didn't go as well?" he asked.

  "Not the least bit," Ellie said, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath, then letting her face tilt into a small smile. "Silver lining, at least you two got a battle with Roxanne."

  "Yup, and no doubt, you'll get a chance next time! Maybe even with the rental Taillow, or Swablu!" Lucas' face lit up, attempting to find as much light in the future to dampen Ellie's disappointment in the present.

  "Maybe," Ellie's smile twitched, especially as she noticed Cole continuing to celebrate in the background. Harry turned, holding his Poochyena a little tighter, sighing.

  "Damn, that guy got a win?" Harry tsked. "Feel bad for whoever's gotta live that down."

  Ellie cringed, opening her mouth, but swiftly closing it. Lucas glanced back to Ellie, expression dropping even more, gently pushing Harry along.

  "Come on, we gotta go book our times for the gym battle," Lucas found a quick distraction. One which Harry accepted without pushback, and Ellie accepted with much gratitude. The truth could wait for later.

  The embarrassment would be forever, though.