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Once Grandmother Ava finished making breakfast four the four of them, they all sat down in front of the television and ate silently, although the daily morning death reports had ended already. Only an anticlimactic show about the tourist spots of Eterna Ctiy played.

Speaking of Eterna City... Fleurette remembered that she had to pass by the place on her journey eastward. Needed a bit of restocking on her Potions and whatnot, and she had to discuss a thing or two with Gardenia, the Eterna City gym leader. After defeating Gardenia in what seemed like a century ago, the two had become close friends, and were both avid protesters against the Pokemon experiments.

After eating, Darena, Fluerette, and her Roserade helped clean up the dishes. She stood to the side as Darena packed and said goodbye to Grandmother Ava and Cain, who both treated her with kindness and wished her much luck on her journey. She and Roserade followed the young scientist out the door, where Darena looked to be in deep thought.

"Where will you go next, Miss Zanover?" Fluerette said. "First, are your Pokemon rested? Have they eaten? Have you stocked up on Potions and Antidotes and Repels, maybe?" Realizing that she was nagging, Fluerette stopped and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I get somewhat bothersome when I'm worried about someone."

Behind her, unseen to Fluerette, Roserade rolled its eyes, as if in complete agreement.






Nesrin called Froslass back into its Pokeball and left the Graveler lying fainted on the ground. She passed by the Pokemart to restock on Repels and Potions. As much as she loved battling, she hated being pestered by weak Pokemon when she was heading somewhere. She was planning to journey to Canalave City. Ships that sailed to Iron Island docked there, and she thought that it was an ideal place to really get some battling in. Perhaps she could challenge a few other hardworking Trainers there too. The thought of their broken spirits when she defeats them put her in high spirits.

As she walked down the roads of Oreburgh City, a boy knocked into her. He fell to the ground, surprised. Nesrin looked down at him, fury in her eyes. "Watch where you plant those feet, you clumsy little boy!" she spat.

The boy looked up at her and crinkled his face and stuck out his tongue at her. Nesrin had a mind to kick the boy where he sat, when Gengar peeked out from behind and snarled at him. The boy paled, then jumped up and ran off. "Children." Nesrin scoffed. "How I ever got past that stage, I have no idea."

She opened one of her Pokeballs, and Drifblim appeared, floating docilely by her side. "Canalave, alright? Canalave City. Don't drift this time." she said, enunciating clearly. She knew that Drifblim's mind tended to wander, and it often forget the destination it was flying to. Nesrin was still trying to work out that little hitch.

The Driblim murmured in reply and floated a little closer to the ground to allow Nesrin and Gengar to hop on. The distance between Oreburgh and Canalave was a bit long, too long for Nesrin to just hold on to one of its tails. As soon as Nesrin had found a comfortable seating up top, Drifblim rose into the sky and flew at a lazy pace towards Canalave City.

"Library?" Fleurette repeated. She frowned and looked up at the sky, thinking. There was a library somewhere off in the west, she just couldn't quite remember the name at the moment. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around. Roserade faced her holding a rock in her bouquet-like hands. Fluerette laughed. What a way to give answers. "Thank you, Roserade. You're a genius." She turned to Darena. "You must mean Canalave City. The docking port to go to Iron Island? I've journeyed there once before. Their library is quite immense."

Just then, Fluerette felt a breeze and she looked up. A Crobat was flying overhead, seeming to be getting lower and lower. Fluerette realized that there was a Trainer sitting on the Crobat's back, a young man. They touched grand, landing softly in one of the flower patches. Another trainer?

Fluerette turned to go, then stopped and turned back to Darena. She held out her hand. "It was real nice meeting you, Miss Zanover. I hope that your travels are successful and safe, and I hope that we meet again."

Then, with a few whispered words to Roserade they dashed off towards the man. She wished that they'd chosen a different place to land. Anywhere but the flower patches. The locals put in a lot of care into planting the seeds and tending to them. Perhaps Roserade could do a thing or to to fix it back up.

"Hello! Are you just passing through? Pokemon Center's right over there if your Crobat needs a rest." She held out her hand, smiling at him. "I'm Fluerette, by the way. Fluerette Lavergne. This is Roserade, my partner Pokemon." She gestured to the grass-type, who solemnly did her trademark salute in greeting. Then she ambled over to Crobat and saluted once more.

Andrew Daly, the man said his name was. A fitting name. Fluerette watched as her Roserade saluted to him, and he comically saluted back. Fluerette chuckled softly. The man had a sense of humor. That was always a good trait. His Crobat, apparently, had some humor as well, but not quite the kind that Andrew had. It taunted Roserade by lifting into the air, just above Roserade's head. Roserade simply looked up at it, a nondescript expression on its face. Fluerette turned her head to hide a smile. Little tricks like that wouldn't work on Roserade. She was way too... military-like for that. Sometimes, Fluerette didn't like how solemn it always was, but it was there were more good marks than bad.

Fluerette turned back to Andrew. He started saying how he actually came on a mission. How some Team Galactic members were rummaging around Blackthorn City.

Fluerette could swear that her heart skipped three beats.

Team Galactic.

Fluerette paled. On the exterior, she looked like she just froze, but inside, she was struggling to keep her composure. Team Galactic. It still existed? Fluerette had no idea. She wished that it would just disappear. Roserade, sensing its trainer's emotions, looked at her, concerned. It didn't do anything though. Better off not making a scene in front of strangers.

"So... you hope to chase them down?" Fluerette said softly, keeping her voice from trembling. Her eyes hardened and she looked up, finished with her initial reaction. "Then... then... let me join you."

When the girl told him that she wanted to go with him to investigate Team Galactic, Andrew's eyes went wide. This was going to be dangerous, and she looked young. He understood entirely what it felt like to be so young and to deal with dangerous situations very much like the one that he was about to get into. He needed to make sure.

"There is only one way that I can allow you to come with me. I need to make sure that you are strong enough as a trainer to undertake the situation. Please don't take this as me being condescending, but I do not put anybody into danger willingly. If you are willing to agree to these conditions, I will allow you to fight my Tyranitar. He is by far the most gentle of all my team."

With that, he began walking toward Eterna Forest. "Come, Crobat."

When Fleurette had finally spoke, they were almost to Eterna Forest. He stopped a good twelve feet from the entrance, which was far enough away from Floaroma Town for Tyranitar to do any damage. Andrew recalled his Crobat and sent out Tyranitar. "Did I say least powerful? No, merely the most. . . gentle. To look at him, you might not expect it, but he's the least vicious of all my Pokémon." Andrew chuckled because he knew what she was thinking; he would have thought the same at her age. When he was her age, he had just defeated the Kanto Elite Four.

"Please, don't be angry, I just want to see how prepared you are. You have the fire in your eyes, but that is not enough, not for what I'm about to do. So, indulge me in this battle." Andrew looked up at Tyranitar and nodded. "Take it easy on them, they want to be our allies, and we're just testing their skill." He looked back at Fleurette and her Roserade. "I assume you are using her? I will allow Tyranitar to act on his own." He knew that she would see that as an insult, but he didn't care.

"You see, as you travel through each region, you gain a certain bond with your Pokémon; they are able to act as though you were controlling them with actual words. And while spunk and fervour are most necessary, nothing can beat experience." He knew this would leave her wondering now about his past and what all he had done, but that was for the journey, not this battle. "Are you prepared, now, Fleurette? Tyranitar shall test your abilities." The towering Tyranitar let out a low scream as it got into a ready stance for the battle. It knew the moves it was supposed to use: Headbutt, Stomp, Body Slam, and Bite. This was its training move set, except against Metagross.

Fluerette expected some inflated, egotistical reply to her retort, but he simply said that he wanted to see how prepared she was. Fluerette sighed. She was prepared, definitely. She'd gone through much worse conditions than he was probably thinking off. Done much worse.

They stopped near Eterna Forest's entrance, about a few yards away. Fluerette looked over her shoulder. Floaroma Town was unable to be seen. Good. Andrew had mentioned earlier that he would use Tyranitar in their battle. Tyranitars were capable of earth-damaging attacks, Hyperbeam and the like. This way, Floaroma Town wouldn't be harmed in any way. The man was considerate; Fluerette approved. Just then, Andrew recalled his Crobat, who had been drifting alongside them the whole time, and called out Tyranitar. The Tyranitar stretched to its full height. Fluerette analyzed the Pokemon quickly. It was massive. If Fluerette had stood right next to it, it'd probably have been several heads taller than her.

Andrew looked to Fluerette, assuming that she was going to be using Roserade for this battle. Fluerette looked at Roserade, and it looked back at her. Tyranitar was a Rock-type; susceptible to water and grass types. Her Milotic would put up a fight pretty well. But then again, Roserade was the most powerful in her team. If she had to impress Andrew, Roserade would be the likely choice. Fluerette nodded. She knelt down, so that she was eye-to-eye with Roserade. "You get out there and do your best, alright? Nothing too over-the-top. Stay calm, relax, and you'll do fine. And..."

Roserade looked at her pointedly. She raised an eyebrow.

Fluerette laughed. She got its message. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Off you go then." Roserade strode forward and eyed Tyranitar.

Andrew said how he would allow Tyranitar to act on its tone. Fluerette's anger flared. How dare he? Did he think that she was so weak he didn't need to tell his Pokemon what to do? Even if she may be weaker than him, that was a little harsh. But he continued on to explain how, with experience, you gain strong bonds with your team, until eventually they know you inside-out, and are able to act on what they think you would have ordered them to do. Fluerette calmed, and related to his speech. What he said was true. The relationship with her Roserade was almost exact.

Fluerette noticed loitering Trainers along the path gathering around to watch the battle. She sighed. She hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself in front of all those people. Despite her confidence in her own skills, she wasn't quite sure as to what Andrew's skill levels were. He was strong, she knew that; but exactly how much? As she straightened up, Andrew asked her if she was prepared.

Fluerette gave him a fleeting grin. "It is Roserade whom you should be asking."

At those words, Roserade charged at Tyranitar. When it was just a few feet away, it sprang into the air, letting out a fierce battle scream. It thrust its arm forward, and Roserade seemed to freeze in the air, while a large, pitch-black ball of energy formed at her hand. It released the Shadow Ball, and it struck Tyranitar in the center of the chest. It followed through with a kick at the same spot, using Tyranitar to jump back and land neatly where it was standing before.

Fluerette smiled. It was a routine they'd practiced many times over. It was a good move to use when starting battles. And Fluerette started battles a lot, when she was still with Team Galactic. She was not proud of her past, but she was grateful for the training they had given her to allow her to become the strong fighter she was.



Nesrin stomped around for a while around the city, trying to contain her anger at not being allowed to battle. She had a mind to go out to the patches of grass outside the city and pound on the Pokemon lurking in them for a while, but thought it wise not to. She was trying to save her Pokemon's energy. And she knew they didn't appreciate beating on weak Pokemon too much.

The sun set, and the moon quickly rose, signaling dinnertime, but Nesrin wasn't hungry, too angry to even notice her hunger. She decided to get a room to stay first, then decide what to do next. Finding a small inn nearby, she went inside to get a room. She didn't notice how the innkeeper seemed to keep a good distance from her as he showed Nesrin to her room. She closed the door without any thank-you, and plopped onto the bed. Her Gengar stood in the corner, seeming to blend in with the shadows. Only its blood-red eyes were visible, seeming to peek out from the wall.

Nesrin sat up abruptly and stared at the camouflaged Gengar. She was used to that trick by now, so it hardly surprised her. "Crappy day, it was. I am not happy, you know that?"

The red eyes moved up and down, as if nodding.

"I seriously feel like pounding on some Pokemon about now. But, obviously, we cannot do that. I suppose we'll have to just work overtime tomorrow." Nesrin sneered. "How does that sound?"

In reply, another feature appeared in the wall: an evil grin, with pearly white teeth that contrasted greatly with the shadows.

Fluerette watched Roserade kick off from the Tyranitar's chest and soar through the air back to her position, seemingly unharmed, but when Roserade landed, it collapsed onto one knee. Alarmed, Fluerette looked closely, and saw the deep bite mark in Roserade's leg. She looked at Andrew and his Tyranitar fascinatingly. So fast! she thought. She hadn't even seen Tyranitar hurt him. But then again, the Shadow Ball Roserade had released exploded into a cloud of black smoke, so everything in that area was fogged out.

Fluerette grit her teeth. Andrew was strong. Really strong. She knew now just how strong he was. And she knew she didn't quite stand a chance. She could probably put up a fight, for a few minutes or so, but she wouldn't win. She was glad her sister wasn't here to see her humiliate herself.

She thought rapidly, analyzing the battlefield, wondering how she could use it to her advantages. It was open land; there was no place Roserade could blend in. The best she could do was attack him.

Roserade looked at her, then looked down at her wound, than back up at her. Fluerette shook her head. "Not yet," she said. "We've got to stretch this. Once more, Roserade. Go!"

Roserade nodded and then started dashing towards Tyranitar once more. "Magical Leaf!" Fluerette cried. Roserade jumped, spinning like a top in the air. Leaves appeared and flew out from its spinning form and zoomed straight at Tyranitar.

"Keep your distance!" At the last moment, Roserade stopped spinning and propelled herself in the other direction, away from Tyranitar.