#fletchling

“Good luck!” Silvia says before he runs. Eevee is limping slightly, but is in overall good shape for fighting a fully evolved Pokémon. The school nurse heals Eevee up real quick and gives Silvia a potion just in case she needs it. Fletchling flies next to Eevee on the counter, hopping in circles around her. Fletchling flies between Eevee and Silvia, looking back and forth, tweeting.

“Fletchling! Fletch, Fletch!” He is trying to say something, but Silvia doesn't understand.

“What's wrong?” she asks, puzzled. Fletchling swoops next to Eevee, acting like he is going to fight her. Then, something clicks.

“Oh, you want to learn how to battle like Eevee?” Fletchling nods happily.

“If you have an entire team as strong as that Eevee, then no one will stop you from becoming the champion of Hoenn!” a kind voice speaks from behind them.

“Thanks! It's all in the bond, I guess. It also helps that Eevee is just freaking awesome,” Silvia says as Eevee hops off the counter and stands next to her.

“I’m Nia, by the way. I’m a reporter for The Little Chatot That Told You,” she says as she pulls a notebook and a pen out. “I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?”

“Sure! But… why me? Wouldn't you rather talk to the stronger trainers?” Silvia asks, confused. She is not the best trainer here. She is just a girl with an Eevee; how interesting could she be?

“You fought an Archeops that was trained by some of the best trainers that can be put on a payroll. Ethan is the school's rich kid; his parents pay for professional Pokémon trainers to train him and his Pokémon. Yet, you and your Eevee beat him like it was nothing. Based on that alone, I think you are easily one of the best trainers here.” Eevee smiles proudly as she hears someone talk about her true strength.

“I guess we did do that, huh?” Silvia chuckles nervously as she speaks.

“You sure did! I want to interview the best up-and-coming trainers, and that's you. So, what I’m wondering is how such a young prodigy isn't on their way to Rustboro to take on the first gym of Hoenn?” she asks, ready to write down Silvia’s answer.

“Oh, um… well, I guess because I’m not ready to live on my own yet. I also value the bond between Eevee and me more than I value making a name for myself. Besides, I don't have my trainer's license yet,” Silvia says honestly. She doesn't want to push Eevee into battles that might get her hurt badly or make her feel less comfortable in the relationship.

“Interesting… How long ago did you get Eevee?” Nia asks curiously.

“Eevee and I have been together since I was four. My parents wanted me to have a constant in my life because they were gone for their jobs so much. Eevee and I actually started training together when I was about eight.” Eevee is leaning on Silvia's leg, relaxing.

“What's the story there?” Now she is really interested. Most people don't start training their first Pokémon until they're eleven, so this is really strange to her.

“Well, as I said, my parents weren't home very often due to their jobs. We used to live in Petalburg, and I would go out to Route 104 with Eevee. There were plenty of adults in the area, so it was pretty safe. If a Poochyena bothered us, a local Bug Catcher would help us out. One day, though, we were attacked by a group of wild, hungry Zigzagoon. There wasn't anyone else around, and they were pretty persistent. Eevee, without a second thought, jumped to protect me. Despite the little experience with battles, she didn't care. She got pretty messed up, but she kept fighting. Ever since then, we kept getting stronger together so we would be prepared for anything,” Silvia tells her, resting against the counter behind her.

“Wow! What an interesting origin story. Have you faced opponents you haven't been able to beat?” Nia writes as fast as her wrist will let her. She doesn't want to miss a single word Silvia says.

“Of course we have. We wouldn't be growing stronger if we didn't find new competition.”

Just as Silvia finishes her sentence, Logan runs over.

“I won!” he cheers.

“Marsh!” Marshtomp cheers too, clearly happy.

“Congrats! Maybe you and I will end up battling in the finals!” Silvia hopes that they can both show their strength in a fun fight.

“That's the dream!” he says, returning Marshtomp to his ball and handing him to the nurse they're standing in front of.

“Oh, this is Nia from the—”

“The Little Chatot That Told You! I am a HUGE fan of your writing!” Logan cuts Silvia off, extending his hand to shake Nia’s. She happily accepts.

“And this guy who was born caffeinated is Logan, my friend,” Silvia says, chuckling.

“It's nice to meet a fan! Let me know when your next battle is, so I can watch. If Silvia thinks you're a strong trainer, then you must live up to the legend!” Nia smiles as she speaks.

The three talk for a while, eventually moving to the bench next to the battlefield. They watch and talk for a while until the announcer speaks over the speakers with an announcement.

“Attention, Lilycove High students and spectators! The final list of competitors is in. The trainers left are Ariana Taylor, Elise Rivas, Silvia Stone, Karli Wilson, Lian Phelt, Logan Spire, Jack Tyce, and Felix Spray.” The remaining competitors cheer, and so do their families. Except Silvia’s. Mary and Klay never come to any Pokémon-related events; they barely even go to the guardian meetings. She doesn't need their cheers or praises; she knows she is good enough. (EDITOR'S NOTE: If only I was as self-confident as the people I write about XD)

“The first battle of the finals bracket will be Silvia Stone and Lian Phelt. Will the two trainers please enter the field?”

Silvia gets up from her spot, leaving Fletchling in the care of Logan and Nia. Lian walks on, clearly nervous. He isn't a bad trainer at all; in fact, he is a really good trainer. He and his Pokémon share strong bonds and have fought their way here. Silvia and Lian make it to their respective sides.

“Alright, Eevee, you got this!” Eevee jumps out on the field once more, ready for one heck of a battle.

“Let's do this, Carnivine!” He releases his Grass-type. Silvia’s stomach drops. He has been using a Kecleon this entire time; now he has a Carnivine? Silvia can tell by the way Eevee is taking a step back that she is not prepared for this. It makes sense that he switched up his lead. Eevee’s main strategy has been to wait for the perfect time to use Counter. Kecleon, being a Normal type and a physical attacker, makes it a bad matchup for Lian. A special attacker would be better in this case, and Lian knows this. He probably trained this thing to be a split attacker, able to use both physical and special attacks with equal, but less power.

“Eevee, stay light on your feet. This won't be easy.” Eevee nods, going from her offensive stance to her defensive stance. She leans on her back paws more, preparing to dodge or take a hit.

“Let the battle begin!” the announcer speaks once more.

“Eevee, Quick Attack!” Silvia calls. Getting the first hit is important, but it's going to be hard to get close to Carnivine, and they both know it.

“Use Magical Leaf!” Lian shouts. Magical Leaf is a decent move, one that Carnivine only learns when being trained straight from the egg. Leaves with a purple glow appear around Carnivine. The leaves fly towards Eevee, hitting her despite her efforts to dodge. She keeps running towards Carnivine, hitting it with full force.

“Carnivine, Slam, now!”

“Eevee, watch out!” Silvia warns, but it is too late. Carnivine grabs Eevee with his vines, slamming her into the ground.

“Good job, Carnivine!” Lian says, praising his Pokémon. Eevee lies on the ground for a second before standing back up. Silvia bites the inside of her lip as she thinks about what to do next. Carnivine stares Eevee down, knowing he outpowers her without a doubt. Eevee is a very powerful Pokémon but still has her limitations. This will prove to be harder than both Silvia and Eevee thought, but this won't be the end of them in this tournament.

“Let's finish this, Carnivine, use Vine Whip!” Lian orders. If Lian wants to go all out, so will they.

“Eevee, use Quick Attack on the ground!” Silvia calls. Eevee pounces, slamming her front paws on the ground, causing a huge dust cloud to surround both Pokémon. Without being able to see Eevee, Carnivine's attack misses. One thing Silvia and Eevee have been working on is battling without being able to see. Not only is it a great way to build trust, but it is perfect for moments like this.

“Carnivine, use Magical Leaf in all directions.” Lian is worried, and Silvia can tell by his tone. In situations like this, it is surprisingly common for the opposing Pokémon to go to the middle of the field, feeling like they have the best opportunity to see. Either that or they return to their side of the field, close to their trainer, and due to the worried tone Lian has, Silvia knows they can't see each other, so it is probably the first idea she had. Carnivine's Magical Leaf attack hits Eevee, sending her back in a tumble. She springs back up, not giving up. Silvia takes this moment to attack, knowing that if she doesn't, Eevee will pay the price.

“Eevee, use Last Resort on mid!” Silvia calls. Eevee’s claws dig into the ground, springing her forward. She charges full speed into the middle of the field. There is a loud crash sound as she makes contact with Carnivine. Both Pokémon fly out of the dust bloom, Eevee standing over Carnivine's weak form. He isn't out, but this is a huge advantage.

“Let's finish this! Use—” Silvia is cut off by Lian.

“Carnivine, return.” Lian returns his Pokémon to its Poké Ball. He forfeits!

“Lian and Carnivine forfeit. Eevee and Silvia win!” the announcer says. Silvia is beyond confused but is grateful nonetheless. Lian sighs as he holds his Poké Ball close to him. Both trainers walk to the middle of the field.

“Why did you forfeit?” Silvia asks, needing to know.

“You and your Eevee are clearly stronger than us, and I promised Carnivine and Kecleon that I would aim to keep them safe in battle. If one attack was able to nearly knock Carnivine out, then I knew we wouldn't win. You earned this, no doubt,” he says with a smile, accepting defeat.

“I mean, we knew we were in deep when you sent out Carnivine instead of Kecleon, so we got lucky, really,” Silvia says, rubbing the back of her neck. Eevee smacks her leg with her tail, telling her to just accept the compliment. “But thanks, you were a worthy opponent.”

The two trainers shake hands before walking off the field. Fletchling flies over immediately, nesting in Silvia's hair while tweeting happily.

“Wow, a forfeit? That's new, even for me,” Nia says, writing in her notepad. Logan smiles proudly, knowing that his best friend and her Eevee scared them so badly with one attack that they forfeited.

“I might have underestimated you, Silvia,” says a somewhat familiar voice. It is Karli! She has never talked to Silvia before and only hangs out with strong trainers.

“Uh… Thanks?” Silvia responds, not knowing how to respond.

“It's a compliment, really. Lian and I practice together, and he's pretty good.” Silvia lets out a breath at Karli’s words, feeling slightly better.

“Thanks, but it's all on Eevee; she did the hard work.”

As Silvia speaks, the announcer begins to speak again.

“Will Elise Rivas and Jack Tyce please enter the field?”

The trainers pass by Silvia, Nia, and Logan as they walk onto the field. Silvia and Logan are too far in shock that Karli is talking to them to care. Nia, on the other hand, runs over to the bleachers to watch, wanting to get the details of the battle.

“Who knows, maybe it will be us in the end.” At this point, Silvia is trying to hold back squeals of excitement. Yeah, Karli is just another student, but she is probably the strongest one here. The fact that she thinks of Silvia as an actual competitor is awesome.

“I should probably go get Eevee healed up for our next battle,” Silvia says, picking Eevee up.

“Alright, see you later,” Karli says as she walks back over to the bleachers.

As Silvia helps Eevee, she feels… proud. Not just of herself, but of the beautiful and cute Pokémon she trains with. There are probably thousands of Eevee in the world, but none of them compare to her. She is kind, sassy, and loyal to no end. Not only would Silvia die for this Eevee, but Silvia also knows the feeling goes both ways. She makes it to the nurse again and places Eevee on the counter.

“You two won again?” the nurse asks. Another nurse from the back walks over, leaning on the counter.

“Now you owe me $20, Sue,” he muses, extending his hand, waiting for payment. (Editor here, I tried as hard as I could to find a typable Poké Dollar sign, but couldn't, sooooo… I tried, I'm sorry. 😕)

“You were betting on us?” Silvia asks with a chuckle.

“Yeah, Sue thought that Carnivine would be too much for you two, but I guess her mistake lost her $20,” he jokes. It is really funny to Silvia that they are betting on high-school-level Pokémon battles.

“ANYways… Here is a Wiki Berry juice for Eevee in case she needs it.” Sue loves giving Eevee and Silvia free healing treats. It is a nice gesture, especially because Silvia doesn't get that very often, living with the family she does. Sue is very mother-like in all the ways Silvia needs.

“Thanks, we are going to go out and watch the next few battles while we wait,” Silvia says after they heal Eevee up.

“Have fun, hun!” Sue calls, then gives Matt (the other nurse) a smack on the arm as Silvia leaves.

Silvia and Eevee find a spot to sit on the bleachers with Logan and Fletchling. It is at the very top, so they get a great view of the field. Fletchling is mimicking the moves of the Pokémon on the field. Silvia knows that before she releases Fletchling back into the forest, she will teach him a few moves. The battle is over soon enough, and Jack wins. He and his Cranidos win after a long battle, but they win nonetheless. There is a small break after Jack and Elise’s battle, giving everyone a quick bathroom and snack break.

“Alright, would you rather catch an Ultra Beast or meet Arceus?” Logan asks while munching on a Lava Cookie, his dad got when he was in Lavaridge.

“Meet Arceus, easy,” Silvia answers, petting Eevee as she rests on her lap. Fletchling is sitting at her side, resting his head on Silvia’s leg. “Would you rather… get a Swampertite for free or get a lifetime supply of free Lava Cookies?”

“Lava Cookies! Marshtomp and I can buy a Swampertite with the money we make from selling Lava Cookies,” Logan teases, finding a way to get both.

“Fine, that's fair,” Silvia chuckles as she speaks.

“My turn. Would you rather find out that you're related to an Elite Four member, or become the strongest trainer in Hoenn?” Logan asks.

“Do you know how awesome it would be to be related to an Elite Four member? I'd take that any day,” Silvia responds.

“I mean, your name IS Silvia Stone, and the champ is Steven Stone, so you never know,” he reminds her.

“I know, but I think I would know if I'm related to the best trainer in Hoenn,” she says, daydreaming about how awesome that would be. “Just imagine—being able to train under THE Steven Stone.”

“Maybe you don't have to imagine. You and Eevee are going places, so you never know,” he says optimistically.

“Please, you are going far past the Hoenn League,” Nia says as she walks over to Logan and Silvia. Fletchling perks up, sitting on Nia’s lap as she sits down.

“You guys are going to inflate my ego, I swear to Arceus,” Silvia chuckles.

“Good! You need a bigger ego. You think so little of yourself, it's insane,” Logan says, giving Silvia a playful smack on the arm.

“Staying humble is how you learn from your own mistakes. Besides, I just don't like bragging about myself.”

After Silvia speaks, Ethan walks over. His earlier beatdown makes no dent in his ego, that's for sure.

“Probably because you don't have anything to brag about,” he remarks in his usual cocky tone. Logan is going to stand up, but Silvia stops him. She stands up, looking Ethan in the eye.

“What do you want, Ethan?” Eevee sits on the bench, staring at Ethan with a less-than-pleased look.

“I just wanted to say good luck. That Cranidos Jack has is practically a tank. It won't be easy. Not nearly as hard to beat as my Archeops, but still hard,” he says, his arms crossed.

“Okay…? Is that all? No judgmental poke, no lame attempt at making me feel bad?” Silvia asks, wondering if Ethan has changed.

“Yeah, that's all,” he says, walking away. Before he gets out of earshot, he turns around and says something else. “Just thought you needed the support. I noticed your family didn't come to support you. Must suck having two dead parents and lame guardians.”

Silvia clenches her fist at her side, and Eevee sees this. She springs up, standing in front of her trainer, prepared to attack if told. Silvia has no intention of doing this, knowing that both Eevee and she would be kicked out of the tournament and probably get suspended from school. This is EXACTLY what Ethan wants. Eevee growls and glares at Ethan, as if in warning.

“Eevee, calm down,” Silvia whispers, but Eevee has heard enough. Fletchling flies next to Eevee, having heard enough as well.

“If your Pokémon want to fight, I won't lose again,” Ethan says, releasing his Pokémon from its Poké Ball. Archeops flies at his side, ready for orders. Just before things escalate, the announcer speaks over the speakers.

“Will all spectators return to their seats? The next battle is about to commence!” The tension of the situation is defused just in time.

“Whatever, you and your baby Pokémon will embarrass yourselves enough when you lose pathetically in the end.” Ethan returns his Pokémon to its Poké Ball, walking away.

“Just as embarrassing as losing to a baby Pokémon?” Silvia shouts back with a spiteful smirk. Ethan doesn't stop; he just keeps walking.

“That was… intense,” Logan says, standing next to her. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, really. That last thing I said was a bit mean, though. Probably shouldn't have said it,” Silvia responds, leaning on Logan lightly. Despite Silvia’s best attempts to look unbothered by Ethan'sns remarks, she still finds comfort in her friend's presence.

“Don't even with the ‘wasn't nice’ card. That was totally deserved, and a sick burn,” Nia comments, standing on the other side of Silvia.

“Thanks, guys.” Eevee rubs on Silvia’s leg while Fletchling sits on her shoulder, rubbing on her neck in a comforting way.

“Will Silvia Stone and Jack Tyce please enter the field?”

Silvia runs down from the bleachers and onto the field, flattening out her shirt as she finds her spot.

“Please let out your Pokémon!” Jack lets out his Cranidos, and Eevee runs in front of Silvia, ready to fight.

“May the better trainer win,” Jack says with a smile.

“Let the battle begin!” the announcer says. The field feels electric as Silvia calls the first move.

“Eevee, use Quick Attack!” Eevee dashes across the field, zigzagging before launching herself at Cranidos.

“Cranidos, use Protect!” At Jack's words, Cranidos slams his foot on the ground, making a wall of rock protect him from the oncoming attack. Eevee slams against the wall, but quickly shakes it off as she regains her balance, waiting for the next order.

“Now, Rock Tomb!” Cranidos kicks the rock wall, causing a piece to hit Eevee in the face. She falls back, the chunks of rock covering the field.

“Eevee! Are you okay?” Silvia asks, not wanting to go on if Eevee doesn't want to. Eevee gives a nod over her shoulder, ready to keep fighting.

“Alright, use Quick Attack again!”

“Stone Edge, now!” Cranidos kicks the ground again, but this time huge spikes come out from the ground, missing Eevee by inches. A lightbulb goes off in Silvia's mind, and she figures out how to win the battle quickly.

“Eevee, hit the spike closest to Cranidos!” Eevee follows orders and aims for the spike right in front of the opposing Pokémon. She slams against the rock, sending a huge chunk hurtling towards Cranidos. Before Jack can speak or Cranidos can move, it hits him.

“Now, Quick Attack again!”

“Cranidos, Protect!” Jack calls, but it is too late. The chunk smacks him in the face, sending him back. He stumbles to find his balance, shaking off the pain, but failing. He looks back at his trainer, ready for the next move. Eevee stood infront of her trainer, giving cranidos a much-needed breath.

“It's okay, we've still got this! Use Rock Tomb, again!” With a nod of the rock dinosaur, he jumped up, landing with a large bang, sending rocks flying from the force of his landing. He hit the rocks with his tail, sending them at Eevee.

“Eevee, counter the rock!” Eevee pounced to hit the rock back, but something was off. You see, the move Rock Tomb is meant to disorient and cause field debris, but there was only one rock Silvia or Eevee could see. Eevee hit the rock back at cranidos, but it hit a rock that was right behind the first one! Behind the second shattered rock was a third rock, hitting Eevee, sending her to the feet of her trainer. She stood up, squinting through the pain. Her tail swished back and forth, determined to win. “Are you okay, Eevee?” A determined nod showed she was not done yet. “Alright, let's win this!”

“Cranidos, again!” Jack was sure he had this, but Eevee and Silvia knew otherwise. 

“Eevee, dodge the rocks, then use Last Resort!” Eevee swished her tail one last time as she ran across the field, using the debris to help her make quick turns to dodge the oncoming attack. She gathered energy, put her head down, and rammed full force into Cranidos’s stomach. Once the dust settles, Cranidos is out cold.

“Cranidos is unable to battle; Eevee and Silvia win!” Eevee stubles, but eventualy stands triumphanty above her oponent. The entire crowd cheers. It isn't loud, but it is nice to hear and to be celebrated. Jack retracts his Pokémon and walks to the middle of the field, as does Silvia.

“That was one sick battle. With strats and quick thinking like that, there's no doubt you're heading places,” Jack says with a smile.

“Thanks, your Pokémon is one hard hitter, which means you trained it well. With some more practice, I know you two will be unstoppable. That Protect and Rock Tomb combo was crazy!” Silvia responds as she walks off the field next to Jack.

She and Jack walk to the nurse as Karli and Felix’s battle starts. The two talk about small training strategies as they wait for their Pokémon to be healed. Silvia talks about the drawbacks of teaching Eevee Last Resort, like using one of the four moves Eevee can remember for something that she can only use once she has used her other moves. Jack talks about the drawbacks of Stone Edge and how the low accuracy bites him in the long run. Jack also talked about his new form of the movie rock tomb, and using it more like a rapid fire attack rather then a wide range attack. They part ways as Silvia walks over to Logan and Nia just outside the field.

“You and Eevee are going to need a miracle to beat Karli; that Hariyama is scary,” Nia comments as she watches Karli and Hariyama beat Felix and Beldum easily. As the announcer calls the winner, both trainers walk off the field to heal their Pokémon. Silvia starts to sweat a little bit as she tries coming up with a game plan. Silvia has gone inside while Principal Griffin uses his Palossand to fix the field. She leans against the wall in the corner of the school gym.

“Maybe we could cheese this with a counter? That would be too predictable… Maybe we could try to keep our distance and just chip away at Hariyama?” Silvia asks Eevee. Eevee is sitting on a training dummy, listening to her trainer. Silvia facepalms as she keeps thinking of every possible way to win this battle.

“Eev? Eevee?” Eevee says, not understanding why her trainer is so stressed.

“It's not that I don't trust you or your ability to win this. I don’t want you to put in 150% effort, and I come up short and make us both lose,” Silvia says, not wanting to disappoint her Pokémon and the closest thing she has to real family. Fletchling flies up to her shoulder and sits on it. Eevee rubs against her leg comfortingly. Eevee trusts Silvia with her life and knows that they can win this together, but she just needs Silvia to see this too.

“This is the battle you all have been waiting for! The two trainers who have made it to this point are the best trainers of Lilycove High and will duke it out to prove who's the best! Will Silvia Stone and Karli Wilson please enter the field?” the announcer speaks. Silvia shakes off her fear, knowing that whether they win or lose, they have proved themselves today.

“Come on, Eevee. Let's rock this popsicle stand.” Eevee yelps happily as she springs onto her shoulder. Fletchling flies next to them up to the field line. Fletchling sits on the divider between the crowd and the field, watching in pure excitement. Silvia walks on, as does Karli.

“Will both trainers let their Pokémon out?” At the announcer’s words, Karli releases her Hariyama.

“We can do this, Eevee!” Eevee jumps off of Silvia’s arm and prepares for battle.

“Good luck, and may the best trainer win! Let the battle begin!” the announcer booms.

“Hariyama, use Fake Out!” Karli calls, and Hariyama wastes no time obeying. He dashes across the field in a yellow and red blur and hits Eevee before either she or her trainer has time to react. Eevee falls back, shaking off the pain. Fake Out is a great way to get the upper hand, but it is weak overall.

“Eevee, use Quick Attack!” Eevee dashes across the field in a zigzag formation before landing a hit on Hariyama. It looks like he barely feels it!

“Hariyama, Close Combat!” Hariyama’s fists go flying. Eevee makes every effort to dodge and misses his punches.

“Use Close Combat again!”

“Eevee, Counter it!” Eevee spins around, preparing to counter Hariyama’s attack. Hariyama hits Eevee, but she holds onto one of his fists, kicking it against Hariyama’s face. The attack shakes Hariyama, not expecting that hard a hit. Despite the battle almost just starting, Eevee is breathing hard. She stands her ground, not giving up this close to gold.

“Hariyama, use Dynamic Punch!” Karli calls. Hariyama lunges at Eevee, but she dodges. Hariyama may be a hard hitter and take hits like a wall, but he is slow, making it easier to dodge his attacks.

“Eevee, use Quick Attack against the ground!” The same strategy worked before with Carnivine, so they might as well give it a try. As Eevee hits the ground with full force, a huge dust cloud covers the field. Hariyama leaps back to his side of the field, by his trainer's side. Silvia makes a high-pitched whistle, perking Eevee's ears.

“Hariyama, Earthquake!” Karli calls, but before Hariyama can even move, Eevee hits him with a Quick Attack. A small strategy that they made was repeating a move if Silvia whistles instead of calling a new move. It's a good way to keep her opponents from knowing her plan and to make surprise attacks.

“Eevee, keep using Quick Attack!” Eevee flies by Hariyama in a tan and white flash, hitting him over and over.

“Hariyama, use Earthquake to protect yourself!” Large spikes of earth surround Hariyama. Eevee hits the wall when going back to attack. She shakes off the pain once more, but it is less effective this time. The dust begins to settle as she takes a deep breath, knowing that if she is going to win this, she has to put in 150% of her effort.

“You can do this, Eevee! Use Last Resort!” Silvia calls. Eevee hits the wall of pure earth with all her strength.

Bang.

The wall cracks.

“Again!”

Bang.

The wall cracks again.

“One more time!”

Crack.

The wall crumbles, and the large fragments of the once-sturdy wall hit Hariyama flat in the face. He attempted to defend from the chunks with his large hands, but Eevee took this opportunity to quick attack the fragments, knocking Hariyama back.

“Hariyama, Close Combat!” Karli says as a last-ditch effort to take out Eevee, but it is too late. Silvia doesn't even need to call it out; Eevee counters the attack, taking the hit and redirecting it into Hariyama himself. Karli stands in shock as she sees the small, unassuming Eevee standing over the fully evolved Fighting-type Pokémon.

The crowed is silent. The dust covers the fainal standings like mist in a dream. Every time pepople told her to stop, back down, or just stop trying echoed in Silvias head for a second.

“Hariyama is unable to battle; Eevee and Silvia Stone win!” the announcer shouts as the crowd cheers. Fellow students from the sidelines cheer her on as Karli retracts her Pokémon in defeat. Their voices of joy and exitment shatter any dout she had about herself, just like Eevee shatterd the wall of stone. The two trainers walk to the middle of the battered field, shaking hands.

“That's one strong Eevee you have. No wonder you make such a great duo; you're both amazing battlers,” Karli says with a smile, despite her loss.

“Thank you, Karli. You put up one heck of a battle!” Silvia says as Karli walks off the field. Principal Griffin walks onto the field, handing Silvia a small gold trophy with an envelope inside it.

“That was an amazing battle, you two!” he says as Eevee jumps onto Silvia's shoulder. “Silvia Stone and Eevee have won the Lilycove High Pokémon Tournament!”

The crowd cheers, as do fellow students from the sidelines. Logan runs over, almost tackling Silvia in a hug.

“THAT WAS SO COOL!” Logan shouts in celebration. Eevee whines in protest, wanting praise. Logan pats Eevee on the head.

“She couldn't have done it without you,” he reassures Eevee. Fletchling flies over at blurring speeds, tweeting excitedly. Eevee hops off Silvia's shoulders as she plays with Fletchling, chasing him around. Logan and Silvia walk off the field as the spectators leave the bleachers row by row, except for one person in a black hoodie and jeans. Silvia can't quite make out their face, but why would she need to?

“I can't believe we won! Like actually, we won!” Silvia squeals as she opens the envelope.

“How much is it?” Logan asks as Eevee and Fletchling hop onto Silvia’s shoulders.

“$500… $500! OH MY GOD!” Silvia’s squealing turns into full-blown dancing. “Thats more than I need to get my trainer's license! We can finally start our journey once I graduate, Eevee!”

“You’ve been saving for your trainer's license? Since when?” Logan asks, half excited, half confused. His tone was almost… hurt? Once trainers get their licenses, they are then allowed to travel their region, as long as they are of age and have a Pokémon partner. Trainers usually have to be 16+ to travel to other regions without family or without family in the new region. It also costs more to bring Pokémon that are native to one region to another region. This is mainly just to keep the peace, as many Pokémon from different regions get into fights just because of their diffespeciesicies.

“Since Eevee and I started getting serious about battling! I’m still going to finish high school; you still have me for the rest of the semester, so don't worry,” Silvia says, putting her hand on Logan's shoulder.

“I guess… I just thought we would go to Blueberry Academy together…” Logan tries to keep a happy face, but can't help feeling a bit sad.

“I know, but Klay and Mary won't pay for it, and my scholarship application was denied. I’m sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I’ll still have my phone, so you can tell me everything about the academy, okay?”

“That will have to do. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't support your dream of conquering Hoenn anyway?”

Silvia hugs Logan with a huge smile.

“Thank you, Logan! You have always been so supportive, you're the best friend I could have asked for.” Logan is slightly surprised by Silvia's show of affection, but doesn't resist in the slightest.