Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“No, no, no, no, no!” Beca chanted to herself, tears pricking at the side of her eyes. This wasn’t how her journey was supposed to go. It couldn’t end like this. Not when it had only just begun.

She’d left Pallet Town three weeks ago, equipped with a Pokédex, a set of Pokéballs, and the Bulbasaur gifted to her by Professor Oak. It was supposed to be the beginning of the greatest adventure of her life – travelling all throughout Kanto, earning gym badges and catching more Pokémon. 

And it had been going so well. She’d breezed through Viridian City, stocking up on supplies, and had entered Viridian Forest undaunted. There, she had miraculously managed to capture her Pidgeotto, and she had felt on top of the world after catching her first Pokémon. 

And then she had gotten lost, and then she had decided to keep going after nightfall, and then she had literally walked off a cliff.

Her Bulbasaur had been an absolute life-saver, using his vine whip to break her fall, at the expense of himself. Now here she was, at the base of the cliff, with her badly injured Bulbasaur in her arms, and of course she didn’t stock up on medicine when she could have.

Rookie mistake.

“Hey! Are you okay down there?”

Looking up, Beca could vaguely discern a silhouette at the top of the cliffs. “Um… No. Not really. Like, not at all, actually,” she called back, biting back the sob that was about to break free as her Bulbasaur whined pathetically.

“Okay!” came the immediate response. “Hold on!”

With growing astonishment, Beca watched the woman kneel at the edge of the cliff, and then lower herself over it, clambering down the rugged rocks. While not entirely effortless, it looked a lot smoother than Beca’s tumble had. Or so she assumed.

It took a few minutes, but then the woman jumped the last few feet to the ground, landing with an audible ‘oompf,’ before jogging the little distance towards her. She knelt down beside them, and even then Beca could barely see her. “What happened?”

“We fell off the cliff,” Beca grunted. “I’m fine, but my Bulbasaur… He broke my fall.”

“That’s a brave little Bulbasaur you’ve got there,” the woman told her cheerfully, rubbing its head. Then, without another word, she reached behind her, and then there was the sudden red flash of a Pokémon coming out of its ball. “Ralts, use Heal Pulse.”

Beca had to squint as a bright, pink glow engulfed them all. She had just enough time to make out her new companion was a young woman, about her own age, when she suddenly felt the sting fade from her hands, and the cut on her arm stopped bleeding too. When the light faded, her Bulbasaur let out a happy little sound, jumped out of Beca’s arms and jumped around them happily.

“Thank you,” Beca sighed, feeling eternally grateful. 

“How did you fall off a cliff, anyway?” the woman asked, getting to her feet again.

“I um… Got lost. Thought we’d be fine to keep going a little longer…”

“You should know better than to walk through a forest in the dark,” the other woman admonished. Beca wanted to bristle at her tone, but she couldn’t deny that the stranger was right. She should have known better. 

“Yeah… I’m an idiot. But um… thanks for helping, I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” the other woman replied, and Beca could actually hear the smile in her voice. “Where are you headed?”

“Pewter City,” Beca grunted, reaching for a Pokéball to return her Bulbasaur. “Hoping to earn my first badge.”

“I’m headed to Pewter, too,” the woman told her, still with that damned smile. “If you’re lost, we can travel together? Like, once the sun’s up. Obviously.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Beca responded snarkily, before reigning her attitude in. “I mean, that’d be great, actually. I don’t feel like wandering around this forest for weeks.”

“Okay, then it’s settled. I have a camp up there,” the woman mentioned casually, and Beca imagined she was pointing at the top of the cliffs. “You can sleep by my fire?”

“That’d be nice,” Beca agreed, only now realizing she was freezing. “But there’s no way I’m climbing up there without dying.”

“Ralts,” the woman called. “Use Teleport.”

Beca barely had time to blink, and then she was suddenly standing in a small clearing, with a modest campfire burning in the middle of it. A sleeping bag was rolled out next to it. “Thank you, Ralts. You can return now.”

The light from the fire allowed Beca to observe her saviour. She had been right in ascertaining it was a woman around her own age. She seemed slightly taller, with long wavy hair cascading past her shoulders. It seemed lighter than Beca’s own hair, but its exact colour was impossible to make out in the light of the fire – bathing everything in a red glow. 

“It’s getting pretty late,” the woman muttered, stifling a yawn. “We should probably go to sleep. If we leave early, we can reach Pewter City in time for lunch.”

Taking her own sleeping bag out, Beca stretched it out on the other side of the campfire, placing her backpack next to it. “That sounds great. Thank you, again.”

“You’re welcome,” the other woman smiled. “I’m Chloe, by the way.”

“Right. I’m Beca. It’s um… nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, totes!” Chloe smiled back, stretching out on her sleeping bag. “Well, goodnight Beca.”

“Goodnight.”

--

Beca wasn’t necessarily very fond of mornings.

The promise of food tended to make her more amenable to them, though. And even before she’d opened her eyes, her nose had caught the scent of food coming from quite nearby. Her ears also caught on to the sound of chirping Pidgey, and the gentle humming of a distinctly human voice.

Last night’s memories came flooding back in an instant, and she felt overcome with the need to check how her Bulbasaur was doing. 

“Good morning!” came the immediate greeting as she sat up, stretching her tired limbs. 

“Morning,” she grunted in return. “That smells good.”

“Glad to hear it,” Chloe smiled, and only now did Beca turn her eyes toward her companion. 

She swore her breath froze in her lungs for a moment. Chloe was drop-dead gorgeous, with crystal blue eyes, fiery red hair, and a slightly tanned skin, as if she’d been journeying through the sun for a lot longer than Beca had. 

The fact she had six Pokéballs on her belt sort of confirmed that, Beca figured.

“Come on out, Bulbasaur,” she muttered, smiling as her Bulbasaur appeared from its ball, giving a happy wiggle before jumping onto her lap. “How’re you feeling, buddy?”

“Bulba!”

“That good, huh?” she grinned. “I’m sorry I got us in trouble like that.”

Her Bulbasaur headbutted her softly, making Beca grin. “Alright, we’ll just forget it happened, hm? Why don’t you go and thank Chloe. She saved us, you know?”

Bulbasaur leapt out of her lap, skipping over to Chloe to rub its face against her leg, making the redhead giggle. “You’re very welcome, Bulbasaur. You hungry?”

“Bulba!”

“Thought as much. I made some of Ralts’ favourite snacks yesterday. I’m sure she won’t mind sharing,” Chloe laughed, taking a case of Pokéblocks from her bag. 

Beca was still looking at her Bulbasaur, happily munching on the snacks, when a bowl of soup was placed in front of her. “It isn’t much, but I’m running a tad low on supplies, so it was the best I could manage,” Chloe smiled apologetically, making Beca huff.

“Dude, I usually eat a piece of bread with some cheese or whatever. This is like, ten times better than anything I’ve had since leaving the Pokécenter in Viridian.”

“Well, in that case, eat up! The sooner we get to Pewter, the better.”

“You’re in a hurry,” Beca commented idly, taking a spoonful of soup and only barely refraining from moaning at the taste. 

Chloe shrugged. “What can I say? I love the forest, but I’ve been in this one for a while now. I need a change of scenery.”

Almost an hour later, their camp was broken up, and they were all set to continue their journey to Pewter City. Beca was about to walk down the clearly visible path when Chloe stopped her. “No wonder you got lost,” she chuckled. “Pewter City isn’t that way.”

--

It wasn’t long until Beca noticed the forest growing less dense, and after about an hour, she suddenly found herself standing at the edge of Viridian Forest, Pewter City stretched out below them. Chloe gave a happy little hum, setting off down the path and leading them into the city.

They walked for another half hour, and then found themselves on Pewter City’s main street, where Chloe pointed out various possible destinations. “Over there is the Pokémon Center. If you turn down that road there, you’ll find all the shops you could wish for, and it eventually leads to the museum.”

“Museum?” Beca questioned.

“Yeah, they have Pokémon fossils and stuff. Pretty neat,” Chloe nodded. “But! Most importantly, that large building you see over there? That’s the Pewter City gym.”

“That’s where I need to be,” Beca responded decisively. “You know, after I visit the Pokécenter.

Chloe gave an appreciative nod. “Well, I need to stock up on supplies, so I guess this is where we part ways, then.”

“I guess so,” Beca nodded slowly. “Thanks for helping me out.”

--

Beca spent two hours at the Center, resting herself, eating some lunch, and having Nurse Joy check out her Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto – both in perfect health, no thanks to her own efforts.

When, a few hours later, she made her way to the Pewter City gym, she was greeted by the doorman. “I’ve come to challenge the Pewter gym leader to a gym battle.”

“You are the second one this hour. Brock’s probably not ready yet, but go on in. Good luck, trainer!”

Beca walked into the dimly-lit gym, finding a battlefield scattered with large rocks and boulders. To be expected, in a rock-type gym. What she hadn’t expected to find, was Chloe amicably chatting with a man with short, spiky hair and a dark skin tone. “Chloe?”

“Oh, Beca,” the redhead smiled, waving her over. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I’m here to challenge Brock to a gym battle,” Chloe smiled, motioning over at the man she was talking to. 

“You didn’t mention this gym being your destination,” Beca muttered.

“You didn’t ask,” Chloe shrugged. “But I’m not in a hurry, so you can challenge him first, if you want?”

Brock nodded. “Works for me. I can do two battles, back-to-back. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you look like a beginning trainer?” he asked Beca.

“That’s right,” Beca confirmed. “I’m from Pallet Town, and this is going to be my first gym battle.”

Brock nodded again, crossing his arms. “Well, I give every trainer that challenges me the option of a one-on-one battle, or both trainers using two Pokémon. Rookie trainers usually choose one-on-one.”

“Yeah, that works for me,” Beca answered immediately. Her Pidgeotto would be at a disadvantage here, but her Bulbasaur should be able to beat a rock Pokémon.

“Mind if I watch?” Chloe asked, pointing over at the stands, off to the side.

“Be my guest,” Beca smiled, excitement bubbling up now that her first gym battle was about to start.

Once everyone was in place, the judge raised his two flags. “The gym battle between Beca from Pallet Town and Pewter City’s gym leader Brock is about to begin. Both trainers will use only one Pokémon, and the Pokémon that is unable to continue the battle loses!”

Brock reached behind his back, reaching for one of his Pokéballs. “For this battle, I choose my Geodude!”

Beca warily eyed the little boulder with arms. She knew Brock was going easy on her, with this being her first official battle. But she also knew that Geodude was well-trained, its rock-body gleaming in the light from the gym’s lamps.

“Then I’ll go with my Bulbasaur!”

Her little champion literally growled at the Geodude in front of him, not at all intimidated by his opponent or his surroundings. “Let’s do this, Bulbasaur!”

“Let the battle commence!”

“Bulbasaur, use Tackle!” Beca immediately called, watching her Pokémon dash off towards his opponent, launching into a jump and connecting with it full-force.

She watched the Geodude being tossed backwards a few feet, but it recovered before it even hit the ground. All-in-all, it seemed the tackle had hurt her Bulbasaur more than that Geodude. “Damn it!”

“You’re gonna have to do better than that!” Brock called from the other side of the battlefield. “Geodude, use Rock Throw!”

“Dodge it, Bulbasaur!” Beca called out, watching her grass Pokémon dodging the thrown rocks without too much trouble. “Now use Razor Leaf!”

“Defense Curl!” Brock called, and Beca watched as Geodude crossed its arms in front of its body, her Bulbasaur’s leaves connecting but not doing any damage. “Now use Rollout!”

Arms still crossed, Geodude came barrelling towards them, and Bulbasaur only barely managed to dodge it. Despite Beca’s warning, he didn’t have enough time to dodge the Rollout attack when Geodude seamlessly spun around and hit it from behind. “Bulbasaur, are you alright?!” Beca asked, watching him get back to his feet. “Hit him with Vine Whip!”

Without prompting from its trainer, Geodude caught the vine in one of his hands, giving it a sharp yank to pull Bulbasaur off its feet. “Finish this fight with another Rock Throw, Geodude!”

“Bulbasaur, another Razor Leaf!” Beca looked on in awe as Bulbasaur’s Razor Leaf attack cut through the rocks Geodude was chucking their way. One of the leaves slipped right in-between the rocks, hitting Geodude squarely in the face – immediately stopping the attack.

“Not bad, Beca,” Brock complimented. 

“Bulbasaur, Vine Whip one more time!” Beca called out, an idea forming in her mind.

As he had done last time, Geodude caught the Vine Whip, one of Bulbasaur’s vines in each of its hands. Beca waited with bated breath, calling out her next command the exact moment Geodude yanked the vines. “Razor Leaf, now!”

With both of his hands occupied with Bulbasaur’s vines, Geodude found itself without a way to defend itself against the barrage of razor-sharp leaves, each of them hitting their mark with expert precision. After the fourth hit, Geodude let go of Bulbasaur’s vines. “Alright Bulbasaur, let’s end this battle! Use Vine Whip!”

Bulbasaur’s vines wrapped around the rock Pokémon, and with a loud cry Bulbasaur lifted the Geodude up in the air, only to smack it into one of the rugged boulders making up the battlefield. When the dust settled, Geodude was lying in a small crater, groaning weakly.

“Geodude is unable to continue!” the referee called out. “The winners are Bulbasaur and Beca!”

“You did good, Geodude. Return!” Brock called, recalling his Pokémon from the field. Bulbasaur, meanwhile, came bounding towards Beca, effortlessly jumping into her arms. 

“You were amazing, buddy!” Beca told him, petting his head as he tried to lick her face. “No, no, none of that!”

“Congratulations, Beca,” Brock said, having come up to her. “That was a good battle. It was smart to distract Geodude with that Vine Whip to open it up for another attack. You’ve earned this,” he smiled, holding out his hand. A shiny, silver octagon that could only be the Boulder Badge, was presented to her. 

“Thank you!”

“You earned it, Beca!” came Chloe’s voice from behind her. “Safe for that tackle at the beginning, you did an excellent job!”

“Um, thanks? I guess?” Beca muttered, not sure whether it was a compliment at all.

“You ready for your fight, Chloe?” Brock asked.

“Totes!”

“Can I watch?” Beca asked. At the two responding nods, she made her way to the stand to observe the battle. She had been a nervous mess before the battle, but Chloe didn’t seem fazed at all.

“We’ll use two Pokémon each,” Brock called out. 

Chloe nodded wordlessly, expression calm and focused. 

Brock threw his first ball out, revealing a stone rhino. Beca quickly took out her Pokédex, aiming it at the new Pokémon. “Rhyhorn, the spiked Pokémon. Rhyhorn runs in a straight line, smashing everything in its path. It is not bothered even if it rushes headlong into a block of steel.”

“So that’s a Rhyhorn,” Beca muttered. “Chloe better have something strong to match it.”

“Go, Ralts!” Chloe called, throwing her Pokéball. The tiny little Pokémon that appeared on the field appeared to be no match to the stone behemoth. Changing her Pokédex’ aim, Beca observed the little thing.

“Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before humans. When it does, it draws closer if it senses that someone has a positive disposition.”

“A Ralts, huh?” Brock called out with a disbelieving voice. “Are you sure about that?”

Chloe merely nodded, expression as focused as before. 

“Rhyhorn, use Take Down!” Brock called out, and Beca watched in horror as the giant stone Pokémon charged at the tiny little Ralts. For a moment, Beca thought Chloe wasn’t going to do anything.

Right before they would collide, Chloe called out her move. “Ralts, Teleport!”

A quick flash of light, and then Ralts was suddenly standing behind the Rhyhorn, which kept charging straight ahead. “Now use Hypnosis!” Chloe called out, mouth quirked in a faint smile as Rhyhorn fell asleep mid-stride, sliding across the ground for several more feet before coming to a stop. “Ralts, Dream Eater!”

Chloe’s Ralts lifted its little arms, and a line of blue energy connected between the two Pokémon. The moment it did, Rhyhorn started shaking and shivering, never waking up from its sleep. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped, and Rhyhorn’s eyes snapped open. With some effort, it got to its feet, only to immediately collapse back onto its belly.

“Rhyhorn is unable to continue battling!” the referee called. “Ralts wins the match!”

“I can’t believe it,” Beca muttered to herself. 

“I didn’t see that one coming!” Brock called out at the same time. “Rhyhorn, come back!”

The referee sent a quick glance at Chloe, who gave a decisive nod. “I’ll continue with Ralts.”

Brock gave a nod as well, reaching for one of his remaining Pokéballs. “And I’ll go with this one. Go, Onix!”

Beca wasn’t an idiot. She knew what an Onix was, and what it looked like. Nevertheless, she visibly startled at the giant Pokémon materializing on the battlefield. Ralts had looked tiny in comparison to Rhyhorn, but now she could barely even make it out. 

Neither Ralts nor Chloe looked particularly impressed, though. 

The referee had barely given the call for them to commence or Brock was already calling out his first attack. “Onix, use Iron Tail!”

Onix’ massive tail began glowing brightly, and Beca knew for certain that Ralts would be smashed into oblivion if the attack were to hit it. “Ralts, Confusion!” Chloe called out calmly.

Beca knew better than to underestimate Ralts by now. Still, it was impressive to see Ralts’ attack stopping Onix’ tail in mid-air, the faint blue outline indicating the massive rock Pokémon’s tail was under the influence of the psychic attack. “Onix, use Dig!” Brock now ordered, and then the massive Pokémon was gone from view, only a hole in the spot where it had been moments before.

For several minutes, absolutely nothing happened. Beca could only assume Onix was tunnelling underneath the battlefield, but Chloe didn’t appear to be making any move to counter it. And then, out of nowhere, Onix suddenly came blasting out of the ground, right behind Ralts. “Teleport!” Chloe called out, and Beca couldn’t help but be impressed at her reflexes.

Ralts reappeared on the other side of the battlefield a second later. “Psybeam!”

A beam of multi-coloured energy hit Onix straight between the eyes, making the massive being stagger backwards. “Onix, focus!” Brock yelled, sounding a lot less focused and controlled than Chloe had. “Use Bind!”

The rock-snake slithered towards Ralts, and was just closing in on it when Beca saw the redheaded trainer smiling slyly. “Okay Ralts. Use Psychic!”

Ralts lifted its little arms skyward, and a blue energy outlined Onix, who squeezed its eyes shut and seemed unable to move. Beca actually rose from her seat to watch as Onix’s entire form was lifted into the air. This little Ralts was proving to be much more powerful than Beca had ever anticipated. With a shrill cry, it swung its little arms, and Beca’s eyes grew wide as Onix was launched away, harshly crashing into the gym’s wall, where it ended in a crumpled heap.

“Onix is unable to battle!” the referee decided as Brock was already recalling it. “The winners are Ralts and Chloe!”

Chloe ran onto the battlefield, scooping Ralts up in her arms, but barely slowing down on her way to Brock. “Are your Pokémon alright?” was the first thing she asked.

“Yeah, they’re fine,” Brock sighed. “It’s been a while since we were trounced like this, though. And by a Ralts, of all possible Pokémon…”

“Yeah, she’s pretty neat,” Chloe smiled proudly.

“I’ve never seen a Ralts so powerful,” Brock commented just as Beca joined them. 

Chloe nodded. “I think she could have evolved already, if she had wanted to…”

“I’d say,” Brock nodded, procuring another Boulder Badge. “Regardless, you’ve earned this.”

With a few parting words, Beca found herself following Chloe outside. “That was an impressive battle,” she commented casually. “I’m guessing that wasn’t your first gym battle, huh?”

Chloe smiled back at her. “No, it certainly wasn’t. It was Ralts’ first battle in a gym, though we’ve had plenty of practice with other trainers before now.”

Beca nodded silently as she followed the redhead to the Pokémon Center. 

“So, I imagine you’re off to Cerulean City now, huh?” Chloe asked when the Center came into view. “To challenge the Cerulean Gym?”

“Yeah,” Beca confirmed. “That’s the plan. You?”

Chloe shook her head. “I’ll stay in Pewter for a few more days. I want to check out the museum, and maybe do some more shopping.”

Beca smiled, holding out her hand for Chloe to shake. “Well, it’s been nice meeting you. Good luck on your journey!”

“You, too!” Chloe smiled back at her, giving her hand a firm shake. “Try not to fall off any cliffs, okay?”

Chapter Text

Beca left Pewter City the morning after her gym battle. She’d spoken to Nurse Joy, at length, about the way to Cerulean City. Nurse Joy had been exceptionally patient with her, explaining the best way to get to Cerulean was up into the mountains, through the cave that ran through Mt. Moon, and then down the mountains on the other side. 

Nurse Joy had assured her that, all in all, it should be about three days journeying, with maybe two more days once she got out of the mountains. She’d even drawn Beca a little map, outlining the exact path for the brunette to take.

Today was the eighth day of her journey, and she hadn’t even found the entrance to Mt. Moon. To say she sucked at directions was an understatement, and she finally began to understand why her father had been so dead-set against Beca undertaking this journey.

She really did have a remarkable talent for getting lost.

Somewhere around the sixth day, Beca had realized she was already running low on supplies. Rather than being foolhardy and continuing to Cerulean, she’d decided to just follow the same path back to Pewter to re-stock. 

If only she’d been able to find her way back. Now she seemed to be doubly-lost. And to make matters worse, she hadn’t encountered a living soul since the first day of her journey. She did learn her lesson about traveling in the dark, though.

For that very reason, she now found herself sitting against the rock wall, cold wind making her shiver, as she contemplated the many stupid decisions she had made so far. It wasn’t that she regretted going on this journey, but…

Maybe her father had been right.

No! No, she couldn’t start thinking like that. She owed it to her Bulbasaur and her Pidgeotto to man up and get her shit together. The very moment she gathered her resolve, she saw a flickering light in the distance.

Maybe she was going crazy, but that definitely looked like a fire.

Despite the dangers of walking around a mountain range in the darkness, Beca got to her feet. She was too damn cold to just stay here, and she didn’t have anything to start a fire with – nor anything to keep a fire going. Maybe whoever owned that fire was willing to let her warm herself for a few hours…

She was only a few feet away from the fire now, hesitantly stepping forward. “Um… Hello?”

“Beca?” came a startled voice from the darkness.

“Chloe?” Beca exclaimed.

“Beca, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be halfway across Kanto by now. Weren’t you heading for Cerulean like, a week ago?”

“Eight days,” Beca confirmed, before letting out a slow, deep sigh. “I… got lost… again.”

She yelped as Chloe moved up behind her, placing a warm hand on her arm. “Beca, you’re freezing!” the redhead muttered. “Go, sit by the fire! I’ll get you something warm to eat…”

Sitting by the warm flames, with a bowl of Chloe’s soup in her lap, Beca couldn’t keep the tears from flowing from her eyes. She wasn’t one to cry, usually… But it had been a long week, a terrible week, really, and faced with her own ineptitude and Chloe’s kindness, Beca just couldn’t keep it in anymore.

She could only hope Chloe wouldn’t be able to make out her tears.

“Beca, what’s up?” came the redhead’s concerned response. “What’s wrong?”

Beca shook her head, moving away from Chloe as the woman crouched next to her. The last thing she needed now was for this stranger – because let’s face it, that’s what they were – to see her at her worst and pity her. 

A flash of red light in her peripheral vision signalled a Pokémon being released from its ball. Seconds later, she felt a tiny hand on her knee, and she was able to make out Ralts’ slight form next to her. Inexplicably, the Pokémon’s presence made her feel a little better.

“It’s just… I’ve been stuck in these damn mountains for over a week, just running in circles. I’m already out of supplies again, and I… I just suck at this.”

“At what, exactly?” came Chloe’s soft voice.

“Journeying,” Beca explained. “Being a Pokémon trainer.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Beca,” Chloe told her, voice harsh, but not unkind. “How long have you been doing this for now? A month, maybe?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Beca muttered.

Chloe huffed out a quiet laugh. “You should’ve seen me when I started my journey. I’m telling you, I was pretty hopeless. I’ve been in worse situations than you, I can assure you.”

“I find that hard to imagine,” Beca lamented wryly.

“That’s because you didn’t know me back then. I’ve been doing this for a while now, Beca. Trust me, it gets easier. As for your supplies, I have plenty to spare if you have a direct need.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a step-by-step guide to getting through Mt. Moon, too, would you?” Beca asked sarcastically.

Chloe huffed out another laugh. “No, but I’m headed for Cerulean, too, so if you want, we can go at it together.”

Beca considered her options for a moment. It was really a no-brainer, even if she didn’t want to rely entirely on someone else to be able to make this journey happen. She really didn’t want to wander around this mountain range for another week – or longer.

“I guess you’re stuck with me now,” Beca sighed, taking a spoonful of soup as Ralts let out a happy cry.

“You make it sound like such a bad thing,” Chloe chuckled airily. “I’m happy to have a traveling companion. Besides, Ralts likes you, and she is a great judge of character.”

Beca didn’t know how to respond to that, so she opted for not responding at all, wordlessly eating her soup, and revelling at being warm again, inside and out. Maybe having a travelling companion for a while wouldn’t be such a bad thing. She could pick up a thing or two from watching Chloe.

--

Beca woke up the following morning. Where she hadn’t seen any living beings during her week of solitary traveling, she now suddenly noticed a flock of Pidgey flying overhead, a group of Diglett popping in and out of the ground a little bit away from them, and she was pretty sure that boulder over there was actually a Geodude in disguise. 

“Morning!” came Chloe’s chipper greeting. 

Beca merely managed to grunt something unintelligible. 

“I’ve got coffee?” Chloe offered with a smile. “You seem like a coffee person.”

“Yes,” Beca nodded empathically. 

Without another word, Chloe placed a cup of coffee on the ground next to her sleeping bag. “I’m ready to leave when you are.”

Half an hour later, Beca had finished her coffee – the best she’d had in a long time – and found herself walking next to Chloe, who seemed to know exactly where to go, even if there were no distinctive landmarks around to help her navigate.

“The entrance to Mt. Moon is right there,” the redhead pointed out after an hour of walking. Beca wasn’t certain how she could have missed the gigantic, gaping hole in the mountain for eight days straight. 

“How are we going to get through?” Beca suddenly wondered. “I mean, it’s going to be pitch-black in there, right?”

Chloe called Ralts from her Pokéball as they stepped into the cave. “Ralts, use Flash, please,” she muttered to her Pokémon, who did as she was asked with a shrill cry. Moments later, a series of glowing orbs lit up the cave, startling the Zubat and sending them flying.

“I… would never have thought of that,” Beca muttered, eyes downcast. “I’d never have gotten through here.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Beca,” Chloe told her, already walking further into the cave. “We all have to start somewhere.”

As they walked down the narrow corridors, Beca couldn’t help but feel jealous of Chloe’s abilities. About an hour later, she realized she was also blindly relying on Chloe’s abilities. They were quite deep inside the mountain now, and they’d encountered several forks in the road. If the redhead were to abandon her now, Beca would probably die in this cave.

Then again, Beca didn’t think Chloe would do that, even for a moment. There was something about her that made it easy for Beca to trust her – even if trust didn’t normally come easy to the brunette.

They stopped in the middle of the cave, sometime around noon, to eat the sandwiches Chloe had prepared before Beca had even woken up. The amount of preparation this woman put in was astounding to Beca. She hadn’t thought further ahead than ‘find the cave entrance.’

About twenty minutes after lunch, Beca and Chloe both stopped in their tracks at the sound of a distressed cry coming from the distance, and echoing off the walls.

“What was that?” Beca asked, voice a harsh whisper.

“A Pokémon,” Chloe responded quietly. “And it sounded like it’s in trouble. We should go and check it out.”

Beca nodded, even if Chloe couldn’t see it, before tiptoeing after the redhead. They heard the cry several more times, before they eventually found its source. A strange, pink Pokémon was trapped inside a cage. Beca quickly pulled out her Pokédex. “Clefairy, the impish Pokémon. This friendly and peaceful Pokémon is believed to live inside Mt. Moon, although it has rarely been seen by humans.”

“Why is it in a cage?” Beca asked, kneeling down next to the Clefairy, who looked at her with watery eyes.

“Pokémon poachers,” Chloe mumbled through gritted teeth. “Despicable humans who think they can capture Pokémon like this, and sell them for good money.”

“Hold on, buddy,” Beca muttered to Clefairy, fingers already fumbling with the lock on the cage. “I’ll get you out of there.”

It took Beca a few minutes, but eventually the locking mechanism gave way, and Clefairy jumped out of the cage, floating in mid-air for a few seconds, before landing and skipping around them. Chloe laughed at its happy little dance, doing a pirouette in the air with every jump. “You should get back to your friends,” the redhead eventually told the Clefairy, having watched it for a few minutes. “The bad humans might still be around. It’s best if you don’t wander around on your own for a while.”

Beca wasn’t certain Clefairy understood, but it skipped down the tunnel, and into the dark, until they couldn’t see it anymore. “We should get out of here, too,” Chloe continued. “It’s probably best if we don’t run into poachers ourselves.”

They continued for a while, Beca couldn’t possibly tell how long. Apparently, longer than she had originally considered it to be, because Chloe ended up stopping them in a somewhat wider area with a forlorn sigh. “It’s getting late. We might be better off sleeping here.”

“Here?” Beca asked. “Like, in this cave?”

Chloe hummed in acknowledgment. “I know it isn’t ideal,” she muttered. “But it’ll take us at least three more hours to get out, and I, for one, am kinda beat.”

Beca’s yawn snuck up on her unexpectedly, making her unable to stifle it.

“I heard that,” came Chloe’s amused remark.

“Okay, yeah, I guess I can sleep here.”

--

Beca woke up at some point, unable to tell the time due to the fact she was, y’know, sleeping in a cave. What was more confusing, however, was the fact she had something warm and soft and cuddly in her arms. Giving it an experimental squeeze produced a sound from it.

“Clefairy! Fairy-fair!”

“Was that a Clefairy?” came Chloe’s voice, sounding like she’d been awake for a while.

“Um, yeah?” Beca ventured slowly. Carefully, she gave the ball of fluff in her arms another squeeze.

“Cle-Clefairy!”

“Ralts, use Flash.”

Beca had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sudden light. When she opened them again, she found Chloe sitting cross-legged across from her, eyeing her with amusement. “Care to explain how you got that Clefairy?”

“I have no idea,” Beca admitted with an awkward chuckle. “It must have sidled up to me while I was asleep… Speaking of… How long have you been awake?”

Chloe hummed. “I think it’s been fifteen minutes or so? It’s probably around nine in the morning. I think?”

“The sooner we get out of this damn cave the better,” Beca decided, sitting up and placing the Clefairy next to her. It didn’t move away, looking up at her with a pleased expression. “I say we get a move on.”

As they made their way into the narrow parts of the tunnel again, Beca was keenly aware of the fact Clefairy was following them. She figured it would stop once they reached the exit, though, so she didn’t mind it too much. At some point, it jumped up in front of her, colliding with her chest, and forcing Beca to hold it. “I guess it likes you,” Chloe smiled over her shoulder.

“Yeah, figure that,” Beca remarked with a roll of her eye. Once Chloe wasn’t looking anymore, she patted Clefairy’s little tuft of hair, making it chirp happily.

Even though traversing Mt. Moon wasn’t a total horror – mostly due to the presence of Chloe and Clefairy – Beca was beyond happy when they finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. Stepping outside, they found the sun high in the sky, and Beca agreed whole-heartedly when Chloe suggested they enjoy the sunlight for a while, sitting in the grass near the exit.

Beca was halfway through their last sandwich when they were rudely disturbed.

“So, you’re the ones who stole my Clefairy!”

Looking up, they found a burly man coming out of the tunnel. He was wearing an awfully familiar – albeit empty – cage in one of his hands. 

“It doesn’t belong to you,” Beca bit back, getting to her feet, and seeing Chloe do the same next to her.

“Hand it over, and there won’t be any trouble!” the poacher barked.

“Not going to happen,” Chloe snapped back at him.

“Pinsir, I choose you!”

As the Pinsir emerged from its ball, it menacingly snapped its pincers at them. Clearly, this Pokémon was trained to fight, and was ready for a battle. Beca noticed Chloe reaching for one of her Pokéballs.

She wasn’t certain what came over her when she grabbed the redhead’s wrist to stop her, shaking her head decidedly. “This battle is mine.”

Chloe nodded in understanding, taking Clefairy, who was hiding behind Beca’s legs, into her arms and stepping out of the way. 

“Pidgeotto, go!”

Pidgeotto let out a fierce cry as it flapped its wings, circling above Pinsir. 

“Pinsir, use Vice Grip!” the poacher called.

“Dodge it, Pidgeotto!” Beca called in return, watching the bird easily soar out of Pinsir’s reach. “Now use Gust!”

The wind whipped up by Pigdeotto’s flapping wings sent Pinsir crashing back onto the ground, landing on its back. “Pidgeotto, move in for a Peck attack!”

Pidgeotto did exactly that, its beak landing a barrage of pecks on Pinsir while it was vulnerable on its back. Pinsir being a bug Pokémon, it didn’t take long for the attacks to get the better of it, forcing the poacher to return it to its ball.

“I’ll get you for this!” he growled menacingly, already reaching for his next Pokéball. 

“I wouldn’t,” Chloe scoffed, revealing the six Pokéballs clipped to her belt. The poacher narrowed his eyes, spat at their feet, and trudged back into the cave.

“Should we… follow him?” Beca asked warily, allowing Pidgeotto to land on her outstretched arm.

Chloe shook her head. “We’d be better off getting to Cerulean and informing the authorities.”

“Right,” Beca nodded. “That makes sense.”

“That was a good battle, Beca,” Chloe smiled as she started packing their stuff into her bag again. “And I’m proud of you for standing up for that Clefairy.”

“You’d have done the same,” Beca muttered, awkwardly scratching her neck.

Chloe shrugged. “Probably, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. C’mon, we should get moving.”

They’d only taken a few steps before Clefairy jumped onto Beca’s back, playfully tugging her hair. “No, Clefairy, you should go back to your friends,” Beca muttered fondly, taking a hold of it and putting it down.

“Looks to me like Clefairy made a new friend,” Chloe commented warmly, watching the Pokémon skip up and down. “I think… I think it’s saying it wants to come with you.”

Beca looked at Chloe for a moment, before looking at the Clefairy. “Is that right, buddy?”

Clefairy seemed to understand the question, giving a very distinctive nod of its head. “What do I do?”

“Catch it, duh,” Chloe laughed.

“Yeah, I got that, thanks,” Beca deadpanned. “I mean, should I fight it? I don’t want to…”

“Judging by its eagerness, it won’t put up a fight if you just toss a ball at it,” Chloe shrugged, still smiling.

Beca took one of her empty balls, carefully tossing it at Clefairy, who promptly disappeared inside. The ball wiggled for two seconds before it stilled. With quiet awe, Beca picked the ball up from the ground. “I caught a Clefairy…”

“You sure did,” Chloe cheered, wrapping her arms around Beca in a hug that resembled Bulbasaur’s tackle attack. “Congratulations!”

Beca hated hugs. Loathed them with a passion.

But this… This wasn’t so bad…

Chapter Text

Cerulean City was a world of difference from Pewter, Beca realized as soon as the city came into view. Pewter City was large, and made up of neatly square blocks of houses, built from grey stone and lined by grey streets.

From up here, Cerulean appeared to be a smaller city, but there were splashes of blue – lakes, Chloe told her – everywhere, and the streets seemed to be lined with lush green trees, and patches of vibrant flowers.

Their first order of business as they entered the town was to seek out the police station, and tell Officer Jenny about the poacher they encountered in Mt. Moon. Jenny promised to immediately send a task force into the mountains to deal with the problem, and thanked them for bringing it to her attention.

Their next stop was the Pokémon Center, where they were greeted by Nurse Joy. “Good afternoon! How can I help you?”

“We need a room,” Chloe smiled easily, making Beca’s eyes widen.

“Two rooms!” she cut in harshly. “We both need a room.”

“I see,” Nurse Joy smiled, not catching on to the sudden tension, or diplomatically choosing to ignore it altogether. “Here are your keys, the room numbers are on the labels. Would you like something to eat, as well?”

“Yes, please,” Chloe nodded with a tight smile. Nothing else was said as a Chansey led them to a table in the dining area of the Center. When they were left alone again, plates of food on the table between them, Chloe sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you were okay with sharing a room.”

“Yes, you should have,” Beca responded snarkily, and then they fell back into silence. It wasn’t until all of the food was gone that Chloe spoke again. “So, I imagine you’ll be seeking out the Cerulean Gym tomorrow?”

Beca shook her head, eyes focused on the domed roof in the distance. “I’m going to do some more training first.”

“I could come with-“

“No,” Beca interrupted, the tone of her voice immediately shutting Chloe up, and Beca felt a twinge of guilt as Chloe seemed to shrink back in on herself. “Listen, I’m not ungrateful for all the help you’ve offered me,” she continued, realizing that, even now, she did sound ungrateful. “But I can’t have you babying me and holding my hand all the time. After Cerulean, I’m headed for Vermillion City, and I need to do so on my own. Without you, or anyone else, telling me how I should be doing things.”

“I… see,” Chloe murmured quietly, waving the Chansey away as it came to bring them dessert. “None for me, thank you,” she smiled sadly at the joyous Pokémon, who gave her a confused look as she got to her feet.

“Where are you going?” Beca asked, taken aback by Chloe’s sudden departure.

The redhead looked down at her with a sad expression marring her face. “I don’t really see why you’d care, Beca,” Chloe commented coldly. “Seeing as I’ve only been babying you so far, I figure you’d probably be happy to see me go.”

Beca wanted to object to Chloe's statement, because really, she wasn’t happy to see Chloe go, and especially not when they left things like this. Before she could find the words, though, Chloe had already turned around and left the Pokémon Center.

Beca studiously ignored the glances Chansey and Nurse Joy were sending her way.

--

Beca had spent the entire night considering ways to apologize to Chloe. The other woman had been nice to her, helped her out of terrible situations twice, and never asked for anything in return. If it hadn’t been for her, Beca would still be stuck at the bottom of a cliff in the Viridian Forest.

Or worse, she’d be back home with her dad.

And while Beca still believed she needed to take this journey on her own from here on out, she hadn’t properly conveyed to Chloe why this was so important to her. Her father had spent a decade telling Beca this Pokémon journey was a mistake, a failure just waiting to happen. He had ridiculed her desire to become a Pokémon trainer her entire life, instead wanting her to be a shopkeeper, or a teacher, or anything that he deemed a proper profession. 

Completing her journey throughout Kanto by trailing after a more talented and practiced trainer wasn’t the way to prove him wrong. It would only make her father more justified in all of his comments.

She’d been sitting at breakfast for twenty minutes, not touching her food, waiting for Chloe, when Nurse Joy off-handedly remarked that Chloe had won her Cascade badge yesterday, and had already checked out of the Pokémon Center the night before.

She was probably not even in Cerulean City anymore.

“Looks like you got your way and will go at this alone,” Nurse Joy remarked with an expression that easily betrayed how she felt about Beca’s actions the day before.

Beca couldn’t blame her.

--

It took two days for Beca to feel like she was ready to take on the Cerulean Gym. She’d found a nice quiet field where they could train undisturbed. Her Bulbasaur was growing more confident and capable with every passing hour. Her Pidgeotto was looking good, its wings strong and shining in the low sunlight.

The biggest challenge was, of course, Clefairy. Beca was charmed by the possibilities of her Metronome attack, but wasn’t blind to its dangers either. An attack that could become literally any other attack could be both an incredible asset, but without the ability to predict it, it could backfire terribly. 

Not a chance she was willing to take during a gym battle, so she had to work on teaching her Clefairy some other, more predictable, attacks as well. And that was the reason it took Beca two full days of training.

Stepping through the sliding doors of the Cerulean Gym, Beca’s thoughts wandered to Chloe for the seventieth time since they had parted ways. Knowing the redhead’s talent, she was probably about three gyms ahead of her by now.

Okay, that was an exaggeration, but she could definitely have the gym at Vermillion beaten already.

“People tend to be more focused on their surroundings when they come in here for a gym battle,” a young woman in a two-piece swimsuit told her as Beca almost stepped into a swimming pool.

“Oh, um, sorry. Lot on my mind,” Beca stammered. “Who says I’m here for a gym battle?”

“This is a gym,” the woman smirked. “You’re a Pokémon trainer. What other reason could there be?”

“Right,” Beca murmured with a roll of her eyes. “I’m looking for the gym leader.”

“And you’ve found her,” the other woman replied with a confident smirk. “I’m Misty, the Cerulean gym leader.”

They shook hands, Beca introducing herself. “You want to get started right away?” Misty asked with an eager grin.

At Beca’s responding nod, Misty led them through the gym, ending up at a second swimming pool, with several little floating platforms dotting the water. “This is the gym’s main battlefield,” Misty explained. “You probably know I specialize in water Pokémon?”

“Yeah,” Beca confirmed. “And if I hadn’t known, the pool would have been a bit of a giveaway.”

“We’ll both use two Pokémon each,” Misty continued explaining. “You can substitute your Pokémon mid-battle, and I cannot. Such are the rules. When you’re ready, take up position on that side of the field.”

As she finished explaining, Misty went over to the referee, who had just stepped into the room as well, accepting several Pokéballs from him. “Ready when you are, Beca!” she called from her side of the field. 

Beca took a deep breath as she reached for her first Pokéball, hoping she wasn’t making some sort of terrible mistake. “Go, Clefairy!”

“A Clefairy?” Misty questioned, eyeing Beca’s Pokémon warily. “Interesting. I guess I’ll go with… Staryu!”

Beca took a deep breath as she observed the orange star-shaped Pokémon. She and Clefairy had been training vigorously, but Clefairy was still lacking in actual battle experience. Beca could only hope this battle would end in their favour. 

“Staryu, use Water Gun!”

“Clefairy, dodge and use Pound!” Beca called out, smiling as her Pokémon jumped over the ray of water and moved in to land on her opponent.

“Staryu, into the water!” Misty called, and Beca groaned as Clefairy’s pound only hit the little platform, Staryu having taken a dive. “You’ll have to do better than that, Beca!”

“We’re far from done,” Beca yelled back.

“Staryu, Swift!”

Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then Staryu suddenly jumped out of the water right behind Clefairy, hitting it with a series of star-shaped projectiles. Beca watched her Clefairy be knocked down, only to immediately jump back up.

“Clefairy, try Metronome!” Beca ordered, praying it would turn into something useful.

As Clefairy moved her little arms from side to side, three orbs appeared in front of it, red, blue and yellow, connected by a thin sliver of energy. Moments later, the orbs swirled towards Staryu, who only managed to partially dodge them, landing flat in the water at the impact.

“A Tri-Attack?” Misty huffed. “That was a close call, Staryu. Get up, and use Tackle!”

Beca flashed a quick smirk, knowing this was their chance to win the battle. Staryu was already weakened from the Tri-Attack, and now it would move in close, giving Clefairy the shot she needed to end this.

Just before they were about to connect, Beca called out her attack. “Clefairy, Thunder Punch, now!”

She smiled at Misty’s shocked expression as static electricity formed around one of Clefairy’s hands. Just as Staryu’s Tackle attack hit her, Clefairy punched the water Pokémon, hitting it right on the red jewel in the middle, and sending both Pokémon flying backwards. 

Clefairy got up after a few seconds, panting. Staryu was floating in the pool, its red gem flashing regularly.

“Staryu, return!” Misty sighed, before smiling at the ball. “You did a good job, Staryu. I’m sorry I didn’t expect an electric attack. That was my bad.” She tucked the Pokéball away, bringing out another in its place. “I guess it’s up to you now, Starmie!”

The choice of Pokémon surprised Beca. She had expected a water Pokémon, obviously, but not the evolved form of the Pokémon she had just defeated. “Clefairy, you good to keep going?”

Still panting, Clefairy jumped up and down, as if rearing to go at it. “Okay, I know you’re tired, so let’s finish this quickly. Start out with a Thunder Punch!”

“Oh, no,” Misty called back. “That won’t work a second time. Starmie, use Brine!”

Beca couldn’t even tell where the sudden downpour of water came from, but the torrent crashed over Clefairy, hiding it from her sight, and washing it away like a leaf in a river. When the torrent subsided, Clefairy was floating in the water, clearly unable to battle. “You did good, Clefairy. Return!”

Looking at the Starmie, Beca deduced it was exceptionally well-trained. Against a Pokémon like this, she had no choice but to use her Bulbasaur, even if he was at a disadvantage, here on this watery battlefield. “Go, Bulbasaur!”

Her Bulbasaur appeared on the field, as ready for battle as Clefairy had been before him. It wasn’t lost on Beca, however, that her little friend had no idea what to do with all the water surrounding him. 

“Starmie, use Swift!” came Misty’s voice from the other side.

“Bulbasaur, counter that with Vine Whip!” Beca ordered, satisfied with the way Bulbasaur’s vines hit each of the star-projectiles, knocking them off-course. “Awesome job! Now, use Razor Leaf!”

“Harden!” was Misty’s response, and Bulbasaur’s attack merely bounced off, doing no harm to Starmie. “Rapid Spin, now!”

Beca narrowed her eyes as Starmie came twirling towards Bulbasaur. “Dodge it by jumping into the water, Bulbasaur!”

That, at least, caught Misty and her Pokémon by surprise. Starmie landed on the middle of the platform Bulbasaur had been on moments before, warily looking around to locate Bulbasaur. Beca was glad they’d practiced swimming in the gentle stream running by their training field.

“Okay, now use Bullet Seed!”

Much like Staryu had done before, Bulbasaur leapt out of the water behind Starmie, hitting it in the back with its Bullet Seed attack. As Bulbasaur landed on the platform, Beca realized her attack hadn’t done as much damage as she’d hoped.

“Starmie, hit back with Hydro Pump!”

A massive jet of water sprung from the purple star-Pokémon, launching Bulbasaur up into the air. “Recover using your Vine Whip!” Beca called frantically. All their target practice paid off now, as Bulbasaur wrapped one of his vines around the light fixture on the sealing, before gracefully swinging back towards Starmie. “Now, Take Down!”

The physical attack hit Starmie straight on, sending it crashing into the water. Beca knew better than to expect the Pokémon to be defeated yet, though, and nervously waited for it to surface.

When it did, it was with a devastating Tackle attack. The moment it surfaced, Beca knew they wouldn’t be able to dodge it, and the moment she realized that, a new plan formed in her mind. A reckless one.

As the two Pokémon collided, Bulbasaur letting out a pained grunt and being tossed backwards, Beca bit her lip. “Leech Seed, Bulbasaur!”

Still soaring through the air, Bulbasaur managed to turn around, shooting a single seed from the bulb on its back. Immediately afterwards, he harshly landed on one of the other platforms, a cloud of dust wafting up. 

The seed hit Starmy more-or-less in the middle, tender vines immediately sprouting from it and surrounding the Pokémon. Bulbasaur was still flat on his stomach when Leech Seed began to drain Starmie’s energy, transferring it to Bulbasaur instead. With the new energy, he managed to get back to his feet. 

The tides seemed to have turned, with Starmie now being the one that looked worse for wear. 

“Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf, quickly!”

“Starmie, dodge!” Misty yelled back, but with its energy drained, Starmie wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way and dodge the razor sharp leaves. Moments later, the referee called the match in Beca’s favour.

Recalling their Pokémon, Beca met Misty halfway the battlefield, where the gym leader was already holding out the Cascade Badge. The moment she picked it from the palm of Misty’s hand, Beca had the irresistible urge to share this success with a friend, only to immediately realize that she was alone. 

It was a stark contrast to the experience she shared with Chloe when they’d obtained their Boulder Badge. The redhead had been ecstatically chattering on and on about their battles as they’d left the gym. At the time, Beca hadn't realized how much that positive energy had affected her.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever given this badge to someone who looked less pleased to receive it,” Misty remarked, not unkindly.

“Sorry,” Beca grimaced. “I’m really happy with it. It’s just… I had a fallout with a friend, sort of? And getting this badge without anyone to share the experience with…”

Misty’s expression morphed into an understanding smile. “Come on,” she gestured, walking away and through a door labelled ‘no access.’ Beca numbly followed the gym leader up a set of stairs, before finding herself in a comfortable room, where Misty began preparing them tea.

It was a weird scenario to be in, but Beca wasn’t about to decline a cup of tea when a gym leader offered it.

“So, your friend and you had a fight,” Misty smiled carefully when they were both seated. “And now you’re on your own?”

“Yeah,” Beca nodded. “That’s… basically it, yeah.”

“What was the fight about?” Misty asked. “If I’m not prying.”

“It was…” Beca gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “It was about me wanting to be alone, ironically.”

Misty hummed. “So you wanted to be alone, and now you don’t want to be alone anymore? Sounds complicated…”

Beca wasn’t much of a talker, under normal circumstances. Still, she found herself spilling her story to Misty, who turned out to be a great listener. She told the gym leader about her father, about how he had discouraged her from this journey, belittled her dreams, and consistently told her she would never amount to anything.

She explained to Misty in great detail why it was so important for Beca to undertake this journey, and for it to be a success. Why she had to prove to her father that she had what it took. 

By the time she finished talking, her tea had long since grown cold, and Misty was looking pensive. 

“I’m going to tell you something I don’t usually tell people,” Misty began, slowly. “Before I became a gym leader here in Cerulean, I took a Pokémon journey of my own.”

“You did?” Beca asked. She considered herself foolish for never considering how gym leaders got to be gym leaders in the first place.

“I did, yes,” Misty confirmed. “I travelled from here to Pallet Town, where I got a Squirtle from Professor Oak. I have three older sisters, one of whom was the gym leader at the time, so I felt I had a lot to prove. Not unlike you, I suppose…”

“What happened?” Beca asked eagerly. “I mean, obviously you did great, right? I mean, you’re a gym leader now…”

“I did do pretty well, yeah,” Misty smiled, looking as if she was reliving the memories. “But not in the way you think… You see, I got about as far as Viridian Forest. It turns out I’m… deathly afraid of bug Pokémon, and there was no way I was getting through the forest.”

“What happened?”

“I camped out in some farmer’s field for two days, miserable, lonely, and feeling pretty worthless,” Misty sighed. “That’s when I met Ash. We had a little run-in with a flock of angry Spearow, and after that we started traveling together. He got me through Viridian Forest, and we became friends. Brock joined us in Pewter City, and together we set off towards Vermillion.”

Beca remained quiet, listening to the gym leader recounting her history. “The three of us completed our Pokémon journey together, and became friends for life. Now, Brock and I are gym leaders, and as far as I know, Ash is still traveling through remote regions… You say that traveling with a companion would make you a lesser trainer… I’d argue travelling with my friends made me a better trainer. We helped each other, learned from each other, supported each other… And in the process, we became better trainers, better friends… Even better as people, in general.”

When Beca still remained silent, now deep in thought, Misty continued. “I think that is what a Pokémon journey is all about. It is about growing up, making friends,and  growing as a person. Winning badges is only a means to an end, the way I see it.”

“I… never considered it that way,” Beca admitted quietly. 

“That’s why I told you,” Misty smiled. “You can’t focus too much on other people’s opinions. You need to do what you feel is right.”

Beca couldn’t deny she liked what Misty had told her. She wanted that kind of journey for herself, not the one where she mindlessly traversed through the gyms in Kanto, only to end up back home. 

“Think about it,” Misty continued. “What would make your father more proud? You, coming home happier than when you left, with tons of new friends and adventures under your belt? Or you, coming home lonely and miserable, with eight shiny pieces of metal pinned to your jacket?”

That struck a chord in Beca, and the brunette realized that, no matter how many badges she would bring home, her father would never be proud of her for winning a few gym battles. She had to take this journey, not to show him he had been wrong, but because this was her dream.

With a deep sigh, Beca rubbed her forehead. “Thank you,” she smiled sadly. “All of this… It makes a lot more sense now. I’ve been so focused on making my father proud… I didn’t realize that wasn’t even my goal…”

“So, you’ll talk to your friend, then?” Misty asked with a kind smile.

“I would,” Beca frowned. “But she left Cerulean, and might be halfway across Kanto by now, for all I know.”

Misty grinned impishly. “Before she left, Chloe told me she was headed north, to train near the ocean inlet. You can probably find her there.”

“You… knew?” Beca asked, bewildered. “About me and Chloe?”

Misty smiled, patting Beca’s knee. “Chloe told me about you, after our battle. I connected the dots, that’s all. Now, I think you have better places to be, don’t you?”

“Right, yeah,” Beca nodded, getting up from her seat. “Thank you so much. For everything!” she called over her shoulder as she jogged downstairs.

She’d make a quick stop at the Pokémon Center, stock up on supplies, and head north first thing tomorrow morning.

No, scratch that, she’d head north tonight .

Chapter Text

Beca wasn’t lost.

She really wasn’t.

She was aware that would be exactly what she’d be saying if she had been lost, but really, honestly, she wasn’t.

After all, you couldn’t really be lost, if you didn’t know where your destination was anyway, right?

Besides, for some strange reason, she had the feeling she was going exactly where she needed to be going. Which, to be honest, was a strange feeling, and one she never really experienced before, but she welcomed it.

It was also what kept her going. She’d been walking for hours , watching the sun set ahead of her, and trudging on even in the dark – the flat terrain and clearly outlined paths making it safe enough for her to do so.

She idly noted the sun beginning to rise again behind her, and was just considering she might have to stop sometime soon to get some sleep.

“There she is!” an awfully familiar voice sounded from behind her. “She’s the one that stole my Clefairy!”

Spinning on her heels, Beca came face to face with the poacher she’d defeated before. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone, four other men backing him up, and all of them looking at her menacingly. “Give us back our merchandise, or we’ll have to take it from you!”

Beca’s jaw clenched at his words, and defiance had to be written across her face, as all five of them brought out their Pokémon. Suddenly, she was being stared down by a Pinsir, Scyther, Beedrill, Venomoth, and a Parasect.

As much as she hated to admit it, her three Pokémon were no match for this posy of Bug Pokémon, and everyone here knew it. That didn’t mean she was just going to hand over Clefairy without a fight, though.

Looking over her shoulder, she considered her chances of escaping the men, but even if she could outrun all five of them, Scyther and Beedrill would easily catch up to her. Fighting them was the better option, if only marginally. She had no delusions about being able to win this battle.

Her fingers had just grazed the balls clipped to her belt, when a haunting cry sounded from amidst the trees, followed by rustling, and then a shadow dashing out of the bushes, and landing in front of the five bug Pokémon.

With quiet awe, Beca took in the sight of the majestic Ninetales. Its red eyes were focused on the bugs, its upper lip drawn back in a snarl. Wherever this Ninetales came from, it was obviously well-taken care of, its fur shining in the weak moonlight. 

Before the poachers had any chance to respond, Ninetales opened its maw, unleashing a torrent of flames that could only be a Fire Blast attack. There was some panicked screaming, and when the flames died out, Beca saw five fainted Pokémon scattered about. She wryly noticed the fact that the poachers’ clothes were singed, too, even if they were otherwise unharmed.

The Ninetales was already gearing up for another attack, but the flames surrounding its snout disappeared the moment the poachers recalled their Pokémon and turned tail, literally running back the way they came.

With a quick yelp, Ninetales turned away from Beca, dashing down the path towards the ocean inlet. Instinctively, Beca fired off in a sprint, following the majestic Pokémon. She wasn’t certain why, but she knew , beyond a shadow of doubt, that Ninetales would lead her to Chloe.

It seemed like an eternity of running at the top of her capacity, but Beca was all too aware of the fact she wasn’t at peak physical condition, so it was probably more like five minutes. She managed to forget all of her physical discomfort for a moment when she rounded a bend in the road, and saw Chloe, happily scratching Ninetales head, only a few feet away from her.

“Your Ninetales really saved my hide back there,” Beca panted once she had regained some semblance of breath. She had expected Chloe to have noticed her approaching, but judging by her startled yelp, she had been wrong.

“Beca!” Chloe gasped, her face immediately turning into a frown once the surprise wore off. “If you’re headed for Vermillion City, you’re lost. Again,” she muttered, before turning away.

“Okay, I deserve that,” Beca admitted sheepishly. “Good thing I wasn’t heading for Vermillion, I guess.”

“You’re not?” Chloe asked, throwing a surprised glance over her shoulder.

“No,” Beca sighed. “I came out here looking for you. Misty told me I might find you here.”

Chloe bit her lip, but continued walking away from her. “Don’t worry, Beca. I think you made your point last time we talked.”

“That’s the thing,” Beca huffed, jogging to catch up to the redhead. “I really didn’t. Listen, I get that you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be, because I’m an idiot.” Her stomach chose that very moment to make itself known, and Beca watched in awe as all anger seemed to drain out of Chloe’s face, replaced with a tired sadness. 

“My camp is a little up ahead,” she sighed. “I suppose I have enough stew for two.”

--

Sitting next to the fire with a bowl of delicious stew in her lap, Beca was wondering what she needed to say to make things right again. If there was even anything she could say to make things right again. 

It was strange: she’d only known Chloe for a few days, but somehow the other trainer had become more important to Beca than she had realized. She craved Chloe’s approval more than her father’s, which was unprecedented.

“If you still want to talk, now’s as good a time as any,” Chloe remarked casually, having already finished her stew and rinsing the bowl off in the water of a small brook.

“I won my Cascade Badge,” Beca started slowly.

“I’m so happy for you,” Chloe remarked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I deserved that, too,” Beca admitted. “But I only told you because Misty was the one to make me realize I’m an idiot.”

Chloe pursed her lips, clearly keeping herself from speaking and interrupting Beca again.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a great Pokémon trainer,” Beca continued, voice soft and thoughtful. “And for as long as I can remember, my father has been telling me it was a stupid dream. He called it a waste of my time, told me that I should focus on building a career. He insisted that, even if I were to go on this journey, I’d be a failure and come home again before seeing it through… He always told me he would be waiting to help me out with my career when that would happen, but the implied ‘I-told-you-so’ was unmistakable.”

Chloe’s expression had softened a little at Beca’s story, but the brunette wasn’t done yet. “That’s why it was so important for me to take this journey on my own. So that I could prove to him I’m not a failure. To show him I can do this… But Misty made me realize… Well, she made me realize my father wouldn’t be any prouder of me if I came home with eight shiny pieces of metal… And that a Pokémon journey isn’t so much about proving yourself to be a great trainer… It’s about having adventures, meeting new people, and growing as a person…”

When Chloe still remained silent, Beca took a deep breath.

“So, here I am… Trying to make amends to a… a friend. I’m sorry for treating you the way I did… I shouldn’t have accused you of babying me. That was unfair, and you never did. Baby me, I mean… I just had this feeling that, if I got too much help from a more experienced trainer like you… My father would just use that against me. Y’know, ‘Beca, the only reason you got eight badges was because Chloe was there to hold your hand through it all,’ or something like that. But I’m not taking this journey for my father. I’m taking this journey because it has been my dream, and I should do it the way I see fit.”

At those words, Chloe finally cracked a little smile. “Well, it seems you’ve already grown as a person since the last time we spoke, Beca,” she told her softly. “I accept your apology, of course. My own reaction may have been a little extreme, too. But your words got under my skin, and I didn’t want to keep you from doing things the way you wanted them done, so I felt it best to just… get out of your way.”

“And I appreciate that,” Beca nodded, putting her empty bowl away. “But if you want… can we um…”

“Yes, Beca?” Chloe asked with a small smile.

“I was hoping you’d accompany me to Vermillion City,” Beca rushed out, waiting for Chloe’s response with bated breath. When it didn’t come, she continued. “It’s just… I think there’s a lot I can learn from you. And I’m shit at direction, I mean, I got lost in Viridian Forest, and then Mt. Moon, and it’s a miracle I even managed to find you out here…”

Chloe smiled. “Relax, Beca. I’d love to travel with you. Vermillion is a long way, though… When we reach it, we can see how we both feel about our companionship and see if we part ways or keep going at it together?”

“Yeah, that sounds… That sounds pretty great.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, both women lost in thought as they stared at the fire. “So, a Ninetales, huh?” Beca suddenly asked. 

“Yeah,” Chloe smiled, looking at the majestic Pokémon, napping near her sleeping bag. “She’s been with me since she was a little Vulpix…”

Beca nodded, head brimming with questions. “So, can I ask how long you’ve been traveling?” 

Chloe’s eyes turned upwards for a moment. “I think it’s been… almost four years now?”

“Four years?” Beca gasped. “You must’ve covered a lot of ground in that time, huh?”

“I did, yes,” Chloe confirmed. 

“You must have tons of Pokémon!” Beca stated, eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Chloe bit her lip thoughtfully, before nodding. “I have these six with me, obviously. The rest is with Professor Rowan.”

“Rowan?” Beca asked. “I heard of him, isn’t he like, all the way in Sinnoh?”

Chloe chuckled. “Yeah, he is. Luckily, Pokémon Professors can send the Pokémon in their care to any Pokécenter around the world in the blink of an eye.”

They lapsed back into silence, and eventually, Chloe yawned with a stretch. “We better get to sleep. We’ll head back to Cerulean tomorrow, and then east towards Lavender Town after that, if that’s okay with you?”

“Lavender?” Beca asked. “I thought we were going to Vermillion City?”

“We are,” Chloe confirmed. “But there isn’t a direct route from Cerulean to Vermillion. Going through Lavender is the easiest way to go.”

“Alright, I’ll trust you on that, then,” Beca decided with a nod. “It’s not like I’d ever get there on my own, anyway.”

“Goodnight, Beca,” Chloe chuckled.

“Goodnight,” Beca yawned in return.

She’d been lying in the darkness for quite some time when she heard Chloe’s voice again. 

“I’m really glad you came to find me.”

--

Beca woke up to the smell of coffee and toast, consolidating her belief she had made the right decision in seeking Chloe out, and asking to travel together. The redhead was brushing her Ninetales’ fur, humming a soft tune under her breath.

“Mornin’” she yawned, stretching her sleep-heavy limbs. 

“Good morning to you, too, sleepyhead,” Chloe smiled, looking up from her Ninetales’ fur. “Breakfast is next to you, it should still be warm.”

“Thanks,” Beca smiled, crawling out of her sleeping bag. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know,” Chloe shrugged. “But I like taking care of others – whether it’s my Pokémon or my friends.”

Beca happily devoured her breakfast, watching Chloe put the finishing touches to her Ninetales before returning it to its ball, after which the redhead began rolling her sleeping bag and stuffing various cooking utensils back into her backpack. By the time she was done clearing their little campsite, Beca had finished her breakfast, and with unspoken agreement, they set off down the path towards Cerulean again.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the spot where the ground was scorched, making Beca stop for a moment. “Thanks for sending your Ninetales to bail me out,” she muttered, scratching her neck. “There was no way I could win against five Pokémon at once.”

“That’s why I decided to step in,” Chloe smiled, resting her hand on Beca’s shoulder. “If it had been a fair fight, I would’ve let you fight it yourself. But at best, it would’ve been three against five, with your Pidgeotto having a type-advantage, and your Bulbasaur having a type-disadvantage. I figured it’d be better if my Ninetales ended the fight before it began.”

“How’d you even know I was here?” Beca asked as they continued walking.

“Ralts told me,” Chloe shrugged. “It vehemently disagreed with my decision to leave Cerulean without you. It must’ve sensed you coming closer.”

The rest of their day was quite uneventful. They stopped for lunch under a giant apple tree, where Beca let her three Pokémon out to play, Chloe letting her Ninetales out as well. At first, her Pokémon seemed intimidated by the larger, more powerful Pokémon, but after a few playful nudges from Ninetales, they were suddenly engaged in a competitive game of tag.

Chloe, meanwhile, grilled Beca about her match at the Cerulean Gym, asking about all the little details, like what Pokémon did Beca use, which did Misty use, what attacks were used, and when, and how were certain techniques dodged.

“What about you?” Beca asked when there was literally nothing left unsaid about her own gym match. 

Chloe shrugged bashfully. “I used an electric-type Pokémon,” she muttered. “It wasn’t anything spectacular.”

“Which Pokémon did Misty use?”

“First Gyarados, then Blastoise,” Chloe told her, as if it was nothing.

“Blastoise was probably her starting Squirtle,” Beca mused out loud. “Makes sense she went for the water-type starter when she got her first Pokémon. Which did you go for?” Beca suddenly piped up.

“Like you, I went with grass,” Chloe smiled, taking a bite of her sandwich. 

“Cool,” Beca smiled.

“C’mon,” Chloe chuckled. “We still have a few hours to go before we reach Cerulean City. With a bit of luck, we can stay at the Pokémon Center tonight, and start our journey tomorrow after a good night’s rest in an actual bed.”

The sun was already low in the sky when they walked into the city again, Chloe easily navigating towards the Pokémon Center while Beca was busy pretending not to be clueless as to where they were. The expression on the redhead’s face told her she didn’t quite succeed.

“Good evening,” Nurse Joy greeted them with her ever present smile. “I’m glad to see you two made up again!”

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled. “We’d like to have dinner, and two rooms for the night?” she continued, clearly having remembered Beca’s outburst from the last time.

Later that night, laying in her bed, Beca idly mused she might not have minded sharing a room with Chloe.

--

Chloe was already waiting for her at the breakfast table the following morning, looking well-rested and eager to continue their journey. Thankfully, she also had a cup of coffee waiting to get Beca’s day started properly.

“So, what’s ahead of us?” Beca asked after her third sip.

“We’ll head east,” Chloe told her. “And then the road should bend southwards. There’s a short cave we’ll have to traverse, more of a tunnel than anything else, really. Shortly after, we should pass by the derelict power plant and then we should reach Lavender Town.”

“You make it sound like a piece of cake,” Beca commented wryly. “But I’m guessing this isn’t going to be done in, like, an hour?”

Chloe snorted with amusement, shaking her head. “All in all, I think it will take us about five to six days to reach Lavender… Maybe a week, if we’re Slowpokes.”

“Well, you do have to tow me along now,” Beca joked weakly.

Chloe nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right… So probably two to three weeks, then.”

“Hey!” Beca exclaimed, making the redhead laugh.

“Relax, I’m just teasing you. I’ll navigate, you just have to look pretty, that’s all.”

Beca ducked her head down to hide the sudden blush covering her cheeks, wondering why she was suddenly so bashful. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t comment on it. When she looked up again, the redhead gave her a toothy smile. “Well, don’t keep me waiting forever, Beca,” she grinned. “Eat up!”

--

It didn’t take long for Beca to realize she preferred traveling with Chloe over traveling by herself. A startling amount, actually. Chloe was easy to talk to, even if they talked about inane subjects like the weather, or what to have for lunch. She was upfront about her usual traveling routine – where she planned to go, how long she figured they’d take to get there, when she was planning to stop for lunch, et cetera. But, she was also open and amenable to Beca’s suggestions and requests, such as a quick break to drink some water, or to check out two Butterfree doing a little dance on one of the branches above them (‘They’re not dancing, Beca. They’re mating.’ – ‘Eww, gross!’)

After a few hours, they stopped for lunch in a field of grass, a smattering of apple and pear trees providing them shade. As Chloe took out the sandwiches she had prepared that morning and offered them to Beca, the brunette was eyeing the fruits in the tree.

“We can pick some to take with us,” Chloe smiled, following Beca’s eyes. “The trees don’t seem to be anyone’s property.”

Beca nodded, having thought the exact same thing. “Can we stay here a little while? It seems like a good place to do some training with Bulbasaur.”

“Sure, works for me,” Chloe smiled. “I might get some training in myself.”

The sandwiches were delicious, and Beca scarfed them down like a woman possessed. Chloe was only halfway through her sandwich when Beca released Bulbasaur from his ball and moved toward the fruit trees. “Okay Bulbasaur. Your aim has improved a lot, but we still need to get better. I want you to use your Razor Leaf attack to sever those fruits from the branches, without damaging them, okay?”

Bulbasaur gave a confident nod, focusing on the tree and letting out a single razor leaf, which cut one of the apples in half. Bulbasaur looked at it as if the fruit had offended him personally, making Beca chuckle. 

“I did say without damaging them, didn’t I?” she asked her Pokémon with an amused smirk. Her Bulbasaur became living proof that Pokémon mirror their trainers as he rolled his eyes at her. “Alright, alright, try again.”

The next four pieces of fruit were also cut to ribbons, to the growing frustration of Beca’s Pokémon.

“You could-“ Chloe began to say, before she closed her mouth so sharply, Beca could hear her teeth clacking together. 

“I could what?” the brunette asked, rolling her eyes as Chloe merely shook her head.

“If you have something that can help, please tell us,” she sighed, knowing that Chloe’s behaviour was actually Beca’s own fault. “I know I said I didn’t want you babying me or holding my hand, but that was before, when I was still an idiot. I’m smart now, okay?”

Chloe bit her lip for a moment, before she gave a small nod, got up from her spot on the blanket, and moved over to them. “Your Bulbasaur fires his Razor Leaf diagonally,” Chloe explained, kneeling next to Bulbasaur. “To hit the apples without damaging them, you need to hit them horizontally. May I?” she asked, motioning to Bulbasaur and waiting for Beca to nod.

She placed her hands on both sides of the Pokémon, gently canting him a little to the side. “Try shifting your weight like this when you use your Razor Leaf, Bulbasaur,” she explained gently. “By changing the starting position of your attack, you will change the way it hits its target, too.”

“You want to try that, Bulbasaur?” Beca asked with a smile, pleased when she saw Bulbasaur gave an eager nod. 

Both she and Chloe cheered loudly when the next apple fell from the tree, neatly cut at the stem. Beca watched with quiet amusement as Bulbasaur used his Vine Whip to pick the apple up, break it into two halves, and handed both of them a piece of the fruit.

--

Beca had felt a little uneasy about Rock Tunnel, having remembered the suffocating darkness of Mt. Moon, the many winding corridors, the forks in the road and the constant doubt whether they’d ever get out alive. It wasn’t that she hadn’t trusted Chloe… she just didn’t trust Mt. Moon.

Rock Tunnel turned out to be a completely different story. True to its name, it was a tunnel without any paths forking off, and they actually made it through in little over an hour, without encountering any trouble. Rather than using her Ralts’ Flash attack to light their path, Chloe had produced two flashlights from her backpack.

“I’m impressed, Beca,” Chloe smiled that night, as she was stirring the pot hanging over the fire.

“Why’s that?”

“You walk a lot faster than your stature suggested,” the redhead smirked at her, and Beca took the jibe about her height with a roll of her eyes. “Seriously, though, despite stopping for training, we’re actually ahead of my schedule. We should pass by the derelict Power Plant tomorrow… I think that, if we keep this pace, we’ll reach Lavender in three days, instead of four or five.”

“So, no more training stops?” Beca asked, not really minding, but merely curious.

Chloe shrugged. “I didn’t say that. I’m not really in a hurry or anything. Just thought you might want to know how we’re doing.”

“I appreciate that,” Beca nodded, handing Chloe the little tin can she was searching for, containing spices for their dinner. “But I’m not in a hurry, either.”

“I heard the Vermillion gym is a tough one,” Chloe told her with a small frown marring her face. “I’m not saying you’re not a good trainer, but you might want to try and get as much training done as possible before we reach it.”

Beca nodded. “I hear you. I have absolutely no experience fighting electric Pokémon, and I don’t have any ground or rock Pokémon, either.”

“We can go back to Rock Tunnel and see if there’s something to catch there,” Chloe offered. “Though your Bulbasaur should have an advantage over electric types, too.”

“I didn’t see anything of interest in Rock Tunnel,” Beca sighed. “I’d sort of hoped we might find a Sandshrew, but I guess that was wishful thinking.”

Chloe hummed idly, spooning their food onto two plates. “I’m sure we can find a Sandshrew at some point, though I’m not so certain we’ll find one before we reach Vermillion.”

Beca accepted the food with a smile. “Thanks. You’re kind of implying we’ll be traveling together after Vermillion, too. What happened to re-evaluating the situation then?”

Chloe shrugged, and Beca thought she spotted the beginning of a blush. “I like traveling with you,” Chloe responded with a quiet voice. “And I don’t think that’s going to change.”

--

When Beca woke up the following morning, she was inexplicably alone. Confusion morphed into a faint smile when she found a plate with breakfast near her, with a little note tucked underneath. “Gone out to train a little, be back soon, signed Chloe,” Beca read to herself.

And indeed, the redhead came trudging to their little camp just when Beca swallowed the last bit of her breakfast. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail, and the sleeves of her shirt were rolled up. All in all, she looked like she’d just run a marathon. “Hey, you’re awake!” she smiled, her exhaustion clearly not affecting her mood. “I’ll just need to drink something and then we can get going?” 

“Yeah, works for me. Where’d you go off to?”

“Went to train with my Pokémon,” Chloe smiled, before guzzling down half a bottle of water. “Figured I’d check Rock Tunnel while I was at it. Sorry to say there are no Sandshrew to be found. Just Zubat and a few peeved Geodude…”

“You went all the way back there to check for a Pokémon I wanted?” Beca asked incredulously.

Chloe merely shrugged with a guilty smile, making Beca shake her head fondly. “Well, let’s get moving. We still have a long journey ahead of us.”

--

They walked for most of the day, sometimes in silence, and sometimes chatting away in animated conversations. For lunch, they shared the fruits Bulbasaur had cut from the trees the day before, after which they immediately set off again. Beca felt like they’d made incredible progress, and Chloe seemed pleased, too.

They were about to stop for today when Beca noticed something peculiar. “Chloe?” she asked, waiting for the redhead’s responding hum. “Didn’t you say the power plant was derelict?”

“Yeah, why?”

Beca pointed at a structure in the distance. “Because, as far as I know, derelict power plants usually don’t keep their lights on, right?”

Chloe peered into the distance as well, before cocking her head sideways. “Hm, odd. Want to go check it out?” she asked. “Shouldn’t be more than half an hour walk… and it saves us a little time tomorrow, anyway.”

“Yeah, okay,” Beca agreed readily.

While walking, it quickly became apparent that the power plant’s lights were indeed on. When they got close enough, they saw a young man, seeming their own age, pacing in front of the main gate. He was wearing a bright red cap and jacket, and had a Rattata sitting by his feet.

“Oh, hey, this isn’t public property!” he told them as they walked up to him, puffing out his chest.

“The barbed-wire gave that away, yes,” Beca drawled sarcastically, making Chloe giggle and earning her a soft nudge from her elbow. 

“Be nice, he’s just doing his job.”

“You’re a security guard?” Beca asked, eyebrows raised.

The man looked mortally offended by her question. “I’m a Pokémon Ranger!” he blustered. “See?” he continued, pointing at the symbol on his cap. “Ranger. Not a security guard.”

“Okay, ranger,” Beca smirked with a roll of her eyes. “I’m Beca, this is Chloe. We’re not security guards, either.”

“I’m Jesse,” the ranger frowned. “And I’m here on a mission.”

“To turn off the lights?” Beca teased. “Flipping a light switch is a ranger mission, now?”

“Hah! You’re funny,” Jesse grunted. “I was sent here to look into the unusual gathering of electric-type Pokémon at this power plant. No one told me it was still running.”

“It shouldn’t be,” Chloe told him. “It was abandoned almost a decade ago…”

“It doesn’t look so abandoned now,” Beca mused out loud, looking at the large building. “If you’re supposed to look into this situation, shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, inside?”

Jesse visibly deflated at her comment, all confidence draining from his face. “Yeah, I should be. But I only have my Rattata, and there are dozens of Pokémon in there, and…”

“We could help?” Beca offered in an unusual display of kindness that surprised even herself. “I mean, if you want?”

“Really?” Jesse asked, looking so hopeful it was a little awkward.

“Yeah, why not?” Chloe smiled. “Could be fun.”

Together, they made their way to the entrance, finding the door slightly ajar. “Guess someone’s inside,” Jesse muttered to himself. “Let’s go, Rattata.”

The lights flickered briefly as they stepped into the main corridor. Furniture was scattered around the place, with faded posters hanging off the walls. The doors of the elevator opened and closed at irregular intervals, giving Beca the creeps. She was sort of regretting her act of kindness, now.

“We shouldn’t take the elevator,” Chloe muttered darkly. 

“You think?” Beca asked with an anxious snort. 

“So uh, where do we go now?” Jesse asked, looking around.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the ranger here?” Beca asked sharply. “We’re just the help, right?”

Jesse gave a wavering nod, walking across the lobby and carefully opening one of the doors, revealing a long corridor, lined with doors on both sides. The moment the door opened, they also heard something shuffling about.

“Bulbasaur, come out,” Beca muttered, releasing her Pokémon from its ball, and seeing Chloe do the same with her Ninetales.

It was cramped with three Pokémon and their trainers in the corridor, but Beca did feel a lot safer with them watching her back. As they passed the first door, she gently nudged it open, revealing a room filled with Voltorb.

“Better not disturb them,” Jesse cautioned. “They’re likely to explode.”

With a shiver, Beca pulled the door closed again, just as Chloe opened another one. The room seemed empty, save for two Magnemite circling just below the ceiling, ignoring them completely.

The next two rooms were empty, and then they reached the stairs leading downwards at the end of the corridor. They carefully padded down, and Beca chose not to point out the fact Jesse was now walking behind them, and not in front.

A sleeping Electabuzz was sitting against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and they carefully traipsed around it, making their way down another corridor. 

Jesse opened one of the set of double doors, revealing what appeared to be an engine room of sorts, pistons pumping rapidly, and steam billowing out. “This… should definitely not be active,” he told the women, as if they hadn’t been able to realize that themselves.

Something crackled in the air, then, making the hairs on their arms stand up. “Was that…?”

“Static electricity,” Chloe confirmed, frowning as she patted her own hair. “Yeah, I felt it too.” For some strange reason, Chloe suddenly put her hand to one of the balls on her belt. “Something in here is luring in electric Pokémon,” she muttered. “They’re affected even through the barrier of a Pokéball, so it must be pretty powerful.”

As they continued down the hallway, one of the doors suddenly opened on its own, an extraordinarily large Voltorb rolling into the hallway. 

“An Electrode!” Jesse exclaimed. “Rattata, use Bite!”

“No!” Beca and Chloe both called in unison, but it was already too late. Rattata’s bite only served to anger the Electrode, who started glowing brightly. 

“Ninetales, Protect!” Chloe called out just in time, a green shield forming in front of them to repel the flames and the force of the explosion. Moments later, they felt the floor underneath them give away, all of them tumbling down to the floor below.

“Bulbasaur!” Beca yelled in a panic, before suddenly feeling a vine wrapping around her waist. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Bulbasaur standing on all fours, holding both Beca and Chloe upright with his Vine Whip. Ninetales, meanwhile, was shaking Jesse off her back with an expression that could only be annoyance.

“Thanks,” Chloe smiled uncertainly as Bulbasaur let go of them. “Ninetales, you okay?”

“Nine,” the fire Pokémon growled softly, pressing her head to Chloe’s chest. “Yeah, I know. You did good, though.”

“Where are we?” Jesse asked dumbly.

“One floor lower than we were ten seconds ago,” Beca deadpanned. “That was the most stupid thing I’ve ever seen anyone do. And I walked off a cliff, once, so that’s saying something.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jesse muttered. “I’m sorry, I just thought-“

“No more thinking, then,” Beca bit back. She was shut up then, by a more powerful wave of static washing over them, making their hairs rise into the air as if gravity wasn’t a thing here.

Just then, the lights sprung on, revealing the large room around them, filled with Voltorb, Electrode, Magnemite and Magneton, a few Electabuzz and even a Jolteon. Over on the far side of the room stood a massive generator, humming and buzzing and clanking away.

Beca was still taking in the view of all those Pokémon around them, when a startling cry forced her hands over her ears. The moment it grew silent again, another wave of static washed out, and then the lights suddenly became impossibly brighter, blinding them.

Squinting with her eyes, Beca thought she could make out a large figure rising up behind the generator, electricity crackling in the air. “Run!” she bellowed, grabbing Chloe’s wrist as she sprinted off in the opposite direction.

She thoughtlessly pushed the other electric Pokémon aside, hearing the crackling behind them grow louder. Another cry followed, and then the lights went out for a moment. They sprung back on when Beca stormed into the corridor that would, hopefully, lead them to the stairs.

Halfway through the corridor, she felt Chloe yanking her backwards, just in time to avoid a falling beam crashing down in front of them. “This place is coming apart,” Chloe yelled at them.

“We should get out of here,” Jesse yelled back, making Beca groan at the obviousness of that statement. She looked over her shoulder to tell him he was an idiot, when she saw the electricity crackling over the door they’d just come through, creeping towards them, licking at the walls and floor as if it was a spreading fire.

“Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!” she called out, relieved to see the leaves slicing through the metal beam, clearing the path for them. They continued running, but she knew the electricity would catch up to them before long. When another part of the ceiling came falling down, they found themselves trapped.

“Kirlia, Teleport!” came Chloe’s voice, more frantic than Beca had ever heard her, and then they were suddenly outside again, standing near the gate where they’d found Jesse the first time.

She took a quick inventory of their situation, finding Jesse and his Rattata lying in the grass. Rattata was breathing heavily, Jesse was retching his guts out. Her eyes immediately flitted to the other side, where she found Chloe and Ninetales, as well as a small, dainty Pokémon that was twirling a constant series of pirouettes. “Your Ralts evolved,” she stated.

“Yeah,” Chloe smiled. “The night you came to find me, outside Cerulean. It was her way of telling me you were looking for me. Are you alright? I’m so sorry!”

“Yes, I’m alright. And what are you even sorry for?”

“I should’ve thought to use Teleport sooner,” Chloe lamented, running a hand through her hair and biting her lip.

“Well, we’re all okay, so I say you did fine,” Beca huffed, relief only now flooding her. She was startled to find Chloe launching herself at her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug that seemed to last forever. Beca understood all too well.

“We’re all okay,” Chloe repeated after a few minutes, finally letting go of Beca and stepping backwards. The moment she did, their attention was caught by the power plant again, where all of the lights suddenly went out.

“What happened in there?” Jesse asked incredulously.

“I have no idea,” Beca admitted, sending a questioning look towards Chloe.

“You should seal this place off,” the redhead told the Pokémon ranger, taking off her backpack and taking some water bottles from it. “No one should go in there. Whatever that Pokémon in the basement was, it doesn’t want to be disturbed, and I think we should respect that.”

Jesse nodded dumbly. “I will make sure this place is sealed off, and let HQ know what happened.”

“You do that,” Beca muttered dismissively, taking a few gulps from the water bottle Chloe handed her. “That was the last time I ever offered to help anyone out.”

“You don’t mean that,” Chloe smiled kindly.

“No, probably not, but just let me believe it for a little while,” Beca grinned back. “Also, I’m dead-tired, but Chloe, we’re going to walk for at least an hour before we make camp. I’m not staying near this place.”

“Can I come with?” Jesse asked hopefully.

“No,” Beca told him before Chloe’s kindness would kick in. “You have some work to do here, I think.”

“Right,” Jesse nodded. “Where are you headed?”

“Saffron City,” Beca told him. “Why?”

Jesse shrugged. “No reason. Thought I might seek you out again sometime.”

“We travel a lot, so you’d probably miss us, anyway,” Beca mentioned casually, returning her Bulbasaur to its ball after a few quick pats on the head.

“I see…” Jesse muttered. “That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, real downer,” Beca muttered.

“Where are you from?” Jesse asked, and Beca barely refrained from rolling her eyes at his unnatural curiosity.

“Pallet Town, why?”

“Just asking,” he told her, too quickly. For some reason, it made Chloe giggle.

Beca wasn’t oblivious to the fact Jesse looked like he was waiting for her to bring the question back to him, and ask where he was from. But, honestly, she didn’t really care where he was from, and she had better things to do than stand here all night talking to him.

Like getting as far away from the power plant as she could, for instance.

“Okay, so, this was interesting. We’re off. Good luck, Jesse, bye!” she grunted, stomping off in a random direction. She was grateful for Chloe, who came jogging up beside her and hooked their arms together, subtly steering them in another direction altogether.

She threw a wave over her shoulder without looking back when she heard Jesse calling his goodbyes.

They’d walked like that, arm-in-arm, for fifteen minutes when Chloe let out a thoughtful hum. “So, that was awkward.”

“Yeah. He was weird,” Beca muttered, face scrunched in confusion.

Chloe gave a slow nod. “People tend to be a little weird when they have a crush on someone.”

“What?!”

“Oh, come on, Beca. You can’t tell me you didn’t see it? He was totally into you.”

“He was not!” Beca bristled, letting her mind go over their interactions. “… Was he?”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe confirmed with a little smile. 

They continued walking in silence for about half a minute. “Not that I can really blame him,” Chloe said, voice tinted with mischief. 

“Dude!” Beca laughed, giving Chloe a playful shove, both of them laughing as they continued down the path to Lavender Town.

Chapter Text

“So,” Beca asked the following morning, some ten minutes after they’d continued their journey. “That Pokémon from yesterday… Any idea what it was?”

Chloe sent her a quick sideward glance before answering. “I didn’t get a very good look at it, so I can’t be sure,” she responded honestly. “But from what I did see, I’m thinking it was a Zapdos.”

“Zapdos?” Beca asked. “The legendary thunder bird Pokémon?” 

“That’s the one, yeah,” Chloe confirmed. “It’s one of the few Pokémon I can think of that would be powerful enough to power up that facility…”

“I wonder if Jesse made sure no one could get in,” Beca murmured.

“Worried about your-“

“Don’t even say it, Chloe,” Beca told her with a raised finger. “I’m warning you!”

Chloe mimed zipping her lips together, making Beca relax again. “He just looked really inept. I think he might have gotten himself killed if we hadn’t been there.”

“But we were,” Chloe smiled, waving at a pair of people moving in the other direction. 

“Is it just me or are we encountering a lot of people today?”

“Yeah, I was thinking that, too,” Chloe murmured. “The only thing ahead of us is Lavender, so I’m guessing that’s where they’re all coming from…”

The next group they encountered was larger, consisting of about ten people who waved at them to stop. “Are you headed for Lavender Town?” one of the older men asked.

“We are, yes,” Chloe responded with a nod and a smile.

“You should turn back now,” the man intoned gravely.

“What?” Beca asked. “Why?”

“Turn back!” the man told them again, before being ushered along by his friends.

“Are we going to turn back?” Beca asked.

“Um… No,” Chloe told her decidedly, making Beca grin.

“Thought as much. Lead the way, then!”

--

“So, stop now and reach Lavender early tomorrow, or just power through and reach Lavender late tonight?” Chloe asked.

Beca considered the options, knowing Chloe would be okay with whichever she picked. “I think we keep going. Lavender has a Pokémon Center, right?”

“Yes,” Chloe nodded. “It’s a small one, though.”

“I wouldn’t mind sleeping in a bed and under a roof tonight,” Beca muttered, rubbing her hand over her arms to chase away the chill. 

Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I feel you. It’s weirdly cold today.”

By the time the sun began to set, a fog had begun to roll in. Eventually, the fog limited their sight enough that it was actually a surprise when they walked into Lavender Town, not having seen the buildings until they were already passing them. “The Center should be that way,” Chloe murmured, looking around with concerned eyes. “I’m not liking this fog, though.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Beca sighed. “I can’t even see my own feet.”

She was relieved when she felt Chloe’s hand taking a hold of her elbow, leading her along and ensuring they wouldn’t lose track of one another. Before long, Beca saw a giant red letter ‘P’ appear out of the fog, signalling their arrival at the Pokémon Center.

Thankfully, the fog hadn’t invaded the building, which was warm and brightly lit, a complete opposite of outside. Nurse Joy looked surprised to have visitors. “Good evening!” she smiled. “Welcome to the Lavender Pokémon Center. Are you visiting travelers?”

Chloe nodded tiredly. “Yes, we just got into town. Lucky we could even find it, with this fog.”

“Yes,” Nurse Joy muttered, spirits dampened. “Did you get through alright?”

“We did,” Beca confirmed. “I’m famished, though. Could we get something to eat?”

“Of course,” Nurse Joy nodded, waving her Chansey over. 

“We’d like rooms, too,” Chloe smiled, rubbing at her eyes.

Nurse Joy’s smile turned into an uncomfortable frown. “Unfortunately, there is only one room available at the moment,” she told them. “Due to the fog, none of the trainers here are willing to leave the building. Most of them have been here for days.”

“Days?” Chloe squeaked. “Because of the fog?”

“One room is fine,” Beca cut in. “We’ll take it.”

“Oh,” Chloe muttered, before nodding her agreement.

Once they were seated at a small table in the corner, a simple but tasty dinner in between them, Chloe took a deep breath. “If you want, I can camp outside,” she rushed out, eyes briefly flitting at the fogged up darkness as she bit her lip.

“You can’t be serious, Chloe,” Beca sighed. “I mean, something’s obviously wrong out there.”

At Chloe’s questioning expression, Beca rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend you didn’t think so, too. I mean, the fog, all the people leaving Lavender… Pokémon trainers refusing to leave the PokéCenter because of the fog?”

“Very astute,” an old man suddenly standing next to their table nodded, startling both of them. “Apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Beca blustered, making Chloe laugh softly.

“I was,” the redhead admitted. “This fog is working on my nerves.”

“Hm!” the man nodded. “And it should. The fog first rolled in five days ago,” the man told them. “It hasn’t lifted since. We think it comes from the Pokémon Tower.”

“Pokémon Tower?” Beca asked.

“It’s a Pokémon graveyard,” Chloe explained patiently. “Lavender Town’s known for it, even far beyond Kanto.”

“Aye,” the man nodded. “It’s rife with ghost Pokémon. Normally, they don’t bother us, and we live together in harmony. We believe something is wrong in the tower now, though. Upsetting the spirits that dwell there…”

“Why are you telling us this?” Chloe asked with narrowed eyes, making Beca snort.

“Because he wants us to go in there and see what’s up,” she responded in his stead.

“That was our hope, yes,” the man confirmed. “A few of the trainers residing in this PokéCenter have tried, but none of them got past the first floor of the tower. All of them refused to talk about what happened, and no one dares going near it anymore, now.”

Turning away from the man, Beca caught Chloe’s eyes. She was a little surprised at how she could read the redhead’s thoughts and opinions from her face. With a sigh, she turned back to him. “We’ll go and have a look tomorrow. We need to sleep, first, though.”

“I’ll come and escort you to the tower myself,” the man nodded. “And I do thank you in advance.”

Once he was gone, Beca found Chloe looking at her with a small, reserved smile. “Told you.”

“Told me what?”

“You said you’d never help anyone out again, after the power plant,” Chloe smiled. “I told you, you were wrong.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Beca waved dismissively. “You wanted to go, too.”

“How’d you know?” the redhead asked, genuinely curious.

“It was, like, written all across your face.”

They made short work of dinner, after which they followed Chansey, who led them to their room. Opening the door, Beca swallowed heavily as she only saw one bed in the room. 

“My offer still stands,” Chloe muttered. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable because of me.”

Beca closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I’d be much more uncomfortable knowing you’re sleeping outside, in the cold, by yourself, in a town plagued by ghosts.”

“Ahw, I didn’t know you cared,” Chloe cooed with a big grin, making Beca smile.

“Of course I care, Chloe,” she muttered, turning Chloe’s grin into a genuine smile as well. “Alright, we should get ready for bed.”

Chloe went into the adjoining bathroom to change, leaving Beca to quickly change into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt. By the time Chloe came back into the room, wearing a similar outfit, Beca was sliding underneath the covers.

She was tense as she watched Chloe slide into the bed as well, both of them lying on the very edge of their respective sides.

“Goodnight, Chloe,” Beca muttered, realizing she sounded as tense as she felt.

“Yeah,” Chloe sighed. “Um… goodnight.”

--

Beca startled awake several hours later. The entire room was dark, and her brain was telling her something was definitely wrong, but wasn’t willing to help her figure out what exactly. It took her almost half a minute to realize something heavy and warm was bearing down on her.

She let out her breath in a long exhale when she realized it was Chloe. Apparently, after falling asleep, they’d migrated towards the middle of the bed, where a sleeping Chloe had decided to use Beca as a cuddle-buddy. The other woman’s head was resting on Beca’s shoulder, red strands of hair tickling at her nose. A warm arm was slung over her stomach, and Chloe had one of her legs hooked around one of Beca’s, making it impossible for the brunette to extricate herself.

With an amused huff, Beca closed her eyes again, feeling quite content.

--

Beca blearily opened her eyes, realizing light was filtering into their room, even if it was weak. A quick look towards the window revealed that the night had ended, but the fog was still hanging outside like a thick, wet blanket covering the town.

Chloe had, at some point, migrated back to her own side of the bed. While Beca missed the warmth, she wondered if they had still been wrapped together when Chloe had woken up, and how the redhead had felt about it.

Had she moved back to her own side because she wanted to, or because she’d assumed Beca would feel awkward about their midnight cuddling session?

“Sleep well?” she asked the redhead, who was obviously awake.

“Uh, yeah. You?”

“The best,” Beca smiled, stretching her arms above her head as Chloe averted her eyes toward the window.

“Fog’s still here.”

“I’d noticed, yeah,” Beca sighed. “I guess we should get ready and have some breakfast before going to check out this tower.”

While they got ready to head downstairs, Beca wasn’t blind to the tension between her and Chloe, who had been acting a little distracted since she’d woken up. But, by the time they reached the breakfast table, which had already been set for them, everything seemed normal again between the two of them.

What wasn’t normal, however, was how all the trainers at breakfast kept eyeing them warily. 

“I guess word of our impending visit to the Pokémon Tower has spread,” Chloe muttered under her breath, earning her a nod of agreement.

The old man from the night before came in halfway during their breakfast, striking up conversation with Nurse Joy while he patiently waited for them to finish up. When they had, they checked their backpacks and Pokéballs, before making their way over to him. “We’re ready to go,” Chloe told him with a faint smile. “Lead the way.”

The old man led them through the fog, effortlessly finding his way around town. He told them of the Tower’s history, how it had been built generations ago, and how trainers from all over Kanto travelled here to bury their deceased Pokémon.

“I didn’t know Pokémon passed away,” Beca muttered, shivering at the thought of losing any of her Pokémon like that.

“Most don’t,” Chloe told her with a reassuring hand on her arm. “Only when they get really ill and don’t get treatment.”

The old man confirmed Chloe’s words. “There are also many Pokémon in the Tower who died of a broken heart after their trainers passed away.”

“That’s… so sad,” Beca muttered, finding herself overcome with emotions for a moment.

It only took ten more minutes of walking in absolute silence until they saw the tower emerging from the fog. Beca didn’t like this at all, to be honest, but they had come this far, so she figured they might as well check it out.

“I don’t like this at all,” came Chloe’s worried words, actually making Beca burst out into a giggle.

“Um, Beca, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Beca told her as the giggle tapered off. “I was just literally thinking those exact same words.”

“I’ll be out here,” the old man interrupted them, motioning for the door. “Good luck in there, kids.”

Inside the tower, the fog didn’t come higher than their knees, revealing to them the long lines of headstones, engraved with Pokémon names, both familiar and unfamiliar to Beca. They both let their eyes grow used to the dim lighting before continuing towards the stairs on the far end.

“Go… Away…” came a whispered voice when they were halfway there, startling them both.

“Who’s there?” Beca snapped, Pokéball already in her hand. 

“Go… Away…” it sounded again, voice echoing around the space. “Not… Welcome…”

“Are you a ghost?” Beca ended up asking, feeling beyond silly.

“More like, a ghost Pokémon,” Chloe told her with a quiver in her voice. “This place is probably full of them. Kirlia, Ninetales, come on out.”

“You too Bulbasaur, Clefairy!” Beca called out.

Together they made their way to the stairs, ignoring the hostile whispers in the air. On the second floor, they saw a few shadows darting behind headstones, confirming Chloe’s suspicions. They stubbornly continued to the stairs again, zigzagging between the graves dotted around this floor. Halfway through, several semi-solid forms suddenly darted out towards them.

“Kirlia, Confusion!”

“Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!” 

The attacks stopped the forms in their tracks, revealing themselves to be Gastly, who hovered in place for a few seconds, before turning invisible, apparently slinking off to plan their next jump-scare. 

They made another attempt when they were halfway up the stairs, nearly sending them toppling backwards, only barely able to hold on to one another and keep each other upright. “I really hate this place,” Beca muttered as Chloe’s strong arms let go of her.

“The sooner we get to the top, the sooner we get out.”

“Who says we need to go to the top?” Beca questioned, even though she figured Chloe was probably right.

“It’s a tower, Beca,” Chloe sniffed. “You always need to get to the top. There’s no use making a tower if you don’t put the most important bit of it at the top.”

“Fair enough,” Beca nodded, eyeing the little blue flames dancing around the room warily. “This place has seven floors, and this is the third, right?”

Chloe nodded, also looking at the flames. “This is probably a Will-o-Wisp attack, meaning we should avoid those.”

“Avoid the ghostly blue flames,” Beca deadpanned. “Couldn’t have thought of that myself.”

Chloe grinned over her shoulder. “If you know so much, feel free to be the one walking in front.”

“No, I’m good here,” Beca grimaced, marvelling at how easy it was to joke around with Chloe even under these circumstances. 

“Kirlia, please use Flash,” Chloe muttered, and Beca watched as Kirlia began twirling in place, before unleashing a bright flash of light, revealing several Gastly and Haunter floating around the room, appearing stunned by the sudden light. They managed to scamper across the floor before they recovered.

“This is going easier than expected,” Beca grinned.

“And now you’ve jinxed it,” Chloe sighed with a responding grin.

“I don’t think there are any Jynx here,” Beca countered with an exaggeratedly sweet smile.

“You’re such a dork,” Chloe huffed out.

They crossed the large circular room without any trouble, making Beca wonder if the ghost Pokémon had given up their resistance. It seemed a little too easy, though. The next floor seemed empty as well, and Beca was about to comment on how suspicious this all was when she blinked, and suddenly the entire room was gone. 

Instead she was in Vermillion City. She’d never been here before, but the Vermillion Gym in the distance was a dead giveaway, as was the large port stretching out into the ocean on her left. The sun was beginning to set – had they really been in the Pokémon Tower that long? – and the orange rays reflected off Chloe’s hair.

The redhead was looking out over the water, Kirlia twirling in place next to her. “So, here we are, then. Vermillion,” Chloe sighed.

“Yeah,” Beca hedged… “Um, why did you Teleport us here?”

Chloe turned towards her, biting her lip in thought. “This isn’t working, Beca,” she told her, expression crumpling into a frown.

“I don’t… what are we talking about now? I’m not following you,” Beca stammered. None of this was making any sense.

“You and I, traveling together,” Chloe explained. “It’s not working out the way I had hoped.”

“Oh…” Beca muttered, going over their travels in her mind. “I thought… I thought it was going well. I thought we were having… fun,” she continued, feeling hurt as Chloe shook her head.

“To be honest, Beca, it has been a bit of a drag,” the redhead shrugged. “Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, the power plant and then Pokémon Tower… I’ve had to bail you out every time. It’s getting tiring and boring. I think it’s best we go our separate ways from here.”

“No, wait!” Beca objected. “I mean, yeah, you’re a better trainer than I am… But I’ve learned a lot from you already. I can get better!”

“Unlikely,” Chloe sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Just give it another week?” Beca pleaded.

“Beca, don’t you get it?” Chloe asked, sounding frustrated now. “I don’t want to travel with you anymore!”

“But-“

“No! Look at yourself, begging me to keep traveling with you… It’s pathetic,” Chloe told her coldly. “Just being seen with you makes me a lesser trainer.”

“I… I can’t do this without you, Chloe,” Beca stammered, tears filling her eyes. “I thought we were friends?”

“You’ve just been leeching off my talent, Beca. That doesn’t make us friends,” Chloe snarled.

With the hurtful words, delivered in such harsh and cold tones, Beca suddenly had a realization. Something wasn’t right about all of this. Focusing her brain, Beca tried to pinpoint what was gnawing at her.”

“What happened in the Pokémon Tower, Chloe?” Beca asked, not remembering how they’d even gotten to Vermillion City. 

“I teleported us out with Kirlia,” Chloe snapped. “Because you messed up again.”

“What did I do?” Beca now asked, eyes narrowing.

“You… You um… It was-“

“You’re not Chloe,” Beca told Chloe, gesturing wildly. “This isn’t Vermillion City… I never left the tower, did I?”

“How’d you know?” Not-Chloe asked, crossing her arms while she glared at Beca.

“Chloe wouldn’t have left Lavender Town without helping those people. And Chloe wouldn’t say those things about me. That isn’t the kind of person she is!”

With another blink of her eyes, she was back in the dark. For some reason, she was lying on the ground, in the middle of the room, right in-between two gravesites. A quick look around revealed Bulbasaur, Clefairy and Kirlia, sleeping around her soundly. 

When her Pokémon didn’t wake up after being poked a few times, Beca returned them to their balls, eyes frantically looking for Chloe. Instead, her ears picked up the worried whine of Chloe’s Ninetales, a few rows over.

In record time, she made it to Ninetales, who was nudging a sleeping Chloe with her snout. When that didn’t work, she licked across the redhead face with her rough tongue, but even that didn’t seem to get through.

“No, don’t say that… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Chloe muttered in her sleep, tossing and turning. “I can’t help it!” she gasped, “don’t leave, please. I’ll… I’ll change, I swear… It’s not my fault, it’s not! Don’t leave, Beca, please, please!”

Seeing Chloe so distressed in her sleep made Beca’s stomach roil. She called her name loudly, one hand in her hair while the other shook her shoulder, and felt relief wash over her as Chloe’s eyes snapped open. 

“Beca, I’m so sorry!” Chloe rushed out, eyes shooting across the room frantically. “I can’t help it, but I-“

“Shush,” Beca told her. “It was just a dream. A nightmare,” Beca explained. “I had one, too. But we’re fine, we’re okay. Everything is okay.”

Chloe took a few slow, deep and steadying breaths, before getting to her feet. “Kirlia?”

“Over this way,” Beca gestured, leading them to Kirlia’s sleeping form, where Chloe returned her to her Pokéball. 

“Come on out!” she suddenly yelled. “Show yourself! If you want to fight, do it properly, instead of using Nightmare from the shadows like a coward!”

“Um, are you sure you should antagonize it?” Beca asked carefully.

“I’m not antagonizing it,” Chloe growled. “It antagonized me.”

Beca almost flinched at the level of hostility Chloe seemed to be feeling towards whatever Pokémon they were facing. It was kind of impressive how she was standing here, in the middle of a haunted tower, with her hands on her hips demanding the ghost come out and show itself.

Her eyes were still shooting fire when the fog in front of them began to twist and take a more solid form, revealing a particularly mean-looking Gengar. “How dare you use our fears and anxieties against us,” Chloe glared at it.

Gengar stuck out his tongue as his eyes glowed red, and the mist beside it shaped into a doppelganger of Chloe. “I hate traveling with you, Beca, you’re pathetic!” the fake Chloe spat, eyes focused on Beca, before it dissipated into mist.

Beca groaned at Chloe seeing that image of her nightmare, but it died in her throat when she was suddenly looking at herself, standing next to Gengar with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at Chloe with an expression of intense hatred. “I can’t believe you’re-“

Beca figured she’d never find out what Chloe’s nightmare was about exactly, as Ninetales fired off a well-timed Ember attack at the illusion, making it fall apart. “Ninetales, use Blast Burn,” came Chloe’s unusually cold voice, ironically reminding Beca a little of the Chloe she had encountered in her dreams.

Fire began swirling around Ninetales, and Beca knew it would consume the entire floor if she didn’t put a stop to this, soon. “Chloe, wait!” she called, relieved when a hand motion of the redhead reigned her Ninetales in.

“Gengar, why are you doing this?” Beca asked the Pokémon, taking a tentative step forward. “We didn’t come here to hurt you, or the other Pokémon here.”

“Not… Welcome…” came the echoing voice from before again. 

“Yeah, we got that,” Beca muttered. “But…”

“Must… Leave… All… Of you…” the voice continued, Gengar glaring at her with barely veiled animosity.

“All of us?” Beca asked. “It’s just the two of us. Do you mean our Pokémon?”

Gengar shifted its weight, giving the impression he was shaking his head. “Others…” his ghastly voice echoed.

Beca felt Chloe stepping up next to her, and really hoped she wasn’t planning on burning the tower down anymore. “Other humans?” the redhead asked.

Gengar seemed to nod, his stumpy little arm pointing upwards.

“Well, looks like you were right about going to the top,” Beca joked weakly, sighing as it fell flat. 

Again, the mist in front of them swirled to take the shape of a human. Seconds later, they were staring at the poacher they had encountered in Mt. Moon, and later outside Cerulean City. “We know him,” Beca told Gengar. “He tried to attack us. We’re not with him. Let us through, and we’ll get him out of here.”

Gengar looked at them with narrowed eyes, before floating upwards, through the ceiling.

Once they’d followed it to the next floor, Beca and Chloe heard a rhythmic thumping and grunting coming from above them. With Gengar nowhere in sight, they quickly scaled the final flight of stairs.

There, on the top floor of the Pokémon Tower, they found the poacher, with several of his friends, digging up the gravesites of the Pokémon buried there. A pile of precious trinkets was forming behind them.

“So, not only are you Pokémon poachers,” Chloe called out. “Now you’re also grave robbers.”

“Yeah, real classy,” Beca added with a snarky roll of her eyes.

“You again,” the leader of the little gang grunted, tossing his shovel aside. “I’ll get you for that stunt you pulled with your Ninetales!”

Ninetales stepped in front of them, growling at the men angrily, and Beca smirked as they all flinched backwards. “You lot talk a big game…” she muttered. “We can have a fight here, if you want. Or you could just surrender.”

“You’re just a rookie trainer!” the leader laughed loudly, seeming to forget about Chloe for the moment. 

“We’re not going to fight you,” Chloe declared, releasing her Kirlia from its ball. “Kirlia, Teleport them.”

In the blink of an eye, the men disappeared, making Beca do a double take. “Where did you send them?”

“Cerulean City Police Department,” Chloe smiled, returning her Kirlia to its ball again.

“Thank… You…” Gengar’s eerie voice echoed around them.

“Whatever,” Chloe huffed. “I haven’t forgiven you yet, okay!”

Taking Chloe’s hand into her own, Beca pulled the redhead toward the stairs, intent on leaving the tower as quickly as they could. Chloe briefly attempted to pull her hand back, which confused Beca, but for some reason only urged her to hold on tighter. Whatever Chloe had dreamt about in her nightmare, it seemed to Beca she needed a friend right now.

They made it all the way back to the ground floor without incident, but were stopped from going outside by a lone Gastly, hanging in front of the door. “What now?” Beca sighed with frustration.

Gastly came hovering closer, and Beca felt her confusion grow as it hovered near the Pokéballs on her belt.

“He wants to fight you,” Chloe told her matter-of-factly. “I think he is as tired of this tower as we are.”

True enough, Gastly hovered backwards as Beca took one of the balls from her belt. “Clefairy, go!”

Gastly immediately dashed toward her Pokémon, and judging by its open mouth, he was planning to use Lick. “Clefairy, dodge left!” Beca called, watching her Clefairy do just that as Gastly flew right past it. “Metronome!”

Clefairy began wiggling her arms, and then a bright blue beam shot out from in front of it, hitting Gastly in the back. “Was that an Ice Beam?” Beca wondered out loud.

“Sure looked like it,” came Chloe’s amused response. 

Gastly shook itself a few times to recover. When its eyes began to glow blue, Beca called out her next command. “Clefairy, close your eyes and use Metronome again!”

With Gastly’s Hypnosis attack failing, Clefairy launched into another Metronome, this one turning into a Water Pulse, sending Gastly flying with a giant ball of water. “Use Thunder Punch now he’s wet!” Beca called out, and she watched Clefairy’s little fist connect with a satisfying crackle. 

“Go, Pokéball!” Beca yelled as she threw her ball, hitting Gastly between the eyes. She bit her lip as the ball wiggled once, twice, and then bleeped to signal a successful capture.

Retrieving the ball from the floor, she also scooped up her Clefairy, running her hand over her head. “You did so good, Clefairy. Thanks!” she smiled as she returned it to its ball. “Guess I caught a Gastly, huh?”

Chloe smiled proudly, nodding. “Guess you did. Now can we get out of here? Please?”

--

It was good to be outside again, leisurely walking towards the Pokémon Center, without the fog impeding their progress. The old man had indeed been waiting outside the tower, and had listened to them detailing what had transpired inside. He had then entered the tower himself, promising to ensure all the valuables and gravesites would be restored.

Most of the day had passed them by, somehow, and Beca suspected they had been under the influence of Gengar’s Nightmare for a lot longer than she’d originally thought. 

Nurse Joy greeted them enthusiastically, thanking them profusely for everything they’d done for the village. Most of the trainers who had been cooped up in the Center had left as soon as the fog had lifted. 

“Can we get a second room, then?” Chloe asked Nurse Joy.

“Um, excuse me,” Beca grimaced, pulling Chloe away a few feet. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been acting out of sorts ever since we woke up from Gengar’s trickery,” Beca told the redhead, taking her hands into her own. “I’ve never seen you that angry… You and Ninetales looked like you were about to burn all of Lavender down for a moment… And you’ve been sort of distant with me the entire time… Did I do something wrong?”

“What? Beca, no! Of course not!” Chloe rushed out, squeezing their joined hands. “It’s nothing you did, I promise. I guess Gengar just… got into my head.”

“I don’t mind sharing my room with you,” Beca told her. “Unless you really don’t want to?”

Chloe bit her lips for a moment, eyes growing glassy for just a second. Then, she shook her head. “No, I don’t mind sharing, either.”

Turning back towards Nurse Joy, Beca told her they wouldn’t need the extra room after all, and inquired about dinner. 

--

Lying in bed, side by side, Beca spent a few minutes gathering her courage. Chloe was lying at the far side of the bed, as close to the edge as she could get without falling, but Beca could tell she wasn’t asleep yet. “Chloe?” she whispered into the darkness, waiting for the redhead to hum in acknowledgment. “Do you… want to talk about your nightmare?”

“No,” came the immediate response. The redhead’s voice softened when she continued. “Do you?”

“No,” Beca parroted, before thinking better of it. “Actually, yeah, maybe I do… Gengar really got to me… It was so convincing, you telling me that I was a burden, that you hated traveling with me… I know it was just a dream, but I can’t shake the feeling it might be true…”

“I certainly don’t hate traveling with you, Beca,” Chloe murmured softly. “As for being a burden, or being inferior to me… You’re the one that calmed me down and managed to get answers out of Gengar. You’re the one that escaped from his Nightmare, and managed to wake me up… You may be less experienced than I am, but I actually like teaching you stuff, helping you get better…”

“So, when we reach Vermillion City…?”

“As far as I’m concerned, we’ll keep traveling together. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?”

“Okay,” Beca whispered, feeling like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. “I know you said you didn’t want to talk about your dream, but can I just say one thing?”

“Um… I guess?”

“I don’t know what you dreamt, but I got the feeling it was about you doing something wrong, and having to apologize to me. That image of me… really seemed to hate you. I just want you to know that I’d never look at you like that…”

“You can’t know that,” Chloe whispered. “Not for sure.”

“But I do, Chloe. I trust you, and I think I’ve gotten to know you pretty well during our travels together. There’s nothing you could ever do to make me hate you… I just wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you, Beca...” Chloe exhaled. “That means a lot to me.

Chapter Text

They continued on their way to Vermillion City the following morning. The villagers, in a display of gratitude, had provided them with the supplies they needed for the journey, meaning they wouldn’t have to buy anything themselves for a change.

What was even better, though, in Beca’s opinion, was the fact that Chloe was back to her usual self. Whatever Gengar’s Nightmare had put in her head seemed to have been resolved sometime during the night, because the redhead was as energetic and chipper as Beca had known her during their joint travels.

Beca was mostly disgruntled, being forced to walk uphill for over two hours, with Chloe insisting they wouldn’t take their break until they reached the top. When, finally, they crested the hill, they found themselves standing on a cliff, overlooking the sparkling blue ocean sprawling out in front of them.

“Whoa!” Beca breathed, taking in the sight. In the distance, she could see a herd of Lapras floating over the ocean, and the many red dots hidden just beneath the surface could only be a school of Tentacool and Tentacruel. 

“Told you we should just keep climbing and have our break here,” Chloe smirked. “Isn’t this view the best?”

Looking at Chloe, whose eyes were as blue as the ocean behind her, Beca couldn’t help a sincere smile. “Yeah, you were right,” she nodded. “Now let’s eat!”

--

“Keep it up, buddy!” Beca called out, biting her lip as another flurry of rocks went flying towards Bulbasaur. Her expression morphed into a smile as Bulbasaur ducked left to avoid one boulder, ducked underneath the next, and then jumped atop another one, before firing off into a razor leaf to cut two of the smaller boulders to pieces before they reached him.

With the dust settled, Beca decided they’d trained enough for now. “Alright, that’s enough, Chloe!” she waved towards the redhead, standing behind her Kirlia, who had been using Confusion to toss boulders at Bulbasaur for upwards of thirty minutes now.

With a smile and a nod, Chloe recalled her Pokémon, and then made her way towards the two of them, patting Bulbasaur’s head as she reached them. “You’ve grown very strong in a very short time, Bulbasaur,” she complimented the Pokémon. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d evolve soon,” she continued, looking at Beca this time.

“How can you tell?” Beca asked, puzzled.

“It’s not an exact science,” Chloe shrugged. “But he was able to cut through those boulders with his Razor Leaf, so that’s a good sign. He even cut through metal, back at the power plant,” Chloe smiled. “Besides, his stamina is amazing. Look at him, he’s not even tired, and Kirlia’s been chucking rocks at him for what? Forty-five minutes now?”

Recalling her Pokémon as well, Beca studied the Pokéball. “I hope you’re right. I’ve never seen a Pokémon evolve…”

“It’s a beautiful thing, evolution,” Chloe smiled, picking her backpack up again. “Shall we get going again, or do you need some time to catch your breath?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “I haven’t been dodging boulders,” she pointed out dryly. “How much longer before we reach Vermillion, anyway?”

Chloe looked out at the ocean, which had never been far from their sights since they’d first spotted it. Squinting, the redhead pointed at something in the distance. “It’s right there. We just have to take the long way, because we can’t jump into the ocean here and swim. If we keep a solid pace, we’ll reach it around mid-day tomorrow, I think?”

“Alright then, let’s go!” Beca smiled eagerly.

--

Even though Beca loved traveling with Chloe, Vermillion City was a sight for sore eyes. The city sprawled out in front of them, all sunny boulevards, ocean vistas, and strolling tourists. Chloe had explained that Vermillion City was where people from all over the world arrived by ship when visiting Kanto. 

The Pokémon Center, located near the docks, was the largest Beca had ever seen. The building had seven floors, and seemed more like a luxury hotel than the luxury hotel that had been built right behind it. 

When they stepped into the foyer, they found several Nurse Joys, all identical, helping a ton of distressed trainers. Even for a city as large as this one, the amount of people seeking medical help for their Pokémon seemed… excessive.

“Can I help you?” Nurse Joy asked as she spotted them standing near the counter. 

“We just arrived in town,” Chloe smiled. “This place seems busier than I imagined…”

“Lots of trainers challenged the Vermillion Gym,” Nurse Joy sighed with a frown. “Most of them weren’t prepared. Would you like me to check your Pokémon?”

“No thanks,” Chloe smiled. “Our Pokémon are doing great. Are there still rooms available, though?”

“Yes, of course,” Nurse Joy smiled.

“We’ll take one,” Beca cut in before Chloe had a chance to speak, and she didn’t miss the way Chloe looked at her, biting her lip with raised eyebrows. 

“Also, I need to make a few phone calls,” Chloe spoke up as soon as they had the key to their room. 

“Phones are over there,” Nurse Joy supplied helpfully, and Beca trailed after her friend as she set off towards the row of machines.

“I need to check in with Professor Rowan,” Chloe explained. “I haven’t heard from him in a while, and usually check in to make sure all my Pokémon are still doing okay. You could take the opportunity to call home, too, if you want.”

“Um, yeah, okay,” Beca muttered, the thought not even having occurred to her before. She didn’t necessarily want to talk to her dad, but he might be worried if she didn’t check in at all. 

Or, you know… not. But whatever.

Taking a seat in the cubicle next to Chloe, Beca punched in her father’s number, waiting for the call to connect. After a few minutes, her father’s frowning face appeared on the screen in front of her. “Hey, dad,” Beca smiled awkwardly.

“Beca,” her father nodded. “Where are you?”

“Vermillion City,” Beca answered. “And yes, I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Already won two badges.”

“That’s nice, Beca,” her father sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You made it farther than I had expected, I’ll give you that,” he continued sourly. “I’m guessing you need me to pay for the journey home?”

“What?” Beca asked, eyes narrowing. “Dad, I’m not coming home yet. I still have six more badges to go.”

“If you’re not coming home, why are you calling?” her father asked, apparently genuinely confused.

Beca took a deep breath, letting it out in a steady stream. “I thought you might be worried if I didn’t check in. I figured I’d call and let you know how I was doing. But I get the feeling you don’t really care,” she muttered snarkily.

“I’m glad you’re doing okay, Beca,” her father told her, frustration evident in his voice. “But you’re right, this whole endeavour of yours doesn’t interest me one bit.”

“Yeah, okay, I get that,” Beca sighed, growing frustrated as well. “But like, at least you know I’m still alive now. Like, I didn’t die in Viridian Forest, or Mt. Moon, or whatever.” She didn’t need to tell him about the close calls, she figured. “I even made a new friend. She’s pretty amazing and-“

“Yes, okay, that’s nice, Beca,” her father interrupted, looking at something outside of the camera’s angle. “Listen, I’ve got to go now. Just call me when you need me to arrange for your journey back home.”

Before Beca could say a proper goodbye, the call was disconnected, and she was left staring at a blank screen.

She sighed, ears automatically tuning in to the sound of Chloe’s voice. 

“Really? Oh my god, that’s amazing! Um, no… Yeah, can you hold on to him for the time being? I might have something in mind, but… Uh-huh, maybe in a few weeks… I’ll be sure to let you know, absolutely… Yes, okay! Alright, will do, bye!”

They stepped out of their cubicles at the same time, Chloe looked exceptionally vibrant, and Beca feeling the exact opposite. Upon seeing her, Chloe reigned her enthusiasm in, as well, eyes darting to the side for a moment. “I… sort of overheard the conversation with your dad,” she immediately admitted. “He sounds like a dick… No offense.”

“None taken,” Beca snorted. “I’m not sure what I expected from that call, anyway.”

Chloe wrapped an arm around Beca’s shoulder, leading them towards the elevators. Stupidly, the little contact instantly made Beca feel a bit better. “What about your call? You seemed really excited.”

“One of my Pokémon got a baby!” Chloe squealed. “It’s the first time one of my Pokémon at Professor Rowan’s have laid an egg and hatched it.”

“Dude, that’s awesome!” Beca grinned, Chloe’s excitement infecting Beca as well. 

As Chloe chattered about Professor Rowan’s excitement at studying the interaction between a newly born Pokémon and its parents, Beca realized she’d already put the phone call with her father behind her. His lack of interest didn’t even bother her anymore.

--

As they made their way towards the Vermillion Gym, they encountered a boy, several years younger than them, cradling his Butterfree in his arms. The Pokémon looked pretty beaten up, and the boy was obviously headed for the Pokémon Center. Five minutes later, a man their own age ran by them, carrying a Venonat in his arms that looked like it had been in a fight for his life.

They encountered several other trainers, each of them hurrying their injured Pokémon to the Center. Beca had been pretty stoked to challenge the Vermillion Gym, but if that was where all these trainers were coming from, she was beginning to have second and third thoughts about this.

It turned out the Vermillion Gym was, indeed, where all the trainers had been coming from. They stepped inside just in time to see a Raichu firing off an exceptionally powerful Thunderbolt at a Parasect, who keeled over, several parts of his body charred from the thunder. 

The stands were filled with trainers who looked either downcast or frightened for their lives. A tall, muscular man with spiky-blonde hair, wearing cargo pants and a green tank, was laughing loudly. “Pathetic! I thought you said you were an experienced trainer? My Raichu didn’t even work up a sweat, and this was his sixth battle this hour!”

The challenging trainer recalled his Pokémon, slinking away without another word. “Any more challengers? Someone who can actually hold out for more than a minute?” the gym leader called out, smirking when no one spoke up.

“We’d like to challenge you!” Beca called out, already disliking this man. 

“Girls,” the gym leader muttered with a roll of his eyes. “Well, since no one else is stepping up, I guess you can help me kill some time. I’m Lieutenant Surge, the gym leader here in Vermillion City. If you challenge me, it’ll be a one-on-one battle.”

Beca stepped forward, ignoring the little sound Chloe made, and reaching for Bulbasaur’s Pokéball. “Alright, that works for me. Go, Bulbasaur!”

Bulbasaur appeared on the field, growling at the Raichu that was still there, glaring at them menacingly. 

“I’ll use my Raichu to stomp that pathetic little Pokémon of yours into the ground!” Surge laughed. “Ready?”

“You bet!” Beca glowered. “Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!”

Raichu didn’t move a muscle as Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip slapped it across the face. In fact, it only seemed to grow angrier. 

“Raichu, let’s finish this quickly,” Surge pretended to yawn. “Use Thunderbolt!”

Beca watched the electricity surging forward. “Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to dodge it!” she called out, watching her Bulbsaur pushing himself into the air with his vines. “Now, Razor Leaf!”

Razor Leaf hit Raichu right across his stomach, making him grunt out for a moment, before he seemed to shake it off, his tail dangerously swishing through the air. “Don’t let that pipsqueak get away with that, Raichu. Use Thunderbolt again!”

Having only just landed, there was no way for Bulbasaur to dodge the electricity this time, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he underwent it and took the damage. When the attack stopped, he panted a few times, not looking much worse for wear. “That’s it, Bulbasaur!” Beca grinned. “Headbutt!”

“Raichu, use Volt Tackle!” Surge called out, and Beca’s eyes widened as their Pokémon collided in the middle of the battlefield. Both were thrown backwards at the impact, but Bulbasaur definitely drew the short straw on that one. “Raichu, follow up with another Volt Tackle!”

“Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!” Beca called out. She knew she had to replenish Bulbasaur’s energy if she was going to win this. Volt Tackle hit its mark, sending Bulbasaur skidding backwards again. When the electricity around Raichu faded, the little vines wrapping around its body became visible, and Surge’s eyes grew wider as his Pokémon’s energy was drained and transferred to Bulbasaur. 

By the time the attack was done, Raichu was panting slightly. Bulbasaur, however, hadn’t made as much of a recovery as Beca had hoped. “Bulbasaur, let’s try Sleep Powder!” Beca called out. 

“Stop it with a Thunderbolt!” Surge countered, having the audacity to sound bored. 

Beca was tense as she watched her Bulbasaur dodge sideways – thank god they’d practiced dodging those boulders – and the blue fog reached Raichu, who yawned and instantly fell asleep. “Bulbasaur, now’s a good time to hit him with your hardest Take Down!” Beca told her Pokémon. Bulbasaur set off into a run, reaching top speed and launching himself towards Raichu.

The thump of his head hitting Raichu’s could be heard throughout the gym. Beca realized everyone in the building was holding their breath as Raichu rolled backwards, and Bulbasaur shook his head to shake off the sting of his own attack.

When Raichu stopped rolling, it began growling. The sound rolled through the gym in a threatening rumble, and both Raichu and Surge looked less than amused by Beca’s efforts. When Raichu got to his feet, however, he wobbled a few times, before steadying himself. “We’re wearing him down, buddy!” Beca called. “One more good attack should do it.”

“You’ve put up a better fight than most,” Surge admitted with a grunt. “But it ends here. Raichu, use Thunder!”

Bolts of lightning began pouring from Raichu instantly, filling up the entire field. Several people in the stands had to move further away to keep from being electrocuted by the angry Raichu. Beca heard Chloe call out something behind her, but she was too focused on her Bulbasaur, who managed to dodge the first three bolts, before being hit by one that came crashing into him from above.

The stream of electricity lasted for almost fifteen seconds, and Bulbasaur was definitely unable to continue now. Beca grunted in frustration, seeing the Raichu wobble again and panting heavily. They’d been so close.

She already had her Pokéball in hand to recall Bulbasaur, when he suddenly lit up.

Beca watched, wide-eyed, as the glowing silhouette of her Bulbasaur started to shift into something larger, and the bulb on his back seemed to bloom. When the light faded, she was watching her Ivysaur. The bulb on his back was now a pink bud. More importantly, however, he was entirely devoid from both injury and fatigue. 

“Awesome, Ivysaur!” Beca cheered loudly. “Now, use Vine Whip and get rid of that Raichu!”

Ivysaur let out an angry roar, and Beca was amazed by the sturdiness of the vines now that her Bulbasaur had evolved. Raichu was too weak to escape his reach, and the vines wrapped around him, lifting him from the ground, smacking him back into the ground, lifting him up again, and tossing him to the far side of the field. 

“Raichu is unable to battle!” the referee called out, making Beca realize, for the first time, there even was a referee present. “Ivysaur wins!”

Ivysaur gave a dismissive grunt and rolled his eyes at the gym leader, before turning around and walking back to Beca, softly pressing his face into her legs. “You did great, buddy! I’m so proud of you. Look at how big you’ve gotten!” she cooed, patting his head. “You definitely earned that Thunder badge!”

“No!” Surge yelled at them. “You did not!”

“What?” Beca asked, frowning at the unpleasant man.

“Your Pokémon would’ve lost if he hadn’t evolved. His evolving disqualifies you from the gym match.”

“Not true,” came Chloe’s voice from behind Beca, making the brunette turn around. Chloe was glaring at the gym leader.

“What do you know, woman?” Surge asked dismissively.

Chloe stepped forward, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I know that the Official Pokémon League Handbook, article seven, paragraph eighteen, clearly outlines that, and I’m quoting now, evolution of a Pokémon, either on the challenging or defending side, does not result in an interruption or cancellation of the match. Outcomes of matches in which one, or multiple, Pokémon have evolved, are valid.”

Surge grunted, muttering something under his breath. Evidently, Chloe wasn’t done yet. “You’re a bully, Surge. A bully who can’t stand the fact that he lost . This is a Class B Pokémon Gym… That means you’re supposed to face challengers with a Pokémon that is, more or less, on an equal level as theirs, so as to evaluate their skills as trainers, rather than their power level.”

“What are you, a Pokémon League official?” Surge spat at her.

“No,” Chloe told him flatly. “But I will report your behaviour to them. You’ve faced all of these trainers with a Pokémon vastly beyond their level. You risked serious injury to their Pokémon by using your Raichu, and didn’t even give them a chance to earn the badge. If the League hears of this, you’ll be replaced as a gym leader.”

At that, Surge’s eyes grew a little wider, making Chloe smirk. “But I’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” he asked cockily.

“We battle,” Chloe shrugged. “If you manage to beat me, I won’t report you. If I win, I’ll report you, unless you prove yourself to be a better gym leader from here on out.”

“Bring it on, missy!” Surge laughed.

“I wasn’t done stipulating the terms of the deal yet,” Chloe smiled. “I want you to use your strongest Pokémon. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair. I’d hate to be bored during this match.”

Surge cackled loudly, taking a ball from his belt and tossing it onto the field. “Go, Electabuzz!”

Electabuzz appeared on the field. His fur was already crackling with electricity as he flexed his muscles. Chloe reached for the balls on her belt, before stopping. “You know what, let’s make this more fun,” she smirked. “I’ll let you choose which ball I pick.”

Surge feigned disinterest, but Beca saw the way he looked at the six balls clipped to Chloe’s belt. All of them were Ultra Balls, with the exception of one regular Pokéball, which Surge picked. Seeing the sly grin forming on Chloe’s face, Beca was the first to realize Surge’s mistake.

“How nice of you to pick the Pokémon that has been with me the longest,” the redhead smiled sweetly. “Go, Gaia!”

The entire gym came face-to-face with a Pokémon they’d never seen before. It resembled a large tortoise. Four sturdy legs sprouted from a thick, large shield. Atop the shield stood a single tree, and a few spiky rocks. When the Pokémon opened his jaw and roared, the ground seemed to vibrate beneath them. 

“What is that ?!” Surge asked faintly.

“My Gaia is a Torterra,” Chloe smiled. “It’s not indigenous to Kanto, so I’m not surprised you’ve never seen one before.”

“You’re not from Kanto?” Surge asked, face growing increasingly pale.

“Nope,” Chloe chirped easily. “Now, are we going to chit-chat all day, or will you finally attack?”

“Electabuzz, use Thunder!”

If Beca had thought Raichu’s Thunder had been impressive, she was entirely unprepared for Electabuzz’s rendition of the attack. Dozens of lightning bolts shot from its body, arcing through the air and slamming down on the poor Torterra simultaneously, continuing to do so for half a minute. 

When the electricity faded, Torterra was standing in the exact same spot as it had been before, blinking sluggishly. And then it yawned. 

Chloe giggled for a moment, before sobering up again. “I know, Gaia!” she laughed. “But it’s been a while since we’ve battled, so let’s see how rusty you’ve gotten!”

Gaia turned around then, actually turning its back to the Electabuzz to glare at Chloe, using its short leg to whip up some dust in her direction. Chloe was still laughing, raising her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I know you’re not rusty.”

“Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!” Surge called. The Torterra was too slow to turn around in time, and Electabuzz’s Thunder Punch connected to its back. Gaia, however, did not give any indication of even having felt it. 

“Oh, right,” Chloe muttered quietly. “Gaia, you’re being attacked from behind.”

That seemed to get the Pokémon attention, who let out another deafening roar as it slowly turned back to face its opponent. “Gaia, use Leaf Storm.”

From the tree on its back, a whirling flurry of razor sharp leaves was sent flying towards her opponent. Electabuzz was quick, but not quite quick enough to escape the entirety of the attack. Chloe, however, didn’t let up. “Now use Frenzy Plant.”

Beca had never heard of that attack, and gasped as thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Electabuzz and lifting it into the air. It was obviously suffering from the attack, but not so much that it surrendered. Instead, it tried to wiggle free. “Gaia, Solar Beam,” came Chloe’s almost-bored drone.

Beca had seen Solar Beam in action before, from other grass-type Pokémon, and she knew it would take some time to gather up enough power to fire the attack. Gaia, however, fired a beam the size of Electabuzz’ entire body only half a second later. When the light faded, Electabuzz was lying at Surge’s feet, clearly unconscious. “The victory goes to Torterra!” the referee called, ignoring Surge’s murderous glare.

“I guess that means I’ve won a Thunder Badge too, huh?” Chloe smirked, returning her Pokémon. 

The smile never left her face as Surge, very reluctantly, handed them their badges. The moment they were holding the badges, he turned around, declaring the gym closed for the rest of the day, and left through the large double doors on the far side of the room.

It wasn’t until they were outside that Chloe tackled Beca into a bear hug. “Beca, you did so well! You and your Bulbasaur were amazing! I mean Ivysaur, of course,” she corrected with a laugh.

“We did well?” Beca asked, dumb-founded. “Did you miss your own battle?”

“Oh, shush,” Chloe chuckled. “That was hardly a feat worth mentioning. There was no way he could have beaten my Gaia. It wasn’t even a challenge. I’d almost hoped he’d pick my water Pokémon. That would’ve made it more interesting. But you! Your Bulbasaur was outmatched, but you still won! You should be proud of yourselves!”

Beca grinned, finally wrapping her arms around Chloe, too. “I kinda am, yeah,” she smiled into the redhead’s shoulder. “But I’m also proud of you. Challenge or not, you did great. I loved how you put that asshole in his place.”

“Yeah, well, he had it coming,” Chloe groused. 

“Are you really going to report him?”

“Yes,” Chloe nodded without a doubt. “He could have seriously injured those Pokémon he battled. For all we know, he may have! He’s a menace and he needs to be stopped.”

“So, how do we do this?”

Chloe linked their arms together. “I need to make a few phone calls, so let’s head back to the Center.”

They were halfway there when a question sprung from Beca’s mind. “Wait, how do you know so much about gym leaders and League rules and shit?”

Chloe shrugged, only caving when Beca didn’t drop the subject. “Are you secretly a gym leader?” the brunette asked with narrowed eyes, making Chloe laugh.

“No, no, I’m not,” she chuckled. “My brother is, though. And our father before him.”

“For real?”

“Yeah,” Chloe shrugged. “The League offered me a position as gym leader once, but I wasn’t ready.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Nope,” Chloe responded easily. “I wanted to travel more. See more of the world, meet more Pokémon.”

“Do you regret that decision now?” Beca asked carefully.

Chloe shook her head. “No, I’m still not ready. Maybe, one day, when I’m done with traveling the world. But, for now, I’m perfectly content to trudge around Kanto with you.”

“So…” Beca started, biting her lip. “We’re not splitting up?”

“Not if I have a say in it,” Chloe smiled back at her. 

“Alright, so where to next?” Beca asked eagerly.

Chloe’s grin grew impossibly wider. “Celadon City is the logical next step,” Chloe told her. “It’s not far from here, and the road will take us through Saffron, too.”

“Wait, isn’t there also a gym in Saffron?” Beca questioned.

“There is,” Chloe nodded. “But it’s a tougher one than Celadon’s. If we do that one first, we can double-back via Fuchsia City, do the gym there, and then tackle the one in Saffron before we move on to Cinnabar.”

“You’ve got it all figured out, huh?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Chloe smiled, leading them into the Pokémon Center. “But if you-“

“No, I trust your judgement,” Beca cut her off. “Celadon City it is!”

“How about dinner and a good night’s rest, first, huh?” Chloe smirked.

“Yes, to both of those.”

Chapter Text

Beca had thought Vermillion City was large. It wasn’t. Well, it was, but it wasn’t when compared to Saffron City, which was sprawling as far as the eye could reach, even if they were standing atop a looming hill. 

Beca could never have imagined any city to be this large. It was at once humbling and daunting.

“See that huge tower over there?” Chloe asked, pointing at the highest building of all. 

Beca could only nod, trying to imagine how many floors that place would have. 

“That’s Silph Co.,” Chloe continued. “It’s where they design and manufacture our Pokéballs, as well as most Pokémon medicine. I’ve heard it said they assisted the Pokémon professors in manufacturing the Pokédex, as well.”

“That’s really awesome,” Beca breathed. 

“If you want, we can go check it out sometime. I think I’ve read somewhere that some of their floors are open to visitors.”

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Beca smiled

As they walked into the city, almost an hour later, Beca realized that its size was making it difficult to navigate, even for a genius like Chloe. “I think I saw a sign pointing towards the Pokémon Center a little ways back,” Beca offered, trying to be helpful. To her surprise, Chloe shook her head.

“That’s not the one I’m looking for.”

“There’s… more than one?”

“Obviously,” Chloe drawled, indicating the size of the city. “No one PokéCenter would be able to help all the Pokémon in this city.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Beca agreed. “So what’s so special about the one we’re looking for?”

Chloe shrugged. “It’s the most upscale Pokémon Center in Kanto. It is also the one specifically built for traveling trainers, rather than the residents of Saffron themselves.”

It took them another twenty minutes to find it, and standing in front of it, Beca wondered how they could’ve missed it before. While not as high as the Silph Co. building, the Pokémon Center had to be at least ten stories high, taking up an entire block. 

“Good afternoon, and welcome to Saffron City!” Nurse Joy greeted them as they stepped in through the front doors. “And where did you come from?”

“I’m from Pallet Town,” Beca smiled. 

“Oh my, you’ve come quite a way, then!” Nurse Joy smiled, waving over her Chansey. “Would you like us to check out your Pokémon?”

“Yes, please,” Beca nodded, handing her Pokéballs over to the waiting Pokémon.”

“I’m from Sinnoh,” Chloe chirped easily, as if that wasn’t on the other side of the world. 

“Sinnoh?” Nurse Joy stammered. “That’s… very impressive.”

“We’d like a room, if you have one,” Beca told Nurse Joy. “Food would be neat, too.”

“Yes, of course,” Nurse Joy nodded, focusing on the computer in front of her for a moment. A few minutes later, they stepped into the elevator, keys to their room in hand, and pressing the button for the top floor.

Opening the door to their room, Beca was dumbfounded. The room was amazing, and seemed to come straight out of the brochure for a high-end hotel. With awe, she took in the massive television mounted on the wall opposite the bed, as well as the phone terminal in the corner.

And, of course, the massive bed in the middle of the room. With a bed this size, Chloe might not even be able to find her for cuddles after they fell asleep tonight.

“There’s a bath!” Chloe’s voice came from the adjoining bathroom. “And it bubbles!”

“Oh my god, you’re such a dork,” Beca huffed with a laugh.

“As if you’re not just as eager to get in there as I am,” the redhead winked, stepping back into the room. “Oh, a phone! I’m going to give Professor Rowan another ring, see how my babies are doing.”

“Yeah,” Beca nodded. “I think I might give Professor Oak a call, too.”

“He gave you your Bulbasaur, right?” Chloe asked, watching Beca nod in agreement.

“Yeah, he was also the only one who didn’t ridicule me for wanting to take this journey. He certainly was more supportive than my dad ever was.”

Sitting down in front of the terminal, Beca put in the contact information, waiting for the call to connect. It did so after a few seconds, Professor Oak’s smiling face coming into view. “Ah, Beca!” he greeted. “It’s so good to see you again. How’s that Bulbasaur doing? And where are you, now?”

“Hey Professor,” Beca smiled in return. “We’re doing great. Bulbasaur actually evolved a few days ago, during a battle at the Vermillion Gym! I also got a Pidgeotto, a Clefairy and a Gastly.”

“That’s shaping up to be a pretty varied team, Beca,” Professor Oak nodded. “And you said you were at the Vermillion Gym? I heard something about it on the news… Wasn’t its gym leader replaced?”

“Yeah,” Beca frowned. “We actually reported him to the Pokémon League after we won our matches. That guy was a menace, with zero compassion for Pokémon weaker than his own.”

“We?” Professor Oak asked keenly. 

“Oh, yes, I made a friend!” Beca smiled radiantly, pulling Chloe into the frame.

“Hi, Professor Oak!” the redhead waved happily.

“My, hello Chloe,” Professor Oak greeted in return, making Beca balk.

“You two know each other?” she asked wide-eyed.

“Not really,” Chloe shrugged.

“Chloe passed through Pallet Town a week or so after you left,” Professor Oak explained. “Since we have no Pokémon Center here, she slept at the laboratory. We talked for a bit, but she had to leave again the following morning. I’m surprised to see you two traveling together.”

“Yeah, I hit some rough spots,” Beca sighed. “Chloe helped me out, a lot.”

“That is to be expected when starting a journey like this,” Professor Oak smiled encouragingly. “There is a lot to learn. No one has ever been worse off for having a traveling buddy during their Pokémon journeys. Personally, I’d encourage trainers to start together, even.”

“Beca’s already won three badges!” Chloe smiled, launching the brunette off in a long-winded tale, recounting each of her gym battles in detail, Professor Oak nodding constantly, complimenting her tactics and asking questions about the performance of certain moves.

“So, where are you now, then?” Professor Oak asked, again. “Your father asked me if I knew where to send your gift.”

“Gift?” Chloe questioned, no longer in the frame, but apparently still listening in.

“Yes,” Professor Oak smiled with a nod. “Beca’s birthday gift.”

“Birthday!” Chloe echoed loudly. “Beca, what?! Why did I not know of this?”

“Chill,” Beca chuckled. “It’s only in, like, two days. And I’m not planning to do anything special.”

“Well, I am,” Chloe huffed, crossing her arms. “Professor? We’re staying at the Saffron City Pokémon Center for a few days, so any gifts can be sent here!”

“We are?” Beca asked.

“We are,” Chloe decided for the both of them. “The city is huge, we’ll have plenty to do here to fill up a few days. Besides, we can use some relaxation after all the walking we’ve been doing.”

“But Celadon-“

“Isn’t going anywhere,” Chloe smiled sweetly. 

“Okay, fine,” Beca agreed eventually. “Well, you’ve heard it, Professor. You can tell my dad we’ll be here in Saffron for a while. But you can also tell him I don’t want his gift. He’s-“

“I know, I know,” Oak cut in. “But I’m not going to be telling Dr. Mitchell how much his daughter loathes him. You can do that yourself.”

“Fair enough,” Beca grunted, saying her goodbyes and logging off. “I think I’m going to take a quick shower.”

“Sure,” Chloe smiled, taking the spot Beca had just vacated. “I’ll give Professor Rowan a call.”

--

Lying in bed that night, Beca was struggling to remain awake. It was ridiculous, she thought to herself. She should just close her eyes and let herself drift off into sleep. But she didn’t want to.

Back in Vermillion, she had woken up early in the morning with the burning need to visit the toilet. It had been made impossible by Chloe clinging to her like her life depended on it. And that had been fine with Beca. She hated physical contact, but she really enjoyed cuddling with Chloe. Yet, when she’d woken up again at a more reasonable hour, Chloe had migrated back to her own side of the bed, patiently staring up at the ceiling as she waited for Beca to wake up.

As far as the brunette knew, Chloe wasn’t aware of the fact that Beca was aware of their midnight cuddles. 

And now here she was, waiting for Chloe to fall asleep so she might actually find out how they ended up in that position every time they shared a bed.

Finally hearing Chloe’s breathing evening out, Beca found herself grinning into the darkness like a total lunatic, and not caring one ounce. She idly wondered how long it would take for Chloe’s cuddle-mode to be turned on, when the redhead turned over on her other side, bringing them face to face.

Beca wasn’t certain why she was holding her breath, but she didn’t dare let it out as Chloe shuffled closer and closer, a few inches every minute, until she was pressed up to her side. Five minutes later, Chloe slung her arm over Beca’s stomach and buried her face in Beca’s hair.

Finally relaxing into Chloe’s warm embrace, Beca closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep not even a full minute later.

--

Beca slowly drifted into consciousness, the typical sounds of a big city filling her fuzzy brain as she tried to shake the sleep. Chloe was, of course, on the far side of the bed, pretending not to have been cuddling her all night, even if Beca knew she had. 

She’d woken up a few times, and every time Chloe had been draped around her. The last time had been about an hour and a half ago. Chloe had been soundly asleep, her head tucked in the crook of Beca’s neck, and her warm, rhythmic breath tickling the fine hairs there.

It’d been… nice.

She wondered whether she should maybe just ask Chloe about it. Before she could, however, the redhead noticed she was awake and smiled brilliantly. “Good morning! How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty darn good,” Beca smiled back. “This bed is amazing.”

“Yeah, sure beats the sleeping bag,” Chloe nodded. 

“So what are our plans for today?” Beca asked, slowly sitting upright and stretching the numbness from her limbs. 

“Breakfast first,” Chloe began, “then I thought we could go and check out Silph Co. After that, we can stock up on supplies, and I was thinking we could maybe go out and eat somewhere a little more fancy than the Pokémon Center tonight? If that’s something you’d like.”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds good,” Beca agreed easily.

They took the elevator down to the first floor, where most of the Pokémon Center’s facilities were located. The moment the doors slid open, Beca heard someone calling out her name. “Beca, hey! Fancy meeting you here!”

“Oh, hey. Um, Jesse, right?” Beca greeted the guy in front of her, barely recognizing him without his Pokémon Ranger uniform.

“You remembered!” Jesse practically squealed. “I figured I might run into you here at some point.”

“Yeah?” Beca asked, already done with this conversation.

“Yes! You mentioned you were headed to Saffron, remember? Took you a while to get here, though.”

“Yeah, we um… Took a detour. Like, we went to Lavender first, and then Vermillion, and only then did we come here.”

“Oh…” Jesse murmured with a pout. “Well, you’re here now! Guess that’s all that matters, right?”

“Wait, were you waiting here for us the entire time?” Beca asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“No!” Jesse exclaimed. “Not the entire time. I had to guard the power plant until some senior rangers came by to deal with the situation. You would never guess what Pokémon we encountered!”

“It was a Zapdos, right?” Beca asked cheekily, taking a sinful amount of glee from Jesse’s deflating. “Chloe figured it out, like, the night we left.”

“Oh…” Jesse murmured again. “Well, yeah, it was.”

“So, what happened to it?” Chloe asked, cutting into the conversation for the first time.

“It’s still there, but we managed to calm it down,” Jesse proclaimed proudly.

“And with ‘we,’ you mean the senior rangers, right?” Beca asked with a grin.

“…Yes.”

“Figured as much,” Beca shrugged, moving towards the all-day breakfast-bar. To her astonishment and ire, Jesse invited himself to join their table, sitting down without either Beca or Chloe asking him to. 

“So, how long are you going to be in Saffron for?” Jesse asked excitedly.

“Not long,” Beca responded in clipped tones, hoping to convey how not-into this conversation she was without actually having to tell him. 

“Headed to Celadon, then?” Jesse asked with glinting eyes.

“Perhaps,” Beca shrugged before Chloe could confirm it. “We haven’t decided yet.”

“I’m headed to Cerulean,” Jesse told them, even if Beca didn’t really care. “Apparently, there’s a cave around there where strange things have been happening. I think it’s all just stories, but the Ranger HQ wants me to check it out.”

“We are definitely not headed for Cerulean,” Beca told him, taking a bite from her scrambled eggs. 

“Well, if you can give me some indication of your traveling plans, maybe we’ll run into each other again,” Jesse offered up hopefully.

“We don’t really have a plan,” Beca shrugged casually, the lies easily rolling from her tongue. “Like, we just do what we feel like, mostly. For all I know, we might decide to head to Sinnoh next week.”

“Sinnoh?” Jesse frowned. “Whatever reason could you have to go there?”

“It’s where Chloe’s from,” Beca smiled sweetly, earning her a dumbfounded look from Jesse. 

“But we’re not headed for Sinnoh anytime soon,” Chloe smiled chipperly. “In fact, we’ll probably be here for-“

“A few more hours,” Beca cut in quickly, not wanting to spend the rest of her time in Saffron with this Jesse fellow.

“Well, if that’s the case, you should really check out Silph Co., Beca,” Jesse told her eagerly. “I could take you there and show you around?”

The brunette wanted to bristle at the exclusion of Chloe in his proposition, but before she had the chance to do so, Chloe already spoke up. “We were actually planning to visit Silph Co. today. Have you been before?”

“Oh yeah, tons of times,” Jesse nodded. “I bet I could even get you onto the floors where visitors aren’t usually allowed.”

“Neat,” Chloe smiled.

“Yeah,” Beca sighed. “Neat…”

--

It turned out, Jesse slightly oversold his influence at Silph Co. Not only did they get lost on their way there, and needed Chloe to point them in the right direction again, the Pokémon Ranger also did not get them anyplace that wasn’t public already, meaning they might as well have gone without him.

Beca would’ve preferred it, actually.

By a lot.

She still enjoyed watching the displays of various Pokéballs, with little notes explaining how they were designed, manufactured and became mainstream tools of trainers, as well as the many displays of other technological advancements they, apparently, owed to Silph Co.

Jesse insisting to read everything to her like she was some kind of blind idiot was less enjoyable.

All things considered, it was still kind of funny to watch him chatting up the security guards, only for him to repeatedly be declined entry to the upper floors, followed up with the threat of him forcibly being removed from the premises. Beca had half a mind to encourage him to keep trying.

Apparently, Chloe could read her mind, sending her a warning glance and shaking her head behind his back. 

When they stepped outside again, something on Jesse’s belt started beeping, and he excused himself for a moment. As soon as he left them alone, Beca rounded on Chloe. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” the redhead asked innocently.

“Invite him to come with us!” Beca hissed under her breath.

“I thought it’d be nice?” Chloe shrugged. “Besides, you said you wanted to try this whole making friends thing, right?”

“I’ve got you, don’t I?” Beca groused out with a roll of her eyes. “Besides, I don’t think Jesse wants to be friends .”

“I don’t see what’s so wrong with that,” Chloe told her. “I mean, he is decent looking, has a cool and adventurous job that probably pays well, and he’s clearly into you,” she continued with a wink.

“Oh my god, you really need to shut up now,” Beca groaned. “I’m like, beyond not interested.”

“Oh…” Chloe muttered. “Are you sure?”

“If you think he’s so great, why don’t you ask him out on a date?” Beca snapped back. She wanted to apologize, but surprisingly, she realized Chloe already knew she hadn’t meant it like that.

“He’s not really my type,” she smiled in response. “Besides, he’d probably only say yes if I offered to bring you along, too.”

Beca’s witty response died on her tongue as Jesse joined them again, all smiles. “That was HQ, they just wanted to know when I’d arrive in Cerulean to begin my assignment there. It’s kind of high-priority, you see, and they needed to know it’d be done right.”

“Yeah, like you did at the power plant,” Beca drawled sarcastically.

“Exactly!” Jesse exclaimed, oblivious to sarcasm. “If you want, you could join me in Cerulean. I bet we’d make a good team!”

“That’s very nice of you,” Chloe told him with a sweet smile, making Beca fear she’d actually say yes. “But unfortunately, Beca and I need to collect more gym badges, and we already have the one in Cerulean, so we can’t.”

“Oh, well…” Jesse muttered. “I suppose we’ll just have to make the most of our time here in Saffron, then!”

Beca wanted to object, but couldn’t think of a way to do so without being terribly mean.

“I thought you said your assignment in Cerulean was high-priority?” Chloe asked, sounding genuinely confused. “Shouldn’t you be, like, on your way there now? Unless your mission isn’t all that important, in which case…”

“No, no, you’re right,” Jesse nodded. “It’s very important. I hate to cut this short, but I should actually go straight away,” Jesse told them, all bluster. “People’s lives are probably on the line!”

With a few parting words, Jesse finally left them alone, heading back towards the Pokécenter. “Finally,” Beca sighed as they watched him go. 

“If I’d known you were so opposed to his company, I’d have gotten rid of him sooner,” Chloe told her, linking their arms together and walking off in a seemingly random direction.

“I would’ve preferred visiting Silph Co. with just you to be honest,” Beca told her, watching a kid ahead of them chasing his Pidgey. 

“Ahw, but he was trying so hard to impress you!” Chloe told her with a giggle.

“Yeah, well, he failed,” Beca deadpanned. “Maybe if he’d beaten a gym leader with only a Ralts, or if he owned a Pokémon so strong it wouldn’t even feel the attacks from a gym leader’s Pokémon, then I might be impressed.”

“Oh, you flatterer,” Chloe grinned, stopping behind a group of waiting people. 

“What are we doing?”

“Waiting in line,” Chloe replied, making Beca roll her eyes.

“For?”

“Food.”

It turned out to be a food cart – the best in town if Chloe’s traveling guidebook was to be believed. They both ordered hotdogs, taking them into the adjacent park, where they settled on a bench in a sunny spot, watching humans and Pokémon frolicking in the sun together. “Can you imagine sitting here like this with Jesse?” Beca asked wryly.

“Not really,” Chloe told her with a scrunched-up face. “He’d be talking non-stop, trying to impress you.”

“You don’t like him,” Beca grinned.

“What makes you say that?” Chloe asked, eyebrows raised.

“Your tone, the way you talked about him just now…”

“Yeah, okay,” Chloe shrugged. “He was annoying. Especially since he just kept on trying, like you were some kind of prize to win.”

“You sure you’re not just jealous of the attention?” Beca asked teasingly, earning her an elbow to her ribs.

“Not in the slightest, Becs.”

--

Beca had been watching the Pokémon around her, many of which she’d never actually seen in real-life before, for over an hour, while Chloe peacefully napped beside her. Sometime during that hour, her ears had picked up a conversation that was of particular interest. The moment Chloe opened her eyes, she questioned her friend about it.

“What’s this I heard about Saffron having two Pokémon gyms?” she asked as Chloe stretched.

“There’s only one League-sanctioned gym that is allowed to hand out badges,” Chloe told her, eyes still bleary from sleeping. “But there was a dispute between two gyms about which of them would actually be sanctioned. One was a psychic gym, the other a fighting-type. I don’t think I need to tell you who won.”

“The psychic gym obviously had the advantage,” Beca nodded.

“Right. So now the Fighting gym is just a place trainers can go to for training, and the Psychic gym is where you go if you want the Marsh badge.”

“Can we check it out?” Beca asked. “Maybe I could train my Gastly there?”

“Sure,” Chloe responded readily, getting up from the bench and offering Beca her hand. “I think I know the way.”

Beca took Chloe’s hand, pulling her back onto the bench, instead of letting herself be pulled up. “While I’m sure you do, I didn’t mean to go right now. I’m kind of enjoying this.”

Chloe hummed happily, wiggling around and settling against Beca’s side. “I have no place better to be,” she smiled, letting her head loll backwards. “I might fall asleep again, though.”

“That’s fine,” Beca shrugged. “I’ll wake you up in time for dinner.”

--

When Beca woke up the following morning, she fondly looked back at their day in the park. They’d stayed until the sun was setting, Beca watching all the Pokémon in the park, and Chloe sometimes joining her, sometimes napping.

They’d had dinner at a fancy restaurant, specializing in dishes from a place called Unova – which Beca had heard of, but wouldn’t be able to point out on a map. Judging from Chloe’s stories during dinner, she’d been there, though.

It had set Beca to thinking about the redhead’s travels, the regions she had visited, the Pokémon she would have caught there. Which got her to speculate which Pokémon Chloe kept on her belt, since Beca had only seen her Kirlia, her Ninetales, and her Torterra – which left three more mystery Pokémon in her arsenal. On top of that, Beca couldn’t help but wonder how many badges Chloe earned throughout her travels – and why she was still traveling in the first place.

She positively creamed three gym leaders in a row, here in Kanto, which indicated that she was far beyond their level. What did Chloe gain from traveling? Surely, she didn’t need the training, especially if she had already been offered a position as gym leader in the past.

Turning to her other side, Beca only now noticed Chloe wasn’t even in bed anymore. She was usually awake before Beca, but it wasn’t like her to leave the bed, let alone the room, before the brunette woke up.

She was just sitting up when the door was opened with a quiet creaking sound, and she smiled as Chloe visibly winced at the sound, guiltily looking over at her. “Oh, you’re awake?”

“Yeah,” Beca smiled. “I guess your habit of waking up early is starting to rub off. Where did you run off to, anyway?”

Beca wasn’t blind to the fact Chloe was holding something behind her back, but the redhead went to great lengths to block the object from view. “Close your eyes for a second?” she asked, biting her lip.

Deciding to indulge her, Beca did as she was asked with a theatrical sigh. “Didn’t I say I wasn’t planning to do anything special for my birthday?”

“You did,” Chloe told her happily. “And I told you I was planning on doing something, so here we are. You can open your eyes now.”

Chloe’s mystery object was gone, and instead she was holding two boxes, which she dumped on the bed. “I took the liberty of collecting these from Nurse Joy for you,” she smiled. Moving to the desk, she rummaged through her backpack, fishing out a smaller box and adding it to the pile. “That one’s from me, obviously.”

“Dude, you didn’t need-“

“Yes, I did. It’s your birthday. You’re supposed to get tons of gifts.”

“Well, three is two more than I usually get,” Beca shrugged wryly. “So I guess this is tons, by my standards.”

“That makes me sad,” Chloe pouted, before shifting gears and smiling brilliantly. “Which one do you want to open first?”

“My dad’s,” Beca groaned. “Get the disappointment out of the way so we can move on to better stuff.”

“Alright,” Chloe nodded, handing her a rectangular gift, wrapped in plain brown paper. 

Without preamble, Beca tore the brown paper away, revealing a bulky book. “Advanced Economics: A Study of Business Models,” she muttered sourly, tossing the book aside without a second look.

“There’s a note, too,” Chloe offered meekly.

“It’s probably a passive-aggressive hint for me to get my life on track,” Beca told her. “I don’t need to read it.”

She watched Chloe’s eyes flicking over the note, before she crumpled it in her fist and tossed it in the bin. “Yeah, probably better that way,” the redhead frowned.

Wanting to lighten the mood, Beca pointed at another rectangular gift, adorned with little Charmander images. “Who’s that from?”

“Professor Oak,” Chloe smiled, handing it to her. Beca slipped her finger underneath the tape, tearing it open with a sense of excitement she hadn’t felt on her birthday for a long while now. As the paper fell away, it revealed another book. “A Pokémon Trainer’s Guide: Kanto Edition,” she muttered. Leafing through it for a moment, she noticed it contained information on which Pokémon could be found where, sightseeing tips, information about major cities, time schedules for ferries and trains, and even an overview of League-approved gyms in the region.

“This is actually pretty awesome,” she smiled. “I won’t get lost anymore with this bad boy in my bag.”

Chloe smiled at her. “Before you know it, you won’t even need me anymore.”

“Maybe,” Beca responded, watching Chloe’s face fall. “But I’ll still want you around, I guess,” she winked, making Chloe cheer up again. “I’m not just travelling with you for convenience’s sake, even if that is how we started out…”

“Glad to hear it,” Chloe smiled, picking up the final gift and handing it to her. 

“This isn’t a book, is it?” Beca asked suspiciously, rattling the little package for a moment and hearing something shift inside.

“Nope.”

The package was wrapped in dark blue paper, which Beca carefully removed, revealing a plain cardboard box, the size of her hand. Chloe smiled awkwardly. “Couldn’t find a prettier box for that on such short notice, sorry.”

“I’m guessing the box isn’t the gift, so that’s fine,” Beca responded, eagerly opening the box. “It’s… a rock?”

Chloe gave an offended snort, making Beca backtrack. “I mean, it’s a really pretty rock. Thanks!” she told her friend, all too aware of her fake enthusiasm.

“It’s not a pretty rock, Beca,” Chloe chuckled dryly. “It’s a Moon Stone. I picked it up when we were going through Mt. Moon together,” Chloe explained. “I intended to give it to you after your battle in Cerulean, but we had that little spat about me babying you… So I figured I shouldn’t be handing you an evolution stone.”

“This…” Beca murmured, eyes glued to the stone in her hand. “I can use this to evolve my Clefairy?”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe nodded, biting her lip. “If you want to. Or you can hold on to it, for another time or another Pokémon. Your choice.”

“Chlo… These things cost a small fortune.”

The redhead shrugged again. “Like I said, I picked it up when we were in Mt. Moon. It’s literally the cheapest gift I could give you… It’s not a big deal.”

“It is,” Beca countered, getting up from the bed and pulling Chloe into a hug. “This is the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you, really.”

“You’re very welcome,” Chloe told her as she returned the hug. When they stepped apart, Chloe awkwardly shuffled her feet, making Beca narrow her eyes. 

“What’s up?”

“I… have another gift for you,” Chloe began, slowly. “But… it’s a bit unconventional, and you’d actually be doing me a favour if you accepted it. But you’re totally free not to! I don’t want to force this on you or anything.”

“You’re kind of making me nervous,” Beca laughed. 

“Okay, so, maybe you should sit down for this,” Chloe grimaced. Once Beca sat down on the edge of the bed, Chloe moved to the bathroom door and opened it slowly. Beca wasn’t exactly certain what happened, except for the fact that something came storming out of the bathroom like a little furry whirlwind, happily squealing as it flew past Chloe, leapt, and landed in Beca’s lap. 

At first, Beca could only discern soft, brown fur and a wet tongue that was licking her chin. Once she recovered from the shock, though, and remembered she had hands with which she could move the unruly creature, she looked into adorable brown eyes. “Chloe, why am I holding an Eevee?”

“Remember when I told you one of my Pokémon hatched an egg?” Chloe hedged carefully. “Well, my Espeon gave birth to this little buddy here. I want him to see the world, but I don’t really have room for him in my party… I was thinking he could maybe travel with you?”

“You’re… giving me an Eevee?”

“Yes?” Chloe answered, making it sound like a question. “I mean, obviously, I know you’d take good care of him. And he’d have lots of friends and awesome adventures. Besides, Eevee is a really useful Pokémon, it can evolve into a fire, electric, water, dark, psychic, ice, grass or even a fairy-type Pokémon. Whatever you need to round out your team.”

Eevee gave an adorable little yip, rubbing its soft head against Beca’s face as she absent-mindedly stroked the fluffy tail. “Are you sure about this, Chloe? I mean, the Moon Stone is a pretty big deal… But this… You’re giving me one of your Pokémon.”

Chloe gave a decisive nod. 

“Okay, so, how do I do this?” Beca asked, motioning to the Eevee, who was now trying to climb onto her shoulder. 

“Take a Pokéball and just tap it against his head. He won’t struggle or anything. He likes you lots.”

Beca reached over to her nightstand, taking one of the empty Pokéballs and holding it out in front of Eevee, who eagerly head-butted it, only to disappear inside in a flash of red light. The brunette stared at the ball in her hand for a moment, entirely awe-struck by the fact she now had an Eevee, all because Chloe was such an amazing person. “I seriously can’t thank you enough,” Beca told her earnestly, earning her a bashful grin.

“I was a little afraid the whole babying-discussion would rear its head again, with me giving you both an evolution stone and a new Pokémon.”

Beca shook her head, pulling Chloe down to sit next to her. “No, I’m all over that. Traveling with you has made me a better trainer, and that isn’t a bad thing.”

“You’re right, it’s not,” Chloe nodded, resting her head on Beca’s shoulder for a moment. “I’m glad you realize that, now.”

“Yeah, so am I.”

“So, what do you want to do today?” Chloe asked, hopping up from the bed eagerly.

“First, I want to eat, then I want to take you and Eevee and all the others to the park goof off for the day. Then, tomorrow, we can get on our way to Celadon? If that works for you?”

“You’re the birthday-girl, Beca,” Chloe grinned. “It’s all your call.”

Chapter Text

They had been walking for a few hours, Saffron City growing smaller and smaller behind them. Beca really wished it was equally as easy to leave her bad mood behind as well. She had really looked forward to training her Pokémon at the fighting-gym in Saffron. But when they had made their way over there, they had found a cardboard ‘closed’ sign hanging from the door.

Chloe had shrugged, and told her they could visit next time they visited Saffron, but honestly, that had not really been enough to lift Beca’s spirits again. Judging by the repeated sighs and sideward glances Chloe shot her, the redhead was aware of this, too.

“I get that you’re upset, Beca,” Chloe sighed after a few more minutes of trudging down the path. “But being sulky really isn’t going to make it any better.”

Beca sighed too, running a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I know I’m horrible company right now… I was just really looking forward to training my Gastly, that’s all.”

Chloe shrugged with a small grin. “If that’s all, why don’t we go and do that right now?”

“How?” Beca muttered with a bewildered shake of her head.

“Um, have you forgotten I’m a trainer, too?” Chloe asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing to the Pokéballs on her belt.

“No, but you’re, like, way out of my league,” Beca pointed out dryly.

Chloe snorted, moving her head in an aimless gesture. “I admit I wasn’t planning to go all out on you,” she chuckled. “Come on, there’s a nice field over there. Let’s see what your Gastly can do.”

Beca followed her friend over the fence and into the field, where they went and stood some distance from one another. “Do you mind if I use my Kirlia?” Chloe asked. “I’m hoping she’ll evolve into a Gardevoir soon.”

“Sure, be my guest,” Beca nodded, already having Gastly’s Pokéball in her hand. “Just… don’t trounce us like you did Brock in Pewter, okay?”

Chloe grinned with an impish shrug. “No promises, Becs. Go, Kirlia!”

The moment Kirlia appeared in the grass, it was already spinning in place, arms folded and endlessly pirouetting on one little, dainty foot. “Okay, Kirlia. This is just a practice battle for Beca and Gastly, so let’s keep it gentle, okay?”

Kirlia gave a little hum, that could be either a yes or a no, her twirling never stopping.

Beca released her Gastly, who floated around her head for a while, before moving onto their little battlefield. “Gastly, let’s see what you are capable of, alright?”

Gastly gave an eager nod. “We’re not getting any younger, Beca!” Chloe called with some mirth.

“Gastly, use…” Beca began, before realizing she barely had any idea what her Pokémon was capable of. “Um… Use Hypnosis!”

Gastly’s eyes started glowing blue. Moments later, Chloe responded. “Kirlia, use Magic Coat.”

Beca saw a vague shimmering ripple through the air as Kirlia continued to pirouette in place. Immediately following the ripple, Gastly’s eyes started drooping, and he drifted to the ground. 

“Damn it!” Beca muttered under her breath.

“Kirlia, wake him up with a nudge of your Confusion,” Chloe instructed.

Beca could only watch as Kirlia lifted her Gastly off the ground with her psychic powers, dropping him again when he was about two feet up. The moment he hit the ground, he startled awake again, angrily buzzing about like an annoyed mosquito.

“Gastly, use Confuse Ray!”

Beca watched as the floating lights hit Kirlia, neither the Pokémon nor her trainer seeming to have any intent on dodging. Beca had no doubt they easily could have. Instead, Chloe gave her an encouraging smile. “That’s a useful move to have in your arsenal, Beca!” Chloe called out. “But it won’t work on us. Kirlia, use Recover.”

Kirlia’s twirling had become a wobbly mess in her confusion, but the moment Chloe gave her instructions, the Pokémon began to glow, and seconds later her pirouettes were back to her usual stable form. “We’ve worked hard to overcome troubles like that.”

“Alright, Gastly, let’s try doing some damage, then. They’ll probably dodge it, but why not try Lick?”

Gastly dashed forward to execute his attack. Without Chloe giving any instructions, Kirlia twirled to the side, making Gastly miss his target. “Double back, Gastly!”

She knew Kirlia wouldn’t be that easy to hit, and Beca wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Kirlia, without looking at Gastly, bent forward, causing her ghost-Pokémon to zoom over her with his tongue hanging from his mouth.

When her Gastly came to a stop again, waiting for her command, Beca tried racking her brain to think of a move her Pokémon could use. 

“Why don’t you try a Night Shade, Beca?” Chloe offered. “Or a Shadow Ball?”

“Right,” Beca nodded, wondering why she hadn’t thought of those moves herself. They were typical ghost-type moves, after all. “Gastly, Night Shade!”

Gastly grinned wickedly, his eyes glowing red. After a few seconds of nothing happening, a black-and-red beam of energy was fired from Gastly’s eyes. For a moment, it seemed to go strong, and then, when it was about halfway toward its target, the energy beam petered out and dissipated.

Beca couldn’t help but fawn over the disappointed look Gastly gave her. “Don’t worry about that, bud. We’ll work on it. You’ll have the toughest Night Shade ever when we’re done training!” she encouraged him, watching him cheer up again. “Feel like trying a Shadow Ball for me?”

Gastly hovered in place for a moment, before turning his attention back to Kirlia, who had been waiting patiently. After a few seconds, he turned back to Beca, a helpless expression on his face. “No Shadow Ball, huh?” she smiled, nodding as Gastly shook in disappointment. “I’ll add it to the list of things to work on. Why don’t we try one more Night Shade, then? Full power, this time!”

Gastly gave a determined nod, turning back to Kirlia as his eyes started glowing again. Like before, the energy beam shot from his eyes. Rather than petering out this time, it shot forward, before branching into several different beams and going all over the place, clearly out of control.

Beca could only watch as the attack tore through the grass, sending dirt and clouts flying through the air. Within seconds, she lost sight of Chloe and her Pokémon. Gastly was sent flying by the power of his own attack, his semi-solid body colliding with Beca and making her land on her butt.

She was beyond relieved to see Chloe and Kirlia still standing upright after that fiasco, the green energy shield of Kirlia’s Protect dissipating as the dust settled. The redhead rushed over to them, extending her hand to help Beca back to her feet. “I think that’s enough practice for one day,” Chloe smiled easily.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Beca muttered hurriedly. “Guess Gastly is stronger than we thought.”

Gastly wriggled free from Beca’s arms, floating down towards Kirlia, who was twirling by their feet, and letting out a soft whine. Clearly, it was an apology. Kirlia let out a chiming laugh, patting Gastly’s forehead with her dainty hand, before resuming her pirouettes. 

“No harm done,” Chloe shrugged without a care in the world. “Now that we know power isn’t the problem, I guess you should work on control and focus, huh?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Beca nodded. “And when we’ve mastered Night Shade, we’ll get to work on Shadow Ball, right, Gastly?”

“I guess I’ll get to work on lunch,” Chloe smiled. “Feel free to keep training your Pokémon. I’ll need about fifteen minutes to get everything ready.”

--

They walked the entire day, even eating their lunch while they were walking. Beca had done some light training with Eevee while Chloe prepared the food, and she hadn’t been blind to the fond looks the redhead had cast their way. Apparently, she really was happy she had given her Eevee to Beca.

“If we keep this pace, we should reach Celadon City sometime tomorrow afternoon,” Chloe informed her. “It’s supposedly a very popular destination, for people from all across the world.”

“I read that it has the largest department store in all of Kanto,” Beca nodded. “As well as a casino of some sort, where you can apparently even win rare Pokémon.”

Chloe nodded vaguely. “So I’ve heard, yes. I’m not overly fond of the idea of winning Pokémon in a betting game, but you’re free to go and check it out without me.”

“I wasn’t planning to check it out at all,” Beca shrugged. “I don’t exactly have money to spare on a game of chance. I do want to check those stores, though…”

“Yeah, me too,” Chloe agreed. “I heard from some trainers in Sinnoh that they flew all the way over here to do some shopping. Not to mention the perfumes, of course.”

“Perfumes?” Beca questioned.

“Yeah, Celadon is famous for them. They’re made at the Celadon City gym. They use all kinds of flowers and plants and grass Pokémon to distil the scents and bottle them.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that…”

“Regardless, we won’t be making it to Celadon today. I’m thinking this looks like a pretty decent spot to make camp, what do you say?”

“I wouldn’t recognize a decent camping spot if it bit me on the ass,” Beca grinned. “So I’ll take your word for it.”

Chloe grinned too, telling Beca she wasn’t bothered by the brunette’s lack of traveling experience. Of course, she helped where she could, gathering branches from a nearby tree to be able to build a small campfire. According to Chloe, it would be getting pretty cold tonight.

It wasn’t long before Chloe had a fire going, even without the help of her Ninetales. Beca contentedly watched as Chloe took water from a nearby stream to fill a pot, tossing in a variety of powders and pre-cut vegetables from her bag. “Sorry to say it’s going to be another soup tonight,” Chloe grimaced. “I swear I’m not a terrible cook, under normal circumstances.”

“I assure you, I don’t think you’re a terrible cook. Before I started traveling with you, I usually only had pieces of bread with some cheese or something. I’d say this is a pretty big improvement.”

“Glad to hear it,” Chloe smiled, eyes focused on the pot in front of her. “This shouldn’t take more than half an hour, so you have some time to kill.”

Beca nodded, even though Chloe probably didn’t notice it. Reaching for her bag, she fished out the book Professor Oak had gifted her for her birthday. She’d been leafing through it from time to time, reading up on various subjects. This book being the Kanto edition, Beca had already found the list in the back. Obviously, there were also Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Galar, Alola, and Kalos editions. All regions Beca had heard of, naturally, but could only dream of seeing for herself. 

Other than that, there were also editions for regions Beca had never even heard of, such as Orre, Almia, Fiore, Oblivia, Ferrum and Pasio. Honestly, the world never had seemed this big before Beca had started making her way through this book.

Right now, however, she was reading up on the official Pokémon League gym system. She vaguely remembered Chloe going off against Surge in Vermillion, about him not being allowed to use his Raichu against weaker trainers. And, of course, she knew for a fact that neither Brock nor Misty had used their most powerful Pokémon to face off against her. 

She’d found the chapter on the system without any trouble, but making sense of the voluminous text was a different story entirely. “Um, Chlo?”

“Hm?”

“Can you explain this A-B-C gym system to me?”

“Oh, sure,” Chloe chirped without looking up from the pot she was stirring. “There are three types of gyms. Most regions have five gyms of type C. These gyms are meant to test a trainer’s skills. Tactics, knowledge of type match-ups, using your Pokémon’s moves in a sensible way, those sort of things. So it’s not really so much about power at all – the gym leader will use a Pokémon of approximately the same level as yours.”

“So that’s the Pewter City gym, and Cerulean, and Vermillion?” Beca asked.

Chloe nodded. “As well as Celadon and Fuchsia,” Chloe added. 

“Which is why you recommended this traveling route,” Beca nodded in understanding. 

Chloe grinned, her nose crinkling in a charming way. “You got me there.”

“So, what about the other gyms?”

“B-class gyms use tougher Pokémon, sometimes even going so far as to use a Pokémon that is slightly stronger than yours, but holding back a little, if you know what I mean… They need your Pokémon to be at a certain strength, but the main focus is still on techniques and tactics. They’re still just checking how well you raised your Pokémon…”

“And the A-class gyms?”

“They’re generally the last gym a trainer visits in a region. It’s the reason you couldn’t challenge the Viridian Gym when you were there. It’s basically an all-out battle, no holding back or taking the level of the challenging Pokémon in mind. It’s the ultimate test, the culmination of your previous seven gym battles.”

“So Saffron and Cinnabar are B-type gyms, and the Viridian gym is the A-type?”

“That’s right,” Chloe nodded her confirmation.

“Why did I never know any of this?” Beca lamented, more to herself than to Chloe. Still, the redhead shrugged in response. 

“Most people don’t. They just follow the usual order of gyms because everyone else does, but I’m pretty sure most people don’t know why that is the preferred route.”

“It also says here gyms aren’t technically required to focus on a single type of Pokémon,” Beca pointed out.

“True,” Chloe nodded. “It’s more of a tradition than a rule. My father used a very balanced team of Pokémon back in the day, but my brother changed the gym into a single-type focus when he took over.”

“And you?”

“I don’t have a gym,” Chloe pointed out with a cheeky smile.

“But if you did…” Beca continued. “Would you go for a single type?”

Chloe seemed to consider the question for a long moment before responding. “I honestly don’t know… There are types I prefer over others, but I think each type has its charms… It’d be really hard to pick a single one…”

“I think you’d make an awesome gym leader,” Beca decided out of the blue.

“You think so?” Chloe asked, seeming bashful all of a sudden.

“Totally,” Beca nodded. “I mean, you’re obviously very skilled, and very passionate about Pokémon. You take amazing care of them, but you’re also really good at teaching less experienced trainers new things. I mean, look at me… I haven’t walked off a cliff in weeks!”

“Oh, Becs,” Chloe smiled, taking the pot off the fire. “Who knows, some day…”

They ate their soup mostly in silence. Despite Chloe’s earlier words, the soup was delicious, and Beca made short work of it. By the time they were cleaning their bowls, it had grown entirely dark, and there was a very distinct chill in the air. “Guess summer is drawing to a close,” Beca muttered as they rolled out their sleeping bags.

Chloe stifled a yawn as she nodded. “We should be able to hit all of the remaining gyms here in Kanto before winter, easily. I’m guessing you’re planning to attend the Indigo League?”

“That was the plan, yeah,” Beca confirmed. 

“It takes up most of the winter,” Chloe informed her. “Assuming you stay for the entire event, it’ll be closing in on spring by the time you’re back in Pallet Town.”

“Yay,” Beca deadpanned. “Back home with my dad.”

“That bad, huh?” Chloe asked.

Beca hummed vaguely. “It’s not like he mistreated me or anything. It was more of a general sense of disinterest in my life. Mostly, we just end up ignoring each other, and we both try to be at home as little as possible. He dislikes Pokémon, and I love them. He loves his work as a financial advisor to other businesses, and I… well, honestly, I couldn’t care less about any of that…”

Chloe let out a forlorn sigh. “I can’t imagine living like that. My entire family loves Pokémon, and I grew up playing with my dad’s Pokémon and watching his gym battles… I’ve always known I’d become a trainer, and my family expected nothing less. They threw me a big party the day before I started my Pokémon journey…”

“That sounds like the kind of family I always wanted,” Beca murmured.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get that,” Chloe offered, her voice cracking as she spoke. 

“I shouldn’t complain,” Beca muttered. “It’s not like I had a terrible childhood or anything. I mean, it wasn’t great, but I never wanted for food or clothes, or a roof over my head…”

“True, but it can’t have been easy, your dad being so… unsupportive.”

“Well, it sure wasn’t fun,” Beca offered lamely. “But no use crying over spilled milk, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Chloe parroted. “Goodnight, Becs.”

Beca curled herself into a tiny ball inside her sleeping bag to ward off the chill, closing her eyes with a content feeling. Despite their conversation about her father just now, Beca felt entirely at peace with the situation. 

She usually fell asleep rather easily, but the cold air seemed to blow into her sleeping bag, leaving her with the shivers. Beside her, she heard Chloe tossing and turning in her own sleeping bag. The little campfire next to them didn’t do much to keep them warm, Beca realized. 

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, willing herself to fall asleep despite the fact she couldn’t seem to manage to get warm. A few minutes later, she heard the chattering of teeth coming from beside her. Clearly, Chloe was as cold as she was.

Beca took a moment to contemplate the idea forming in her head. Realizing the chattering had only gotten louder, she sat upright with a huff. “This is ridiculous. Chloe, get out of your sleeping bag.”

“What?” Chloe stammered awkwardly. “I’m trying to sleep here, Becs.”

“We’re both freezing,” Beca huffed. “We might as well zip our sleeping bags together so we can keep each other warm.”

“Um…” Chloe started, trailing off into silence.

“Come on,” Beca urged her, already stepping out of her sleeping bag and cringing at the cold air washing over her. “It will be just like sleeping together in a Pokémon Center. I mean, you always end up on top of me, anyway.”

Even in the darkness, Beca could make out the guilty and somewhat shocked expression Chloe was shooting her. “You know about that?”

Beca chuckled as she watched Chloe sliding out of her sleeping bag and unzipping it. “I’ve known since we shared a room in Lavender, Chlo,” she told the redhead. “I just never brought it up because you always were on your own side when I woke up. I figured you might not be comfortable with our midnight cuddling.”

“I figured it would make you uncomfortable,” Chloe countered as they zipped Beca’s sleeping bag onto Chloe’s to make it into one large sleeping bag.

“I don’t mind,” Beca clarified. “And we can definitely use the warmth right now.”

“Fair enough,” Chloe nodded as she finished zipping up and slid back into the sleeping bag. “You sure you don’t mind?”

“Yes, Chloe,” Beca sighed, sliding in next to her friend. “Now scoot over here, otherwise it won’t keep us any warmer than we were just now.”

Chloe gave a wavering smile, before shuffling over to Beca’s side of the bag and snuggling into her side, one arm loosely draped over her stomach, and their legs closely pressed together. It took only a few minutes for Beca to feel comfortably warm, and judging by Chloe’s soft sigh, she too was feeling much better now. 

“Goodnight, Becs,” she murmured sleepily.

“You, too, Chlo,” Beca returned the sentiment, closing her eyes and falling into a fitful sleep within minutes.

Chapter Text

Waking up with Chloe was, by now, a familiar process. Usually, it happened in the middle of the night, with her friend still curled around her own body, warm softness pressing against her on all sides. And then, when dawn came around and she would wake up again, Chloe would be on the other side of the bed. 

This time, when Beca opened her eyes, the sun was already out, and as usual, Chloe was already awake. What wasn’t usual was the redhead still having an arm slung across Beca’s stomach, and a leg slung over her hips, holding onto her like a little Mankey. 

Judging by the tensing of her muscles and the sudden intake of breath, Chloe was as aware of Beca’s waking up as Beca had been of Chloe’s continuing presence. “Um…” the redhead began carefully. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to move back to my own side… I hope this is alright?”

Beca smiled lazily, snaking one arm underneath Chloe’s waist and pulling her in a little closer. Chloe let out a surprised yelp, her grip on Beca tightening in a reflex. “Yeah, this is totally fine by me,” Beca muttered, enjoying the warmth of Chloe’s body. “It’s still pretty early, right?”

“Yeah,” Chloe breathed out, muscles finally relaxing again.

“Good, because I kinda want to stay like this for a while.”

“You didn’t strike me as the cuddling type,” Chloe chuckled airily, warm puffs of breath washing against Beca’s throat. 

“I’m not,” Beca responded honestly, knowing it sounded weird, given their current positioning.

“Could’ve fooled me, Becs.”

Beca merely let out a content sigh, grinning like a loon as Chloe burrowed deeper into her side and rested her head on her shoulder. “It’s kinda nice not to have to move away from you before you wake up this time,” she commented.

“Why did you, anyway?”

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” Chloe shrugged, jostling Beca a little. “You didn’t seem like the kind of girl that would appreciate someone holding you like this, I guess.”

“I guess I wouldn’t have, if you’d asked me before,” Beca admitted after a few quiet seconds. “But waking up with you as a blanket turned out to be kind of awesome, so yeah…”

--

Obviously, they couldn’t remain in their warm cocoon all day. So, after another half hour they crawled out of the sleeping bag to get their day started. Chloe wordlessly set to preparing their breakfast, busying herself with roasting buns and sausages over a small fire.

Beca, meanwhile, released her Pokémon, checking how they were doing. She took a moment to toy around with her Ivysaur, who was now considerably stronger than before and easily knocked her on her ass, guffawing as he jumped around her. 

Gastly was content to float around her head for a while, before hovering near the fire, enjoying the warmth. Pidgeotto soared into the sky the moment he was released, circling high above them, clearly happy to be spreading his wings. Clefairy and Eevee, meanwhile, nestled into Beca’s lap, and the brunette started brushing out Eevee’s fur while she occasionally patted Clefairy on her head.

When Chloe told her breakfast was almost ready, Beca set out a number of bowls, pouring some Pokémon food into them for each of her Pokémon. She waited with bated breath to see whether Chloe would release her Pokémon, too, but the redhead did not seem to be making any move to do so.

“Something wrong, Becs?” she asked with an easy smile.

“No…” Beca murmured.

“Come on, spit it out,” Chloe chuckled good-naturedly.

“I was just wondering… I’ve only ever seen three of your Pokémon…”

“And now curiosity is just killing you, isn’t it?” Chloe laughed. “I had been wondering how long it’d take you to ask about them. Because it really is that simple Beca, you only had to ask.”

“Can I see your Pokémon?”

“Come on out, y’all!” Chloe called as she tossed her Pokéballs out into the open. Beca smiled as Kirlia’s twirling form appeared, followed by Ninetales, who immediately made her way to Chloe’s side, nudging her with her head. Gaia, Chloe’s Torterra, appeared too, yawning widely before plopping down onto the ground. Beca snorted as she realized it looked an awful lot like a rock, with a single tree and a few smaller rocks sprouting from it.

“Gaia’s a lazy old thing,” Chloe smiled fondly, giving its shell a soft kick. The action earned her an annoyed huff from her Pokémon, making Chloe laugh louder.

Only now did Chloe throw the next Pokéball. Beca smiled as a large white form materialized, taking the shape of a majestic Dewgong, who made several happy squeals as it shimmied across the ground, making its way to Beca’s Pokémon, who looked on apprehensively. 

The next Pokémon, Beca did not recognize. She took her Pokédex from her bag and aimed it at the newcomer, who looked like a large, blue cat. “Luxray, the Gleam-Eye Pokémon,” the Pokédex told her. “This Electric-type Pokémon has such good eyesight, it can see through walls and other objects. It uses this ability to hunt, and to keep track of its offspring.”

“That’s so cool,” Beca fawned. “Can I touch it?”

Chloe sent her Pokémon a sideward glance with a stern expression. “Luxray, will you behave? Beca’s a very good friend of mine, and I’ll get very cross if you hurt her.”

“Lux!” the Pokémon huffed out, sitting back on its haunches. 

“Go ahead,” Chloe told her. “She can be a bit temperamental, but she should be fine now.”

Beca carefully reached out. Luxray’s fur was softer than she had expected it to be, and she attributed that to Chloe’s amazing care-taking skills. As she ran her hand through Luxray’s fur, the Pokémon closed its eyes, and Beca felt tiny sparks of electricity tickling her fingers.

“First time I tried that, Lux practically zapped me unconscious,” Chloe smiled wistfully. “I guess she likes you, though. It’s not like her to close her eyes like that.”

“She’s so cool,” Beca gushed, drawing her hand back. “A Sinnoh native?”

“Yep!”

“So, what’s the last one? Don’t think I can’t count to six, Chlo.”

Chloe tossed out her final ball, and Beca gasped at the Pokémon that appeared. She recognized the Pokémon, even if she’d only ever seen it as a picture in books about Pokémon. She knew for a fact that it was one of the rarest Pokémon in the Kanto region. 

It’s long, blue body stretched and curled elegantly as it lifted itself up into the air, floated around Chloe for a moment, before making her way over to Beca, its head only inches from the brunette’s face as it regarded her curiously. 

“Chloe, how the hell did you get your hands on a Dragonair?”

Chloe shrugged modestly. “I caught it when it was still a Dratini. It lived in a lake in the mountains between Johto and Kanto. There probably used to be more of them, but either they migrated or they were captured. I don’t know, this one was the only one there, all by herself. I camped on the lakeshore for over a month. I caught a glimpse of the Dratini on my first day there, but she didn’t show herself again until two weeks later. It took another full week to get her to trust me enough…”

“I am so jealous,” Beca whined pitifully. “You have all these amazing Pokémon!”

“Beca,” Chloe countered good-naturedly. “You’ve been traveling for a month and a half, and you have a Clefairy, as well as a Gastly, while ghost Pokémon are notoriously elusive. You also evolved your starter Pokémon, while my Turtwig only evolved into a Grotle after my… sixth gym battle, I think? Pidgeotto is a fairly common Pokémon, but if it evolves, it will be the master of the skies. And, of course, you have an Eevee.”

“Which you gave me,” Beca countered, before shaking her head softly. “You’re right, of course. And I’m not ungrateful or unhappy with my Pokémon… But seeing your team just makes me want to get better.”

“Just keep working at it,” Chloe smiled. “Obviously, I didn’t start out with a team like this, either.”

“You’re right,” Beca nodded, getting up. “I’m going to be the best trainer ever!”

“That’s the spirit,” Chloe grinned. 

--

The sun was still high in the sky when they walked into Celadon City, telling Beca they were – once again – ahead of their own schedule. People were spilling in and out of the shops along the main street, carrying a variety of shopping bags. In the midst of the chaos, Beca felt Chloe’s hand slipping into her own.

“Wouldn’t want to lose ya,” the redhead smiled over her shoulder as she led the way to the Pokémon Center. They easily booked a room with Nurse Joy, who supplied them with a late lunch. Once their plates were polished off, Beca pulled out the book Professor Oak had gifted her.

“According to the guide, we should really check out the Celadon Department store, as well as Celadon Park, which is apparently next to the gym. The guide says it’s a paradise for Grass-type Pokémon. How long did you plan on staying in Celadon?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe smirked. “I’m not the only one on this trip, y’know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Beca responded with a roll of her eyes. “But you’re the one who has the traveling schedule.”

“Which we really don’t need to stick to, if we don’t want to,” Chloe shrugged. “Why don’t we go shopping tomorrow? We can hit the gym after, if there’s enough time. If not, we’ll do that the day after. If you like, we can go check out the park right now.”

“Okay, yeah, that works for me.”

Chloe seamlessly navigated towards the park. They had obviously not been the only people to consider this a good destination, as the park was filled with people, by themselves, in pairs and even a few larger groups. In-between the people were countless of grass-type Pokémon, rummaging around with each other, investigating the various trees and plants, or just lazing about in the sun.

They settled on a patch of soft grass, the green blades tickling their skin as they rested in the sun. In an unspoken agreement, Beca let out her Ivysaur as Chloe let Gaia out of her Pokéball, and the two grass Pokémon set off to explore the area. 

It wasn’t long until they realised their two Pokémon were attracting a crowd of both trainers and other Pokémon. Obviously, most people around had never seen a Torterra before, and Beca saw a multitude of people using their Pokédex. Meanwhile, a Bellsprout, Tangela and an Oddish were dancing around Torterra’s shield, while the larger and older Pokémon was playfully trying to shake them off.

Beca laughed as she watched her Ivysaur play a game of tug-o’-war with two Bulbasaur, their vine whips serving as the rope. Quite frankly, Ivysaur appeared to be indulging them, hardly even pulling, but the two smaller Pokémon appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely nonetheless.

They stayed like that for a little over an hour, idly chatting about inane subjects while they watched the Pokémon playing around. When it came time to leave and head for the Pokémon Centre again, they called their Pokémon over. Ivysaur playfully patted the smaller Pokémon with his vines, and Gaia gave a final shake to throw off her playmates. 

When they came lumbering over, Beca spotted a small Oddish, stubbornly clinging to Gaia’s shield. “Hey little one,” she smiled, gently reaching out. “It’s time to come off from there.”

The Oddish refused to move, naughtily dodging Ivysaur’s Vine Whip when he tried to pick him up and remove him. They had been trying for a few minutes when a voice from behind them made them turn around.

“Oh, there you are, little Oddish!”

The woman behind them appeared to be a few years older than them, dressed in a traditional kimono. She smiled patiently at the Oddish on Gaia’s back, before turning her attention to Beca and Chloe. “I’m sorry if he has been a bother… He hatched only a few weeks ago, and still has a lot to learn.”

“That’s alright,” Chloe smiled. 

“Oddish, come down here, please,” the stranger smiled sweetly. Despite the tenderness of the request, there was a subtle undertone in her voice that made it impossible for the Oddish to disobey her. Moments later, the little blue Pokémon was back in his ball, and the woman, still smiling, nodded her goodbye.

With the Oddish now removed, they returned their Pokémon and set off toward the Pokémon Center again. Dinner was a quick and laid-back affair, and before Beca knew what happened, she was sitting in bed, leafing through her guidebook while she waited for Chloe to come out of the bathroom and turn off the lights.

When the redhead came out of the bathroom, Beca snapped her guidebook shut and dropped it on the floor next to the bed, punched her pillow a few times to make it more comfortable, and rested her head on it. 

She almost had to laugh when she felt Chloe climb into the bed, but didn’t feel her sidling closer. As she had always done, Chloe remained firmly on the other side of the bed. “Um, excuse me, what are you doing?” Beca asked after a few silent minutes.

“Trying to sleep?” Chloe’s voice drifted out of the darkness.

“Why are you all the way over there then? Get over here, you weirdo.”

She smiled into the darkness as she felt Chloe moving towards her, jostling the bed. A few moments later, Chloe’s arm came to rest across her stomach again, and Beca felt her friend’s body melding to her side as if they were made to fit together like that.

“I didn’t want to assume…” Chloe muttered into the darkness.

“Shush, none of that,” Beca cut her off teasingly. “I’m trying to sleep here.”

She felt the warm puffs of breath from Chloe’s silent laugh against her throat. “Alright, goodnight, Becs.”

“You too, Chlo.”

--

Beca woke up on her side the following morning, with Chloe performing a perfect enactment of the big spoon behind her. The feeling of Chloe’s breasts pressing against her back made her pull away slightly, leaving a few inches of space in between them. 

Moments later, a very-much sleeping Chloe closed the distance again, pressing herself to Beca’s back from shoulders to knees. With a fond little sigh, Beca reached for the book she had dropped on the ground before without moving too much, opening it up on the section dealing with Celadon.

By the time Chloe woke up – signalled only by a change in her breathing – Beca had read several pages. Chloe did not move away from her, or give any other indication of being awake, so she just continued reading, comfortable with their position if Chloe was, too.

“Sleep well?” Chloe asked fifteen minutes later, voice still raspy from a good night’s rest.

“Definitely,” Beca responded earnestly. “You?”

“Same. We should get up and breakfast. The sooner we do, the sooner we’ll get that Rainbow Badge.”

“No need to hurry,” Beca told her, wiggling around to turn over on her back. “The Celadon Gym is closed until three.”

“Oh…” Chloe murmured, looking surprised. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s in my guidebook,” Beca grinned. “I was thinking we could go and see the department store first, and hit the gym after?”

“Works for me,” Chloe smiled as she stretched leisurely. “I really need to stock up on supplies again.”

--

Celadon City’s Department store certainly lived up to their expectations. It was a seven-floor building, each floor large enough for Beca to get lost on. Chloe took great delight in pointing out that didn’t say all too much, to which Beca grumbled for a few minutes, before eventually admitting her friend wasn’t wrong.

Beca’s penchant for getting lost being what it was, they decided not to split up during their shopping. Wanting to get the boring bits out of the way, Chloe led them to the first floor, where they pooled their money to stock up on potions, antidotes, burn heals, and a few other necessities. Chloe also threw three Ultra Balls into their basket, which Beca followed up with half a dozen Great Balls. 

Once they had checked out, they shared their spoils, packing them in their backpacks before moving on. They spent almost an hour in a shoe store, where Chloe took an eternity to find a new pair of sneakers. Admittedly, her old ones were wearing pretty thin, the soles all but giving out.

Chloe opted to slip into her new ones immediately, asking the shop clerk to toss her old sneakers in the trash. The moment they stepped outside, Beca was startled by a loud yell, followed by Chloe’s surprised squeal as she was lifted off the ground by… a bulky man wearing tight leather pants, a wrestling mask, and nothing else.

“Crasher Wake, put me down right this instant!” Chloe yelled through her laughter. 

“Do as she says,” came a second unknown voice, belonging to a small, cute girl with pink hair. “Wouldn’t want her to beat you to a pulp again, do you?” she grinned cheekily.

“Bah! Rotten luck that was!” the man huffed as he put Chloe down. “I demand a rematch sometime!”

“You got it,” Chloe responded easily, before turning her attention to Beca again. “Oh, I’m sorry! Beca, this is Crasher Wake from the Pastoria Gym, and this is Maylene from the Veilstone Gym. They’re both gym leaders in Sinnoh. Guys, this is Beca!”

“Is she your-“

“Friend. Yes,” Chloe answered before Maylene could even finish her question. 

Beca raised her eyebrows. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re a gym leader?” she asked Maylene. “How old are you?”

“Thirteen,” the girl responded, crossing her arms. “But I bet I could totally cream you in a battle.”

“I… didn’t mean to offend you?” Beca asked, taken aback by the girl’s attitude.

“It’s okay, Becs,” Chloe cut in. “Maylene’s a bit touchy about her age being brought up. But it was a valid question.”

“So how do you guys know each other?” Beca asked, figuring she already knew the answer.

“Oh, Chloe challenged our gyms and totally trounced us,” Maylene grinned with a shrug. “She’s really good.”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” Beca smiled. 

“You should see her Arcanine,” Maylene huffed. “My Lucario still has nightmares about that incident at my gym…”

“Yeah,” Crasher Wake nodded. “My Floatzel refused to battle for a week after facing off against her Manectric…” 

“Guys, stop it!” Chloe sighed. “You make me out to be some kind of Pokémon superstar or something.”

“More like a Pokémon goddess!” Maylene smiled, immediately after which her attention was caught by something beeping on her belt. “Oh, Crasher! We need to go if we want to be in time for the competition!”

“Competition?” Chloe asked.

“Eating competition!” Crasher practically yelled. “Nothing for you. No Pokémon involved, I’m afraid.”

“That’s okay,” Chloe chuckled. “Beca and I will be challenging the Celadon gym today, so we’ll get our fill!”

“Good luck!” they yelled as they ran in the opposite direction. As soon as they were gone, Chloe looped her arm through Beca’s and set them off towards the next store. 

“Don’t listen to them. I’m not that good.”

“Psh,” Beca snorted. “No need to be modest on my account. I know you’re amazing.”

Five minutes later, Beca found herself in a store that was far too expensive for her to even consider buying anything there. Still, she stood in front of the glass cases, studying the various evolution stones stored away securely. She recognized fire, thunder, and water stones, as well as something she’d never seen before but could only be a leaf stone. 

“Excuse me?” she asked a passing shop attendant. “Do you have any moon stones?”

“Moon stones?” the man chuckled. “You’re kidding me, right? Even if we had one, it would have been sold within an hour of us putting it on display. Those things are worth three times their weight in gold.”

“I see,” Beca murmured as the man continued with his work. Her hand idly patted the pocket of her bag where she kept the moon stone, securely hidden away with her Pokédex and the guidebook. 

Her attention was drawn by a commotion outside the store. She found Chloe standing near the entrance, also looking at a gathering crowd in the plaza that formed the centre of the department store. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Chloe hummed in response, biting her lip. “I think it might be a Pokémon battle…”

“What? In here?” Beca balked.

They made their way to the front of the crowd just in time to see two men of their own age facing off. Beca groaned loudly as she recognized the guy on her left, sporting a cocky grin as his Rhydon flexed its arms. Opposite him, she realized, stood Jesse, with a sickly looking Shellder in front of him. 

Judging by the cracked tiles, a few blows had already been dealt. Nevertheless, the battle was ended by a shrill whistle, moments before Officer Jenny stepped out of the crowd. “Battling is strictly prohibited inside the department store. You two should both know better. Return your Pokémon to their balls right now!” she called out.

“Rhydon, use Stomp!” 

There was a shocked intake of breath that went through the entire crowd. Moments later, Officer Jenny’s Growlithe was lying by her feet, whining pitifully. Rhydon turned his attention back to the Shellder. “Use Horn Drill!”

“Shellder, use Water Spout!” Jesse called at the same time.

From the corner of her eyes, Beca noticed Chloe reaching for one of her Pokéballs. Instantly knowing what her friend was planning, she picked Ivysaur’s ball from her own belt, tossing it just as Chloe threw her own. 

“Kirlia, use Psychic to restrain that Rhydon!” Chloe called out, her voice carrying enough authority that everyone was deathly quiet. 

They watched the Rhydon, outlined by Kirlia’s blue energy, struggling to move. After a few seconds, it seemed to realize it was in vain, though, and ceased its efforts. 

“Shellder, use Bubblebeam while he’s defenceless!”

“Ivysaur, block it, and use Vine Whip to hold that Shellder down!” Beca instructed. Ivysaur bravely jumped in front of the attack, barely wincing at the attack. Using his strong vines, he lifted Shellder off the ground, keeping it firmly enveloped. 

“Becky?” 

“It’s Beca , you dumb shit,” Beca snapped back at Rhydon’s trainer.

“You know him?”

“That’s Bumper Allen. He’s from Pallet, too.”

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you?” Chloe asked coldly. “Battling here is asking for someone to get hurt!”

“He started it!” Jesse argued.

“And you’re a Pokémon Ranger!” Beca snapped at him. “You should have known better!”

“Thank you for your help,” Officer Jenny spoke up, cradling Growlithe in her arms. 

“How’s he doing?” Beca asked, already taking her bag and zipping it open.

“He took a pretty nasty blow,” Officer Jenny sighed. “But he’ll be fine.”

“Here,” Beca smiled. “We just bought a ton of potions. You can use this one.”

“Thanks!” Jenny smiled, applying the potion. Growlithe immediately let out a happy yelp. “Now, boys, return your Pokémon to their balls. And no funny business this time, or you’ll be in even bigger trouble!”

Both Bumper and Jesse obeyed her command this time, after which Chloe and Beca returned their Pokémon as well. As Officer Jenny escorted the two of them outside, undoubtedly headed to the police station, the crowd dispersed again as well.

“Bumper was Pallet Town’s biggest bully,” Beca sighed as they walked out of the department store. “Always picking on everyone he didn’t consider to be cool.”

“He’ll get what is coming to him now,” Chloe shrugged with a wan smile. “Why don’t we head over to the gym?”

Beca recognized it as an attempt to keep Beca from thinking of childhood bullies, but she didn’t care. After all, the prospect of a gym battle did lift her spirits considerably. Chloe effortlessly led them through the city, until they stopped in front of a building that looked like a giant greenhouse.

“According to the guidebook, they remodelled the entire gym a few years ago. It’s now both a  gym and a botanical center for the conservation of endangered plant-species,” Beca told her friend, proud to be the one with the knowledge for a change. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Inside, they were greeted by a group of women, all wearing the exact same uniform. “Welcome to the Celadon Gym!” one of them smiled brightly. “Are you here to challenge the gym leader, or did you come to visit the parfumerie?”

“Gym leader, definitely,” Beca smiled. 

“Very well. Erika doesn’t have any challengers lined up yet today, so you can follow me and I’ll show you to the battlefield.”

They followed the woman, who led them to a large, open space. The underfloor was grassy, but if you looked closely enough, you could make out the faint white lines designating the battle field. “Erika!” the woman called. “Challengers for you?”

“Oh, well, hello,” a voice sounded from behind some bushes. A moment later, the gym leader stepped out, wearing the same elegant kimono they had seen her wear the day before. She looked at them quizzically for a moment, before recognition flashed over her face. “Oh, you’re the trainers that entertained my little friend yesterday.”

“That’s right,” Chloe nodded. “We would both like to win our Rainbow badges today.”

Erika gave a soft nod, serene smile gracing her lips. “Very well. Personally, I prefer to use two Pokémon. Is that agreeable to you?”

Both Beca and Chloe nodded in agreement. “You go first, Becs,” Chloe smiled.

The referee took up his position at the side of the battlefield. Once he was done explaining the rules, everyone looked at Beca to see what Pokémon she would use first. “Alright, let’s see what we can do Eevee!”

Beca grinned as she heard Chloe’s startled yelp behind her. Clearly, her friend had not expected for Beca to be using Eevee in a gym battle so soon. Eevee, for his part, looked as pumped for the battle as Beca herself felt.

“Oh, an Eevee,” Erika exclaimed quietly. “I think I shall use my Tangela!”

Beca warily eyed the little tangle of blue vines. It wasn’t hard to see what this Pokémon’s name was derived from. It looked innocent enough, but Beca knew better than to underestimate a Pokémon because of their appearance. She had learned that lesson in Pewter City, when Chloe’s Ralts effortlessly trounced a Rhyhorn and an Onix. 

“Tangela, why do we not kick this battle off with a Stun Spore?” Erika asked gently.

Her Pokémon wiggled around, making the blue vines sway from side to side, letting out a cloud of fine yellow dust. 

“Eevee, dodge it by using Quick Attack!” Beca called out. It was one of the moves they had been practising, and she had been quite impressed with Eevee’s performance. Now, her Eevee turned into a brown blur as it moved to the far side of the battlefield, well out of Stun Spore’s reach. 

“Oh, that was fast,” Erika muttered, her Tangela still looking around to find the Eevee he was supposed to fight. “Maybe a Vine Whip?”

Tangela’s vines shot from its body with deceptive speed, but Beca had been prepared for that. 

“Eevee, roll!” she called out, almost bursting out in laughter as her Eevee dropped onto its belly and rolled sideways to dodge the vine. A moment later, he rolled back, and jumped back to his feet. Even Tangela looked confused by that manoeuvre. “Now use Swift!”

A stream of star-shaped projectiles were fired from Eevee’s mouth. Tangela ran to the side to dodge them, but the little golden stars followed suit. When Tangela used a vine to slap at them, a few were knocked off course, but the rest hit it squarely between the eyes. “Now, use Tackle while he’s dazed!” Beca called out, watching her Eevee dash forward.

Tangela rolled backwards from the impact with Eevee’s head. “Remember to keep some space between you, Eevee!” Beca reminded her Pokémon, nodding as Eevee pattered back to the other side of the field. 

“Hm,” Erika hummed calmly. “We may have underestimated you. Tangela, use Ancient Power.”

A glowing orb of white energy soared over the field. Beca didn’t even need to tell her Eevee to move out of the way. With another rolling manoeuvre, it dodged the orb. Beca was so focused on the attack, she hadn’t been keeping an eye on Tangela, who was now soaring through the air, having jumped with the power of its vines. “Use Slam.”

Eevee had barely gotten to his feet from rolling, and was promptly thrown backwards when Tangela harshly collided with him. Moments later, he yipped, jumping back to his feet and baring his little fangs in the most adorable, non-threatening display Beca had ever seen.

“I feel ya, buddy,” Beca grinned. “Quick Attack!”

Eevee dashed forward so quickly he literally turned into a brown streak, colliding with Tangela, who wobbled on his feet, and smoothly skidding to a stop on the other side of the field. “Now, turn!”

Eevee smoothly turned around the moment he came out of the attack. “And Quick Attack again!” Again, Eevee dashed forward, hitting Tangela in the back, skidding to a stop again, and seamlessly moving into the next Quick Attack when Beca gave the command. For the next minute, Tangela was hit with Quick Attacks from varying directions, never able to recover in time for the next attack.

After the eighth hit, Tangela keeled over, and Beca called Eevee back to her. “Tangela is unable to battle!” the referee decided. “The winner is Eevee!”

Eevee jumped up and down in joy, and Beca knelt down to ruffle the fur on his head for a moment. Erika returned her Tangela, letting another Pokéball slip out of the sleeve of her kimono. “I will use Gloom for the next battle,” she decided out loud.

Beca could not help turning up her nose when Gloom appeared on the field. Not only did the Pokémon look as unappealing as it possibly could - drooling was not a charming attribute - it also smelled fouler than the Grimer that had plagued Pallet Town during a particularly hot summer. 

Eevee didn’t seem fond of the smell either. He had his little snout pulled up in a clear display of disgust. Looking at her Pokémon, Beca realized he was breathing a little heavily. Not entirely unexpected, after that series of Quick Attacks, of course…

“Gloom, let us begin with a Giga Drain!” Erika called out. 

Beca watched as glowing green vines of energy sprouted from the top of Gloom’s head, headed straight for Eevee. “Eevee, dodge it and use Quick Attack!”

Eevee turned into a brown streak again, and the moment he did, Beca realized she had fallen for Erika’s trap. “Sleep Powder!” 

Gloom’s eyes opened wide for a moment, and then it let out a massive cloud of blue powder. Unlike Stun Spore before, this wasn’t so much a puffed out cloud. In mere moments, the entire battlefield was covered in it, and Eevee skidded across the grass because of the leftover speed of his attack. 

When he eventually collided with a wall behind Erika, he blearily opened his eyes. Beca noticed he was wobbling on his feet, and decided not to push him any harder. “C’mere, Eevee,” Beca called out, signalling to the referee, who called the victory for Gloom. “You did so well, buddy. You beat a gym leader’s Pokémon, and we’ve only been together so short!” she cooed as she held Eevee in her arms. “I bet you and I are going to win so many battles together!”

Eevee licked across her cheek, before snuggling closer to her chest and closing his eyes again. “Alright, no more taking chances,” Beca smiled. “Pidgeotto, this one is for you!”

The bird Pokémon let out a fierce cry as he flapped his wings, circling high above the battlefield. Beca decided to be patient, letting Erika make the first move. She did not have to wait long, though.

“Let’s try to get that Pidgeotto out of the sky with a Bullet Seed attack.”

“Dodge left!” Beca called, looking on as Pidgeotto shifted its weight and turned in mid-air, easily dodging the attack. “Now use Gust!”

The little whirlwind created by the flapping of Pidgeotto’s wings soared through the air and sent Gloom tumbling down, drool splattering on the ground around it. “Wing Attack while it is down!”

Pidgeotto’s wing began to glow as he swooped down, easily hitting Gloom with it, whose struggles to get back to his feet immediately stopped. “Gloom is unable to continue. The match goes to Beca from Pallet Town!”

Erika returned her Gloom, meeting Beca halfway down the battlefield. “When you started with your Eevee, I imagined you would not have any fire or flying type Pokémon,” the woman smiled easily. “I figured you would have started off with a type advantage if you could. I guess that was poor judgment on my part.”

“Eevee really wanted to prove himself,” Beca shrugged, Eevee still clutched to her chest, and Pidgeotto now perched on her shoulder.

“Your Pokémon are very well trained,” Erica complimented them, bending down a little to pat Eevee’s head. “You have really earned this Rainbow badge.”

“Thank you,” Beca smiled, her smile growing even wider as she felt Chloe hugging her from behind. 

“Good job, Becs!” she cheered. “That was an awesome battle!”

“I’m looking forward to yours,” Beca grinned, taking her Pokémon and vacating the battlefield while Chloe and Erika moved into position. 

Chloe took a ball from her belt with an excited grin. “Go, Dewgong!”

If Chloe had been surprised when Beca started off with Eevee, that had been nothing compared to Beca’s reaction to Dewgong’s appearance. “Um, Chlo? You do know Dewgong is, like, a water Pokémon?”

“Uhhuh,” Chloe nodded, apparently not at all worried.

“An odd choice,” Erika smiled. “But I see he is well trained. I suspect you have your reasons for using this Pokémon. I shall oppose it with my Vileplume!”

Vileplume looked like a larger, more capable version of the Gloom Beca had faced off against. It seemed entirely in its element here. Dewgong, meanwhile, looked kind of uncomfortable without any water to swim in. 

“Vileplume, use Petal Dance!”

It truly was a sight to behold. Hundreds of beautiful, pink petals soared through the sky, before being sent in Dewgong’s direction.

“Ice Beam!” Chloe called.

The petals froze in mid-air, fell to the ground and dissipated into nothing at all once they hit the grass. To everyone’s surprise, Dewgong did not let up with his Ice Beam. He kept it going, moving his head from side to side, and for a moment Beca wondered whether Chloe had lost control of her Pokémon. It took at least a minute for Dewgong to stop freezing everything around him.

When he was done, Beca found herself shivering, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill. The battlefield - which had consisted of grass - was now one large sheet of ice, with several small ramps, holes and blocks breaking the even surface. Had Vileplume looked in its element before, it now looked lost as to what he should do.

“Petal Blizzard!” Erika called out, not entirely unfazed by Chloe’s transformation of the battlefield. 

“Just as we practiced, Dewgong,” the redhead smiled. Dewgong used his strong tail to push himself forward, effortlessly sliding across the ice and out of the way of Vileplume’s attack. He made his way toward a small ramp, slid over it, and soared towards Vileplume. “Head Bash!”

Dewgong’s exceptionally hard skull thudded against Vileplume, who staggered backwards but recovered quickly. “Now turn!” Chloe called out, and Beca watched in amazement as Dewgong effortlessly turned around, sliding across the field as if it were an ice rink. It was, in a manner of speaking…

“Vileplume, we will use Giga Drain!”

Dewgong slipped sideways just in time to dodge the brunt of the attack, which had been a lot faster than Beca had anticipated. One of the green strands of energy, however, got a hold of Dewgong’s tail, draining the Pokémon’s energy at a rapid pace. Beca watched Chloe’s jaw setting firmly.

“Dewgong, don’t let them get you down. Finish this battle with a Blizzard!”

Using the strongest ice-type move was a clever choice, Beca realized. It clearly showed off how well-trained Chloe’s Dewgong was. It only took a few seconds for the blizzard to pick up, and then Beca was entirely unable to even see Chloe, let alone the Pokémon on the battlefield. 

For twenty long seconds, white was the only color left in the world, and nothing existed around them but cold, wet snow. When the blizzard ceased, Beca was up to her ankles in the snow. The trainers partaking in the battle had it worse, with the snow literally covering them up to their knees.

Dewgong and Vileplume were nowhere to be found for several long seconds. Then, out of nowhere, Dewgong’s head popped out of the snow with a silly grin. As he pushed himself further up, he was still barely visible in the white snow. Beca wondered what he was up to when he dug back into the snow a moment later.

It took a little while for her to realize he was digging Vileplume out of the snow.

They had to take a short break after the referee called the battle. Chloe apologized for freezing over the entire gym, and Erika assured her it was fine. The next ten minutes were spent watching Chloe’s Ninetales thawing out the battlefield again, her mere presence warming their surroundings.

When the entire gym was green again, rather than white, Erika and Chloe returned to their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield. Both trainers took their sweet time deciding which Pokémon to use for the final match of this gym battle. Chloe was the first to pick a Pokéball.

“Alright, Kirlia, it’s up to you!”

Kirlia twirled onto the battlefield with all of her usual grace. Erika took a few more seconds before she tossed her Pokéball out. “Go, Exeggutor!”

The walking palm tree that was Exeggutor looked a little goofy, Beca thought. Nevertheless, it would be foolish to underestimate the Pokémon because of it. Still, Beca didn’t think Chloe would lose this fight - after all, she was still allowed to use her Dewgong, should Kirlia not be able to withstand Exeggutor’s attacks.

“Let’s start off with Seed Bomb!” Erika called out, and the moment she did, several clusters of seeds shot towards Kirlia.

“Kirlia, use Teleport,” Chloe called out, and in a flash of light Kirlia disappeared, reappearing out of harm’s way. “Psybeam!”

Kirlia’s Psybeam hit Exeggutor from the side, but it didn’t seem to have as much effect as Chloe might have hoped, with Exeggutor being part Psychic-type as well.

“Leaf Storm!”

“Kirlia, use Confusion!”

Kirlia’s psychic powers never ceased to amaze Beca, who watched in awe as each and every leaf Exeggutor sent towards the dancing Pokémon was stopped in mid-air. With a wave of her arms, Kirlia clustered them up in one large ball, which she sent flying back towards her opponent.

“Exeggutor, Psyshock to scatter those leaves!”

Exeggutor stomped its feet on the ground, shockwaves of blue energy spreading out as he did. Erika’s plan worked, and the ball of leaves was scattered by the force of the attack, landing on the ground harmlessly.

“Your Kirlia is quite powerful,” Erika complimented with a faint smile. “It has been a while since Exeggutor’s psychic powers were challenged.”

“It doesn’t show,” Chloe grinned in response. “Kirlia, hit him with another Psybeam!”

Psybeam hit its mark, but Exeggutor shook it off easily enough. Kirlia, without instructions, teleported to the other side, letting out another Psybeam from that direction. 

“Exeggutor, we can’t hold back if we want to win this!” Erika called out. “Use Sunny Day!”

Exeggutor did a little dance on the spot, and when he was done, it suddenly became considerably warmer in the greenhouse gym. Beams of sunlight shone in through the glass ceiling, forcing Beca to squint her eyes against the light. 

“Kirlia, be on your guard. With this much sun, Exeggutor will use-”

“Solar Beam, Exeggutor!”

Whereas Solar Beam would normally need some time to charge up, the sun’s unusual power allowed Exeggutor to fire a massive beam of energy towards Kirlia without any delay. With a ballet-like leap, Kirlia evaded the attack, only for Exeggutor to immediately fire another one, which hit Kirlia so hard her little body was sent flying, landing several feet back. 

“Kirlia!” Chloe called out. “Are you alright?”

Kirlia groaned for a moment before getting to her feet. She looked as if the attack had done a fair amount of damage, Beca thought. Beca also thought she looked positively livid. “Don’t let him bully you like that, Kirlia,” Chloe called out. “One more Psybeam, and immediately Teleport!”

Kirlia performed the combination perfectly, but it didn’t seem to faze Exeggutor much. “Your Pokémon has impressive stamina, Erika!” Chloe commented. “Let’s see if he can handle this next combination! Kirlia, use Psychic!”

Kirlia’s constant twirling sped up until she suddenly stopped with her arms spread out and her eyes glowing blue. The blue outline around Exeggutor signalled the attack’s effect, and while he couldn’t move, it didn’t seem to faze him much, either. “Now, keep using Psychic, and move in for an Ice Punch!” Chloe called out.

It was impossible not to be impressed with Kirlia’s discipline. It ran towards Exeggutor, eyes still glowing blue as she didn’t let up on the Psychic attack. At the same time, one of her dainty hands began glowing a bright blue as well, until it was almost white. With a final jump, her little fist connected with one of Exeggutor’s faces.

The moment it did, Kirlia’s Psychic gave out, and Exeggutor stumbled backwards, one of its heads encased in a block of ice. “Kirlia, don’t stop now,” Chloe commanded. “Another Ice Punch while he’s off-balance!”

Kirlia moved as fast as a Pokémon of her size could manage, and the next Ice Punch connected with Exeggutor’s body, just above one of his legs. There, too, formed a block of ice, making it even more impossible for the larger Pokémon to move around. “Let’s finish this up with a Fire Punch!” Chloe smirked.

Kirlia’s left hand had barely lost the glow from her Ice Punch when her right hand erupted in flames. She jumped up again, hitting one of Exeggutor’s unharmed faces. With a final stagger, Exeggutor fell backwards and didn’t get back up. 

Erika recalled her Pokémon, smiling serenely as the referee decided Chloe had won the match. Chloe knelt down next to Kirlia, patting her head carefully. “Still not evolving, huh?” she asked with a wan smile. Kirlia stopped twirling all of a sudden, just long enough to send Chloe a sharp look.  “Okay, okay, I know…” Chloe sighed. “Well, go get some rest then. You did great, Kirlia,” Chloe smiled, returning the Pokémon to her ball.

“I never really expected to win this match,” Erika smiled as she stepped up to them. “You really are as good as Maylene said you were.”

Chloe shrugged modestly, accepting the Rainbow badge from Erika’s hand. 

“Wait, you know Maylene?” Beca asked.

Erika nodded calmly. “Most gym leaders know each other, at least a little. There are gym leader conventions, Pokémon League events, and we’re tasked with checking each other’s gyms sometimes, to see if they keep to the rules. Not to mention there are not many trainers at the level of a gym leader, so we tend to train together a lot, too.”

“That… makes sense,” Beca nodded. “It must be so cool to be a gym leader.”

“Keep training, and one day you might find out,” Erika smiled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think there is another challenger waiting for his turn.”

They turned around to find a timid young boy standing at the edge of the battlefield, just beside the door. “Good luck!” Chloe smiled at him as they vacated the gym. “I’m sure you’ll do great!”

“So, what do we do now?” Beca asked as they stepped outside again. “Do we leave Celadon today?”

“I think we should let Nurse Joy look at our Pokémon first,” Chloe decided after a few seconds of thinking. “Especially Eevee and Kirlia. They took a few hits, after all.”

“Fair enough,” Beca nodded as Chloe linked their arms and set off in the opposite direction Beca had intended to go. 

“I was surprised you picked Eevee for your first Pokémon,” Chloe told her after a while. “I imagined you’d go with Pidgeotto and Ivysaur.”

“Eevee really wanted to prove himself,” Beca smiled, “being the new one to the team and all that. I figured I should have a little faith in him. I have no doubt each of my Pokémon would have done great. And winning isn’t always the most important thing, right?”

Chloe let out a clear laugh. “Look at you, Becs! Becoming a better Pokémon trainer with every passing day.”

“Only because of you,” Beca murmured. “I’d still be at the bottom of that cliff without you.”

“Nah,” Chloe shrugged. “You’d have become great without my help, too. I’m sure of it.”

“Maybe,” Beca conceded. “But I’m glad I never had to find out.”

Chapter Text

“Do you know how to ride a bicycle?”

Beca looked sideways. They had just left Celadon city behind after a good night’s rest. It was still quite early, and the weak sunlight was making the red in Chloe’s hair even more pronounced, as if it had a golden gleam.

“Of course I do,” she answered the random question. “Why are you asking?”

“We’ll reach the cycling road soon,” Chloe explained. “It’s the quickest way to reach Fuchsia City. If we rent bicycles, we should be in Fuchsia late tomorrow, or early the day after if we take our sweet time.”

“I thought we weren’t in a hurry?” Beca asked with a raised eyebrow.

“We’re not,” Chloe confirmed. “And I don’t mind walking there, if you’d rather… I just thought it would be fun.”

“Okay,” Beca nodded immediately.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s do it. The cycling thing, I mean.”

“Awes!” Chloe cheered, with a happy little skip-and-jump. 

Beca shook her head fondly. It was so easy to make Chloe happy sometimes…

It took them about three hours of walking - it was closing in on noon now - to reach the little building that signalled the beginning of the cycling road. Beca had grown up learning to ride a bicycle, but she had never seen quite so many of them in one place - there were dozens of them lined up outside the building, and even more inside.

They stopped outside for a few minutes, scarfing down the sandwiches Chloe had prepared that morning. When their lunch was finished, they stepped into the rental office and asked for two bicycles. The owner regarded them for a moment, before leading them to bicycles that should fit their lengths well enough. 

Beca glared daggers at the man when he led her to a section only a few feet removed from the kids sign on the wall. Her glare extended to Chloe as well when she heard the redhead snickering behind them.

Ignoring Beca’s expression, the shopkeeper led them and their bicycles to a different door than the one they had entered the shop through, explaining it would lead them directly onto the cycling road. He wished them a pleasant journey, informing them the weather looked to be good for the foreseeable future, and with a jaunty wave he stepped back inside.

“Ready to go?” Chloe asked with a wide smile.

“Yeah, but I’m probably not as fit as you are, and may need a little time to get used to it again, so let’s go slow?”

“Yeah, sure thing!” Chloe agreed easily. They kicked off, and then they were soaring down the cycling road. It didn’t take long for Beca to realize why Chloe had suggested this - they really did make great time this way, and after a few minutes, they got a clear view of the ocean, stretching out on their right.

Occasionally, they would encounter another cyclist, headed in the opposite direction, or overtaking them and disappearing in the distance. It was surprisingly relaxing, with the sun on their faces and the wind their hair, and Chloe was practically glowing, and yeah, the ocean vista was pretty neat, too, Beca thought to herself.

She had been right, of course, when she said Chloe was fitter than she herself was. No matter how hard she tried, Chloe was always just a little in front of her. Yet, every time Beca slowed down, so would she, and they managed to carry on a comfortable conversation while speeding down the cycling road.

Beca didn’t mind the fact she couldn’t get in front of Chloe. She had to admit it wasn’t half bad to admire the way Chloe’s muscles moved as she cycled. It made Beca feel jealous, because she could see muscles rippling - muscles she was pretty certain she didn’t even own.

She was so busy staring at Chloe, she almost cycled right into a group of bikers, who were forming a large circle, blocking both lanes of the cycling road, just before the flag marking the halfway point. How she could have missed them, she couldn’t tell, since there were at least twenty of them, and they were cheering and jeering loudly.

It took some effort to break through the circle, weaving in-between the smelly, bulky men, each of them holding a can of cheap beer in their fists. Once they did break through, though, and were able to see what was happening inside the circle, they felt horrified.

Inside the circle was a Ponyta. It was panicking, running from one side of the small circle to the other, before being chased back by one of the shouting men. They seemed to think it was a fun game, but the Ponyta was shaking in fear, the flames running across its back flaring up from time to time. 

The game took an entirely different turn when Ponyta, blind with panic, launched into a Fire Spin attack, sending the bikers packing, their bikes rumbling down toward Celadon City at break-neck speed.

“How did it get here?” Beca wondered out loud.

“Only thing I can think of is a trainer having abandoned her,” Chloe muttered in response. “We can’t just leave it here.”

Beca nodded in agreement. “But what can we do?”

Chloe shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t think it’ll come with us willingly,” she pointed out slowly. “So I think one of us will have to capture her… But it doesn’t feel right to battle a Pokémon when it is in this state...”

Beca agreed with that sentiment, but she, too, did not see any other option. “I’ll do it,” she decided. “A fire-type Pokémon could be a good addition to my team, if she’ll stay with me.”

“If?”

“If she doesn’t want to travel with me,” Beca told her earnestly, “I’ll set her free once we’re off the cycling road.”

Beca considered her option for a moment, before making a decision. She would do this the most friendly way she could think of, and thus she picked her Gastly, releasing him from his ball. “Okay, Gastly, listen up. We don’t want to hurt this Ponyta, but it can’t stay here, so we have to catch it.”

Gastly gave a determined nod, eagerly waiting for orders. Before Beca got a chance to give him any, Ponyta launched an Ember attack. Gastly disappeared into thin air, reappearing a moment later, entirely unscathed. “Alright, use Hypnosis!”

As Gastly’s eyes took on a blue glow, and he hovered right in front of the panicking Ponyta, the fire Pokémon’s moves slowed. A few seconds later, its eyes began drooping, and then she sank through her legs, landing softly against the railing of the cycling road. 

“Chloe, can you hand me one of the Great Balls we bought?” Beca asked, not taking her eyes off the Ponyta. “I didn’t really weaken it, so I don’t think a regular ball is going to cut it.”

“Good thinking,” Chloe muttered, moments before Beca felt the weight of a Pokéball being pressed into her hand. 

She threw the ball, wincing when it struck the side of Ponyta’s head. In a flash of light, the Pokémon disappeared inside, and both women looked on anxiously as the ball continued to wiggle for a full three minutes, before finally clicking shut.

“I would congratulate you on capturing a Ponyta,” Chloe began slowly. “But I’m not entirely certain how I feel about this situation…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Beca responded quietly, picking the ball up and fastening it to her belt. “We’ll see how Ponyta feels about it when we get off the road. That’s the only opinion that matters…”

With heavy hearts, they climbed back on their bicycles. They needed about ninety minutes to reach the end of the cycling road, where they handed in their mounts to a man who looked so much like the man that had rented them their bicycles, Beca, for a long moment, feared they had gotten turned around and actually cycled back . 

But of course they hadn’t - Chloe would have noticed if they had. The shopkeepers, so the man explained, were twins, both of them working the bicycle shops on either end of the road. 

They left the shop, and unanimously agreed they had traveled enough for the day. They walked for fifteen more minutes, before Chloe steered them into an open field, pointing out a few old trees would make nice cover for their camp tonight.

While the redhead made a small fire and set to cook them a simple dinner, Beca walked into the field, away from Chloe and their camp, and carefully released Ponyta from the Great Ball.

As soon as she appeared, Ponyta whinnied, immediately kicking with her hind legs afterwards, and sending out several small flames. Beca, who had taken a few steps back, waited patiently. 

After a few minutes, Ponyta calmed enough to notice the trainer sitting in the grass next to her. With a guarded look in her eyes, she stepped closer. “Hey there,” Beca smiled as gently as she could. “My name’s Beca. I’m sorry my Gastly and I had to fight you… And I’m sorry for capturing you like I did… But you were in a pretty bad place, and I couldn’t just let you stay there… You’d have gotten hurt pretty badly…”

Ponyta turned her head sideways, clearly not pleased with the way events played out. “Alright, fair enough,” Beca nodded. “But here, listen… If you don’t want to be my Pokémon, that’s okay. You don’t need to stay with me… If you want to be a free Pokémon, I’ll release you… I can set you free, and then you can do whatever you want… Would you prefer that?”

Taking Ponyta's behaviour in regard, Beca had expected her to immediately jump at the opportunity. Instead, it sank through its legs and lay down in front of her, taking a few mouthfuls of grass and munching on it leisurely. Beca watched, patiently, waiting for Ponyta to tell her what would happen next. 

After fifteen minutes, Ponyta got back to her feet, whinnied one final time, and then stepped closer to Beca, pressing her snout to the side of Beca’s face for a moment. Then, without any indication of her feelings, she made her way to the Great Ball, pressed her hoof to it, and disappeared inside.

“So I guess Ponyta will be joining us then, huh?” Chloe’s voice came from right behind her. “In that case, I suppose congratulations are in order.”

“Yeah, I suppose they are,” Beca smiled weakly, picking up the ball and clipping it back to her belt. “Still don’t really know how Ponyta feels about all this, though.”

“She chose to stay with you, that much was clear. Maybe that’s enough for now…”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Beca agreed, smiling a little wider now, as she took Chloe’s hand so the other woman could help her to her feet. 

“Dinner is ready. I even cooked some vegetables today!”

They were halfway through their dinner when Chloe spoke up again. “Um, Becs, I was thinking… We didn’t unzip our sleeping bags last time we used them. Do you want me to take care of that or-”

“Nah,” Beca interrupted. “Leave them zipped together.”

Despite the fact Chloe had ducked her head, and it was already growing rather dark here in this field, Beca could make out the excited little grin Chloe sported. It didn’t come as a surprise when, barely an hour later, Chloe yawned and stretched exaggeratedly. 

“Alright you dork, get in the sleeping bag. I’ll join you in a minute,” Beca told her with a fond roll of her eyes.

--

They woke up early the following morning, shortly after each other. Beca felt Chloe pull away, only a few minutes after she woke up. The redhead was free to do so, of course, if she wanted to. But, just in case this was about Beca’s comfort more than Chloe’s, the brunette tightened her arm just a little, signalling it was okay for Chloe to remain sidled up against her.

With a happy sigh, Chloe’s muscles relaxed, and she melted back in their positions, her face pressed in the crook of Beca’s neck. It took a few minutes before she opened her mouth. “Becs? Is this weird?”

Beca considered her answer carefully, before giving a small shake of her head. “No, not weird. Comfortable. A little strange, maybe, but only because it’s… new.”

With a quiet hum, they lapsed back into silence, until Chloe spoke up again half an hour later. “We should reach Fuchsia City today. The fifth gym on your journey through Kanto… It’s also home to the Safari Zone.”

“I read a little about that,” Beca smiled. “It’s a Pokémon habitat, right? Heavily protected, and all that?”

“Yeah, it’s carefully monitored,” Chloe confirmed. “Pokémon trainers are allowed into some parts of the reservation, depending on the time of year, where they are allowed to catch a certain number, or a certain species of Pokémon. I think we should check it out when we get to Fuchsia.”

“Hoping to find anything specific?”

“Not really, but I love seeing new Pokémon, and it might be a good opportunity for you to round out your team.”

Beca hummed in agreement. “Before we leave, though, I want to check in with Ponyta again.”

“Yeah, of course,” Chloe nodded, her nose brushing the skin of Beca’s throat. “I’ll whip up breakfast.”

If Beca was disappointed when Chloe’s soft, warm body slipped out of the sleeping bag a minute later, she opted not to say anything about it. Instead, she got dressed, walked out into the field, and released Ponyta.

The Pokémon had clearly gotten over its panic, appearing in the field calmly, almost dignified. Nevertheless, she turned her head away from Beca the moment she could. “Still not happy about me, huh?” Beca smiled weakly. “I guess I can’t really blame you. The offer still stands, in case you want to take me up on it and be released…”

That got Ponyta’s attention - the small horse-Pokémon came bounding towards Beca, nudging her with her snout and rubbing up against her sides in the most affectionate way Beca had ever seen any Pokémon do. “Now, now, Ponyta,” Beca smiled, carefully stepping away. “I get the feeling you really don’t want to be left alone again, right?”

Ponyta rubbed her snout against Beca’s hand gingerly, as if afraid to upset Beca somehow. “Now, now, little one,” Beca cooed. “Don’t you worry. You’re free to go if you want to, but I’d never just leave you behind…”

The flames running across Ponyta’s body flared up for a moment, making Beca take a step back. Ponyta nickered, sounding like she was laughing at Beca’s reaction. “You’re a temperamental little thing, aren’t you?” Beca smiled. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine, hm?”

--

Fuchsia City, Beca had to admit, was a little underwhelming.

With all the large cities they had been to lately - Saffron, Vermillion, Celadon - Fuchsia seemed more like a village in the middle of the woods than an actual city. Most of the buildings were even made out of wood, rather than concrete, and most of the roads consisted of gravel. 

“This is Fuchsia?” Beca asked, just to make sure they weren’t passing through a village.

“It is,” Chloe confirmed. “Not what you expected?”

“I don’t know,” Beca shrugged. “It doesn’t look like much.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Chloe nodded with a grin. “But I assure you this really is Fuchsia. See, that building over there is the gym. And if I’m not mistaken, those fences over there are the outer edge of the safari zone.”

“Where should we go first? Gym or safari?”

“Whichever you prefer. If we go to the safari zone first, you may be able to catch something that can help in the gym battle, though.”

Beca shook her head immediately. “I already know which Pokémon I plan to use.”

“Want to go to the gym first, then? We can head over to the Pokémon Center after, and hit the safari zone tomorrow. If it’s even open, that is…”

“Alright yeah, that sounds like a plan.”

The Fuchsia Gym was exactly where Chloe had pointed it out earlier. Like the rest of the city, the building didn’t look like much. If anything, it was an oversized hut, surrounded by sturdy pine trees on all sides. 

The sliding door opened as they stepped up, and the fact that Beca couldn’t find the person who had done so freaked her out a little. The building apparently only consisted of one room, containing the battlefield and nothing else. It was also entirely empty.

“Um, hello?” 

There was a sudden flash of light, and then smoke, and suddenly there was a young woman standing across the battlefield. “Welcome to the Fuchsia Gym!” the woman spoke seriously. “I am Janine, the gym leader of this most prestigious institution!”

The woman seemed quite young, but Beca knew better than to comment on that. Mylene was younger, after all, and she was apparently an accomplished gym leader too. Age really did not matter in this case. 

She was about to respond when someone cleared his throat, making both women look around for the source of the sound. With another puff of smoke, an older man appeared behind Janine. 

“Ninjas? Really?” Beca whispered behind her hand, making Chloe shrug and giggle. 

“Gym leader-in-training,” Janine reluctantly corrected her earlier statement. 

“And I am Koga, the official gym leader. At least until my daughter finishes her training. Welcome, challengers, to the Fuchsia Gym.”

“Thank you, sir,” Chloe smiled. “We are both here to challenge you for the Soul Badge.” 

“Hm, I see,” Koga nodded, eyeing them for a moment. “If that is the case, I suggest we make this a double battle. The two of you, facing off against me and my daughter. One Pokémon each.”

“A… double battle?” Beca asked hesitantly. “Is that… Are we allowed to do that?”

“We are,” Chloe confirmed, voice certain and steadfast. “Although they cannot force us in this case, since the Fuchsia Gym is not registered as an official doubles-only gym.”

“You are correct,” Koga nodded. “But it would be a good opportunity for me to train with my daughter, and the experience might benefit the two of you, as well.”

“What do you say, Becs? Up for joining forces?”

“You bet,” Beca smiled, hand already reaching for a Pokéball.

With yet another puff of smoke, a ninja-referee appeared out of nowhere. “This battle is between the Fuchsia gym leaders, Koga and Janine, and the challengers…”

“Beca from Pallet Town,” Beca supplied helpfully.

“And Chloe from Sunyshore.”

“... Each trainer will use only one Pokémon in this double battle. The match is over when both Pokémon of either team are unable to continue.”

Janine and Koga both took a Pokéball from a pouch on their bags, throwing them out at exactly the same time. “Go, Venomoth!” Janine called out.

“Weezing!” 

Both Pokémon looked powerful and well-trained. Secretly, Beca was glad to have Chloe on her side, which would almost certainly work out in her favor. All she had to do was ensure she didn’t muck things up for the both of them. “Go, Eevee!”

Chloe regarded the battlefield for a moment, before picking a ball too. “Luxray, you’re up!”

Beca smiled as both Koga and his daughter eyed the Luxray warily, her fur crackling with static electricity. She figured neither of them had ever seen one before - trainers from Sinnoh did not often find their way to Kanto, after all.

Luxray kept her head held high, not at all intimidated by its opponents. It sent a quick sideward glance to Eevee, and Beca wasn’t certain how the majestic Pokémon would feel about having to team up with such a tiny ball of fluff. 

Eevee looked determined to win, though, and Beca wanted him to have the chance to prove himself. 

“Venomoth, use Silver Wind!” came Janine’s command, calm and collected.

“Eevee, dodge using Quick Attack!”

“You too, Lux!”

Both of their Pokémon turned into a blur of brown and blue respectively, dodging in two different directions. Luxray came to a stop after a brief burst of speed, but Eevee continued on. “Nice going, Eevee! Bounce off the wall and use Tackle on Venomoth!”

In one fluid motion, Eevee jumped up against the wall, using his leftover momentum to launch himself toward the purple moth. Just before he’d hit, though, Weezing came in-between them.

“Use Sludge.”

Beca watched in horror as Weezing opened his mouth and a nasty purple goo came spilling out. She was certain Eevee would be covered with it in a second, but then a blue streak flashed by. When Beca finally realized what was going on, Luxray was on the other side of the battlefield, Eevee dangling from its mouth by his tail.

“Thanks,” Beca muttered to Chloe, who shrugged easily.

“This isn’t Lux’s first double battle. Alright Lux, good job, now let’s make short work of this!”

“I think not!” Koga called from the other side. “Weezing, use Smoke Screen!”

Seconds later, the entire battlefield was covered in smoke, leaving everyone looking around in confusion. Chloe still looked quite calm, and it only took a split-second for Beca to realize why. “Your Luxray can see through walls,” she muttered. “So she can still see everything now, too, right?”

Chloe gave a confident nod. 

“Eevee, jump on Luxray’s back and hold on tight!” Beca commanded.

“Luxray, into the smoke!” 

The two Pokémon did as they were told. The two gym leaders looked baffled as to their plans. “Luxray, get behind Venomoth!”

“Eevee, when you see it, use Take Down to get it out of the air!”

Making use of the fact that Venomoth, too, could not see in the smoke, Eevee launched itself from Luxray’s back at just the right moment, hitting Venomoth in the back. They came tumbling out of the cloud of smoke a few seconds later, Venomoth on its back with Eevee triumphantly standing on top of him. “Now, use Swift!”

With only a few inches between them, Eevee’s Swift attack dealt massive damage to Venomoth, who weakly fluttered its wings in an attempt to get out from underneath Eevee. 

“Luxray, find Weezing and force him out into the open!”

“Eevee, finish off Venomoth with a Body Slam!”

Luxray could be heard dashing around in the smoke. Meanwhile, Eevee jumped upwards, somersaulting in mid-air and forcefully landing back on top of Venomoth, whose attempts to get up finally ended. 

“Venomoth is unable to continue!” the referee called out.

A second later, Weezing came bouncing out of the smoke, Luxray hot on his proverbial heels. Weezing was quick to recover, hovering higher, leaving him out of the reach of Luxray’s paws. “Weezing, use Explosion!”

“Eevee, quick, use Charm!”

Eevee dashed forward, fluffing up his tail and sitting down in front of Weezing, who was gearing up for his most powerful attack. Catching sight of Eevee, who was looking up at him with his adorable little face, eyes large and watery, Weezing faltered just long enough.

“Luxray, use Thunderbolt!”

Lightning enveloped Weezing, who closed his eyes tightly, all intentions to explode now out the window. Still, the attack didn’t seem to be quite enough to eliminate Weezing from battle. Beca watched for a few seconds, before a thought sparked in her mind. “Eevee, let’s try Helping Hand!”

Eevee gave a quick nod, jumping so he was next to Luxray, pressing one of his paws to one of Luxray’s, after which the larger Pokémon became enveloped in a multi-coloured aura. Immediately, Luxray’s Thunderbolt became considerably more powerful.

It only took a few more seconds for Weezing to succumb to the attack, limply falling to the ground, where he groaned a final time and expelled a few puffs of gas. “Weezing is unable to battle! The match goes to the challengers!”

“Alright!” Beca cheered, erupting into laughter as Luxray jumped towards Eevee, picking him up with his strong jaws, tossing him into the air and catching him on her back, before proudly prancing back towards their trainers. 

“Nicely done, Lux!” Chloe cooed, running her hand through the thick fur. “And you too, Eevee. You really are a lot like your mom, you know?”

Eevee let out a happy yelp, jumping onto Chloe’s shoulder, licking her cheek, and launching himself towards Beca, who caught him in her arms, twirling him around for a moment.

“You two were amazing!”

“Yes, they were,” Koga agreed, having walked towards them. “I cannot remember the last time I was defeated so quickly. It seems Janine is not the only one who has things to learn.”

“But father, you have been a gym leader for thirty years!” Janine objected.

“Let that be a lesson, child,” Koga smiled with a hand on her shoulder. “You’re never done learning. Even I keep learning new things with every battle. Now, present these trainers with the badge they have so rightfully earned.”

Janine gave a nod, reaching behind her and holding out two shiny, purple, heart-shaped badges. “It is my honor to present you with the Soul Badge of the Fuchsia Gym. You have battled admirably. There was no shame in us losing this battle.”

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled with a nod, taking the badge and sliding it into the pocket of her jacket. Beca took her own badge, admiring it for a moment, before pinning it on her jacket with the other badges. 

“You are now only three badges removed from joining the Indigo League at the Indigo Plateau,” Koga told them. “With everything the two of you have shown here today, I have no doubts you will do well.”

“Thank you for battling me,” Janine added with a reverent nod. “I learned a lot today.”

They said their goodbyes then, and, as they walked outside, Beca felt Chloe’s fingers linking through her own. “You and Eevee battled well.”

“We had good partners,” Beca smiled, nudging Chloe with her elbow. “Getting to double battle with you on my team made this an easy win. Even if you did hold back.”

Chloe shrugged, but didn’t deny it. 

“I’m kind of beat now, though. Can we go find the Center and sleep?”

The Pokécenter, like the rest of the city, was made out of wood, and looked like it might collapse onto itself any moment. Chloe assured her they’d be fine, though, so Beca hesitantly followed her inside, where they were greeted by Nurse Joy and her Chansey. “Welcome to the Fuchsia Pokécenter. Would you like me to check out your Pokémon?”

“No, thanks,” Beca smiled. After all, neither of their Pokémon had taken damage during their gym battle. “We’d like a room for the night, though?”

“One room?” Nurse Joy asked, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. 

“Yes,” Beca answered curtly. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” Nurse Joy smiled, her voice laced with objection. “Not at all.”

“Good,” Beca responded, hand already held out for their key. “Key please.”

“Of course,” Nurse Joy smiled, and Beca wondered how this Nurse Joy could be so different from all the Joys she had met during their travels. With the key in hand, she turned around without another word, dragging Chloe with her.

“What was her problem?” Beca fumed once they were out of earshot. 

“She probably didn’t like the idea of us sharing a room.”

“Yeah, no, I got that ,” Beca huffed. “But what was her problem?”

“Um, well, I imagine she thought we were… You know, um, romantically involved,” Chloe explained with a quiet voice.

“But we’re not!” Beca continued to exclaim her frustration, unaware of the flash of emotion on Chloe’s face. “And even if we were, that wouldn’t give her the right to treat us like that!”

“I agree,” Chloe muttered, placing two hands on Beca’s shoulder. “Now, deep breaths. No use getting worked up over this, okay?”

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Beca asked, frowning.

Chloe shrugged. “A little, yeah. But you can’t change the way people think, Becs. Trust me, I know that better than most.”

“What does that mean?” Beca asked, voice suddenly softer.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Chloe brushed it off. 

If there was one thing Beca knew, it was when not to push. So she nodded, wrapped her arms around Chloe and pulled her in for a hug. “Alright, fair enough. If you change your mind, just say the word. You can tell me anything.” 

“Thanks, Becs,” Chloe sighed. “Let’s go take a nap. If we wake up in time, we might even be able to check out the safari zone today.”

“That would beat staying in this Pokémon Center another night,” Beca nodded, eyeing the wall. “There’s literally two inches between those planks, and they have the audacity to call it a wall?”

“I’m pretty sure Nurse Joy gave us the shabbiest room,” Chloe shrugged. “It will probably get pretty cold here tonight.”

“Good thing we have each other, then,” Beca smiled with a wink.

--

They napped for ninety minutes exactly. Without words, they agreed to go and check the safari zone, and they slipped into their shoes again, gathering their stuff up and trudging back downstairs. Nurse Joy was still at the desk, eyeing them intently. “Don’t get your hopes up!” Beca called out. “We’ll still be staying the night!”

Nurse joy watched them leave with narrowed eyes, and an obviously fake smile. Beca couldn’t care less, though, as she linked her arm with Chloe’s and let the redhead drag her off into the right direction. 

Fuchsia being the small city it was, they arrived mere minutes later. Stepping into a building that appeared to be a tourist center of sorts, they were greeted by an elderly gentleman, who introduced himself as the owner of the safari zone. “Are you here for a bus tour, or did you want to go in on foot and see if you can catch some Pokémon?”

“Definitely the latter,” Beca answered for both of them.

“Absolutely,” Chloe confirmed. “Are we allowed to?”

“Oh, yes, certainly,” the man nodded. “We have not been getting a lot of trainers lately, and the habitat is starting to feel a little crowded. You’re allowed to catch any Pokémon you come across, but I must ask that you leave the Kangaskhan and the Tangela alone when you see them.”

“Understood,” they both nodded.

“You know the rules?”

“I do,” Chloe smiled, “but remind me, just to be sure.”

The man gave a nod, and Beca could see that Chloe had said exactly the right thing. “You are only allowed to use safari balls in the habitat - any Pokémon you capture will be transferred into regular Pokéballs upon your return. There is no battling in the safari zone - you are allowed to lure Pokémon using Pokéblock or other officially-approved Pokémon foods, but you are not allowed to bring in your own concoctions.”

Both women nodded again. “And the time limit?” Chloe asked.

“Normally, trainers are allowed to stay in the habitat for exactly one hour before being led back by their guide. Due to the fact you are the first trainers to enter the habitat in the past two months, I think we can dispense with the time limit just this once.”

They signed the required forms, and were then allowed into the safari zone. Immediately, Beca could see that humans had very little influence here - there were narrow paths leading in various directions, but other than that, there was nothing that betrayed a human presence. And even the paths she could see looked like they’d been made by Pokémon stomping over the same trail time after time.

“So, where to?” Beca asked, nudging Chloe’s arm.

“How should I know?” Chloe grinned. “It’s not like I’ve been here before, and know which Pokémon live where. I mean, I don’t even know what Pokémon we’re looking for!”

“Let’s take this path,” Beca suggested, pointing to the trail leading into the area where the forest looked to be at its most dense. 

“Works for me!” Chloe agreed chipperly.

They set off down the trail, fast enough to make decent progress, but quiet enough not to startle all the Pokémon away from their location. Beca was mesmerised by all the Pokémon around her, even if she had yet to find anything particularly rare - there were Pinsir, clamped to trees to suck the sap out, and small grass Pokémon like Oddish, Exeggcute and Bellsprout rummaging in the underbrush.

They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes when, out of the blue, a Chansey crossed their paths, leisurely strolling out of the bushes, and stopping in the middle of the trail to regard them. The Pokémon seemed to be smiling, but also appeared somewhat anxious.

Immediately, Chloe crouched, taking a small box from her backpack. She contemplated its contents for a moment before picking two pink blocks and tossing them on the ground in between her and the Chansey. The pink Pokémon looked at the Pokéblock for a moment, before stepping forward and nibbling from it.

When the Pokémon finished with its snack, it looked up, eyeing Chloe for a brief moment before waggling closer. Tossing out another Pokéblock, Chloe lured it even closer, and Chansey was gobbling it up. Then, without warning, Chansey hopped forward, tapped one of the safari balls on Chloe’s belt, and disappeared inside.

“Huh, guess you caught a Chansey,” Beca snorted. 

“That was weird. Wild Chansey are exceedingly rare…” Chloe mused, studying the ball that contained her new friend. “I can’t believe how easy that was.”

Beca shrugged, taking Chloe’s hand in her own as they continued down the path. “If I were a Pokémon, I’d want you to catch me too.”

“Really?” Chloe chuckled.

“Absolutely. I mean, look at you. You’re… You .”

“I don’t know what that means,” Chloe laughed easily.

“You’re like… amazingly talented. You’re kind and caring, supportive. Possibly the friendliest person I’ve ever met… Had I mentioned you are unfairly pretty?”

“You think I’m pretty?” Chloe asked, sounding genuinely surprised, which was stupid, because of course Beca thought Chloe was pretty. 

“Um, yeah? But can we like, not make this awkward?” Beca grimaced. “You’re super hot, but let’s pretend I never said that, okay? Okay.”

For a moment, Chloe looked like she was about to tease Beca about her sappiness, and Beca could pinpoint the exact moment the redhead seemed to think better of it. Her smile went from mischievous to a more subdued, gentle grin. “Thanks, Beca. That’s the nicest compliment anyone’s ever given me, I think.”

Opting to literally step out of the awkward sappiness, Beca continued walking down the path, Chloe easily falling in sync, clearly able to feel out Beca’s need for this conversation to be over. 

“You’re pretty hot yourself, by the way.” 

The compliment made her stumble a bit, Chloe’s hands grasping her elbow to keep her upright as she chuckled under her breath. “Woops, sorry.”

“Shut up.”

Surprisingly, Chloe obeyed Beca’s grumbled command, and they continued walking on silently. Silences between them were never uncomfortable, unlike Beca’s experiences with silence in general. She and her father were national champions in awkward silences, and even most of her childhood friends found it difficult to keep a conversation going with Beca. Never Chloe, though.

“Look at those trees,” Chloe commented quietly.

Beca looked up from the gathering of Pikachu she had been watching to see several trees with deep gashes in their trunks. “Whoa, someone’s been doing some anger management here.”

As they continued, they found several trees that had once been sturdy, with thick trunks and branches, cut into pieces, and wood scattered all around them.

They were barely able to jump aside when a massive Tauros came thundering out of the forest, eyes wide in panic as he stomped past them, not caring one ounce to change his direction to not trample the trainers in his path.

The reason for his panic came flashing out from between the trees seconds later, blades swooshing in the air so fast Beca could hear the sharp hiss in the air. The Scyther was a little smaller than a regular Scyther, and he looked like he felt he needed to make up for it. Beca had no doubt this Scyther was responsible for felling all these trees - it certainly looked angry enough. 

Noticing the trainers, Scyther ceased his pursuit of the Tauros he had, presumably, been battling with. He turned toward them, menacingly waving his blades around. Beca’s hand was already on its way to her Pokéball - not because she wanted to battle this Scyther, but because she wanted to be able to defend herself - when Chloe’s hand caught ahold of her wrist.

The redhead gave her a decisive shake of her head, a small frown marring her face. “We can’t, Becs.”

Beca nodded in return, returning her attention to Scyther. “We can’t battle you!” she yelled at it. “Shoo!”

It only seemed to incense Scyther more, as he cried out fiercely. With a healthy amount of trepidation, Beca realized the Pokémon looked like he was about to charge them. And, indeed, a second later, he dashed forward.

Despite the speed with which Scyther moved, time seemed to slow to a crawl for Beca. Scyther was clearly headed for Chloe, one of his bladed arms raised high above his head, ready to come down in a devastating attack. 

Beca knew, instinctively, that Chloe wouldn’t do a damn thing to defend herself. To her, the Pokémon in this habitat were holy, and she wouldn’t release one of her Pokémon to defend herself against them. Knowing this, and seeing Chloe flinch backwards, Beca took a split-second decision.

With a short but certain step sideways, she stepped in between Scyther and Chloe. Knowing this idea to be stupendously idiotic - but still consciously making it for Chloe’s sake - Beca closed her eyes and waited for the impact. 

Two seconds later, she opened them again, finding the very tip of Scyther’s blade two inches removed from her nose.

“Bec!” Chloe cried out. “Are you-”

“Shh, I’m fine, Chloe,” Beca responded, more calmly than she felt, never breaking eye-contact with Scyther.

Taking a deep breath, Beca brought her hand up, slapping the Pokémon’s blade away from her face. “How dare you!” she snapped at the Pokémon, who looked a little startled at being told off in such tones. Clearly, he wasn’t used to someone speaking up against him. “You should be ashamed of yourself, attacking someone who can’t defend herself,” she continued with narrowed eyes. “Do you think that makes you a tough guy?”

Scyther made a few swings with his blades, but didn’t look as confident as he had before. “No, we’re not going to fight you,” Beca shook her head calmly. “I get that you want to prove yourself, but this isn’t the way to do that.”

Scyther stuck the tips of his blades in the sand next to his feet, eyeing the two of them angrily. “But if you want, you can come with us,” Beca continued, sounding less certain of herself now. “There are going to be tons of tough Pokémon to battle on our journey. Well-trained Pokémon, who specialize in battling. Not like the wild Pokémon here.”

Scyther cocked his head sideways, eyeing Beca warily. For a long moment, it felt like he was testing Beca, who refused to back down or cast her eyes down. And then, after almost a minute of complete stillness, Scyther dipped his head in what could only be considered a nod. Beca unclipped one of the safari balls from her belt. “Are you sure?”

Scyther nodded again, closing his eyes as he waited to be captured. Beca carefully tossed the ball, which softly hit Scyther’s shoulder, and then the Pokémon disappeared in a flash of green light. After a few wiggles, the Pokéball stopped moving, and Beca moved to retreat it, before turning back to Chloe.

“That was intense, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chloe breathed shakily. “You’re an idiot, you know that, right?” she suddenly snapped, hands on her hips. “What if Scyther hadn’t stopped his attack?”

“Then I’d rather it be me than you,” Beca shrugged awkwardly. “We both know you didn’t plan to defend yourself.”

Chloe continued to regard her angrily, and then her expression crumpled into a teary-eyed smile, and she launched herself forward to tackle Beca into a hug that literally sent them crashing to the ground. “You’re still an idiot,” Chloe sniffled against Beca’s shoulder.

Bringing her hands around to rest on Chloe’s back, Beca held her friend tightly. “I didn’t want to worry you, Chlo. I just didn’t want you to get hurt…”

“I know,” Chloe sniffled, making no move to get up. “But I thought he’d…”

“Shush, it’s fine,” Beca calmed her friend. “We’re all fine, okay? Nothing happened. I got more hurt when you tackled me to the ground like an overly affectionate Eevee than when Scyther leapt at us.”

Beca regretted her comment immediately, because it spurred Chloe to let go of her and climb to her feet, pulling Beca up as well and regarding her with worried eyes. “Didn’t hurt you for real, right?” 

“Nah, I’m good,” Beca smiled with another shrug, yelping when Chloe began to pat her clothes to get the sand off. A thrill went through her when Chloe’s hands brushed over her ass, undoubtedly by accident and entirely platonic. Shaking her head, Beca decided she really wasn’t ready to think about why she didn’t want Chloe to stop touching her.

And the very moment she came to that decision, Chloe smiled at her and stepped back. “Well, now that you have a Scyther, do you want to continue, or head back?”

“I’m fine either way,” Beca decided immediately. “I think I may have had enough excitement for one day.”

“Yeah, let’s head back.”

--

“You’re back.”

“Well, don’t sound too happy about it,” Beca countered Nurse Joy’s comment snarkily. “We did book a room for the night, remember?”

“Unfortunately, the kitchen is closed,” Nurse Joy smiled, far too sweetly.

“That’s okay,” Chloe shrugged. “We ate at the safari zone.”

That was certainly true. The Scyther Beca had caught had, apparently, been quite a menace around the safari zone, and the owner had been so happy to be rid of him, he invited Chloe and Beca to come over for dinner with him and his wife. They’d traded tales of their adventures - he himself had been a Pokémon trainer when he was young - over a good home-cooked meal, before returning to the center.

Without another word, Beca made her way to the phones off to the side, dialing Professor Oak’s number, and smiling as his face came into view. “Why, hello, Beca!”

“Hey Professor!” Beca smiled in return. “How’s life in Pallet Town?”

“Quiet as always,” Professor Oak grinned. “Though I manage to keep busy with my research well enough. Where are you right now?”

“Fuchsia City,” Beca answered. “We won our Soul badges today, and visited the safari zone!”

“You’re still traveling with Chloe, then?” Professor Oak inquired, getting his question answered when Chloe popped into the screen to wave at him. “Ah, that’s good to see. Congratulations on your victory!”

“Thank you!” Beca smiled. “But that’s not why I called. I caught my seventh Pokémon today, which means I need to send one over to you. I was wondering if you had a preference?”

“What did you catch?” Professor Oak asked, eyes lighting up.

“A very angry Scyther,” Beca smiled tightly. “He’s going to be a handful.”

“Scyther usually are,” Professor Oak nodded as he scratched his chin. “I seem to remember you have a Clefairy, right? I would jump at a chance to study one. They’re exceptionally rare.”

“Alright, then I’ll send Clefairy over to you right now!” 

Back in their room, they shucked off their bags and kicked off their shoes, before lazily hanging around on the bed. Chloe was polishing her Pokéballs. Like Beca, she had made a call to her Pokémon Professor, having decided to send her Dewgong home so she could keep Chansey around.

Beca, meanwhile, was leafing through her guidebook, trying to estimate how long it would take them to return to Saffron City for their gym battle there. Depending on the route they’d take, they could either get there in two day’s time, or take over a week.

She was about to ask Chloe about her thoughts when the redhead let out a weary sigh, placing her Pokéballs back in her bag and turning to face Beca with a somewhat anxious expression. “Beca, we need to talk.”

“Oh, boy,” Beca grunted, turning to face the redhead. “That sounds bad. What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit,” Chloe started, hesitantly. “And I don’t think it’s fair of me to not tell you… Remember when, before, I said I didn’t want to talk about it?”

Beca nodded, raising her hand. “Let me stop you right now, Chlo. You’re free to tell me anything you want, but only if you really want to. I don’t need you to tell me if you don’t really want to. It’s fine either way.”

“It’s not, though,” Chloe sighed. “Nurse Joy’s behaviour set me to thinking. And with us always sleeping in one bed and all that, I think you deserve to know… Beca…”

Beca remained silent, patiently waiting while Chloe trailed off into silence, looking for words.

“I’m gay.”

The news did not come as a total shock to Beca. She had been able to piece little bits of Chloe’s behaviour together, over the course of their joint travels. She knew it was less common here in Kanto than it was in some other regions - or at least less accepted - but she never had any problems with it, personally.

“Okay,” she nodded, reaching out to take Chloe’s hand into her own. She wasn’t good at talking, or emotions in general, but she could see how difficult it had been for Chloe to tell her this. “Thank you for telling me,” she continued with a small smile. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“You’re not… offended?”

“Should I be?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe shrugged warily. “I thought that… you know, with all the cuddling we’ve done, you might think badly of me now.”

“Why would I?” Beca asked with raised eyebrows. “It’s not like you’ve ever made a move or anything. Besides, I instigated the cuddling as often as you by now, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Chloe shrugged, biting the nail of her thumb. “I can go see Nurse Joy about a second room, if you’d prefer, though…”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Beca muttered with a roll of her eyes. “As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed between us, Chlo.”

It was a beautiful thing to behold, how Chloe’s face shifted from anxious worry into a small, pleased smile. 

“Besides, I wouldn’t want Nurse Joy to have the satisfaction of us not sharing this bed tonight.”

Chapter Text

Beca woke up early, having fallen into a restless sleep after a long bout of tossing and turning. For the first time in days, Chloe had turned her back to her when they had gone to bed, and had stayed at her own side of the bed.

It had everything to do with the redhead’s confession, Beca surmised. She had almost told her friend to stop being an idiot and come cuddle up to her, but had caught herself in time. Given the circumstances, perhaps it was better to give Chloe a little time to work through things.

Still, it had felt uncomfortable and tense, and it had taken hours for Beca to finally fall asleep.

The moment she drifted back into consciousness, she felt a warmth spreading throughout her system. Whereas Chloe had stubbornly refused to move from her side of the bed during her waking hours, her subconscious had driven her right back into Beca’s arms in her sleep. She was still sleeping peacefully, wrapped around Beca’s side, with an arm and a leg thrown over the brunette’s frame, and her head resting on Beca’s chest.

Adorable, really.

She took a deep breath, letting it flow from her lungs in a content sigh. The moment she did, Chloe’s limbs stiffened, signalling the redhead having woken up. Seconds later, she shuffled away to the other side of the bed. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” she muttered once she was on the other side.

With a roll of her eyes, Beca caught the redhead’s wrist, tugging her back softly. “Get back over here, you,” she sighed. “Stop being weird.”

“But…” 

“Chlo,” Beca grunted, sitting up so she could look at her friend properly. “Last night hasn’t changed anything between us, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not weirded out by you all of a sudden. The only one making this weird is you.”

Chloe sat frozen, looking back at her with wide eyes, and Beca let herself fall back onto the mattress. “If your sexuality makes it uncomfortable for you to cuddle with me, I can respect that,” she told the redhead. “But it doesn’t matter to me.”

She closed her eyes, having said what she wanted to say, and waited to see what Chloe would decide. She felt the dipping of the mattress next to her when Chloe laid herself down again, too. After a few minutes, Beca heard a quiet, airy sigh beside her, and then felt fingers tickling across her stomach as Chloe wrapped her arm back around her.

After a few more seconds, Beca felt the rest of Chloe’s body sidling up to her again, and with some wriggling around, she managed to wrap an arm around her, pulling her even closer. “That’s more like it,” she sighed happily. “Now let me go back to sleep for another hour or so.”

“You’re so lazy,” Chloe breathed against her shoulder, managing to let fondness color her voice throughout the mild insult.

--

Beca woke up again half an hour later, lying on her side, with Chloe pressed up against her back. Her fingers were drawing funny shapes across Beca’s stomach, meaning she was awake. “See?” Beca asked with a groggy voice. “Isn’t this much better?”

“Hm, it is,” Chloe hummed behind her. “Though I bet Nurse Joy will send Chansey to fetch us, if we don’t get up soon.”

“Well, it’s not like I want to be staying here any longer than strictly necessary, anyway,” Beca yawned.

“Says the girl who insisted on sleeping for another hour after waking up.”

“Yeah, well, I had a rough night, okay?”

“Rough night?” Chloe asked, biting her bottom lip as they both sat up straight. 

Beca wavered for a moment, before deciding to be honest and giving a small shrug. “You were acting weirdly distant,” she muttered. “I wanted to give you some space to work things out, but that didn’t make it easier to fall asleep.”

“I’m sorry, Beca,” Chloe sighed, her hand coming to rest on the brunette’s upper arm. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” Beca smiled, and really, it was fine. “It’s all in the past now, anyway. I’d much rather we focus on breakfast now.”

“That, we can do,” Chloe grinned, folding their blanket back and getting out of the bed.

--

Beca bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the two figures in the sky whizzing around each other. They were about two days outside of Fuchsia, and some arrogant prick of a trainer had challenged her to a Pokémon battle, stating he had been undefeated for the past ninety-eight battles. 

Beca had been all too happy to accept, and reset that counter.

His Fearow, however, was a force to be reckoned with, and Beca was beginning to fear her Pidgeotto might not be up to the task of defeating it.

“Fearow, hit the birdie with a Drill Peck!”

“Dodge, Pidgeotto!” Beca cried out, watching Pidgeotto move out of the way just in time. “Use Gust!”

Pidgeotto flapped his wings, and the gale that he whipped up blew Fearow off course for a few seconds, but the larger bird was quick to recover. “Damn it,” Beca cursed under her breath. “These attacks aren’t doing a darn thing.”

“Fearow, fly up high, and slam back down on the little birdie!” the other trainer commanded. 

It was funny how, sometimes, the memories buried deep down in your subconscious could suddenly bubble to the surface. In this case, a long-forgotten piece of Pokémon theory. A piece of information that could turn the tide of battle.

“Pidgeotto! Quickly, use Twister when he’s above you!”

The whirlwind that sprouted from Pidgeotto’s wings was nothing like the one he’d conjured up before. Flashes of blue energy whirled around in the wind, slamming into Fearow, who ceased moving. Beca waited with baited breath, and couldn’t help the satisfied little grin forming on her face when Fearow squawked weakly before limply falling to the ground.

“What the hell?” her opponent exclaimed. “How did that work? Fearow should be immune to wind-based attacks!”

“Twister is a dragon-type attack,” Chloe’s voice came from the sideline. “It’s also doubly effective when there is a considerable height difference between two Pokémon, such as was the case when your Fearow used Fly.”

“I hate to admit it, but that was a good battle,” the trainer sighed, shaking Beca’s hand. “You’ve got yourself a real champ there.”

“Thanks. You gave us a run for our money, though. For a while there, I didn’t think we’d win.”

Pidgeotto was still soaring high in the air as they parted ways. Beca called out to him, moving to pet him when he landed on the path in front of them. She stopped with her hand halfway, though, when he suddenly spread his wings and began glowing brightly.

“Is he…?”

“Totes!” Chloe grinned as the silhouette grew larger, until he was approximately the same size as Beca. When the glowing faded, they were looking at a majestic Pidgeot, idly grooming his new feathers with his beak.

“Pidgeot? How you feelin’, buddy?” Beca asked carefully. She took a quick step back when the bird flapped his wings, immediately lifting three feet off the ground, before attempting to land on her shoulder. “Oh, no, no, no, we’re not doing that anymore!” Beca objected, patting his feathers as he landed beside her instead. “You’ve grown a little too big for that, my boy.”

Chloe stepped closer too, carefully inspecting her Pidgeot. “Remember how we had difficulties figuring out how we were going to travel to Saffron, because neither of the two routes we could take appealed to us?”

“Yeah?” Beca muttered quizzically. “What about it?”

“Now that you have a Pidgeot, we can get to Saffron in, say, an hour tops. We can fly there, Becs,” Chloe told her while she was practically vibrating with excitement. “It’ll be so cool!”

“Um, are you sure? I don’t think Pidgeot could carry me-”

Her sentence was interrupted when Pidgeot gave her a shove with his wing, looking mortally offended by Beca’s words. “Okay, okay, geez,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“Besides,” Chloe shrugged. “You can’t possibly be that heavy. I mean, you’re-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Beca sighed with a roll of her eyes. “I’m tiny.”

Pidgeot let out an agreeing squawk, earning him a glare from his trainer. In truth, he appeared more amused than intimidated, and Beca considered how unfair it was that her Pokémon was agreeing with Chloe, rather than herself…

“Alright, let’s fly to Saffron, then.”

Chloe nodded excitedly, taking a Pokéball from her belt. “Alright Dragonair, guess that means you’re up!”

The elegant, serpent-like dragon appeared in a flurry of blue sparkles, floating in the air like the majestic Pokémon it was. It hovered a little lower, allowing Chloe to swing a leg over it, and then the redhead was sitting astride its back, floating in mid-air. “Ready when you are, Becs!”

“Okay, so, like, how do I do this, Pidgeot?” she asked awkwardly, eyeing her Pokémon. Pidgeot cooed happily, spreading his wings and flattening himself against the ground so Beca could straddle his back. She carefully took a handful of feathers to hold onto. “This okay?”

By ways of responding, Pidgeot flapped his wings, rocketing into the air and squawking repeatedly at Beca’s shrieks of terror. After a few seconds, Pidgeot levelled out, floating on a current with his wings spread wide. “If you ever do that again, I’ll send you to Professor Oak, you hear me!” Beca yelled at her Pokémon, who made another amused sound.

“Don’t be so hard on him, Beca!” Chloe called from beside her, leisurely sitting on Dragonair’s back. “He was just excited!”

“I know,” Beca sighed, patting Pidgeot’s crest. “It’s fine. Just give me a little warning next time, yeah?”

Now that her heartbeat was back to a more regular rhythm, Beca looked past her Pokémon. Seeing Kanto from up here was truly an experience unlike anything she could imagine. The forest sprawled out beneath them like a sea of lush, green waves, occasionally interspersed with little spots that had to be villages. “Look, is that Fuchsia?” Beca asked, pointing behind them.

“It is!” Chloe nodded. “And over there, in the distance, is Celadon! You can see the Department Store even from here.”

“So, where’s Saffron?” Beca asked.

“Look there!”

Pidgeot easily turned to their left, and Beca immediately noticed the shining, silvery spires that had to be Saffron City’s skyscrapers. “Alright, Pidgeot. Let’s get our butts over there, huh?”

With a loud cry, Pidgeot flapped his wings again, soaring towards the city in the distance with a speed Beca had not foreseen, everything around her turning into a blur.

Thirty minutes later, Pidgeot slowed down and began to fly lower, and a few minutes later he softly landed in the park Beca and Chloe had visited when they last were in Saffron. Beca was surprised to find Dragonair hovering beside her as she dismounted - she had been certain they had left Chloe and Dragonair in the dust, but apparently the duo had some surprises up their sleeves, too.

She was about to comment on that when a sudden cry startled them both. Turning her head, she noticed a Dodrio, apparently entirely out of control, running at them, pecking at everything he encountered with his three beaks. 

He was halfway towards them when he was suddenly tackled from the side by a Charizard, whose flames were starting to char the grass around them. A few seconds later, a Snorlax came bounding over, literally throwing himself into the fray.

“What’s going on?” Beca asked, bewildered.

Chloe was frowning at the display before them. “I don’t know, but those Pokémon are going to hurt each other if someone doesn’t stop them…”

“Yeah, we should break this up,” Beca nodded. They both reached for their Pokéballs, and Kirlia and Gastly materialized in front of them. 

“Kirlia, use Psychic!”

“Gastly, Confusion!” Beca added. 

Kirlia’s attack moved the Charizard and Snorlax away from each other, both of them hovering in mid-air, unable to move. Gastly, meanwhile, kept Dodrio pinned down with his Confusion attack.

“Don’t hurt him, please!” came a distressed cry, and Beca turned to find a young woman running towards them. “My Snorlax, I don’t know what came over him, but he isn’t like this!”

“Your Snorlax would have seriously hurt those Pokémon if we hadn’t stopped it,” Chloe frowned.

“I know, but I swear he’s not himself!”

There was a sudden shift of the tenseness in the air, and Beca realized the three Pokémon had ceased their struggles to break free and go at each other again. Eyeing Chloe, and receiving a nod in return, Beca made her decision. “Okay Gastly, you can let go now. But stay on your guard.”

Gastly did as he was told, and Dodrio got to his feet, casually strutting around, picking at blades of grass. Charizard and Snorlax were released, too, and the fiery Pokémon flew off into the distance, whereas Snorlax laid down on his back and fell asleep.

“It was the gas,” the trainer explained as she returned her Snorlax to his Pokéball. “They breathed in the gas, and then they suddenly went totally out of control… I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know what it was, but I’m getting out of Saffron before it happens again.”

Without further explanation, the trainer stormed off, leaving Chloe and Beca in the dark as to what exactly had transpired. Beca was wondering whether it was possible that there was some kind of gas that would make Pokémon lose control like that as they made their way towards the Pokémon Center.

“Something is definitely going on here,” Chloe muttered as they turned the corner and the Pokémon Center came into view. The streets were practically deserted, but there was a crowd of people milling about the Center - a sea of red jackets purposefully moving about.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many Pokémon Rangers in one place,” Beca wondered out loud as they got nearer. Stepping into the Pokémon Center itself revealed even more Rangers, a part of the lobby having been cordoned off for them to operate in.

“Welcome to the Saffron City Center!” one of the Nurse Joys greeted them. “Would you like a room?”

“Yes, please,” Chloe nodded. “If there are any available?”

“Of course,” Nurse Joy nodded with an ever-present smile. “The Rangers are only occupying about a third of our rooms.”

“What are they all doing here, anyway?” Beca asked, eyeing the business off to the side with a small frown.

“There have been some… incidents,” Nurse Joy sighed worriedly. “Rumour is there is some sort of gas that is making Pokémon go crazy…”

“Is that even possible?”

Nurse Joy shrugged, handing them their key. “Your room is on the eighth floor. We do hope you’ll enjoy your stay!”

They thanked Nurse Joy and turned around to head towards the elevators when a loud yell resounded through the lobby. “Beca! Beca, hey, it’s you! Beca, over here. Make way, guys, move aside please. Beca!”

Beca groaned, throwing her head backwards and angrily eyeing the ceiling as she recognized the voice. Seconds later, she felt arms wrapping around her waist from behind, and her feet leaving the ground. “Oh my God! Put me down right now or I will sic my Scyther on you!” she screamed, sharply jutting her elbow backwards.

She shouldn’t feel happy about the pained ‘oomph’ behind her. But she did. “What the fuck, dude!? You can’t just go and lift people off the ground like that!”

Jesse had the decency to look apologetic. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” he nodded. “I was just so happy to see you!”

Beca rolled her eyes vigorously, ignoring Chloe’s giggle behind her. 

“Rookie!” one of the other Rangers called out. “Rookie, get back here!”

“I think that means you,” Beca smiled sweetly. 

“No,” Jesse shook his head. “He means-”

“Jesse, I’m not gonna call you again!” a female ranger with long green hair called. “Get your rookie butt back here!”

“Oh,” Jesse murmured. “Looks like she does mean me.”

“No shit,” Beca drawled, grinning as Jesse turned on his heels, threw them a quick wave and trod back to his colleagues.

“Can we leave Saffron like, right now?” Beca asked under her breath as they stepped into the elevator.

“If you want,” Chloe smiled, nudging Beca playfully. “You would be missing out on a gym battle, then, though. Not to mention you’d break the poor boy’s heart,” she winked.

“All the better,” Beca grinned in return. “Honestly, though, what do you think is up with this gas?”

Chloe sighed deeply, before shrugging. “I really don't know. I guess we could ask the rangers when we see them…”

Beca nodded thoughtfully. “So what’s our travelling plan from here on out? I mean, we had counted on a week’s traveling to get to Saffron, before Pidgeotto evolved…”

“It shouldn’t take us more than three days to get to the shore,” Chloe mused out loud. “From there, we take the ferry to Cinnabar. That should take us another two days, I guess… Or, if you want your journey to be over a lot quicker, we could fly there. My Dragonair knows the way, so your Pidgeot would only need to follow…”

“Nah,” Beca shook her head. “If it were up to me, our journey would never end.”

“It has to end sometime,” Chloe smiled, wrapping her arms around Beca in a quick hug, “but I know how you feel…”

They took almost two hours to get settled into their room - Chloe decided she wanted to take a shower, Beca made a quick call to Professor Oak to check up on her Clefairy, and then fell asleep on the bed for a solid hour. It’s funny, she pondered as she slowly woke up again. Anyone else would judge her for wasting their time sleeping it away, but not Chloe. Chloe just smiled as she opened her eyes, asking whether Beca was hungry or would prefer to sleep a little more.

“No, I’m good for now,” Beca yawned, leisurely stretching her limbs. “We can go down and grab a bite.”

Once they stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by Chansey, who was kind enough to show them to a table and hand them the menus. It didn’t take them long to decide, and Chansey happily bounced off towards the kitchen.

Beca’s eyes practically bugged out of her head when Jesse walked up to their table, pulled out a chair and joined them with a brilliant smile.

“Um, it’s kinda rude to just invite yourself over to someone’s table, you know?” Beca muttered, but Jesse didn’t appear to be deterred.

“Not if you’re close with them,” he responded chipperly, and Beca couldn’t help but think it was annoying. Anyone being this happy and chipper all the time was a major annoyance.

Well, anyone but Chloe, obviously.

“So, where have you been hanging out, Beca?” Jesse asked, elbows planted on the table and giving her his undivided attention.

“We just returned from Fuchsia,” Beca responded in clipped tones.

“How did your assignment at Cerulean go?” Chloe chimed in, and Beca shot her a look that - hopefully - conveyed how much she didn’t want her to encourage Jesse to stay in his seat.

“Oh, you know, I did pretty well,” Jesse shrugged. “I was tasked with the important job of making sure the Top Rangers could do their work uninterrupted, and they could, so I guess that means I did a good job, right?”

“Meaning you were guarding the entrance while the Top Rangers were doing the actual work, right?” Beca asked cheekily, earning her a disapproving tut from Chloe.

Before she could defend herself, two tall figures stopped next to their table. Beca recognized the green-haired woman from before. The other was a man, dressed as a rockstar, clutching a cowboy hat under his arm. “Rookie, what is it with you and these girls?” the woman asked, sounding aggravated.

“Oh, Wendy, Sven, hey,” Jesse muttered as he jumped from his seat. “This is Beca and her friend, Chloe. You know, they helped me with that Zapdos business?”

“Right,” Wendy nodded, sizing them up. “Thanks for saving our Rookie, girls. He has the tendency to get in over his head, without any way to get out again.”

“We noticed,” Beca grinned, ignoring Chloe’s sharp look.

“Well, Rookie, let’s go,” the man - Sven - chuckled. “We got work to do. You can chat up pretty ladies in your own time.”

“Must you be so mean to him?” Chloe asked, grinning, as the rangers left them alone again.

Beca shrugged. “He was asking for it, really. I mean, who just joins people at their table like that?”

“Someone who’s really smitten,” Chloe winked. 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Beca groaned, relieved to see Chansey approaching with their food. “So what’s the plan? Are we leaving Saffron right after our gym match? Or would you rather stay here for a bit longer?”

Chloe shrugged with a smile. “I don’t mind, either way. Why don’t we go do something tonight, though?”

“Like what?” Beca asked, single eyebrow cocked. 

“I don’t know,” Chloe smiled. “Go to a bar, or a club, or go see a movie. Anything, really. I mean, we’re in Saffron City, there’s a thousand things to do here.”

“Okay, yeah,” Beca nodded. “We can go out or something, I guess.”

They returned to their rooms after their early dinner. Looking at their clothes, Beca groaned pathetically. “If we’re planning to go out tonight, we definitely can’t do it looking like this. We look like we’ve been homeless for months.”

“We kinda have,” Chloe grinned. “I mean, we sleep outside more often than not, right? But I get your point - I’m going to take a shower and change into something a little fancier than this.”

“Okay, yeah,” Beca nodded. “I’ll go when you’re done, then. We can head out after.”

The moment Chloe closed the bathroom door, Beca went through her stuff to find something appropriate to wear, tossing the clothes onto the bed once she found something decent enough. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but figured she must have taken a while, since she couldn’t hear the water running anymore.

Turning around to face the bathroom door, she nearly had a heart attack when it opened and Chloe stepped out, wearing nothing but her towel.

“Jesus!” Beca gasped, averting her eyes. 

“Sorry,” Chloe grinned, not looking sorry at all. “I forgot my clothes out here. Bathroom is all yours, though.”

Even though she made sure to look at anything that wasn’t Chloe, the image of her friend in such a state of undress was seared into her mind - probably forever. She quickly gathered up her chosen outfit and dashed into the bathroom, leaving the redhead to her own devices.

Once she was clean, had her hair dried, and put on her clothes, Beca took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the woman in front of her - it wasn’t every day she decided to put a little more effort into her appearance, after all.

She had chosen to wear a black dress tonight, reaching down to her knees. She had bought it on a whim, once, because she liked the way it accentuated her natural curves. She had never really stumbled across an occasion to wear it, though, and rolled her eyes at herself as she removed the price tag still attached to the collar. 

She brushed out her hair, letting it fall in smooth waves, and set to work on her make-up - another process she hadn’t gone through for quite some time. Before she left Pallet Town, she’d taken to wearing more eyeliner than strictly necessary, liking the way it looked as much as the way it annoyed her father.

Finishing her outfit with a pair of modest heels - also never worn before, as far as Beca could remember. She gave herself another look in the mirror, before nodding and stepping out of the bathroom.

“Finally, I thought you’d drowned in-” came Chloe’s voice, and Beca looked over at her friend when the sentence was suddenly cut off.

“What?”

She watched with some confusion as Chloe shook her head for a few seconds. “It’s nothing,” her friend eventually smiled, albeit a little different from her usual smiles. “You just look… You look very nice tonight. I wasn’t expecting you to be wearing a dress. Or heels, for that matter…”

“What can I say?” Beca smirked. “I’m just full of surprises.”

With Chloe fondly smiling at her before returning her attention to the earring she was putting in, Beca let her eyes drink in the sight in front of her. Chloe had chosen for a pair a nice, dark slacks, hugging her legs tightly, combining it with a simple white blouse, and leaving enough buttons undone to hint at her cleavage.

It made Beca hope they’d encounter Jesse downstairs, because then he would obviously fall for Chloe and finally leave her alone.

“Better not let Jesse see you like this, Becs,” Chloe smiled over her shoulder, as if she could read Beca’s thoughts. “You’d never get rid of him if he saw what I’m seeing,” she winked.

She rolled her eyes as she unclipped her Pokéballs from her regular belt and clipped them onto her fancier belt, before clipping it around her waist, finishing her outfit for the night. At the same time, she noticed Chloe clipping her own Pokéballs to the strap of her shoulder purse.

“I’m ready to head out when you are,” the redhead smiled brightly.

“Do we even know where we’re going yet?”

“I found a place not too far from here that looked like it could be fun.”

“Alright,” Beca nodded. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Chloe led them through the streets of Saffron with ease, even though the city looked entirely different now that the sun had set. Groups of people were moving in all possible directions, looking much like she and Chloe looked - ready for a night out on the town.

They stopped in front of a spacious building with neon signs hanging over the front door - advertising drinking and dancing, as well as live music. Chloe was quick to pull them inside, where Beca blinked to let her eyes adjust to the new environment.

Once they did, she could make out the bar on her left, with tables and booths spread out around it, taking up the entire left half of the building. The right side was dominated by the dancefloor, and the small stage upon which a small band was setting up their instruments.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think we should get a drink,” Beca grinned, taking the lead and pulling Chloe towards the bar.

It didn’t surprise Beca one bit when Chloe requested the fruitiest-looking cocktail she’d ever seen. Beca, not one to be overly adventurous with her drinks, settled for a locally brewed beer, and let Chloe pull her into one of the booths nestled against the wall.

“I’d have thought you’d be dragging me onto the dancefloor the moment we stepped in,” Beca grinned, before taking a sip from her beer.

Chloe shrugged, wrapping her lips around the straw in her cocktail with a wink. “Maybe I just want you for myself for a while, first.”

“That’s hard to imagine,” Beca laughed quietly. “Honestly, I’m amazed you haven’t grown bored of me yet, with all the time we’ve been spending together.”

“How could I possibly grow bored of you,” Chloe countered easily. “You’re amazing.”

“And you’re delusional,” Beca grinned in return, smiling even wider as Chloe adamantly shook her head. Whatever she was going to respond with died in her throat as the band finally finished setting up and began introducing themselves. A few seconds later, the room was filled with the sound of their instruments, and Beca found her head bobbing up and down to the beat of their music.

They finished their drinks, barely talking and simply enjoying the music. Occasionally, Chloe would point out one of the other people, and make a remark about their shoes, or their clothes, or the fact they were carrying a Moon Ball, and she wondered what Pokémon they’d have in there.

Beca wasn’t at all surprised when, two drinks later, Chloe excitedly pulled her from the booth and onto the dancefloor. Beca wasn’t much for dancing, but Chloe’s excitement seemed to be infectious, and she found herself offering surprisingly little resistance. 

Generally speaking, Beca always thought dancing people looked like idiots. All huddled together in a small area, moving their bodies in weird ways and generally making fools of themselves.

Within seconds, it became glaringly obvious Beca just never watched the right people dance. The moment Chloe started moving her body to the rhythm, Beca learned what dancing really was. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sway of Chloe’s hips, or the way she moved her arms, and how she effortlessly flipped her hair over her shoulder.

She felt all the more ridiculous herself, a pale imitation of Chloe’s mastery. Then again, she thought to herself, that was nothing new. Somehow, Chloe always seemed better at everything. With anyone else, that realization might have evoked bitterness from Beca, but not with Chloe.

All such thoughts were driven from her mind when Chloe playfully extended her arms, taking a hold of Beca’s wrists and pulling her into the mass of writhing bodies. And, as so often happened when she was with Chloe, Beca lost herself in what they were doing, and found herself having more fun than she had ever imagined beforehand.

They got refills after a while, and Beca lost all sense of time. After a few more drinks, she lost count of those, too. She hardly cared, though. She was still in full control of her body and mind, and she was having fun, and they were young, and there was no one around to tell them what they could and could not do. 

Standing in the middle of the dancefloor, Beca huffed as she felt a body sidling up to her back. She shrugged off the arms that wrapped themselves around her waist, and casually danced away from the stranger behind her. Seconds later, the arms returned, and Beca shivered at the feeling of a broad chest pressing up against her back, not to mention the distinct hardness she could feel poking against her butt.

Growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing second, she whirled around, finding a tall, muscular guy in front of her, his arms still around her waist, and his hands now resting only inches above her butt, and already in the process of moving downwards. 

Before they got to their destination, however, Beca noticed a hand grasping the man’s upper arm, pulling him backwards and away from Beca. Seconds later, Beca felt a completely different arm wrapping around her waist - this arm so painstakingly familiar it brought a smile to Beca’s face. After all the nights she had spent with this arm slung across her stomach, there was no way she would not recognize it. 

Chloe easily slipped in the non-existent space between Beca and the guy who had been manhandling her, and Beca almost staggered backwards when her eyes locked onto Chloe’s face. The glare Chloe was sending this guy was enough to melt the ice off an Articuno. The fact that he still had a single hand on Beca’s hip was an impressive feat - Beca would have run out the door if someone had looked at her the way Chloe was looking at him.

Her eyebrows raised as she watched Chloe soundlessly mouth a single word, and then the guy raised his hands in surrender, backing off. She couldn’t be entirely certain, but it had looked a lot as if Chloe had mouthed ‘mine.’

The fact that Beca was surprisingly okay with that statement was something she could unpack some other time. Sometime when she was not under the influence of at least six beers, and sometime when she was not wrapped up in Chloe’s arms.

It didn’t surprise her, though, when Chloe refused to move from her side for the rest of the night, glaring daggers at anyone who so much as dared look at her the wrong way.

--

Chloe’s arm was still wrapped around her waist when they stepped out into the cool night, giggles resounding across the street. Beca had no idea what time it was - the party inside was still going strong, but then again, this was Saffron City. The party wouldn’t stop until sunrise, probably. 

The street was much quieter than it had before, but there were still small groups of people moving from club to club. The fresh air sobered Beca up a little, and even in her intoxicated state, Chloe had to point her in the right direction.

They were halfway back to the Pokémon Center when Beca noticed something strange. A group of about twenty men, dressed in emerald green uniforms, each sporting a golden arch on their shirt, moved in the opposite direction from them, looking to be in quite a hurry.

Together, they watched the group pass them by, and Beca knew Chloe’s facial expressions well enough to know that she, too, considered this somewhat unusual. 

They had only taken a few more steps when all hell suddenly broke loose. A frightful explosion lit up the sky around one of the Silph Co. towers, flames billowing from a handful of windows halfway up the tower. Immediately, the air was filled with the sound of screaming people, and everyone who had previously been enjoying a night out was now running away from Silph Co.

Beca stood frozen in place, staring up at the fire. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it, but something was off. Obviously, because the tower was burning - but there was something niggling at the back of her mind.

“The smoke,” came Chloe’s voice, weakly. 

The moment Chloe said it, Beca realized she was right. The smoke was leaking out of the windows, down the tower. “Shouldn’t smoke go up ?” 

Chloe nodded mutely, taking a firmer hold of Beca’s hand and, stupidly, pulling her towards the burning building. They were halfway when they found themselves among Pokémon Rangers - the only people foolish enough to run in the same direction they were headed.

When they rounded the corner, Beca noticed a large cloud of smoke covering the better part of the street. One of the rangers on the other end of the street was lying on his back, the Wartortle that was probably his partner Pokémon keeping him pinned down as he fired bubbles at everyone coming closer. 

“It’s the gas!” someone yelled behind them. “Keep your Pokémon clear of the gas!”

In a blur, Beca noticed the two rangers they’d met before - Wendy and Sven - dashing past them. Sven was accompanied by a Luxray, and Wendy smoothly jumped onto the back of a large winged Pokémon Beca didn’t recognize. 

“We need to contain this!” Wendy yelled, barking orders at everyone below her like a general on a battlefield. “Someone contain those Pokémon!”

“Stop the gas from spreading however you can!” Sven yelled at his own group of rangers, Jesse being one of them.

Several Pokémon fired off a flurry of attacks, but that only seemed to spread the gas out further. 

“We…” Chloe started.

“Yeah,” Beca nodded.

“Go, Ralts, Dragonair!”

The Pokémon manifested in front of them, a safe distance away from the gass. “Both of you, use Psychic to keep the gas contained!” Chloe told them. “But make sure you don’t get too close, okay?”

Kirlia began twirling in place, going so fast that she began to resemble a tiny white tornado. Dragonair hovered right above her, the blue pearls glowing brightly. 

“Gastly, help them out!” Beca called, and she nodded grimly as Gastly appeared, eyes already glowing blue. “Pidgeot, come on out!”

The moment Pidgeot appeared, Beca ordered him to use his wings to get rid of the small bits of gas that weren’t being covered by their combined psychic attacks. 

“Finally, someone who knows what they’re doing,” Sven nodded at them. “Come on Luxray, let’s get in there and find the source of that gas!”

“You need to hurry!” Chloe called out. “Our three Pokémon aren’t strong enough to keep the gas contained for long!”

Looking at the gas, contained in a bubble of psychic power, Beca realized Chloe was all too right. Already, a few tendrils of gas were escaping from the bubble, and it wouldn’t be long until their Pokémon would no longer be able to take the strain.

Beca watched in horror as Wendy and her mount flew through the gas. As soon as her Pokémon breathed it in, he began taking sharp turns, clearly trying to throw his rider off. After a few attempts, Beca saw Wendy’s grip falter, and then she was free-falling.

“Pidgeot, catch her!” she yelled, holding her breath until she saw Wendy landing on Pidgeot’s back, after which her Pokémon made a safe, if somewhat rough, landing next to them.

“Thanks for that,” the Pokémon Ranger panted, after which she turned her eyes to the sky, watching as her Pokémon flew around, attacking everyone in its path. “I hope my Staraptor will be fine…”

Their attention was caught by a high-pitched cry, and they turned to find Kirlia resting on her knees, the psychic bubble beginning to falter. Gastly was hovering only a few inches above the ground, and even Chloe’s Dragonair seemed to be growing too tired to keep their efforts up for long.

“Sven is still inside,” Wendy muttered through gritted teeth.

“Kirlia, hold on for a little longer!” Chloe called.

They watched with bated breath as more and more holes began to form in the psychic forcefield. Just when it was about to collapse entirely, they heard footsteps behind them.

“Students! Line up!” a female voice called.

Beca watched on as twenty young men and women lined up on either side of the street. “Pokémon, now!” the voice called out, and then the street was suddenly filled with psychic-type Pokémon. She turned to face the leader of the group, finding a stern-looking woman, surrounded by an Alakazam, a Kadabra, a Mr. Mime, two Hypno and a Haunter. “Everyone use Psychic to help contain the gas!”

The Pokémon now lining the street did exactly as the woman commanded, and Beca instinctively knew this to be the Saffron City gym leader. She walked over to them, regarding their Pokémon without showing any emotion. “Your Pokémon did exceptionally well,” she commented. “Be that as it may, you should let them rest now. We can keep the shield up.”

“Ralts, Dragonair, return.”

“You too, Gastly. Job well done, bud.”

With the arrival of the reinforcements came a sense of calmth over the entire area. It didn’t take long for a perimeter to be established, and after a few more minutes Wendy’s Staraptor returned, back to its old self, rubbing his beak on her shoulder.

A few more minutes later, Sven came running out of the building, declaring that no more gas should be escaping. Sabrina and her students elevated the gas higher and higher, until it was out of sight. Clearly, they were going to let it disperse up there, where it wouldn’t harm anyone. Wendy, meanwhile, coordinated the firefighters, who were already leading their water-Pokémon into the building.

“Sabrina, thank you for coming to help out,” Sven smiled as he shook the gym leader’s hand.

“Not at all, it was only natural,” Sabrina intoned. “I think you should thank these two trainers. They went above and beyond. Had they not been here, my students and I would have found a decidedly different scene when we arrived.”

Turning towards them, Sabrina gave a small smile. “I look forward to seeing the two of you at the Saffron gym,” she told them, before turning on her heels and walking away, her students following behind without need of instruction.

“Yes, we do owe you a lot,” Sven nodded at them. “I’d rather not think about what might have happened if you hadn’t stepped in to help.”

“Beca!” Jesse suddenly called, jogging over to them. “Did you see- Oh wow, you look really nice.”

For the briefest of moments, Beca saw the ‘mine’-expression flashing across Chloe’s face. When she turned her head for a better look, though, Chloe was smiling politely. 

“I guess you got all dolled up for li’l old me, huh?” Jesse grinned. “You needn’t have, though. I like you just-”

“Could you not, please?” Beca snapped. “I don’t know how you could have missed it, but now really isn’t the time, okay?”

“Ouch,” Sven whispered, patting Jesse’s shoulder. “No worries, Rookie.” 

“I’m sorry, Jesse,” Beca sighed. “But-”

“Yeah, no, totally,” Jesse nodded. “I mean, I mean… I get it… um…” 

“Go and round up teams one, two and four,” Wendy told him, giving him an easy way out of the conversation.

“On it!” Jesse nodded, giving them an awkward wave as he dashed off.

“Well, that was…”

“Don’t even,” Beca grunted. “I just want to go to our room and sleep for three days straight.”

“I feel ya,” Sven nodded. “We’d like to ask you some questions tomorrow, though, if you don’t mind. You might have seen something of interest.”

“Like those guys in the uniforms,” Chloe piped up.

“Uniforms?” 

“Yeah, green outfits with a golden symbol on the front,” Beca expanded. She didn’t miss the glance Wendy and Sven exchanged. “I see you know who we mean.”

“Yeah,” Wendy sighed. “Yeah, we do.”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe those guys!” Beca muttered under her breath as she stomped out of the Pokémon Center. 

“Beca, hold up!” Chloe called behind her, jogging to catch up. “Calm down, you.”

“Can you believe them?” Beca snapped. “They wouldn’t tell us a damn thing!”

“No, they would not,” Chloe conceded, not at all as incensed as Beca.

“They know who was behind that attack last night, Chloe!” Beca almost shouted.

“I imagine they do, yes,” Chloe nodded. 

“We saved their lives, and they wouldn’t even tell us who those green-and-gold guys were! Said the Ranger Union would deal with it!”

“And I guess they will,” Chloe shrugged. “Beca, calm down, please. Getting worked up won’t change anything, you know that… Besides, did you really expect them to tell you all the details? Pokémon Rangers are like police officers, they can’t just go tell everyone everything they know…”

“Yeah, I know…” Beca conceded with a sigh. “Still, we helped them out, and they didn’t…”

“Tell us anything, yeah, we covered that,” Chloe grinned. “Do you want to keep moping over that, or would you rather make your way to the Saffron gym?”

Beca sent one last glance at Silph Co. - repairs on the tower were already underway, she noticed - before sighing with a defeated nod. “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”

The Saffron City gym was probably the most futuristic-looking building in all of Saffron City, consisting of glass in various shades and colours, as well as some of the panes being mirrors, rather than normal glass. Just looking at it made Beca dizzy, so she shook her head and headed inside, Chloe trailing right behind her.

The inside of the gym seemed regular enough, Beca realized, with the exception of the refraction of the light on the walls. Everywhere she looked, the sun shining in through the glass ceiling formed rainbow-like projections, turning the entire gym into a surreal painting.

When they walked into the main area, they found ten couples, each of them training against one another. They had barely entered the hall when an authoritative voice called out. “Everyone, return your Pokémon and line up against the wall. We have two challengers.”

Sabrina’s students immediately did as they were told as the gym leader herself descended the stairs from the balcony she had been standing on, overseeing the training. “Beca will go first,” she told them, already taking up her position on one side of the battlefield. “We will both use two Pokémon, the first trainer to be without able Pokémon loses. Send out your Eevee.”

Beca did a double-take. She had, indeed, been planning to start off with her Eevee, but she hadn’t even told Chloe, so there was no way in hell this woman knew . “You’re trying to throw me off,” she decided, taking up her own position. “But that won’t work.”

“Are you saying you do not plan to use your Eevee, then?” Sabrina asked, curiously.

“Eevee, let’s show them what we’ve got!”

Sabrina nodded to herself, blindly picking a Pokéball from the row clipped to her belt. “Mr. Mime.” 

Beca frowned at the Pokémon appearing on the battlefield. She had very little experience dealing with psychic-type Pokémon, but she knew they were notoriously difficult to defeat. That being said, Mr. Mime looked so ridiculous, Beca had to remind herself not to underestimate her opponent.

Eevee looked adorably determined to prove himself, though, and Beca wasn’t going to disappoint him. “Eevee, ready? Let’s start off with a Quick Attack!” 

She watched as Eevee turned into a brown streak, headed straight towards Mr. Mime, who made absolutely zero attempts to dodge. 

“Barrier.”

Beca watched in amusement as Mr. Mime mimed creating a wall in front of him. Her amusement was replaced with concern, however, when her Eevee bounced off the non-existent wall with a startled yelp.

“Okay, that didn’t work,” Beca called out. “Let’s try Swift next!”

Eevee shook his little head to focus, before firing a barrage of little stars at his opponent. 

“Barrier.”

Again, Beca watched the attack deflect from Mr. Mime’s barrier. “Move to the side and try again, Eevee, quick!”

Eevee did as he was instructed, dashing to the left and firing another Swift attack.

“Barrier.”

Again, Eevee’s attack bounced off of the invisible wall, making Beca groan in frustration. 

“Psybeam.”

“Eevee, use Quick Attack to dodge, then another Swift attack!”

Beca bit her lip as Eevee narrowly dodged the multi-colored beam of light that shot out of Mr. Mime’s hand. Before he came to a stop, he fired off more stars at Mr. Mime. Almost all of them bounced off the barrier that was still protecting him, but one slipped right past, hitting Mr. Mime’s hand.

Beca watched in wonder as the Pokémon cradled the struck hand in his other, looking like he might genuinely cry. Swift wasn’t that powerful an attack, even if Eevee put all of his force into it, it shouldn’t have hurt much… Beca had mostly been using it to test Mr. Mime’s strategy, and see if she could catch him off-balance.

Still cradling his wounded hand, Mr. Mime stepped sideways, before doing a strange shuffle, followed by a half-pirouette, looking around in confusion. Beca wondered what was happening, eyes flashing towards the gym leader across the field, who was pinching the bridge of her nose.

Suddenly, she understood.

“Eevee, get behind him and use Swift!”

“Barrier.”

Beca smirked to herself. “Keep running and keep using Swift, Eevee!” 

As her Pokémon circled around and continued firing the little stars, Beca saw realization flash across Sabrina’s face. “Mr. Mime, don’t use-”

Out of habit, or instinct, or fear, Mr. Mime threw up another barrier to protect himself from Eevee’s attacks. Without realizing it, Mr. Mime had boxed himself in, and he would have to remove a barrier if he wanted to be able to move - or to attack.

“Eevee,” Beca called out. “Quick Attack at the wall!”

Eevee let out a determined yip, running away from Mr. Mime and jumping at the wall, effortlessly bouncing off and arcing through the air. Beca waited until he was almost above Mr. Mime before she called out her next command. “Now, use Bite!”

“Mr. Mime, use Psybeam to knock it out of the sky!” Sabrina called. 

Rather than doing so, however, Mr. Mime turned around and tried running away, finding himself blocked by the barriers he had erected, but apparently forgotten. Beca grinned to herself as Eevee landed right on top of him, his small but deceptively strong jaws biting down on Mr. Mime’s head. 

Mr. Mime cried out, dropping onto his butt, with his hands in front of his face. 

“That’s enough, Mr. Mime,” Sabrina sighed. “You tried your best, but we weren’t ready for a challenger yet. I’m sorry.”

As Sabrina recalled Mr. Mime and took a second ball to hand, Beca rubbed Eevee’s silky soft skin. “Well fought, Beca,” Sabrina complimented. “You saw my Mr. Mime’s weaknesses and exploited them efficiently. Clearly, we need to work on his focus and defense… But our second battle will not be as easy.”

“I’m counting on it,” Beca nodded. “You want to keep going, Eevee?”

“Eev!”

“Go, Kadabra!”

Kadabra appeared on the field, menacingly wielding his spoon, and Beca instantly realized this Pokémon was much more experienced than Mr. Mime had been. “Eevee, be careful!” she cautioned. “Let’s go with Quick Attack, followed by Bite!”

“No,” Sabrina countered. “Kadabra, Confusion.”

Eevee had just turned into a streak of brown when Kadabra’s eyes started glowing blue, and his spoon suddenly bent backwards. Instantly, Eevee stopped dead in his tracks, eyes squeezed shut as he slowly started levitating. 

“Now, Psyshock.”

A shapeless blob of psychic energy formed in front of Kadabra, which was then launched towards Eevee at a staggering speed. The moment it connected with the smaller Pokémon, it was launched backwards, landing in a crumpled heap on the edge of the battlefield. 

“Eevee!” Beca called out.

“Eevee is unable to continue,” the referee - one of Sabrina’s students - decided. 

“You did great,” Beca told her Pokémon as she lifted him in her arms. She took a moment to bring him over to Chloe, smiling as Eevee yipped and settled himself in Chloe’s lap. “You get to watch us win this battle, okay, buddy?”

“Eevee!” 

Seeing Chloe’s worried gaze, Beca smiled confidently. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“Don’t underestimate that Kadabra, Becs. He’s really strong.”

“Yeah, we noticed,” Beca nodded, before turning back to face Sabrina, her next Pokéball already in her hand. 

“Well, you wanted tough opponents… Let’s hope this is to your liking. Go, Scyther!”

Scyther materialized on the field, swinging his bladed arms menacingly as he let out a loud and ferocious cry. “Alright, Scyther… I promised you some tough battles, so let’s see what you’ve got, huh?” Beca smirked. “Let’s start with a Quick Attack!”

To Beca’s astonishment, Scyther casually flew forward, not all that fast at all, swinging at Kadabra with one of his blades, in a powerful but ineffective slash.

“Kadabra, Teleport out of the way,” Sabrina droned monotonously. “Then Psybeam.”

Kadabra’s Psybeam hit Scyther in the back, and Beca groaned as she watched Scyther hit the ground face-first. Immediately, the bug-Pokémon got back to his feet, swinging his arms around angrily. “Let’s go with Quick Attack this time!”

Again, Scyther just jumped forward, swinging his blade at Kadabra, who side-stepped easily, dodging each of Scyther’s slashes with ease. “Scyther, this isn’t working! Use Quick Attack!”

Scyther let out a disgruntled yell. Realizing Scyther wasn’t going to do things her way, Beca crossed her arms with a roll of her eyes. “Okay, whatever,” she huffed. “You do you, man. You do you. Just, y’know, let me know when you want me to help you out!”

“Not a very well-trained Scyther,” Sabrina remarked with clear amusement. 

Beca shrugged. “It’s our first battle. My Scyther is as stubborn as he is strong and capable.”

“Kadabra, use Confusion to throw that Scyther.”

Beca watched with bated breath as Scyther was lifted off the ground and tossed backwards, only to immediately jump back up and dash towards Kadabra again, repeating the same attack over and over again. 

“Kadabra, dodge, and use Psybeam!”

Beca kept silent, watching as Scyther blocked the Psybeam by crossing his bladed arms in front of his body. Still, the force of the attack drove him backwards several feet. When the beam subsided again, Scyther resumed his slashing.

“This is ridiculous,” Sabrina remarked. “Are you not going to call out any commands?”

“Why would I?” Beca asked, arms still crossed. “Scyther obviously knows better than I do… Don’t you Scyther?”

“Scyther! Scy-Scyther!” the Pokémon growled, blades still swinging.

“See?” Beca shrugged. “I think he’s saying everything’s under control.”

Beca continued to keep silent as Kadabra fired off another Psybeam, hitting Scyther squarely in the face. She was acting tough and callous, but she wanted nothing more than to jump in and direct the battle. She was certain they could win, if only Scyther would listen to her. But, she also recognized the stubbornness in Scyther’s eyes - she’d seen it in the mirror often enough. 

The only way Scyther was going to see the error of his ways was for him to experience it. So she kept quiet and watched as he took another Psybeam, the brunt of it hitting him in the chest.

“This is madness,” Sabrina sighed. “Kadabra, finish him off with Psychic!”

Beca bit her lip as Scyther was lifted into the air and harshly tossed backwards, slamming into the wall and sliding down onto the floor. As much as she hated admitting it, she was pretty sure she’d just lost her first gym battle. Still, teaching Scyther this lesson was more important than earning her sixth badge.

She gasped in surprise when Scyther’s eyes snapped open again, and he struggled to get back to his feet. Rather than launching himself at Kadabra again, he flew over to stand in front of Beca.

“Impressive,” Sabrina muttered.

Beca grinned as Scyther looked over his shoulder, giving a single nod. Nodding in return, Beca uncrossed her arms and smiled. “You’re a tough one, Scyther,” she told him. “We can still win this, if you’re up for it.”

Scyther nodded again, letting out a low growl.

“That’s the spirit. Maybe now we can try a Quick Attack?”

Scyther dashed forward so quickly that Beca didn’t even realize what was going on until Kadabra was already being thrown backwards, gracelessly sailing through the air and landing on his back.

“Did not see that coming,” Sabrina remarked casually. “Kadabra, Recover.”

“Whoa, you’re fast,” Beca breathed, grinning as Scyther dashed back to his spot. “Let’s do that again, hit him from the side, this time.”

Scyther did exactly that, letting out a loud cry as Kadabra was tossed  back onto the ground. “Kadabra, Psybeam.”

“Scyther, use Double Team!”

A circle of Scyther formed around Kadabra, who fired off three fruitless Psybeams, one of the Scyther disappearing every time, only to be replaced by another one just as fast. 

“He doesn’t know where you are, Scyther!” Beca called out. “Let’s use Quick Attack one more time, and then Fury Cutter immediately after!”

Beca nodded to herself as one of the Scyther behind Kadabra dashed forward, knocking the psychic Pokémon off his feet. Before it could recover, Scyther struck at him with his bladed arms, the edges glowing a faint green. 

When Scyther jumped backwards, Kadabra was struggling to get back to his feet. “We’ve got this one in the bag,” Beca told her Pokémon. “Let’s finish it up!”

To her surprise, Scyther didn’t jump forward in a slash-attack. Instead, he began flapping his wings, a spray of silver flowing from it and hitting Kadabra with enough force to turn him onto his back, staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes. 

“Kadabra is unable to battle!” the student-referee called out. “The winner is Beca from Pallet Town!”

“Good job, Scyther!” Beca cheered, grinning excitedly as Scyther made his way over to her. “You’re incredibly strong!” she told him, somewhat sternly. “But we’ll have to work on fighting smarter. Together, right?”

Scyther gave a dip of his head, carefully patting Beca’s arm with his own, making sure not to injure her in any way. “Alright you big softie. Back into your ball you go!” she grinned. “You as well, Eevee!”

With both her Pokémon returned and clipped to her belt, Beca made her way to Sabrina, who had just returned Kadabra after checking up on him. “He’s not injured too badly, right?” she asked, relieved as the older woman shook her head.

“No, he’s fine. That’s an impressive Scyther you have there. You’ll have to work on training him better, though.”

“Yeah, I sort of got that,” Beca drawled. “It all worked out in the end, though… I guess we were lucky.”

“No, you were determined,” Sabrina corrected her. “And for that, I present you with the Marsh Badge.”

“Thank you!” Beca gushed, taking the badge and admiring it. “Really, thank you!”

“You earned it,” Sabrina waved dismissively. “Now, I think you should get off the battlefield. Your friend looks rather eager to get the badge, too.”

Beca turned around, finding Chloe in the spot she herself had just vacated, Pokéball already in her first.

“Good luck, Chlo!” she smiled as she sat down on the bench off to the side. “Not that you’ll need it!”

“Thanks!” Chloe grinned. “Kirlia, you’re up!”

Kirlia twirled onto the field with all her usual grace and finesse. 

“A psychic Pokémon,” Sabrina frowned. “Not one I have ever faced before, though… This should be interesting. I will go with my Hypno!”

Hypno appeared, his pendulum already swinging in a mesmerising fashion. Kirlia didn’t pay him any heed, though, continuing to spin in place as if she didn’t have a care in the world. 

“Hypno, let’s start with Hypnosis,” Sabrina ordered.

“Kirlia, freeze.”

With amazement, Beca watched as Kirlia stopped her spinning, looking Hypno in the eyes as his pendulum swung back and forth. A few seconds later, Kirlia closed her eyes, spinning in a slow and wobbly pattern, chin resting against her chest. “Excellent,” Chloe smiled.

“Interesting strategy,” Sabrina commented with a cocky smile.

“Kirlia, Sleep Talk!”

With her eyes still closed, Kirlia stopped spinning, somehow facing Hypno. Without waking up, she jumped forward with astonishing speed and grace, a flurry of flames forming around one of her fists as she performed a sleeping Fire Punch attack.

“Hypno, dodge!” Sabrina called, clearly caught off-guard. Hypno did as he was told, but wasn’t quick enough to evade the attack entirely, the fire Punch grazing his shoulder. “Dream Eater, Hypno!”

“Kirlia, another Sleep Talk!”

Kirlia gracefully bounded sideways, making Hypno’s attack miss her by mere inches. With a quick pirouette, she turned around, and then her head began to glow a faint purple as she ducked towards Hypno.

“Don’t dodge, but use Dream Eater!” Sabrina called.

Kirlia’s Zen Headbutt his Hypno straight in the face. At the same time, the blue line of his Dream Eater connected to Kirlia, making her fall to her knees as she shivered. A few seconds later, her eyes opened and she struggled back to her feet as Hypno regained his balance, having been staggering backwards due to Kirlia’s attack.

“Okay, Kirlia, we surprised them with Sleep Talk, but that won’t work again,” Chloe grinned. “Let’s stay awake for the rest of the match. Use Safeguard!”

Kirlia began spinning rapidly, until a gleam of blue formed around her. Once the Safeguard was in effect, she slowed her spinning down to her usual speed. 

“Hypno, Psybeam!”

“Kirlia, Psybeam!”

The two multi-colored beams hit each other in the middle of the battlefield, a shockwave of dust and psychic energy pushing both Pokémon backwards. 

“Hypno, use Confusion!”

“Kirlia, Confusion!”

The blue outline of the confusion attack surrounded both Pokémon, neither of them letting up, until they eventually both let up at the same time. “We seem to be pretty evenly matched,” Chloe smiled. 

“So it would seem. Hypno and I have an ace up our sleeve, though.”

“Well, that I need to see,” Chloe grinned excitedly.

“Hypno, use Shadow Ball!”

Beca gasped, knowing that a Shadow Ball - if it hit a psychic Pokémon - would probably be enough to end the battle instantly. 

Chloe’s smile merely grew wider, though. “Kirlia, Shadow Ball!”

Everyone watched with bated breath as the two Shadow Ball attacks materialized and soared through the air, crossing each other halfway and hitting both Hypno and Kirlia straight on. Both Pokémon cried out as they were thrown backwards, neither of them getting to their feet once the dust settled.

“Hypno and Kirlia are both unable to battle,” the referee decided. “I declare a draw.”

Both trainers recalled their Pokémon, speaking to them quietly but fondly for a moment before tucking the balls away and picking new ones. 

“It appears I need to take this battle more seriously if I do not wish to lose,” Sabrina commented. “Go get them, Alakazam!”

“My thoughts exactly,” Chloe grinned, clearly fired up. “Dragonair, time to show them what we’ve got!”

“Alakazam, use Psybeam!” Sabrina called out the moment the mustached Pokémon appeared. The attack was fired so rapidly, Beca feared the battle would be over before it had properly begun. Dragonair, however, just curled herself in mid-air, forming an ‘O’ and letting the Psybeam go right through the opening. 

“Psychic, Alakazam!” 

Dragonair slithered through the air, circling her opponent. Alakazam, meanwhile, kept turning towards her, trying to get his Psychic attack to hit. The dragon-Pokémon looked like she was having a lot of fun fooling around, while Alakazam mostly looked frustrated. 

Dragonair was, in fact, having so much fun, Beca wasn’t really surprised when Alakazam eventually managed to connect his Psychic-attack. Dragonair squeezed her eyes closed as the tell-tale blue outline appeared.

“That’s enough, Dragonair,” Chloe grinned. “Let’s use Aqua Tail!”

Dragonair’s eyes snapped open instantly, and it was as if Alakazam’s Psychic lost all effect instantly. Dragonair smoothly moved forward, making a sharp turn right in front of Alakazam, who was still astounded. As it turned, water formed around Dragonair’s tail, appearing from nowhere, and hitting Alakazam straight in the chest, throwing him into his back. 

“Let’s make use of this opportunity,” Chloe continued, now entirely focused. “Sweep him aside with Dragon Tail.”

The water fell off of Dragonair’s tail immediately as it began glowing a bright green. Before Alakazam could even get to his feet, the attack connected, throwing him to the side of the battlefield. 

“Alakazam, get up!” Sabrina commanded.

“Dragonair, don’t let him recover,” Chloe called out. “Use Dragon Rush next!”

The green aura around her tail disappeared as her entire body began glowing a bright blue. Dragonair dashed forward, and Alakazam had barely gotten to his feet when Dragonair’s head hit him straight in the chest, throwing him backwards again. As soon as it happened, Dragonair twisted in mid-air, creating some distance between them again. “Finish it up with Hyper Beam,” Chloe called, strangely calm now.

“Alakazam, use Light Screen!”

Dragonair fired a massive beam of energy from her mouth as Alakazam erected a glowing wall in front of him. As soon as the Hyper Beam struck the Light Screen, it shattered in a million little sparkles, the attack hitting Alakazam without its power being diminished much.

When the light faded, it was painfully evident Alakazam would not be getting up anymore. As such, the referee called out, declaring Chloe the winner. 

Beca joined her friend in the little jog towards the gym leader, assuring themselves Alakazam was actually okay. “I’m sorry,” Chloe grimaced. “I didn’t want to run the risk of losing, so we didn’t hold back…”

“Nor should you have,” Sabrina nodded as she returned Alakazam to his ball. “He’ll be fine after a visit to the Pokécenter. I can’t believe how easily you managed to defeat my strongest Pokémon, though…”

“We’ve had some practice,” Chloe shrugged modestly.

“And it shows,” Sabrina nodded, handing her a Marsh Badge as well. “A very impressive display from you both. You should do quite well at the Indigo League.”

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled. “Again, I’m sorry about your Pokémon… I didn’t mean to go overboard.”

“You didn’t,” Sabrina shrugged. “You did what you needed to ensure your victory. That’s how battling works. My Pokémon are fine. Now, if you’d excuse me, my students have a lot of training to do.”

“Yes, of course,” Chloe nodded, and Beca followed her as they made their way outside. 

“Well, that’s our sixth Kanto badge, huh?”

“Yeah, this was a tricky one,” Chloe nodded. “Didn’t expect my Kirlia to go down like that…”

“Well, your Kirlia managed to knock that Hypno out, too, so I’d say she did good. And your Dragonair… I mean, damn, that Alakazam never stood a chance!”

“Your Eevee and Scyther did great, too,” Chloe smiled. “Good strategizing against that Mr. Mime.”

“He wasn’t that well-trained,” Beca shrugged bashfully. “If he had been, we wouldn’t have won.”

“No sense dwelling on what-ifs,” Chloe smiled, linking their arms together. “Come, let’s get back to the Center. I think all our Pokémon can use a quick check-up before we head out again. It shouldn’t be more than a two-day walk to the port.”

“From where we’ll be taking a ship to Cinnabar Island, right?” Beca nodded, having memorized the Kanto map from her guidebook.

“Exactly,” Chloe smiled. “Three days of relaxation on a luxury yacht should do us good.”

“Beca! Beca, hold up!”

She groaned, recognizing the voice before she even turned around. Taking stock of their surroundings, she realized they were close to the damaged Silph Co. tower. Reluctantly, she slowed to a stop, turning to watch Jesse running up to them.

“Hey, Beca! Fancy seeing you here!” he grinned boy-ishly. 

“Yeah, imagine that,” Beca drawled.

“I just wanted to tell you how amazing you were last night! You really helped us out a bunch!”

“It was nothing,” she shrugged. 

“Oh, it was something, alright!” Jesse smiled, walking alongside them now. “Your Pidgeot really is something else. You must be an amazing trainer!”

As they walked, an idea sparked inside Beca’s head. With an airy sigh, she shrugged. “I don’t know about that, Jesse… I mean, we only barely managed to handle last night… I sure hope something like that doesn’t happen again.”

“Yeah, it was pretty wicked,” Jesse nodded. “But don’t worry, the Ranger Union is all over it!”

Beca nodded, making sure to look impressed. “I’m sure that, with people like you around, those green-and-gold fools don’t stand a chance,” she smiled.

“You better believe it!” Jesse grinned, chest puffed out. “Team Omega has nothing on me, baby!”

“Team Omega?” Beca asked innocently. “Is that what they’re called?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” Jesse grinned. “I don’t think I was supposed to tell you that, though.”

Beca gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about it, it’s not like I’ll tell anyone,” she winked. 

“Yeah, no, right, totally,” Jesse nodded.

“So, what can you tell us about them?”

“Um, nothing,” Jesse winced. “I mean…”

“Don’t you trust me?” Beca asked, making sure to let just the right amount of hurt resound in her voice.

“No, I mean, yes, of course I trust you!” Jesse was quick to assure her. “It’s just… I don’t know that much about them. No one does, really. We don’t even know what they’re after, or where they’re from, or who leads them… They’re much better organized than Team Rocket, or Team Aqua and Magma in the Hoenn regions ever were.”

“Which explains why all those organizations no longer exist,” Chloe chimed in for the first time. “So you guys know absolutely nothing about Team Omega?”

“Well, we know they exist!” Jesse huffed. “And like, they’re evil…”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all under control then,” Beca drawled sarcastically. Stopping in front of the Pokémon Center, she turned to face Jesse. “I should let you get back to your super-important work. We just got back from the Saffron Gym, and I’m kind of tired now, so we’ll be taking a quick nap.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Jesse nodded. “I should get back to it, you’re right. Um… when will I see you again?”

Beca shrugged, feeling the slightest bit guilty about using Jesse the way she had. “I don’t know, dude. Like, we travel around all the time. Most of the time we don’t even know where we’re going ourselves.”

“Right, yeah, that makes sense,” Jesse nodded. “Well, be careful, okay? I’m sure we’ll meet again soon!” he grinned.

“Okay, yeah, bye,” Beca rushed out, practically pulling Chloe into the Pokémon Center. 

“That wasn’t very nice, using him like that,” Chloe remarked, voice sounding amused. 

“I know,” Beca groaned. “But I did get us some information, didn’t I?”

Chapter Text

“Dude, would you slow down?” Beca huffed, struggling to keep up with Chloe. “We’ll make it.”

“I know, I know,” Chloe huffed, slowing her paces. “I just don’t want to miss our ride, you know?” she smiled apologetically. “And we need to book tickets, too, so if we’re not on time…”

“Then we’ll take the next ship,” Beca shrugged simply, rolling her eyes as Chloe unconsciously began walking a little faster again. 

“I just don’t want to be stuck in a stupid port city with nothing to do for a week,” Chloe sighed. 

Beca shrugged, nudging Chloe’s side playfully. “We’d be stuck there together,” she smiled. “So how bad could it really be, huh?”

Chloe’s expression immediately softened, and her walking slowed down again to their regular pace. “You’re right, I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”

“Kinda,” Beca grinned. “Besides, isn’t that the port down there?”

Chloe looked down the hill they had just crested, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. “Yep, that would be it. Looks like about… two hours walking.”

“And the ship doesn’t leave until tomorrow afternoon, right? So why the hell were you worrying in the first place?”

Grinning guiltily, Chloe gave a shrug, making Beca snort out a quiet laugh. “Well, come on then, you weirdo. Let’s go get ourselves some tickets to Cinnabar!”

--

“Hey! You can’t just cut the line!” 

“I’m not, I’ve been here the whole time!”

“No, you weren’t. You literally just stepped into the line, I saw it with my own eyes!”

“She’s right,” Beca snapped.

“What’s that?” the man in front of them called out loudly, looking around, eyes deliberately going over Beca’s head. “Did someone hear something? I’d have sworn I heard someone say something, but I don’t see anyone!”

“Very funny, Bumper,” Beca groused with an annoyed roll of her eyes. “I see your Pokémon journey didn’t do anything to mature you.”

“Ooh, snap,” Bumper laughed, snapping his fingers. “Pretty rich, you taking the high ground,” he continued, looking down at her. “Surprised you could even reach it, pipsqueak.”

“Whatever,” Beca sighed with a tired shake of her head. “Just get back in line, dude.”

“Why don’t I take your spot?” Bumper asked, clearly trying to intimidate her. “I’ll battle you for it.”

Beca had known Bumper since kindergarten - she knew he wasn’t going to back down if no one gave him a really good reason to. With an aggravated sigh, she reached for one of her balls. “I guess you’re up, Ponyta,” she grunted.

Just then, a shrill whistle sounded, and Officer Jenny’s bike stopped right next to them. “Miss, this man giving you any trouble?”

“Nah,” Bumper smiled. “I was just leaving, anyway. I’ll see you around, Becky!” he waved. “My Rhydon would’ve trounced your Ponyta, anyway. Pathetic, really,” he shrugged.

“You can’t know that!” Beca bit back - even though his Rhydon probably would’ve creamed her Ponyta. 

“Please, I had a Ponyta once, but it really wasn’t worth my time. I’ll see you at the Indigo Plateau Conference!”

Beca huffed as Bumper casually sauntered away, Officer Jenny continuing on her patrol. 

“He seems nice,” Chloe muttered behind her, just having returned from grabbing them some drinks. 

“He’s the worst,” Beca muttered. “He’s also really not worth our time…”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Chloe nodded, stepping forward as the entire queue shifted again. They remained silent for several minutes, occasionally taking a small step forward. 

“He was the bully of Pallet Town for pretty much my entire childhood,” Beca suddenly blurted. “He was mean to everyone, but he particularly disliked me for some reason.”

Without a word, Chloe reached for her hand, giving it a soft squeeze as Beca continued. “He was always picking on me for being small, and being the quiet kid and needing glasses, and-”

“Wait, wait, rewind, you have glasses?” Chloe asked, grinning excitedly.

“So not the point right now,” Beca drawled slowly, “and I never wear them anymore. Anyhow, my father never supported me going on this journey… But Bumper actively tried to make me back out. Once, on a field trip, he filled my entire backpack with Weedle. Everyone laughed at me when I opened my bag and they all came slithering out…”

“Kirlia is definitely going to Teleport him overboard if we see him on the ship,” Chloe muttered darkly.

“It’s whatever,” Beca shrugged. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of this right now.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Chloe smiled. “So thanks for telling me.”

“Whatever,” Beca huffed. “We’re almost to the front.”

A few more minutes passed before they reached the little booth. Before Chloe had a chance, Beca stepped forward. “Hi,” she smiled. “We’d like two tickets for the yacht to Cinnabar, please?”

The man nodded sourly - Beca understood all too well, if he had to do this job the entire day - taking two slips of paper from a small stack. “Two rooms on the yacht to Cinnabar,” he droned.

“Oh, no, one room is fine,” Beca corrected him. “We don’t need two.”

The man blinked owlishly at them, before breaking out into a grin. “One room, right, got ya. Have fun, girls,” he winked, handing them two tickets with the same room number on it. 

“Well, that was… uncomfortable,” Beca winced after she’d paid for the tickets, and they moved out of the way for the rest of the waiting passengers. 

“Some people just jump to conclusions when you say stuff like that,” Chloe smiled easily. “It’s bound to happen, I guess.”

“I guess,” Beca shrugged idly. “Come on, let’s see if there’s room in the Pokémon Center for tonight. We won’t be able to board until tomorrow.”

--

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the S.S. Libra,” the captain spoke from a balcony extending from the ship’s bridge. “We are delighted to host you on our journey to Cinnabar Island and the Sevii Archipelago. Before we depart, we would like to go over a few of the more important ground rules - you can find them all in the booklet you received upon boarding.”

Chloe handed her the booklet she had been reading since they had set foot on the ship, and Beca quickly leafed through it. “We do not want any trouble on our journey, so we ask everyone to behave themselves politely, and respect your fellow passengers. Furthermore, after a series of incidents during our previous journeys, it is no longer allowed to engage in Pokémon battling aboard the ship - please hold off until we dock at Cinnabar Island in a few days!” the captain continued. “If you have any questions or concerns, our staff will be more than happy to aid you in whatever capacity necessary.”

Beca leafed further in the little booklet, coming to the section outlining all the amenities available on the ship - only vaguely aware of the captain continuing to drone on. “Three pools?” she muttered under her breath. “Why would anyone need three pools?”

“For swimming,” Chloe responded with an eager grin. 

“And a shopping gallery? A ballroom? Four restaurants and three bars? Chloe, this place is a floating city.”

“Yeah, isn’t it neat?”

“Chloe, there’s literally a movie theater on this ship! This shit is insane!”

“I know!” Chloe giggled. “Isn’t it neat?”

“Yeah,” Beca breathed, letting an excited smile bloom on her face. “It’s pretty neat.”

“Where did you want to go first?” Chloe asked excitedly, and Beca only now realized the captain had finished his speech, and all the passengers were dispersing. 

“Well, let’s go to our room, sorry, our hut , first. No sense carrying our bags everywhere we go, right?”

“Right,” Chloe nodded. “After that, we can go swimming!”

“I don’t have any swimwear with me,” Beca immediately responded, scrunching her nose up.

“So we’ll go shopping first, and swimming second!” Chloe grinned easily. “Awesome!”

--

“What about this one, Beca?” Chloe asked, drawing her attention from the blue one-piece swimsuit she had been studying. 

“Chloe, no,” Beca grunted with a shake of her head. 

“But-”

“Chloe, look me in the eye and tell me that is not the skimpiest piece of swimwear you have ever seen,” Beca told her friend, who was holding a bright yellow two-piece that was tiny enough to barely cover a thing.

Chloe gave her an impressive deadpan stare. “Becs, I grew up in a city called Sunyshore, remember? I have seen things you cannot even imagine.”

“Okay, but it’s still a no for that one,” Beca grinned, returning her attention to the bathing suit she’d found.

“Do I get a veto?” Chloe asked from behind her. 

“What?”

“Do I get to veto one of your picks as a definite no?” the redhead grinned charmingly. 

“Why would you get a veto?”

“Because I’m your best friend?” Chloe tried, pouting and pulling off an impressive display of puppy-eyes.

“Okay, sure, one veto,” Beca conceded with a fond sigh.

“Okay, then definitely not this one,” Chloe immediately piped up, pulling Beca away from the one-piece. “You can do so much better!”

“Okay, so, in all your infinite wisdom, what should I get, then?”

Chloe took a moment to look around, her eyes dashing from left to right as she looked over the possibilities. After a while, she broke out into a grin, reaching out and presenting Beca with a simple black two-piece that she was, surprisingly, not even really opposed to. 

“It’s casual and understated, which should appeal to you,” Chloe grinned. “Yet it’s also going to look really good on you!”

“Fair enough,” Beca nodded, skimming the rack for the right size and turning towards the check-out area. 

“Don’t you need to go and fit?”

“Dude, I know my sizes, okay?” Beca huffed over her shoulder.

“Okay,” Chloe smiled, holding up her hands in surrender. 

While she would never willingly admit it, Beca came to realize she had been quite wrong on that final statement. Standing in their hut, and critically studying her reflection, Beca realized she should have tried the top on before she bought it. That way, she would have known to take it one size larger. 

It wasn’t that it didn’t fit. Because it did, for the most part. 

“Becs? Are you going to be long?” Chloe asked from behind the door.

“Dude, I told you, just go ahead!” Beca laughed. “I’ll catch up, promise.”

“Okay,” Chloe responded after a quiet moment. “Just remember, I’ll be at the pool at the upper deck.”

“Yeah, so you’ve said,” Beca huffed. “Several times.”

Returning her attention to her reflection again, Beca considered her options. She could, of course, return the swimsuit and buy a different one. Or, she considered carefully, she could just wear this. All the necessities were nicely covered, after all, and it wasn’t like her breasts were about to spill out of the top, either.

They just looked a little more… more.

Taking a deep breath, Beca nodded to herself, grabbing her towel and sunglasses, as well as the key to their hut, and set off towards the pool. They had still been in port when she and Chloe had gone below deck, and Beca was stunned when she stepped into the warm breeze, sunlight beaming down on her from the sky, exotically blue with not a single cloud in sight.

The sea surrounded them on all sides, and she could still make out the main land in the distance, if she squinted. The sea was a crystal-clear azure, the sunlight sparkling on the gentle waves as the ship slowly made its way further away from the land.

She shook her head a few times to get herself out of the daze - she could stand here, at the railing, looking out at the sea all day. Chloe, however, would not appreciate it if she didn’t actually show up at the pool, she figured as she followed the signs.

The ship being the size it was, combined with Beca’s natural penchant for getting lost, it really should not have come as a surprise when Beca, somehow, managed to miss one of the signs, leading her in the wrong direction for a solid ten minutes before she managed to find her way back on-track, and eventually managed to reach the pool.

When she did, eventually, find the pool, Beca froze at the mere sight of Chloe. The redhead was sitting on one of the lounge chairs, wearing a dark green two-piece swimsuit that left very little to the imagination, and drew the attention of a fair amount of young men around the pool.

Beca’s eyes skimmed up and down Chloe’s long, toned legs, surveyed her stomach and her arms and the way Chloe had her hair pulled into a messy bun. Shaking her head to herself, she grumbled at how unfair the world was, sometimes. 

Clearly, Chloe got all the looks, leaving the rest of them in the dust.

“Got lost again, didn’t you?” Chloe grinned when Beca walked up to her.

“No,” Beca huffed. “Not really.”

“You so did,” Chloe laughed.

“Yeah, I really did,” Beca admitted with a sheepish grin, shuffling her feet as Chloe’s eyes flicked up and down her body. 

“We picked a real winner,” her friend smiled. “You look great!”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Beca shrugged. 

“C’mon, let’s swim before all the other passengers get the same idea and the pool ends up more crowded than a herd of Tauros!”

As reluctant as Beca had been to actually go to the pool in the first place - it really wasn’t her scene, so to speak - she couldn’t deny that it was actually pretty nice. There were enough people around to give the entire place a lively atmosphere, but not so many that people actually got in the way. After having swum a few laps, Chloe somehow got her hands on an inflatable Pokéball, and Beca spent a good half hour playing some made-up ball game that neither of them really seemed to know the rules to.

“C’mon,” Chloe smiled, breathing a little labored from their fooling around, when the pool began filling up. “Let’s get out.”

“Yeah, okay,” Beca nodded, tossing the ball to a gaggle of little children that had just gotten into the shallow part of the pool.

She followed Chloe back to their chairs, where the redhead immediately reclined the backrest, laying herself down in the sun. Beca took a moment to look out at the ocean, realizing she couldn’t even see the land anymore. Everywhere she looked, she only saw endless blue water, and it was mesmerising.

Settling in the chair next to Chloe’s, Beca stretched her limbs and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her skin for a moment. She never was one for tanning or just laying around in the sun - she would always grow out of patience and end up doing something . Right now, though, she was feeling pretty relaxed.

She turned her head to tell Chloe as much, but found her breath catching in her throat. Chloe was stretched across her chair, all sun-kissed skin, sparkling with the droplets of water from the pool, which reflected the sunlight like they were in a cheap B-movie. 

Chloe had her eyes closed and head canted backwards, toward the sun, allowing Beca to drink in the sight for a little while longer. She had known Chloe was gorgeous, of course. She had realized that immediately, that very first morning in Viridian Forest. But this… This was absolutely insane, and Beca didn’t even recognize the jittery feeling in her stomach right now.

With a shake of her head and a small huff of breath, Beca shook the feeling off, closing her eyes and resting her head on the pillow, content to just enjoy the sun, her journey, her companion…

“Hey Becs?”

“Yeah?” Beca asked without opening her eyes.

“I’m really glad we’re taking this trip together.”

“Yeah, this cruise to Cinnabar was definitely one of your better ideas,” Beca nodded.

“It was, yes,” Chloe responded, and without opening her eyes, Beca could feel the cheeky grin the redhead would be sporting now. “But that’s not what I mean.”

“Oh?”

“I mean the entire trip… Starting in Viridian Forest, all the way here through all our ups and downs… I’m really glad I got to travel through Kanto with you.”

“That’s…” Beca started, not even sure what she was planning to say. “So am I, Chlo,” she breathed out, honest and earnest. “So am I.”

Chloe let out a happy hum, after which they fell back into a comfortable silence. Beca idly listened to the sounds around them - the children playing in the pool, the sound of water splashing, the occasional sound of a Pidgeotto or Pidgeot flying overhead, and felt entirely at ease.

With a start, she realized she must have dozed off for a moment, feeling relaxed and sluggish and strangely peaceful. Opening her eyes, her gaze was immediately drawn to Chloe. The redhead was laying on her side, propped up on her elbow, looking at Beca. The moment Beca turned her head, however, Chloe looked away, too.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Beca laughed.

“Nothing,” Chloe responded, far too quickly.

“Were you watching me sleep?” Beca asked, eyebrows rising.

“No!” Chloe huffed out, turning onto her back, staring up at the few clouds that had formed while Beca had been asleep. “Not like that.”

“So you were watching me sleep, just not in a creepy way?”

“Yeah,” Chloe shrugged, voice weirdly flat. “I guess.”

Beca never was the best at social interaction, but even she could sense Chloe pulling away for some reason. She didn’t know whether she had said something she shouldn’t have, or whether Chloe was just being weird for some other reason. Still, she wanted to remedy the situation.

Without thinking, she reached out, taking Chloe’s hands in her own and giving it a squeeze. “Whatever you’re doing, please stop?” she smiled carefully. “I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.”

“You didn’t,” Chloe told her without much conviction.

“I feel like I did, though.”

“You didn’t,” Chloe repeated, more convincingly this time. “I was just…”

When Chloe didn’t continue, Beca gave her hand another squeeze. “Whatever it is, you can tell me,” she smiled. “I won’t be upset or anything.”

Chloe took a deep breath, turning back onto her side. “I promise you didn’t do anything wrong,” the redhead smiled gingerly. “It’s just… you looked really cute and pretty, sleeping like that. I didn’t even realize I was creeping on you until you woke up.”

“Is that all?” Beca huffed out with some amusement. “Chlo, I don’t mind you were watching me,” she shrugged, because really she didn’t mind - it was… oddly flattering, in a way. “And I’m sure you weren’t creeping on me, I’m just naturally pretty,” she joked, making a face to inject some humor.

“Hey!” Chloe laughed, slapping her thigh. “You are naturally pretty!”

“Right,” Beca nodded. “Whatever you say.”

--

“I think we should go watch a movie tonight,” Chloe offered, one of the first times she spoke again after their somewhat awkward exchange before. 

They had laid side by side in the sun for hours, until more and more clouds had begun gathering, making it too chilly for them to remain outside in nothing but their swimwear. Thus, they had retired back to their hut, where Beca was hanging around on the bed, trying very hard not to fall asleep again.

“A movie?” Beca groaned. “Must we?”

Chloe shrugged from her perch in the corner, her smile not as easy and confident as Beca had grown to know it. “Obviously, you don’t have to,” the redhead responded. “I just thought it’d be nice.”

“But I’m so tired,” Beca groaned, dropping her face down on the pillow. At Chloe’s indulgent smile, she groaned again. “Fine, I’ll go see the movie with you.”

“You can fall asleep on my shoulder, if that makes it any better,” Chloe chuckled.

“It does, actually,” Beca nodded feebly. “Ugh, that means I need to get dressed.,” she sighed when she realized she had only thrown a shirt over her swimwear.

“Or don’t,” Chloe grinned, starting to look a bit more like herself again. 

With a disbelieving huff, Beca got to her feet, scurrying around to find a nice pair of jeans and a more-than-just-okay-looking top to wear with it, before retreating to the adjoining bathroom to get changed.

When she stepped back into their room, Chloe was facing the mirror, applying make-up to her eyes. “Oh, it’s going to be one of those nights?” Beca smiled.

“Those nights?” Chloe parroted. 

“Yeah, you know, where we get all pretty,” Beca hummed, taking her own make-up bag from her backpack. 

“I guess,” Chloe smiled, putting her stuff away again after a final look in the mirror. “Though you don’t need make-up to be pretty.”

“Well, neither do you, but here we are,” Beca shrugged, easily sliding into Chloe’s spot in front of the mirror and applying her eyeliner. 

“If you keep that up, you’ll end up looking like a Zigzagoon,” Chloe grinned over Beca’s shoulder, catching her attention. At Beca’s raised eyebrow, Chloe pulled out her Pokédex, showing her a picture.

“Screw you,” Beca huffed, giving Chloe a playful shove. Finishing up her make-up with a light coating of lipgloss, she stashed her supplies again, turning to face her friend. “Ready when you are.”

Chloe seamlessly navigated them to the theater, making Beca very grateful that one of them had the presence of mind to actually read and follow the signs. If it had been up to her, they would probably have ended in the engine room.

They were admitted inside without having to pay a fee, because obviously that had already been included in the price of their boarding tickets. Settling in their seats, squarely in the middle, Beca stared at the massive screen in front of them. “What movie are we watching?” she asked.

“I haven’t a clue,” Chloe shrugged.

Beca wanted to ask how Chloe didn’t check the movie before dragging her here, but was shushed when the lights dimmed and the screen flickered to life. As it turned out, they were watching some movie about a gym leader’s son, trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, and getting involved in a series of unfortunate events.

Beca wasn’t fond of movies, but she really tried to stay awake. Not because she wanted to see the movie, but because Chloe had wanted to do something together, and it would be kind of rude for her to actually fall asleep, despite Chloe’s earlier jest.

Stifling her yawn behind her hand, Chloe wiggled around, flipping the armrest up and giving a quick sideward smile. “It’s okay,” she muttered under her breath, not disrupting the other movie-goers. “You can take a nap.”

“Nah,” Beca shook her head, already stifling another yawn immediately after. “You didn’t bring me here just for me to fall asleep on you.”

Chloe sagged a little in her seat, wiggling her shoulder. “C’mon, you can fall asleep on me,” she grinned.

“Shh!” one of the faceless people around them hissed. 

Stifling her third yawn in a minute, Beca conceded that, even if she tried really hard, she’d probably end up falling asleep halfway through the movie. Leaning into Chloe and resting her head on the redhead’s shoulder, Beca closed her eyes, dozing off almost immediately.

--

“Hey, Becs, sleepyhead,” came Chloe’s soft voice, close enough to her ear that Beca felt the warm breath more than she actually heard the words. “The movie’s done, it’s time to wake up.”

“I’m awake,” Beca groaned, sitting up straight and stretching her neck and limbs. 

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Beca smiled. “I’m sorry to sleep through the entire movie, though.”

“No you’re not,” Chloe grinned. “The movie wasn’t that good, anyway.”

“Okay, yeah, I’m not sorry for missing the movie,” Beca admitted. “I’m sorry for not being more fun tonight, though.”

“It’s fine, Becs,” Chloe smiled, pulling her from her seat. “I really didn’t mind.”

As she followed Chloe out of the theater, arms linked together, she pulled Chloe in the opposite direction they came from. “Let’s take a detour? I bet we can see like, a billion stars tonight.”

They made their way outside, meaning Beca meekly followed Chloe, who seemed to have the ship’s layout memorized. The cool winds whipped around them as they stepped out onto the deck, and Beca felt something inside her swell at the sight of the starry sky above them, and the moonlight reflecting off of the endless ocean. 

Walking up to the railing, Beca leaned against it, staring out at the peaceful and serene surroundings, feeling Chloe joining her a few seconds later. “You were right,” Chloe muttered, voice barely audible. “The sky is so clear tonight.”

Neither of them spoke for quite some time, and Beca felt strangely at peace with her life. She realized she had been feeling this way for a while now - the burden of having to prove herself, to her father, to Bumper, even to herself, had fallen away when she began traveling with Chloe, who accepted her so readily and easily, without feeling the need to change anything about her.

“Hey, Chlo?” Beca spoke softly, catching her friend’s attention. “I know I said it before, but um… I really am very happy to be on this journey with you,” she smiled. “I started this journey wanting to become a strong trainer… I never expected to make a friend like you… And um… I’m really grateful that I did.”

Chloe smiled tenderly, taking Beca’s hand and entwining their fingers. “I came to Kanto, not knowing what I was looking for,” the redhead smiled. “I’d traveled most of the regions, won most of the badges, and it didn’t really seem like there was much to be gained by adding Kanto to the list… I made so many friends on my journey, but I never expected… I never expected you.”

“Well, I’m just happy you came to Kanto at all,” Beca sighed contentedly. “I’d never have made it to Pewter if it hadn’t been for you… I couldn’t wish for a better friend to take this journey with.”