Chloe was nervous. Incredibly nervous. Terrified, even.

  She’d been up since dawn, going over her notes, brushing Mimi’s hair, and trying (failing) to eat breakfast. Now she was heading toward her first real battle against another trainer, and her legs were made of fluff.

  This was really happening.

  After her chat with Mum, plus a very intense group huddle with Mimi and Mochi, she’d finally messaged Calem to say she was going for it. The Gym Challenge. He’d responded with a whole essay's worth of tips, half of which had sent her scrambling to revise her battle plans. But she’d followed his advice. Trained. Travelled. Signed up.

  And now here she was: in Santalune City, on the cusp of her very first Qualifier match.

  Getting here had been easier than she’d feared. The trip from Vaniville took a week, but Kalos’s central routes were like landscaped gardens compared to the wilds of other regions. Mum had tried to come with her, naturally. Chloe had insisted she stay home and go to work. (She’d already quit once to be a full-time parent, and Chloe wasn’t about to make her do that again just because she was chasing a dream.)

  After arriving, she’d checked into a hostel, signed up at the Gym, and spent the last few days swinging between nervous energy and outright panic.

  The whole thing still felt surreal.

  The Gym Challenge. Pioneered in Galar and adopted by the Pokemon League at large, it was a yearly competition for trainers under the age of 18. It served as an entry point to the league proper, preventing the rookies from being destroyed by the professionals, (and giving them another competition to monetise). The Challenge was held in a different region every year, this year, Sinnoh. In order to offset the costs of travel, the ACE program was adopted. Each region would sponsor a number of trainers to attempt the challenge, providing them with a mix of benefits, as well as funding their initial journey. Most of the slots went to the graduates from the various trainer schools, but some were reserved for strong showings in the open qualifiers. Qualifiers like the one Chloe was about to enter.

  Calem had said qualifying as an ACE would save her money, build experience, and put her name on the radar early.

  Easy, right?

  She took a deep breath as the looming roof of the Santalune Gym came into view.

  “You can do this,” she told herself.

  Hopefully.

  She arrived at her field, Field G, to find her opponent, and the referee waiting.

  “Uhh, Chloe Bellamy, number 43?” She said to the Ref, who was a man in his 20s. Probably one of the Gym Trainers, if she had to guess.

  He nodded. “Lovely, we’re all here. Do either of you need a reminder of the rules?”

  Chloe shook her head. She had studied the rules extensively while she was waiting, committing them to memory. Her opponent did likewise.

  “Excellent,” said the Ref. "Introduce yourselves, take your positions, and we can begin.”

  “I’m Chloe,” she said, extending a hand to the boy across from her. He took it in a shaking hand.

  “Douglas.” He muttered. Arceus, he was more nervous than she was! Oddly, she found this comforting. Knowing that they were in the same boat relaxed her.

  Douglas was a boy of about 16, as they all would be, wearing the usual trainer get up of a sports jacket, tracksuit pants and a cap. Chloe herself had decided to dress a little nicer, and was in a belted blue sundress, with tights and a pair of nice, practical boots. Her mum had taken her shopping before she left, insisting that she look good for her debut. She had spent the morning getting ready. Her hair was up in a ponytail, tied with a blue ribbon. Mimi and Mochi were both freshly groomed, brushed and sporting their own ribbons (Mimi had insisted). They were ready.

  “This will be a one on one single battle,” declared the Referee. “Trainers to release on my mark. Are you ready?”

  Chloe nodded. Douglas across the field did the same.

  “Begin!”

  “Mimi! Showtime!” Yelled Chloe, throwing the Mawile’s ball as hard as she could.

  “Digger, I choose you!” Shouted Douglas from across the way. Both Pokemon appeared in bursts of light. Mimi appeared with a warcry, landing in the centre of the field, while Douglas had released a Bunnelby.

  “A normal type.” Thought Chloe. “We have the advantage.”

  “Mimi!” She called, “Plan B!”

  “Maw!” Came the reply, and Mimi hit the ground running.

  “Digger, T-tackle!” Shouted Douglas, and Digger bunched up, ready to leap forward. His legs began to extend, only for Mimi to blur forward at the last moment, lashing out with a vicious Sucker Punch that connected with the Normal type’s jaw. Digger went tumbling across the ground. scrambling to recover. Mimi chased, running after him.

  “M-mud Slap!” Ordered Douglas, and Digger, mid roll, dug one of his ears into the dirt and flung a clump at Mimi.

  “Eyes down!” Yelled Chloe, and Mimi managed to look away in time, shielding her face with her upper jaw, avoiding a face full of dirt. That cost her time though, and Digger managed to stop his roll.

  “Quick Attack!”

  Digger kicked off the ground, and flew at Mimi. Chloe didn't react in time, but Mimi, having avoided the Mud Slap and hearing the command, did. She met the charge head on, skull glowing as she smashed it into Digger, countering with a powerful Iron Head. She was knocked back by the impact, but the Bunnelby had fared far worse. He crumpled to the ground, fainted.

  “Digger, no!” Cried Douglas, as Mimi loudly shouted her victory.

  “Bunnelby is unable to battle!” Declared the referee. “Mawile is the winner.”

  Chloe breathed a huge sigh of relief. “You okay Mimi?” She asked, dashing over to her.

  “Maw. Wile!” Shouted the little Pokemon, excitedly.

  “Yeah, I saw.” Said Chloe. “Good job sweetheart, you were amazing.”

  Meanwhile, Douglas had recalled his Pokemon, and was already running towards the Pokemon Center. Chloe frowned. That was a little rude. She wanted to thank him for the great battle. That mid roll Mud Slap into a Quick Attack combo had caught her off guard. If Mimi hadn't responded so well, they might have been in trouble. But, he had rushed off, and they had won, so brushing it aside, she looked over to the Referee.

  “Well done.” He said. “Go report your win to the desk, then rest up for your next match.

  Douglas was so scared he could puke. He had arrived 10 minutes early to make sure he didn't miss his battle. His very first battle. He and Digger had been training for months for this, practising move after move, watching old tapes of some of Ash’s early battles. Ash was his hero, and Douglas wanted to be like him. Now that he was here though, well, he just wanted to get it over with. His opponent arrived right on time, strolling in calm and collected, looking like she didn't have a care in the world. She was pretty, confident and dressed up like she was going out. Douglas, already nervous, almost froze when she had shaken his hand. Great, he hoped it wasn't too sweaty. He was going to embarrass himself.

  His eyes widened when she sent out her Pokemon. A Mawile? Those were rare around here, and for a new trainer? She had to be like, super rich or something. It even had a ribbon tied to its hair, matching its trainer. The Mawile shouted when it appeared, and he and Digger felt a rush of cold fear. When the girl had calmly instructed the Mawile to do Plan B, he knew he was doomed. He didn't have plans! Should he have plans? He was so busy panicking that he almost forgot to tell Digger what to do.

  “T-tackle!” He shouted, cursing himself for stuttering. Digger didn't even have time to jump before the Mawile had punched him. What move was that? He had no idea, but it had moved so fast! He had no idea what to do, so he shouted the first thing that came to mind.

  “Mud Slap!” Somehow, Digger had managed to do it, and he felt a surge of hope when the Mawile was forced to stop and block. Here was his chance! He ordered Digger to do a Quick Attack. If they could land a good hit, maybe they could do something.

  Instead, the Mawile, again with no instructions, he had noticed, simply head butted Digger. Douglas stared with disbelief as his Pokemon fainted after just two attacks.

  “Digger, no!” He shouted. He hoped he was injured. That looked really bad. Douglas fought the urge to cry, recalling Digger and running to the Pokemon Center. He wasn't cut out to be a trainer.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Pierre shook hands with his opponent, some girl who clearly thought that playing dress up was time well spent. Inwardly, he sneered, but outwardly he was polite. It wouldn't do to be too rude to her, even if she was clearly treating this like a hobby. After all, you never knew who you might up encountering later. Not that he expected this to be a challenge, he had dominated his previous opponent. Some kid with a Poliwag. Pathetic. The battle started, and he sent out Furfrou, who arrived with a snarl. The arrival of a Mawile on the other side of the field gave him some pause, but the ribbon attached to it, and silly nickname made him scoff.

  Really, people needed to stop treating this sport like a game.

  “Furfrou, Takedown.” He ordered, as his opponent issued a vague “Plan A!” instruction.

  Furfrou instantly took off towards the Mawile, which set its stance. It glowed briefly, and it took on a slight metallic sheen. Iron Defence. Interesting, this Plan A must be to outlast them. Not a terrible plan, it must be said, but defense didn't win battles long term, only offence did. Furfrou barreled into the Mawile, sending them both tumbling backwards. Or at least, that's what should have happened.

  Instead the Mawile caught Furfrou’s head with their hands as they made contact. They slid back a meter from the force of the impact, but maintained their feet. Then, to Pierre’s horror, the huge jaw attached to the Fairy Type’s head clamped down on Furfrou. Vicegrip.

  “Shake them off!” He ordered, as Mawile began to pummel Furfrou. Pierre watched with disbelief as the Mawile lifted a Pokemon twice their size into the air, and tossed them skyward.

  “Snarl!” He shouted. Furfrou opened its mouth and barked, a wave of dark energy slamming into the Mawile and staggering it, giving Furfrou enough time to land and dance away.

  Okay. He had underestimated this girl. He will remember that for next time. He needed to regain control of this battle.

  “Double Team.” He said, but was drowned out by his opponent shouting.

  “Metal Burst!” He blinked, He wasn't familiar with that one…

  There was a flash of light and a screech, then a wave of force hit Furfrou and the two doubles it had formed. Furfrou staggered, and the doubles dissipated.

  “Slam!” Came the shout.

  Shit. “Dodge it!” He ordered, but being disoriented and deafened, Furfrou didn't react, and the Mawile slammed into them, sending them crashing to the dirt. Fainted.

  “Furfrou is unable to battle. Mawile is the winner.”

  Disgusted, more with himself than with his Pokemon, he recalled them.

  “Hey, good battle! Thanks, I learned a lot!” Called his opponent, walking over.

  “Yeah, whatever.” He replied, ignoring her offered hand. He had training to do after today. Still, if he won the rest of his matches, he should be in good standing. It was unlikely that someone would win every battle.

  Chloe battled twice that first day both times with Mimi. They won both battles relatively comfortably as well, which was great. She had debated switching to Mochi for the second battle, but the agreement that they had reached was that Mimi got the first day, and Chloe wasn't willing to start that argument up again. Both Pokemon had insisted that they get the first turn, and in the end Chloe had convinced them by promising Mochi that the battles on the second day would be harder, as Trainers would have the experience of the first battles to learn from. Whether this was true or not, she had no idea, but Mochi had accepted the argument, and that was good enough. Chloe and Mimi visited the Pokemon Center, and the Nurse Joy there had given Mimi a once over, before announcing that she was in perfect health, and just needed a rest after a hard day’s battling.

  She was honestly surprised at how well things had been going. Both of her opponents so far had been as good as she had expected, though they were a little rude. Especially that second guy, he kept looking at her funny. Still, Mimi had been performing far above her expectations, their training with Calem having given them both a huge boost. Chloe predicted things to be more difficult tomorrow, but knew that Mochi would be up for the challenge.

  When she got back to her room, she got changed, fed herself and the Pokemon, then called her Mum, so that she could tell her all about the day’s competition. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

  Edith faced her opponent, a blonde girl in a white blouse and purple skirt. Claire, who hadn't been battling at the time, had caught part of the girl’s second battle the day before, and said that she had a Mawile with some impressive punch to it. With that in mind, Edith had decided to use her Litleo for this one. He would have an advantage over the Fairy and Steel type Mawile, should her opponent use them, and judging by how strong Claire had said the Mawile was, Edith thought it likely she would.

  “Begin!” Came the shout from the Referee, and Edith released Litleo, right at the back of the arena to give him some distance to work with.

  “Mochi, showtime!” Yelled her opponent, as she released her own Pokemon. It wasn't the Mawile, unfortunately, but instead a rather large Jigglypuff. No matter, Leo could handle it.

  “Ember.” She ordered, and Leo spat a burst of fire across the field.

  “Disperse, then counter.” Directed her Opponent, and the Jigglypuff set its feet, and inflated its cheeks.

  “Puff!” It cried, releasing a shockwave of sound that smothered out Leo’s flames.

  “Again!” Edith ordered Leo to continue the barrage, while she considered her options. He opened his mouth to obey, when the Jigglypuff posed and winked. A flash of red engulfed Leo momentarily, and the flames winked out. Shit, Disable? Still, she had options.

  “Swift.” She commanded, and Leo flicked his tail, a line of stars flying at the Jigglypuff. Another “Puff!”, and these too were blown away. Damn. Clearly, they weren't going to win the ranged battle. That meant they would have to get in close.

  “Acrobatics into Firefang.”

  Lep blurred into motion, darting across the field in a zigzag pattern, making it as difficult as possible for their opponent to hit them. He dodged another “Puff!”, one that was louder this time, (Echoed Voice, clearly. Damn, that was dangerous.) and slipped behind the Jigglypuff. He bared his fangs and leapt in.

  “Behind!” Shouted her opponent, and Jigglypuff whirled just in time, shooting off a Sweet Kiss that hit Leo right in the face. He stopped dead in tracks, confused. Not good.

  “Snap out of it!” She yelled, but it was too late, and she knew it.

  “Rollout!” Jigglypuff curled into a ball and slammed into Leo, bouncing off as he stumbled. It had the bonus effect of snapping him out of his confusion, but by the time he got his bearings, Jigglypuff had curled back round for a second, stronger hit, and Leo crashed and fell. She recalled him.

  “Great battle, thanks!” Called her Opponent, who recalled her Jigglypuff after petting the proud puffball on the head.

  “Yeah, nice one.” Replied Edith, shaking her hand. “Jigglypuff is impressive.”

  “So is Litleo, he is so fast!”

  Edith nodded. “He is, I need to get better though, you led me into your trap.”

  The other girl frowned in confusion.

  “Trap?”

  “Yeah. Using disable to get us in close. That was good.” Said Edith. “I’ll have to remember that one.”

  “Oh.” Her opponent looked sheepish at that one. “That was all Mochi. I wasn't sure what had happened, actually.”

  Mochi’s first battle had been a thriller. Edith was a serious opponent, and despite Litleo not landing any damage, Chloe felt that she was lucky that it was Mochi and not Mimi that faced them. She would need to get Mimi some ranged options after this, that much was clear. That would have to wait though, because right now, she was giddy with excitement. She had won all three battles so far!

  Arriving at the counter, she reported the result of her battle, and asked about her next battle, where she learnt, to Mochi’s incredible disappointment, that her final opponent had been forced to concede. His Pokemon had taken quite the beating in the previous battle, and wasn't fit for the next match. With that, she was top of the group, and would be moving on to the winner’s bracket. One win there, and she was through.

  Mochi was rightfully upset about missing out on one of her battles, but was soothed by the promise of being the one to take the next one. Mimi protested, but it was a token effort, she had to agree that it was fair. Her Mum, as promised, was absolutely delighted at Chloe’s success so far, and told her to call immediately after the next one.

  Her next battle, and hopefully last battle of the day, was to be held in the actual arena, and Chloe was once again nervous. Sure, all the battles so far had gone well, but this one would have spectators. She sat in the waiting room, the screen displaying the battle that was taking place before hers. It was just wrapping up, with an Elekid taking down a Pansear in a close won fight. The field was reset, and Chloe squared her shoulders. It was go time.

  She walked down the short hall to the arena, where she was held for a moment by the staff member at the door. Her opponent for this match, a tall boy with short cropped brown hair was also there, and the two exchanged a handshake and a friendly nod.

  “Good luck.” He said.

  “You too.” She replied, and the staff member waved them both through.

  Chloe entered the arena, and paused momentarily. It was small, nothing like the ones used for the Conference, or the larger gyms like Lumiose, but the terrace seats still contained plenty of spectators. She scanned the faces. The stands weren't packed, but there were more filled seats than empty, with many of the eliminated trainers having decided to stop to watch the finals. Chloe slowly made her way towards the stand, her nerves growing, when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Was that Calem? What was he doing here?

  He gave her a thumbs up, and a cheeky grin, and she felt herself relaxing. She had this. More importantly, Mochi had this. She could almost feel the Pokemon quivering with excitement inside her ball.

  She ascended the handful of steps to the arena, taking her position. Across from her, her opponent, Louis she recalled, did the same. The Referee checked that they were both here, thumbed his microphone and began.

  “This will be a one on one Single Battle.” He announced. “Standard Rules apply. Are both trainers ready?”

  “Yes!” Called Chloe, and Louis did the same.

  “Trainers will release simultaneously on my mark.” Continued the ref.

  Chloe grabbed Mochi’s ball, and waited.

  “Begin!”

  “Mochi, Showtime!”

  “Timothy, you’re up!”

  Both trainers released their Pokemon. Chloe of course, chose Mochi as per their promise, and Louis sent out a very strong looking Timburr. This would be a challenge.

  “Bulk Up.” Ordered Louis, and Timburr began to flex and swell.

  “Disable that!” Called Chloe, and Mochi winked. A burst of red, and Timburr stopped growing.

  “Hit him hard.” She ordered next.

  Mochi inflated her cheeks, and released them with a mighty “Puff!”

  “Endure!” Timothy set his feet, and the shockwave smashed into him, not doing nearly as much damage as Chloe would have liked.

  “Now Fling into Brick Break!” Yelled Louis. Chloe’s eyes widened as the Timburr pulled back his arm and flung the log it was carrying directly at Mochi, who had been inflating for another Echoed Voice. The log hit her, knocking the wind out of her, and Timothy followed, hitting the Fairy Type with a vicious chop to the head. Mochi went flying back, hurt, but still raring to go.

  “Counter roll!” Yelled Chloe. Mochi turned her tumble into a Rollout, and she swerved around to smash into Timburr. He was knocked back a few steps as she bounced off him. Uncurling mid air, she quickly inhaled and unleashed a point blank Echoed Voice. The shockwave slammed into Timothy, and he was thrown to the ground.

  “Sweet Kiss.” Came the call from Chloe, and Mochi unleashed a Sweet Kiss that hit Timothy right as he was regaining his feet.

  “Yes!” She cheered, as Louis shouted in dismay. “Get him!”

  Mochi charged, launching herself into Timburr. She sent him reeling backwards, and she followed up by tackling him to the ground. Her arms glowed, and she sat on top of him unleashing Double Slap after Double Slap.

  “Puff! Puff! Puff!” Cried the puffball, but somehow Timothy STILL hadn't fainted. He was tough, ridiculously so.

  “Shake her off!” Yelled Louis, a tinge of desperation in his voice. Timothy heaved and tossed Mochi to one side, and she bounced like the balloon she was.

  “Yes! Low Kick!” He shouted next, and Timothy swept his leg, punting Mochi right at the Arena wall. “Now, focus punch!”

  Both trainers knew this was it. Neither Pokemon would be able to take another hit, but Louis had forgotten one thing. Mochi hit the wall and compressed, before springing backwards, kicking off the wall for extra momentum.

  “Jiggly… Puff!” She shouted, hitting Timothy with a Pound before he finished charging his Focus Punch. He teetered, then fell. Fainted.

  The Referee wasted no time. “Timburr is unable to battle, Jigglypuff is the winner!”

  “Yes!” Chloe shouted, and raced to Mochi, who seemed a little unsteady herself. She scooped her up and gave her a massive hug.

  “Great work, you were awesome!”

  “Puff.” Mochi agreed, swelling with pride.

  “Alright, have a rest. We’ll celebrate later, okay?” Said Chloe, and she recalled Mochi as Louis did the same with Timothy.

  “Great battle.” He said, walking over.

  “Yeah, you too.” She agreed, shaking his hand. “That was super close.”

  He grimaced. “Yeah, Focus Punch was a mistake.”

  Chloe shrugged. “Maybe, but we also made mistakes. Timothy is so tough, I wasn't sure how we would win!”

  Louis laughed. “Well that Mochi of yours is a beast. I can't wait for a rematch.”

  “Me too.” Grinned Chloe. “See you in the Challenge?”

  “See you in the Challenge” Agreed Louis, and the two left the arena, with Chloe only now noticing the applause from the crowd. She didn't have time to think about that right now though. She had to take Mochi for a check up, find Calem and call her Mum. Then they needed to celebrate. She was going to the Gym Challenge next month, and she was going as an ACE Trainer.