Ionization (Slight M)

Man, my favourite thing about this chapter is a spoiler, haha. But you know all about that already, so let’s move on. ;) Raiju is very good, best cat. He and Jonnie do recede a little into the background on occasion – as pokémon do in this setting; it seems pretty standard for them to keep out of the way while their humans are doing things – but they come into their own in these little moments, as when Yossele points out their reaction to the idea of participating in the Gym Challenge Championship.

Anyway: Gardenia and Mattie. I love how the set-up with Trey mirrors both how Mattie feels about Yossele (the clues about his origin are building up fast now) and what’s presumably starting to happen in Unova at about this point in history, with the Plasma pokémon shelter and all. In-game, the ex-Plasma people at the shelter wear their old Plasma uniforms, and there’s just … something so Mattie about that whole set-up, with all these people acting as caretakers for the pokémon they and theirs stole during the cult’s heyday. Unable to move on, unable to feel like they’ve properly atoned, caught between the demands of the past and the present.

But … maybe Mattie will get a chance to move on where they didn’t, huh. Despite her angry defensiveness (which I really like as a reaction to Gardenia’s suggestion, even if like, I’d like the poor kid to take her up on it because she could really use some help), she still can’t help but be pushed a little out of her knee-jerk reaction by what Gardenia actually says, you know? Like of course she gets angry easily discussing this stuff – she has a lot of defences in place here, as both a teenager being confronted by an adult who wants to understand them and a former cult member, that stop her easily talking/thinking clearly about Plasma and her experiences. But Gardenia remains defiantly sensible, and Mattie can’t help but respond to that, at least a little. Not everybody, and definitely not every teenager, would, so it’s heartening to see. Gardenia makes a strong impression as someone who’s worked with a long of young people on their trainer journeys, haha, and someone who’s seen the worst of the Galactics, too: in short, exactly the person Mattie needs advice from right now. Even if she’s not willing to accept it just yet. :P

Chapters 10 and 11

I kinda like the little worldbuilding of Ranger training there. Funny Aiden mentions being in Alola as I'm currently reading another fic here it has the Ranger base in Alola and was showcased for a couple chapters.

Next few thoughts under spoilers:



So Aiden and Mattie will be travel buddies now, huh? That should be fun heh.

This chapter is probably the longest I've ever written, folks, so be warned. However, it was also super fun to write, so I hope you enjoy.



The day of my Gym battle is upon me.  Aiden meets me out front of the hotel.

“Alright, spill,” she says, leaning in like she wants in on a secret.  “What’s your strategy?”

“Yeah, it’s super interesting,” I respond.  “Learned a few things from my helper yesterday. Basically, grass-types generally start off slow in a battle, but because of the UV light of the sun, they get stronger and faster over time.  What that tells me is that I need to be really careful about how I organize my team.”

“So, what’re you thinking?”  She’s getting pretty into it.  “What’s the team order? Whatya got?!”

“Alright, calm down, calm down!” I laugh, trying in vain to wave her down.  “Walk with me to the Gym.”

We take a leisurely stroll through the city.  It’s a beautiful fall day. Air’s brisk, not much wind.  The leaves are still green on the trees, but if I have to guess, they’ll start turning kinda soon.

“I’m thinking start with Raiju,” I continue.  “He’s pretty strong already, but he admittedly burns himself out sorta fast.  I was debating whether or not he’d be the anchor -”

“– but Gardenia would end with her roserade,” Aiden says.  “Yeah, that totally makes sense. I take it Yossele is gonna be your anchor, then?”

“Actually, no,” I respond.  “Jonathan will be.”

“Oh?”  She cocks an eyebrow in surprise.

“Yossele’s my strongest fighter, but he’s also not great against grass-types.  I’m banking on him lasting the longest of the fighters, but really, if I’m just looking at typing, Jonnie is in the best position.”

“Yeah, but he’s tiny!  How would he even make a dent in anyone?”

“He’s fast.”  I summon Jonnie from his Pokéball, and he proceeds to flit around my shoulders.  “I’m hoping that Gardenia’s roserade will be a little tired when Jonnie comes in, but even then, he’s super quick.  Gardenia’ll be hard-pressed to get a hit in.” Jonnie, surmising that I’ve just complimented him, lets out a little chirp and perches on my shoulder.

“And what, will he fly around and kill her with cuteness?” Aiden jokes, scratching behind Jonnie’s ear.

“Try fangs and wings,” I giggle.  “He’s not defenseless, y’know!”

“I know, I know, I’m messing with you!” she responds.  We laugh for a bit, then keep walking towards the Gym in silence.

“… but if you tried it, though …”

We’re in hysterics the rest of the way to the Gym.


Gardenia’s in when we arrive, and the three of us make a beeline to the arena proper.  Yossele pops out of his pokéball to get a good look at the venue. It’s a really pretty sight, with the grass on the arena floor tailored and cut like the Wimbledon Grounds in Galar.  The railings of the stadium are lined with ivy and flowers. Even the stair railings within the bleachers, on which some spectators are sitting, are laced with flora. Hell, there’s a sunroof-style window on the top of the Gym’s domed roof, with the sun hitting the arena at just the right angle to look freaking gorgeous.

It also smells really nice, not gonna lie.

“This arena is beautiful, Gardenia,” I say.  “It’s a shame the grass is gonna get screwed up from the battle.”

“Believe me, Mattie,” Gardenia responds, “you have no idea how happy I am that you don’t have any fire-type moves in your party.  The amount of money I’ve spent on this Gym over the years just to replace scorch marks … it borders on obscene.”

Yossele and I turn to each other.  {We should not tell her that I am trying to learn Fire Punch, right?} he asks.

{Yeah, let’s keep that to ourselves,} I sign back, trying to suppress a giggle.

“So remind me, you’re gonna use three pokémon, right?” Gardenia inquires.

“Yep, and you’ve met them all,” I reply.  “Are you gonna give me the whole speech like Roark did?”

“Nope, that’s just for your first badge.”  She checks her PokéGear. “She should be here, already, what’s keeping her?”

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late!” I hear a woman call out as she bursts into the room.  “I forgot to charge my PokéGear and it ran out of charge, my bad!”

“Just glad you’re here to judge, Angela!” Gardenia replies.  “You know where to go.”

Angela is the Gym Trainer who helped me out yesterday. Her grotle was very helpful as a training buddy, happy to take some shots in the name of knowledge.

Maybe it’s because that grotle had already met my pokémon before. Angela is Gardenia’s sister, after all, and the grotle sorta belongs to both of them.

Angela scrambles to the judge’s platform at the side and gets in position.  “Alright, you two, whenever you’re ready!” she exclaims.

Gardenia grabs a pokéball and chucks it into the stadium.  “Let’s get this party started, Paco!”

The ball bursts open and reveals one of the most laid-back lombre I think I’ve ever seen.  Like, he almost looks high, that’s how chill he is.  Even when he fully materializes into the room, he just gives a semi-blank stare, his arms sorta waving with the drafts from the AC.  I’m not even sure he’s acknowledging my presence.

Lucky, lucky, lucky.

“Alright, let’s show ‘em what you’ve got, Raiju!” I yell as I throw the luxio’s ball.  Raiju practically explodes out of the pokéball, letting out a high-pitched roar as his fur sparks with blue electricity.

“Looks like both of the pokémon are ready to go,” Angela laughs.  “Are both Trainers ready to go?”

“Yep!” we both exclaim.

“Then begin!”

“Paco, Bubble Beam!  Keep that luxio away!” Gardenia shouts.

“Dodge out of the way and hit ‘im with a Spark, Rai-Rai!” I counter.

The next few seconds are an intricate dance of Raiju trying to outrun and outmaneuver the jetstream of bubbles leaving Paco’s beak.  He’s not able to avoid all of them, though, and the force of the acidic saliva bubbles knocks him around a bit, slowing him down. Raiju’s able to tough it out, though, and rams as hard as he can into Paco with an electrified slam.  Once the lombre’s down, Raiju pins him with his legs and lunges in for an unprompted Bite.

“Get out of there!” Gardenia calls out.  Quicker than either of us are able to anticipate, the lombre is able to coat itself with a slippery coating of water and slither out of Raiju’s jaws, but not before some of the luxio’s fangs are able to scrape against his large lily-pad head.  It immediately rights itself, looking just as apathetic as before. “Now get some your energy back! Mega Drain!”

With surprising speed, Paco lunges at Raiju and digs his red claws into the luxio’s side.  Raiju tries his best to escape, but the lombre lifts him off the ground, slams him back to the earth, and tosses him away. Raiju’s a little sluggish to get up. Paco, meanwhile, is looking more energized.

Okay, that’s terrifying.  “Rai-Rai, we need to end this fast.  Concentrate on dodging for a second and load up a Charge!”

“Don’t let them get away with it that easily!  Hit him with a Nature Power while he’s running!”

NATURE POWER?!  That’s not good at all.  “Rai, get the hell out of there, that’s Tri Attack in buildings!”

I can almost feel Raiju’s eyes grow wide as he tries to bolt out of sight.  Unlike with Roark’s stadium or the wild, though, there aren’t any rocks or trees to hide behind.  Paco finishes charging energy into his lily-pad and blasts a swirling beam of fire, ice, and lightning from his beak.  Raiju tries to dive out of the way, but the beam still makes impact, just nicking his side with a bit of lightning. He rolls around in the dirt to make sure he’s not singed.  When the dust settles, however, there’s a swath of scorch marks and ice on the ground.

We need to end this now.

“Raiju, rush him while using Signal Beam, and ready a Spark for when you get close!”

“Oh no you don’t!  Counter with Fury Swipes, don’t let him get close!”

Paco’s claws glow white as he charges at Raiju.  However, his feet start to wobble the moment he looks into Raiju’s eyes, which are flashing green and orange with that familiar sinister light.  Raiju pauses for a moment to let Paco swipe at the air, and then proceeds to slam his body into the lombre once again. However, with the added electricity arcing through his fur, Raiju’s Charged Spark causes a miniature electric explosion, knocking Paco into the outer wall.

He doesn’t even try to get up, waving his hand in surrender.

“Okay, Paco isn’t able to battle anymore!  Raiju wins the bout!” Angela turns to me. “Are you gonna switch pokémon?”

“I mean, I sorta want to.  Rai-Rai, how do you feel about –”

Raiju lets out a loud yelp and paws the ground.  He’s not leaving.

“Heh, he’s got a fire to him!” Gardenia remarks.  “But let’s see how he deals with an immovable object.  Lily, Ingrain yourself!”

She tosses a pokéball and releases a new battler.  A purple flower-looking pokémon materializes and immediately sinks her suction cups into the ground.  Roots extend from her feet, and the area around her begins to grow duller.

“A lileep?” I say.  “That’s an interesting find.  Where’d you get her?”

“She was my two-year anniversary gift, actually,” she says with a smile.  “Shall we?”

“You’ve already started,” I reply with a wink.  “Raiju, hit the lileep with a Bite!”

“Wait, wait,” Angela stammers, “you’re supposed to wait for my signal –”

Disregarding Angela’s pleas, Raiju dashes up to Lily and sinks his teeth into her purple hide.  However, it’s like I suspected. The lileep doesn’t even budge, and both of the fang wounds she sustains start to slowly feel mere moments after Raiju runs away.  Crap, it’s a war of attrition.

“Raiju, she’s not moving,” I exclaim.  “Get away from her for a sec, load up a Charge.  We need to knock her out quickly.”

“Lily, don’t let him get away!” Gardenia commands.  “Use Brine, he’s looking weak!”

Oh no.

As Raiju tries to duck out of the way to charge his body with electricity, Lily suddenly unleashes a jet of saltwater from her hidden pouch.  Now, even in normal circumstances, Brine is a nasty attack, especially for pokémon that are already hurt.

But saltwater also conducts electricity about a million times better than freshwater.

The jet of water blasts into Raiju’s electrified body, causing what essentially amounted to a full-body short-circuit.  Raiju’s body pulses with electric energy before collapsing where he stands.

“Holy shit, stop, stop!” I yell.  “He’s done, Raiju’s done!” I vault over the wall to go check on him.  I’m scared out of my mind. Thankfully, no one stops me.

His fur’s badly singed, and he’s got a couple bruises here and there, but otherwise, he’s alright.  I spray a Potion on his wounds, and he licks me as I do. His tongue feels like sandpaper.

“I’m really sorry, Rai-Rai,” I whisper, “that must’ve hurt so bad.  Please don’t hate me.” He meows softly and nuzzles me with his head as I pet him.  “Heh, you don’t have the best luck with me, huh?” I giggle. “First a Magnitude, now this.”  Raiju just purrs. “Alright, buddy, rest up a bit. I’m gonna get you some chicken later.” I pull out his pokéball and retract him inside.

“Is he alright?” Gardenia asks as I return to the pedestal.  “That was a little nastier than I wanted it to be.”

“I’ll be sure to treat him to some meat later,” I say.  “He should be fine, I think I was just a little rattled.”  I put the pokéball on my belt. “However, I think it’s time for the big boy to play.”  I turn to Yossele, who’s walked up to my side. “Let’s see what you’ve got against my Yosie, shall we?  Yossele, enter the ring and use Iron Defense!”

In a move I’ve never seen him do before, Yossele fires his arm jets, launching him off the ground, and basically does a superhero landing into the arena.  As he stands up and assumes his stance, his body glows with his familiar blue protective flame.

“Show-off,” I mutter.

“Alright, are you two going to wait for my signal this time?” Angela laughs.

“Yeah, sorry about that, sis,” Gardenia responds.  “We just got too into it.”

“Okay, good.”  Angela sighs, shaking her head.  “Begin!”


“Lily, use Giga Drain, get some energy back!”

I may be slow, but thankfully Lily is even slower.  I’m able to dry-shoot my arm cannons and juke out of the way of the draining roots that shoot out of the ground, but I land farther away from her than I’d like.  I take a quick glance at Mattie, and I think she agrees.

“That lileep is stay a little too rooted for my liking,” I hear her say.  “Magnitude, loosen her up!”

Just what I was thinking.  I punch my fists into the ground, rattling the arena and shaking Lily’s composure.  Ech, probably only a 5 out of 10, I need to be more consistent.

“I-is that the best you can do?” I hear Lily stammer.  “B-because I’m s-still rooted! I’ll b-be okay!”

I let out a low rumble and launch myself toward her.  She’s right, and that’s really getting annoying.

“I like your thinking, Yosie,” Mattie exclaims.  “Get up close, use a Shadow Punch, aim for the stem!”

I cock an eyebrow as I run.  Why Shadow Punch?  Would she not – no, it’s alright, I will make it work.  I get up close and light my hands up with my inner flame.  “This should loosen you,” I mutter as I slam two punches into Lily’s side.  I try to aim the blows where the stem is the thinnest, and one seems to connect a little better than the others.  She yelps in pain and recoils her head.

Yet her grip remains taut.

“Hang in there, Lily!” Gardenia commands.  “Giga Drain again, make sure you hit this time!”

I try to bolt away again, but Lily connects with her attack this time.  I feel the roots pierce my outer layer and drain my energy, and I see her wounds slowly close.  “I’m not going anywhere, Mister Golett,” Lily says, “and hopefully neither will you.”

Okay, now I’m mad.

Mattie orders me to do something – probably break out of the vines – but I am seeing red.  I rush at Lily, lace my fingers together, and smash into her stem with a mighty Stomping Tantrum.  Not only do I rip the roots out of me with the force, but I think I tear her off of the ground, since I see her flying.

“Or just do that,” I her Mattie exclaim, “that was sick!  Get in there and finish her with another Shadow Punch.”

That’s better.  I fire my jets behind me, launching myself to where Lily landed.  My fists flare. “Sorry, but you moved,” I rumble as I crack my right fist into her head.

She goes limp, and wags her fronds in surrender.

“Lily’s unable to battle anymore!” Gardenia’s sister calls out.  “Mattie’s golett wins!”

I pump my fist, satisfied in my victory.  I’ve taken a couple more hits than I was hoping, but I should still be alright.

“How are you feeling, Yosie?” Mattie asks.  “Think you can go a little longer?”

{I should be alright for now,} I reply.  {I know my limits. They have not been reached yet.}

She nods.  “I think we’re good for now, Gardenia,” she says.

“Good,” the older woman replies.  “You’ll need to be. Show ‘em what you’ve got, Foxglove!”

A roserade materializes onto the battlefield.  I recognize her from when Gardenia took down the tent a few days ago.  She crosses her arms as she sees me. “Hm, I remember you from the other day,” she says.  “You appear very strong. I hope that you will be a fine challenge for me.”

“I will,” I say, tapping my sigil.  “And if I should fall, there is still one other pokémon you will need to fight.”

“Truly?” she inquires.  “Heh, that’s a rare sight.”  She assumes a stance of her own, placing both of her flowered hands in front of her face.  “Normally, the first pokémon I face is also the last. You will be quite the challenge, then.”

I slam my fists together.  “I plan to be.”

“Alright, Round 4, everyone.  Begin!”

“Magnitude from long range, Yosie, keep your distance!”

“Foxglove, Magical Leaf!  Don’t let him escape!”

I try to launch the shockwave from my arms as quickly as I can.  Hopefully I can knock her off-balance, make her miss.  I am not fast enough to stop her from launching her rainbow-colored leaves, but I knock her off her feet.  The leaves are shot far wide of me. Perhaps it is enough to –

The leaves are tracking me.  I did not know they could –

I’m not able to finish my thought as the razor-sharp leaves slash across my body, leaving bunches of small gashes across my frame.  I am sent reeling, thrown back by the impacts. That hurt.

“Crap, that’s not good,” I hear Mattie mutter.  “Yosie, get in close, Stomping Tantrum. Knock her down!”

Good choice.  I jump up and rocket towards the roserade as quickly as I can.

“Sludge Bomb his eyes and Grass Knot his legs!” Gardenia commands.  “I want him on the ground!”

Why Sludge Bomb?  That will not do much to –

Once again, Foxglove moves faster than I can think, shooting out a glob of venom that lands directly on my face.  It does not hurt much, but I feel a pulse of pain coursing through my body. Poison.  I also cannot see.  Due to my blindness, my momentum causes me to catch on something.  That something proceeds to wrap itself around my legs and slam me into the ground.  Hard. It is difficult for me to move my body.

My vision is somewhat clearing, and I can see the hazy outline of Foxglove approaching me.  I try to position my legs under me, but another pulse of pain keeps me on my knees. As a last resort, I lace my fingers together and blindly try to land a Stomping Tantrum slam.  My energy sense guides me towards a hazy image of her form. I swing my arms at the shrouded figure. My fists connect, knocking her back slightly. However, she rights herself quickly, and through my hazy vision, I see her point her hand towards me.

And begin to glow.

“Respect,” I hear her say.  I feel a ball of energy slam into my body.

And I can no longer move.


“Mattie’s golett is unable to battle!  Foxglove wins the bout!”

I shake my head and sigh.  It was a gutsy effort on Yossele’s part, but it wasn’t enough.  He tries to turn his head towards me. There’s a disappointed look on his face.

“I know, man,” I say, “you did awesome.”  I retract him into his pokéball, only to release him again on the pedestal.  I take out an Antidote spray bottle from my pack and spritz him a little bit.  “Why don’t you watch the rest of the battle from up here, huh?”

He nods his head, then plops his butt on the ground and just sits there.  Man, he’s just pooped.

“Gotta say, I’m impressed with Yossele, Mattie,” Gardenia calls out.  “Ground-types normally don’t do well against Foxglove, and he got some hits in.”  She glances at the roserade. “I think she was impressed too.”

“I’m … glad, I guess?” I say.  “Anyway, I still have one more pokémon.  Shall we?”

“Of course.  Angela, you alright with us starting when Mattie releases the pokémon?”

“I mean, you’ve sorta been doing that this whole battle, so who am I to stop you?” she giggles, flashing a wink her sister’s direction.  “Whenever you’re ready, begin the final round!”


I think I see him nod.

“Okay.  I trust you, buddy.”  I wind up like a pitcher and chuck the pokéball into the arena.  “Jonnie, Wing Attack, fast as you can!”

Like a bullet out of a gun, Jonnie shoots out of his pokéball and rockets past Foxglove, scraping his wing against her torso.  The roserade reels back in pain.

But Arceus dammit, I just told him to lay off the flourishes, and he’s trying to aim his shot.  He even looks frustrated with himself, even though he hit. Seriously, how many times do I need to tell you, buddy?

She lashes out with a Magical Leaf Barrage, but even with their tracking abilities, the leaves barely affect the tiny zubat.  Lucky.  Lucky, lucky, lucky that he’s Poison and Flying.

“Tough little bastard, ain’t he,” Gardenia mutters.  “Foxglove, Sunny Day!”

The roserade’s hands flash a bright orange light and she shoots an orb of light into the air.  The orb flashes white, causing bright yellow light and heat to cascade across the battlefield. I’m struggling to see the battlefield, but I assume Jonnie should be fine.  He’s blind, after all.

“You’re alright, Jonnie, loop in for another Wing Attack!” I command.

“Get out of the way and counter with Weather Ball!” Gardenia says.

I fully expect Jonathan to connect his attack easily, but for some reason he’s struggling.  He’s flying hesitantly, erratically. It’s almost like he’s being bothered by a bright light, but that doesn’t make sense.  He has no eyes. His attempt to slam into Foxglove (with a little flourish, Arceus-dammit, man!) sails just a tad wide, slamming him into the ground, and he clearly doesn’t notice the giant ball of fire forming from the sun orb in the sky.  Foxglove extends a hand skyward and points at Jonnie’s prone form. Like a yellow, firey Spirit Bomb, the orb slams into Jonnie’s frame.

“Oh shit, Jonathan!” I exclaim.  “Are you okay?”

There’s smoke fogging the ground from the burning grass.  I can’t see him anywhere on the ground. Oh Arceus, I hope he’s alright.

“Jonnie?  Jonnie, speak to me!  Let me know you’re okay, alright?”

The smoke isn’t clearing.  I’m starting to freak out. My breaths are becoming shallow.  I can feel myself beginning to panic. Hell, even Gardenia is getting worried.  “Oh Arceus, that may have been too much. Foxglove, go check to see if he’s alright, this may be bad.”

“Jonnie, please just let me know you’re alright!”

Gardenia and I are leaning in.  Foxglove is inching towards the smoke, trying to get a closer look.

And then we all see the glow.

A bright blue, radiant pulse flashes through the smoke.  I see the outline of Jonathan’s body in the fog. And it’s growing.  Morphing. His body is ballooning, growing more ovular. His wings are expanding.  The little flaps at the bottom of his body transform into little legs and feet.

And as the glow fades and the newly evolved golbat takes to the sky once again, Jonathan’s eyes open.

“ … okay.  Okay, OKAY, HOLY SHIT JONNIE LOOK AT YOU!” I shout at the top of my lungs.  “Look at your little badass self!” Jonnie visibly smiles and does a quick flip.  I hear Aiden and a couple other spectators whooping and hollering from the sidelines as well, and even Yossele is standing up again, eyes fixed on Jonnie’s new form.

Even Gardenia and Foxglove look impressed.

“Alright, it looks like we have a match again!” the Gym Leader exclaims.  “Foxglove, Weather Ball again, finish the job!”

“Out of the way, Jonnie, and try another Wing Attack!”

Foxglove launches another orb of fire at Jonnie, but with surprising speed he … sorta just jukes out of the way.  It’s almost effortless how quickly he moves. Probably the larger wings.  He then turns to me, winks at me, and guns it toward his opponent.  His wings swivel like before, like he’s about to do a flourish, but instead he tucks his wings together and spirals like a drill towards Foxglove.  He slams into Foxglove, knocking her back into the wall, and quickly stabilizes himself in the air.

Oh.  That’s not Wing Attack he was trying.  That was Aerial Ace.

“Well, okay then, do it again!” I command, pumping my fist in excitement.

“Crap, Foxglove, trap him with Giga Drain!”

Clearly Roark didn’t warn her how fast Jonnie can get.  Just like with Lily before her, a horde of writhing roots burst out of the ground, trying to snag the golbat’s wings and feet.  He’s way too quick, though, and lands two more aerial slams on the roserade before I can even blink.  The first even lifts Foxglove off the ground before the second rockets her back to earth.

“You got this Jonnie!” I cry out.  “Get in close for another swipe!”

“Oh no you don’t!  Weather Ball, point blank!”

The moment before Jonnie is able to land another Aerial Ace, another fiery bomb manifests in front of Foxglove’s hand, exploding right in the golbat’s face.  The impact sends him reeling, trying desperately to flap away the embers from his wings.  He looks a little frazzled.

“Good, let’s keep at it, Foxglove,” Gardenia continues.  “Giga Drain, trap him for sure this time!”

The roots erupt from the ground once more, and this time Jonnie is a little too slow to avoid them.  Gnarled spines dig into his body and wings, slowly draining his blood and life essence.  He’s wrestling as hard as he can to break free, but nothing’s working.  Foxglove’s control over the vines is too –

Oh, wait, that can work.

“Jonnie, you’re fighting the wrong target!” I yell.  “Use Supersonic, break her concentration!”

He doesn’t seem to hear me for a couple moments, still absolutely determined to break free of the Giga Drain roots.  However, after some more fruitless struggling, his wings begin to flap less erratically, and I notice him tuck in his ears.  I cover mine just to be safe.  Good thing, too, since the noise that leaves Jonnie’s mouth rattles my bones.  Everyone in the stadium looks queasy just from hearing the sound, and I notice Angela holding her stomach like she’s about to wretch.

It works, though.  Foxglove is thoroughly confused and nauseous, and in her addled state the vines fall limp to the ground.

“Alright, Jonnie, good job!” I say, fighting my own urge to yak.  “Finish her off with a good ol’ Bite to the neck!”

Jonnie darts over to my pedestal and gives me another wink.  Oh, you’ve got another new trick, don’t you?  He zips back over the Foxglove’s battered form and lands on her shoulders.  His teeth gleam a shining white as he clamps down –

No, wait.  That’s not white, that’s purple.  He’s coated his fangs in VENOM!

Jonnie clamps down with a Poison Fang, I guess, and Foxglove convulses in pain.  He pushes off her shoulders, and with a flourish – well deserved this time – slams into her with one more Aerial Ace.

Foxglove slumps to the ground and waves her hand in surrender.

“Foxglove is unable to battle!” Angela says.  “Mattie’s, uh, golbat now, wins the bout! Mathilda Kasdan is the winner!”

I hear smatterings of applause from the crowd, but I’m just focused on Jonathan.  He’s flitting around the arena, flying up to people in the crowd, doing flips. Just, y’know, having a grand old time.  I motion to him, and he flies over to me and perches on my shoulder. He cocks his head as he looks at me, and it takes me a while to realize that he’s sort of taking me in.  He’s never actually seen me before.

“This must be so weird for you, huh?” I mutter as I scratch at his back.  His giant mouth is stretched into a smile that takes up his entire body. It’s both endearing and a little creepy.  “Am I as pretty as you, buddy?” I give him a noogie as Gardenia motions me into the arena.

“I gotta say, Roark didn’t warn me nearly enough about you,” she says.  “Your team is really strong.”

“More like my team was almost tailored to beat you,” I reply, summoning Raiju from his ball again.  “I mean, electric-type on a water-type, a zu – wait, sorry, golbat as my anchor?  I feel like I had reason to be confident.”

“That you did.”  She smiles. “I believe this belongs to you.”  She reaches into her pocket and presents a small green badge.  “You’ve earned this Forest Badge. Wear it with pride, Mattie Kasdan.”

I nod silently and put the badge into the case Roark gave me.

“Something the matter, Mattie?” Gardenia asks, a quizzical look on her face.  “Normally Trainers are much more excited when they get a badge from me.”

I shrug.  “I dunno.”  I start to walk away, all of my pokémon in tow.

‘Wait, wait, hold on!” she exclaims, placing a hand on my shoulder.  “If … if it’s about what I said the other day, I’m really sorry about how I came off.  Aiden told me you were really put off by my suggestion, and yeah, I get it. And I’m sort of not the best with words, so I’m pretty sure you just thought I was being intrusive, but that was totally not my –”

“Arceus, stop!” I giggle.  “You’re rambling as much as I do.”  I turn around to face her. “Aiden already talked with me about it a couple of days ago.  Made some good points.” I flash a quick smile. “I get it, you want to help me. That’s really nice of you.  Probably wasn’t ready to hear it when you first told me, though.”

“And now?”

I sigh a little, let my face fall a bit.  “I think … Arceus how do I word this… ” I pause for a moment, try to gather the right words.  “I think I’ll give Ms. Patriz a call. See what she can do over video chat, y’know?”

It’s as if all the lights turned on in Gardenia’s eyes.  Her entire face brightens up as I say those words. “You have no idea how happy that makes me, Mattie.  I’m so, so glad to hear that.”

“Thought you would be.  Aiden convinced me.” I put my hands in my pockets.  “I mean, it’s not like I want to be super awkward and standoffish forever, y’know?”

“Yeah, I can relate.”  We both laugh at that. “Well, I’ve got a couple more battles today, so I might as well say goodbye now.”  She extends her hand and I shake it firmly. “Till we meet again, Mattie.”

“Same to you.”

--------------------------------

I meet Aiden outside the Gym.  We chat on the way to the hotel.  I hadn’t noticed it before, but she already has all of her belongings with her.

“Uh, can we stop at my hotel room first?” I ask.  “I gotta grab my stuff.”

“No worries, take your time.  I’ll be out here!”

Nodding, I rush into the hotel room.  As I start stuffing my dirties into my bag, Yossele pops out of his pokéball.  {Were you telling Gardenia the truth?}

“About what?” I ask.

{About calling the woman,} he responds.

I facepalm as I plop onto the bed.  “And why, pray tell, would I be lying about that, Yosie?”

{Because you have not called her yet,} he says.  {As well as the fact that you were so vehemently against it before, and from what I remember Mom saying, seeing a therapist is very expensive –}

“Holy shit, Yossele, enough!” I laugh.  I feel around for my PokéGear. “See, I’m typing in the number right now,” I say as I type in Ms. Patriz’s number.

I stop.

There are a few moments of silence.

{Well?}

I let out a sigh.  “Give me a minute, Yosie.”

{To remind you, Aiden is waiting outside for us.}

“Ugh, I know, Yosie!”

{Mattie, you need to press the –}

“YES I KNOW!!”

Why am I so hesitant?  Why aren’t I just hitting the call button?  It’s so easy. Just gotta, y’know … do it… 

Arceus dammit.

I hit the button.  It rings once.

Twice.

“Hello, this is Mercedes Patriz’s office.  How may I help you today?”

I hang up.  I don't know what I was thinking, this is a total mistake, and besides, what she doesn’t know won’t –

I feel two clay fingers slug my leg.  I let out a quick yelp of pain.  There’ll be a bruise there tomorrow, I know it already.

I turn around.  Yosie’s staring at me, arms crossed with disapproval.  {Mattie, you promised her.}

“...yeah.  Yeah, I know.”

I dial the number again.

“Hello, this is Mercedes Patriz’s office. How may I help you today?”

“Um … hi, my name is Mathilda Kasdan.  I spoke with Ms. Patriz the other day, and I was wondering if…”

Hi! I'm here to review Chapter 1 of this fic, Grunt Work, because the premise was very intriguing. :>

First of all, that first paragraph sets the scene brilliantly. In it, we have a setting (a cold waiting room in the Sandgem laboratory), the information that our protagonist originally hails from Unova and isn't used to the cold, and the subtle implication that they're not the type to kick up a fuss -- after all, the cold is getting to them, but nobody else is saying anything so why should they? Instead, they're more the type to retreat into their hoodie and deal with the inconvenience, because it's not exactly going to kill them. This piece of characterisation is super well done throughout this chapter, actually, and it's consistent with some very interesting parts of Mattie's backstory. Most notably, that she's starting her journey so late, at the age of 18. Why? Well, it definitely has something to do with the fact that she's formerly of Team Plasma, that much is for sure. Because were she to raise trouble it'd get her looked at, and it'd get his record looked at too.

This brings me onto a possible major theme of this fic that's set up in this chapter: Mattie's attempt to escape her past. She definitely takes great shame in his past, even when Rowan assures him that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Moreover, the fact that Rowan knows means that the league definitely knows, and there's that implication that she'll be judged from it, treated differently because of it, should it ever become public. She didn't even play a major role in Plasma -- she never even stole a Pokemon! -- and it's very clear that she doesn't share any of the ideals that Ghetsis espoused, but the promise of the conflict caused by her past coming out is tantalising indeed. Speaking of the Team Plasma reveal, it was super well done! Conversationally, it was built up to nicely -- Mattie knowing that something is on there, big enough to make a point out of; Rowan reassures her that it's nothing he hasn't seen before, but that it's a point that he'd like to discuss; that blunt delivery of it, and Dawn's reaction... it's all such a solid piece of dialogue, and the whole interview scene is carried nicely by Mattie's inner monologue. Not only is this first chapter engaging from a narrative perspective, but it's also well-written technically as well -- which is a difficult balance to strike from these kinds of scenes, from experience.

Finally, there's Yossele. Golett is, as Rowan points out, a very interesting starter -- and that Yossele is capable of sign language is certainly a development! Yet Yossele's role in the story makes sense; his sign language is deeply practical, and being so intelligent, it makes sense that he'd be wanted to help around the house. Most importantly, though, he's adorable and I absolutely cannot wait to read more of him.

Overall, this is a really excellent first chapter! A premise is set up (former Team Plasma grunt sets out to go on an adventure), there's promise of something deeper going on (her attempts to escape and/or reconcile with her past), and given the content warnings at the top of this chapter, I've no doubt that that promise is going to be at least partially delivered on. Great job!! I'm sure I'll be reading more of Mattie and Yossele's escapades very soon. :>

Well, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Sorry for the delay, but here is Chapter 13! Finally! I hope you enjoy.



“Keep up, slowpoke, I’m leavin’ ya behind!”

“Or maybe you can slow down a bit, I’m sorta not used to riding a bike downhill!”

“Aw come on, Mattie, live a little!”

“I’M TRYING!”

The Cycling Road in Sinnoh acts as the main road between Eterna and Oreburgh.  It’s located right above the rock formations that comprises Route 207 and the Wayward Cave, which, according to Aiden, house a bunch of interesting species not seen anywhere else in the region, like gligar and gible.  The view from Cycling Road itself is gorgeous, with a bunch a rest stops along the way to allow for some great photo ops.

I’m also riding downhill with a companion who’s hell-bent on going as fast as humanly possible. It’s fucking terrifying.

“Can we please take a break?” I call out to Aiden.  “I think the speed is getting to me a bit.”

“Oh, shit, sorry,” she responds.  She quickly scans the area and finds a nearby lookout point.  Signaling me that it’s safe to turn, she pulls into the stop.  I squeeze the brakes as hard as I can without throwing myself over the front of the bike and pull in as well.

“Thanks for that,” I pant as I get off my rented bike.  “Was getting a little scared I was losing control.”

“No worries, that’s my bad,” Aiden says.  “I’m a bit of a speedster on a bike. I’ve left people behind before.  Thanks for calling me out on it.”

“No prob, I just don’t like going that fast.”  We both laugh, me out of exhaustion and a smidge of terror, and Aiden presumably due to an adrenaline rush.  After a bit, we calm down and take a look over the railing and into the route itself.

It’s a really pretty sight.  Mount Coronet provides a beautiful backdrop in the distance, casting a deep shadow on a good portion of the plains.  There are lots of trees and rock formations dotting the ground, and even from this distance I can tell that a ton of pokémon live here.  I look over to Aiden, and she’s just taking it in.

“So many people would pass this view up just to get to the end of Cycling Road,” she says.  “They’re missing so much.” She turns to me, a warm smile plastered on her face. “Seriously, thanks for stopping me.  I may have missed this if you hadn’t.”

“Any time,” I reply, giving her a wink.

Aiden starts giggling.  “Okay, your wink game? It needs some work.”

“Aw man, I thought it was good timing!”  I start giggling as well.

“Oh no, the timing was fine.  Your form, though … ech!” She sticks her tongue out in faux-disgust.  We laugh at that for a bit.

“Hey, you wanna explore the route for a bit after we get to the bottom?” Aiden asks.  “I sorta want to spend the day here, maybe do a bit of fieldwork.”

“I’ve got no problem with that,” I say.  “Beautiful day after all.”

“Sick, thanks so much!”  She grabs her bike and practically leaps onto the seat.  “Race you to the bottom!”

“Oh Arceus dammit!” I laugh as we begin careening down the road once again.


After another fifteen minutes of breakneck, white-knuckle biking, we arrive at the southern bike station.  We drop off our rides and follow the guided signs to the Underpass Grasslands. At the entrance to the park, there are stands with those little annotated maps that you always find at national parks.  Aiden grabs one.

“Just for the lulz, I assure you,” she says.  “I’ve already done some fieldwork here; I know my way around.”  She points the map in my direction. “Actually, do you want it?”

I let out a little snort.  “Oh, Arceus no, I’m good. Little old for that stuff.”  I grab Yossele’s pokéball and summon him into the field.  “I think Yosie’d appreciate it, though.”

“Wait, he can read?”

“Yep!  He learned at around the same time I was teaching him to sign.”  I hand the map to him. He eagerly snatches it out of my hands and starts pouring over it immediately.

“Man, he never fails to impress me,” Aiden remarks.  “On that note, let’s release our pokémon for a bit, get them some fresh air.”

“Suits me just fine,” I reply.  “Come on out, y’all!” I toss Jonnie and Raiju’s balls, and they burst forth into the light.  Aiden does the same, releasing all three of her pokémon as well.

“Shall we?” Aiden asks, motioning towards the field.

“We shall,” I respond.  “Let’s go exploring.”

Aiden comes alive as we walk around the field.  She’s practically sprinting from place to place, stopping to expound on every rock formation she knows and has explored.  It’s to the point where I’m tempted to return Yosie into his ball just to help him keep up. Thankfully, Patricia offers to let him ride on her back, and he’s grateful for the opportunity.

As for me?  I keep up just fine.  Thank you, cross country.

“Oh, hey, wait up for a second!” she cries out, screeching to a stop.  “Take a look at that tree over there.” She points to a conspicuously differently-colored tree.  All the other trees are still green, but this one’s leaves are yellow. “See, that one’s called a Scented Honey-Gatherer.  If you smear honey over the trunk, it mixes with the sap, and there’s a really high likelihood a bunch of rare pokémon will swarm all around the tree.  It’s like catnip!”

“That’s … actually really cool,” I say.  “Never heard of those kinds of trees.”

“They’re native to Sinnoh.  But! That’s only part of the reason I pointed it out.”  She puts her finger to her lips, gets low to the ground, and gestures for me to follow her.  I follow her lead, and slowly but surely the eight of us approach the tree.

There’s definitely a smattering of honey on this tree, but it’s what’s lapping at the sap that grabs my attention.  Four combee, a bunch of burmy. A heracross. A munchlax. Hell, even Patricia gets in on the action, lumbering up to the tree and starting to chew on the upper leaves.  It’s a cornucopia of rare pokémon, and they’re all gathered around the same place. I’m in awe.

“That’s so cool,” I mutter.

“You glad I asked you to approach quietly?” Aiden whispers, inching closer to me.

“Honestly, I’m more glad you were there to catch that,” I respond, pushing some hair behind my ear.  “Never would’ve noticed that without your eye.” I give her a smile. “Thanks for stopping me.”

“Least I could do,” she says, sticking out her tongue and giving me a wink.  She’s right, my winks suck compared to hers.  I feel my face getting a little hot.

I feel a tap on my leg.  {I hate to interrupt,} Yossele says, {but I do not think we are the only ones here.}

“What do you mean?” I ask.

{Raiju is staring at something, and I’m getting two faint energy signatures from that direction as well.}

“I mean, doesn’t every living thing give off energy sigs, Yosie?  They could just be more pokémon, and we’ve seen a ton of them today.”

{One of them is a pokémon, yes.  A very large one. The other is certainly a human.}

Okay, that’s interesting.  “Are they close to each other?”

{The human signature is riding the other signature.}

“Good to know.”  I tap Aiden’s shoulder.  “Yosie and Rai-Rai see someone coming by.  Probably a Trainer and their pokémon.”

“Oh, they might be the one who plastered the honey,” she says.  “You wanna say hi?”

“I mean, I don’t wanna bug them, they might be doing something –”

“Ah, come on, what’s the harm?” she exclaims, nudging me in the ribs.  She motions for me to follow again. I let out a deep sigh, shake my head, and follow her.

It’s not long before the two figures come into view.  The human is a tall, stunningly gorgeous woman, wearing a light-blue sleeveless shirt and dark-grey khakis, with long blonde hair that puts Aiden’s locks to shame, likely reaching at least her ankles.  Seriously, have people heard of haircuts?  Something about her looks super familiar, though. She’s riding on top of a very large garchomp, who notices us before we notice them, and lets out a low grunt.  The woman whispers to the garchomp, who gestures in our direction. She turns towards us and, upon noticing us, waves us over.

“You two, hello!” she calls out, guiding the garchomp closer to us.  “Would any of you happen to know where I can find a Ranger?”

“Oh, uh, hi,” I stammer, still caught a little off-guard.  “I mean, my friend’s been training to be a Ranger for a few years, so maybe she can –”

I turn to Aiden, and she is white.  There is a level of shock that I hadn’t thought possible present all across her face.  She turns to me. “Do … do you not know who that is?”

“I mean … maybe I should, she does sorta look familiar.  Why?”

“Are you kidding me?”  She grabs my shoulders.  “Cynthia Valence?  Champion of Sinnoh?  Ring any bells?”

Oh.

“Ah, it seems my reputation has preceded me,” the woman giggles as she slides off her garchomp.  “But it’s former Champion now, ever since Lucas Albright beat me five years ago.  “But!” She claps her hands together. “Where are my manners? I’m Cynthia, but you already knew that.  So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?”

“Uh…”  I hesitantly reach out my hand.  “I’m, uh, Mattie, Mattie Kasdan, hi.  It’s, uh, really nice to meet you.” She grasps my hand and shakes it firmly.  Arceus, her grip is a vice!

“Pleasure to meet you,” she says with a smile.  She turns to the still shell-shocked Aiden. “And you are?”

“...Aiden Gila,” she mutters, also shaking her hand.  “I’m … I’m not a full-fledged Ranger yet, but this is my fourth year of training, so I, uh …”

“Oh, not to worry,” Cynthia remarks.  “Fourth-year Ranger trainees are practically Rangers already, so I’m not worried.”  She gets back on her garchomp. “There’s a bit of a territory scuffle going on between some pokémon, and I’m not sure how to intervene.  Would you two mind coming to help?”

Aiden and I look at each other, totally dumbfounded.  She wants our help.  Cynthia Valence.

Holy shit.

“Uh…”  Aiden pauses for a moment.  I see color beginning to return to her face, and her eyes are lighting up again.  “Yeah. Yeah, I think I can help with that. Where are they?”

“Right by the Wayward Cave, it’s not too far,” she says.  She taps the garchomp on the nose and points back in the direction from which they’d come.  “Come on, Little Miss, let’s go back.”

The garchomp starts lumbering in that direction, and we, still silently freaking out to ourselves, follow close behind.

-----------------------------------

It doesn’t take long for us to find the problem.  Near the western entrance of the Wayward Cave, some gligar are yelping at a gaggle of a different species.  As soon as I see what sort of group the gligar are messing with, I understand why Cynthia is so concerned.

“That’s really odd,” Aiden mutters.  “Why would a pod of gible be this far out of the cave?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Cynthia says.  “I caught Little Miss in the cave proper.  I’ve never seen any gible come to the surface without a Trainer, let alone this many.”

“Give me a second you two,” Aiden continues.  “I need to get closer, investigate this further.  Would you mind staying back a bit?”

“No, please, go ahead,” I respond, waving my hands in front of me.  “I’d just get in the way.”

“Be back in a bit, then.”  She crouches low, just like before, and slinks off towards the fracas as quietly as possible.

“I hope she’ll be alright,” I mutter.  “Never a big fan of when people go off on their own.”

“She’ll be fine,” Cynthia responds. “I have full confidence in her.”

“How? You don’t even know her.”

“I’ve heard good things about her.”

Okay, that’s a little creepy.

“Oh, how silly of me, I should probably explain!” she continues, a little flustered. “My fiancé is a member of the League. Gym Leader, in fact. The rest of the Gym Leaders have kept me in the loop on what they’ve been doing, mostly because I was Champion for a good 17 years.”

“Oh, so Gardenia must’ve told you that she had a trainee.”

“Actually, she told Fantina, who told me. She also told me about –”

“WAIT! Hold up! Timeout!” I hold my hands up. “There’s something I need clarified here.” I pause and take a breath. “By Fantina, are you by chance talking about Fantina Brodeur, the Kalosian actress?”

She gives me a quizzical look. “Yeeeees, but there are a lot of Fantina's in the world.”

“Lucky guess!” I’m starting to get excited. “And you’re also saying that she’s a Gym Leader, so there’s a very distinct chance that I’m gonna be facing off with her at some point.”

“Is Hearthome your next stop?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Oh, then she’s next on your list.”

Okay, freaking out a little. Gotta stay calm, gotta stay calm. “And you’re also implying that you know her personally?”

“Intimately, yes.”

My body moves before I have any time to process. The next thing I know, I’ve darted up to Cynthia, and am holding her hands, probably with that stupid anime star look in my eyes. “Tell me everything!!!!”

“Oh goodness, this is a surprise!” Cynthia laughs. “I had no idea Fantina was so popular in Unova.”

“She’s not but I don’t care I love her!” I ramble. “Ever since I saw Spectre d’Argent, I was, like, her biggest –”

Wait.

“Hold on,” I mutter, letting go of Cynthia’s hands. “How’d you know I was from Unova?”

“Fantina … didn’t just tell me about Aiden,” Cynthia says, running a hand through her hair. “She also told me about you – and quite a bit, at that.”

“Oh … so … you … know that I was a Plasma member…”

“Yes, but I also know that you were an activist, not a criminal,” she responds. “Plus, you’re on a Trainer’s journey with pokémon that clearly care about you.” She motions her head to Yossele, who’s staring daggers at Cynthia. Typical. “Not something I could ever see anyone from Team Plasma, let alone anyone from any of the regional gangs, doing.”

“Yeah, that might be giving me a little too much credit,” I mumble. I do a quick double-take, making sure no one else is around, and quickly open my hoodie to show the Plasma logo. “I’m working on it.”

“Noted,” Cynthia laughs.

Arceus dammit, she looks pretty when she laughs.

“Uh, Cynthia, Mattie, I’m – ow – back!” Both of us turn to see Aiden walking towards us. On her head, a gligar is nibbling on her blue-and-orange cap. “Found the problem,” she says, patting the flying scorpion on its head. “Little bit of a spat between a couple of herds. Come check it out with me.”

“A couple of herds of gligar?” I ask, hesitantly approaching Aiden and her new buddy. “Are they usually hostile to each other?”

“Not exactly,” she responds. “It’s interspecies. Might explain why the gible are out of the cave in the first place. Cynthia, I’m gonna need your garchomp to come with us, she might be helpful.”

“How so?”

“It’s, uh … it’s a domestic matter, I guess? Trust me, having a garchomp around’ll be a big help.”

Cynthia and I glance at each other. I’m a little confused, but Cynthia has a look of realization plastered on her face. “Lead the way, then,” she says, hoisting herself onto her garchomp’s back.

Aiden leads us to the northern end of the route, right under a massive cliff. We see two gaping holes in the cliffside that Aiden says lead into the Wayward Cave.

Or rather, one entrance. The other has been holed up by a rockslide.

“Um, are you sure this is safe?” I mutter, backing up a couple of steps. “Might not be a good idea to be near that.”

“Not to worry,” Aiden replies, “this landslide happened a few weeks ago. No one was even around, it happened at night.” She approaches the fallen rocks, not a care in the world. Arceus I don’t feel good about this. “From the looks of it, the rockslide seems stable enough.” She pokes at the boulders. “It’ll take a little bit of effort to clear, but –”

“OKAY, I think I’m a little uncomfortable with you standing there,” I stammer, dragging her away from the fallen rocks. “Could you, like, explain what going on from over here, please?”

“O…kaaaaay,” she says. “That’s … fine, I guess.” She dusts herself off. “Anyway, this isn’t a manmade rockslide. From the looks of it, a group of pokémon did this.” Aiden points to certain marks on the rocks. They look innocuous enough to not draw my attention, but Cynthia seems a bit perturbed. “These are gible bites,” Aiden continues, “and from the looks of things, a group of them are now trapped outside their home in the caves and causing trouble for the local gligar population.”

She gestures her head to the side, and Cynthia and I see a very weird sight. A pack of gligar have stationed themselves in a nearby tree, and are screeching at a pair of gible who are chewing on said tree. The trunk is full of teeth and claw marks, and the amount of them suggests that the gible have been going at it for a while.

“Cynthia, could you get your garchomp to help out here?” Aiden asks. “Much as I joke about it, Mattie’s got a point about the landslide. I don’t want to deal with it myself, but your garchomp might be able to work with it.”

“No trouble at all,” she says. “Heck, she might even be able to help round up the gible afterwards. Come on, Little Miss, let’s get to work, shall we?”

The garchomp nods and lets out a quick bark, and heads over to the tree where the gible are chomping on the trunk and growling at the gligar. She stares at the gible for a few seconds before letting out a low hiss. The gible immediately stop what they’re doing and attempt to flee. “Little Miss” is too fast, though, and is able to wrangle up the little tykes in her mouth. She growls at them a little more, and upon hearing what the younger pokémon gibber to her, stomps off a little further away.

“Huh, guess that works,” Aiden mutters. She turns to me. “What was that stuff with the rockslide, though? Seriously, it’s been that for a while, it’s perfectly safe.”

“It’s a bit, uh, personal, y’know?” I say, inching away from her a little. “Got a bit of a history with rockslides.” My arms cross. “Not a nice one either.”

“Oh, Arceus, I’m sorry,” she replies. “Didn’t realize.” She sighs. “Guess it makes sense why you’d be a little on edge, then.”

“Yeah, so let’s hope we get out of here soon, yeah?”

Aiden lets out a chuckle. “I don’t think you’re gonna need to worry about it.” She gestures to Cynthia’s garchomp, who has just returned with a gaggle of gible trailing her. She lets out a loud bark, waves for us to step back a little (we do, needless to say), and starts tunneling into the rubble. The mountainside starts to rumble, which really makes me want make my way veeeeeeery far in the other direction, but the land sharks know what they’re doing. Without much of a fuss, and with a great deal of help from Little Miss, much of the landslide has either been moved or pounded into dust. The entrance to the Wayward Cave looms wide once again.

“Alright, lovelies,” Cynthia announces as she approaches her partner, “you heard the alpha! Back in the cave, all of you!” She leans on the garchomp’s side. “Take any complaints you have to Little Miss, but I assure you –”

The garchomp snarls and flares her nostrils.

“– she’s not taking any more guff from any of you.”

The group of gible stare wide-eyed at Cynthia and Little Miss, and with multiple quick yelps they dart into the cave. Little Miss sticks her head into the cave entrance, barks a couple more times for good measure, and with a satisfied nod, begins to walk away.

“…aaaaaand that’s why she’s Champion,” Aiden says, waving her arms at the two of them.

“Former, to be clear,” Cynthia responds, “but regardless, that’s very flattering of you. And besides, if it’s a gible problem, no one’s better at that than Little Miss.” She glances at Aiden. “It seems like that gligar is happy with you.”

The gligar is still gripping on Aiden’s head. It’s no longer biting her, though, but rather just resting on her cap.

“Y’know, you’ve got a point,” Aiden says, tentatively scratching the scorpion’s back. “I should probably let him go, but I think he sorta likes me.” The gligar lets out a happy squeak in response. “Scratch that, he definitely likes me,” she giggles. “Imma keep him.”

“Yay, new friends!” I laugh, scratching the gligar behind the ears myself. “You could catch him as we walk, I guess, especially if he’s just gonna hang on your head like that.”

“You two are headed to Hearthome, correct?” Cynthia says.

“Yep, that’s the next stop!” Aiden exclaims. “Mattie’s doing the Gym Challenge, and that’s next city on the list, I’m pretty sure.”

“So I heard,” Cynthia replies, winking in my direction.  Arceus dammit, everyone has a better wink game than me.  “I happen to be heading that way myself. Do you mind if I join you? I hope it’s no intrusion, and it will most likely just be until we reach Hearthome.”

Aiden and I look at each other. “You’re … you’re kidding, right?” I say. “You. Cynthia Valence. Intruding?”  Before Aiden has a chance to tell me how stupid I'd look, I rush up and grab her hands like an Arceus-damned anime character. “We’d be honored.”

Cynthia laughs heartily at my weirdness. “Then let us away!” she exclaims, matching my goofiness without missing a beat. “I know some good places to camp, and I’d rather not spend the night in the Mount Coronet caves.”

Neither Aiden nor I have any arguments against that, so we set off, the entrance to the Wayward Cave fading into the mountainside behind us.

I too have been enjoying Mattie's "Oh no she's hot" moments haha. Not surprising Cynthia knows about Mattie's past. The more Sinnoh Pokemon League knows, the harder it is for Mattie to keep her past a secret. Cynthia and Fantina as a couple is also interesting, better see some wholesome moments with them together. = P

This is a review for the CLBC of Chapter 13

To start with, I think the start of chapter 13 is a reasonable way to set up a new area, and lead on to the introduction of Cynthia. It does feel like there is a bit of a jump from chapter 12, to some extent. I think, due to the fact that a new character is mentioned at the end of chapter 12, it may be worth adding a note or tag attached to one of the first sets of speech indicating who Mattie is speaking with. It took me awhile to figure it out. That being said, it does show her personality very well, and her experiences so far. The way she interacts with Aiden does come across as a very key aspect of her growth as a character, and it is reflected here.

Moving on from that point, I think the way that you do represent how she still has things to learn about her new situation, and her new region given her past is done in way which is clear. This does include her interactions with Cynthia. The fact that she doesn’t know who Cynthia is, is a pretty big deal – Although I’m not too sure about Cynthia's reaction to this. I think her reaction is more directed towards Aiden than the pair, which does feel a little strange, although understandable if she can tell there is a level of fan-girling going on, (if that makes sense).

The inclusion of Pokémon disputes with in the territory does come across as an interesting scenario for these characters to be suddenly thrust into, especially since it never really gets touched upon. The implication that Even the Pokémon respect her power (Cynthia) comes across as something which could be reckoned with later on (perhaps). That being said, I think it would be nice to also extend upon the dispute. Since it comes across as being mentioned, but not dived in to since it feels like the characters are more important than the actual act of the dispute – even if it’s just a mention of several of the actors involved in the dispute. Feels like it is resolved too quickly. Despite this, I think it’s quite a nice little segment, it does add to the mysterious factor – particularly since it is mentioned that It is a man-made landslide.

Grammatically, I think the chapter is very sound. I find the pacing to be consistent throughout. My only qualm with it would be the section as mentioned above. In places it does feel like the speech is a little bit too broken up – and I think this occurs more when Cynthia was speaking. Maybe this is because she comes across as a very powerful speaker, and the fact that her lines appear to be broken up and paused in places and feels a little jarring. However, I may be looking far to into this.

Therefore, overall the chapter is very well structured, and very solid. The characters are well built up to this point, and the chapter appears to be leading on to the next part in a way which is very open, which hopefully will work rather well.

Well, well! I've certainly missed a lot since my last review.

Let's start off with the obvious. I'm glad Mattie's finally come out with the whole Plasma business—or, rather, that more and more people know about it. Maybe it's just my personality (read: my anxious ass), but quite frankly, I don't think her relationship with Aiden would have worked if she had tried to hide the whole Plasma thing from her for much longer than she did. Aiden gave us the reason herself: she was burned in the past, so knowing that and knowing that there are trust issues involved with that (ones we haven't entirely seen from Aiden just yet, but no doubt they're there), it would've kinda made Mattie more of an ass than she is if she wasn't going into this completely honestly. Put it this way: any relationship, be they platonic or romantic, is founded deeply in honesty and trust, and you can't build the second without the first. So yes, Aiden needed to know that Mattie had been a grunt, and she needed to know early, so Mattie's reason for withholding that information was reasonable and so that Aiden didn't have time to build any sort of image of Mattie before that tidbit basically wiped out all her progress. Of course, that kinda still doesn't excuse Mattie's admittance that she wasn't sure whether or not she would have told Aiden, but at the very least, that never actually became an issue.

(Also? The fact that what Mattie had been is quickly becoming common knowledge will make every interaction she has with the League from here on out interesting. Gardenia had her suspicions, sure, but I'm really looking forward to the doom-and-gloom bag of delights that is Volkner in particular. Luckily, Mattie's traveling through Sinnoh, where the gym leaders tend to be chill and not involved in Galactic's shenanigans enough to get flashbacks thanks to Mattie's Plasma status. This isn't crit, of course. It just means that I'll be going into future gym chapters not entirely sure if the next leader will be as suspicious and on edge as Gardenia.)

Tangent aside, Aiden and Mattie are shaping up to be an interesting pair. I know you told me a bit about where Aiden is going (not too long from now, come to think of it), but I feel like she's been very supportive of Mattie so far. She's not really a foil but rather a partner—someone who challenges Mattie at the right time and for the right reasons. Like, she knew Mattie didn't actually mean to hurt her by withholding the whole Plasma thing, but yeah, that's kinda a dick thing to withhold. In that sense, they're very mature for a pairing. They're awkward, but they're awkward together. I mean, you only really have to see the way they interact with Cynthia to see it. Aiden tripping over herself because Cynthia needs a ranger's help, Mattie's obliviousness towards Cynthia contrasted sharply with her fangirling of Fantina (born from an obscure movie, if Mattie can't get nerdy enough) ... they're very much a match, let's just say. It's just that Aiden, in a lot of ways, is more emotionally mature and also more socially aware, somehow? Mattie isn't bad herself, of course, but there's something blunt and flippant about Mattie's attitude. She's smart and can read a situation, of course (aaaaay, defusing the situation at Fuego Ironworks); it's just that, so far, looking at how she initially interacts with a number of trainers, Cynthia included ... it's easy to see she's not exactly a people-person, even now. She's also clearly weighed down by her past, even as more and more characters establish that it's more of a disappointment to know she had been a part of a gang than a dealbreaker. So she just sorta needs someone who's a bit grounded and more sociable than she is in order to coax her into some semblance of growth. (Yes, I know where Aiden's character is going, but even just having her around should push Mattie forward more and more.)

The only thing I would warn about is having them seem too similar. Sure, a lot of relationships work because personalities dovetail well, but because we get to be in Mattie's head a lot more, it's important to let Aiden stand out on her own as well. I say this because it's the little things, like how Aiden also says, "We'd be fucking honored" and things like that, you know?

Aaaanyway, there's more to the chapters I'd missed than just a relationship and a history, right? Let me just say Raiju is a precious kitty baby. Oh, sure, all of that gym battle and those battle chapters were good (lol, Yossle having a blast with Gardenia's lileep), but ... Raiju is a precious kitty baby, and that's about it.

I should be hopefully a little more detailed with the next chapter, so here's to the Hearthome journey, right?