By the time I came to, it was early evening. Aches and pains still wracked my body, but they were mostly memories at this point. I froze time as much as I was able once consciousness returned and collected my thoughts whilst the night stretched slowly across the sky. I hadn’t been seriously injured in the matches, none of us had, though I had been beaten like a drum. I’d been knocked out quite handily, but my injuries required little more than some rest and maybe a potion or two to get over. So that was a higher-level gym leader and a higher-level team, huh? I could see how vast the chasm we had to cross was, now. With time to spare, with time to aim and gather our energies, with time to dig deep and settle on that one attack, we could all — though Barb was still on the lower end of that — summon great power. That mightyena pack that had laid me low so few weeks ago now would be little more than a warmup should I be ready for them, at least your average wild pack of mostly poochyena. The difference was, Wattson’s team could all rearrange the landscape whilst fighting off a bunch of scrappy pokemon like us with one paw behind their collective backs. The amount of sheer geographical resculpting that they were casually capable of was staggering.

I shivered, and turned the nervous tick into a full-body shake. I’d spent enough time for reflection, time to face the music. With a thought, time returned to normal and I emerged into the real world. The flash of light lit the darkened sky to reveal a clearing that had been inexpertly repaired into a spot of land capable of being used as a campground. A cheery fire blazed just off the center, surrounded not too closely by two tents and a collection of expanded gear.

“So… we lost, right?” I asked as I stretched. I turned my head to look at my trainer and Worst Child where they were huddled around the fire looking morosely — or maybe thoughtfully — at the flames.

“Not exactly,” replied Tully, pulling his head out from under his wing, spitting out a pulled, split feather before eyeing the results of his preening job. “We did get our butts handed to us, but the gym leader gave our trainers their badges anyway, just… not the ones they’d wanted.”

“We made enough of an impression that we were given pity badges?” I asked, fluffing up in annoyance.

“No, not pity badges,” Shadow barked, raising his tail and squaring off. “We fought against some of his strongest pokemon and we took a few of them out. That deserves recognition; he gave our trainers normal badges because any one of us would sweep his normal low-badge team.”

“Or come close to it,” Bart added, honing his claws on some rocks. “I… I kind of wanted him to stick around. We could have learned from his team, but he… well, he flew off.”

“Flew off?” I asked, cocking my head to one side.

“He disappeared! Into the sky!” Lucky danced from hind-paw to hind-paw, gesturing with his fore-paws. “He opened a… a big circle! Like a whirlpool! I’ve never seen anything like it before.” the croconaw paused, then leaned in conspiratorially, “Though, I’ve heard stories.”

Tully fluffed himself up. “I don’t know what it was either. It wasn’t an ultra wormhole, I know that, if that’s what you think it was.” He fluffed up again self-consciously at the stares that followed this. “I have some cousins from Alola, well they migrate through Alola…” he shimmied until he was comfortable on the berry tree branch he was perched on, then looked down at the croconaw. “Anyway, I don’t think that was a normal move either, so I don’t think Lux here could learn it or teach it or whatever she does, so don’t bother asking.” Tully scowled.

“You sssound angry about that,” Chompy said, flicking her tongue aggravatingly at the swellow.

“I’m not! I’m not. Really. Much.” Tully sighed, seemingly deflating. He looked up into the night sky, constellations twinkling in his eyes. His voice became soft and wistful. “Can you imagine it? Being able to just… go, anywhere? I’ll never be big enough to be a ride pokemon, I know that. This is as big as I’ll ever get, unless I learn to gigantamax or whatever. I just don’t want to… be done, you know? If I could create wormholes like that, I could be so much more.”

Chompy sighed quietly, her sibilant hissing almost melodic as she dismissively shook her head. “I have no evolutions, do you sssee me complaining? Do you truly think any single evolution could make you so powerful you would never need another? There have always been those of us who can evolve but who refuse to, who deny the false promise of the easy way forwards. Now you know why.”

“You’re just saying that because you—” Tully snapped.

Chompy narrowed her eyes at the swellow, then lunged. She spun in the air, writhing and twisting, quick as a whip. Her tail-blade sliced through the branch Tully was sitting on like a hot knife through butter. And the trunk of the tree it was attached to. And several behind it. Tully squawked in protest and leaped skywards as a jet of flame incinerated the branch, leaving the stop half of the tree to fall to the ground in flames, amidst a pile of ashes that drifted away in the wind.

“I find myself sssparring with wild partners more often than not, bird, as I seek to maintain the peace of our den. Do not misplace my stoicism for petty envy again or I will spar with you but once where our trainers cannot see. This was just a friendly demonstration.” Chompy smiled wide, showing all her many, sharp teeth.

“Y-yes, of course,” answered Tully, landing next to the seviper as Ed and Becca came running over.

“[Were you fighting?]” Becca asked, glaring at both the swellow and the seviper.

“N-no! No, we were just… training!” Tully said, fluttering and hopping next to Chompy. “I-I w-want to fight, Ed! I don’t want to lose like that again!” he called, knowing that his human wouldn’t understand the words, such as they were, but would understand his heart.

“We are fighters, Becca,” Chompy said, curling smoothly around the girl. “We cannot keep you safe if you do not know our limits, if you do not trust our skills. We will fight each other or we will fight the wild pokemon we can find. Train us or we train ourselves.”

“[I… I see.]” Becca chewed her lip. “[I think it’s okay, Ed, they were… our pokemon are a bit, they’re—]” She began, but Ed interrupted, a half-smile playing across his lips as he put his hand on her shoulder.

“[They’re as frustrated as we are. We lost, after all! We got our badges, a-and we earned them, but I want those other badges. We’ve been training hard, but now we know where we are, and where we need to be. I’m sorry guys, I let you down, but I think it’s time we took things to the next level, alright? Don’t fight each other, n-not like this. We’ll get stronger, but we need to work together.]”

“Then,” Chompy said, looking around all the members of both teams, before looking back at the humans, “we will work together.” The seviper glared at Tully. “I will forget your insolence, bird, this time, but make no mistake; we will train, we will learn, we will grow stronger, and then, we will fight. Tonight I will take out my frustrationsss, such as they are, on some wild pokemon, and you will be thankful.”

“[I… I don’t think I got all that,]” Ed said hesitantly, before looking at Becca, “[but I think we just got told to… let them sort things out themselves? Is it safe? Can we do that?]”

“[As long as they make sure our camp is safe, alright? Please?]”

“It is our duty!” said Shadow with a proud bark, sparks jumping from his head-crest.

“It’ll be more fun that way,” said Guy. “We’ll make sure nothing gets too close. Not without regretting things. I hope some try.” The ghost’s grin was wide, showing off his teeth.

“Um, Monty?” I prodded, hopping my way over to where the gyarados lay half curled, watching the back and forth.

“Hmm?”

“You don’t have any actual troubles stopping being… loud, do you?”

“I don’t—” the gyarados looked nervous for a moment.

“Because I think we’re going to want ‘loud’, from all of us. Just… only to keep away wild pokemon from our trainers, and only to call in the ones we want to fight. We don’t really want to fight each other… yet. Like, not seriously.”

Monty was silent a while before speaking. “I don’t have to hold back? I mean, not against wild pokemon?”

“Not when we’re protecting our trainers.” I shook my head.

“Then I have no trouble at all,” Monty said, his own grin wide, as the two humans reluctantly backed away, sharing glances.

“[Be safe, alright?]”

“[And don’t stay out all night! You won’t be able to have fun tomorrow if you’re awake all night and too sleepy during the day! This means you too, Lux!]”

“I only ran away once,” I huffed. “And I found Mom when I did.”

Ed looked at me strangely as I said that. I knew humans didn’t really understand pokemon, not like we could understand them, but it looked like he’d just remembered something he’d forgotten. Interesting.

“We’ll be careful. We’ll be back soon. Besides, we can’t go that far, we’re on an island! How much trouble can we get into?”

***

I lunged to the left as a massive boulder bigger than a wailmer crashed to the ground, sending trunks flying like matchsticks. Smaller rocks merely the size of my body careened through the air.

“I said I was sorry!” I yelled. “I was practising iron tail! I didn’t know it’d cut those trees! O-or that you cared! I’ll cut boulders next time!”

I juked again as another boulder turned yet more trees into kindling.

“Besides!” I hollered, unable to help my mischievous nature, “If you’re so against my damaging the trees, shouldn’t you take it easier!?”

The trevenant roared again, even more indignantly, and a trio of shadowballs slammed into the ground around me, one of them slamming into my back. Instantly, fiery pain enveloped my body as the world turned black and white. I cried out, muscles spasming uncontrollably, as I collapsed in a heap, rolling to a stop. The trevenant stomped closer and raised one knotty limb to crush my body into paste. Moments before I was sent to meet Arceus the usual way, it stumbled, and an oily jet of flame burst against it, enveloping its form almost entirely. Moments later, a blue-white beam of concentrated energy also hammered into it, sending the creature stumbling backwards to crash into the ground in a protracted cacophany of floral disaster and arboreal boisterousness. An explosion that edged well over into the physical from the merely audible blasted off more than a few branches and sent great gusts of leaves fluttering into the wind. Finally, after a good few long eternities of relative silence, the creature gave a last roar of anger and stomped off back into the wilderness. It hadn’t even been talking, just shouting. I considered remarking on that, but wisdom did finally triumph and I slumped, my head falling to the dirt.

As I lay there, panting, I looked up into Chompy’s widely grinning face. She rumbled thoughtfully.

“You know,” said the viper pokemon, tapping her tail-tip on the side of her muzzle as she stared down at my gently smoking form, “that ghost move shouldn’t hurt you. You’re… sssupposed to be an eevee, a normal type. I suppose if you ever needed proof that you’re not, Guy can give it.”

“Wha’?” I asked, shaking my head. “I-I… shouldn’t be hurt by those shadow balls?”

“Guy, hit her again.”

“Hehehe, my pleasure.” Guy’s eyes glowed a brilliant red as a purple aura lit the rest of his smokey, indistinct body. Pain enveloped me. Pain, and a strange burning smell that made my eyes itch, along with a whole-body spasm that left me weak.

“Ow!” I complained. “I thought we weren’t supposed to be fighting each other!?”

“Oh thisss isn’t fighting,” replied Chompy. “Thisss is science! You’re good at… talking a pokemon into being sssomething else than it isss, right? Then maybe it isss time to ask yourself what you want to be.”

“What do you mean?” I mumbled, slowly pulling my uncooperative body to its feet.

“Do you want to be a pokemon? Truly?”

“B-but… I am a pokemon!”

“Yesss, but do you want to be one? From now on? Forever more?”

“I…” I paused. I was a pokemon. I used to be a human, sort of. I was no longer a human. And might never be one again. Did I want things to be that way, truly and always? “I keep asking myself that,” I replied finally. I’d long ago come to terms with what is and was, but what would be? That was another question entirely.

“That is why you,” said Chompy, gaze switching between me and Ed’s nidorina, “and Barb, are the weakest members of our two teams.”

“Hey!” complained Ziggy, “that’s not nice! Barb is a pokemon! And she’s plenty strong! Not as fast as me, but then that’s not her style.”

“But Chompy’s right,” Barb interrupted, carefully leaning her head against the linoone. “It’s something I have to decide. I’ve been holding back, feeling my way. And you know what? I’m ready. This is me.” Barb’s body filled with light as the poison pin pokemon sat back on her haunches, and expanded, gingerly lifting up onto her hind legs. As the glow faded, she opened her eyes, looking down at the linoone. “Do you still want me, Ziggy?”

“I-I-I do!” the hapless linoone answered.

“Then let’s prove the pokedex wrong when we get back to camp, alright? Or at least try.”

“A-anything you say!”

I shook my head as Ziggy and Barb talked things out amongst themselves, with Barb muttering, “there’s no way that part of things is true, after all.”

I slumped to the ground again. Barb may have gotten a boost from the nights’ fights so far, but I was still feeling the burn. Adults were confusing. I was very glad I wasn’t one.

“Alright, help me up,” I grumbled, leaning into Guy’s grip as he pulled me upright. “You say those shadowballs shouldn’t hurt me? But they do!” I whined, ears drooping. “Are you telling me they only hurt me because I think they should?”

“I don’t know,” muttered Tully, “but sis, like I’ve always said… you’re not Normal.”

“Hey!” I swatted at the swellow as he cackled and danced out the way, fluttering out of reach. I spun and flicked out my tail, hurling a rock at him, listening to it bounce and the sound of a sudden splash echo as I pondered his words, finally waking from my reverie as Tully called out again.

“Hey! Hey Sis? Get over here. Everyone, I think we’ve found our next training grounds.”

“What’s that? A cave?”

I followed the sound of Tully’s voice, and a few feet later realised that my idle rock throw had been a hole in one. I’d potted it right down a wide, tall opening that led into the mountain.

“Hellllooooo in there!” I called, and received nothing but the fetid smell of guano and a face full of zubat in return. I spat and protested as everyone else made thoughtful noises. “Hey, it’s dark! We won’t be able to see!”

“I’ve got that handled,” said Shadow, as he took point. Arcs of lightning played down his back in a gentle, continuous Flash, revealing a moss-covered cave that wended its way deeper underground. “Come on,” the manectric peered over his shoulder.

Moments later, Barb threw herself past him, spinning in the air. Two solid thumps of her hind feet followed by the meaty thwack of her tail sent three flying shapes careening into the rocky wall, where they collapsed in a shower of rubble and dirt.

“And let's all keep our eyes open,” said Barb, grinning. She stabbed her horn at the three as they lay on the ground and leaned in close. “You can find some berries outside that’ll deal with that poison, but if I find you again first, you won’t need them, understood? Good.” She gently slapped the cheeks of the nearest before straightening and cracking her neck.

“Better you than me, Ziggy,” said Tully, patting the linoone on the shoulder with a wing.

“The eternal bachelor, huh?” asked Sissy, snorting.

“Damn straight, sister. Right, big guy?” Tully fluttered to Monty’s head.

“I just… haven’t found the right one, oh look a pool! I’m going to see how deep it is.”

Tully squawked as the gyarados dived into the rockpool and disappeared. “What did I say?” he asked, taking up his usual spot on my back.

“Just… don’t ask Monty about his love life until we have more room to, ah, manoeuvre,” suggested Shadow. Then he looked in my direction. “And don’t you ask him at all, alright?”

I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not. I turned away in a huff, facing the wall, and let out a low gasp. “More writing!”