Though She Be But Little, She Is Fierce

Izzyaro

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, Game Freak, and Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. I own nothing.

Jamie had been expecting an easy battle. He'd had every reason to. He'd been travelling for a couple of months, he had four really cool Pokémon, and he already had three badges. He should have had no problems against a ten year old girl just starting out on her own journey.

"Now, Play Rough!"

Scraggy went flying through the air and hit the ground with a crash. Jamie took one look at him, and returned him. "Thanks, Scraggy," he murmured. He looked at the girl and shook his head. "Not bad," he acknowledged. "I didn't know Dedenne could learn that move."

The girl gave a bright smile. "Thanks! We've been practicing that one a lot. Your Scraggy was really strong too." Her Dedenne nodded, cheeks sparking in agreement. "Who are you going to use next?"

It was an important decision. The girl only had three Pokémon, and so Jamie had agreed to a three on three battle, but Dedenne had already taken out his Nidorina, despite the type disadvantage, and now Scraggy too. Jamie only had one Pokémon left, and it would have to defeat all three of the girl's to win the match,

But since his Fletchinder would not do well against an Electric-type, there was really only one option.

"Let's go, Quilladin!"

His Starter appeared in a flash of blue light and flexed his muscles.

"Oh cool, you've got a Quilladin," the girl chirped. "My brother's had a Chespin for years, but he doesn't want to evolve."

"Why not?" Jamie asked. "Evolved Pokémon are always better."

Quilladin nodded agreement, but Dedenne let out an indignant squeak, and the girl cocked her head to one side. "I don't really think that's how it works. I once knew a Pikachu that could beat any Raichu any day. It's just what they prefer." She shrugged. "But anyway, let's get on with the battle."

Jamie's hands clenched into fists. He was not going to lose to a little girl. "Okay. Quilladin, Needle Arm!"

"Dodge it, Dedenne!"

Jamie winced. Quilladin was strong, but it wasn't really his fastest Pokémon. Sure enough Dedenne scampered back out of harm's way, leaving Quilladin off balance.

"Now, use Nuzzle!"

Jamie groaned. Anyone who said Nuzzle was a stupid Electric attack was an idiot. It had already crippled his Nidorina, leading to her defeat despite the type advantage, and it looked like Quilladin was going to end up the same way. Quilladin saw the danger and lurched to one side but Dedenne was too quick and Jamie winced as the electricity crackled over his Starter's body.

"Hang in there, Quilladin!" he shouted. "We can still do this. Use Leech Seed!"

Quilladin nodded firmly and turned back to its opponent, but the paralysis wasn't helping his speed, and the attack was again avoided with ease. Jamie gritted his teeth. There had to be something he could do…

"Try Rollout."

Quilladin jumped forwards, tucked himself into a ball, and launched himself at Dedenne, and this time the Electric-type only just managed to jump out of the way in time.

"Stay alert, Dedenne," the girl called. "Remember, it's harder to react at that speed."

Dedenne's cheeks sparked as it set itself ready to dart to either side. Jamie smirked. "Won't help. Quilladin's too fast like this."

The girl didn't answer, but Dedenne barely avoided the next attack too and Jamie felt a surge of hope. It might have defeated two Pokémon, but it was tiring now. They had a good chance at winning this.

Of course, the girl still had two more Pokémon, but he could worry about that when they got to it.

Quilladin banked into a steep turn and hurtled back again, and this time the girl's eyes narrowed. "Now Dedenne, use Thunderbolt!"

"What?" Jamie began, but the bolt of electricity was already lancing towards Quilladin. "Dodge it!"

Quilladin tried, Jamie could see that, but he realized with a sinking heart that the girl had been right; his Pokémon simply couldn't react fast enough at those speeds. The electricity hit, and Quilladin was sent tumbling through the air.

"Great work! Now use Aerial Ace!"

"Wait, what? Quilladin-"

But it was too late. Dedenne moved fast enough to blur and the Flying-type attack sent Quilladin hurtling into the ground.

"Quilladin!"

Jamie dropped his knees next to his Pokémon, and picked him up. Quilladin blinked blearily up, and Jamie smiled. "It's all right. You did really well." He straightened up and turned to face the girl. "Quilladin can't battle any more. You win."

The girl smiled. "Thanks. It was a fun battle." Dedenne climbed up to her shoulder and she patted it. "You were amazing, Dedenne." She looked back at Jamie. "I'm Bonnie, by the way."

Jamie blushed. He'd been too impatient to battle for that. "Right, sorry. I'm Jamie." He held out his hand and the girl took it.

"Nice to meet you, Jamie. This is my partner, Dedenne."

Dedenne waved hello from her shoulder, and Jamie sighed. "I noticed." He was going to have to get to a Pokémon Centre to get all his team fixed up. "How is he so strong?"

Bonnie scratched her head. "I've had him for a while, and we've been training really hard." Dedenne nodded, then poked at her shoulder and squeaked. Bonnie tilted her head to one side, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a handful of berries. "Here. These will help your Pokémon feel better."

Jamie blinked, then took the berries with a smile. "Thanks." Not many trainers would go out of their way to heal someone else's Pokémon. Bonnie smiled at him.

"No problem." She sat down on the grass and fed another berry to Dedenne while Jamie saw to his own Pokémon. They would still need a good rest, but they would all be fine.

"So how long have you been a trainer?" Bonnie asked.

"Nearly two months," said Jamie. "And I've already got three badges!"

"That's great," said Bonnie. "I only got my license a couple of weeks ago so I haven't done any Gyms yet." She smiled at her bag. "I wanted to visit a couple of places first."

Jamie frowned. How had he lost so badly to someone who had only been a trainer for a couple of weeks? He opened his mouth, but Dedenne suddenly abandoned its meal and sat up to sniff the air. Bonnie's eyes narrowed. "What is it, Dedenne?"

Jamie blinked. She hadn't moved, or done anything really, but something about her entire demeanour suddenly seemed different. It also seemed vaguely familiar, but he was pretty sure he would have remembered if he'd met her before. He shook the thought away. "What's wrong?"

Bonnie glanced at him. "I think Dedenne senses trouble." She climbed to her feet and brushed off her jeans. "I think I can see people coming."

Jamie swallowed and looked at his Pokémon. "I think you'd better go back in your Pokéballs," he said.

They did as he asked, Quilladin hesitating a little longer than the others, and he moved to stand next to Bonnie. She was right; there were two teenagers approaching, and something about the smirks on their faces set Jamie on edge.

"Do you know them?" he murmured.

Bonnie shook her head. "Never seen them before in my life," she said quietly. "But I've met people like them." Dedenne sparked angrily, and she patted him without taking her eyes from the approaching teens. "Maybe they aren't here to cause trouble."

She didn't sound very hopeful.

Jamie waited with rising apprehension as the teenagers drew closer. This was a fairly safe route, but everyone knew that anything could happen on a journey. He was glad Bonnie had helped him fix up his Pokémon a bit, but he still didn't want them battling this soon. Bonnie herself looked as calm as she had during the battle. In fact, she gave a bright smile as the boys got closer.

"Good morning."

The boys looked at each other, and the grins that spread across their faces had Jamie taking an involuntary step back. Bonnie's eyes narrowed, but she didn't move.

"Well, look who we've got here," one of the boys drawled. "Two little newbies."

"How cute," said the other. "Hey, you sure they're even ten?"

The first boy looked them over, and his smirk widened. "Bit midgety, aren't they?"

Jamie opened his mouth to protest, but Bonnie stamped on his foot and his teeth snapped shut with an audible clack. Bonnie just folded her arms. "It's not polite to talk about people when they're right there," she said pointedly. "And what's the problem anyway? I only said good morning."

Her tone was quite mild, but there was an edge there that made Jamie want to look very, very small and insignificant. The boys though, just nudged each other and sniggered.

"Hear that," the first one muttered. "We're not polite."

"She's onto us," the other one agreed. "Whatever will we do?"

Jamie edged closer to Bonnie. "We should go," he mumbled.

Unfortunately he was nervous enough that his voice carried to the teenagers. "But we're having so much fun," one of them drawled. "No need to go so soon."

"Well, they can if they want," corrected the other. "So long as they leave their Pokémon, of course."

Bonnie's hands clenched into fists. "Excuse me?"

"Nice one," the second boy murmured. "Now you've pissed her off." He raised his voice. "You heard him. Give us all your Pokémon and there won't be any need for trouble."

Bonnie glared at them. "No way are we giving you our Pokémon."

The boys both snorted. "Don't know if you've noticed this, but you don't exactly have a choice."

"Unless you want to fight us," said the other with an ugly laugh.

Jamie hugged his Pokéballs to his chest. He hadn't known any of his Pokémon for very long, but they were his partners, his friends. He couldn't give them up. "What do we do?" he whispered.

Bonnie looked at him, blue eyes flashing. "Do? We're going to fight, of course."

Jamie stared at her. "But how? My Pokémon are exhausted, and so's Dedenne."

Bonnie just smiled and pulled another Pokéball from her bag. "Dedenne's not my only Pokémon, remember." She glared at the thieves. "You hear that? This is your last chance to leave us alone."

The thieves exchanged amused smirks. "Yeah, we're quaking in our boots," one of them drawled. "What have you got, girlie? A Flabébé? A Budew?"

Bonnie bounced the Pokéball in her hand, the steady smile never leaving her face. "Not exactly. I don't think you'll guess either, so I'll just have to show you." She tossed the Pokéball into the air. "Come on out!"

There was a familiar flash of blue light. A lot of light. Jamie took an involuntary step back. The light resolved into a solid form, and his mouth fell open.

Tyrantrum Roared, and Jamie had to sit down.

"You had that, and you used a Dedenne against me?"

His voice was a bit higher than he'd have liked. Bonnie smiled. "Well, yeah. It was his turn to go first." She patted Tyrantrum's huge leg, and the dragon leaned into her touch without taking its glare from the thieves, who suddenly looked much less sure of themselves. Bonnie looked at them, and her smile faded. "Besides, that was for fun."

Jamie swallowed. He really had gotten off lightly.

One of the thieves recovered slightly faster than the others. "So she's got a good Pokémon," he growled. "That makes stealing it even better."

Tyrantrum growled, and Jamie felt the vibrations through the soles of his boots. Bonnie just raised an eyebrow. "Not gonna happen."

"A little girl is not going to stop us! Houndour, Golbat you show them!"

"Ariados, Mightyena, you too!"

Jamie shrank back from the threatening stares of the four Pokémon. This was it. Bonnie might be good, and she might have a Tyrantrum of all things, but there was no way she could win against all those Pokémon. She would lose, and the thieves would get all their Pokémon, and his journey would end before it even began.

"I'm sorry, Quilladin," he whispered. His Starter's Pokéball rocked in his hand, and Jamie's fist clenched around it. He had failed.

Then he looked at Bonnie. Bonnie, who was still smiling, and his heart leapt with…something.

"Tyrantrum," she said quietly. "Rock Slide."

Tyrantrum roared again, and launched a storm of rocks at the enemy Pokémon. The Golbat darted out of reach, but the ground bound Pokémon were less agile and the attack hit hard.

"Damn it," one of the thieves snarled. "Golbat, Acrobatics. Houndour, get the hell up and use Fire Fang."

Bonne's eyebrows knitted. "Seriously? Against - Oh, whatever." She shrugged. "You know what to do, Tyrantrum."

The dragon nodded. Houndour launched itself at him, only to meet a swinging tail that sent it tumbling unconscious across the grass. Tyrantrum darted forwards with a speed that belied its size and caught Golbat with a vicious Crunch, before an almost casual Stomp put the Mightyena out of action. The Ariados launched a sticky web that did nothing at all, and Jamie saw the thieves exchange panicked looks.

Bonnie just kept smiling.

"Now, use Dragon Tail!"

That was evidently the last straw. Ariados and Golbat promptly disappeared back into their Pokéballs, and by the time Jamie was able to squint through the dust the thieves were no more than specks in the distance. Bonnie stared after them and pursed her lips.

"Huh," she muttered. "So they don't go blasting off either." She shook herself and turned to Jamie. "Are you okay?"

Jamie nodded. Speech was a bit beyond him. Oblivious to his shock, Bonnie walked over and patted Tyrantrum. "Thank you, Tyrantrum" she said. "You were incredible."

The giant fossil dragon somehow managed to nuzzle into her touch, and Bonnie smiled. "You're okay?"

Tyrantrum gave an affirmative snort, and Jamie finally found his voice.

"What the hell?"

Both Bonnie and Tyrantrum blinked round at him. "I'm sorry?" said Bonnie politely.

Jamie forced himself to take a deep breath. "You've been a trainer for a week," he said. "And yet your Dedenne beat most of my team by itself, and you've got a fricking Tyrantrum!"

Bonnie blushed slightly. "Well, I've had Dedenne for a while actually. My brother caught him a few years ago, but he let me look after him until I was old enough to have Pokémon."

"And the Tyrantrum?"

"I met him when I was travelling with my brother and our friends," Bonnie explained. "He was a Tyrunt then, and we became friends." Her eyes darkened. "But he belonged to the scientists at the Fossil Research Center, and I wasn't allowed to keep him." Tyrantrum bent to brush her head very gently with his, and she managed a smile. "But I went back there last week, and he remembered me!" She looked back at Jamie, her eyes shining. "And the scientists said he should see some more of the world, and they're letting him travel with me!"

Jamie had to smile. Her delight was infectious. "That's great, Bonnie." He looked up at Tyrantrum. It was far enough that it made his neck hurt. "Thank you for protecting my Pokémon."

Tyrantrum inclined his enormous head, then nudged Bonnie and returned himself. Bonnie set the Pokéball carefully back in her bag and looked at Jamie. "So what are you going to do now?"

Jamie shook his head. "No idea," he admitted. "Today's just been…" He trailed off and shook his head again. "I guess I should find a Pokémon Centre."

Bonnie dug around in her bag, and produced a small map. "I think there's one…Yeah, there it is!" She pointed it out, and Jamie gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem." She frowned. "Actually, I should probably go too. Dedenne could use a rest, and I want to make sure Tyrantrum really is okay."

Jamie smiled. He liked travelling by himself, but he couldn't deny that it could get lonely at times. It would be nice to have some company.

He also wasn't too proud to admit that he felt a lot safer with the other trainer along.

"Let's go then."

Bonnie nodded, and settled her bag more comfortably on her shoulders. Dedenne returned to his seat on her shoulder, and the two of them set off at an easy pace. Jamie glanced down at his new travelling companion.

"So what are you going to do now anyway?"

Bonnie hopped over a branch lying in the path and shrugged. "Not sure. I mean, I want to challenge the gyms, but I haven't picked one to start with yet." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Shalour City isn't far, and it'd be nice to see Korrina again."

Jamie blinked. "You've met Korrina too?" He shook his head. "That must have been some journey you went on."

Bonnie's smile changed. Not in a bad way, but just enough to make Jamie feel like he was missing something. "It was," she said quietly.

She didn't say anything else, and Jamie searched desperately for a change of subject. "You know, I haven't had a battle with Korrina either," he said casually. "I was actually planning on going there next too."

Bonnie blinked up at him, face brightening. "So we could go together." Dedenne squeaked, and she blushed. "If you want to, I mean."

Jamie smiled. "I think I'd like that."

Bonnie beamed at him. "Great! Travelling is always much more fun with people."

Jamie smiled back. "I'm starting to see that."

They walked on in silence for a minutes. Jamie was still trying to process everything that had happened. It was hard to believe that so much had happened just because he'd wanted an easy battle.

Hang on…

"Wait," he said slowly. "You said you had three Pokémon."

"I do," said Bonnie cheerfully. "But Squishy's only for emergencies."

Jamie stopped in his tracks. "Emergencies? What did all that count as?" For him it had been one of the worst things he had ever been through, but Bonnie had barely reacted at all. At his question she shrugged.

"I dunno. Things like that happen all the time, right?"

Jamie stared at her for a long minute, then could only shake his head. "Travelling with you is going to be something else."

Bonnie glanced at him, and for the first time Jamie saw an edge of uncertainty in her eyes. "Does that mean you don't want to?"

Jamie thought about it. In the past half hour he had been destroyed in a Pokémon battle and been threatened by Pokémon thieves. He'd been more scared than he'd ever been in his life, and Bonnie looked like she dealt with this sort of stuff every day.

She looked nervous now.

Jamie thought about a minute longer, then smiled. "Who would want a boring life?"

Bonnie's answering smile made the sun seem dull. "All right! This is gonna be awesome!"

Jamie laughed, and set off down the path again. "You know, I think so too."

It was definitely going to be interesting at least. Dedenne parked happily, and Jamie let his grin take over his face. This was going to be very interesting.

After a minute he spoke again.

"So what exactly is Squishy?"

I couldn't help myself. Any feedback would be very much appreciated.