Chapter Six - Inner Strength

She was running; as fast as her legs could carry her. Maybe even more faster than she realized. Her heart pounded in her chest with fear of the worst possible scenario. What if some Pokémon thief had taken her? What if she wandered off and got lost or fell into a ravine or what if—what if her trainer wasn't as great as she thought she was.

Aria pushed the thought away quickly. She was just starting out just like Purrloin, Scorbunny and Yamper. She wasn't perfect and Purrloin knew that—so then why? Why would she leave?

The young trainer halted to a stop when she caught notice of something in the distance moving. She quietly tip-toed with her Pokémon behind her as they neared the moving object which turned out to be Purrloin—practicing?

The cat Pokémon growled lightly and charged at the small, bent tree that stood a good distance from her and launched a Quick Attack that finally snapped the piece of tall wood in half. Aria's eyes widened at the scene.

Purrloin … was practicing her moves. And then it clicked. The memory of catching her new Yamper was still sore in Pokémon's head. She had alarmist lost and that left Purrloin imbalanced and feeling disgraced. So, she ran off to train in private so that would never happen again.

Aria slowly walked over to her exhausted Pokémon. "Hey sweetie," she said. The cat Pokémon jumped in surprise and turned to face her a trainer with relief and sadness. Aria bent down to her level and petted Purrloin begins the ears.

"What's wrong, Purrloin? Why'd you run off like that?" The cat Pokémon looked down sadly for a few minutes before staring at her trainer and explaining her feelings in a few short sounds.

Aria understood and picked her up, cuddling the Pokémon to her chest.

"Sweetie, what happened yesterday wasn't because you were weak. You don't have to do this hardcore training just to prove your strength. I already know how amazingly strong you are. And you know what else?" She asks. Purrloin listens.

"I know how lucky I am to have caught such a dedicated Pokémon like you. Couldn't have asked for a better companion." She smiles. The cat Purrloin purred in content against Aria which made Scorbunny and Yamper sigh in relief and then join in on the moment.

"Guys?" Aria says. "You don't have to worry about training all by yourself. All three of us are going to grow together as a team. It'll be difficult at times and will take a lot of willpower—but I know we can finish this Gym Challenge. We will beat Leon." She declared, as a promise to her Pokémon and to herself.

Some time later, Aria let her Pokémon rest in their Pokéballs and continued the hike through the valley towards the Turffield Gym. Along the way she saw some Trainers in the distance that had already set up camp or were in the process of catching Pokémon to even notice her or challenge Aria to a battle.

Hop was nowhere in sight, which made her frown but happy that he was moving forward in the challenge.

"OW!" Someone shouted in the near distance. Aria flinched slightly and ran to the source of the sound, through the shrubbery which happened to be the girl with the Rookidee and the Minccino she had seen before!

Upon arriving, the girl lie on her side holding her arm and angrily glaring at a Seviper that glared menacingly back. Her Rookidee lay injured on the ground while the Seviper hissed and moved closer to close in on the girl. Aria immediately jumped between them.

"Easy there, easy," she said carefully to the agitated snake Pokémon. It raised its body upright and hissed harsher than before and then bared its fangs at Aria. She took out her Pokéball, ready to fight.

"Don't!" The girl yelled. "That's my Pokémon to catch!"

"Well it doesn't seem like he's interested in being caught," Aria replies sarcastically and then launched her Pokéball.

"Scorbunny! Frontline!" She announces at the ball cracked open to reveal the fire Pokémon. Scorbunny squeaked in fiery anticipation and eyes his opponent warily. The Seviper on the others and wasted no time in launching a direct attack on the Pokémon.

Aria quickly reacted. "Scorbunny, use Ember!"

The fire Pokémon chirped in response and then jumped up; releasing an onslaught to embers that times onto the Seviper. It hissed at its opponent and moved out of the way to avoid anymore damage.

"STOP IT!" The fallen girl yelled. "I told you! That's my Pokémon to catch!"

"I'm not trying to catch it! I'm trying to stop it from attacking you!" Aria argued. "Use Quick Attack!" She commands. The fire Pokémon obeyed and summoned the energy to zoom forward and crash itself into the snake Pokémon, who hissed angrily.

"Out of my way!" The blonde girl growls and then turns to her Rookidee. "We've got to catch it! Get up!" She commands. Her Pokémon struggles to stand, wanting to obey her, but collapsed to the ground in defeat and exhaustion.

"No!" Aria argues. "He's tired! Me and Scorbunny got this."

"I don't want your help!" The girl barks. "That's my Pokémon! You hear me! Mine!" Distracted by the girl's arrogance; Aria narrows her eyes to retaliate, but Scorbunny's yelps break her focus and alert her to the Seviper leaping straight at them! She shoves the girl and is able to jump just in time before the Seviper makes contact and falls into a muddy pile with the blonde girl.

"My dress!" She screeches. The sound was so loud that the Seviper hissed lightly and scurries away quickly into the tall grass. Scorbunny blows a breath of relief and ran over to his trainer. Aria reassures him and hugs her partner close while the blonde girl is still going off about her priceless dress.

"You are your stupid Pokémon are going to pay every penny for this dress, you got that!" She barks angrily. Aria scoffs.

"I don't owe you anything; in fact, you owe me. We saved your life and your Pokémons'. Lucky for you, I don't do debt." She says casually and stands with Scorbunny in her arms. The blonde girl stands quickly as well, glaring coldly.

"I want a battle right now! You've been a thorn in my ass since the opening ceremony and I won't let your disrespect go unpunished! I'll make sure to put you in your place before you even get to challenge the mighty Champion!"

"Battle me with what? Your Pokémon is weak and injured and so are you with that cut on your arm. You both need to go to the Pokémon Center back in Motostoke quickly. There's no Pokémon Center nearby until you make it to Turffield Town."

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not a child, you interloper! Now, get ready!" She says before taking out a second Pokéball.

"Battle for me! Minccino!" She announces as her Pokémon emerges from the ball and takes a defensive stance. Scorbunny squeaks at Aria with uncertainty to which she nods at.

"We won't battle you. I'm not going to let your ego wound either one of our Pokémon." That irked the blonde girl's nerves and made her more angry.

"Minccino, use Swift!" She ordered. The Normal type Pokémon used it tail to swipe and launch a barrage of shiny yellow stars at the pair. Aria evades it in time by jumping out of the way, but looks at the girl in bewilderment.

"You're crazy, blondie!" She gasps. The girl smirks and then flips her hair arrogantly. "That'll teach you. And the name's Heiress, not blondie." She hisses. Aria stands abruptly and eyes her partner. "You want to do this?"

When Scorbunny nods and runs into position; Aria puts her game face on and commands her first attack.

"Go straight on and use Ember!" The fiery rabbit Pokémon runs forward at a fast pace and sprays a multitude of embers at his opponent.

"Counter it with Swift!" says Heiress commands. Together, both moves collide in precision and create a black smoke that clouds everything momentarily and then dissipates allowing both trainers and Pokémon to see each other clearly.

"Quick Attack!" Aria declares.

"Pound!" Heiress counters and once again, both Pokémon are equally matched and face each other with fiery determination.

"Jump and use Swift!" Heiress says quickly before Aria could say her command. Minccino jumps as high as it can and swipes it tail in a circle, creating a tornado of stars that crashes and cages Scorbunny, damaging him greatly.

Heiress smirks. "Echoed Voice!" Aria is caught off-guard as the Minccino quickly launches a powerful screeching echo that made Scorbunny cover his ears and cry out in pain. Her heart sunk for her partner.

"You can do this, sweetie. Don't let them get to you!" She encourages.

"Too late for that! Use Pound, quick!"

"Scorbunny, use Quick Attack to counter!" Aria commands quickly, but the Pokémon was too dizzy from the prior attacks to fully comprehend what was being asked and took a direct hit to face that shoved him across the dirt.

"No!" Aria cried and then impulsively, run into the battle zone to cradle him from any more attacks. Heiress laughs at her.

"That'll teach you to mess with me ever again!" She smirks. "You're pathetic! You shield your Pokémon when the going gets tough? Why in the world the Champion choose to endorse you, I'll never know." She mocks, but Aria lets her insults fall upon deaf ears as she inspects the damage to her partner. Scorbunny smiles weakly at her in reassurance, but it wasn't enough. Aria knew battling this girl was a mistake. The best thing she could do now was walk away and deal with the sting of defeat.

"We're done," Aria says slowly. Heiress narrows her eyes at her back.

"You really are pathetic!" Heiress gasps. "You can't forfeit a battle!"

"I can and I will!" Aria snaps furiously. "We're leaving."

Heiress glares. "Fine, then take this with you loser! Minccino, finish with another Swift!" The Normal Pokémon replies with a battle cry and from its tail, releases another fury of stars that are set to make an impact of the two.

In a moment of panic and determination; Scorbunny jumps from Aria's arms into the stream of stars and then glows a bright blue color. Aria , Heiress and Minccino gasp as they watch Scorbunny's body change and transform into something slightly bigger. When the transformation was done; Scorbunny emerged as Raboot and then created a wheel of fire around its body colliding with Minccino, sending her falling into the dirt.

"My baby!" Heiress screeched. Raboot landed gracefully onto the ground and looked at Aria with fiery confidence.

"Sweetie, … you … evolved! That's so amazing!" She cheered and ran over to hug him tight. "And you learned the move Flame Wheel! That's even more incredible!" Raboot chirped in her arms and nuzzles his Trainer.

"You brutes!" Heiress screamed. "Look what you did to my poor Minccino!" She glares as the exhausted Pokémon lay in her arms. "I'll never forgive you for this! Never!" Aria didn't say a word, perched Raboot on her shoulder with a cold stare and walked away from Heiress. But in that moment; she also thought about what could've happened just now.

Although, she was happy that Scorbunny evolved into Raboot and learned a new move; it didn't erase the fact that Aria had become emotional and let her love for Scorbunny affect her ability to command as a trainer. She was ready to forfeit a battle because of her feelings and though sometimes; it is necessary: how would she ever be able to command her Pokémon if she couldn't even watch them battle?

The next day came and Aria and her Pokémon were on the move again. Turffield Town wasn't an extensively long journey, but it did involve a lot of walking and hiking. Aria was still a little depressed about her battle with Heiress the other day. She was so disturbed by her own fear of her Pokémon getting hurt that they made camp early yesterday and stayed inside the tent for the remainder of the day.

Today was a new day; however, and regardless of how she was feeling; Aria and her Pokémon carried on. Winning the Gym Challenge was all she ever wanted and if she was to become a great Trainer that can take on Leon; she would need to find her own inner strength. Just like how Scorbunny found his to make himself evolve yesterday.

Raboot stayed perched on her shoulder; he enjoyed watching the sights and being in the open fresh Galarian air. The road to Turffield was now getting smaller. Many Trainers were perched within the tall grass camping with their Pokémon or battling each other along the way. Aria had already won a battle against a Gym Challenger named Brody.

He was nice and full of life and energy; something she was lacking in. Raboot and Yamper won their match against Brody respectively and both Trainers bid their goodbyes, but Aria still felt defeated.

"How am I going to be a good Trainer if I'm constantly on pins and needles about you guys, Raboot?" She says out loud. "I mean: watching you all battle with all of your hearts is amazing, but … also terrifying. I want to keep you all safe and protected, but then that defeats the purpose of me being a Trainer in the first place. How can I train you guys effectively if I'm always getting so jumpy and nervous of you getting hurt?" She sighs and stops walking.

Raboot jumps off of her shoulder and stares up at her with concern. She then releases Yamper and Purrloin from their containment so that they too could hear what she had to say.

"Listen, meeting you three has been the highlight of my adventure," She smiles warmly. "But I can't carry on feeling like this."

Immediately, her Pokémon shout and cry in protest against her quitting the Gym Challenge when they just started and at that; Aria had to laugh.

"Easy guys, I'm not quitting the Gym Challenge, but … I do need to find my own … inner strength, I guess. A drive that keeps me moving. When I see you guys get hurt, it's not so much about my own worry about you. Every Trainer has to worry about their Pokémon's safety, but it's more so when I see you guys hurt: I feel like I'm not a good enough Trainer." She explains.

"Raboot, seeing Heiress and Minccino attack you so ruthlessly yesterday really made me doubt myself. I thought … you deserved better. The whole time I was thinking, 'I need to end this. I can't watch anymore.' And the more I thought about that, the more angrier I got. Heiress was right. What kind of Trainer wants to forfeit after the going gets tough?" She shook her head, defiantly. "I can't be that kind of Trainer. A Trainer encourages their Pokémon to train harder and fight harder, not wimp out like I almost did."

Purrloin chimes in with her own feelings about battling and Aria nods with a sad smile. "Yeah, Purrloin. I understand. That's how you felt when this little cutie," she pets Yamper gently. "Almost beat you. You lost your confidence in your own abilities as my partner. But you found your inner strength; you all did. Purrloin, your strength comes from your willingness to never give up on yourself or your teammates. Yamper, your strength to battle comes from your own happiness. You're always eager and smiling that it brings you the joy and energy you need to win." She says softly and then turns to her first partner.

"And Raboot: your strength is … love. You cared about me and wanted to protect me so fiercely that you were willing to take a hard hit to do it; and in doing so: you evolved." She breathes heavily and smiles at them all.

"You guys are so powerful and unique in your own ways; now, I have to find my inner strength somehow. And I will. I promise you all." She declared and with a united cheer; they continued forward. A couple of hours later: Aria and her Pokémon climbed over a small hill to see up ahead, was a mining entrance. Curiously, they raced down the road again and found a sign that indicated Turffield Town was just behind that mine.

Eagerly, they headed towards it and from the inside, exiting was a mine worker with a Timburr at his side. Aria rushed up to him.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked. "Are we allowed to pass through this mine? My Pokémon and I are trying to get to Turffield Town."

"Of course, young lady." The burly worker said heartily. "Anyone is welcome to pass through the Galar Mine; though I should warn you: many Trainers come here with their Pokémon to battle against the wild ones inside that lurk. And these wild Pokémon ain't no joke, so if you got some healing potions and some snacks; use them wisely. You'll need it." He says and then walks off with his Timburr.

Aria stared straight ahead into the dark abyss of the mine briefly before looking down at her Pokémon.

"If that worker is right; this is going to be a tough mine to get through. But … we can do this. We have to get to the Turffield Stadium and prove our strength." Her Pokémon cheered in agreement and with a nod; Aria put them all back into their Pokéballs so that they wouldn't get separated inside. Then, she took out her flashlight and carefully stepped into the mine.

For a good two minutes; the mine was very dark and only had a few dimly lit lanterns hanging above. Aria was thankful for her flashlight and even more thankful when the light ahead finally seemed to brighten and reveal a thousand lit lanterns all directing straight ahead.

On the sides were the mine workers and their Pokémon doing their jobs and somewhere in between was a Gum Challenger or a regular Trainer with their Pokémon, battling to get stronger.

Aria smiled as she walked past. The pathway to the end didn't seem to far, but hopping over cracks in the ground and climbing down semi-stable ladders to continue forwards wasn't great for her either. Nevertheless, she continued to pursue onwards.

On the walls, special gems and stones were embedded and flowed brightly as she walked by and made the cave mine look even more beautiful. Aria even found some special stones on the ground, especially one that looked like a thunderstone. She packed it away in her bag. Maybe it would be useful for her or good to sell for later.

Ten to twenty minutes passed before it finally looked like that Aria would be out of the mine and just went she was ready to run that last stretch, she stopped seeing a boy standing in front of the exit. She remembered him: he was one of the Challengers. I mean—how could you forget all that pink he wore?

His name was Bede.

He turns around and eyes Aria with an unimpressed look.

"Coming this way? I strongly advise against it." He says with a snort and then eyed her wrist. "Any Challenger with a Wishing Star is looking to get a beating from me and my Pokémon."

Aria raised an eyebrow at his comment. "A wishing star?" She asks and then followed his eyes down to her wrist where her Dynamax band rested. Professor Magnolia! She used the wishing stars to make the bands!, she thought.

"You're pretty slow, aren't you?" Bede says sourly. "I really wonder why the Champion chose you to endorse and that other goofy kid."

Aria's nerve was now irked. "I'm getting real tired of people saying that to me."

"Well, it's true. I mean—we all thought the mighty Champion would choose someone worthy of his endorsement letter. Not someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Aria inquired with a raised eyebrow. Bede doesn't say anything, but instead smirks at her annoyance and holds up a Pokéball which he throws into the air and out comes a Solosis. Aria takes out her Rotom phone and accessed the PokéDéx feature that identified the Pokémon.

Solosis - The Cell Pokémon

It communicates with others telepathically and it's body is in encapsulated in liquid, but if it takes a heavy blow; the liquid will leak out. Solosis' special liquid is also rumored to allow the Pokémon to survive in the vacuum of space.

"You need a PokéDéx to tell you that? Wow, you're really pathetic." Bede said with that same deadpan voice. Now, Aria was irritated.

"Get out of my way. I'm going to the Turffield Gym." She demands.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. You're not worthy enough to step foot in a Gym period. So I'll make sure you never see the inside of a Gym; in fact: I might even take your endorsement letter for myself. Maybe that will make the 'oh-so-great' Champion think twice before he endorses just anybody off the street."

"Leon believes in me!" She snaps. "Leon knows and trusts that I will make him proud!"

Bede scoffs. "Not if you lose against me."

Aria takes out her Pokéball. "Well, then; I guess I'll just have to make sure I beat you!" She says hotly. "Now, Yamper! Frontline!" The ball is thrown and emerging is the small hyperactive yellow puppy that barks happily and sizzles with volts popping around its body.

Bede smirks as he and Aria have a stand-off briefly before they speak in unison.

"Time to battle!"

Peace & Love

xGhostReaderx