Everything went by fast after that. Much too fast for Serena's liking. It started to dawn on her just how badly she may have screwed up when the crowd around her began cheering, whistling, and offering words of encouragement. To her. To a trainer who didn't know the first thing about battling!

In spite of the smiles and good cheer sent her way, Serena wanted nothing more than for the world to swallow her alive. Maybe Palkia would be watching and, in the spirit of being a good sport, offer to bend space around her and take her somewhere far, far away from here?

No such luck.

Even worse, a few trainers had already approached her and offered to lend her one or two of their Pokemon, for nothing else than to see the look on Gloria's face as she was defeated. She had to admit, she almost jumped at the chance, especially as Ash himself offered this same thing, and judging by the display he had put at Prism Tower and his battle at Santalune, his Pokemon were very experienced battlers.

But she had no illusions she'd even be able to direct them, much less know what attacks they possessed or how they even worked. In fact, her friend Tierno had once complained how, after making a trade with another trainer, the Pokemon he'd received refused to listen to his instructions. To have to depend on someone else's Pokemon was a dicey proposition at best for seasoned trainers, much less newbies like herself.

And so she did the only thing she could. She snapped up her pokedex and frantically read up as much as she could on her partner Fennekin. Fire type, male. Weak to Rock, Ground and Water; strong against Bug, Grass, Ice and Steel. It only knew four moves, and not very varied ones at that. It liked to munch on sticks and it could puff out hot air out of its ears, shimmering the air around it—an intimidation display.

As for Gloria's Pokemon, she didn't know much about them other than the fact they were big, scary and likely leagues ahead of her little Fennekin.

I'm in trouble, she thought. Stupidstupidstupid Serena! Why couldn't you just keep your mouth closed?!

"Are both trainers ready?"

What? At what point had she stepped up to the plate? Where had the time gone? Things moved way too fast for her liking. Gloria's glower was evident across the arena and Serena suddenly felt very self-conscious as dozens upon dozens of eyes fell on her.

"This will be a three-on-three battle with no substitutions," said the arbiter. "A coin toss will determine which trainer will release their Pokemon..."

"Wait!" Serena called out, holding out a hand. The arbiter fell silent, and the girl nearly shrank into herself as even more eyes were directed her way. Fighting the lump in her throat, she just barely managed to squeak out, "I only have the one Pokemon," she said meekly, holding up Fennekin's pokeball for emphasis.

"This will be a one-on-one match," said the arbiter without missing a beat. No one questioned the fact Serena only had one Pokemon available, for which she was very thankful. She picked heads and when the coin toss was decided, the arbiter then pointed at her and said, "The red trainer will release her Pokemon first."

Well, I've come too far to back out now, she thought morosely. She brought up the pokeball to her lips, gave it a peck for good luck and tossed it in the air. "I choose you, Fennekin!"

The whole of the arena, who'd been cheering on fell silent as the little fox materialized, licking its paw. A breeze blew some fast-food wrappers across the field. If one looked closely, one could see the arbiter giving Serena a baffled, shifty-eyed glance from the corner of his eye.

Of course, Gloria broke the silence. The ill-tempered Galarian threw her head back and let out a booming, full bellied laugh. "AAAAAAAH-HAWHAWHAWHAW!"

Serena pursed her lips, cheeks aflame, but could do little else. She scanned the crowd until she saw Ash. He gave her a thumbs up and a nod of encouragement. Well, at least someone believes in me. Surprisingly enough, the thought did give her some comfort.

"This is a proper joke, en't it?" Gloria's coarse tones carried well across the arena. "The prissy princess fancies pittin' 'er little dumpling against mah babes?! Ye'll have to scrape that 'mon off the floor by the time my boy's done wit 'im." She reached into her bag, pulled out a pokeball and made to throw it... only to stop at the last second. A thoughtful frown played across her features as she rotated the ball in her hand.

"Too easy," she said and shook her head, smiling. "Wipin' the floor with a pissant noob's no fun. Jest to show me a good sport, I'll give that little fur scarf a' yours a fightin' chance, eh?" Gloria placed the ball back in her bag, picking out another. "It'll make yer tears all the sweeter once I'm through with ye!"

The pokeball arced through the air and opened in a blinding flash of light. Serena flinched, expecting a monster of monsters to come popping out. Instead, the light coalesced, shrinking, shrinking, becoming more solid, and no one was more astonished than her as the Pokemon was revealed. It wasn't that much bigger than Fennekin, and it regarded its surroundings with calm, docile eyes. The Pokemon looked to Fennekin, then Serena with curiosity.

"Baa?"

Serena seemed to deflate. "A Wooloo?" The irony was not lost on her, and once the surprise passed, she allowed a snicker to escape her lips.

Gloria's cheeks colored a rosy pink. "'ave a laugh, then, ye boozy slag! Ye'll be beggin' that sheep fer mercy soon enough!"

A prerecorded 'ding' signaled the start of battle, and Gloria wasted no time in relaying instructions.

"Wooloo! Crush their bones and spirits proper, eh? Attack with Rollout!"

Fennekin tensed, and Serena braced herself for the incoming attack. One that... did not come?

The Wooloo walked placidly, with nary a sign of urgency or that it even heard its mistress' command. Fennekin stepped forward to meet it, sniffing curiously.

"Oi! I said use Rollout!"

Wooloo bent down and licked the top of Fennekin's head. Fennekin's eyes slanted, its teeth bared and it let out a series of yipping barks right into Wooloo's face. Wooloo reared back, bleating in alarm. It promptly sped away, making a beeline for Gloria.

"Otter way! Otter way, ye' silly cotton ball! Come t' yer senses!"

Her words brought Wooloo to a halt. It cocked its head and let out a questioning bleat. Gloria's palm met her face with an audible smack. "Aye, it be a battle! Now turn around and focus!" Wooloo did so, glaring at Fennekin and let out a bleat that was probably meant to be intimidating. It failed miserably.

"That's proper, eh? Now go an' attack with Rollout!" Wooloo listened this time. It tucked its head and limbs inside its thick, fluffy coat, rolling forward with a vengeance.

Serena stared. Oh. My. Gosh! That's the cutest, most adora—no, bad Serena! Focus!

"Dodge it, Fennekin!" The little fox dodged in the nick of time, showing its reflexes. Wooloo circled around, coming back for another strike. "Now use..." Serena's voice caught. The words didn't come. What moves did Fennekin have? I know this! Of all the times to forget...

But too late. Fennekin stared back, waiting for instructions and Serena's lapse of mind made it a sitting Psyduck. It yelped in pain as Wooloo slammed hard into it, making Serena wince. Battling was much more difficult than it first seemed.

Fennekin recovered, but Wooloo was not done and it came back for more. At Serena's urging, Fennekin dodged again and breathed a small Ember attack, but Wooloo had picked up enough speed that the flames merely washed over it. This wasn't working.

Serena's thoughts raced frantically, thinking, trying to come up with a way to counter Wooloo's attack, which was picking up speed and power. She needed to break Wooloo's concentration somehow, but other than Ember, Fennekin didn't have anything in its arsenal to get the job done. Or did it?

A stroke of inspiration hit. It was by no means certain, and she wasn't completely sure it would have much of an effect, but she had to try.

"Fennekin, use Howl!"

The little fox paused, drew in a big breath and howled to the heavens. The sound was far louder and more potent than Serena expected and for a fleeting moment, a small, primal part within her shook. But the effect on Wooloo was far more pronounced.

It unrolled mid-attack, bleating in alarm and wildly missed its intended target. Serena had a better picture of it now. The Wooloo was clearly untrained. At least not to the point of Gloria's other Pokemon. Its prey drive was still strong, but hadn't been fully conditioned to the point Wooloo could willfully ignore it, and judging by the look on Gloria's face, she too came to the same conclusion.

"Ember attack, again!"

This time the flames struck true, and Wooloo bleated in panic as its fluffy fleece caught fire.

"Don't you take that, Wooloo! Use Rollout t' smother that fire!"

Wooloo complied and Serena bit her lip as the flames died. Gloria had countered that a little too quickly for her liking.

"Now 'eadbutt that cheeky cunt!" Wooloo charged.

Serena bid Fennekin to use Scratch and the combatants closed in the distance, but just as they were about to collide, she then yelled, "Jump onto it!" Fennekin did so with nimble grace, lifting off just as Wooloo's head came crashing down.

"What in the...?!"

The look on Gloria's face filled Serena with vindictive glee. Fennekin latched onto Wooloo's fluffy back with its claws, sharp teeth ripping and tearing handfuls of that fluffy wool. Naturally, Wooloo panicked. It bucked frantically like a Ponyta at a rodeo, trying to dislodge the fox before it did irreparable damage to its precious wool.

This battle had not been going the way Gloria expected, and the cracks had begun to show.

"Use Rollout again!" Wooloo had enough sense left to obey and it hastily rolled into an increasingly misshapen ball.

"Fennekin, get out of there!" Serena ordered, but to her dismay, the little fox was unable to comply. Its claws had gotten stuck in the fluffy tangles of Wooloo's fur, and it yipped in alarm as it tried and failed to break free.

Serena winced, awaiting Fennekin's pained yips with dread as it was crushed under Wooloo's attack, but they did not come. Instead, Fennekin let loose a Howl of its own volition and true enough, it brought an end to Wooloo's Rollout.

The result almost made her laugh, especially with the way Gloria's mouth hung in the air, a gobsmacked expression on her face. Wooloo's Rollout had the opposite of the intended effect, for not only had Fennekin not been dislodged, it actually sank deeper into Wooloo's fluff.

For several seconds, neither trainer spoke as they bore witness to the bizarre event. Wooloo ran around in panicked circles, bleating in alarm, bucking and rolling over in a futile attempt to rid itself of Fennekin, who contented itself by tearing out chunks of the fluffy wool that kept it prisoner.

Serena looked to Gloria noting that, for once, her rival was at a loss for words. What do you know? You actually can shut up for a change. For a single maddening moment, the honey blonde felt the overwhelming urge to raise her stretched out palm in front of her mouth and indulge in one of those overblown hearty laughs that the snobbish, high-class ladies in her soap operas so often used.

Wooloo had no hope now, no moves it could use against Fennekin in this state, and judging by the way Gloria's face contorted in painful thought, she too came to this realization. For her part, Serena was tempted to prolong the potty-mouthed Galarian's suffering, but she did not want to risk it.

"Fennekin, do that thing you do with your ears! Make Wooloo overheat!" she called out, surprised at the confidence and strength in her own words. Fennekin understood the intention and it stilled, concentrating, and in mere moments, the air around Wooloo shimmered with heat.

The battle was done, though Gloria stubbornly refused to admit defeat. She watched with helpless frustration as Wooloo's attempts to break free slowed, growing more lethargic, tongue lolled out, bleating miserably at the oppressive heat. Wordlessly, she magnified the pokeball and recalled her Pokemon.

Was... was that it?

The brunette stomped forward, face white with rage and her lips drawn in such a tight line they might have disappeared. With a voice thick with repressed fury, she growled, "Count yer lucky stars I chose t' go easy on ya, else my 'mons woulda had your Fennekin as a snack." Gloria then reached into her bag and dropped a thick wad of bills at Serena's feet. "Yer on my list now, princess. I won't forget this anytime soon." She then elbowed past Serena and, without another word, disappeared behind the crowd.

The reigning silence lasted but a beat before all present erupted into raucous cheers.

"IN A STUNNING UPSET AND PUTTING AN END TO GLORIA'S WINNING STREAK, THE ROOKIE TRAINER SERENA CLAIMS VICTORY OVER GALAR'S VAUNTED PRODIGY!"

"I... won?" Serena whispered, barely able to believe it. Sure, her victory might have been in part due to Gloria's carelessness and arrogance, but still! She won her very first match! Against a veteran trainer, no less. The fact she'd been Galarian was the cherry on top.

"I won!" she cried out joyously, pumping her arms to the crowd, who cheered louder still. Her heart hammered a mile a minute, and her blood ran hot. Never before had she felt this. This euphoria that made her feel invincible—that made everything, no matter how improbable, now seem possible. The fretful girl who'd left Vaniville weighed down with all those worries, insecurities and doubts suddenly resembled a stranger, many miles away.

Is this what being a trainer feels like?

She rushed toward Fennekin, who jumped into her arms. "You did so good!" she gushed and ran her fingers through its soft warm fur. Fennekin yipped and licked her cheek, its tail wagging wildly.

"That was incredible!" said Ash with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him.

'And I wouldn't be here without you,' she almost said, but something held her back. The right time would come. But that didn't matter now. For now she would savor this moment. She'd made the right choice after all, and of that she had no doubts.

Yes, I can get used to this.