Part 17: A Contest of Champions!

        ‘So guys, know anything about the Celadon City gym leader?’, I asked as we walked. I slowly stretched out my arms under the warm morning sun. I inhaled deeply and yawned, embracing the fresh air and all the natural fragrances that Route Seven had to offer.

        We were walking at a leisurely pace, traveling carefree as we left Saffron and all our memories of the place behind us. A new gym lay in my wake and I needed to proceed with a clear head, ready for battle!

        Salvadore rose his head from behind the Kanto Trainer Guide and smiled goofily. ‘Erika...’, he sighed lovingly.

        ‘Erika?’, I pondered to myself.

        Fed up, Aly angrily grabbed the guide from Salvadore’s loose grasp. The breeder continued to walk, his thoughts lost in a daydream.

        Togepi still slept soundly in her arm.

        Aly’s eyes quickly scanned the guide as she read out loud, ‘Celadon City is the largest populated city in Kanto and its architecture boasts some of the most hi tech and modern construction in the entire world. It attracts hundreds of thousands of shoppers every year, due to its large scale fashion and perfume industry. Erika, the driving force behind this market also represents the city as a strong gym leader, truly testing all challengers with her mastery of grass types. Events that trainers should note include...’, she trailed off as she continued to scan the guide.

        Grass types, I thought to myself? I went through my team in my head, trying to decide who would be my best shot. Peeks’ electric attacks wouldn’t be very effective against grass types. Toto would be a definite risk, even with his ice fang attack.

        I looked down at Kiro, whose fur sparkled in the in the morning sun as he walked along side me. He has great speed, but we would need more training before taking on a world class gym leader like Erika.

        That left me with Sir Duke, Hope and Mia, all of whom could put up a great battle.

        My thoughts instantly vanished as a horizon of skyscrapers and modern wonders appeared before us.

        ‘Wait! What date is it!?’, Aly asked panickedly. She glanced at her Pokegear before shrieking deafeningly. ‘It’s today! National Princess Day is today! Let’s go!’, she screamed.

        I stared at her with a puzzling look.

        ‘National Princess Day!’, Salvadore exclaimed as his jaw almost hit the floor in shock. ‘All those beautiful women waiting for a guy- a man like me! What are we waiting for!!!??? LETS GO!!!’.

        Without warning, Salvadore sprinted past us and raced down the final descent towards Celadon City. I had never seen the breeder run so fast.

        Completely bewildered, I looked to Aly once more. She let out another excited shriek before running after Salvadore, ‘Wait for me!’.

        I looked at my two friends racing towards Celadon City, both excited over something I didn’t even know about.

        ‘So this is what it feels like’, I said to myself before turning to an equally bewildered Kiro. ‘C’mon buddy! Let’s go!’. Kiro smiled up at me and nodded.

        For the first time ever, I was the one doing the chasing!

* * *

        ‘Look at all these sales!’, Aly shrieked with delight.

        ‘Look at all these gorgeous women!’, Salvadore drooled with his mouth hanging open. He seemed to drift among the women as we stood in a crowded city centre.

        ‘Ummm... can somebody please tell me what’s going on?’, I asked, confused. My voice was a muffled sound amidst the stampede of people rushing to the next sale.

        ‘It’s National Princess Day, Robin! It’s like, oh my God! Totes the best day of the year!’, Aly said hugging her Togepi tightly.

        ‘Oh...?’, I muttered, still confused.

        ‘It’s basically a day where girls receive special offers in shops, but more importantly, are allowed enter special pokemon contests!’

        I spun around to a cool, familiar voice.

        Before me stood a trainer, with her signature golden hair and violet flower. Her matching violet strand of hair dangled lifelessly over her cheek.

        ‘Tammie!’, I exclaimed, surprised to see her.

        ‘Hey Robin! Aly! Salvadore! Nice to see you guys again! And- oh my God! That Eevee is so adorable!’, she said as she knelt down to pet Kiro. The silver Eevee adored the attention.

        Aly and Salvadore were too engrossed in sale signs and women to take much notice of Tammie’s arrival and just muttered a, ‘hey’.

        Tammie and I shook hands, laughing at their divided attention.

        ‘So, are you here to battle Erika too?’, I asked eagerly.

        ‘I already did!’, she said with a smile and withdrew a pretty blue case from her bag. She carefully opened it, revealing five pristine badges. I instantly recognised two of them: one being the Boulder Badge and the other being the Cascade Badge. The other three must have been from gyms the we had not visited yet.

 ‘This one here is Erika’s, the Rainbow Badge’. She pointed to an octagonal badge containing fragments of multiple colours. It sheened proudly in the midday light.

‘Woah! That’s so cool!’, I exclaimed. I blushed a little, embarrassed that I was a badge behind.

‘Thanks! So, how are you getting on?’, she asked curiously.

I blushed a darker shade of red. ‘Me? Oh... ummm.... alright I guess!’

I opened out my jacket, where my four badges were fixed in place. Tammie’s attention immediately focused on the Marsh Badge. ‘Where did you get this?’, she asked, allured by the odd badge.

‘I got it after battling Emmett, the Saffron City gym leader!’, I said smugly.

Tammie looked up at me in disbelief and took a step backwards. ‘It was you!? You’re the trainer that people have been talking about!?’

‘What do you mean?’, I shot her a confused look. ‘What people?’.

‘Everyone!’. She grabbed my arm and dragged me over to a nearby newsstand. She picked up a paper and held it up to my face. ‘Look here!’

My eyes began to scan the paper. It was the Weekly Kanto, one of Kanto’s most popular papers! My eyes instantly fell on the front page photo, showing a foggy scene in Saffron City. There was a baffled looking crowd, amidst of whom I recognised Aly and Salvadore staring through the dense fog with anxious faces.

‘Wait! This is my battle with Emmett!? What’s a photo like this doing on the Weekly Kanto?’, I asked Tammie.

‘Robin, don’t you realise what you’ve done!? You have beaten Emmett, a powerful gym leader that has been undefeated for over two years! It’s like he’s a changed man after that battle! What happened in that fog?’. She looked at me suspiciously.

‘Just got lucky I guess...’, I stuttered and scratched the back of my head nervously. I tried to brush off the subject, wanting to forget those haunted memories.

‘Sure...’, she sighed sarcastically.

‘Hehe... anyways! Are you going shopping?’, I seized my opportunity to quickly change the subject.

‘Nah, I can do that any time. What I’m really interested in is the opening of the new Celadon Contest Hall!’, she shrieked excitedly.

‘Contest hall?’.

‘Seriously Robin!  How does a trainer like you go and defeat one of the strongest gym leaders in Kanto, and then not know what a contest hall is!?’, she frowned.

‘Uhh...?’. I was lost for words.

Tammie sighed deeply. ‘Pokemon contests are where trainers called coordinators come and show how their pokemon’s true potential through their attacks and battle’, she explained, ‘ In the first round a panel of judges score the pokemon’s moves, showcasing their beauty and talent. If they make it through to the second round, they must battle it out with the other finalists, highlighting, not just the pokemon’s skill, but their beauty as well!’

‘Wow, coordinators must be great trainers! I find battling tough enough!’, I admitted.

‘I know, right! That’s why I’m going to the opening of the new contest hall. I’ve heard that there might even be contest champions there! The top coordinators! Imagine all the things I could learn’, she said dreamily.

 I thought about it for a moment before agreeing, ‘That sounds awesome!’

Tammie looked urgently at her Pokegear and then back at me. ‘Oh my God! It’s starting in like, ten minutes! Wanna come!?’, she asked impatiently.

I hesitated, looking back at Aly and Salvadore who were still absorbed by clothes markets and females. I then laughed to myself and called over to them, ‘Hey guys! I’m gonna check out the new Contest Hall with Tammie! Would you like to come or will I catch up you later!?’, I yelled over the awes and squabbles of shoppers.

They both seemed to passively nod at my words, uninterested.

I took that as a “meet them later”.

‘Come Kiro! Lets check this place out!’, I called my curious pokemon who was sniffing at the remains of a tossed sandwich. His two beady eyes looked up at me promptly and he ran up my body, perching himself on my shoulder.

I then smiled at Tammie. She smiled back and began to lead us through the crowd.

The festivities were the same across the whole city. Musicians busked on the streets. Food stalls lined the pavements offering special deals to females. Many women were dressed in Kimonos while they shopped, as their boyfriends and husbands hauled countless bags of clothes and dolls after them. It was a strange, yet fresh vibe!

After a few minutes of walking we eventually stopped in front of a tall dome shaped building. Celadon’s reputation as a modern, hi tech city really shone in the presence of this sleek glass and marble constructed complex. We stared in admiration as hordes of people walked passed us to inspect the new contest hall.

‘Well! What are we waiting for!?’, Tammie looked at me impatiently before grabbing my arm and dragging us through the automatic doors.

We made our way up the stairs and into the spectator stands. The arena was enormous, yet almost full with both people and pokemon.The tiered seating seemed to encircle the battlefield like a coliseum.

We slowly edged our way passed the crowds until we soon found two free seats. We sat down and waited for something to happen.

The entire hall suddenly went to dark. Gasps of shocked spectators echoed around the arena.

Two spotlights appeared, both entwining with one another as a lean man stood under the light. He held a microphone up to his mouth. ‘Ladies, gentlemen and pokemon! Welcome to the new Celadon City Contest Hall. Today is promised to be an afternoon of great entertainment, in particular with the surprises we have in store for you!’

The crowd screamed and applauded at the announcer. The rest of the arena was lighted once again, revealing a desk at the side of the battlefield as well as three seats, two of which were already occupied. I immediately recognised one the people to be a Nurse Joy, though I was clueless as to the identity of the small man who sat contentedly beside her.

‘Without further ado, I now present you with Johto and Hoenn’s top coordinators, Dawn and May!’, the man announced lavishly and took a seat alongside Nurse Joy and the small man. I guessed these people to be the judges of the contest.

The volume of cheers escalated to deafening levels as two old teenagers entered the arena. One girl wore a long white dress and had her sea blue hair tied back and braced. A small, but proud pokemon accompanied her. I checked my Dex:

Piplup, the penguin pokemon. Piplup have a thick coat which protect it from the cold. As it is very proud, it will refuse help from others and can be difficult to train.

It sure looked confident as it waved gleefully at the crowd.

I looked to the other girl beside her. She was dressed more casual in an orange shirt and denim shorts. Her brunette hair was tied back with a red bandana.

They both raised their hands as a gesture of thanks for the warm welcome. The blue haired coordinator then held a microphone to her mouth and giggled before saying, ‘Thank you Mr. Contesta, and thank you all so much for coming here to the opening of this fantastic new contest hall. May and I are delighted to be apart of this and we would like to apologies on behalf of Jessilina, the top Kanto Coordinator, who could not make it today’.

The stadium erupted once more in applause for the two coordinators. Dawn waited for the crowd to settle before speaking once more. ‘As you all know, today is National Princess day; a day where girls are made feel more special . However, we are now extending an open invitation to anyone! May and I challenge any two trainers in this contest hall to a double battle!’

A series of gasps and muffled talk spread through the arena. I was also in shock. Two of the best coordinators in the world were offering the chance for a public battle with them.

Before I could even look at Tammie she caught my arm and dragged me passed some surprised spectators. Kiro followed us curiously through the crowd and down the steps leading to the battlefield. Tammie waved her arms at the two teeneagers excitdely.

Before I knew it, we were standing opposite the two coordinators. I felt very small as everyone’s attention were focused on us.

‘My name’s Tammie. This is my friend Robin and we both accept your challenge!’, Tammie announced eagerly.

A round of applause echoed around the complex.

‘Wow! Such confidence for such young trainers!’, May admitted, ‘Lets try to make this match exciting, ok?’

I stared at her blankly for a moment before focusing my attention on the battle, ‘Right!’, I said with determination.

‘Time to see what you’re made of! Go, Lopunny!’, Dawn yelled.

‘Glaceon, I chose you!’, said May calmly.

Tammie and I stared in awe as both pokemon were summoned with heart shaped sparks flying from their pokeballs. We scanned the unfamiliar opponents with our Dex:

Lopunny, the rabbit pokemon and the evolved form of Buneary. Lopunny can be very conscious about their looks and are able to deliver powerful kicks.

Glaceon, the fresh snow pokemon and the evolved form of Eevee. Glaceon can control its body heat and freeze the air around it. It can also use this technique to act as a defense mechanism.

I stared silently at the Glaceon, a pokemon that Kiro could potentially evolve into. It looked confident and strong. Kiro gazed at the Glaceon too. Maybe he would evolve into one someday- but that would be his choice.

‘Ok Robin, lets give it everything!’, Tammie urged, awaking me from my thoughts. ‘Lets go, Ninetales!’. She threw her pokeball and summoned a golden coloured fox pokemon- Vulpix’s evolution.

‘Wow, you’re Vulpix evolved!’, I remarked.

‘Battle first, compliments later!’, she snapped.

‘Right!’, I nodded back at her.

I thought for a moment. I needed a pokemon that could deliver a good performance as well as battle.

‘Got it! Show ‘em how we play ball! Sir Duke, I chose you!’.

Haunter burst out of his pokeball and surged high into the air. He spun a shadow ball on his claw and roused the crowd.

I looked up to the side of the contest all, where a screen brightened behind the judges. A picture of Tammie and I appeared on one side, mirrored by Dawn and May’s picture on the other half of the screen. I also noticed an orange health bar under both sets of photos.

My attention quickly refocused on the battle.

‘I think it’s only fair that you should get to go first’, May suggested.

We were quick to accept her offer. When fighting the top coordinators in the world we would need all the help we could get.

‘Ninetales, use flamethrower!’, Tammie yelled.

‘Sir Duke, use shadow ball at Glaceon!’, I ordered, remembering that ghost moves would have no effect on a normal type like Lopunny.

Sir Duke formed a shadow ball and dribbled it like a basketball, eyeing up the awaiting Glaceon.

The crowd roared in excitement for the Haunter as he boasted his skills with his shadow ball. Sir Duke relished his moment of fame with a fiendish laugh and with a quick twirl he launched his shadow ball towards Glaceon.

‘Mirror coat!’, both coordinators said in unison.

Tammie and I stared in confusion as both Lopunny and Glaceon just stood there, waiting to be hit by the oncoming flamethrower and shadow ball. Just as the attacks made contact with the opposing pokemon, their skin seemed to glow like the Northern Lights. What we found even more shocking was that both pokemon seemed to be withstanding the attacks. Suddenly a blast of energy was emitted from both Lopunny and Glaceon, aimed directly at our pokemon.

Both Sir Duke and Ninetails went bundling backwards from the impact of the blast.

I noticed both health meters declined- ours vastly more so than May and Dawn’s.

Tammie screamed at her Ninetails to get up. Her pokemon was in obvious pain but still managed to struggle to its paws nonetheless. Sir Duke slowly floated up off the floor. He seemed to be disorientated after the attack.

‘Hmm... you’re pokemon are doing well to be still conscious after a mirror coat rebound; I’ll give them that much. But you’re gonna have to work as a team if you want to win this!’, said Dawn sternly.

‘That’s right!’, May agreed, ‘Now it’s our turn! Glaceon, use shadow ball on Lopunny!’

‘Lopunny, use jump kick!’

I was completely bewildered at the orders the coordinators had given their pokemon. However, they both seemed confident and their pokemon followed their commands.

Kiro’s attention was completely fixed on Glaceon, studying its attacks carefully.

Glaceon sent a shadow ball towards Lopunny, but to my surprise and utter horror, the rabbit pokemon jumped high into the air and forcefully kicked the shadow ball into the path of the Sir Duke. The Haunter knew little of what was about to hit him as he rubbed his face in confusion.

‘Sir Duke! Watch out!’, I yelled helplessly as the shadow ball soared directly towards him with great pace and power.

‘Ninetales! Confuse ray!’, Tammie commanded promptly.

Ninetales’ eyes glowed red as hypnotic waves blocked the path of the oncoming attack. The shadow ball came to a stop and seemed to bobble and swerve in mid air before harmlessly dispersing to the ground.

The commotion seemed to snap Sir Duke out of his daze and he laughed hysterically.

‘Thanks Tammie! I owe ya one!’, I nodded over to my battle partner.

‘We’re in this as a team, so we’ve got to work together!’, she smiled back.

A sudden idea came to mind. If Dawn and May could combine their pokemon’s moves then maybe we could too. We had to give this a shot!

‘Sir Duke! Spin in the air and make multiple shadow balls!’. The Haunter nodded and swooped into the air. He spun rapidly on the spot as several shadow balls rotated around him.

‘Amazing! It looks like a chandelier!’, Nurse Joy remarked.

‘It’s up to you now!’, I urged Tammie.

‘Gotcha!’, she winked. ‘Ninetales, use fire blast, but use it on those shadow balls!’.

Under her trainer’s command, Ninetales exhaled a blast of fire which surged in a star shape towards Sir Duke. The Haunter stopped spinning and swirled out of the fire blasts path. Upon contact, the shadow balls exploded, releasing an eruption of purple flames.

        The crowd cheered deafeningly at the colourful spectacle.

        Lopunny and Glaceon screamed in pain as they were engulfed by the bouts of enchanting flames.

        The coordinators’ health bar went below half. We were now in the lead!

        I high-fived Tammie, ecstatic with our awesome team work.

        ‘Wow! What a great combination!’, Dawn said excitedly, ‘But this isn’t over for us yet! Lopunny, start spinning!’, she commanded.

We looked puzzled at the rabbit pokemon as she spun rapidly on the spot- so fast that she was soon just a blur. Her spinning seemed to act like a vacuum as all the purple flames were sucked towards her. She soon became entirely consumed by purple flames, resembling a fiery purple twister.

‘Glaceon! Time to cool things down! Use blizzard on Lopunny!’, May yelled.

The injured Glaceon screamed with all its might and bellowed a strong gust of snow and hail. The blizzard began to cool the fire twister, melting it and causing it to steam.

To our surprise the whole contest hall steamed up. Excited gasps traveled around the hall as we waited blindedly in the steam.

Suddenly, a giant whirlpool gushed from the steam and trapped Sir Duke and Ninetales in the vortex. I noticed Lopunny in the centre of the swirling water, controlling its movements. We watched helplessly as our pokemon were flung and knocked about the inside of the whirlpool. After a few moments, Lopunny came to a complete stop and the water twister subsided. Sir Duke and Ninetales lay on the ground, slumped against each other- fainted.

The health bar below our faces depleted. The match was over. We had lost.

I sighed resignedly as I withdrew Sir Duke, thanking him for his valiant efforts. Tammie did likewise with her Ninetales.

The crowd were on their feet, applauding and whistling.

‘What a great performance!’, said Nurse Joy as she clapped.

‘Indeed! Well done!’,agreed the small man beside her.

‘That was a great battle!’, said Dawn walking over to us and shaking our hands.

‘Yeah! You two really had us going there for a while! Would you ever consider becoming coordinators?’, May asked curiously.

‘Thanks! What you guys do is tough, but my eyes are set on becoming a pokemon master!’, I said confidently.

‘Hmm...’, Tammie pondered. She never answered May’s question- just curtseyed and smiled. ‘Thank you for the battle! I sure learned a lot. But I better be going’.

‘Going!? Going where?’, I asked surprised.

‘Fuchsia City. That’s where I plan to get my next badge! There are a few things I also have to do and think about, but that’s my main priority for now’

I felt a bit disappointed. I had wanted to talk about our battle and catch up, but I also knew that she was determined as I was in becoming the best! I gave her a warm smile and we shook hands.

‘Good luck! I’m sure we’ll meet again before the League begins!’

‘I sure hope so! But next time, we’ll battle each other! No holding back!’, she winked at me before turning and quickly walking out of the contest hall.

‘That’s a promise!’, I called after her.

She waved her hand behind her and continued walking- eventually out of sight.

I turned my attention to the two top coordinators. ‘Thanks again for the battle. It was an honor to meet you!’, I bowed my head in respect.

‘Don’t be silly!’, Dawn giggled, ‘It’s always a pleasure to battle new trainers and both of you battled exceptionally well’.

‘Yeah, that battle was a lot of fun!’, said May eccentrically. ‘So, are you gonna stick around? There are going to be plenty more battles and events happening in a little while!’.

‘Gee, I’d love to, but I better go and find my friends! Wherever they are...’

‘That’s ok! We understand. Take care and keep training with your pokemon! Who knows? We may even battle again some day!?’.

‘I hope so’, I said with a brief smile before calling Kiro. The silver Eevee looked up at me and nodded.

I shook hands with the coordinators once again before leaving the contest hall. I reflected on our battle and what the two girls had said as I left.

I stepped outside into the crowded plaza in front of the contest hall. The sun still shone brightly in the cloudless sky. There was still plenty of excitement and commotion in the streets as girls rushed to the next sale. I was just about to reach for my Pokegear when I spotted Aly and Salvadore in the distance. Aly was waving at me while Salvadore trudged exhaustively behind her, carrying half a dozen bags of clothes.

-Grrrrowl!!!-

I was suddenly tackled to the floor and set upon with a series of licks to the face. I struggled on the ground for a few moments as I blindly tried to subdue my attacker. When I managed to open my eyes I got the greatest surprise of my life.

There, sitting on top of me was our pet Growlithe, Growly!

‘Growly!’, I screamed ecstatically and wrapped my arms around him. He panted and licked my cheek. ‘What are you doing here!?’

‘Robin!?’

‘Robin! Oh my, what a surprise!’

I sat up and turned my head to a familiar voices. Professor Oak and my mother were standing behind me with surprised expressions.

‘Mom!’. I jumped up from beneath the happy Growlithe and hugged my mother. ‘Why are you guys here?’. I squeezed her tightly. It was such a shock to see her.

‘Well, the Professor was asked to give a lecture in the new contest hall, here. So, I just... tagged along. It being National Princess Day and all!’, she beamed with a smile. Then, her face suddenly went more stern. ‘Is that a cut on your cheek? Have you not been looking after yourself properly? Is that shirt clean? I hope you’re treating your pokemon well!’

‘Mom...’, I groaned and stood back from her, noticing Aly giggling at my mother’s protective nature. ‘Yes! Yes. I’m fine! By the way, these are my friends, Aly and Salvadore. They’ve been traveling with me!’

Aly blushed a little as she introduced herself and her Togepi, who was now wide awake and smiling. Salvadore could only mutter a ‘hello’, before collapsing to the ground with fatigue.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. I hope my baby hasn’t been causing you too much trouble! You know, when he was eight he used to-’

‘Hey Mom!’, I said in a panic, unsure of which embarrassing story she was about to tell. Thinking promptly I grabbed all the pokeballs from my belt and tossed them in the air. ‘Check out my pokemon! Come on out everybody!’

-Croc!-

-Pika!-

-Free!-

        -Mee!-Meow!-

        -Haunt!-Haunt!-Haunt!-

        -Vee!-

        ‘Toto’s evolved since we last met, and here are the rest of the gang; Peeks, Hope, Mia, Sir Duke and Kiro!’, I introduced each of my pokemon to my mother. Toto, Peeks Hope all waved casually at her. The ever eccentric Sir Duke grabbed her hands in his claws and shook them excitedly, chuckling as he greeted her. Mia stared at my mother in awe before surprisingly hugging her leg. Mom picked her up and greeted her lovingly.

I was shocked at how attached they instantly became. Maybe my mother reminded Mia of her previous owner, I thought to myself. Growly seemed to be displeased at the affection his mistress was showing  the foreign pokemon and snarled under his breath.

‘Oh my! What an interesting Eevee this is!’, the Professor remarked as he examined Kiro closely in his arms.

‘This is Kiro! He’s the newest member of the team. He likes to travel outside of his pokeball and keeps an eye on us’, I laughed.

‘Some pokemon are like that, but it is extremely rare to find a pokemon with an irregular colouring. In fact, I’ve only ever seen three in my entire life time- Kiro being the third.’

I was about to boast about how I caught Kiro when Prof. Oak spoke snappily, ‘Are these the only pokemon you’ve caught so far? I don’t remember receiving anything from you. All the other trainers have-’

‘Over seventy pokemon caught between them. I know!’, I interrupted the professor, not wanting to hear this speech for the second time. ‘I was talking to your grandson, Gary a couple of weeks ago. He already told me that I need to catch more pokemon if I want to become a better trainer. I’ve sent Beri, my Bulbasaur over to him. I promise I will do my best to capture more pokemon! But first, I want to challenge Erika for my fifth badge!’, I spoke quickly and confidently.

‘See that you do!’, he said, slowly lowering Kiro to the ground. ‘And you want to challenge Erika? Well that is truly going to be a tough battle. You must have all your wits about you!’.

‘Erika? That perfume and fashion designer is also a gym leader!? Well then, I guess I’m going to have to watch your battle!’, my mother beamed proudly. ‘When do you plan on challenging her?’.

I sighed at the thought of my mother embarrassing me during a public battle. Then again, I was so glad to see her! After all, she raised my brother and I to become the people who we are today. She deserved a chance to see how much stronger I had become. I owed her at least that much!

‘Tomorrow’, I smiled, ‘Tomorrow I will show you how strong a trainer I have become and battle the best match you’ve ever seen!’.

Confident much, I thought to myself as I raised expectation levels?

Little did I know of the twist in events that were soon to come!